Category: Regions

So Last Year Embarks on Summer Tour, with a Little Help from Their Friends

So Last Year celebrated the first night of their summer tour with a hometown show at The California Brew Haus on June 3. The send off included performances by bands they’ve been sharing a stage with for some time: Maple Hill, Daily Milestone, Pilot The Universe, and Nostalgic Stereo. See the photo gallery at the end of the article for more pictures.

Logan Van Epps, Curtis Matteson, and Jason Campbell – So Last Year Photo by Corinne Cummings

What The California Brew Haus lacks in style, it makes up for in character. The furnishings are worn in. Musicians load and unload gear through exit doors covered in band stickers. The wall behind the stage is plywood, hand painted with the name of the bar. But the food is good, the patrons are friendly, and the live shows rock.

This night was no exception. We arrived when Maple Hill was taking the stage. The lively pop punk band from Ithaca played a set which included “Stomping Ground” from their 2016 album Headspace and “Well, Well, Well” from their earlier EP. Daily Milestone performed next. They had the audience clapping along to their catchy song “Silence.” It was announced that the drummer, Austin Porrata, will be moving to Nashville soon. He picked up an acoustic guitar and delivered a touching rendition of “Learning How To Love,” originally by Colony House.

Then So Last Year was on. Frontman Logan Van Epps asked the audience to sing along to the intro. The band started playing the theme song to the show “Reading Rainbow,” and the crowd belted out the lines enthusiastically. They kept the momentum going with their song “The End of My Excuses pt.II,” a vibrant rock anthem with a strong beat. Fans clapped along and sang the chorus, “One day all we’ll have is stories and songs, but this is our chance to sing along… tonight.” They followed with their ballad “You Can Imagine The Wild Times,” which showcases Van Epps’ vocal range, from soft and low to soaring heights.

Also included in the set was the love song, “In Light of Summer,” which featured Van Epps on keyboard. This title track from their second album is also notable for its phenomenal guitar segments. Lead guitarist Jon Stowell positioned his hand over the top of the neck of his Les Paul, working over the fretboard with unbelievable speed and dexterity. Jason Campbell and Curt Matteson were a dynamic duo, and it was fun to watch them play rhythm guitar and bass, respectively. While Mitch VanDenBerge is a new addition to the band, he is a seasoned musician and performed admirably. They ended with “The Enchantment of Our Youth,” a song from the 2013 debut album.

The disappointment of the end of So Last Year’s set was quickly replaced with curiosity as a group of kids (one decked out in a Boy Scout uniform and another in a karate school windbreaker) started setting up their gear. They hung up their band banner, with their logo and name Pilot The Universe. Jaws dropped when they started jamming some funky originals composed in band class. The five-piece outfit included a keyboard player, and the lead singer also played saxophone.

Set included their most recent creation, “Koto.” Immediately following was Nostalgic Stereo from nearby Williamson. Playing exclusively alt rock covers from the past few decades, this is the band that time forgot. They got everyone to sing along to hits from Blink 182, Fallout Boy, and Yellowcard. Mid-set, lead vocalist Alan Overslaugh announced, “Let’s do something different.” Drummer Ty Palmer grabbed an acoustic guitar and the pair launched into a medley of emo ballads originally performed by the likes of We The Kings, Mayday Parade, and Dashboard Confessional. The finale was Blink 182’s “Dammit,” ending with Overslaugh saluting the audience from atop the monitor box, a thank you to the audience and send-off to So Last Year as they embark on their summer tour.

Tour Dates:
June 11 Boston MA – House Show
June 15 Akron OH – The Overlook
June 16 Kent OH – The Outpost
June 17 Pittsburgh PA – Black Forge Coffee
June 18 Buffalo NY – Buffalo Iron works
June 25 Syracuse NY – Spark Art Gallery

June 10, 2017
Metallica Hits Nassau Coliseum for the Only Hardwired Tour Arena Show

Metallica brought their Hardwired World Tour for the second of two stops in the New York Metro area on May 17 at the newly renovated Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.

Volbeat kicked the night off with several of their new songs from Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie along with a few of their previously released tunes. This wasn’t Volbeat’s first time supporting Metallica on tour either and their set was a treat for those who beat the Long Island rush hour traffic to get to the Barn before Metallica’s set.

