NYS Music 20​17

Category: Central NY

  • Luke Byran Announces Tour With Several Openers

    Platinum recording artist, Luke Bryan announces his new tour with his plans to pack up his hunting gear and hit the road this summer with a unique video of him playing the classic Nintendo Entertainment System and the game Duck Hunt, in his living room while wearing hunting gear. Bryan shot at ducks, with country artist faces on them. The “That’s My Kind Of Night” singer missed, and hit several artist. The artist that happened to get shot down, will hit the road, and round out one mega country lineup for Bryan’s “Huntin’, Fishin’, & Lovin’ Every Day Tour.”

    Luke Bryan Announces TourSix opening artist were shot by Bryan with his NES Zapper. Those artist include Brett Eldredge, Lauren Alaina, Granger Smith, Seth Ennis, Craig Campbell and Adam Craig.

    Spurs will start to spin on May 5, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN, and come to a close on Oct. 28, at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernadino, CA, rounding out thirty-nine different cities, and 40 shows with a two night stay at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Atlanta, GA.

    New York state will be well covered with five different stops throughout the state including, July 13, at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, Aug. 12, at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, Aug. 25, at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Corfu, Aug. 26, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, and Aug. 27, at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh.

    The singer has won various awards in country music including an Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Solo Vocalist and Top New Artist in 2010. Bryan won nine American Country Awards in 2012 ranging from Artist of the Year, to Album of the Year. He has also won Billboard Music Awards for Top Country Artist (2014 & 2016) and Top Country Song (2014) for “Crash My Party.”

    Four of his five studio albums have reached platinum certification by the RIAA. His third and forth studio albums Tailgates & Tanlines (2011), and Crash My Party (2013), have achieved a certification of twice platinum by the RIAA. Bryan has sold over seven million albums and over 27 million copies of his 22 singles, many have reached number one on the country music charts.

    Bryan the philanthropist, has supported numerous charities throughout his career. Causes he supports include children’s disaster relief, cancer, AIDS and HIV, health and human rights through the Red Cross and City Of Hope.

    Bryan’s tour will be part of Live Nation’s Country Mega Ticket. Ticket info will soon be available.

    Luke Bryan’s HFETour Dates:

    May 5 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
    May 12 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA
    May 13 – Xfinity Theatre – Hartford, CT
    May 18 –  iWireless Center – Moline, IL
    June 1 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
    June 3 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, MO
    June 9 – Verizon Arena – Little Rock, AK
    June 10 – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
    June 16-17 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre – Atlanta, GA
    June 23 – Hershey Park Stadium Hershey, PA
    June 24 – Xfinity Center – Mansfield, MA
    June 25 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD
    July 13 – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – Bethel, NY
    July 15 – Progressive Field – Cleveland, OH
    July 16 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ
    July 21 – Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
    Aug. 12 – Lakeview Amphitheater – Syracuse, NY
    Aug. 17 – Veteran’s United Home Loans Arena Amphitheater – Virginia Beach, VA
    Aug. 18 – PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC
    Aug. 19 – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek – Raleigh, NC
    Aug. 25 – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center – Darien Lake, NY
    Aug. 26 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY
    Aug. 27 – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY
    Sept. 6 – Pavilion at Montage Mountain – Scranton, PA
    Sept. 8 – Citizen’s Bank Park – Philadelphia, PA
    Sept. 9 – KeyBank Pavilion – Pittsburgh, PA
    Sept. 15  – Klipsch Music Center – Indianapolis, IN
    Sept. 16 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater – Chicago, IL
    Sept. 21 – Austin360 Amphitheater – Austin, TX
    Sept. 22 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Houston, TX
    Sept. 23 – Gexa Energy Pavilion – Dallas, TX
    Oct. 12 – Concord Pavilion – Concord, CA
    Oct. 13 – Toyota Amphitheatre – Wheatland, CA
    Oct. 14 – Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA
    Oct. 19 – Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
    Oct. 21 – USANA Amphitheater – Salt Lake City, UT
    Oct. 26 – AK-Chin Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ
    Oct. 27 – Sleep Train Amphitheatre – San Diego, CA
    Oct. 28 – San Manuel Amphitheater – San Bernadino, CA

