NYS Music 20​17

Category: The West

  • New York Artists Make a Splash at 2017 Grammys

    Talk of the 2017 GRAMMYs will center on Adele’s profanely humble request to re-start her tribute to George Michael so she can “get it right for George,” Beyonce’s cinematic performance of “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles” from her universally acclaimed album Lemonade or Bruno Mars’ role as the Purple One in the joyous celebration of Prince that also included Morris Day and the Time. The televised portion of the awards is the show, with the focus on performances and the marquee categories. However, there was a slew of awards presented throughout the weekend that weren’t televised. NYS Music detailed a number of the New York-based honorees and nominees in December. Many took home Grammys this weekend.

    2017 grammysThe late David Bowie was nominated in five categories for his groundbreaking album Blackstar and won all five. Taking home the Grammy for Best Rock Performance, Blackstar, Best Rock Song, “Blackstar,” Best Alternative Music Album, Blackstar, Best Recording Package, Blackstar, and Best-Engineered Album, Non-Classical, Blackstar.   Bowie had never won for his music throughout his storied career prior to this year. In his later years, the Great White Duke maintained a residence in Woodstock.

    DJ duo the Chainsmokers, Andrew Taggart (a Syracuse University graduate) and NYC native Alex Pall, were nominated in three categories – Best New Artist, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their single, “Closer,” which also features Halsey on vocals, and for Best Dance Recording for their single, “Don’t Let Me Down,” featuring Daya – ultimately leaving with a win in the Dance category.

    2016 Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Fallen Angels, and for Best Historical Album, The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol.12 (Collector’s Edition), winning for Best Historical Album.

    New York-via-Texas transplants, Snarky Puppy were also nominated and won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Culcha Vulcha, an album NYS Music reviewed last year. The jazz fusion band made several stops in New York last year, breathing new life into the genre. You can read our review of Snarky Puppy’s Syracuse stop last year here.

    Perhaps one of the most powerful performances of the night came from Queens natives a Tribe Called Quest who were joined by Busta Ryhmes and rising rap newcomer Anderson .Paak to perform “Award Tour” and “We the People.”  An empty microphone stand was present in tribute to fallen Tribe member Phife Dawg, who passed away last March.

    The performance with Rhymes delivering a particularly scathing diatribe of President Trump and the executive order signed to prevent people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. It concluded with a parade of people of varying ethnicities entering the stage to cheers from the people in attendance.

    Art rock pioneers the Velvet Underground were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, an award few would have imagined for the band in the burgeoning New York City art scene of the late 1960s. The late Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison, former roommates at Syracuse University, along with Welsh-born John Cale formed an early version the Velvets, called the Worlocks in the mid-60s. Cale was in attendance at Sunday’s ceremony to represent the band.

    The Velvet Underground was a band that never achieved significant commercial success. But as producer Brian Eno once said in an interview, “everyone who bought one started a band.”

  • Metallica 2017 North American Tour Announced, Includes Stops at MetLife Stadium and Uniondale

    After being disrespected at this years Grammys, the kings of thrash Metallica have officially announced their 2017 North American Tour in support of their new album Hardwired…To Self Destruct.  The first date kicks off in Baltimore, and concludes in Edmonton, AB, Canada.  But for the first time in over 6 years, Metallica will be stopping twice in the New York City surrounding area with a May 14 date at the glorious MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ and May 17 at the New Coliseum in Uniondale, NY (which is set to open their doors for the first time on April 5.)  Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat are slated to be the openers on this tour. Gojira is set to open on the Canadian dates.

    This is likely to be one of the highest grossing tours of 2017, and tickets will be going fast as they go on sale to the public this Friday, February 17. Check out the tour dates below.

