NYS Music along with Positive Mental Trip present 13 Jam for Tots shows throughout New York State (and one in Connecticut) to help those most in need this holiday season. Fans who attend any of these shows are encouraged to bring an unwrapped gift for a child age 2-12.
Eight bands are part of the Jam for Tots lineup this year, a charitable effort that brings live music and holiday season charity. Luke Weiler (Positive Mental Trip) has brought this series of shows to venues around Northeast, and has been expanded this year to span across New York State and includes 87/90 artists Intrepid Travelers, Cousin Earth, Formula 5, Space Carnival, Gowanus and Let’s Be Leonard, as well as Funkworthy and Chinatown Lights.
Bring an unwrapped gift for a 2-12 year old and the gifts will be gathered by USMC representatives. Give back to those most in need this holiday season and enjoy a great show at the same time!
Binghamton’s native four-piece Driftwood needs no introduction. However, they sure deserve one! Driftwood’s precise mix of folk, country, singer/songwriter, punk, pop, and rock has earned a grassroots following, mowing through the Upstate, NY music scene. Whether it’s with the complexity of their lyrical poetry, simplicity of the quiet melody, or the rampage of a old-timey fiddle, Driftwood continuously impresses their audience. The friendly folk family is currently working on an album with world-renown producer Simone Felice and are ready to take the world by storm. NYS Music sat down with Joey Arcuri, bassist of Driftwood. Arcuri riffed on his experience as a full time bass player for Driftwood, focusing on both the rewards and struggles of a career in music. Please enjoy “In Their Own Words,” bitesized nuggets of wisdom quoted directly from Joey Arcuri of Driftwood:
On Bass
Keep it simple…
When you’re young you want to play all these notes. You want to play fast and virtuous, but, what you learn as a bassist is to be tasteful and support the group. This is the most important thing with all instruments, but especially with the bass. It’s not about you. It’s about the band, song, and lyrics. Ultimately, if lyrics are happening, the band is supporting the singer; the band is supporting the story. I learned that. I came from more of a virtuosic instrumental kind of mindset and matured into supporting the music and the song as a whole…Being that rock. Half notes are bad ass…holding it down…I didn’t see that when I was younger.
I had a gig with a band once and they didn’t call me back. I wouldn’t have called myself back either. I was playing too fast and adding too many eighth notes. I was trying to do too much and not doing my roll. Often, you have to mess up to learn. I didn’t always have anyone telling me how to play a part properly. At the time, even if I did have someone, I probably wouldn’t have listened. Sometimes I didn’t get asked back, or i’d be getting looks instead of the high-five I was expecting. Not until that happened did I realize I needed to continue to learn and grow.
On Driftwood
I grew to love bluegrass, folk, and singer/songwriter music through Driftwood. Before, I didn’t love it, I appreciated it, but, playing and feeling the music of Driftwood inspired me. I remember when we were on the road and saw Del Mccoury for the first time…that was a huge thing for me, I was like, woah!
We all write lyrics and our instrumental parts. Often at practice, someone will write a song and then present it to the group. We are all a little nervous presenting our own songs…it’s like, you feel naked, no one’s ever like ‘hey, you’ve got to hear this hot new track.’ Next, we let the parts come together naturally, and we give advice as we move on.
Ultimately, we put the song through what we call the ‘road test.’ You don’t always know things until you perform a song live for a reacting and staring audience. For instance, you can tell so much by simply the crowds clapping and overall audience feedback. Like when you get a burner of a song, and you just kill it, the audience will give you a roar. And if something is not jiving, after the song, everyone’s just like giving a pity clap or something. There is so much to live performing I’ve learned on the road. It never stops; I am constantly learning.
What makes a good show is when the people who come to see you dig it, the quality of sound, and our performance. Always, If you have good sound and people listening to you, you’re going to kick ass and play well.
Sound can be a battle. We’ve had shows where the audience just stare or they’re not really moving their heads too much. We can tell if it’s good sound based on how the audience is looking and moving… you can feel it if the sound’s not on. It’s such a bummer! We want to share music and have it transferred in a smooth and comfortable way, and when it does go well, it’s so gratifying.
I acknowledge I have chosen a field that isn’t always great financially like other ‘normal jobs.’ In a band, you need to all love each other… you hear the horror stories of bands that are fighting on the road. It’s so important to like who you’re making music with. I feel very fortunate. And when we’re on, I feel so blessed to be doing what we’re doing. It’s great to be a musician.