  • Greensky Bluegrass Arrive in the Empire State

    Greensky Bluegrass is making their way north this week, heading for The Westcott Theater in Syracuse on Wednesday the 25. They then make stops at Playstation Theater in NYC on January 28 and The Egg in Albany on January 31. This marks the first time playing each of these venues for Greensky, whose progressive bluegrass style has created an impressive following across the country. Joining Greensky are the Portland, Oregon bluegrass sensation Fruition, a rootsy and eclectic troupe that will easily win over fans on the east coast.

    Since forming 17 years ago, Greensky Bluegrass has created their own version of bluegrass music, mixing the acoustic stomp of a string band with the rule-breaking spirit of rock & roll. The band, comprised of Anders Beck (dobro), Michael Arlen Bont (banjo), Dave Bruzza (guitar), Mike Devol (upright bass) and Paul Hoffman (mandolin) released Shouted, Written Down & Quoted this past fall, garnering praise in our review:

    Greensky Bluegrass has taken the core idea of the typical bluegrass style and spiced it up with a twist of tones that bridge the gap between Americana and a rock flavor to create a perfectly balanced jam grass album.

  • Mike Powell and the Black River Create Joyful Noise at Funk ‘n Waffles

    Mike Powell rolled into Downtown Syracuse Saturday night at Funk n Waffles with his new band, the Black River (John Hanus – guitar, Joe Bell – bass, Dom Scicchitano – drums, Shane Kelsen – keyboards). The packed crowd was treated to a night of originals from Powell’s solo releases, including his latest, Tied to the Rail, as well as songs from the forthcoming Black River debut, due in March.

    The evening was originally billed as Powell opening the show with his solo material followed by the full band. Instead, the band took the stage straight away, ramping up with a slow bluesy groove punctuated by soulful breaks from guitarist Hanus. This flowed into the first performance of a Powell solo piece with the whole band.

    Powell’s songs tell stories and sometimes these stories need an introduction. The song, “Moonlight, Sunshine and Rain” is the result of an encounter Powell had at a farmer’s market. He prefaced the song describing a near perfect zucchini he found. He asked the farmer how he is able to cultivate such beauty. The farmer simply replied, “Moonlight, sunshine and rain.” The band, particularly Shane Kelsen’s keys, compliments Powell’s blue-eyed soul perfectly on this piece.

    Continuing with the stories, Powell introduced the next song, “Tell Me Why,” as one about witnessing a friend spiral into the depths of addiction. His first-person account of an old college friend captivated those in the front of the house. Unfortunately, crowd chatter from the back of the room took away from some of the intimacy the song commands.

    Hanus and Powell drew the audience in with a new song, “Alchemy” featuring a Hanus solo reminiscent of Warren Haynes. Powell had his well-worn Gretsch and effects pedal creating haunting sounds as the crowd began to take notice of the talent on stage.

    While this band is relatively new, it’s clear that they are all seasoned. They’ve been holed up in the Big Blue North Recording Studio in Utica, putting the finishing touches on their debut album. It is clear that a true chemistry has developed among the members and they are truly a band, not Mike Powell and Friends.

