NYS Music 20​17

Category: News

  • Jimkata Announces Indefinite Hiatus

    Ithaca’s Jimkata made a surprising hiatus announcement on its Facebook page Tuesday, announcing the band will be put on hold indefinitely.

    https://www.facebook.com/jimkatamusic/posts/10155605657749189:0

    In the post, the band alluded to reaching a turning point in its career, leading to the decision to go on indefinite hiatus to focus on other projects and the members’ individual lives.

    Jimkata got its start at Ithaca College in 2005. Originally, the jamtronica band didn’t take itself seriously, taking its name from the 1985 gymnastics-meets-karate movie Gymkata, starring Olympian Kurt Thomas, a movie so notoriously bad, it’s a must-watch. Constant touring and a do-it-yourself work ethic earned the band a loyal fanbase as it transitioned from a jamband to a more electronic sound.

    Founding members Evan Friedell (vocals/guitar), Aaron Gorsch (guitar/keys) and Packy Lunn (drums) grew up together in the Upstate college town of Oneonta. Bassist Dave Rossi joined after meeting the other members during his freshman year at Ithaca. Rossi was dismissed from the band in 2015.

    jimkata hiatus

    The band has had a largely DIY ethic since its formation, turning to fans in online campaigns to finance its albums and tourning non-stop. The band’s latest album, 2016’s In Motion was financed through a PledgeMusic campaign. Such techniques tend to endear a band’s fans to the music as they feel a sense of ownership. Jimkata has felt a sense of pride in its DIY ethic and the relationship with its fans. Friedell says, “We just road dogged it. It’s all DIY. Doing 150 shows a year, sleeping on floors, recording songs along the way. We built everything organically, all word of mouth. The advice we got when we started was ‘Just go out and play. It’ll pay off.’”

    In its statement, the band stated:

    Its a very vulnerable thing to create music and share it with the world, not knowing how it will be received. For it to have been received with love and passion all these years is an honor. And to have existed as an independent band supported by friends, fans, and family for ten years feels like a privilege regardless of any challenges we’ve faced. But in short, we’ve busted our ass, given it our all, and for now we’re gonna take a step back and bust our ass in other directions. We look forward to staying connected with you and hope to hear from you as we pursue new projects. This is not the end of the music, but it is the end of this particular chapter of Jimkata.

    The hiatus is not immediate, as the band still has several dates to perform, including a set at the Night Lights Music Festival in Sherman, south of Buffalo, Aug. 24-26 and October dates in Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany and New York. Tickets for the October shows go on sale Friday, July 14 at 11 a.m.

    Catch Jimkata in October:

    Oct. 19 – Flour City Station – Rochester
    Oct. 20 – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo
    Oct. 21 – Westcott Theater – Syracuse
    Oct. 26 – The Hollow Bar & Kitchen – Albany
    Oct. 27 – The Main Pub – Manchester, CT
    Oct. 28 – American Beauty NYC – New York

  • Rome Summer Concert Series Kicks Off July 10 with Fritz’s Polka Band

    The City of Rome’s annual summer concert series at Griffo Green at Rome City Hall kicks off its season of free Monday concerts July 10. All shows are held from 6-8 p.m. each Monday night throughout July and August. Beverages will be available for purchase and food trucks will be on hand on selected nights. There will also be a food truck rally July 24.

    Kicking off this year’s series on July 10 is SAMMYS Hall of Fame inductee Fritz’s Polka Band. Fritz’s Polka Band was formed in 1978 and has been active ever since. While the word “polka” is in the band’s name, it is not solely a polka band. Fritz’s Polka Band performs everything from classic rock to blues to country. Check out FPB’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” below.

    Vinyl 45, a five piece performing hits from the ’60s and ’70s, takes the stage July 17 followed by acoustic duo, the Boxed Set on July 24. The latter is also the date of the Food Truck Rally. Local food trucks will be lined up along North Washington Street for concert goers’ culinary concerns.

    The Pine Ridge Mountain Band visits Griffo Green on July 31. This four piece specializes in southern rock. You’ll hear classics from the Allman Brothers Band and Lynryd Skynyrd as well as contemporary hits from Blackberry Smoke and Tom Petty.

