NYS Music 20​17

Category: News

  • Relix Announces Live Music Conference

    Relix Magazine has announced it will be holding the first Relix Live Music Conference on Wednesday May 10th.  The one day event will happen at Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn. Ticket sales begin Friday, March 10.

    Organizers say the event will be geared toward professionals in live music.  The conference will be a showcase of  new technologies, music management, and publicity while bringing together many leaders in today’s ever-changing music industry. Panels and presentations will be moderated and presented by a variety of industry leaders including Red Light Management, CID Entertainment, Head Count, Madison House Presents, and AEG Live.

    Relix Live Music ConferenceThe day long event will feature a variety of panels and discussions focusing on subjects important to the music industry.  According to the event website, moderated panels include industry topics like talent buying, artist management, publicity and music festivals.  Presentations will also take place on topics such as ticketing, technology and event activism.

    Legendary promoters Peter Shapiro and Ron Delsner are slated to give the event’s keynote speeches. The speeches will be moderated by Rolling Stone Senior Editor David Fricke.

    The evening will also include music from the Meat Puppets and Mike Watt & the Secondmen.

    In 1974, Relix Magazine was launched as a handmade newsletter designed to connect fans that recorded the Grateful Dead.  It eventually expanded into a music magazine covering a wide variety of music.  The magazine is the second-longest continuously published music magazine in the United States.

    Event organizers noted that they hope the Relix Live Music Conference will serve as a resource to bring together “all the pieces and people that help bring a live show to life.”

    Tickets for the event will go on-sale to the public on Friday, March 10 at noon.

  • Catskill Chill Takes Hiatus in 2017

    Catskill Chill festival lovers received a disappointing announcement that the fest is going on hiatus for 2017. Fans have been waiting for an announcement on 2017’s Catskill Chill Festival since the stage lights extinguished on 2016’s festival Sept. 25. Hoping for a lineup and date announcement for 2017, fans received the opposite news instead. Festival lovers can only hope the festival returns in 2018.

    After seven years, Catskill Chill will take a hiatus in 2017. In a post to fans on social media, the Chillfam team reflected on how the festival brought people together and the one of a kind atmosphere that the festival created. The Chillfam team also thanked everyone from fans, vendors, bands/artist, volunteers, venues, promoters and media, who have supported the festival since its inception in September 2010.

    One thing the festival promoters did not state in the post was why the festival would not take place, just stating that they needed to take a step back and that they will be be announcing Chillfam parties throughout the northeast real soon.

    Many jamband favorites have played the festival throughout the years including Mike Gordon, George Clinton & Parliamant/Funkadelic, Greensky Bluegrass, Lettuce, moe., Twiddle, Dopapod, Kung Fu, Nth Power, Papadosio, and Pink Talking Fish to name a few.

    Below is the festival’s statement issued through Facebook regarding the hiatus:

    https://www.facebook.com/CatskillChill/posts/1592016847493442

  • Extensive Lou Reed Archive Donated to NY Public Library

    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.

    lou reed archivesIncluded 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.

    lou reed archivesWhen 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.

  • Melvin Seals & JGB Return to Central NY

    This Wednesday, March 8, Melvin Seals & JGB will return to The Westcott Theater in Syracuse.  The “Keepers of the Flame” are no strangers to Central New York, having played the same venue less than six months prior and every year since 2012.

    The folky Dishonest Fiddlers as well as Upstate’s own Los New Yorkers are opening for Seals and his band, so fans can expect a little bit of everything on this upcoming hump day.   The Syracuse show is the third stop in the Empire State this tour, following their Friday night performance with special guests Ron Holloway and John Kadlecik at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester and the Tuesday night gig at the Buffalo Iron Works with Pink Talking Fish.

    Melvin Seals and JGB continue to show their love for New York as they return to the Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs on Saturday, March 11 and the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on Sunday, March 12.  The different bills feature eclectic opening acts from all over the Northeast, so prepare for something unique and special to happen at every show.

    Tickets for Wednesday night’s show at the Westcott Theater are still available and the remainder of the tour dates can be found here.

