Frigid cold temperatures never hinder the die hard in Syracuse when it comes to their Irish traditions. Pushing through the cold and bitter day, warm smiles lined the streets March 11, welcoming the parade marchers and cheering them on with warm hearts and perhaps, just perhaps, libations to keep the edge off. Although only one third of the normal turn out attended the parade, it’s final destination at the end of the day was a fully packed ballroom at the beautifully restored Marriott Downtown where they welcomed The High Kings.
With a few more days remaining on the U.S. leg of their Grace and Glory Tour, the High Kings ramped up an already festive crowd with traditional Irish tunes. Playing all of the crowd favorites together with some new tunes from their latest Grace and Glory album, it didn’t take long to incite the crowd to clapping, singing, and dancing along. Their interactions with the crowd extended to the dance floor from which they invited a local musician who happened to bring his fiddle to join in on ‘Whiskey In The Jar.’
These multi talented musicians (Darren Holden, Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, and Martin Furey) have racked up an extensive resume on their own, but it’s the harmony of the four together that makes these gentlemen magical. Their traditional folk sound depicts stories of their culture and emotions of generations that have persevered. Their harmonies blend beautifully to transport you to the lands they sing of.
With two stops in New York still on the schedule, the folks in New York City know how special these gentlemen are and have sold out that show, so don’t miss your chance and get your tickets to their final NY performance at The Egg this week in Albany. You will not be disappointed as you celebrate your St. Patrick’s Day festivities kicking off the week with The High Kings.
Remaining U.S. Tour Dates: March 12 – City Winery – New York, NY United States SOLD OUT March 14 – The Egg – Albany, NY
March 15 – Live at the Kate – Old Saybrook, CT SOLD OUT
March 16 – Municipal Auditorium – Morganton, NC
March 17 – Music Box Supper Club – Cleveland, OH SOLD OUT
March 18 – Kirtland Center for Performing Arts – Roscommon, MI
March 19 – City Winery – Chicago, IL SOLD OUT
The Syracuse Area Music Awards, affectionately known as the SAMMYS, wrapped up its 25th edition Friday, March 3, 2017 at the Palace Theater in Syracuse with a brief performance from freshly inducted Hall of Famers moe.
Ahead of Saturday night’s show at the F Shed, moe. closed out the two-night affair with a three song set of “Tailspin,” “Spine of a Dog” and “Buster.” Friday night’s awards ceremony, hosted by veteran Syracuse DJ and staunch supporter of the local scene, Dave Frisina, featured awards in 18 categories, including three People’s Choice categories, and performances by four Syracuse area bands, reflecting the broad range of styles and talent found in and around the Salt City.
The SAMMYS is the brainchild of Frank Malfitano and now under the care of Liz Nowak. In 1993 Malfitano created the celebration of area music for an event at the Landmark Theatre. The event changed venues several times over the years before finally settling on the grand old Palace Theater on James Street in the Eastwood district.
The festivities began with the Hall of Fame dinner Thursday night, upstairs at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. The Dinosaur has been one of Syracuse’s premier music venues since opening on Willow Street in 1990 and was a fitting venue for the honors and stories that filled the room.
This year’s inductees were Mohawk Valley via Buffalo jamband moe., pioneering new wave singer/guitarist Meegan Voss, 70s blues rock artists Jukin’ Bone and singer-songwriter Paul Case. Also being honored were Anthony and Patricia DeAngelis for Music Educators of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Vincent Falcone. It was a night that had the feel of a class reunion. Hugs and excited shouts from people who haven’t seen each other in years mingled with stories of years’ past in venues no longer around.
The inductions and awards ceremonies were hosted by Dave Frisina, a 1994 SAMMYS Hall of Fame inductee, long-time Syracuse radio personality, champion of local music and self-professed band dad. His son, Mike is a member of Syracuse-based band Simplelife. Most, if not all, of those in the room have dealt with him in some way throughout their career. A man like Frisina is what every music town needs. He is local music’s strongest advocate and has the platform for it at his current station 105.9 The Rebel.
Induction and acceptance speeches were filled with anecdotes and inside jokes. Though, most in attendance, were on the inside of those jokes. Memories of broken down vans, vanished venues and bad decisions peppered the speeches. It was the talk of well-worn musicians who have dedicated their craft not to become famous, but simply to play. To the outsider, it was a look at a scarcely seen side of the working musician.