    That said, Powell was front and center all night. As the band exited, one of the audience members asked jokingly, “Were they that bad?” eliciting a smile from the front man. Powell’s short solo set was next. All throughout, he demonstrated his versatility as a vocalist and instrumentalist, vacillating among the doo-wop sounds of “Go Back” to the heartfelt, soulful delivery of his Jeff Buckley-styled cover of the late Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

    A Mike Powell performance is an exhibit in honest talent. He’s humble to a fault, often admitting in interviews that he’s uncomfortable hearing his own voice, yet he’s unafraid to put that to the test in front of an audience. This came to light in Powell’s final song of his solo set, “21 Rounds.” This song was his contribution to the Acoustic Guitar Project. According to the website, the project is a global one with a mission of inspiring creativity. Several cities are chosen and one guitar is passed among five musicians in that city. They have one week to come up with an original song using that guitar and record it live. Each musician signs the guitar and takes a picture with it to upload to the site. Once all five musicians in the given city complete their project, a concert is held.  Powell came up with this heart-wrenching song about fallen soldiers on the final night of his turn in the Acoustic Guitar Project.

    Hanus and Kelsen rejoined Powell onstage for a roll through of “Empire Line,” a song about taking the train from Syracuse to New York City and were joined by the rhythm section of Bell and Scicchitano to finish up the night. “Gone Too Far” was the finale of the set. Beginning with a jazzy piano intro from Kelsen, the song slowly gained steam with Powell and Bell harmonizing on the chorus and Hanus providing understated yet solid leads. Kelsen’s keys are the highlight on this one.

    As Powell gave his salutations, several in the crowd chanted for an encore. Unfortunately, another band was due to perform later in the night, preventing that from happening. Those wishing to catch more of the Black River, can do so at a hometown gig in Watertown on Feb. 10 at the Savory Downtown. Tickets for that all-ages show are $12 and available through Ticketfly.

    Powell has been working his way through the bar and art center scene since making the decision to concentrate on music after a highly successful lacrosse career at Syracuse University. His balance of honest and raw songwriting have helped him to gain a strong following among the Central New York faithful and the addition of this powerful and talented band will only serve to catapult all of them to the next level. See them in the small venues while you can. They won’t be playing them much longer.

  • West End Blend Kicks Off Tour Stretching Across Northeast

    High energy 10-piece funk band West End Blend embarks on an extensive tour that stretches across the Northeast with 7 stops throughout New York State in Syracuse, Canton, Saratoga Springs, Saranac Lake (during Winter Carnival), Brooklyn, Rochester and Buffalo. The funk/soul machine recently released a new music video for “Smile,” and vocalist Erica Bryan sat down with NYS Music to discuss the band’s influences, songwriting and expectations for fans over the next 3 months.

    Pete Mason: A distinct 70s funk and soul sound can be heard in “Say Hey”. What influences do you collectively draw upon to form your ‘blend’?

    Erica Bryan: Every member of the band has their own set of influences, from Led Zeppelin to Earth, Wind, and Fire to Erykah Badu, that comes together through the funk and soul we all adore. How do we put it all together for one cohesive album? Great question. Each album gets us closer to figuring that out.

    PM: As a 10 piece, how does songwriting come together between so many players? Are there 1 or 2 who take the lead for the collective?

    EB: Initially, the band was focused on covers, and essentially delivering a crazy funk/hip-hop party to our audiences. Gradually, a few of us, myself included, started to bring in originals, some fully-arranged, others arranged with the group. Now just about everyone is bringing in tunes, or pieces of tunes that just need the West End Blend touch. As we’ve grown together, our collective writing and arranging has become more refined; we’re learning about one another through the music we write.

    PM: When did West End Blend first form and what have been the most notable shows for the group thus far?

    EB: In late 2012, our drummer, Sam Horan, and one of our guitar players, Jesse Combs, conceptualized the collective that was essentially meant to be an all-inclusive, funk-driven, party. Our first show was a basement party in the house that would later be our musical home in the West End, then we went on to a weekly residency at a hot dog joint in Hartford, CT. I could never have imagined we’d go on to play shows like Funksgiving at Toad’s Place in New Haven with Deep Banana Blackout, or a summer spot at Catskill Chill opening for artists like George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, and of course New Year’s Eve with our good friends in Turkuaz and Kung Fu at Fete Music Hall, three of my personal favorite gigs recently. Those and so many others were essentially masterclasses for us, experiencing such talent in front of us.