    Their version of the James Gang’s “Funk 49” can be seen below.

    Caut!on makes an appearance Aug. 7. This local favorite dips into the catalogs of the Grateful Dead, Van Morrison, the Band and other Americana and jamband staples along with its own original compositions.

    Red Hush has been performing around Central New York for upward of 20 years. Their hard rock style has earned them a loyal following throughout the area. Griffo Green will be rocking when these guys take the stage Aug. 14.

    The series wraps Aug. 21 with a performance of classics and contemporary rock and country by Dubonnet. Dubonnet is another veteran Central New York act with a strong following.

    The Rome Summer Concert Series is sponsored by Davidson Auto Group and the City of Rome Department of Parks & Recreation. Admission to all events is free.

  • Alex Bay’s Riverboat Bar Features National Artists All Summer

    The Riverboat Bar in Alexandria Bay has announced a stellar lineup for its Summer 2017 Live Music Series. Both regional and national touring acts will be featured at Alex Bay’s Riverboat Bar.

    alex bay's riverboat barThe primarily free series brings live music to the Bay Friday and Saturday nights throughout the summer. It began June 3 with Broken Arrow Hearts and followed with Earphorik, Mick Fury and Mister F. Friday’s featured artist is the Tyler Pearce Project, a soulful pop-rock act from Rochester.

    Saturday features local Bay act Adapter., an original improv band influenced by moe., the Tragically Hip, Pearl Jam and the Black Keys.

    The Riverboat is the only Thousand Islands area venue that spotlights such a prominent array of national and regional acts. Most shows are free to the public and cover a variety of genres. The main focus is to feature bands from the New York State music scene from cities such as Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Syracuse that have made names for themselves performing at festivals and venues throughout the Northeast and beyond.

    Bands returning to the Riverboat this summer include New York acts Mister F, Black Mountain Symphony, Chris James and Mama G, Subsoil, Folkfaces, Annie in the Water, Tiny Music, Haewa, Boogiehood, Adapter, Balkun Brothers from Connecticut, Tweed from Philadelphia, After Funk from Toronto and Jiggawaltz from Vermont.

    In addition to these returning acts, the venue welcomes newcomers Earphorik from Fort Wayne, IN, Formula 5 from Albany, the Old Main from Utica, the Medicinals from Rochester, Funktional Flow from Buffalo and the Tyler Pearce Project from Rochester.

    alex bay's riverboat barJoin NYS Music and the Riverboat Bar for a summer full of great live local, regional and national music.

    Alex Bay’s Riverboat Bar Summer 2017 Live Music Series:

    June 30 – Tyler Pearce Project
    July 1 – Adapter.
    July 7 – Boogiehood
    July 8 – Formula 5
    July 14 – Balkun Brothers
    July 15 – Black Mountain Symphony
    July 21 – the Old Main
    July 22 – Chris James & Mama G w/s/g Johnny Richards
    July 28 – Funktional Flow
    July 29 – Tweed
    Aug. 4 – Subsoil
    Aug. 5 – Folkfaces
    Aug. 11 – Annie in the Water
    Aug. 12 – Tiny Music
    Aug. 18 – After Funk
    Aug. 19 – Jiggawaltz
    Aug. 25 – the Medicinals
    Aug. 26 – Haewa

    Check out footage of upcoming Riverboat artist Formula 5 below:

  • Free Winswall Park Concert Series in Ballston Springs

    Winswall Park will hold the The Ballston Spa Business &  Professional Association’s free concert series, Concerts in the Park. Local groups will hit the stage every Thursday between 6 and 8 p.m. following the afternoon farmer’s market, and will run from June 29 through  Aug.  31. BSBPA promises a diverse lineup  including: The Ballston Spa Community Concert Band, bluegrass group North and South Dakotas and 50’s rock group The Lusture Kings. The town site encourages those who are interested to bring the entire family as well as their blankets and chairs.

