Progressive string band, Floodwood, will celebrate the release of its third album at Central New York’s Kirkland Art Center with a pair of shows. The two day celebration, to be held Friday and Saturday Dec. 8 and 9 will feature four sets from the headliners along with guest appearances from Nigel Felony on Friday and the Old Main on Saturday. Tickets are $25 each night or $40 for both nights. Members of the Kirkland Art Center can purchase tickets for $23 each night or $36 for both nights. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.
Floodwood is Jason Barady and Nick Piccininni of Woodenspoon, Vinnie Amico of moe., Tony Markellis of the Trey Anastasio Band and Chris Eves of Chris Eves and the New Normal, Castle Creek and Skunk City. Combined, they bring a menagerie of influences to their unique brand of bluegrass.
The band’s third album (second studio album),‘Til I Die was released on Dec. 1. It was recorded over the past year at RDRAUDIO Studios in Amsterdam and was produced and mixed by the band’s engineer Mark Cochi with additional recording by Casey Latter. The new album is available digitally on Amazon, CD Baby, iTunes and Bandcamp and physical copies will be available at all shows.
Floodwood’s lineage reads like a history of Upstate New York music. From their bio:
Vinnie Amico has been playing drums professionally for nearly 30 years, 20 with jamband mainstays moe. Vinnie has been with Floodwood since it’s inception 5 years ago. Vinnie is influenced by many musical styles including rock, jazz, bluegrass, reggae, country, and world music. Those influences shine bright in Floodwood…
Tony Markellis is a bassist and record producer from Helena, Montana, now residing in Saratoga Springs, NY. His career spans over forty years, playing blues, folk, jazz, rock and country music with musicians such as Trey Anastasio, Paul Butterfield, The Mamas & the Papas, Johnny Shines, David Bromberg and many, many more. Markellis was a founding member of the groundbreaking Vermont-based jazz fusion group Kilimanjaro, as well as the Unknown Blues Band featuring Big Joe Burrell.
Jason Barady spent over 10 years recording & touring with the Bluegrass group Wooden Spoon from Taos, until returning to his hometown in central, NY. An influential part of his local music scene, Jason plays with an unyielding energy and creativity on both local and national stages. Fans have been known to refer to him as “the Hendrix of Mandolin”.
Nick Piccininni is a self taught banjoist/fiddler who learned his bluegrass chops the old fashioned way – in picking circles at his favorite bluegrass festivals. He has been involved in many projects including touring for two years with CMA recording artists, The Abrams Brothers. Nick arguably smiles the most of anyone in the band.
Chris Eves, from the band Castle Creek, is an accomplished guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He has shared the stage with The Zac Brown Band, Jon Fishman of Phish, Johnny Lang, John Popper and many others. He also played guitar for American Idol and is featured in the film Star Trek Nemesis.
The Kirkland Art Center is a regional multi-arts center located in an old church in the heart of historic Clinton, New York facing the Village Green. The center has been integral in maintaining cultural endeavors in Central New York for over 50 years.
Floodwood always puts on an engaging show, filled with humor and brotherly competition. Check out some fan shot video of Floodwood’s newest member, Eves, kickin’ it at Funk ‘n Waffles in Syracuse last year below.
The Jeremy Wallace Trio (Wallace – guitar and vocals, Matt Gruenberg – bass and Tom Costagliola – drums) calls New Jersey home but their songs tell stories that can be applied anyplace. Wallace has a voice that, at times, resembles a young Bruce Springsteen and at others, Tom Waits at his surliest. His music is American roots music, blending gritty blues, country, and folk. On this night, Wallace also broke out an acoustic guitar to test out some new songs on the audience.
An unassuming man sporting a fedora and a National Resonator guitar took to the Kirkland Art Center stage sipping on a local brew, armed with self-deprecating humor and a notebook full of stories to tell an intimate crowd on Saturday, October 28.
The two-set show, presented by the Mohawk Valley Blues Society, included songs from the trio’s three albums and a couple of new songs Wallace has been working on. Several covers dotted the show as well, including “St. James Infirmary” and Willie Dixon’s “Back Door Man.”
Wallace was tutored by the “Mayor of MacDougal Street,” Dave Van Ronk, as a young musician and the influence the folk legend had on him is strong. Van Ronk was influenced by Leadbelly, Scott Joplin, Jellyroll Morton and Duke Ellington and rolled all of these influences into a unique folk style that Wallace has carried with him into the 21st century.
The intimate setting of the Kirkland Art Center, a converted church in the heart of Downtown Clinton, is ideal for a performer such as Wallace. The 100 or so people in attendance hung on every word spoken between songs and the sound, aside from a little buzz from Wallace’s amp that interrupted “St. James Infirmary,” was clear throughout the room. Wallace engaged in some back-and-forth between audience members, who treated him like a close family friend.
The Jeremy Wallace Trio opened with a subdued “Sporting Life Blues,” a song widely credited as a Brownie McGhee original. Van Ronk learned this one as a young man and taught it to Wallace. The song immediately drew the crowd in as Wallace and crew set the tone.
The original song “Missing You This Morning” evoked a country charm, leading into the bluesy “Lickin’ My Lips,” an audience favorite and one that was referenced more than a few times throughout the night.
One of the highlights of the night was Wallace’s original, “Johnny.” It tells the story of lost love in a way only Wallace can tell it. The story within his lyrics can evoke tears in the most stoic of listeners. The song recounts the tale of a woman leaving her lover for her first love, writing him a “Dear John” letter as he sleeps. The picture Wallace paints with this stanza is heart-wrenching:
She writes a letter to her lover
still asleep beneath the covers
and a leaf outside a window
in the wind just kind of hovered
for a moment, then it started blowing,
and like that leaf, she was set on going.
And while Wallace can paint a sad picture, the man isn’t above self-deprecating humor either. Following “Johnny” and rousing applause from the audience, Wallace introduced his song “House Painting in America.” He mentioned the house painting business he has at home. He’s just doing the music thing until that takes off, he said. He lamented that he would love to be able to be one of those people who works from home, but the brushes aren’t long enough. A rim shot from drummer Costagliola punctuated the story.
Wallace’s setlist vacillated between blues stomps and heartfelt country-style ballads over the course of the two sets. It was obvious that the trio has a fan base in Central New York and one that was eager to hear new material.
Wallace began the second set seated with an acoustic guitar. He introduced the first of several new songs, “Full Irish Breakfast,” that spoke more of the woman in the song than an actual meal. Following a quick open of four acoustic songs, Wallace broke out the fan favorites that included “Death Letter Blues,” “Gotta Get Back” and “”Stephanie’s Kitchen.”
Another heartbreaker followed in “Cold October.” He closed the set with a “song he wrote for a girl named Monique” called “Virginia.” This song, from his most recent album, Suicide Suitcase, is perhaps Wallace’s best-known song and one that his fans had been calling for throughout the night. Fans sang along and gave a standing ovation as the song finished.