    PM: WEB’s winter tour blankets the Northeast – what can fans expect at shows over the next few months?

    EB: Our winter tour schedule is blowing me away. We’ll be with artists we’ve worked with before, and some we haven’t. No matter what, fans can look forward to some fresh tracks, fresh style, and a damn good time.

    PM: With the recent release of WEB’s Say Hey EP, is the band planning to return to the studio for a full length album in the near future?

    EB: That’s always the plan, and we’ve been working. We have so much to share, including the recent release of our music video “Smile,” a collaboration with the incredible Spencer Pond and the dancers of his The Now Unboxing Project.

    Check out more info at West End Blend’s website and Facebook.

    Winter Tour Dates

    1/19 – Syracuse, NY – Funk n Waffles
    1/20 – Canton, NY – Java Barn
    1/21 – Stratton, VT – Grizzly’s
    2/2 – Somerville, MA – Thunder Road Music Club
    2/3 – Burlington, VT – Nectar’s
    2/4 – Bromley, VT – Bromley Ski Resort
    2/9 – Nashua, NH – The Riverwalk
    2/10 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Putnam Den w/ Gang of Thieves
    2/11 – Saranac Lake, NY – The Waterhole w/ Bella’s Bartok
    2/15 – Philadelphia, PA – Silk City
    2/16 – Washington DC – Gypsy Sally’s w/ Big Mean Sound Machine
    2/17 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – River Street Jazz Cafe
    2/23 – Baltimore, MD – The 8×10 w/ John Ginty Band
    2/24 – Brooklyn, NY – The Hall w/ Vinegar Mother
    2/25 – Stratton, VT – Grizzly’s
    3/3 – Greenfield, MA – The Root Cellar
    3/4 – New Market, NH – The Stone Church w/ Broca’s Area
    3/10 – New Haven, CT – Pacific Standard Tavern w/ Root Shock
    3/16 – Rochester, NY – Flour City Station w/ Upward Groove
    3/17 – Buffalo, NY – Nietzsche’s
    3/18 – Pittsburgh, PA – James Street Ballroom
    3/24 – Harrisburg, PA – River City Blues Club

  • Hearing Aide: Phantom Chemistry “Everything’s Great!”

    Local Syracuse, NY group Phantom Chemistry release their fourth full-length album, “Everything’s Great!” on Friday, January 13. This rock band stays true to their genre with the prominent use of electrical guitar and drums in most every song. The 13-track album includes songs such as “Waste” and “Hospital” that build on the very real subject matter the band tackles in previous albums.

    The album opens with “Dream in the Dark” portraying a darker tone seen in some of the latter songs on the album. It ends with “Come Watch TV,” a noticeably longer song that carries a melodious feel.

    Scattered throughout the album are songs including “Extension 23” being an interesting and upbeat take sung from the perspective of a male prostitute as well as an “Ode to Die Hard” – yes, the movie. It also features “Shades of Blue,” a song that carries a different mood from the others. The audible harmonies at the beginning of this song in addition to its lighter feel help to juxtapose the heavy material expressed lyrically.

    Throughout this album, Phantom Chemistry takes their listeners on a musical journey that reflects day-to-day realities as they embrace even the ugly bumps in the road we ca
    ll life. The band is excited to showcase their new music at their upcoming album release show this Friday, January 13 at Funk N Waffles (Clinton St).

    Key Tracks: Hospital, Shades of Blue, Come Watch TV

  • Mike Powell & the Black River Making 2017 Debut Saturday

    Mike Powell returns to Syracuse this Saturday. However, he won’t be wielding the lacrosse stick that helped him become the all-time leading scorer with Syracuse University’s acclaimed lacrosse program. This time he comes packing his guitar and his new band, Mike Powell and The Black River.