    The Lineup:

    June 29th – The Ballston Spring Community Band 
    July 6th – North & South Dakotas 
    July 13th – Emily Teller 
    July 20th – The Lustre Kings
    July 27th – The Bluebillies 
    Aug. 3rd – Union Fire Company Band 
    Aug. 10th – Blues Noir 
    Aug. 17th – Seth and the Moody Melix 
    Aug. 24th – Sirsy
    Aug. 31st – The Coteries 

  • Clifton Park Free Summer Performing Arts Series Makes its Debut July 2

    July 2 marks the beginning of the Performing Arts at the Common & Performing Arts Family Series at the outdoor Clifton Common Stage. The series will offer free shows geared towards adults on Sunday nights with kids shows being featured on Wednesday nights.

    Some of the performers on Wednesday nights include: Let’s Get Cookin’, “a fun-filled performance that utilizes drama, music, complex rhythms, and acrobatics,” The Puppet People featuring their performance, The Last Dragon, comedian Sylvia Fletcher as The Magic Trunk and many others. The Town of Clifton welcomes the entire family to these shows but invites an older audience to their free Sunday shows. Some acts include: The Accents, soulful indie pop group Sirsy, Fiddler on The Roof performed by The Not So Common Players and a plethora of other works.

    Clifton Park, located just north of Albany is a fitting location for a series like this. The stage they will be using for both of the series is a smaller one but has an ample amount of lawn seating to fit hundreds of people. It’s an ideal place to enjoy a late summer’s night show by honest and hardworking performers set at the best price – absolutely free.

    More information about all these events are found on the Town of Clifton’s website. Most shows start after 7 and, as previously mentioned, there is no charge for any of these events.

  • Empire State Building and Dead & Company Teaming Up for Citi Field Synchronized Light Show

    Saturday’s Dead & Company show at Citi Field will have a special sit-in for the encore. Empire State Reality Trust, owners of the iconic Empire State Building, has teamed up with Dead & Company and New York’s classic rock station Q104.3 to provide a synchronized LED light show to illuminate the famed tower as the band performs its encore at Citi Field.

    The Empire State Building’s light show will be designed by Marc Brickman and begins at approximately 11:00 p.m. Those not at Citi Field can still enjoy the music through the iHeartRadio app or over the air on New York’s classic rock station Q104.3.

    Once the show is over, it will be available for viewing on the Empire State Building’s Facebook and YouTube channels as well as the Dead & Company YouTube channel.

    Dead & Company recently performed at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. You can read the NYS Music review of that show here and video from SPAC below.

  • Corey Taylor Responds to Chad Kroeger’s Comments

    You knew it wouldn’t be long before Stone Sour/Slipknot frontman, Corey Taylor, would enlighten everyone with his thoughts about Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger and his recent comments about him and Stone Sour. Kroeger’s comment about Taylor starting Stone Sour to get away from being under a mask is not accurate, as Taylor started Stone Sour just before getting involved with Slipknot.

    Blabbermouth reports that in a recent interview with Sweden’s Metal Covenant, Kroeger blasted Taylor when he asked the interviewer to name another band that’s as diverse as they are[Nickelback]. Kroeger stated before being cut off: “I can’t think of another band that’s as diverse as we are. I can’t. And I don’t think that’s me talking from pride or ego. I mean, you’re sitting across the table. You know what you’re talking about. Can you name me another band who can play.”

    After the interviewer cut off Kroeger, and spit out Stone Sour as his answer, Kroeger quickly responded: “Stone Sour? Yeah, ’cause they’re trying to be Nickelback. Corey Taylor has said some really nasty things about me before in the press. He talks about how easy it is to write a hit song. Well, show me. Show me. Write one. I have yet to hear one. They’re okay. But they’re not as good as Nickelback. They sound like ‘Nickelback Lite.’”

    Kroeger continued to bash Taylor while talking about Taylor’s other band Slipknot. He said: “They had to put on masks and jump around. How good can your music be if you’ve gotta beat each other up on stage, throw up in your own masks every night…? I mean, music shouldn’t come with a gimmick; music should just be music. None of my favorite music comes with a gimmick. And he got tired of sitting behind a mask — he wanted people to know what he looks like — so he started Stone Sour.”