After being “coaxed” back onstage for an encore, the trio busted out the swampy blues rocker “Goin’ Down” from the album She Used to Call Me Honey. This song brought several in the audience to their feet to boogie down to the beat laid down by Constagliola and Gruenberg.
Following the show, the Jeremy Wallace Trio freely interacted with audience members to catch up on one another’s lives since the last time the trio performed in the area. Humble and gracious in the congratulations being passed around, this trio is one that takes it’s relationships with its fans seriously.
The Kirkland Art Center regularly hosts acoustic musicians. Local product Darryl Rahn will perform next on Nov. 25 followed by the popular newgrass band Floodwood on Dec. 8 and 9. General admission tickets for all three shows are available through Eventbrite.
The Mohawk Valley Blues Society has teamed up with the Kirkland Art Center in Clinton to present the return of the Jeremy Wallace Trio Saturday, Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Wallace’s sound has been described as edgy and uses his own life experiences as the backdrop for his lyrics. He incorporates elements of folk, rock, country and blues to forge a sound akin to a young Bruce Springsteen or Tom Waits.
In his formative years, Wallace came under the tutelage of folk legend Dave Van Ronk, the inspiration for the 2013 Coen Brothers film “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Van Ronk exposed the young artist to the music of Leadbelly, Kokomo Arnold and Charlie Patton, sending him away after 18 months with the words, “You got it in you to be a musician, but it doesn’t mean anything. If there’s anything else you can do besides this, do it. The business will break your heart.” Van Ronk once said of Wallace, “He’s one of the most arresting new talents I’ve ever heard. When I hear him I get the same feeling I got the first time I heard Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie.”
Wallace obviously didn’t take his mentor’s advice, putting out three albums, My Lucky Day, She Used to Call Me Honey and his most current release, Suicide Suitcase,mix of original arrangements of traditional songs and new material.
Wallace’s dark humor and his rock solid band, Matt Gruenberg on bass and Tom Costagliola on drums, will weave tales of woe as well as wistfulness in the intimate setting of the Kirkland Art Center.
General admission tickets for the 6:30 show are available through Eventbrite or at the door. Tickets are $18 for the general public and $15 for Kirkland Art Center members.
The third and final chapter in NYS Music’s threepart series on moe.down revisits the 11th through 15th festivals. In 2010, the band moved the festival from the grounds of Turin, NY, where they spent the last decade, to a new location at Gelston Castle Estate in Mohawk, New York. For the next two years, moe.down would call this location home.
moe.down XI
Line-up: moe. The Black Keys. Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley. Mike Gordon. Lotus. Grace Potter and The Nocturnals. Punch Brothers. Built to Spill. Tortoise. Ryan Montbleau Band. The Macpodz. The Brew. Monkey Wrench. Orgone. Turbine. Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds.
moe.down XI was the first time a multi-day festival had been held at the Gelston venue. Infrastructure had to be built to pump in water to the campgrounds and crude roads had to be roughly smoothed out to get attendees on site. This first year on the grounds also brought drizzles of rain throughout, as well as a chill, damp air that lingered each day, with touches of sun peaking through here and there.
The original line-up in 2010 featured Jakob Dylan, but he unfortunately had to back out and was replaced with Grace Potter and The Nocturnals for this year’s events. It’s not very often that artists on the original line-up have to back out, but this year’s schedule change kept the flow going. Who doesn’t love watching Grace Potter literally grace the stage with her beauty, Flying V guitar in hand, and breathy vocals melting into the microphone? Other noteworthy performances over the weekend included sets by Phish bassist Mike Gordon and his solo band, who’s set included Radiohead’s “15 step,” as well as The Brew blowing up the venue with an unexpected cover of Foreigner’s “Juke Box Hero.”
Host band moe. played on the main stage each day of the festival. The customary kids parade occurred on Saturday, with the stream of kids attending ending up on the main stage while moe. laid down some energetic jams. Each year, a mayor is chosen by the audience. The winner of the annual election of the mayor of moe.down went to Rage Lincoln and his reading of the Headysburg Address.
Notable sets included the evening Saturday set that opened with “Plane Crash” and then closed out the night, before encore, going back into “Plane Crash,” bringing the night’s performance to a smooth finish. The last night of the festival, moe. busted out a twisty turny extended “Farmer Ben” that was crammed with nuggets of unexpected surprises. Hints and teases of Rush splashed about through the jam, including touches of “Spirit of Radio,” “Tom Sawyer,” and “Working Man.”
moe. fan, Mike Quinn, looked back at some of his most unforgettable moments from moe.down and this year in particular brought fond memories. “I’ve been lucky enough to witness some really amazing things at moe.down. I’ve seen friends get engaged (moe.down 11) and then two years later get married at the top of the hill (moe.down 13). I was with my friends when they felt their son in utero kick for the first time at moe.down (11).”
Check out a smoking “Recreational Chemistry” from 9/4/2010:
9/3/10 – Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set 1: Zed Naught Z>(nh) Time Again>Waiting For The Punchline, Blue Jeans Pizza>(nh) Captain America>Puebla>George, Brent Black>Akimbo
Encore: Brent Black>Billy Goat
9/4/10 – Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set 1: Skrunk>Lazarus>Spine Of A Dog*, New York City^, St. Augustine>32 Things
Encore: Y.O.Y.^^
Set 2: Plane Crash>Hector.’s Pillow>Bring You Down, Daydreaming, Paranoid Android#>Ricky Marten>Time Ed
Set 3: Seat Of My Pants>(nh) Bearsong>(nh) Runaway Overlude>(nh) Recreational Chemistry, Not Coming Down>Wormwood>Plane Crash
Encore: Faker
* w/ Powerhouse ending ^ moe.down Kids’ Tent Parade ^^ Dedicated to Monkey Wrench (who played on the Buzz Stage right afterwards) # Last time played 7/20/07
9/5/10 – Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set 1: Buster>Haze>Yodelittle>McBain, Cornflake Girl>(nh) Timmy Tucker
Set 2: Moth>Queen Of Everything, Four>Rebubula
Encore: Deep This Time, Tubing The River Styx>The Pit>Farmer Ben**>Moth
* Ben jam section: Ben>Spirit Of The Radio (Rush)>Ben>Tom Sawyer (Rush)>Ben>Working Man (Rush)>Powerhouse>Ben
moe.down XII
Line-up: moe. The Levon Helm Band (featuring special guest Bob Weir). Ween. TV On The Radio. Slightly Stoopid. Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers. Ozomatli. Railroad Earth. The New Mastersounds. Rubblebucket. Danger Muffin. The Ragbirds. Empire Sound. Band. Gary Clark, Jr.
This year’s three-day event called into question whether it may even go on. Hurricane Irene rolled through the area just a few days prior, shutting down the flooded thruway. Those concerns were dashed, however, as the thruway opened and the show went on.