  • The Peach Music Festival Announces 2017 Lineup

    Montage Mountain, in Scranton, PA is ready for another four-day festival weekend this summer, as the Peach Music Festival, has announced its 2017 lineup for the festival’s sixth annual event which takes place Aug. 10-13.

    This year’s lineup will include several New York State, including New Hartford native Joe Bonamassa, NYC natives Lettuce, who will feature Chaka Kahn during their set, and Buffalo’s Aqueous, performing two sets during the festival.

    Other artist appearing over the four-day festival will include Gov’t Mule and Friends, My Morning Jacket, Dark Star Orchestra, Rusted Root, Mike Gordon, Papadosio, the Record Company, Whiskey Myers, Pink Talking Fish, Holly Bowling, the Jauntee, Elise Testone and Widespread Panic, who will be performing on two separate nights.

    Also, Umphrey’s McGee, and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, will each perform 2 sets in one night during the festival.

    Jam band fans love the Peach Music Festival. The festival has a wide variety of music genres that include folk, country, jazz, and several styles of rock.

    The festival was created by the Allman Brothers Band, along with Live Nation Entertainment, in 2012. Festival lovers were worried in 2015, that the annual event would end, after the Allman Brothers Band decided to quit touring after 45 years in 2014, but side projects of band members appearing at the festival, helped ease the minds of attendees that the Peach Music Festival is sticking around for awhile.

    Vendors for the festival have not been named as yet, and the festival itself is still taking vendor applications.

    There are several different ticket levels to purchase. Pass levels include General Admission (GA), Reserved, VIP, and Super VIP. All passes include all four days of the festival. No single day passes are available. Prices for passes increase $20-$30 over time as the show draws closer. Children passes (ages 6-10) will be available at the door for $60 before fees while supplies last. Children five and under do not require a ticket.

  • Tumble Down 2017 Lineup Includes Fruition, Aqueous

    Twiddle has announced the 2017 lineup for their second annual Tumble Down music festival, held on the Burlington, Vermont waterfront, will include Fruition, Madaila, Aqueous and more.

    Tumble Down, Twiddle’s music festival returning to Waterfront Park in their hometown of Burlington, Vermont July 28 and 29, features four sets from Twiddle along with sets from Americana/bluegrass act Fruition, Burlington psych pop band Madaila, Buffalo jammers Aqueous, and San Francisco-based Midnight North. The festival also features daytime sets from New York based acts Lucid and Teddy Midnight, along with Strange Machines, Holly Bowling and Vermonters Navytrain and The Mangroves.

    In addition to the waterfront festival, Tumble Down features late night performances each night. July 28 will see the Everyone Orchestra, conducted by Matt Butler and featuring Holly Bowling along with members of Twiddle, Fruition and Midnight North, at Higher Ground, while lespecial and the Pitchblak Brass Band play Club Metronome. On July 29, Mihali and Friends play Higher Ground, and Gang of Thieves with Backup Planet are at Club Metronome. All the late night shows start at 11 p.m. The Higher Ground shows are all ages and are $18 in advance or $23 at the door, while you must be 21 or over to attend the Club Metronome shows, which are $10.

    Tickets for Tumble Down 2017 and all the late night shows are on sale now. A two day pass for Tumble Down costs $63.

  • Iraqi Metalists Acrassicauda Host Immigrant Resettlement Benefit in Brooklyn

    Brooklyn-based Acrassicauda, a metal band originally formed in Iraq and featured in the 2007 documentary Heavy Metal in Baghdad, is hosting a benefit at the Knitting Factory Sunday to support immigrant resettlement programs in Brooklyn. The 6:00 p.m. all-ages show is free to attend, donations are encouraged.

    AcrassicaudaSpeaking with Billboard about the decision to conduct the benefit, the typically apolitical band says it was sparked by President Trump’s executive order calling for a travel ban from seven majority Muslim countries. Drummer Marwan M tells the magazine:

    We dodged that conversation because of everything we went through growing up in Iraq. But what’s going on here is idiotic and making us sick to our stomachs. We decided that we can’t pretend nothing is happening. This country is built on immigration and the idea of diverse cultures united. So many Americans are people who have fled their countries for one reason or another and built a home here. And this country has benefited from them.