    The show, at Funk ‘n Waffles Downtown, will feature Powell playing double duty. He’ll open the show with his solo material, which should be heavy on music from his latest album Tied to the Rail (reviewed here by NYS Music in December).  Powell’s solo material draws heavy influence from Bob Dylan and John Prine. His soulful voice and deep lyrics take the listener on an introspective ride. The Boston Globe has called him, “a polite rebel; a truly unique and inspiring American voice.”

    Mike Powell Black RiverFollowing Powell’s solo set, his band The Black River, named after the North Country waterway of the same name where Powell was raised, joins him for a set of high energy indie/soul/rock.

    The band (guitarist John Hanus, bassist Joe Bell, keyboardist Shane Kelson and Dom Scicchitano on the drums) formed in October of 2016 and has been busy laying down tracks at Big Blue North Recording Studio in Utica for its debut album, scheduled to arrive in March.

    Doors open at 6:30 and Powell’s solo set will begin at 7. Tickets, available via Ticket Fly or at the door, are $10.

  • ‘Get Folked’ House Party With Adam Ezra

    If you have never been to a house concert, you definitely must go at least one time.  This past weekend, Syracuse Fleet Feet owners Ed and Ellen Griffin opened their home to folk rock artist Adam Ezra as he makes his trek across the country on his “Get Folked” tour.  The concept for this tour began last year as a way to raise money to give his band a month off from their extremely busy schedules.  It was well received as fans graciously opened their homes to Adam and locals flocked in to these sell out shows.

    The concept for a house show is not one that’s new at all.  In fact, as Adam pointed out, this was how artists first began to play for audiences centuries ago.  The acoustic show is up close and personal, like a family gathering of sorts.  Sharing stories behind the music, Adam narrates how these concepts for the songs came about, giving audience members even more substance to the already thought provoking music and an insight to his personal life.

    Adam’s songwriting ability is phenomenal. His story telling abilities are of the highest caliber.  As I sat there listening to his music, it reminded me of the feeling I get when listening to Jackson Brown’s music, one of my all time favorite song writers. Although similar, it’s unique.  It inflicts his wit, his insight and his soul into tunes that are diverse and not repetitive in the least, bringing awareness to relevant topics and situations.  His talents have been recognized by those in the industry as well.  He recently took a trek to Nashville to collaborate with Grammy Award winning artist John Oates on a series of songs for movies.  Singing some of those tunes as well as many from his extensive catalog of music, attendees were treated to songs they requests and a few new ones as well that have yet to be recorded.

    Adam’s philosophy of music is refreshing.  He believes that music is created to be shared.  Found on the merch table along with his latest CDs and t-shirts, is an “I Love You” box .  He encourages all to help themselves to his music and if they wish they can throw some love into the box.  Whether it’s $20, $10, or a million, he won’t price his work as he writes it to share with others.  In fact, Adam and his band currently have a Pledgemusic campaign underway to produce and share an album with and by his fans.  This campaign is unique as the packages created are to help create a fan produced album to give away to all. Listing all possible tracks, fans will choose all songs to be included. Take a peek as Adam explains more about the campaign below.

    [embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyvgmqsg-OA[/embedyt]

    The “Get Folked” tour is well under way so take a peek at the schedule on Adam’s page to see if they will be coming to a town close by, and don’t hesitate to see if tickets are still available as many are already sold out.

    Setlist: Basement Song, Chelsea You’re Alright, You Speak Girl, Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper cover), I Believe, The Toast, Steal Your Daughter, All I Am, Chasin, Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen cover), Cover Man, Hippie Girl, Sprig, Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen cover), The Devil Came Up to Boston, Let It Be (Beatles cover)

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  • Joe Louis Walker Serves Up a Savory Taste of Blues at Funk ‘n Waffles

    Funk ‘n Waffles Downtown is one of the few Central New York venues that offers live music seven days a week. The unique location on Clinton Street in Syracuse hosts everything from open mics to national touring acts of all genres in addition to serving up some fantastic waffles. Thursday featured the blues stylings of Grammy-nominated guitarist Joe Louis Walker and his band.