Once again, the festival was held at Gelston Castle Estate in Mohawk, NY. One big draw was heavy hitter Bob Weir as special guest with The Levon Helm Band. Gary Clark, Jr., an up and coming artist at that time, was slated to perform, along with well seasoned bands, Ween and Slightly Stoopid. Railroad Earth also made an appearance, and will be returning to this year’s moe.down.
The weather did have it’s say on some of the schedule during the weekend. The Levon Helm Band was postponed for nearly an hour due to lightning in the area. Fans took shelter under tarps and tents until the storm subsided. When the band finally took to the stage, Bob Weir sat in for their moving set.
On Saturday, moe. performed back to back sets in the evening, with the encore featuring “Crab Eyes” played on iPads to honor the passing of Steve Jobs. Sunday’s moe. evening sets brought Bob Weir to the stage as he joined in on a jaw dropping triple punch during “The Other One>Smokestack Lightning>The Other One.” The winner of this year’s mayor of moe.down was announced before encore and went to both Bob Weir and Rob’s hair. “Spine of a Dog” and “Seat of My Pants” brought the festival to a close.
Check out the band performing “Crab Eyes” completely on iPads:
9/2/11 Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set 1: Captain America, Down Boy>(nh) Skrunk>George, Where Does The Time Go?>Dr. Graffenberg, Deep This Time>32 Things
Encore: Plane Crash
9/3/11 Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set I: Rise>(nh) St. Augustine, She Sends Me, Nebraska^, Puebla>(nh) Mar-Dema>Timmy Tucker, Hi & Lo>Moth
Set 2: Good Trip>Akimbo, Blue Jeans Pizza, Downward Facing Dog, Tubing the River Styx>The Pit, Haze@>Rebubula@
Set 3: meat.>Don’t Fuck With Flo>Yodelittle>Lazarus, Four>Buster
Encore: Crab Eyes**, Bearsong
* w/ moe.down Kid’s Tent Parade @ w/ al. on ’74 double-neck Gibson ** w/ band playing on iPads
9/4/11 Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set 1: Rainshine, Happy Hour Hero, Big World>Ricky Marten>The Other One*#>Smokestack Lightning*##>The Other One*#, Stuck Inside of Mobile (with the Memphis Blues Again)@*%, Feel Like A Stranger*%%
Set 2: Wind It Up, Faker>Billy Goat, Suck A Lemon, Paper Dragon>Recreational Chemistry
Encore: Mayor of moe.ville Election$, Spine of a Dog>Seat of My Pants
* w/ Bob Weir @ w/ al. on mandolin # LTP > 7/17/09 ## FTP – Chester Burnett, a.k.a. Howlin’ Wolf cover % FTP – Bob Dylan cover %% FTP – Grateful Dead cover $ w/ Bob Weir (and rob.’s hair) elected mayor
moe.down XIII
Line-up: moe. Umphrey’s McGee. North Mississippi Allstars Duo. SOJA. Bright Light Social Hour. Timbre Coup. Aqueous. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Galactic. The Wood Brothers. Marco Benevento. Kyle Hollingsworth. The Everyone Orchestra. Leroy Justice. JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound. Infantree.
This year’s moe.down was moved back to the original Turin, NY venue at Snow Ridge Ski Resort. It was also moved up to an earlier date, this time in August. The move back to the original venue, as well as an earlier time slot made for a successful festival, and one of their best to date. Fans were ecstatic to be back on the old stomping grounds and, much to their delight, were able to experience two full sets of moe. each day. 2012 also brought much anticipated camping areas designated for families and sober attendees.
It just wouldn’t be a moe.down without some rain in the forecast. Occasional showers rolled in on Friday night, but the bands that took to the stage made sure to keep the energy going late into the night. Once again, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals performed, opening up the main stage on the first day. She later joined in with moe. during their cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.”
Saturday’s second set by moe. in the evening turned spicy as Galactic joined the group on stage to bust out The Band’s “Up On Cripple Creek,” which was immediately followed by a hefty jam session by both. The double jamming session continued as they flowed into “How Many More Years” with both Vinnie Amico and Jim Loughlin on percussion.
One attendee, Chris Perrault, recalls the magic of this year’s festival overall. “Musically, I remember standing high up on the hill as the sun was setting, watching everyone groove. As the sun went down, everything became electric or illuminated. The stage. The hula hoops. The glow sticks. But mostly the dancers and the music just changed course from happy daytime music to crunchy ‘oh, you want to get down? Well, then let’s!’ It was fantastic!”
Sunday’s performances brought a heavy hitting set by Umphrey’s McGee, which included a sit-in by Stanley Jordan. moe.’s evening performance included Umphrey’s McGee joining in for a band switch during a double dose of Pink Floyd covers, performing “Time” and “Breathe.” This year’s mayor of moe.down went to Goldbond. A surprise second set delighted fans as fireworks blew up in the sky, with “Billy Goat>meat.” bringing the event to a close.
8/10/12 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Plane Crash@ >(nh) Not Coming Down@ > Wormwood > Okayalright, Gimme Shelter*#, Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Puebla > Timmy Tucker, Letter Home^, Wind It Up
Set 2: Tailspin## > head., Happy Hour Hero**, McBain > Skrunk > Brent Black
Encore: Seat Of My Pants^^ >(nh) Akimbo
@ w/ al. on ’74 Gibson double-neck guitar *w/ Grace Potter on vox ** w/ Kyle Hollingsworth on keys ^ ’97 / Reggae version ^^ SDB tease # Last time played 3/06/08 ## Last time played 1/31/11
8/11/12 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Crab Eyes>(nh) Down Boy>(nh) The Bones Of Lazarus, Blue Eyed Son@, Captain America>Waiting For The Punchline, Faker>Moth
Set 2: Paper Dragon>Dr. Graffenberg, Sticks and Stones, Zed Naught Z>Don’t Fuck With Flo>Zed Naught Z, Up On Cripple Creek*>moe. / Galactic Jam>How Many More Years**, George, Recreational Chemistry
@ w/ al on electric mandolin * w/ Galactic ** Galactic w/ Vin & Jim on percussion
8/12/12 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Haze@, It>St. Augustine>Downward Facing Dog, Bring It Back Home*, Spine Of A Dog>Buster
Set 2: Bullet>Deep This Time, The Road>Kyle’s Song>Kids, Time^>moe. / Umphrey’s band-switch>Breathe
Encore: Rebubula
Encore 2: Billy Goat>meat.
@ w/ al on ’74 Gibson double-neck guitar * w/ moe.down Kid’s Tent Parade ^ w/ Umphrey’s McGee Mayor of moe.ville = Goldbond Fireworks went off after Rebubula, and band played a 2nd encore as surprise to fans
moe.down XIV
Line-up: moe. Steve Kimock Band. Mike Dillon Band. Conehead Buddha. Pennyshine. Conspirator. Stanley Jordan Trio. Savoy. Floodwood. Dr. Dog. Del McCoury Band. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. RAQ. Eastbound Jesus. Wolf! The Stepkids.