    The Sunday show features special guests Alex Skolnick of Testament – who produced Acrassicauda’s debut EP, Only the Dead See the End of the War –  and Jay Weinberg of Slipknot, along with the bands I Killya, Sun & Flesh, Robots and Monsters and Signals of Bedlam.

    Original Acrassicauda members, drummer Marwan and guitarist/vocalist Faisal Talal, with assistance from members of Staten Island band Sicada, will headline the affair. All proceeds from the event, including from all Acrassicauda merchandise sold, will go towards immigrant resettlement causes. The band hasn’t designated one specific organization, but did say a portion will go to the International Rescue Committee, an organization instrumental in helping the band members when seeking asylum in 2009.

    Weinberg was enlisted to help via text message from Marwan after witnessing the recent airport protests. He was on board right away.

    If you’ve seen the documentary, then you know what those guys went through just to be a band; just to practice. They are trying to live, quote unquote, the American dream, but it seems more difficult to attain these days.  So, they are standing up and speaking out for what’s right. They walk the walk, and if I can contribute to a cause that they’re behind, I’m honored to be a part of it.

    Acrassicauda released its first full length album Gilgamesh in February 2016. Watch the powerful video for the single “Rise” below.  The Vice documentary Heavy Metal in Baghdad can be viewed in its entirety on the band’s website here.

  • Joe Beard, Gary Lewis and Uncle Rog Among Inductees to Rochester Music Hall of Fame

    The Rochester Music Hall of Fame 2017 announced the names of the 2017 inductees this week. The honorees are Samuel Adler, Joe Beard, Gary Lewis, Uncle Roger McCall, Greg Sullivan and the Penny Arcade, and Lewis Soloff. The induction ceremony, which will include several performances and tributes, takes place on April 30 at the historic Eastman Theatre.

    rochester music hall of fame joe beardInductees (in alphabetical order):

    Samuel Adler, celebrated classical composer and Eastman School of Music professor of composition from 1966 to 1995. With Adler in attendance, the Upton String Quartet with Yi-Yang Cheng on piano will perform his 1999 composition “Piano Quintet for Piano and String Quartet.”

    Joe Beard, revered blues guitarist and vocalist, who has played with the likes of Son House, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and John Lee Hooker. Joe Beard will perform at the ceremony, joined by his sons, Chris and Duane, and backed by house band Prime Time Funk.

    Gary Lewis, frontman of Gary Lewis and the Playboys, peforming since the 1960’s, topping charts and selling millions of records worldwide. Gary Lewis and the Playboys will be performing some of their best hits.

    Uncle Roger McCall, also known as “Uncle Rog,” the longest running DJ at a single station in the US (1973-2003) and hero to the local music scene, which he passionately promoted up until his murder during a robbery in 2003. Local musicians will peform a tribute to both Uncle Rog and Greg Sullivan.

    Greg Sullivan and The Penny Arcade, the legendary rock club was opened in 1973 by Sullivan, who booked national acts and mentored local musicians. Sullivan died of a heart attack in 2014, and the plaque in his honor hangs on the now-closed Penny Arcade.

    Lewis Soloff, Grammy Award-winning trumpeter for Blood, Sweat & Tears, and instructor at Juliard and Manhattan School of Music. Sorloff died of a heart attack in 2015. A tribute to Lew will be performed by David Clayton-Thomas, lead singer of Blood, Sweat, & Tears.

    Tickets for the ceremony on April 30 are now on sale at the Eastman Theatre box office or online.

  • NYC Busker Gives Earnings to Those in Need

    Come to find out, our generous busker not only resides in NYC, current street performer Will Boyajian, is a Clifton Park native, and son of notable Albany lawyer, Don Boyajian. Boyajian graduated from Shenendehowa High School in 2008. He studied music theater at Ithaca College, and has been living in NYC since 2012.