    The intimacy of the room was felt even before walking in the door. The headliner himself was standing outside the front door on this snowy evening, making time to speak with patrons and thanking them for coming out. Members of his band (Syracuse natives Byron Cage – drums and Will Gorman – keyboard and bassist Lenny Bradford) mingled about the crowd pre-show as a Chicago blues soundtrack provided the atmosphere over the PA.

    Walker and his solid backing band set the tone early with a funky Walker original “I’m Not Messin’ Around” from his 1998 album Preacher and the President. Walker’s soloing quickly heated up the room, displaying the skills he’s honed since the age of eight.

    Taking in a Walker show is experiencing a lesson in the history of American blues. The Blues Hall of Famer has performed with Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King – name a late 20th century blues legend, Walker has played with them.  All of these influences are revealed in his style of play and singing yet he is able to channel the sounds of the Chicago style, Delta blues and Texas blues to make his own sound. The man is an encyclopedia of musical knowledge who turns that knowledge into the sounds he creates on stage.

    One of several highlights of the night came when Walker began plucking the opening notes to the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Those in the crowd who were passively paying attention quickly turned their eyes to the stage for an emotional and powerful rendition of the classic. Walker’s solo mid-song proved that this was no mere runthrough of an oft-played cover. He made this song his – a combination of force and finesse that had the near sellout crowd eating out of his hand.

    As the night wore on, the windows began to fog up and the smell of waffles mingled with the tight sounds coming from the band. Each member was featured prominently in the new song “Black and Blue,” one from Walker’s latest, Everybody Wants a Piece, a Grammy nominee for Best Contemporary Blues Album this year. The song began with a tribal beat led by native son Cage and carried along by Bradford. Over the course of the song, Walker and band straddled genres with ease. His soulful vocals mixed with great backing vocals from his bandmates, creating a sound that can be classified as contemporary soul.

    Walker is a story teller and at each show he makes sure to pay tribute to those who came before him who may have not gotten recognition for their talents. On this night, he chose to regale the crowd with a tale of Earl Zebedee Hooker, “a guitar player’s guitar player,” as Walker put it. Hooker, a highly respected disciple of the Chicago style, was a contemporary of Muddy Waters and Junior Wells. He recorded an instrumental for London Records titled “Blue Guitar” that quickly became a favorite among the bluesmen on the Chicago circuit. Chess Records acquired the song to use for Muddy Waters’ 1962 album, using Willie Dixon penned lyrics and Waters’ overdubbed vocals for a song that would become “You Shook Me,” a song that was made even more famous by Led Zeppelin later on.

    Following a humorous introduction by Walker, proper tribute was paid with his rendition of “Blue Guitar,” making full use of the slide techniques often employed by Hooker.

    Each band member took turns soloing, a particularly blistering solo by another Syracuse native, Gorman, had the audience singing his praises during a funky and stomping take on “Hornets Nest” from the 2014 album of the same name. Walker also took this opportunity to switch guitars, retiring his gorgeous Zemaitis for the blue hollow-bodied D’Angelico. Walker teased the Ohio Players’ “Rollercoaster of Love” during this one, perking up some of the Red Hot Chili Peppers fans in the crowd.

    After nearly two straight hours, the band wrapped up its set with the Hellfire track “Too Drunk to Drive Drunk.” This gritty number had a bit of a Double Trouble vibe to it and many teases from Walker, including “All Day and All of the Night” and “You Really Got Me” from the Kinks and the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”

    A brief break preceded the encore, a straight-forward cover of Chuck Berry’s “Reelin’ and Rockin’” followed by the Walker original “Aint That Cold.”

    It was a night well worth the drive through lake effect snow. Syracuse is blessed with a knowledgeable blues fan base and they were treated to a world-class performance in an intimate venue on this night.