This year’s event was once again held in Turin, NY. The crowd of attendees was much smaller, and more intimate, than usual. Friday’s musical set began on a stylish note, as the Del McCoury Band took to the stage. With perfectly coifed hair and stylish suits, these guys brought nothing but class and bluegrass to the stage. It was a refreshing musical change to the festival without a doubt. moe.’s Friday set included a tip of the hat to Jerry Garcia with a performance of “Casey Jones,” as the anniversary of his death was August 9. For the first time in recent years, the Friday night sky was crystal clear, without a hint of rain in sight.
Saturday’s events brought a lost wandering Beagle puppy to the attention of everyone. moe. even made an announcement to try and find the owner. Without any luck finding who the dog belonged to, she was eventually turned over to the local Humane Society, to which she was appropriately named “Moe.Na.” Speaking of moe., their evening set busted out a ridiculously energetic version of “Plane Crash” that included Shannon and Terry Lynch, of Conehead Buddhas, on horns. If that wasn’t enough to blow fans away, second set was basically one of the most insane sets they’ve ever played. Fierce compositions followed one after the other, filled with emotional jams that brought a wave of energy up and down as the melodies ebbed into each other. That set brought down the house, and had fans staring in disbelief at the amazing shreds the band was throwing out to the mountain side.
Sunday’s musical delights included the Mike Dillon Band, with Carly Meyers of ROAR! crushing a killer trombone as part of the ever rotating cast of musicians in this project. Stanley Jordan, famous for his two-handed tapping guitar style, had fans who’ve never seen him perform watch on in awe and dropped jaws. Speaking of Jordan, he joined moe. during encore with “Rebubula,” after the new mayor of moe.down went to the ditch. “Happy Hour Hero” closed out the year, followed by the annual fireworks display.
Watch moe.’s entire second set from 8/10/13:
8/9/13 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1 Big World>Ricky Marten>Bring You Down, Casey Jones, Blue Jeans Pizza>Silver Sun>Mexico
Set 2: St. Augustine>32 Things, Deal#, Time Ed>Water*>Brent Black%>Mar-DeMa>Time Ed
Encore: Spine Of A Dog**
# LTP > 12/02/12 * w/ Enter Sandman Jam % unfinished ** w/ Powerhouse ending
8/10/13 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Skrunk>Timmy Tucker, Wind It Up, Godzilla*, Puebla>Tubing The River Styx>The Pit>Plane Crash**
Set 2: Smoke>Chromatic Nightmare>Smoke>Recreational Chemistry>Akimbo>Tubing The River Styx>Seat Of My Pants>meat.#>Brent Black^
Encore: Traveling Light##, Dr. Graffenberg
* w/ Chris Michetti on guitar ** w/ Shannon & Terry Lynch on horns ^ completes 8/09/13 version # unfinished ## first time played- (cover – JJ Cale) – dedicated to JJ Cale and Mikey Houser
8/11/13 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Stranger Than Fiction, Suck A Lemon, Crackers, Bearsong*, Billy Goat > CalfironIA >(nh) Y.O.Y.>Buster**
Set 2: Queen Of Everything, Moth>Hi & Lo>Opium, Yodelittle%>meat.#, The Bones Of Lazarus>George
Encore: – Rebubula^, Happy Hour Hero^^
* w/ moe.down Kids Parade & Carly Meyers on trombone ** w/ Mike Dillon on percussion % w/ Stanley Jordan on guitar # completes 8/10/13 version – Ditch voted in as mayor. of moe.ville ^ w/ Stanley Jordan on guitar & Kenwood Dennard switched out for a period of time with Vin, who played percussion with Jim, before switching back with Kenwood on drums ^^ Fireworks were shot afterwards
moe.down XV
Line-up: moe. Gogol Bordello, O.A.R., Lotus, Solve, Les Claypool’s Duo De Twang, Jerry Douglas Band, Everyone Orchestra, Twiddle, Floodwood, Aqueous, The Werks, Conehead Buddha, American Babies, Wild Adriatic
Since 2000, moe. has been hosting this festival for fans, friends and family. This year, the three day festival was especially welcome as the event returned to the original Labor Day weekend date at Snow Ridge in Turin, NY. Not having to go to work on Monday was a big factor for fans, as many did not want to miss the epic fireworks display after the band’s last song on Sunday. The rain held up for most of the weekend, keeping the grounds dry during the day.
Two bands making debut appearances this year included Twiddle and Wild Adriatic. Both bands are scheduled to appear this year for moe.down XVI. Conehead Buddha, Lotus, and Les Claypool’s Due De Twang gave powerhouse performance sets jam packed with high energy. Lotus took the place of The Rich Robinson Band, who were originally scheduled to perform. The most surprising act of the festival was from Gogol Bordello, an intensely high energy band whose music was a combination of bordello, punk and theatrics all rolled into one.
moe.’s Saturday evening performance included the members of Conehead Buddha horns joining the group on stage for the majority of the set. moe. put out the call to fans stating that if their Facebook page reached 100,000 likes, they would play a “Voter’s Choice” song during moe.down. They did not disappoint. They brought out the rare instrumental “Canned Pastries,” that had only been played five times previously, making it’s last appearance on the setlist on August 25, 1994. Before the encore of “Rebubula,” the mayor of moe.ville was announced. This year finally went to Rex Thomson, who had been competing for the mayor for the past few years.
Check out the encore which wrapped up the last moe.down three years ago:
8/29/14 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: meat.*>Dr. Graffenberg>Low, Same Old Story, Chromatic Nightmare, Don’t Fuck With Flo>Timmy Tucker, White Lightning Turpentine, Faker>meat.
Encore: Spine Of A Dog>Seat Of My Pants
* w/ Bullet Jam / false start
8/30/14 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Mar-DeMa>(nh) Captain America, Okayalright>(nh) Crab Eyes, This I Know, Billy Goat%, Skrunk>Blue Jeans Pizza>Waiting For The Punchline Reprise>Waiting For The Punchline, Downward Facing Dog
Set 3: Silver Sun, Threw It All Away*, Not Coming Down*>Wormwood*>Brittle End*, The Wizard*^, Spanish Moon*>Blond Hair And Blue Eyes*, Late In The Evening*, Plane Crash*
Encore: Jazz Wank>Hava Negilah>Long Island Girls Rule
% w/ moe.down Kid’s Tent Parade * w/ Conehead Buddha horns: Shannon Lynch on saxaphone, Terry Lynch on trumpet, Shaun Bazylewicz on trombone ^ w/ Terry Lynch on vox
8/31/14 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Paper Dragon, Annihilation Blues, Do Or Die, Water>Hector’s Pillow>Four>32 Things, Canned Pastries# Set 2: Big World>Rickey Marten>Time Ed>Moth, Puebla>Kyle’s Song
NYS Music continues its review of the history of moe.down, one of the most established and successful summer festivals the state has to offer. We looked at the first 5 moe.downs last week, and here’s a look back at some of the more memorable moments in years 6 through 10, as moe.down set roots down in Turin, NY and became a Labor Day Weekend tradition.
moe.down VI
After five increasingly successful years in Turin, moe.down had established itself as one of the premier summer festivals in the Northeast. It was now not only a “must go” destination for moe.rons but for music fans alike thanks to increasingly diverse lineups that featured more and more nationally prominent acts. The sixth rendition featured Keller Williams, who was everywhere at that time, The Violent Femmes, Matisyahu and Medeski, Martin & Wood as the lineups continued to be made with a blend of popular acts and those that were favorites of the band.