    Metallica 2017 North American Tour Dates

    May 10 – Baltimore, MD – M&T Bank Stadium
    May 12 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field
    May 14 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
    May 17 – Uniondale, NY – New Coliseum
    May 19 – Boston, MA – Gillette Stadium
    May 21 – Columbus, OH – Rock On The Range Festival
    June 4 – St. Louis, MO – Busch Stadium
    June 7 – Denver, CO – Sports Authority Field
    June 11 – Houston, TX – NRG Stadium
    June 14 – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome
    June 16 – Dallas, TX – AT&T Stadium
    June 18 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field
    July 5 – Orlando, FL – Camping World Stadium
    July 7 – Miami, FL – Hard Rock Stadium
    July 9 – Atlanta, GA – Suntrust Park
    July 12 – Detroit, MI – Comercia Park
    July 14 – Quebec City, QC – Festival D’Ete
    July 16 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Centre
    July 19 – Montreal, QB – Parc Jean-Drapeau
    July 29 – Los Angeles, CA – Rose Bowl
    August 4 – Phoenix, AZ – University of Phoenix Stadium
    August 6 – San Diego, CA – Petco Park
    August 9 – Seattle, WA – Centurylink Field
    August 14 – Vancouver, BC – BC Place
    August 16 – Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium

  • moe. and Twiddle to co-headline Red Rocks on August 13

    moe. and Twiddle have announced a co-headlining show with special guest Pigeons Playing Ping Pong on August 13 at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO.

    The weekend will kick off at Boulder Theater with moe. and Twiddle trading off acoustic and electric sets on August 11 and 12. Tickets go on sale February 17 through moe.org and Twiddlemusic.com
    Multi-day, VIP and GA tickets will be available Friday, February 17.

  • Hearing Aide: Left Hand Shake ‘8-Track Mind’

    Left Hand Shake 8-Track MindOne day, I was given the task of reviewing this album, a debut, no less, from a band I had no idea what to expect from. All I got was a set of audio files from the album 8-Track Mind, and a brief description of Left Hand Shake’s members, David Decker and Blaze Sepowski, and the previous projects they’ve been involved with, featuring names like Bang Zoom!, Picture This, and Bottle of the Dog. Initially, I thought this would just be something I could sit through and move on.

    Even the album cover itself led me to think anything could be inside. It’s of a suit with an old speaker where the head should be with an 8-track of the album loaded inside. Upon further research, I saw it was named album of the year by WVCR, the radio station for Siena College. Okay, I thought. College-age people like this. I finally got around to listening to the album, which started off with the various synth noises of “F.S.B.” until 45 seconds in when the slow drumbeat and guitars finally kicked in. And from there, I was hooked.

    The album comes across as a breath of fresh air because it delves into a particular genre I don’t think gets enough credit: dream pop. There are definitely artists nowadays influenced by this particular underground scene, M83 comes to mind, but it’s rare to see an act fully embrace the mindset. The mid-tempos that put listeners in a state of bliss. The sweeping, soaring guitar lines. The echo-y vocals less concerned with singing clear lyrics and more with being another texture of the song.

    In terms of extent of what Left Hand Shake is willing to do, it’s on the second song, “Being There (Django).” Along with the ethereal 80’s dream pop guitar work happening, there are also hints of violin and a mandolin underneath. Of it’s eight and a half minute runtime, the last five are purely instrumental. And it’s not only more guitar work that gets to shine, there are harmonica, saxophone, and trumpet solos dispersed in that time. And oddly enough, though it sometimes feels it goes on for too long, it all works in making the dreamy atmosphere stick.

    There are also songs that tone down the dream atmosphere considerably. “Right Hand Shake” reminds me of “She Bangs the Drums,” by the Stone Roses, with the similar guitar tones and echo-y vocal work. “Fly” is pretty much a condensed version of the longer songs, but notably more down to earth.

    In terms of shortcomings, I’d say Decker and Sepowski get a bit too experimental with their instrumentation. The songs that are 7 to 8 minutes long have a good chunk made up of solos that serve only to continue the state of euphoria. “People Like,” starts off sounding like a dated 90’s industrial act before it really gets going. “Fabreeze” has a muted trumpet solo while “Path Less Taken” essentially ends with a violin solo taking up the last third. The lyrics, when you can make them out, at times come across like they’re trying too hard. Lines like “Life is a garden, I’m sowing all the seeds, when something starts to grow, it comes out as weeds” (“Fly”). And “People like you, people like me, we can change the world” (“People Like”) Then again, lyrics were never the emphasis of this genre.