Metallica’s Hardwired World Tour is entirely at large stadiums, except for the Nassau Coliseum show. While the stadiums certainly have their appeal for a monster show, nothing compares to catching one of the world’s biggest metal bands at a comparatively small indoor area (although their private fan club show at the 1,500-seat Webster Hall this past September might have this beat).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUOT4toFdv1/?taken-by=spm222photo

The setlist had a tasty mix of what could be fit in a nearly two and a half hour show with just enough to tease their latest release Hardwired…To Self-Destruct and to satisfy the palate of the old school fans. Not to mention that the pick of songs was somewhat different than the MetLife Stadium show just a few nights prior.

Metallica has been playing together for 36 years now, which is a well-seasoned career mark not every band sees. After the last sustained note of “Enter Sandman” and some stage banter, Hetfield noted that it was the eleventh time Metallica had played the Nassau Coliseum…and won’t be the last.

Hardwired Tour – Metallica w/s/g Volbeat, Nassau Coliseum, May 17, 2017

Setlists:

Volbeat: The Devil’s Bleeding Crown, Seal the Deal, Heaven nor Hell, Sad Man’s Tongue, Black Rose, Let It Burn, 16 Dollars, Hallelujah Goat, Lola Montez, Dead but Rising, Still Counting

Metallica: Hardwired, Atlas, Rise!, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Ride the Lightning, The Unforgiven, Now That We’re Dead, Moth Into Flame, Harvester Of Sorrow, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Kirk/Rob Guitar/Bass solos, The Four Horsemen. Sad But True, One, Master of Puppets, Fade to Black, Seek and Destroy, Blackened

Encore: Nothing Else Matters, Enter Sandman

June 10, 2017
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe Brings The Funk To Alive at 5 Opener

The city of Albany kicked off its annual Alive at 5 concert series in grand fashion with Saratoga’s Let’s Be Leonard and funk from Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe on June 8. Leonard and Denson got the crowd going right from the beginning and launched the summer series properly.

Next week’s Alive at 5 has Victory Soul Orchestra along with Average White Band playing right at 5pm.

June 9, 2017
Coheed & Cambria Energize the Crowd at Terminal 5

There are not too many rock bands anymore that pursue the art of the concept album. There are even fewer that have a concept across several albums. Enter the world of Coheed & Cambria – a science fiction prog rock band originally hailing from Nyack, New York. The band, getting its start in the early 2000’s put out some of it’s best records based on lead singer Claudio Sanchez’s Amory Wars comic book series. Coheed and Cambria’s tour through the US during April and May celebrated their third album Good Apollo: I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. The record is a fan favorite, spawning some of the band’s most memorable songs such as “Welcome Home,” “Ten Speed (of God’s Blood & Burial)” and “The Suffering.”

With Coheed and Cambria being a band originally from New York, the home crowd truly turned out with some of the most diehard fans I’ve ever seen for any kind of band ever. Coheed made it’s first NY stop of it’s tour on May 5, 2017 at Terminal 5 in Manhattan, NY. Terminal 5 has a very open lay out with most of the venue being general admission standing, and three levels above the main floor with a “mezzanine” type layout where people can spectate from above. The general admission floor and all of the mezzanine levels were packed to capacity with fans anxiously awaiting Coheed and Cambria to grace the stage. Opening for the main event was The Dear Hunter, a prog rock band from Providence, Rhode Island. Coheed fans showed much love to the prog rock stylings of The Dear Hunter performing a tight, groovin’ set with a good deal of energy.

While I’ve been to a couple of Coheed and Cambria shows I have not been to one that was quite as crazy as this show. I made the mistake of purchasing a beer and finding a good spot closer to the front of the venue. I will explain my “mistake” in a moment. The show began with the intro from Good Apollo: I’m Burning Star IV Vol 1 which is a violin lead overture. Claudio Sanchez then stepped on the stage and the crowd immediately went wild for him – he started with the acoustic performance of “Always and Never” (track 2 on the album) as the rest of the band got on the stage. Here’s where my mistake occurred – Coheed and Cambria really kicked off the show with the in-your-face fan favorite “Welcome Home” while I had a full beer in my hand. The crowd immediately went nuts to the intro riff and there was a sudden rush from the back of the crowd pushing everyone to the front. Most of my beer wound up all over myself and probably everyone within a four-foot radius of me. “Welcome Home” shows off Coheed and Cambria’s metal side with it’s prog rock elements so it makes sense the crowd went crazy.