Night one of the festival only calls for one moe. set, and while this year would be no different, it was definitely cover heavy with versions of “Stairway to Heaven,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “All Along the Watchtower,” the latter of which featured Keller Williams sitting in. Setlists courtesy of Phantasy Tour.
9/2/05 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Jazz Wank> Rebubula*> Cornflake Girl> Recreational Chemistry, Wind it up, Salt Creek, Stairway To Heaven Jam^> All along the Watchtower^, Faker> Moth> The Pit> Brent Black> Moth
Encore: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
* unfinished ^ with Keller Williams
The following day’s opening sat saw guitarist Al Schnier’s children get involved and ended appropriately enough with a rousing rendition of “Kids.” Other highlights included a “Timmy Tucker” that was stretched across two sets and a full on instrument switch with Japanese band Big Frog. The band switch continued a recent tradition of sorts as the same thing had been done in years past with other headliners like The Disco Biscuits and Galactic, showing just how gracious the festival hosts are in sharing the spotlight at their festival.
9/3/05 • Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Spine Of A Dog> Buster, Shanna Robe*, Ayla Schnier solo^, She, Crab Eyes, Hi and Lo> Timmy Tucker&> Kids
Set 2: New York City, Head> Timmy Tucker&+, Happy Hour Hero%> Rise> Karma Police> Head
Set 3: Not Coming Down> Wormwood> St. Augustine> 32 Things$, The Road> Kyle’s Song, Akimbo
Encore: Time, Sensory Deprivation Bank
* with Ben Schnier
^ Ayla Schnier solo on piano
& unfinished
&+ finished
% with complete band switch with Big Frog
$ with members of Dread Clampett
moe.down VI was closed out in style with a show that featured the band’s first ever take on The Grateful Dead classic “Terrapin Station” before steering back into a “Rebubula” that was left unfinished from the day before. As if that weren’t enough, the encore ended with a superb version of “Meat” that gave way to a brilliant fireworks display that left everyone gazing at the sky as the band completed another stellar chapter in the book of moe.down.
9/4/2005 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: The Ghost Of Ralph’s Mom, She Sends Me, Tailspin> Californ IA> Bullet> Big World
Set 2: Y.O.Y.> Down Boy, McBain, Four> Dr. Graffenberg> Terrapin Station*> Rebubula^ Encore: Tijuana Donkey Show, Meat&
* first time played ^ completed from friday night & with fireworks
Here’s a clip of the aforementioned “Meat” which closed things out.
moe.down VII
The seventh rendition of moe.down had a Phish-y vibe to it with three of the four members appearing on the bill. Bassist Mike Gordon played with his side project Ramble Dove while Page McConnell and Jon Fishman also lent their talents on keys and drums, respectively, to the festivities. Naturally, rumors of guitarist Trey Anastasio appearing as well swirled about as 2006 was right in the middle of the band’s near five year hiatus – an event that undoubtedly fostered some of the festival and band’s growth. This year also featured a band skyrocketing in national popularity in Umphrey’s McGee, an up and coming act in Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Ziggy Marley and Yolk, a legendary NY band with roots in Binghamton.
moe. opened up their portion of the weekend with a ripping cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla” and later brought out McConnell to assist on two of the band’s more classic numbers in “Buster” and “Mexico” as well as “Blue Jeans Pizza,” a fairly new one at the time.
9/1/06 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Godzilla> Spine Of A Dog> Plane Crash> Buster*, Mexico*, Blue Jeans Pizza*, Good Trip> Wind it up
Encore: Meat
* with Page McConnell
The hosts enlisted some more help the following day with two separate Umphrey’s McGee sit ins. First, Jake Cinninger (guitar) and Kris Meyers (drums) came out and assisted on “Faker” which cooled things down after a monster 2nd set “George” that was accentuated by some brilliant disco ball lighting effects. Later in the set, guitarist Brendan Bayliss came out for the staple “Rebubula,” just as he had done a few summers earlier at the first Bonnaroo during moe.’s epic late night set – an event that, arguably, entrenched both of these bands on the national stage.
9/2/06 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Not Coming Down> Wormwood> The Ghost Of Ralph’s Mom, Akimbo, Lazarus*, 32 Things, Tailspin> Timmy Tucker
Set 2: Head> George, Faker^> Water> Rebubula&
Set 3: Crab Eyes, Bullet> Big World, The Road> Don’t Fuck With Flo$> The Pit> Godzilla
Encore: Karma Police> Head
* with Stephen Perkins
^ with Jake Cinninger, Steven Perkins, and Kris Meyers
& with Brendan Bayliss
$ with Andrew Bellivia and Willie Waldman
Sunday saw two more moe. classics get the special guest treatment as pedal steel guitar virtuoso Gordon Stone joined in for “New York City” and “Waiting for the Punchline” in a first set that was a highlighted by a “Moth” that nearly bookended the whole thing.
The Rolling Stones classic “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” served as a more than tasty treat in the 2nd set and the weekend was capped off with a rip roaring “Recreational Chemistry” that closed the book on the 7th moe.down.
9/3/06 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Moth> New York City*, Down Boy, Waiting For The Punchline*, Y.O.Y.> Moth> Brent Black
Set 2: Jazz Wank> Dr. Graffenberg^> Can’t You Hear Me Knocking> Plane Crash, Brittle End, Seat Of My Pants
Encore: Recreational Chemistry
* with Gordon Stone
^ with Willie Waldman
Check out this 2006 promo for moe.down. It gives a great view as to the surroundings and communal vibe that this festival cultivates so well. And if that’s not enough, it also contains a baby faced Al Schnier and a tasty outro jam from a live version of “The Road.”
moe.down VIII
By 2007, the festival had become a well oiled machine and was not only producing a string of memorable Labor Day Weekends one after the other, but also showing the ability to adapt on the fly. Ryan Adams was scheduled to be one of the headliners at moe.down 8 but had to cancel. Instead of replacing him with a local or unknown artist, the festival was able to score Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction fame and his side project Satellite Party. This continued the precedent set last year when Stephen Perkins, drummer for Jane’s Addiction, appeared with his band Banyan in addition to sitting in with moe. on a take of “Lazarus.”
