NYS Music 20​17

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  • Interview: Roan Yellowthorn (Jackie McLean) on her influences and the power of a song

    Jackie McLean, daughter of singer-songwriter Don McLean, best know for his song “American Pie,” is the front woman of Roan Yellowthorn. She adopted this alter ego when returning to music after taking time to complete a university degree.

    She began to gain media attention as a result of her distinct voice and poetic lyrics on her first self-titled EP in 2016. Roan Yellowthorn is expected to release a new album by the end of 2017 displaying the same outspoken singer/songwriter qualities people loved so much on her first EP. In the meantime, NYS Music had the privilege of speaking with Jackie McLean about Roan Yellowthorn’s past releases and some of her biggest influences.

    Roan Yellowthorn Jackie McLean

    Sammy Steiner: Given that “Child in Chief” is a political protest song, how did you hope it would impact your audience and society at large?

    Jackie McLean: I initially wrote “Child in Chief” for myself as a kind of therapy tool to help me process all of the negative feelings I had around the outcome of the election and the entire climate leading up to it. I also hoped that I could give a voice to the fear and anxiety that a lot of other people felt in the wake of the election. I wanted to honor my own feelings of discomfort and apprehension in an artistic and articulate way and, through doing that, I hoped to be able in some way to bring people together in solidarity and resistance. A good song can do that.

    I think music is such a powerful medium because it can convey many things at once. A good song has many layers and a lot of nuance and I love the opportunity to embed artistry into a message. I feel like it was the perfect medium for me to express my emotions and feelings of political dissent.

    SS: Did your father’s (Don McLean) singer/songwriter career influence any aspects of your artistry and if so, how?

    JM: Yes, I think my dad’s career has had a large impact on both my artistic and personal development. On one hand, seeing his job probably normalized for me the idea of having a career in the arts. That’s been valuable. It feels natural to me on some level to have art be my profession. On the other hand, my father’s fame as a musician has inhibited me in some ways- maybe making me feel like I can’t compete or that any success I find is not my own. Those fears have at times contributed to hindering me from becoming confident as an artist and a person. So I’d say it’s a complex issue and there have been benefits and challenges. But it’s all good now. I’ve had to find myself, the same as everyone else, and I like where I am.

  • Holly Bowling Returns to Whisper Dome this Weekend

    Back in March, Holly Bowling performed an unplugged show at the Whisper Dome in Schenectady, as the venue’s incredible acoustics and intimate setting allowed her to ditch amplification and play the piano alone, and it was enough for the room.

    “If you stand on one side of the room and you whisper, a person across the room can hear it perfectly,” Bowling said in a recent phone interview with NYSMusic. “The room opens up so many cool and exciting possibilities for the music.”

    holly bowling whisper dome ryan dempseyCurrently on tour in support of her latest musical adventure, titled Better Left Unsung, the music of the Grateful Dead reimagined for solo piano, Bowling will return to the Whisper Dome this Saturday, October 21, for a 7 p.m. show. In 2014, she hit fame within the jam band world by transcribing a 37-minute version of “Tweezer” that Phish did in 2013 in Lake Tahoe. Since taking that on the road, Bowling has blown up into not just a respected piano player, but a keyboard savant who has been performing with some of her idols.

    In 2016, she and Twiddle keyboardist Ryan Dempsey linked up for a very intimate performance at Garcia’s at the Capitol Theatre, which included a very intricate and taxing version of Phish’s “Harry Hood.” It was a few hours prior to Twiddle headlining the theater for the first time. Bowling, a guest of Dempsey’s, stole the show, showcasing her incredible technical talent in the classical piano field with her love for improvisational music.

    While that performance was a boost, Bowling’s latest endeavors pit the player with her icons. Recently, she has played with Phil Lesh and the Terrapin Family Band featuring Bob Weir at Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads venue in Northern California.

    “I got to play a few songs with Phil and Bob, and it was so cool to explore the songs I’ve delved into with the guys who brought them to us,” Bowling said.