Consequently, after Coheed played their next song “Ten Speed,” I found myself near the stage looking up at Claudio Sanchez going nuts on his guitar. As he delivered his signature high pitched, charismatic and unique vocals over a punk rock-ish chorus, his famous long puffy hair was flying in all sorts of directions. As Coheed and Cambria played through the album, there wasn’t a song fans couldn’t recite. About halfway through the set, while guitarist Travis Stever was swapping guitars, Claudio took a back seat to his band’s ever impressive rhythm section of Josh Eppard on drums and Zach Cooper on bass. The jam broke down first into one of the dopest bass solos I’ve heard in a while – in fact, how often do you hear a bass solo? Then, Josh Eppard got into a super tight, high energy drum solo for which the crowd made a ton of noise. Playing the style of music that they do, each band member holds their own as an extraordinary musician.

The night of excellent music was closed out by an encore of three of my favorite Coheed songs – the first being “Island” off their 2015 release The Color Before the Sun. When the album was coming out it was announced that this would be the band’s first album not connected to Claudio Sanchez’s Amory Wars comic book series but would instead reflect on the band’s personal lives. Claudio tied this in by giving some back story to the song and his family that was in the audience who the song related to. He also stated that the band has been performing while having the flu and required some assistance from the crowd. Who would have known anyone in the band was sick with all of the energy they put out? The night ended with “Delirium Trigger” and “Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3” which is the title track of the album preceding Good Apollo I’m Burning IV Vol 1 (and my personal favorite album from Coheed and Cambria). In the universe of the Amory Wars, “Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3” tells the epic tale of one of the protagonists leading a resistance against a formidable space armada/army, with the battle cry “Man your battle stations!” being a big part of the chorus. It was insanely cool to hear a group of people chant something that epic as though we really were going into battle. Claudio Sanchez barely had to do much singing as the crowd really took charge of the lyrics on the final song of the night – you could even see a smile from Sanchez as though he was truly humbled by the fact that his art really resided in the hearts of a room full of people.

Overall, while I left the show soaked in probably everyone else’s sweat and I’m pretty sure someone’s shoe flew across the room and hit me, it was the most fun I’ve had at a rock concert in a long time. Coheed and Cambria has the blessing of having some of the most loyal fans in the world, especially in New York City. I left the show with more energy than I walked in the door with and Coheed played probably one of the tightest sets they could ever have played. They later returned to Terminal 5 on May 22, 2017, playing a similar setlist.

Setlist: Keeping the Blade, Always and Never, Welcome Home, Ten Speed, Crossing the Frame, Apollo 1: The Writing Writer, Once Upon Your Dead Body, Wake Up, The Suffering, The Lying Lies & Dirty Secrets of Miss Erica Court, Mother May I, The Willing Well I: Fuel for the Feeding End, The Willing Well II: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness, The Willing Well III: Apollo II: The Telling Truth, The Willing Well IV: The Final Cut, Island Delirium Trigger, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3

June 8, 2017
Throwdown at moe.down: A look back at the Festival’s Origins

This week we begin a three-part series looking at the history of moe.down, one of the longest running music festivals in New York State history. The first part of the series looks at moe.downs 1 through 5.

moe. is New York’s jam band, plain and simple. The five-piece started in New York and they have played throughout New York quite often in their 25+ year career.

They began hosting a weekend long festival in Central New York starting in 2000, and this July 4-6 will be the 16th iteration of the formerly-Labor Day weekend festival many fans hold near and dear.

The first moe.down, at Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin, featured a hodgepodge of musical talent including, of course, moe., Martin Sexton, Les Claypool, David Grisman and Charlie Hunter, among others. Fans of moe. were thrilled to get three nights of their favorite band, and a bunch of other guests.

Phil, a moe. fan who attended the first four moe.downs, said he loved every single second.

“Well, One was special because it was … one,” he said. “Didn’t really know what to expect.”

Phil said he had seen moe. three times prior, but was stoked to spend a weekend with them and a cavalcade of other artists. In a sense, it was a learning experience for everyone involved.

“The first year was small, and the staff didn’t really know what was going on,” he said.

moe.down 2, in 2001, expanded the lineup to jammier heights, featuring Donna the Buffalo and the Disco Biscuits, which were both big hits with some in attendance.

Jeff Titmus, a 2002 Plattsburgh State graduate, grew up with moe. in his repertoire of music, attending, he says, the first 11 moe.down festivals.