This year showcased a really impressive array of musical selections. There was the classic hip-hop/R&B stylings of The Roots, 90s jam band Strangefolk, alternative legends The Meat Puppets, a young electronica influenced band called Lotus and Medeski Martin Scofield & Wood all on the same bill. As moe.down continued to grow in popularity, it seemed to produce festival lineups with more and more depth each year.
Set 1: Stranger Than Fiction, Bearsong, Bullet> Tailspin, Kyle’s Song, Opium> lyleloveit., She> 32 Things
Encore: Don’t Do It*, She Sends Me
* First time played.
Saturday’s sets at moe.down 8 exemplified everything the festival had become, beginning with a “Buster” opener that saw a parade of kids marching on and around the stage. Just as it had grown in popularity and musical talent, each year there seemed to be more designated areas and activities scheduled for children, showing that the festival could also cater to families as well. And in keeping with other moe.down traditions, Saturday also had a full band switch with the Meat Puppets in the middle of “Big World” and a captivating sit in from Perry Farrell on a cover of the Jane’s Addiction tune “Ocean Size.”
9/1/07 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Buster*, The Road, Shoot First^, Down Boy, The Ghost Of Ralph’s Mom, So Long&, Mexico%
Set 2: Lazarus> Skrunk, Ocean Size$, Okayalright> Wind it up, Plane Crash
Set 3: Big World> Meat Puppets Jam#> Big World, McBain> George, Faker> Timmy Tucker
Encore: Spine Of A Dog@> Spaz Medicine
* with The Kid Zone Buster parade lining the front of the stage.
^ with Rob on upright bass, Al on acoustic guitar
& with Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun (Pink Floyd), Al on acoustic guitar.
% with Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) on guitar
$ First time played. w/ Perry Farrell on vocals
# moe. / meat puppets band switch
@ with Al solo intro
Closing out the festival this year featured more of the same with a beautiful ending to the opening set with a cover of “The Weight” that saw various members of Uncle Earl and The Brakes give this classic number an acoustic feel. Later in the evening, another band member switch of sorts took place as moe.’s crew members each took over an instrument on a cover of “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” before yet another spectacular fireworks display set from atop the hill sent everybody home.
9/2/07 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Crab Eyes, Hi and Lo> Kids, The Pit> Meat, The Weight*
Set 2: Blue Jeans Pizza> Recreational Chemistry^, Not Coming Down> Wormwood> St. Augustine> Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere%$> Rebubula
Encore: Akimbo, Letter Home#
* with KC Groves, Kristin Andreassen, Abigail Washburn, Bryn Davies of Uncle Earl on backing vocals, Rayna Gellert of Uncle Earl on fiddle, and Zach Djanikian of The Brakes on vocals.
^ with Chuck on bass guitar and Rob on guitar for part
% with Jeff Waful on Chuck’s guitar and vocals, Frank Robbins on Al’s guitar, Hector Jimenez on bass and vocals, Steve Young on keyboards, Cass Libbers on drums, and Ken “Skip” Richman on percussion
$ first time played (Neil Young & Crazy Horse)
# Fireworks followed “Letter Home” with Rainboe. singing “The Star Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America”
moe.down IX
With moe.down now firmly entrenched as a summer festival staple, the 2008 version offered a lineup chock full of easy listening with acts like The Levon Helm Band that, naturally, did a bunch of popular The Band covers, The Sparrow Quartet featuring Abigail Washburn (back from last year) and Bela Fleck, Cornmeal and Yonder Mountain String Band. For the non-acoustic fans, groups like U-Melt, American Babies and The Benevento Russo Duo offered their various takes on improvisational rock. And Presidents of the United States of America seemed to fit the early 90s/alternative band slot this year and wowed the crowd with a fun Sunday afternoon set under a blazing hot sun.
8/29/08 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Spaz Medicine, Blue Jeans Pizza, Funky Reuben*, Letter Home> Okayalright, Darkness> Shoot First^> The Road> Rebubula
Encore: Sensory Deprivation Bank
* Last time played 02/15/92 (1552 shows)
^ with Bela Fleck
The guest appearances this weekend fell right in line with the country feel to this year’s bill with Bela Fleck lending his talents to “Shoot First” and Jeff Austin from YMSB fitting in perfectly on “Bring You Down.” One of the weekend’s other memorable sets was delivered by Cornmeal who played an engaging set of bluegrass and uptempo folk tunes with Allie Kral, now of YMSB, on fiddle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ9I5-_s7gI
8/30/08 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Bring It Back Home, Bearsong, All Roads Lead to Home*, Captain America^> Waiting For The Punchline, Brent Black#
Set 2: Defrost@> Crab Eyes, Sticks and Stones*, Deep This Time*, The Pit, Bullet> Bring You Down$
Set 3: Buster> Second Cousins&> Runaway Overlude> She*%, Voodoo Child> Seat Of My Pants
Encore: Spine Of A Dog> Yankee Doodle+
* with Nadine LaFond on vocals
^ with Kids tent parade coming on stage
# with Marco Benevento on keyboards and Joe Russo on drums
@ last time played 01/22/97 (1228 shows)
$ with Jeff Austin on mandolin
& First time played and on stage setlist as “ShitLy”
% band segue with Fishbone
+ last time played 03/18/99 (947 shows)
For the hardcore moe. fans, there were bust outs galore at moe.down 9. Songs like “Funky Reuben” and “Defrost” that hadn’t been played since the 90s made appearances. It seemed as if the entire moe.playbook was an option this weekend. While plenty of songs from the recently released Sticks and Stones album also got some play, standout versions of old school hits like “Sensory Deprivation Bank,” “Recreational Chemistry” and a rollicking third set opener of “Buster” from Saturday night really made their mark this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeHrYNV1PwI
Sunday was not lacking in special moe.ments either as Cornmeal made another appearance and helped close out the first set set with their version of ‘jamgrass’ on a blistering “32 Things” that closed out the first set. And the second set saw Shannon and Terry Lynch of Conehead Buddha lend some brass support on “Happy Hour Hero.” Not to be outdone by the previous days’ offerings of bustouts, the second set also contained a “Roll >Armageddon Jig>Strychnine Waltz” sequence that hadn’t been seen in more than 7 years. But, by far, the most unexpected performance of the weekend may have been the last one as the entire band played around one mic and sent moe.down 9 attendees away for another year with their heads up thanks to the Monty Python sing-a-long classic, “Always Look on the Bright of Life,” replete with responsive whistling from another year’s worth of tired yet satiated fans.
8/31/08 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Tailspin> Timmy Tucker> Understand, Queen of Everything, Down Boy, Macintyre Range*^> 32 Things^
Set 2: George> Happy Hour Hero$> Recreational Chemistry, New York City> George> Roll#> Armageddon Jig#> Strychnine Waltz#> Plane Crash
Encore: Wind it up, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life@&
* without Rob
^ with members of Cornmeal
$ with Shannon Lynch on saxophone and Terry Lynch on trumpet
# last time played 4/22/01 (710 shows)
@ first time played (Monty Python). Chuck on guitar and Jim on tambourine. Entire band around one mic, Rob singing lead.