On The Future
We are preparing for creating and recording an album ten days in November. We are working with producer, Simone Felice. Simone is brothers with Ian Felice of the Felice brothers, a band he used to be a part of. Simone grew up a poet and a writer, and he has such an ear for words and lyrics. His reputation speaks for itself.
We all wrote songs of our own and sent them in as demos and Simone has chosen 12 that he believes are cohesive and our strongest. He’s helping bring together what songs go together as a whole, creating an album that works as a beautiful masterpiece, and so, as our producer, we’re leaving him the space to create and tell us what to do.
We’re also excited for some special shows coming up. We’re playing a two night Thanksgiving weekend run at the Ransom Steele Tavern in Apalachin, NY on November 24 and 25. We’re calling it Foxfire Weekend. Foxfire is like the bioluminescence of fungi on wood…It creates these cool trippy colors that are vibrant. It’s just a cool word we found and it fits Driftwood. In addition, Driftwood is playing a two-night run at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY on December 30 and 31 for New Years Eve.
Several years ago I had an opportunity to see a local young man open for Parmalee at Toby Keith’s. Impressed by his talent, I made a point to speak to him that evening as I noted something unique about him. Fast forward two years later and color me pleasantly surprised to have his new EP Where Would I Be come across my desk to be reviewed. After listening to it, once again I noted that unique quality in his work that makes him stand out amongst the crowd. Kolby Oakley, a 22 year old country musician, hails from a musical family.
Although he is young in years, his experience is that of years of musical influences. His father, Steve Oakley, sings, his mother, Kim Oakley, plays bass, and his uncle Craig Oakley, is well known for performing with both The Beach Boys, and Bob Hope. Playing alongside his folks throughout the years on drums, he taught himself the guitar, and after loosing his great Grandmother in 2007, he began writing his own work. A wonderful musician, it’s his writing that stands out to me. Kolby has a gift of story telling. His descriptive lyrics place you in a frame of mind of the characters he sings of and transports you to the moments in which they reflect. This was evident as I began to listen to his four-song EP that is being released this week.
The title track, “Where Would I Be,” paints a story of those influences throughout the years that shaped the person he sings of. This upbeat song, gives thanks to those moments and the reflective journey taken to arrive at the destination of today. The next track, “First Kiss,” slows down the tempo, but not the momentum of this EP. Kolby’s knack of writing mimics that of a novel writer, giving your senses the touch, taste, smell, and flavor of the moment, making this track somewhat sensual. My favorite track however is the third, “Keeps Me Coming Back.” Perhaps it’s the fun Caribbean flare of toes in the sand, sun on your shoulders, beer in your hand that come across and pulls me in on this number. The final track, “Counting On,” is my next favorite. The consistency in his writing once again draws you in and takes you on a journey of heartbreak, loss, and coping. It floors me that at only 22 years of age, this young man, has the soul of a seasoned country musician.
I highly recommend catching Kolby Oakley this weekend at his EP release party, in Binghamton at Touch of Texas. Doors open at 6pm and tickets can be purchased both online and at the door.
Ever wonder where your city measures up when it comes to the music scene? Value Penguin, a company which compiles information for consumers, compared 200 US cities using more than a dozen variables from reputable sources to create a list of best places for music lovers. Six cities in New York State are in the top 30%: Albany, Rochester, Binghamton, New York, Buffalo, and Syracuse.
The top 10 cities in the nation are: Nashville, Honolulu, Seattle, Madison WI, Austin TX, Albany, Tuscon, Rochester, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. Binghamton came in at No. 20, New York City at No. 26, Buffalo/Niagara Falls at No. 43, and Syracuse at No. 56.
Cities were rated in three categories: Bands, Crowds, and Intangibles. For bands, factors included the number of musicians and bands per capita, the number of recording studios and labels, and the average hourly wage. The crowd category included information about venues, music-related stores, and number of radio stations. The intangible category was a catch-all for miscellaneous info on weather, public transportation, music schools, and closing time for bars, all of which may impact the quality of the music-going experience. Data was pulled from government sources such as the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Department of Commerce. Additional information came from sites such as Music School Central, USA Today, Songwriter Universe, and Fodors. The information spanned the years 2014-2016.
The Albany area took a high position, thanks in part to venues like Palace Theater, Cohoes Music Hall, The Hollow Bar and Kitchen, Madison Theater, Troy Music Hall, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Proctors Theater, The Massry Center for the Arts, Times Union Center, EMPAC and many more.
Rochester was not far behind, known by music lovers for the Eastman School of Music, Eastman Theater, Blue Cross Arena, The Bug Jar, The International Jazz Festival, The Record Archive and The House of Guitars, to name a few.
You can see the complete list and view the data sources at Value Penguin.