“I vividly remember the second festival because I had just heard the Disco Biscuits and I was quite intrigued to see them live,” he said. “Events of that night got a little hazy. Me and my friends may have raged a little too hard and I remember something that stuck with me. A security guard approached us, and we assumed he was going to tell us to stop doing what we were doing, but instead he came and simply told us he hopes we’re enjoying the festivities and to be safe. Some festival security can be a bit, uh, dickish, but never at a down. Very fan friendly.”

In an interview a few years ago with the Post Standard newspaper in Syracuse, guitarist Chuck Garvey summed up the group’s thoughts on the long running family friendly vibe that moe. presents.

“We’ve got all our families there and friends from across the country who come to hang out,” said Garvey. “I’ve got five sisters, my parents, all my nieces and nephews, and the other guys have the same. It’s a big party for us.”

With the advent of social media and the growth of cell phones turning the media landscape upside down, it has become very easy to schedule meetups, find friends and gather any information you need at the tip of your fingers. It wasn’t always that way, though, especially in the early days of moe.down.

“Before the Facebook, and Phantasy Tour, there was the “L” – a listserv group,” Phil said. “Many of us old timers met on the “L.” In any event, we’d make it a point for all of us to gather for a group picture. And at the group picture, we’d swap CDs, beers, etc.”

In 2002, moe. added some more Central New York flavor to the lineup, adding Syracuse blues wizards Los Blancos to the bill.

moe.down 4 featured some pop flavor added to the jammy recipe, as They Might be Giants and The Flaming Lips were added. Yonder Mountain String Band and a young Umphrey’s McGee were on the bill, as was Antigone Rising. It was also the first year that guitarist Al Schnier performed with his solo band Al and the Transamericans.

“Honestly, the lineup in 2003 was my least favorite they’ve ever done,” moe. super fan Jacqueline Finnerty said. “But how great is it that it can be a weak lineup but we still get three nights of the best band on earth to look forward to?”

Snow Ridge in Turin has a special place in the band’s heart, according to Garvey.

“We grew up out there. Most of us skied at Snow Ridge when we were kids,” Garvey told the Post Standard. “We wanted to bring a cool festival to the area, and no one else was doing it at the time.”

Year five of moe.down featured a shift to a bigger lineup. Phish’s Mike Gordon played with the Benevento Russo Duo, H.O.R.D.E. Tour veterans Blues Traveler played a bouncy show and acts like Leftover Salmon, Michael Franti and Spearhead and Trainwreck were also on the bill.

The first five years of moe.down saw some soaring heights from the band, lineups and the audience. In talking with a small percentage of moe.’s loyal followers, it became very clear that this time was integral in the band growing its insanely loyal following.

In the following five incarnations, the band fiddled with some things, and kept others the same. Check back next week for part two, featuring an in depth look at moe.down 6 through 10.

moe.down setlists courtesy of the Internet Archive

moe.down 1, September 1 through 3, 2000

9/1/00 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

With Kirk Huhas of freebeerandchicken on keyboards.

Jim solo > Bring It Back Home*, Nebraska*, Akimbo, Can’t Seem To Find, Plane Crash, Bring You Down > Brent Black, Understand, Seat Of My Pants > Sensory Deprivation Bank

E: Tambourine**, Down By The River

* With Martin Sexton on tambourine. ** Al, Chuck, and Kirk on tambourines.

9/2/00 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

With Kirk Huhas of freebeerandchicken on keyboards.

1: Al solo > Head, New York City, Hi and Lo > Moth*, Recreational Chemistry*# > Wildwood Weed*#^ > Sweet Emotion*#^ > Tommy The Cat*#^

2: Vinnie solo > Water, Captain America, Fathead rap** > Johnny Lineup**##, Opium^^, Mexico@

E: Meat@%

* With Jay Lane of Ratdog on percussion. # With Les Claypool on bass and vocals. ^ First time played. ** With members of Fathead. ## First verse only. ^^ With a member of Fathead on keyboards. @ With the saxophonist from Fathead. % With Emilio from Nyquil on violin.

9/3/00 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

With Kirk Huhas of freebeerandchicken on keyboards.