    Arizona radio station KUPD, had the honor to be the first ones to ask Taylor about Kroeger’s recent comments. Taylor on saying it was easy to write a hit song: “You know what? I’ve never said it was easy to write a hit song, I don’t know what the hell planet he’s living on. Apparently it’s Planet Kroeger, and there must be good weed there, ’cause he’s an idiot.”

    Taylor was set to give a verbal onslaught when hearing the comments, but after seeing fans reactions, Taylor stated: “I don’t have to say a damn thing — he is not a liked person. That’s all we have to say about it.”

    Taylor’s response about Slipknot wearing masks, and jumping around: “You can run your mouth all you want. All I know is I’ve been voted ‘Sexiest Dude In Rock’ wearing a mask. You’ve been voted ‘Ugliest Dude In Rock’ twice without one. Stick that up your ass.”

    He added that it seems Kroeger is the only member of Nickelback that has the problem with him. “I love Mike [Kroeger, Nickelback bassist and Chad’s brother], I love… Everybody else in that band I’m very, very cool with; I’ve hung out with them. It’s just ‘Face Like A Foot’ who I can’t really hang out with. He’s got a face like a foot. Am I wrong? See, that’s the hard thing: I can’t even say anything about the band, Nickelback, because none of ’em have an issue with us. It’s him. So, dude, curl up in bed with your Hello Kitty pillow and shut up.”

    Taylor even brought up a past statement he from over 10 years ago about when both bands shared the same label: “Let’s just say Roadrunner took all the Slipknot money and gave it to Nickelback to sign them. That’s all I’m gonna say about it.”

    In that interview in 2002 with Rock Sound, Taylor suggested that Roadrunner put their promotional machine behind Nickelback instead of supporting Slipknot:

    I’m glad they could use our money to make fucking Nickelback happy. That’s a very, very bitter subject for me, and if I ever see any of those fuckers, it’s going to be brutal. I’m happy for them, but at the same [time], we went out and bust our asses to make what we did. If they’re still here in a couple years then, hey, good for them, but this band isn’t going anywhere, and when the record label basically fucks your loyalty in the ass, it’s really bitter — especially when we went out and fucking bled, sweat and earned every fucking album that we sold. MTV won’t fucking touch us, radio barely fucking touches us and here comes those fucking pretty boys… and the lead singer looks like Shaggy from ‘Scooby Doo’… and what the fuck am I supposed to do? Am I not supposed to feel bitter when I have broken bones and fucking torn corneas? It’s bullshit, and the record label just smiles at you and goes ‘Yeah, yeah whatever…’ It’s fucking not right, dude.

    It’s just the fact we could have used the help. We have fucking fought for everything we have fucking made, when is someone going to help us, and when is someone going to step up and fight for us? The record label doesn’t do that for us. It’ll go to bat for fucking Nickelback, but when it comes to us, it’s fucking shutdown. It’s, like, what the fuck? I’m fucking proud of what we’ve done, but goddamn it, when are we going to get given a hand? I’m so fucking tired of it.”

    During the interview with KUPD, the host joked that Stone Sour should open up for Nickelback during their Canadian tour, which made Stone Sour guitarist Josh Rand reply that they were actually asked a couple of months ago to open for them on that tour, but they of course declined Nickelback’s offer. With that being said, maybe hard feelings are starting to set in.

  • Pennsylvania Venue Releases Statement Following Reports of Mad Tea Party Jam Illnesses

    The Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary released a statement via e-mail after reports of illnesses at the venue caused concern to attendees of two festivals.  Over the course of two weekends, a multitude of symptoms were reported from patrons, staff, volunteers and musicians during the Mad Tea Party Jam and the WickerMan Burn.

    Anyone suffering symptoms associated with viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu) are encouraged to contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health.  The venue is working with local health officials to collect accurate data. Organizers of both events as well as the venue are hoping this data can help further explain what happened and why some some attendees became ill.

