Syracuse hardcore band West Berlin just dropped the music video for “Sun.” The working-class anthem clocks in at under three minutes, but packs a powerful punch. It’s the title track off their latest EP which was released during the week of this summer’s solar eclipse. Shot in classic black and white by Dalton Lampo, the video documents their recent tour and includes footage from their high-energy performances and time spent on the road.
Tom Petty lived a life that was one of persistence and a never say die attitude. The same could be said of his death. On Monday, reports began circulating that Petty had been found unresponsive in his Malibu home due to cardiac arrest. He was transported to UCLA Medical Center, placed on life support then removed from life support due to no brain activity. Reports of his death began populating social media despite the fact that there was never any official indication that he was dead.
Late in the day, news of his death was retracted. Petty had been taken off of life support but began breathing on his own. He was fighting death just as he had fought record labels throughout his career.
Late Monday, Tony Dimitriades, Petty’s long time manager, confirmed the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s death, “We are devastated to announce the untimely death of our father, husband, brother, leader and friend Tom Petty,” Dimitriades said on behalf of the family.
He died peacefully at 8:40 p.m. PST Monday surrounded by his family, bandmates and friends.
Petty was a rare artist who transcended generations. Throughout the day Monday, tributes to Petty were posted on social media from fellow musicians and fans both young and old. His songs have been staples of FM radio since the late 1970s, beginning with the debut album Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers through the 1980s as a member of the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne.
Petty took pride in the fact that the band maintained an ability to attract young fans over the decades. He headlined both the 2006 and 2013 Bonnaroo Festivals and told Rolling Stone about the experience, “We’re one of those old, lucky bands: Young people come to see us. It makes a difference. There are people who have picked up on you fairly recently, or they’re just learning about you. It brings a different excitement into the crowd.”
Recent years saw Petty reuniting his original Gainesville, FL band Mudcrutch as well as the Heartbreakers. Petty and the Heartbreakers just wrapped up a 40th anniversary tour last week at the Hollywood Bowl.
Thomas Earl Petty was born in Gainesville on Oct. 21, 1950. His admiration of cowboys led him to take up the guitar. He once stated, “I always liked the idea of the guitar, because cowboys played the guitar.” This passion escalated when his uncle took the 10 year-old Petty to the set of a movie Elvis Presley was working on. It was this meeting that propelled him to make music his life passion.
The band’s 1976 eponymous debut took time to gain traction in the U.S. Once it did, the single “Breakdown” crept into the lower reaches of the Billboard charts.
Petty famously battled record labels early in his career. When MCA Records attempted to buy out his contract with ABC Records, Petty declared bankruptcy, claiming the contract signed with ABC was made under duress. Petty was able to renegotiate his contract and MCA resigned the band, releasing its third album Damn the Torpedos under its own imprint, Backstreet Records. Torpedos went on to sell over two million copies behind the strength of Petty classics as “Refugee” and “Don’t Do Me Like That.”
Prior to the release the band’s next album Hard Promises, MCA wanted to cash in on Petty’s celebrity, introducing a new level of pricing for superstar LPs. The label planned to price the new release at $9.98. Petty relented, even threatening to name it The $8.98 LP. MCA eventually caved and released it at the $8.98 price. Hard Promises furthered Petty’s superstar status with the hit “The Waiting.”
The mid-’80s had Petty and the Heartbreakers branching out. They performed at Live Aid in Philadelphia in 1985, collaborated with the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart on the Alice in Wonderland themed video for “Don’t Come Around Here No More” and toured with Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead.
Petty joined Harrison’s Traveling Wilburys in 1988. This collaboration of rock royalty resulted in a triple platinum album and renewed success for Petty after a disappointing Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough) in 1987. He parlayed that success into Full Moon Fever, his first solo release, although accompanied by Lynne and the Heartbreakers in the studio.
https://youtu.be/L8s9dmuAKvU
In 1994 Petty began a working relationship with producer Rick Rubin for his second solo album Wildflowers. The album again sold in the millions, earning him a legion of new fans. Rubin then recruited Petty and the Heartbreakers to be Johnny Cash’s backing band for the landmark 1996 album Unchained, which earned a Grammy for Best Country Album of that year.
The end of the Wildflowers tour also resulted in the end of his 22 year marriage to Jane Benyo. Petty moved from their home and fell into a heroin habit. He eventually cleaned up after entering detox and the resulting album, 1999’s Echo revealed a dark side of Petty that he has rarely visited since.
In 2001, he married Dana York Epperson while beginning work on The Last DJ an indictment of the recording industry that he saw as having little regard for the art or artists it promoted. This period of Petty’s career didn’t generate radio hits, despite solid efforts both solo and with the Heartbreakers but he was still a successful touring act.