The first honor of the night was for Educators of the Year. Husband and wife, Anthony and Patricia DeAngelis, two area music teachers were honored for their decades of influence on local musicians at Syracuse University, Colgate University, LeMoyne College, the Lyncourt School and Onondaga Community College. They were inducted by their well-spoken and surprisingly laid-back granddaughter Olivia.
Voss was inducted by her husband and band-mate in the Verbs, drummer Steve Jordan. In her acceptance speech, she pleaded to “Save the clubs.” Case, visibly touched at the recognition for his long career avoided revealing too much of past days on the road, “My kids are in the room.” He lavished praise on fellow musicians in the room, including Jukin’ Bone member Joe Whiting as well as the master of ceremonies.
Case, sporting a black tux and pronounced the Best Dressed in the Room by Frisina, closed his acceptance speech saying, “You get up. You drive to the gig. You set up. You play your ass off. You tear down. You drive a million miles home, week after week, month after month, decade after decade. You do it for the music.” He then dedicated his award to the late Bob Fleming of the Mossback Mule Band, who passed away in September.
Accepting for Jukin’ Bone was Whiting, Mark Doyle and John DeMaso. Discussing the problems of being a young band, Whiting offered a piece of advice, “I would recommend not signing contracts under the influence of anything distilled or brewed, made in a laboratory or passed around and smoked,” eliciting loud laughter from the audience.
The final inductee of the night was moe. Al Schnier spoke first in accepting the honor, speaking of all the Syracuse area venues spent taking in shows as a fledgling musician. Schnier lauded promoters such as Chuck Chao of Creative Concerts, who inducted the band, thanking them for shaping who they became as musicians:
We came here as kids to see concerts Chuck (Chao) was promoting. They made us fans. Whether it was Driving Sideways or the Todd Hobin Band or the New York Flyers or 805; these were the bands we looked up to as kids. They could have been the Allman Brothers or the Grateful Dead; they were the same to us. You guys were rock stars.
Drummer Vinnie Amico attributed the band’s style to its Upstate New York roots, “We all wear our hearts on our sleeves. We all kind of have this style, this thing we do, because of where we’re from. We’re blue collar, baby. We work hard, we play our music that way. There’s an edge to our music and that’s a testament to Upstate New York.”
“The Oddities of the World” – the SAMMYS Hall of Fame Class of 2017
On Friday, 54 artists were nominated among 13 Syracuse Area Music Awards categories. Sprinkled in among the awards were performances by several of the Syracuse area’s finest musicians, representing genres ranging from blues rock to country, rap, alt-rock and jam. There is definitely a varied and vibrant scene in Central New York.
Emcee Dave Frisina kept the event lively and loose, often interacting with presenters and winners as they approached the microphone. Best Jam Band winner, Joe Driscoll, affectionately referred to the host as a jedi to laughter from the crowd.
The performances throughout the night revealed the depth of talent in the area. The Ripcords opened the night accompanied by the Boneyard Horns. They ripped through three bluesy/tex-mex style songs, kicking off the night in a celebratory fashion. Unfortunately, just as they seemed to be letting loose, their set was over. You can get a taste of what the Ripcords have to offer at their ReverbNation page here.
Best R&B recipient Alani Skye had several family members in attendance and received perhaps the most vocal and joyous reception to a win. Her win for Don’t Forget About Mewas never in question for the vocalist as she accepted the award.
A performance by rap artist Curtis “Tall Bucks” McDowell and the Brownskin Band followed. The rhythm section of the Brownskin band mixed equal parts jazz and funk behind McDowell’s rhymes. A guest appearance by Syracuse rapper Real Tall for the song “Solar Radiation” had elements of early ’90s era Leaders of the New School collective.
The reality of life as a working musician came to light when Lauren Mettler was awarded the SAMMY for Best Folk. After an awkward pause waiting for the recipient to make her way to the stage, her brother made his way up to accept. In his speech, he stated how he had just texted her and she was still on her way to the theater. So, as any good brother would do, he stalled for time as she made her way down the aisle, peeling her coat off as she ran towards the stage.
Mettler mentioned how she had just gotten out of work and was trying to get to the theater as quickly as possible, even though she never thought she’d win. Such is life for those looking to make a go of it in the music industry. Everyday jobs sometimes throw hurdles at you along the way. Mettler was genuinely surprised and pleased with her award.