& second encore (after fireworks)
moe.down X
As a testament to the tireless work put in by moe.’s management team and the bond created with Snow Ridge over the years, 2009 marked the 10th year of the festival, all at the same location. And perhaps no previous lineup offered such a diverse selection of musical artists. Not too many other festivals could promote a bill that had acts like Ani DiFranco alongside ones like Method Man and Redman. And in a rare treat for any East Coast show, the festival was able to lure out California-based rock outfit CAKE who delighted the Saturday night crowd with a set of classic hits. Fledgling bands at the time like The Heavy Pets and The New Mastersounds both increased their exposure thanks to sets at the smaller stage on site. And like any other moe.down, the hosts were everywhere and playing with everyone.
moe. brought out something of a new trick this year as well. Each day, their performances began with one member on stage beginning a song before slowly being joined by everyone else one by one. Vinnie Amico got things started on night one with an opening drum solo before being joined by the rest of the band in a set that delivered such staples as “New York City,” “Hi and Lo” and “Four.”
9/4/09 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Buster*> New York City, Big World> Hi and Lo> Tubing The River Styx> The Pit, The Seed^, Spine Of A Dog$> Waiting For The Punchline$, Four$> Buster$
Encore: McBain
* Vinny drum solo > Jim > Rob > Al > Chuck to start Buster
^ first time played (new moe. song)
$ with Kirk Juhaus
MVP honors for the weekend could have easily been given to Sam Bush who not only played an afternoon set with his band, but lent his violin prowess and infectious energy on sit ins with moe. on songs like “Tambourine” and a rocking “Meat” that closed out Saturday’s second set. Perhaps no song befits moe.down’s rapid ascension into the top tier of the summer music festival hierarchy better than “Where Does the Time Go?” from the final set of night two.
9/5/09 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Mexico*, Crab Eyes, Tambourine^, 32 Things%, Deep This Time> Brent Black
Set 2: Zed Nought Z&> Skrunk> Akimbo, Queen of Everything, Lazarus> George, Meat#
Set 3: Dr. Graffenberg, Understand> Okayalright, Where Does the Time Go?> Plane Crash, Captain America> Recreational Chemistry@
Encore: Wind it up
* Al solo > Chuck > Vinny > Jim > Rob > jam (kids parade) prior to the start
^ with Sam Bush on vilolin w/ bow
% with Sam Bush on minature gutiar
& Jim malletkat solo > Vinny > Rob > Chuck > Al prior to the start
# with Sam Bush on violin
@ with Suke Cerulo
As the sun set on yet another year of magic in Turin, NY, expectations were that the festival would continue to motor along on its current pace and continue the tradition it had firmly established at Snow Ridge Ski Resort. As we’ll see in the upcoming part 3 of NYS Music’s moe.down review, this would not necessarily be the case. However, even though the venue may change, it’s clear that the spirit and the elements that make this festival special never will.
9/6/09 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Shoot First*> Bearsong, Borderline^, Bullet> Hector’s Pillow> Ricky Marten> Second Cousins> Runaway Overlude, She$
Set 2: Timmy Tucker, Seat Of My Pants> Sensory Deprivation Bank@, Happy Hour Hero@, Not Coming Down@> Wormwood@> St. Augustine@, The Road@
Encore: Rebubula@
*Chuck solo > Vinny > Jim > Rob > Al prior to the start
Saranac Brewery has booked some exciting jams and shows this summer. American Reggae bands Dirty Heads and SOJA will be taking the stage on Tuesday, June 20. Zeppelin tribute band Get the Led Out will perform Friday, July 21. Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra will be playing on Tuesday, Aug. 1. Alternative rockers Taking Back Sunday are slated to play alongside Every Time I Die and All Get Out on Friday, Aug. 18.
Saranac Brewery, located at 830 Varick Street in Utica, offers summer music events, a tavern on site, tours, and a gift shop. See the website for more information and hours of operation.
Saranac Jams Lineup
June 20 – Dirty Heads & Soja with the Green, RDGLDGRN July 21 – Get The Led Out Aug. 1 – Dark Star Orchestra Aug. 18 – Taking Back Sunday with Every Time I Die, All Get Out
Albany’s funktronica act, Lord Electro, will get down to business this summer as they continue their tour in support of their debut studio album, Business. The band will also release its first live album recorded at the legendary Nectar’s in Burlington, Vermont.
Lord Electro continues its “Business” Tour in support of its debut album of the same name, which was released in March. The tour brings them around the state, starting on June 8 at the Disc Jam Festival in Stephentown, where CEG Presents named them one of the top five acts to see on the main stage.
They make a few festival appearances over the summer. They hit up the Woodhenge Festival in Adams, where they are scheduled for two sets, on June 23. They play a late-night set on July 8 at Kenny’s Cosmic Campout in Barryville. They finish up their festival appearances on July 29 at the GEM Festival in Glens Falls. In addition to the festival appearances, they’re playing a number of shows in the Northeast, including the Monopole in Plattsburgh on June 24, Lukins in Utica on June 29 and Silvana in New York City on Aug. 5.
Lord Electro will also release their first live album at the end of the week on June 2. Live at Nectar’s was recorded on May 10 at Burlington, Vermont’s legendary Nectar’s Lounge. The live album showcases the band’s improvisation. It will be available digitally on iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify and Soundcloud.
Lord Electro Summer Dates:
June 8 – Disc Jam, Stephentown, NY
June 23 - Woodhenge Festival, Adams, NY
June 24 – Monopole, Plattsburgh, NY
June 29 - Lukins, Utica, NY
July 8 – Kenny Cosmic Campout, Barryville, NY
July 29 – GEM Festival, Glens Falls, NY
Aug. 5 – Silvana, New York, NY
Saranac Brewery in Utica announced the 2017 lineup for its annual summer music series, Saranac Thursdays, on Tuesday. The kick-off event takes place May 18 with a 25th anniversary show from local show band Classified. The 19th year of the series continues throughout the summer, with hard rock act the Bomb closing it out Aug. 31.
The series features local and regional acts from 6-9 p.m. each Thursday. Cover charge for each 21 and over show is $5, which includes your first drink. A portion of the proceeds from the series is donated to the local United Way. The events raised $41,000 for the organization last year.