    So, if you’re a fan of the works of The Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, and Lush, give Left Hand Shake and 8-Track Mind a chance. We should look forward to whatever efforts these guys have planned in the future, if they continue this direction or move on to something else.

    Key Tracks: Being There (Django), Because/Second Hand Shake, Fly, Iced & Alone

    Listen to Left Hand Shake 8-Track Mind below.

  • Everyone Orchestra at Warren Station

    The eclectic Everyone Orchestra performed a three-night run in Colorado, with the first night of the small tour at Warren Station in Keystone on January 12. The intimate venue positioned at the base of the ski resort was the perfect place for the group to host their jam filled night. This show’s all star line up conducted by Matt Butler, included Shira Elias and Josh Schwartz of Turkuaz, Chuck Jones and Eli Winderman of Dopapod, Eddie Roberts of the New Mastersounds, Michael Travis of the String Cheese Incident, and Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle.
    The enthusiastic crowd danced the night away and sang along as the super group performed many jams guided by the project’s creator, Matt Butler.  The lively night ended with a reggae tune which got the whole crowd singing “Keystone let the snow fall.” The group performed the next two nights in Denver and Fort Collins.

    Everyone Orchestra Warren Station

  • Higher Society Lifts Spirits in Denver for New Year’s Eve

    Fuck, 2016! That was the prevailing feeling for many people in our country as we lurched toward year’s end. So many beloved musicians died. There were bombings, searing police confrontations and there was the near apocalyptic collapse of democracies around the world. Many pundits included our country in that post-mortem.

    But, I had personal reasons to feel disheartened to reflect on the year that was. My father’s memorial service was on my birthday. He died of brain cancer while my sister struggled with the awful pain and physical indignities of chemotherapy due to her diagnosis of cancer. Fuck 2016, indeed, I thought.

    But sometimes better angels descend on us to reflect the better parts of our nature, bringing hope, laughter, and perhaps a little magic. And that is precisely what happened on New Year’s Eve in Denver, Colorado in a tucked away corner of the downtown business district. Sensi Mag, SOCO Nightlife and The Fantastic Hosts organization presented a dream-like reverie of music, dance, art, and joy at the year-end event, dubbed Higher Society at the City Hall venue.

    The evening, intended as an ode to the medicinal quality of marijuana, community and creativity, quickly lifted spirits with an opening speaking/meet and greet with visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey.  Self-reflection quickly turned to celebration with a jolt of tribal rock rhythms and searing guitar jams from the Tierro Lee Band. The lilting melodies of Elephant Revival fiddler, Bridget Law gave an ethereal quality to the percussive jams. That joyful set alone quickly dispensed any lingering bittersweet feeling or antipathy regarding the passing year. Still the evening was only beginning.

    Following on the main stage was the expansive beauty of Quixotic an impressive group that combines an astounding mix of aerialist/ fire/ music performances. Throughout the venue numerous other visual artists, and DJs performed, including  Stööki Sound, Androcell,  and Johnathan Singer. 

    The Grey duo led the New Year countdown as Random Rab began his crowd-pleasing bass-thumping set. Without the spectacle of confetti, balloons or champagne salutes, a group of musicians, performers, and artists offered a night to recall that even in the most troubled of moments there is always reason for hope. And there is always beauty, even in dimly-lit corners of reality.

  • Hearing Aide: Theo Katzman ‘Heartbreak Hits’

    Funk mastermind Theo Katzman of Vulfpeck has released his second LP today titled Heartbreak Hits, following the 2011 release of Romance without Finance. This latest work oozes heartache, with Katzman‘s youthful vocals lamenting the loss of a lover. The songs evoke the agony of painful breakups, and might even open old wounds for some listeners, but they’re delivered with such gripping soul, that most won’t even think to press pause.

    The album kicks off in rock ballad fashion, akin to the likes of 70’s icons The Eagles. Katzman confirmed on his crowdfunding album campaign that the band did in fact lend inspiration. Wailing guitar on album opener “Hard Work” shocks the eardrums to life before Katzman’s breathy pop vocals attempt to make sense of a failed relationship. People will go the extra mile for someone they love, and with pragmatically comical lines like “I held your hair back when you had too much to drink/ I used my bare hands to unclog that bathroom sink” and “When you got depressed and your mind was on the brink/ I peeled you off the floor and drove you to a shrink” it’s easy to see how a guy thinks he’s earned his keep.