One of the night’s cutest moments came when the award for Best Hip Hop/Rap was awarded to World Be Free for the album Nigg@$ to Gods. He was on the West Coast touring and couldn’t attend the ceremony. As his family accepted the award on his behalf, his young son took a turn on the microphone as his dad’s public relations manager, exclaiming, “My dad has CDs for ten dollars!”
Country artists Chris Taylor of the Custom Taylor Band plead with the audience to get up and dance along to their performance. A funky “Keep Me in Mind” slowly drew the audience to its feet and a rousing rendition of the Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” easily won over the crowd.
The Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist was awarded to Funk ‘n Waffles regulars, reggae-soul band Root Shock. This presentation seemed to be the biggest crowd pleaser of the night as fellow musicians and fans alike rose to cheer their win.
Previous Bourke Award winner, the Spring Street Family Band took over the Palace with their high energy alt-rock performance that even had a band member’s dad jumping up on stage to take video with his phone. Their performance brought the audience to the stage, turning what was a somber awards ceremony into a full-fledged rawk show with a funk-metal-alt sound reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine or Faith No More.
The ceremonies concluded with the awarding of the People’s Choice SAMMYS. Over 110,000 online votes were tallied in categories of Best Band, Best Live Venue and Best Festival or Music Series. The New York State Fair wrapped up the venue and festival categories with their representative thanking all of the venues in the area for supporting the live music that becomes a part of the fair each year.
The award for Best Band went to Cortland-area country band, Small Town Shade, who also won the SAMMY for Best Country Performance for the EP Ring it Up.
moe. wrapped the SAMMYS with a lively three-song set that included “Tailspin,” “Spine of a Dog” > “Buster.” Schnier commented about the lack of curfew at the venue and suggested they keep playing until they are thrown off the stage. To the disappointment of many, Schnier apparently as well, the lights came on at the end of “Buster,” bringing a close to the two-day celebration of Syracuse area music for another year.
Best Jazz: Second Line Syracuse, Second Line Syracuse Best Other Category: Syracuse Society for New Music, Music Here & Now Best Folk: Lauren Mettler, Patchwork Best Jam Band: Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate, Monistic Theory Best R & B: Alani Skye, Don’t Forget About Me Best Pop: The Jess Novak Band, Inches From The Sun Best Americana: Driftwood, City Lights Best Blues: Tas Cru, Simmered and Stewed Best Hard Rock: Breaking Solace – Shatter the Silence Best Alternative: Bell & Sgroi, Bell & Sgroi Best Rock: King Chro and the Talismen, King Chro and the Talismen Best Hip-Hop/Rap: World Be Free, Nigg@$ To Gods Best Singer/Songwriter: Alanna Boudreau, Champion Best Country: Small Town Shade, Ring It Up EP
Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist: Root Shock
People’s Choice Awards were conducted in an online poll for three categories. Over 110,000 votes were tallied. The winners were:
Favorite Band: Small Town Shade Favorite venue to see live music: Chevy Court at the New York State Fair Favorite festival or music series: The Great New York State Fair
moe. closed out its Syracuse residency Saturday, March 4, with a scorching show at the F Shed. A show that featured a hot first set, a second set “Kids” sandwich and three-song encore.
The above referenced residency had moe. spending a few days in town being feted by the Syracuse Area Music Awards as inductees into that organization’s Hall of Fame, along with a three song performance at Friday’s award ceremony. Saturday was the culmination of a great weekend of music in the Salt City.
The frigid night began with guitarist Chuck Garvey’s monotone greeting, “Welcome to the hockey rink. Are you ready to rock? I said, ‘Are you ready to rock?’ I can’t hear you. Are you ready to rock?” As he fiddled with the tuning knobs of his Fender Stratocaster, he proclaimed, “I’m not quite ready to rock.” The lackluster delivery of a standard arena rock tone gave an ironic insight to the night’s proceedings. moe. – and Garvey – were, in fact, ready to rock.
The F Shed is one of the more unique venues on the live music circuit, as it is literally a shed. Located in the Regional Market on Syracuse’s north side, the market provides not only a venue for live music, but a year-round location for farmer’s markets and flea markets. Garvey’s hockey rink reference isn’t a far stretch. One could easily see a set of dasher boards and red and blue lines being a part of this facility. With outside temperatures hovering in the zero range, the indoor temps seemed just slightly warmer upon entry. Thoughts of an impending hockey game weren’t a far stretch.