In 2007 Petty reunited with his old bandmates in Mudcrutch (Tom Leadon and Randall Marsh along with Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell) for a self-titled album and a brief tour. They released a second album, 2 in 2016 that was followed by a national tour.
Petty and the Heartbreakers returned in 2014 with the band’s first ever number one album Hypnotic Eye. They had toured behind it in 2017, a tour that also celebrated the band’s 40th anniversary.
Prior to the tour, Petty told Rolling Stone, “I’m thinking it may be the last trip around the country.” Sadly, it was.
Petty is survived by his wife along with a brother, Bruce; his daughters, Adria and AnnaKim; his stepson, Dylan Petty; and one grandchild.
An off-Broadway Grateful Dead musical based around the lyrics of Robert Hunter and the music of Jerry Garcia opens later this month.
“Red Roses, Green Gold” opens at New York City’s Minetta Lane Theater in Greenwich Village on Oct. 29. The musical features music and lyrics by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia with additional music provided by founding members of the Grateful Dead Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bob Weir. Keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, who played with the “core four” founding members for the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead and currently plays with Weir, Hart and Bill Kreutzmann in Dead & Company, will provide musical supervision and arrangements for the musical.
“Red Roses, Green Gold” is the third musical written by Michael Norman Mann that takes inspiration from the music of the Grateful Dead. The musical is directed and choreographed by Rachel Klein, director of “The Anthem” and “Around the World in 80 Days.”
From the website: “This new musical set in 1920s Cumberland tells the fantastical and comical tale of Jackson Jones and his family of swindlers as they gamble their way to love and riches.”
Tickets for “Red Roses, Green Gold” are on sale now. Previews begin Oct. 11.
Don’t let the weather deceive you, believe it or not, autumn began on September 22. Festival season in New York is nearing it’s close and festival goers are itching for a few last hurrahs. Next weekend, locals will be traveling to The Fall Down Music Festival at The “G” Lodge in Hannibal, NY. Presented by local booking and promotion company Hey Dude After Hours, The Fall Down is an intimate Central NY based music festival specializing in string music, jam bands, and singer-songwriters. Progressive string band Floodwood will be the headliner. Floodwood is lead by national talents of Vinnie Amico (moe) and Tony Markellis (Trey Anastasio Band). The Fall Down will take place next week at The “G” Lodge (81 Keller Rd, Hannibal, NY) on October 6th and 7th. Get your weekend passes for $50 here!
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 2nd annual The Fall Down Music Festival. During the episode, you’ll listen to The Crooked North, Floodwood, Haewa, The Dwayne Johnsons, Folkfaces, Dirty Blanket, Timothy Braley, and Jungle Steve & The Gysophelias. All of these bands will be at this year’s The Fall Down Music Festival. If you scroll even further down, you’ll find a detailed episode timestamp.
Timestamp: 00:00: The Crooked North- Hop High My Lulu Gal 03:24: Introduction 06:19: The Crooked North- You Don’t Fit In 10:02: Floodwood- Waiting For The Punchline (Moe Cover) 18:58: Floodwood- Caught 24:22: Haewa- Chem De-Vision 28:04: Haewa- Swampin 33:37: The Dwayne Jonhsons- About That 37:17: The Dwayne Johnsons- Cold Pizza 41:24: Folkfaces- Angels And Demons 44:31: Folkfaces- Freedom Fries 48:24: Dirty Blanket- My Getaway 54:28: Dirty Blanket- Getting In The Way 57:58: Timothy Braley- Graceland (Paul Simon Cover) 1:02:15: Conclusion 1:03:55: Jungle Steve- Safe & Sound
The long awaited first full-length studio album from Strange Machines, Voice of Color, will be released on Oct. 6. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the electro-funk quartet is ready to deliver a beautifully mastered LP. With some older tracks their fans will recognize, and some new tracks, this will become a staple in anyone’s catalog. This album has it all, from power ballads to reggae, some psychedelic rock and a lot of funky jams. Catch them at their album release party being held at Jewel in Manchester, NH on Oct. 7.
The album will be available through iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp and all other major music streaming outlets. You can check out their brand new single, “Motion Potion,” below.
Elise Hughey and Dave Chisholm make beautiful music together. The pair recorded an acoustic version of “Gravity,” a song from their band’s debut self-titled album Talking Under Water. “Gravity” is a melancholy tune about trying to break free from the weight of the world.
“I need to run away, I need to fly away,” Chisholm sings while playing his acoustic guitar, “But there’s so much gravity. This planet is too big for me.” Hughey accompanies on her cello, playing the stirring notes with elegance and grace. This intimate performance of the Talking Under Water duo was captured on film by Dave Drago and Jon Lewis at 1809 Studios in Macedon, New York, and edited by Drago.