On a Friday night in late March of 1992, the 20th to be exact, everything changed. Phish had more or less hooked me the prior July and I had worn through my tapes of Junta and Lawn Boy and the handful of bootlegs I had acquired. The band’s major label debut on Elektra, A Picture of Nectar, had just been released in February and that ragtag collection of songs, new and old, was also quickly absorbed into my consciousness. After a couple of missed opportunities, I finally found myself at a real live Phish concert.
Back in those days, before the internet and instant satisfaction, there wasn’t much available to prepare for such an experience. No Phish.net. No YEMBlog. No YouTube videos. No LivePhish. No listening to the show from the night prior, week prior or many months prior. More or less, I was going in blind.
Nine month’s worth of anticipation and my excitement was bubbling over. Driving to the venue with my friend’s father, who was equally geeked, he was spouting off comparisons to Zappa (over my head) and telling of how he heard they jumped on trampolines in rhythm with music. Taking a pre-show bathroom break, I suddenly was peeing next to a few giggling hippie college girls. They were climbing in through the men’s bathroom window, sneaking into the show. This was an event, this was a happening and it seemed it wasn’t just me feeling it.
The band took the stage in darkness. They broke the silence with a pair of deep monotonous notes, repeated a few times. Then a creepy falsetto “Wiiiiiiiilson” rang out and white lights hit Trey and Mike’s faces from below against the dark background. It was like a scene out of Spinal Tap or reminiscent of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Spooky, theatrical, campy. I knew of Wilson the character from other songs like “Lizards” and mentions of Gamehendge in APicture of Nectar‘s liner notes and elsewhere, but I had never heard or knew of the actual song “Wilson.” In this light, I was freaked out by this opening sequence. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but I loved it.
My newb-iness would shine through repeatedly throughout the first set. Phish had just released Nectar, but it was a prolific period for them and they were already working out the material that would later become their next release, Rift. Though “Brother” wasn’t on Rift and it was heavy in the rotation dating back to the fall, it was new to me. Trey introduced it by making a joke about the orchestra pit in front of the stage. “This is the alligator moat up here, make sure you don’t fall into it.” Later they even changed the lyrics to “alligator pit.” None the wiser, I assumed the name of the song was “Alligator Pit,” a mistake that lived on months later when I acquired a recording of the show. I can still remember those tapes, with the deep red cover and Jim Pollock artwork, and the third song mislabeled as “Alligator Pit.” Later in the set, they would play the new song “Maze,” though I thought they were singing “living in outer space” and I can remember my friend and I dancing around the aisle singing along with the final chorus, “We’re living in outer space!” That was also mislabeled on my tape. Another new song, “Mound,” had bassist Mike Gordon purposefully goading the the crowd to clap along to it’s simplistic blues beat before mixing it up and leaving the crowd clapping instead on the off beat. Fooled again! After wild runs though complex and head-spinning material, when they landed on “Mound” I felt a bit of a relief with something a bit more straightforward. But that quickly went out the window when what I thought was a blues number turned into a zany, genre-less romp. It was like a “Mike’s Corner” column come to life.
The first set was stocked full of Phish’s signature intricate instrumental gymnastics with “Reba,” “Glide,” the newly minted “Rift,” “Fluffhead,” “Lizards” and the set-closing “Run Like an Antelope.” Each was executed flawlessly. These are my baselines – when they can’t dismount on those or their ilk, points are deducted. Second song into the show and I was presented with a top-notch “Reba.” My baseline “Reba.” If it isn’t at least as good as this one, it isn’t all that great. And this one was incredible. A jam I know so well I can sing along.
This whole show would serve as my Phish baseline. The versions of these songs would be what I would judge every subsequent version. The energy at this show was the energy upon which I would judge all others. This show, these versions and these memories hold up after countless listens 25 years and 100 shows later. It was a great show with unique touches throughout, setting a high bar to hurdle for future shows. It’s like eating your first barbecue at the Dinosaur BBQ, which I also did around this same time. While it isn’t necessarily the best, it sets an unusually high bar for the rest.
And the care free, off-the-wall energy exhibited at this show is also my baseline. Drummer Jon Fishman came out to play trombone during “Antelope” and played a bagpipe hooked up to a vacuum cleaner during a cover of Syd Barret’s “Terrapin.” Weird and wild! They ended the show with instructions for a secret language intent on confusing random concert-goers. What in the holy hell?! The language was prompted by musical signals. One of the signals was the theme song from my favorite TV show at the time, The Simpsons, and I was blown away. These guys like what I like! When you’re a sophomore in high school, that is the pinnacle of cool. Another signal had the entire crowd and band simultaneously falling to the ground. I didn’t realize you could smile and laugh so much and so heartily at a music show. These guys were crazy and played by their own rules. And I loved it!