2017 Saranac Thursday Series
May 18 – Classified (25th anniversary show)
May 25 – Soundbarrier
June 1 – Showtime
June 8 – The Crazy Fools
June 15 – Ladies Drink Free
June 22 – Last Left
June 29 – Gridley Paige and 3 Inch Fury Present: ROCK OF AGES
July 6 – Sir Cadian Rhythm
July 13 – Barroom Philosophers
July 20 – Annie in the Water
July 27 – Enter the Haggis
Aug. 3 – The Matt Lomeo Band
Aug. 10 – The Old Main
Aug. 17 – Lonesome Dove
Aug. 24 – Chris Eves and the New Normal
Aug. 31 – The Bomb
See Enter the Haggis’ official video for “One Last Drink” shot partially at last summer’s Saranac Thursday performance below.
Taking Back Sunday announced a summer tour with Every Time I Die that will be book ended by dates in New York, opening in New York City and closing out in Utica and Buffalo.
Long Island’s Taking Back Sunday will head out on tour this summer with Buffalo metalcore act Every Time I Die. The 28 night tour takes them across the country and back, kicking off at New York City’s Webster Hall on July 14 and closing out on Aug. 19 with a hometown show for Every Time I Die at the Waiting Room Summer Stage in Buffalo. They make one other New York stop on Aug. 18 at the Saranac Brewery in Utica. The only other Northeast dates are July 16 at the House of Blues in Boston and Aug. 16 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh.
Joining Taking Back Sunday and Every Time I Die are New Jersey’s Modern Chemistry for the first half of the tour and South Carolina’s All Get Out for the second half. Every Time I Die will be absent from the shows on July 20 and 22 in Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida, respectively.
Prior to the start of the tour with Every Time I Die, Taking Back Sunday will perform at the Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchogue. New Found Glory, 311 and Saves the Day also play the festival.
As part of the summer tour, the band is offering VIP passes that give fans early entrance into the shows, a VIP laminate and lanyard, an embossed journal and bookmark and access to an acoustic set. The VIP tickets are on sale now through the band’s website. General tickets for the summer tour go on sale Friday, March 24 at 10 a.m.
Taking Back Sunday Summer Tour Dates
July 14 – Webster Hall – New York, NY *
July 16 – House of Blues – Boston, MA *
July 19 – Masquerade – Heaven Stage – Atlanta, GA *
July 20 – House of Blues – Orlando * #
July 21 – Jannus Live – St. Petersburg, FL *
July 22 – Mavericks – Jacksonville, FL * #
July 24 – Gas Monkey Live! – Dallas, TX *
July 25 – Tricky Falls – El Paso, TX *
July 26 – Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ *
July 27 – Hard Rock at the Pool – Las Vegas, NV *
July 28 – Obervatory North Park – San Diego, CA *
July 29 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA *
July 31 – The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA *
Aug. 1 – Ace of Spades – Sacramento, CA *
Aug. 3 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR ^
Aug. 4 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA ^
Aug. 6 – Knitting Factory – Boise, ID ^
Aug. 7 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT ^
Aug. 8 – Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO ^
Aug. 9 – Bourbon Theatre – Lincoln, NE ^
Aug. 10 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN ^
Aug. 12 – The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI ^
Aug. 13 – Crofoot Ballroom – Pontiac, MI ^
Aug. 14 – Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH ^
Aug. 15 – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH ^
Aug. 16 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA ^
Aug. 18 – Saranac Brewery – Utica, NY ^
Aug. 19 – Waiting Room Summer Stage – Buffalo, NY ^
* with Modern Chemistry
# without Every Time I Die
^ with All Get Out
Former owner of The Electric Company, Anthony ‘Zee’ Donaldson, offers a glimmer of hope for the Utica music scene in the form of EC Radio. Launched in January, the radio show host has had a hand in the Utica area for more than 20 years, owning the fabled venue from 2002-2012. With the new show, Zee hopes to breathe life back into The Handshake City.
The Utica music scene has fallen on hard times in recent years. The 2012 closing of The Electric Company marked the lack of a main music venue in town, and Utica Music and Arts Festival not returning in the fall of 2016 have not been the best news for the once burgeoning scene in Central New York. Utica does have Saranac Brewery summer concert series that continues to be well-received and attended by fans for a variety of music each summer, but the rest of the year, the Utica scene is struggling, to put it lightly.
Pete Mason: What made you want to start EC Radio?
Zee: EC Radio starts with the D. Disruption Networks is a new media channel my partners and I launched on January 30th this year and features a lot of uncensored talk shows. On EC Radio I like to focus on live music, indie bands and introducing the world to all different types of music.
PM: What can listeners expect to hear when they tune in?
Zee: Topics range from everyday life, music, sports, different segments and interviews. All uncensored and live.
PM: As the former owner of the Electric Company, which closed in 2012, how has the Utica music scene fared in recent years?
Zee: There’s a lack of venues unfortunately. It’s a risk to run a live music venue. People aren’t supporting live music like they used to. It’ll come back again. It’s always a constant circle.
PM: How can the Utica scene find its footing again?
Zee: I hope my new platform with EC Radio will help get people out there supporting the music.
PM: Are there bands in the Utica area that may be part of a future renaissance?
Zee: There’s so much talent in the 315, I would be typing for days, but off the top of my head: Rusty Doves, Glen Street, Nineball, Mason’s Revolt, Copper Vein Clones, Enemy Down, Dying Breed, Floodwood, jay n nick, Alpaca, Matt Lomeo Band, Showtime, Simple Props, The Bomb, Gridley Paige, Dave Snediker Band, Joe Sweet n John Kelsey, Old Main, and there’s way more but that.
EC Radio airs Monday through Friday from 3-6pm. Tune in!
Floodwood is Jason Barady and Nick Piccininni of Woodenspoon, Vinnie Amico of moe., Tony Markellis of the Trey Anastasio Band and Chris Eves of Chris Eves and the New Normal, Castle Creek and Skunk City. Combined, they bring a menagerie of influences to their unique brand of bluegrass.
Floodwood’s lineage reads like a history of Upstate New York music. From their bio:
This year’s three-day event called into question whether it may even go on. Hurricane Irene rolled through the area just a few days prior, shutting down the flooded thruway. Those concerns were dashed, however, as the thruway opened and the show went on.
This year’s event was once again held in Turin, NY. The crowd of attendees was much smaller, and more intimate, than usual. Friday’s musical set began on a stylish note, as the Del McCoury Band took to the stage. With perfectly coifed hair and stylish suits, these guys brought nothing but class and bluegrass to the stage. It was a refreshing musical change to the festival without a doubt. moe.’s Friday set included a tip of the hat to Jerry Garcia with a performance of “Casey Jones,” as the anniversary of his death was August 9. For the first time in recent years, the Friday night sky was crystal clear, without a hint of rain in sight.
Since 2000, moe. has been hosting this festival for fans, friends and family. This year, the three day festival was especially welcome as the event returned to the original Labor Day weekend date at Snow Ridge in Turin, NY. Not having to go to work on Monday was a big factor for fans, as many did not want to miss the epic fireworks display after the band’s last song on Sunday. The rain held up for most of the weekend, keeping the grounds dry during the day.
Long Island’s 
Pete Mason: What made you want to start EC Radio?