Visit Talking Under Water online or follow on Facebook for updates. Sign up for their mailing list to receive special features like free song downloads and exclusive previews of videos.
The full-length debut Talking Under Water is available to stream on Spotify and purchase on Bandcamp and iTunes. For more about the album, read the NYS Musicreview.
Hip-hop superstar and rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels drops his latest work, Back From The Dead, The Legend Lives on Record Store Day, Nov. 24. To celebrate the release, he’ll be doing meet-and-greets and talking about his life with fans at record stores throughout the entire weekend:Looney Tunes Records on Long Island (Friday, Nov. 24), Vintage Vinyl Records in Fords, NJ (Saturday, Nov. 25), and The Record Archive in Rochester (Sunday, Nov. 26). Each event starts at 3pm. Fans must pre-order Back From The Dead, The Legend Livesthrough a participating record store in order to get a wristband to attend.
Fans will not want to miss this rare opportunity to meet the legendary Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and hear his inspirational story! The founding member of Run-DMC will be joined at these events by Jason Rockman of Slaves on Dope, who performs on the album. The pair will be available after the talk to take pictures and sign copies of “Back From the Dead, The Legend Lives.” Released on Brookvale Records, the LP is limited to only 4,000 copies.
Friday, Nov. 24
Looney Tunes Music and More (LONG ISLAND, NY)
631.587.7722 www.LTCDS.com
Saturday, Nov. 25
Vintage Vinyl Records (FORDS, NJ)
732.225.7717 www.vvinyl.com
Buffalo’s Head North announced this week that they will be supporting Australian punk pop band Trophy Eyes on a North American Tour. They’ve also booked a series of headlining shows in the Midwest leading up to the extensive 21-date tour. A hometown show at Mohawk Place in Buffalo is slated for Tuesday, Dec. 12. They play New York City at Brooklyn Bazaar on Thursday, Dec. 14. The tour promotes Head North’s recently released debut full-length album The Last Living Man Alive Ever In The History Of The World, a concept album which explores themes about coming of age in a dystopian society. Tickets are on sale now.
Head North. Photo: Eli Ritter
Head North burst onto the pop punk scene in 2015 with their EP Bloodlines and toured relentlessly – crossing the country three times with bands like Knuckle Puck and Have Mercy. After taking time off, they came back this summer with the self-released LP The Last Living Man Alive Ever In The History Of The World, departing from their early angst-driven work and making a foray into indie rock.
The way we operated our band, and the trajectory that we were on in 2015, helped us decide what type of band we wanted to be and how we wanted our sound to reflect that,” drummer Ben Lieber told NYS Music in a recent interview. “And I think what it came down to was being genuine. The sonic direction was a result of personal growth as well as realizing what we didn’t want to do.”
The Last Living Man Alive Ever In The History Of The World is available to stream on Spotify and can be purchased digitally on iTunes and Bandcamp. Physical copies on CD and vinyl, in addition to other merchandise are available on Head North’s webstore.
Tour Dates:
Headlining Shows:
Nov. 14 – Indianapolis, IN – Hoosier Dome
Nov. 15 – Chicago, IL – Camp/Us
Nov. 16 – Dubuque, IA – Olliewood
Nov. 17 – Ames, IA – The Pine House
Nov. 18 – Omaha, NE – The Commons
With Trophy Eyes and Free Throw:
Nov. 24 – Seattle, WA – The Funhouse
Nov. 25 – Portland, OR – Analog Lounge
Nov. 26 – Berkeley, CA – Cornerstone
Nov. 27 – Los Angeles, CA – Echo
Nov. 28 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction
Nov. 29 – San Diego, CA – The Irenic
Nov. 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge
Dec. 2 – Dallas, TX – Dirty 30
Dec. 3 – Houston, TX – Walters
Dec. 5 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Dec. 6 – Nashville, TN – The End
Dec. 7 – Columbus, OH – Woodlands Tavern
Dec. 8 – Detroit, MI – The Shelter
Dec. 9 – Cleveland, OH – Mahalls
Dec. 10 – Toronto, ON – The Hard Luck Dec. 12 – Buffalo, NY – Mohawk Place
Dec. 13 – Boston, MA – Sonia Dec. 14 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bazaar
Dec. 15 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry
Dec. 16 – Washington D.C. – DC9
Dec. 17 – Asbury Park, NJ – House Of Independents
NYS Music welcomes the Young Dubliners once again to New York as they begin their east coast tour, making their first of three New York appearances tomorrow evening in Cohoes at the Cohoes Music Hall.