1: Rob solo > Timmy Tucker*, Blue Eyed Son, Spine Of A Dog > Yodelittle

2: Chuck solo > Four > Buster, Rise, St. Augustine, Rebubula**

E: Time Again#, San Ber’dino

* With Joe Craven of the David Grisman Quintet on percussion. With “Gil’s Theme“. ** With “I Know You Rider” (traditional) tease. # Jim on bass, Rob on washboard. Fireworks display during “San Ber’dino”

mow.down 2, August 31 through September 2, 2001

8/31/01 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

Moth > Lazarus > Bring You Down > Brent Black > St. Augustine > Time Ed > Moth

E: Don’t Fear The Reaper

9/1/01 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin,NY

1: Captain America, San Ber’dino* > Happy Hour Hero**, Spaz Medicine, Good Guys and Bad Guys#, Suck The Head## > Gummin’ Your Nub##^, Plane Crash^^

2: Spine Of A Dog% > Buster, Livin’ Again > Timmy Tucker

E: Voodoo Lady%%

* With members of Project/Object. ** With Gibb Droll on guitar. # With Cracker Van Beethoven. (David Lowry on vocals, Johnny Hickman on mandolin, Victor Krummacher on acoustic guitar, and Jonathan Siegel on violin.) ## With The Radiators. Last “Suck The Head” 2/7/99. ^ First time played. ^^ With Ed Volker on keyboards. % With “Funkytown” (Lipps, Inc.) tease. %% Jim on drums, Vinnie on percussion.

9/2/01 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

1: Understand, Nebraska, Hi and Lo > Kyle, The Faker > Kids

2: New York City, Rise > Recreational Chemistry*, Meat** > Bullet > Rebubula

E: Bring It Back Home

* With “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (Iron Butterfly) tease. ** With Jim Lomonaco of Yolk on bass.

moe.down 3, August 30 through September 1, 2002

8/30/02 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

Meat*, 32 Things, Spine Of A Dog > Buster**, Understand, The Ghost of Ralph’s Mom, Hi and Lo > Brent Black

E: Godzilla

* With Jon Fishman on drums and Jamie Masefield on mandolin. ** With “Gin and Juice” (Snoop Doggy Dogg) tease.

8/31/02 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

Set I, afternoon set.

1: Akimbo, Not Coming Down > Okayalright, Mexico, New York City, Bring It Back Home

2: St. Augustine, Shoot First, Crab Eyes, Tambourine, Captain America* > Recreational Chemistry

3: Seat Of My Pants** > Sensory Deprivation Bank**#, Gone, Bullet## > Kyle^ > Kids

E: Timmy Tucker > Gin and Juice^^ > Timmy Tucker

* With “Don’t Fuck With Flo” tease. ** Jim on drums, Vinnie on percussion. # With Seth Yacovone on guitar. ## With “Timmy Tucker” tease. ^ With Govinda of the Grapes on flute. ^^ First time played.

9/1/02 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

1: Head, Nebraska, It, Cornflake Girl > Happy Hour Hero, Moth > moe./Galactic Jam* > Galactic/moe. Jam* > Moth

2: Opium** > Rebubula, Rise, Plane Crash

E: Don’t Fuck With Flo, Bodhisattva

* With Galactic. ** With “China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider” (Grateful Dead) tease.

moe.down 4, August 29 through 31, 2003

8/29/03 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

Buster* > Spaz Medicine > Not Coming Down > Wormwood > Okayalright, Shoot First, New York City**, Understand, 32 Things, Cornflake Girl > Recreational Chemistry#

E: San Ber’dino

* With Jim Donovan of Rusted Root on percussion. ** With Antigone Rising. # With Steve Drizos of Dexter Grove on percussion.

8/30/03 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

1: Akimbo, Captain America > Rise, Money > Time Ed > McBain*

2: Four** > Plane Crash, Gone > She Sends Me > St. Augustine# > Brent Black > drumz

3: Jam > Rebubula##

E: Spine Of A Dog > Four reprise

* First time played. ** With “Us and Them” (Pink Floyd) tease. # With “Gil’s Theme.” With “Dancing Days” (Led Zeppelin) tease. ” ## With “Big World”, “So Long”, “Gil’s Theme”, “Brent Black”, “McBain”, and “Spaz Medicine” teases.