The show opened with a boom, boom, boom, as the band busted into “Crab Eyes” from Wormwood. The song had a heavy Garvey/Jim Loughlin presence, which set the tone for the remainder of the night. The band dipped into its early 2000s catalog of songs featuring Garvey’s vocals and Loughlin’s percussion often.
The first set was segue after segue as the band whirled through “Threw It All Away” and a rare moe., version 1.0 run-through of “Funky Reuben” before seamlessly moving back into “Crab Eyes.” The nearly all-segued first set continued with Garvey leading the way out of a spacey “Silver Sun.” “Akimbo” closed the solid first set, finally allowing the near capacity crowd to catch its breath.
Following an extended setbreak, the band kicked into a low-key “Moth” to usher in the second set. moe. kept it mellow as Rob Derhak’s familiar bass intro to “Kyle’s Song” segued out of “Moth.” Garvey’s mid-song solo kicked up the pace with the crowd following suit.
Throughout the night, the lights incorporated the industrial sized ceiling fans into the scenery, creating a scene reminiscent of Willy Wonka’s ‘Fizzy Lifting Drink.’
The opening notes of “Kids” ripped open a box of crazy that resulted in a “Kids” sandwich to wrap up the second set. “Down Boy” set a funky tone into “Hector’s Pillow” and “Bring You Down” before settling back into “Kids.”
After a quick break, Al Schnier returned with his usual slate of al.nouncements. Offering a cheers to the crowd with a can of Utica Club, Schnier ran through engagement announcements and show numbers from various fans as well as a tease of moe.down’s return to Snow Ridge Ski Area this summer.
An energetic encore began with the slow swirling build up of “Wind It Up,” with Loughlin’s mallets working overtime. The closing chorus turned into a sing-along as lights lit up the inside of the shed. The crowd-pleasing “Nebraska” followed with nearly all in attendance joining in.
moe. has often used classic rock staples as show closers. Tonight was one of those times. The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” has been tackled by many but moe. seemed particularly equipped to replicate the synthesizer opening using Loughlin’s malletkat and guest violinist Nick Picciccini from Floodwood tackling the signature solo with ease.
“Baba O’Riley” ended the night on a high note. The entire night capped off a three-day celebration of moe. as hometown heroes following the band’s induction into the Syracuse Area Music Awards (SAMMYS) Hall of Fame on Thursday and a performance at the awards ceremony on Friday.
Seeing moe. perform in their home area creates a great homey vibe that reveals a fondness of their roots as a blue collar jamband from Central New York. At this point in their storied career, moe. is playing with an energy that is still infectious to the long-timers yet finds them gaining new fans along the way. The return of moe.down to its original location in the Tug Hill can only add to what could end up being the peak year in the band’s career.
Setlist:
Set I: Crab Eyes > Threw It All Away > Funky Reuben > Crab Eyes, Captain America > Rise > Silver Sun > Akimbo
Set II: Moth > Kyle’s Song > Kids > Down Boy > Hector’s Pillow > Bring You Down > Kids
After going on what seemed like a forced hiatus after it’s 20th year anniversary due to various reasons, K-Rockathon makes its triumphant return in 2017 at the Lakewood Amphitheater on July 19, as they mash-up with Korn’s “The Serenity Of Summer Tour,” with some minor alterations.
First thing Central NY fans will notice, is that the festival has moved to the Lakeview Amphitheater from it’s usual stomping grounds at Chevy Court, inside the the New York State Fairgrounds.
After 20 festivals, and last year’s hiatus, it looks like K-Rockathon, will shed is numeration, and replace it with the current year the event takes place.
K-Rockathon’s Wednesday, July 19 date also means that the festival will not take place on a Saturday as in year’s past.
So far, K-Rockathon features a much smaller lineup than usual, with only five bands performing instead of twelve, but more bands should be added down the line according to the radio stations Facebook page. Syracuse’s K Rock falls in line with what many other radio stations have been doing over the years when trying to organize bands for a one day festival. Each year it seems to be getting tougher for promoters and organizers to put together these type of events for fans, so it only makes sense for local radio stations to put their name on a show, and promote what they feel will be the hottest tour for their genre for that said year.
Slated to appear at this years K-Rockathon will be headliners Korn, Stone Sour, Skillet, Yelawolf and DED. Korn, Stone Sour and Skillet are all supporting new music on this tour.
Korn released their twelfth studio album The Serenity Of Suffering, on Oct. 21 2016. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200.