Often considered one of Celtic Rock’s hardest working bands, The Young Dubliners blend their musical backgrounds and styles to create a unique sound that encompasses an electric mix of influences which of course includes a Celtic rock sound. Touring the entire year across the United States and Ireland, these few shows are their only east coast appearances scheduled this year in our area. Don’t hesitate to grab your tickets and take in a show as their energy as a live band is a must see.
Sept. 22 – The Kate – Old Saybrook, CT Sept. 23 – Cohoes Music Hall – Cohoes, NY Sept. 25 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY Sept. 27 – Westcott Theater – Syracuse, NY
Sept. 28 – World Cafe Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA
Sept. 29 – Stouts Irish Sports Pub – Providence, RI
Sept. 30 – Amp by Strathmore – North Bethesda, MD
You can stream the Young Dubliners’ latest release NINE here.
YES is best known for their influence on rock history and classic songs including “Roundabout,” “I’ve Seen All Good People,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” and countless others. On their recent YESTIVAL tour, YES featured a setlist of greatest hits from the band’s studio work, performing at least one song from each of the first 10 albums, starting with YES (1969) through Drama (1980). Matt Richards, keyboardist for Formula 5 spoke with YES keyboardist Geoff Downes about his gear, YES’ best compositions and the rock legacy of YES as they near the half century mark.
Matt Richards: How has the YESTIVAL tour stuck out to you compared to your previous tours with YES?
Geoff Downes: It has been very different so far because we have been doing the chronological tracks from each of the first ten albums. That has seemed to be something the fans really like because they get to hear tracks that are not in the normal YES repertoire and haven’t been played for quite some years. I think being on the bill with Todd Rundgren and Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy has been a nice mixture to be able to have a whole feast of music rather than just the standard YES classics. In the past we have been doing albums in their entirety and it has been nice to move away from that and look at a much more historical view of the band’s catalogue.
MR: How is touring in The United States different from touring in The UK?
GD: A lot of the venues in The US are better designed for concerts in the modern age. The backstage areas and load-in areas are much more accessible. The British venues are not designed for big stage trucks to come through and some of the theaters in the UK are very old. There is a bit of a logistical problem in that regard but audience-wise, we’ve got a following in the UK as well as the United States that is very receptive to the music of YES
MR: Is there one song you find the most representative of the music of YES?
GD: I think there are certainly a few but I find “And You And I” from the Close To The Edge album is the most representative of YES’s music in terms of the changes in the sections, the dynamics, and the great uplifting finale. In a lot of ways, dynamics is what YES’s music is all about. It has the same application that classical music does where the orchestra is not going full torque all the way and it features certain instruments at certain times. That’s what makes YES’s music very interesting and appeal to a wide range of generations. It is always uplifting to play that one live and I look forward to it coming up in the setlist because it is such a great piece of music.
MR: As a keyboardist do you find there is any particular keyboard that is the most representative of YES’ sound?
GD: The music has been very focused since the early days with Tony Kay on the acoustic piano and Hammond organ rolls. That was extended more by Rick Wakeman when he started to introduce Melotrons and the Minimoog. I think those elements have always been key to YES’ music and progressive rock music in general. When I joined the band in 1980 that is when the real explosion of synths and digital keyboards was just beginning. I think I injected that into the Drama album. I tried to take it a step further and bring the technology in line with what was happening in music in general.
MR: Is there any keyboard that you are currently touring with that is your favorite to use in your performance?
GD: I use Mac laptops for recreating a lot of those old sounds because the software now is so sophisticated that we are capable of doing that. I have always been very interested in not only the musical side, but the technological side of keyboard playing. It is sort of a dream to be able to create these wonderful sounds with virtual synths.
MR: What program do you find is best to recreate the classic synth sounds?
GD: I use Apple’s Mainstage which is a development from Logic. Logic Pro X is the main program and it is great because you can create all these virtual layers of keyboards. It is a very powerful piece of design.
MR: With such an emphasis on composition in YES’ music, what role does improvisation have in the live performance?
GD: Generally, we try to remain fairly close to the original recording in terms of core parts of the pieces because that’s what people mostly have as their highlights of our music. There are occasions where solos have more flexibility and some of the arrangements will be chopped around while still recreating the songs accordingly.
MR: What role does YES play in the world of music?
GD: It is a very unique volume of music in the history of rock music. There is a very positive and uplifting experience that drew many listeners to the band from the beginning. The name of the band and the positivity emanating from that is carried on into the music. I think people find that not only something nice to listen to but also a spiritual experience. I think YES is quite unique in that respect that they can actually convey that feeling to people, making them feel good and want to say “Yes!” as they listen.
Late in the day, news of his death was retracted. Petty had been taken off of life support but began breathing on his own. He was fighting death just as he had fought record labels throughout his career.
Fans will not want to miss this rare opportunity to meet the legendary Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and hear his inspirational story! The founding member of 