    “Breakup Together” is sweet on the ears, but the melodic sing-songy quality carries Katzman’s tenderly brooding words as he laments “We used to make love together, now we break up together.” Trilling backup vocals follow this somber sentiment. The silver-tongued harmonies call to mind that flock of helpful songbirds chirping away in Snow White, but instead of helping the fair maiden do laundry, they perch on Katzman’s shoulders and chime in as he mopes (understandably) in a corner.

    “Crappy Love Song” supplies some of the most gut-tickling harmonies on the album before “My Heart is Dead” goes nineties angst as Katzman pouts, “My heart is dead girl/ It doesn’t beat no more.” “Good to be Alone” presents a sobering, understated country folk charm replete with slide guitar. A more earnest tone on this number replaces Katzman’s raspy pop attitude found throughout much of the album. Lyrics seeking the silver lining of reclaimed independence in the wake of a breakup, he attempts to convince himself, “No one to scratch you down your back/ No one to cut you any slack/ You got to scratch it on your own/ It’s good to be alone.”

    “Lost and Found” staccato style drums, guitar and vocals add a bouncy feel, revisiting the lively pop realm before “My 1-Bedroom” finds Katzman dreamily fantasizing about the prospect of sharing his small dwelling with a significant other, nearly whispering the lyrics with stripped down instrumental accompaniment. Already the album has led the listener on a roller coaster ride, each song undulating along the spectrum of sadness and resentment, lyrics spiced with cynicism. “As the Romans Do” injects some steam into the track list with powerhouse pop vocals and pounding drums. This song in particular demonstrates the skillful subtleties in Katzman’s singing ability, especially through the lines “I bid a fond farewell to my bestest friends/ I packed my possessions in a Uhaul then/ I sailed like a sailor to the promised land.”

    “Love is a Beautiful Thing” mellows the track list again with soft jazz guitar, muted drums and light piano laced with Katzman’s delicate falsetto. The words convey a familiar scenario in breakups: the pain of seeing an ex-lover involved with someone else when you’re still hurting. He sings, “Love is a beautiful thing/ Hugging, kissing, laughing, holding hands/ Love is a beautiful thing/ Unless it’s you loving another man.” After this song the listener almost surely feels as if Katzman has beaten them over the head with such relentless harping on the same themes of loss, yet by sticking so loyally to this theme, he has created a very real portrayal of the cyclical thought patterns many experience in a breakup. “Plain Jane Heroin” rounds out the ten-track album on a somber note, ending the album on a bit of a cliche, comparing the allure of a woman to the addictive nature of heroin.

    Katzman has crafted a string of songs that thoroughly display the breadth of his vocal ability. The rawness of the lyrics suggest Katzman might have actually had his heart recently ripped from his chest by whichever woman called it splitsville. While profit from fresh heartbreak is a form of sweet songwriting revenge, it doesn’t appear that a recent tragic breakup is the essence of inspiration. Katzman stated in his album campaign, “I started writing songs, and found myself exploring different angles of letdown/loss of expectation/heartbreak: My own personal experiences, as well as the extrapolation of those experiences into my imagination.” Nevertheless, nearly anyone can empathize with Heartbreak Hits’ sentiments, and dance, rage or cry to the album at their discretion.

    The album was recorded by Tyler Duncan at The Barber House, mixed by Duncan and mastered by Devin Kerr. Cover photo by Claire Marie Vogel and album artwork by Robert Lester. Musicians contributing to the album include: Joe Dart (Fender bass), Woody Goss (piano, Wurlitzer electric piano on “Break Up Together”), Laura Mace and Mike G: (omni backing vocals), Lee Pardini: (Wurlitzer electric piano), Drew Howard: (pedal steel guitar) and Brett Farkas: (additional electric guitar on “As the Romans Do”).

    Currently Katzman has one scheduled performance on January 26 at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles, California. The album is available for purchase here.

    Key Tracks: Hard Work, Breakup Together, As the Romans Do