8/31/03 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

1: Bring It Back Home, Nebraska, Hi and Lo > Timmy Tucker* > Opium*

2: McBain**, The Faker > Kids, It, Kyle > Meat

E: Johnny Lineup

* With Nate Wilson on keyboards. ** With “Crosseyed and Painless” (Talking Heads) tease.

moe.down 5, September 3 through 4, 2004

9/3/04 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

Kyle’s Song > Kids, New York City, Shoot First, Spaz Medicine > Crab Eyes, Buster > Four Sticks (Led Zeppelin) > Take Five > Buster, Letter Home, Tailspin* > Meat**

E: St. Augustine

9/4/04 Snow Ridge Ski Area – Turin, NY

Lost Along the Way, Seat of My Pants, Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’, Summer o i > Understand, Dr. Graffenberg > Rebubula*

She Sends Me, Akimbo, Brent Black1> Timmy Tucker

Mountain Song> Not Coming Down> Wormwood> Okayalright> Happy Hour Hero> Sensory Deprivation Bank> Recreational Chemistry

E: Tambourine, Hi and Lo> Big World, Enter Sandman

9/5/04 Snow Ridge Ski Area Turin, NY

Plane Crash> Where Does the Time Go?> Yodelittle, Captain America> Mexico, Bearsong

Faker> Moth, McBain> George1, Mayor of moe.ville> Mayor of moe.ville jam2, Y.O.Y.> Plane Crash

E: Nebraska, Spine Of A Dog

June 6, 2017
Rock AM Ring Festival Resumes After Possible Terror Threat

With the most recent tragedy at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England still fresh, authorities are taking every security threat very seriously. Germany’s annual rock festival, Rock AM Ring, had to be halted on it’s opening night Friday for what authorities called “concrete leads,” in a possible terror threat against the festival that police wanted to eliminate before the festival continued.

With over 80,000 fans attending the festival over the weekend, authorities wanted to make sure that everything and everyone is safe. Friday’s lineup included headliners Rammstein, Five Finger Death Punch, In Flames, Clutch and many more.

After the Ariana Grande concert bombing, Rock Am Ring disallowed back packs at the festival and beefed up security to 1000 officers. Festival promoters made the following statement to fans after they were informed by the police:

Due to a terrorist threat, the police have advised us to interrupt the festival. We ask all festival visitors to leave the festival site in a calm and controlled manner towards the exits and camping grounds. We have to support the police investigations. All visitors will be kept informed about any developments on all Rock Am Ring social media channels, radio and the speakers. We hope that the festival will continue tomorrow. Thank you for your cooperation.

One of the concerns involved a person who helped erect and organize the security fencing for the event. The Koblenz police released a statement about the possible threats:

Because of the last attack on a concert in Manchester, the security concept for Rock Am Ring was modified in advance and the number of security officers was significantly increased to around 1,200… Since a threat could not be ruled out, all necessary measures were taken immediately. We cannot provide any further details on the background information. We take all tips and suspicious incidents extremely seriously and investigate closely.

Rock AM Ring resumed early Saturday in Nurburg, once promoters got word that everything was clear. Festival organizers released a statement telling fans the festival would indeed resume, “After intensive searches and sweeps of the complete festival site by the police, the suspicion of a potential terrorist threat has not been confirmed.”

June 5, 2017
Woodhenge Music, Art and Sustainability Festival 2017 Announced

Off the grid sustainable community, Woodhenge, has announced its first Woodhenge Music, Art, and Sustainability Festival, located in Adams Center near the Adirondacks, the community will host the festival on June 23-25, 2017.

The three day event features a diverse mix of music genres including rock, jam, jazz, reggae, bluegrass, electronic, and funk, and features over 20 artist including Formula 5, Space Carnival, Root Shock, Intrepid Travelers, Lord Electro, Jiggawaltz and Drumadics.

Fans will have the privilege to explore each morning the 60+ acres of nature and trails the area has to offer, along with yoga and workshops focused on how to live mortgage free, creating a sustainable lifestyle, optimal nutrition, and how to build with recycled materials. The event itself will be held in a field, between the village’s garden and orchard.

In 1997, James and Krista Juczak, created the eco/self reliance village known as Woodhenge. The mortgage free community is set in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains along the outskirts of a large forest, complete with a stream and waterfall set between a pond and an orchard. The off the grid solar and wind powered sustainable community practices upcycling, using environmentally friendly materials along with alternative building techniques.

The village grows and cans most of their own fruits, berries, nuts and vegetables in their community garden and raises their own ducks and honey bees for honey and eggs. The community also hosts several workshops throughout the year on building a tiny house, living off the grid, and renewable energy.