Stone Sour’s sixth studio album, Hydrograd, will be released in June of 2017, just in time for the upcoming tour.
Skillet released it’s tenth studio album, Unleashed, on Aug. 5 2016. The album reached number thre on the Billboard 200.
Tickets go on sale to the general public March 10, with ticket prices slated at $74.50, $54.50, and $25.00. VIP packages are also available.
This Wednesday, March 8, Melvin Seals & JGB will return to The Westcott Theater in Syracuse. The “Keepers of the Flame” are no strangers to Central New York, having played the same venue less than six months prior and every year since 2012.
The folky Dishonest Fiddlers as well as Upstate’s own Los New Yorkers are opening for Seals and his band, so fans can expect a little bit of everything on this upcoming hump day. The Syracuse show is the third stop in the Empire State this tour, following their Friday night performance with special guests Ron Holloway and John Kadlecik at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester and the Tuesday night gig at the Buffalo Iron Works with Pink Talking Fish.
Melvin Seals and JGB continue to show their love for New York as they return to the Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs on Saturday, March 11 and the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on Sunday, March 12. The different bills feature eclectic opening acts from all over the Northeast, so prepare for something unique and special to happen at every show.
Tickets for Wednesday night’s show at the Westcott Theater are still available and the remainder of the tour dates can be found here.
Marco Benevento kicked off tour last night in Syracuse and performs tonight at Buffalo Iron Works. The Woodstock resident took time to talk with NYS Music about his recording studio in Woodstock, performances with JRAD and The Duo, as well as his forthcoming album Woodstock Sessions, due out this Friday, February 17. Catch him at The Rongo in Ithaca on February 1, Brooklyn Bowl on February 2 and at The Hollow in Albany with Maybird and Band of Ghosts on February 3. Marco Benevento sat down for an interview with NYS Music ahead of these shows.
Ben Landsman: You just played the first Duo shows with Joe Russo in years. What was it like reviving the Duo sound?
Marco Benevento: It was so much fun. It was bit of work because we hadn’t done the music in a while and had to have a couple of rehearsals. I hadn’t done foot basslines on the Hammond in a while, but it was really well received.
BL: Has performing in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead change your chemistry at all?
MB: It did in a way. We play the part when we do the Grateful Dead stuff and go into character, even through we’re doing our own twist on it. We’re doing a very improvisational take on it. Maybe we’ve spent a lot of time playing together and the classic rock stuff, maybe it carries over from the complex nature of the Duo music. We’re good at reading each other’s minds, knowing when to move onto the next section. We have as pretty dialed in musical relationship.
BL: You started singing within the last few years. How has that changed your sound, given that your piano lines/melodies can sound like lead vocals.
MB: Singing is a new instrument for me, and now when I sit down I write lyrics before melodies at times. Coming up with lyrics on the spot and intuitively singing right from the start as far as the song-writing process goes, quite honestly im hooked. I love the new instrument, the new process that I have. I still don’t like the sound of my own voice, but after we do shows I get a lot of positive feedback from the audience, which I need because I’m still a beginner at it. I do love the process of lyric writing and the act of just singing with people live. It’s more of a connection with the audience than ever before. I’m currently working on my seventh record and have about 15 songs and they all have words and vocal melodies, so I can’t stop now.
BL: You are the founder and recording engineer of the Upstate NY recording studio. Fred Short. What artists have recorded there and how has the studio changed you as a musician?
MB: I have a lot more time to create. My studio is right next to my house, so then the kids and wife go to bed, I can get pretty busy out there pretty quickly. It’s all wired up so 1 or 2 on switches and we’re rolling. I’ve been super busy, I can’t believe I’ve been without it for so long. It’s so great to have a recording space that I know so well. I’ve had my friends come and record, a bunch of stuff for other people. A.C. Newman, the keyboardist for The New Pornographers did all the keyboard stuff for his album in my studio. I’ve done some stuff with Mike Gordon from Phish, he came up and we had a nice session with his band there. I did some new stuff with my friend who does the music for Bob’s Burgers and did some music for some of those episodes. Mainly I’ve been working on my own stuff and had Kalmia Traver from Rubblebucket come up to record “Limbs of a Pine” off my album TigerFace. A friend of mine calls it ‘Inspiration Station,’ a small room with tons of keyboards, some drums, bass amp and guitar amp.
BL: Are you still using circuit bent electronics/toys/instruments? If so, which ones?