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  • Photo Gallery: Musical Veterans Rusted Root w/ Boogie Low warm up Syracuse

    Legendary band Rusted Root found their way back to Syracuse, NY to finish off the year at The Westcott Theater with local band Boogie Low. The band is an emerging Central NY band that brought an organic mix of reggae, rock, and jam to the stage awakening music fans from their winter hibernation. Ironically they certainly caused “high amounts of boogie” on the dance floor, leading up to Rusted Roots arrival.

    Catch Rusted Root at their upcoming shows in February in Eastern, NY. Get your tickets here.

    You can also see Boogie Low open up for Max Creek in Syracuse, NY on February 17! Get your tickets here.

    Boogie Low will also be releasing their debut album in February.

  • Marco Benevento Kickstarts the New Year with Album and Show Announcements

    Marco Benevento is set to blastoff in 2017 with a new album and tour on tap. The multi-instrumentalist dubbed the Mad Hatter will start the year spinning forty-fives for an intimate hometown get down at the Catskill Mountain Pizza Company in Woodstock, NY on January 7. Teaming up with music journalist Brian Turk, the event is called Brian Turk and Mr. D present “I’m a DJ Too,” and will feature tasty pizza and beer from the Catskill Brewery, not to mention a set of fresh cuts straight from Marco’s head to the floor. But only 75 tickets will be available. Click here to get yours.

    Later in the month, Benevento will launch a tour in support of the Feb. 17 release of The Woodstock Sessions, a new live album recorded last September at Applehead Studios. The first show will take place on Jan. 30 at Funk ‘n Waffles Downtown in Syracuse. Local Grateful Dead tribute act, Pearly Baker’s Best, will open. Tickets are $20 at the door and $15 in advance. Tickets are available through Ticketfly for the Syracuse show.

    Other New York stops for the Woodstock resident include Buffalo, at The Iron Works on Jan. 31, Ithaca, at The Rongo on Feb. 1, The Brooklyn Bowl on Feb. 2, and at The Hollow in Albany on Feb. 3. See below for full tour information.

    With a full schedule ahead of him, Marco Benevento has gone ahead with a Pledge Music campaign that will put fans at the forefront of his new album and musical adventures throughout his 2017 tour stops. Packages include a chance to pre-order The Woodstock Sessions, opportunities to receive show tickets, signed setlists, a bookshelf made from Marco’s grand piano, a band lesson, or even the chance to record with Marco at Fred Short Studios in Woodstock, NY; plus, Marco is making himself available to spin vinyl or play a solo piano concert at a lucky fan’s private party. More information is available here.

    Tour Dates:

    Jan. 30 – Syracuse, NY – Funk ‘N Waffles
    Jan.31 – Buffalo, NY – Iron Works ^
    Feb. 1 – Ithaca, NY – The Rongo
    Feb. 2 – Brooklyn NY – Brooklyn Bowl  *
    Feb. 3 – Albany NY – The Hollow  ^^
    Feb. 4 – Burlington VT – Higher Ground
    Feb. 6 – Portland, ME – One Longfellow Square
    Feb. 7 – Hamden, CT – The Ballroom at The Outer Space  ***
    Feb. 8 – Holyoke, MA – Gateway Arts
    Feb. 9 – Boston MA – The Sinclair  *
    Feb. 10 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall  *
    Feb. 11 – Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head Live  **
    March 25-26 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Festival
    March 31 – Denver, CO – Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom
    April 1 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
    April 2 – Avon, CO – Agave
    April 4 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room
    April 5 – Bozeman, MT – The Filling Station
    April 6 – Spokane, WA – The Bartlett
    April 7 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
    April 8 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
    April 9 – Eugene, OR – Hi Fi Music Hall
    April 11 – Bend, OR – The Capitol
    April 12 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
    April 13 – Petaluma, CA – The Mystic Theatre
    April 14 – San Francisco, CA – Independent
    April 15 – Los Angeles, CA – The Bootleg

    * w/WOLF!
    ** w/Psycho Killers
    *** w/Superhuman Happiness
    ^ w/Mayabird
    ^^ w/Mayabird + Band of Ghosts