    To our Visitors and Friends

    Recently we have suffered at Four Quarters outbreaks of a very contagious Viral GI illness that is following the pattern of the 2008 season outbreaks. We have been in contact with our public health officials about Viral GI prior to the outbreak at The Mad Tea Party and have been in continuous contact since Sunday morning, June 18th. We have been forwarding contact information, hospital information, test reports and samples directly to the PA Epidemiological Dept, and will be meeting with them on site shortly.

    We have confirmed with some public health officials that this is a “hot” season for Viral GI with outbreaks emerging. It is our own opinion that we are experiencing a very contagious variant this season with one day incubation times, less than 24 hour mean duration and high transmissiblity through surfaces.

    We have confirmed ill parties arriving on site and passed this information forward, while protecting identities of individuals and venues involved. It is important to remember that the virus can travel through casual contact with surfaces and does not reflect on the personal habits of the persons afflicted; in fact, for the virus to survive every person casually infected must, on average, infect another person.

    In working with the PA Health Dept after our experience with Viral GI in 2008, we put into place policies and improvements under their recommendation. We believe these policies prevented a much wider outbreak at Mad Tea Party.
    * We quarantine campers and campsites that display symptoms of any kind of GI distress, until it is known they are not infectious, and we supply these camps with chlorine wash-down supplies. We track arrival times, travel histories and first symptoms of cases reported to us.
    * We educate through signage and publications about the nature of Viral GI. Much of our staff has passed Safe-Serve educational certification.
    * During high risk events we continuously clean and chlorine wash-down all potties, water spigots, hand-wash stations and smooth public surfaces many times during the day.
    * Our water supply is tested and licensed with daily chlorine readings and monthly sampling. We volunteered for this highest level of testing.
    * Food vendors are safe-serve certified and are Health Dept. inspected prior to events. Our own kitchen is licensed to the commercial level with safe-serve certified staff.

    This announcement is intended to answer in small part some of your concerns. Please understand that science takes time and we are currently focused on supplying the raw data that will allow the experts to identify and understand what may be an especially contagious variant. If you have information to share do call PA HEALTH at 717-787-3350. As you travel and attend events, be very aware of the increased risk factors for Viral GI and practice good hygiene in it’s prevention, with Wikipedia @ Norovirus a good reference. As we receive information back from the science community we will pass it on to you.

    In closing we wish to express our sympathy and concern to those people who have experienced this contagion, and our appreciation to those who have shared with us their medical histories. Our praise for the outstanding work of EMS and sanitation staff who went far beyond the call of 16 hour shifts to treat patients and keep the facilities clean. And our thanks to the very many people whose recent messages of support and appreciation for our work, has made that work worthwhile.

    Orren Whiddon
    Four Quarters InterFaith

    Anyone who attended Mad Tea Party Jam over the past two weekends are encouraged to disinfect supplies, wash clothing, and seek medical attention if symptoms worsen.  According to the Center for Disease Control, the virus that causes Viral GI may be present in vomit and stools both before and after symptoms are present. Proper hand hygiene is the best way to prevent infecting others.

    NYS Music will continue to update this story as it develops.

  • Patrons, Musicians and Staff Fall Ill at Mad Tea Party Jam

    Patrons, staff, volunteers and artists at the Mad Tea Party jam have reported a multitude of illnesses over the weekend. Many attendees of the three day event reported sickness through social media that prevented performances and sent several people to the hospital. The festival was held at the Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary in Artemis, Pa.

    mad tea partyMad Tea Party released a statement via their Facebook Page on Sunday evening.

    Despite our best efforts to maintain the health safety of our patrons, people were falling ill. We ourselves are seeking any and all answers. The Pennsylvania Center of Epidemiology has been contacted by the venue in order to properly ascertain what has happened this past weekend. In order to better understand and identify the issue and better yet, how to fix this issue, we are openly asking people to report their own health issues to the Pennsylvania board of health. Please call this number in order to aid us. 1-877-PA HEALTH

    We will be posting more information as it is received.

    Headliner Papadosio was forced to cancel their third and final performance of the weekend which was scheduled for Saturday night. Three of the band’s five members were reportedly too ill to perform.