MB: I’m not using it as much as I used to. For a while I went through a phase where I could use a toy help me write a song. There’s something about those toys – I call them ear candy – that sort of give me fun sounds to get started. Over the last couple years I haven’t been using them a lot, and did it so much. They’re battery operated pieces of plastic and sometimes they break on the road, which is part of why I don’t use them anymore. Casio drum machines I will use here and there and random Japanese kids toys too. I love them to death but haven’t been using them lately.
BL: What have you been listening to lately?
MB: Tons of vinyl, I have a pretty serious vinyl addiction. I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff off this record label Light in the Attic; they put out a Native American compilation that’s pretty dope. This band called Relatively Clean Rivers. I’m a big fan of the keyboardist from The Arcs, Leon Michels, he has some pretty cool stuff out there. I subbed for him this past May and really got a chance to hang out with those guys and check out some real vinyl and got pretty inspired by them. We made a record with Richard Swift from The Arcs, so whatever Richard, Dan or Leon does, I really dig.
BL: What other musical ventures do you have planned this year?
MB: We have Northeast tour right now, then off to the West coast via Colorado, then we have a 3 week West coast tour coming up at the end of March into April from Washington State down to L.A., promoting the new live album we have coming out called Woodstock Sessions, and touring around that for the next few months to promote the new live record.
Syracuse was treated to a double dose of bluegrass Wednesday night as Greensky Bluegrass and Fruition rolled into The Westcott Theater. The Kalamazoo crew returned to the Westcott stage nearly a year to the day from their last visit, this time in support of the new album, Shouted, Written Down & Quoted, released in September.
Earlier in the day, news of founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, Butch Trucks’ death cast a sadness upon the music world and the jam scene specifically. A tribute to Trucks would surely be on the agenda for Greensky, one of the premier progressive bluegrass bands on the scene today.
Greensky eased the capacity crowd into things, kicking off the set with a midtempo “The Four” that segued into a rollicking “Eat My Dust” featuring some stellar dobro work from Anders Beck. The first set remained heavy on the bluegrass the band was founded upon before slowing things down for a heartfelt rendition of “Nine Days” with Michael Arlen Bont’s banjo and Beck’s dobro again featured prominently. A lengthy run through of the Greensky staple and jam vehicle, “Broke Mountain Breakdown,” brought the highlight moment of the night, if not one of the most anticipated. Fruition’s Jay Cobb Anderson was welcomed on stage, harmonica in tow, for a ripping tribute to Trucks in the form of the Allman Brothers Band’s “One Way Out.”
“Hold On,” from the band’s latest release, kicked off the second set, segueing into a cover of the Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle With Care” and into “Blood Sucking F(r)iends.” The segue-filled second set finished up with a “Casual Wednesday” for this casual Wednesday, segueing into the new “Run or Die,” an explosive way to finish the night.
Frution, from Portland, OR, gained the respect of the early arriving attendees, ripping through twelve songs in their opening set. While also heavily based in bluegrass, Fruition blends soulful vocals and a funk downbeat to deliver a unique sound that complemented the headliners perfectly. This is a band that will be headlining stages at theaters in short order.
If you missed Greensky and Fruition at The Westcott Theater you can still catch them at The Egg in Albany on Jan. 31, the Union Transfer in Philadelphia PA on Feb. 1, and a three night run at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C.
You can also check out Greensky Bluegrass and Fruition’s upcoming tour dates here.
Set 1: The Four> E.M.D. (Eat My Dust), Into the Rafters, Room Without a Roof, White Freight Liner Blues, Demons, Nine Days, Broke Mountain Breakdown> One Way Out*
Set 2: Hold On> Handle With Care> Blood Sucking F(r)iends, Tied Down, Last Winter in the Copper Country> A Letter to Seymour> New Rize Hill, Casual Wednesday> Run or Die
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 Systemand 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.”
Six 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 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 & Quotedthis 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 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.
With a few more days remaining on the U.S. leg of their Grace and Glory Tour, the High Kings ramped up an already festive crowd with traditional Irish tunes. Playing all of the crowd favorites together with some new tunes from their latest Grace and Glory album, it didn’t take long to incite the crowd to clapping, singing, and dancing along. Their interactions with the crowd extended to the dance floor from which they invited a local musician who happened to bring his fiddle to join in on ‘Whiskey In The Jar.’
Ben Landsman: You just played the first Duo shows with Joe Russo in years. What was it like reviving the Duo sound?
Six 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.