    As word of his story rapidly spreads, Boyajian stated to The Schenectady Gazette, that he hopes someone will step in and make it bigger, as he will be leaving NYC in March to act in the Capital Repertory Theater production of “They Built America: The Workers of the Erie Canal.” After that, Boyajian will take his acting skills, and head back to the cruise ship from April through December.

    Musicians from Los Angeles and Chicago have reached out to Boyajian, wanting to start their own #HopefulCases, but Boyajian wants to make sure that people are doing it for the right reasons, at that the campaigns name is never used for profit and personal gain.

    Original Article Follows:

    In Upstate NY, you can usually catch street performers playing their instruments, looking for a little extra cash near all the downtown hot spots in whatever city you reside. When you travel to a bigger city, like New York, one common place to see street performers looking for earnings, are in subway terminals. In a different twist, one specific street performer does it solely for humanitarian reasons, and now has the whole city talking.

    The New York Post reports that 26-year-old Will Boyajian, performs his bluegrass style of music to strap hangers walking by at the 42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal subway station, and gives away his earnings throughout the day to those in need while trying to show New Yorkers a different way to give back and donate.

    Boyajian, who saved money for his cause by performing 8 months for Norwegian Cruise Line, earns around $400 daily in tips from passersby. Before he starts playing, the busker leans a sign against his case that reads, “If you’re homeless or need help, take as much as you need from the case.” His goal at the end of the day is to end with zero dollars in the case. If any cash is left, Boyajian will either hand out the left over singles, or purchase single ride MetroCards to pass out.

    There is no limit to what a person can take from the case as Boyajian trusts the persons taking from the case are truly in need. When talking about his experiment, which he calls Hopeful Cases, Boyajian stated to the New York Post:

    It’s really wild. Some people come up and take a dollar or take five dollars,  some people come up and take $80… It’s not my job to judge it’s just my job to give.

    Boyajian reflected about a moment that grabbed his heart Sunday when a man, with his dog, approached the case:

    I probably had $40 or $50 left, and my voice was trashed, and I wanted go home. ‘I said, just empty it out man…Treat yourself.’ And he said it’s enough for one of those hotels that let the dogs come, and he told the dog, ‘Moby, we’re going to be OK.’

    He also recounted about a time when he first moved to the city:

    When I first moved to the city… this dude got on the train… and was clearly homeless. The whole train moved away. None of us will ever experience that kind of rejection in our lives.

  • Geoff Tate Says Money Would Be Only Reason for a Queensryche Reunion

    In a recent Blabbermouth report, former Queensryche frontman, Geoff Tate, discussed with the “Noize In The Attic” radio show, whether he thinks a reconciliation could happen in the future, and reunite with original Queensryche lineup someday down the road.

    Tate’s response when asked if a possible Queensryche reunion possibly happening:

    I suppose so. I suppose that if everybody got in a room…The only reason to get together is for the money. That’s the only reason. So, if everybody really needed money and wanted to get together and bury the hatchet, so to speak, and sit in one room and say [mocking tears] ‘Gosh, I’m really sorry I treated you that way.’ You know, maybe then we could work toward some sort of resolution, but I haven’t seen any attempt by anybody to do that. So I’m holding out…holding my breath. [But] I’d never say never. I might get to a point where I really need the money. It’s nice to have that little back-up plan.

    In a past interview with The Metal Gods Meltdown, Tate described his time with the band as a business more than a brother hood. He stated:

    We weren’t really friends, you know – we were business associates. We had a wonderful entity that we shared called Queensryche, but it wasn’t an equal sort of partnership as far as involvement goes. You know, so there wasn’t a real camaraderie amongst everybody in the band… From my perspective and my involvement, it wasn’t an emotional sort of brotherhood kind of thing that some people might think existed. That wasn’t my reality with them.

    Tate tried suing the band over the rights to the Queensryche name in 2012. A settlement was reached between both parties in 2014, giving original band members Michael Wilton (guitar), Scott Rockenfield (drums), and Eddie Jackson (bass), the rights to the Queensryche name, while giving Tate the rights to perform live, the albums, “Operation Mindcrime,” and Operation Mindcrime II.”