    Ona Hogarty of Bedford, PA was taken to the emergency room at War Memorial Hospital in Berkley Springs, PA.  She reported to NYS Music that doctors there gave her a dysentery diagnosis.   She said doctors noted that dysentery  is often given as a broad term diagnosis to stomach viruses accompanied by bloody stools.  Hogarty is awaiting test results to further explain her illness.

    Online accounts point to a potential Norovirus outbreak. Although the symptoms match reports from sick attendees, NYS Music has been unable to confirm the official cause of the weekend’s illnesses. Symptoms were reported as early as Friday morning. Norovirus is often the cause of mass outbreaks in nursing homes, cruise ships and daycare centers.

    A similar situation was reported at last weekend’s WickerMan Burn. A pinned post on the WickerMan Burn Facebook group early Sunday morning, dated June 16, read:

    The organization team and the 4QF board of directors are sympathetic and full of compassion for those who got sick after WickerMan. You have all already heard that we test the water and septic systems, that we bleached everything we could as often as we could, and that some number of people still got sick. We can’t go back into the event and change the fact that a highly contagious illness got passed around.

    However, by Sunday evening, the post was updated with the above text deleted. Only an explanation about norovirus and stomach bugs remained from the original post. Several post in the group were made, questioning the link between the illnesses over the two different weekends.

    Although the venue has signs posted about norovirus prevention at the showers, the venue offered no other warning about potential issues from the previous weekend.

    mad tea partyWhile the organizers of Mad Tea Party Jam have been open with its patrons, Four Quarter’s has been silent about the situation. Over the past two days, long-time attendees of the grounds are commenting on their positive experiences in vast numbers, which has some of the sick attendees crying fowl. Brooke Lown of Richmond, Va, who became ill early Saturday morning told NYS Music, “It’s really upsetting and makes me feel like we are going to have to try hard for this to be taken seriously and be addressed. They are all trying to play it off like we don’t have personal hygiene and are just some dirty hippies who are always bound to get this sick at fests.”

    This story is developing and NYS Music will bring you the latest developments. Request for comments from Mad Tea Party Jam and Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary are pending. The Pennsylvania Department of Health is working to provide accurate data on the total number of cases reported, both over the weekend and throughout the venue’s history.

  • 2017 NBT Bank Summer Concert Series in Norwich Announced

    NBT Bank summer concert series in Norwich will see a diverse mix of genres during this years lineup, every Thursday night during the months of July and August. These free shows will see a mix of Grammy winners/nominees, and young up and coming artists.

    Hartford, CT area band, McLovins, will kick off the summer festivities in Norwich’s East Side Park on July 6, at 7pm with a block party. Rotary Club will be serving free hotdogs, while the Norwich Cheer Team, will be serving free ice cream by Gilligan’s, along with other treats.

    The 2017 lineup will also consist of Grammy nominated blues artist Kenny Neal. Neal was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album, for his 2016 release Bloodline. Grammy nominated guitarist, singer/songwriter Bill Kirchen. In 2002, Kirchen was inducted into the Washington D.C Area Music Association Hall of Fame along with Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters/Nirvana). Two time Grammy award winner Terrance Simien will close out the summer series on Aug.31. His band, Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience Band have toured in more than 45 countries and performed over 7000 shows in their 30 plus year career.

    Rain will not stop performers from taking the stage, as Chenango County Council of the Arts Auditorium in Norwich will serve as the rain location if inclement weather happens.

    The event is brought to you by the Chenango Blues Association with support from corporate sponsor NBT Bank. Grants from the Greater Norwich Foundation and the R.C. Smith Foundation were also provided. The program is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, administered by the Chenango County Council of the Arts, with support by Governor Andrew Cuomo, and the New York State Legislature.

    NBT Bank Summer Concert Series Lineup:

    July 6 – McLovins
    July 13 – John Brown’s Body
    July 20 – Kenny Neal
    July 27 – Dangermuffin
    Aug 3 – Bill Kirchen
    Aug 10 – Vanessa Collier Band
    Aug 17 – Honey Island Swamp Band
    Aug 24 – Billy Strings
    Aug 31 – Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience Band