After one near 90-minute set, I could have left and been completely satisfied. But it was only half over. And that second set started with “Mike’s Song.” It has been my favorite song to see live for as long as I can remember and I trace it, once again, back to this baseline show. To see “Mike’s” in those days was to see the perfect amalgamation of Phish’s energy, music and wackiness. On this night they opened with a hearty tease of Yes’ “Roundabout.” As an avid consumer of classic rock radio at the time, my heart almost stopped. Would they? They wouldn’t. But what they did do… oh boy. Here came those trampolines my friend’s father spoke of. The stage was filled amply with smoke. Strobe lights flashed revealing Mike and Trey’s bouncing shadows amidst the white-out. The smoke would engulf the first handful of rows at least and the pounding bass, swirling organ and powerful drumming were your only guides. Some fans these days clamor for the return of the so-called ‘second jam,’ but I would rather see the the return of tramps, smoke and strobe lights during “Mike’s Song”. Trey’s guitar solo was drenched in feedback, bringing the energy to a fever pitch. Heavy, dark and glorious. I think my eyes may have just glazed over. The rest of the set was a blur of more oddball, genre-jumping, rule-breaking signature Phish-iness. Trey was certainly the hero, even if it was Mike’s birthday. But it was a lot of high-pitched noodling to absorb in one night for this sixteen-year-old. By the time their blistering cover of “Fire” closed out the night, my head was spinning from all the guitar. I had had my fill and was ready to go. But the next morning, I was primed and ready to go again. Fortunately, it would be less than two months later that they’d be playing my hometown for show number two.
25 years and 100 shows later, here I am. The sheer volume of music introduced to me through this band, both directly and tangentially, be it Frank Zappa, bluegrass, jazz and so much more, makes this first show much more than just a first show, but a defining moment in a lifelong musical journey.
Set 1: Wilson > Reba, Brother[1], Glide > Rift, Fluffhead > Maze, The Lizards, Mound > Run Like an Antelope[2]
Set 2: Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove [3], Sanity[4], The Sloth, The Mango Song > Cavern, Uncle Pen, Harry Hood, Cold as Ice >Terrapin[5] > Cold as Ice, Possum > Secret Language Instructions[6] > Possum[7]
Eight bands are part of the Jam for Tots lineup this year, a charitable effort that brings live music and holiday season charity. Luke Weiler (Positive Mental Trip) has brought this series of shows to venues around Northeast, and has been expanded this year to span across New York State and includes 87/90 artists Intrepid Travelers, Cousin Earth, Formula 5, Space Carnival, Gowanus and Let’s Be Leonard, as well as Funkworthy and Chinatown Lights.
My newb-iness would shine through repeatedly throughout the first set. Phish had just released Nectar, but it was a prolific period for them and they were already working out the material that would later become their next release, Rift. Though “Brother” wasn’t on Rift and it was heavy in the rotation dating back to the fall, it was new to me. Trey introduced it by making a joke about the orchestra pit in front of the stage. “This is the alligator moat up here, make sure you don’t fall into it.” Later they even changed the lyrics to “alligator pit.” None the wiser, I assumed the name of the song was “Alligator Pit,” a mistake that lived on months later when I acquired a recording of the show. I can still remember those tapes, with the deep red cover and Jim Pollock artwork, and the third song mislabeled as “Alligator Pit.” Later in the set, they would play the new song “Maze,” though I thought they were singing “living in outer space” and I can remember my friend and I dancing around the aisle singing along with the final chorus, “We’re living in outer space!” That was also mislabeled on my tape. Another new song, “Mound,” had bassist Mike Gordon purposefully goading the the crowd to clap along to it’s simplistic blues beat before mixing it up and leaving the crowd clapping instead on the off beat. Fooled again! After wild runs though complex and head-spinning material, when they landed on “Mound” I felt a bit of a relief with something a bit more straightforward. But that quickly went out the window when what I thought was a blues number turned into a zany, genre-less romp. It was like a 
This whole show would serve as my Phish baseline. The versions of these songs would be what I would judge every subsequent version. The energy at this show was the energy upon which I would judge all others. This show, these versions and these memories hold up after countless listens 25 years and 100 shows later. It was a great show with unique touches throughout, setting a high bar to hurdle for future shows. It’s like eating your first barbecue at the Dinosaur BBQ, which I also did around this same time. While it isn’t necessarily the best, it sets an unusually high bar for the rest.