Known as the “King of Scrounge,” Juczak took 5 years to build his 3000 square foot home, set on 50 acres, out of recycled material including beams salvaged from an old bowling alley, and a two-story concrete column made out of scrapped manholes. Windows, doors, sinks, tubs, and other items were bought cheap, or salvaged for free from renovated buildings. The mortar holding the walls is made from 80% paper sludge waste from a nearby mill. The other 20% is made of masonry cement. Juczak has also buried a 10,000 gallon fuel tank used as a guest home buried into the side of a hill.

Woodhenge has also hosted other music festivals in the past including Summer Solstice Campout in 2016, and the Halloween Costume Fiesta.

Fans who purchase full weekend passes to the festival online will save some cash. The online pass costs $50 for all three days, and $60 at the gate on Friday, June 23. Other passes range between $20-$40. Camping is available in the field, and in the forest close by.

June 5, 2017
Stephanie Quayle Takes ‘The Flock’ on the Road for the 2017 Winnebago Tour

Standing out in a crowd of thousands is what each country music artist hopes for as they head to Nashville to pursue their dreams. Keeping a pulse on the music scene, Rolling Stone magazine often features the newest up and coming country artists making waves in music city. These artists stand out in the crowd of thousands and it’s generally a uniqueness in their sounds and character that catches the eyes of the media world. Stephanie Quayle is one of May’s featured artists that shines like a star among the night time honky tonks and pubs on music row.

With the release of “Drinking With Dolly” last year, it was no surprise this tried and true country gal would soon achieve her dreams and the country music world would take notice.

Raised in Montana on her family’s bison farm, Stephanie shares how she often listened to country music’s legends on the AM radio in the barn while doing chores. At the age four she began piano lessons, and at fifteen bought her first guitar. It was immediately after that she took to performing and knew this was what she was meant to do.

Splitting her time these days with her husband between her homes and farms in Montana, North Carolina, and Nashville. Stephanie finds time to do it all. A huge philanthropist, she advocates for St. Jude’s Children Hospital, Operation Smile and the local food bank raising funds and awareness for those in need. Recently signed as the ambassador for Murdoch’s Ranch and Home Supply, you can see that she is country through and through.

Her recent release of “Winnebago,” a fun loving tune, takes the listener across the nation both through the lyrics as well as this summer as she hits the road on the 2017 Winnebago Tour with KOA Campgrounds.

Making two stops along the way in New York, you can catch her perform in New York City at the Rockwood Music Hall, as well as at the Staller Center for the Arts at SUNY Stony Brook. Don’t miss your chance to meet this multi talented young lady as she becomes a household name and her music hits the airwaves this summer.

June 4, 2017
The Brooklyn Bowl and Brewery in Contract for $37.4 Million

The Atlas Capital Group is looking to ‘strike’ a deal with the Williamsburg Building owners which houses the Brooklyn Bowl and Brewery. According to The Real Deal, ACG’s intentions are not entirely clear, but they are likely to, “eventually reposition it.”

Tea Leaf Green at the Brooklyn Bowl

The real estate group will not make a move until at least 2021- that is when the lease for the Brooklyn Bowl expires and the brewery adjacent to it is set until 2025. It is unclear as of now, but ACG will likely want both parts of the property and will not take action until the latter date. More information is still to come.

Jam Base spoke with co-owner Peter Shapiro who said, “In terms of the story nothing changes for us. We hope to be 61 Wythe Avenue [the current location] for a long time.”

The Bowl has been a hot spot for fans and bands of all sizes since 2009. It’s held acts such as Guns N’ Roses, Elvis Costello, the Roots to just recently, the auction of Jerry Garcia’s famed guitar, ‘Wolf’.

June 3, 2017
Photo Gallery: Tool Thrills in Rochester

It was an incredible night on Tuesday, May 30, at the Blue Cross Arena. Tool made a stop in Rochester and was nothing short of incredible and a visual masterpiece as one would expect!! They brought with them the jazzy and trippy Oakland, CA based band Once and Future. It was a very visually and musically intense show to which Tool are masters of. Some of the high points of the show would definitely be them playing some tracks I have not heard live probably in close to fifteen years. “Opiate,” “Third Eye,” and a really deep cut off their debut album “Sweat.” Please enjoy the selection of photos below from this show.

Tool – Blue Cross Arena – Rochester – Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Set 1: The Grudge, Parabol, Parabola, Schism, Opiate, Ãnema, Descending, Jambi, Third Eye, Forty Six & 2

Set 2: Chocolate Chip Trip, Vicarious, Sweat, (-) Ions, Stinkfist

June 3, 2017

Built in Breakdance