    While not new to Bowling, she said she has added a level of improvisation to her show. She has written a handful of her own songs she’s intertwined with her repertoire. But her breakthrough was transcribing others’ music, and she’s doing that ten-fold while adding in a layer that may seem unfit for a piano recital.

    However, it’s not unfit. Playing with Lesh and Weir gave Bowling a view into the structure that she’s been wanting.

    “The biggest philosophy I learned from those guys is to take risks,” she said. “You have to play without your ego being in the way. You have to listen to all that’s going on, take the risks you want and not allow a wrong note ruin anything.”

    Bowling also has honed some new tricks in her live show arsenal. She will have a projection screen that will display her hands’ every movement on the keys, and will also have a light show that corresponds with her notes that translates to a light show.

    “There’s two of us involved in that,” she said. “It’s evolved into a very abstract form of art. The colors mirror the music. It’s very immersive with a gradual exploring of ideas.”

    Bowling said she has no new studio in the works, and is focusing on her own current solo material.

    “The Phish and the Dead stuff are only a fraction of what I have going on,” she said. “My goal is to put on a different show every night by mixing up all the songs with their stuff and the things I wrote.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BSCzA_gDPlc/

  • New Music Series Debuts in Troy with Performance by Sax Prodigy Henry James Fernandez

    FAIRE Productions is partnering with The Shop in Troy to present a series which showcases east coast musicians. FAIRE-IT kicks off this Thursday, Oct. 19 with a free performance by Henry James Fernandez and his jazz/funk trio.

    The saxophonist from Niskayuna, NY currently attends the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and plays original compositions as well as beloved classics. For more information, visit FAIRE Productions.

    https://youtu.be/q0-Ns_kBy0M

  • Gord Downie, Tragically Hip Frontman, Dead at 53

    Charismatic frontman and Canadian national treasure, Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip passed away Tuesday night at the age of 53.

    Tragically Hip Cancer Gord DownieDownie was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in December 2015. It was discovered after he suffered a seizure.

    The diagnosis wasn’t publicly revealed until May of last year when the band also announced a final Tragically Hip tour. The Hip, with Downie (vocals), Rob Baker (guitar), Paul Langlois (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass) and Johnny Fay (drums) embarked on a 15 show cross-Canada tour in 2016, culminating in a nationally-broadcast show in their hometown of Kingston, ON on Aug. 20.

    Gord Downie
    Gord Downie assessing the situation in Canandaigua.

    A statement issued on the band’s website spoke of the inevitability of Downie’s passing, “Gord knew this day was coming – his response was to spend this precious time as he always had – making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss…on the lips.” Downie made a point to kiss his bandmates on the lips at the end of each performance on the Man Machine Poem tour in 2016 to show his love for them. The full statement from the Downie family:

    Last night Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by.

    Gord knew this day was coming – his response was to spend this precious time as he always had – making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss… on the lips.

    Gord said he had lived many lives. As a musician, he lived “the life” for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. No one.

    We would like to thank all the kind folks at KGH and Sunnybrook, Gord’s bandmates, management team, friends and fans. Thank you for all the help and support over the past two years.

    Thank you everyone for all the respect, admiration and love you have given Gord throughout the years – those tender offerings touched his heart and he takes them with him now as he walks among the stars.

    Love you forever Gord.

    The Downie Family

    Downie’s final days were spent championing indigenous causes, forming The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund to support reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous people in Canada. Chanie Wenjack was a young indigenous boy who died while trying to escape one of Canada’s now defunct residential schools in 1966. Downie released a solo album entitled Secret Path, accompanied by a graphic novel, last October to bring light to Wenjack’s death and the impact of the residential schools on Canada’s indigenous people.

    As a result of his tireless work for the First Nations people, Downie was honored at a ceremony given by the Assembly of First Nations last December. National Chief Perry Bellegarde bestowed an eagle feather, a symbol of the creator, on Downie and gave him an honorary aboriginal name, Wicapi Omani, which means “man who walks among the stars.”

    Gordon Edgar Downie was born in Kingston, ON on Feb. 6, 1964. He attended the Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where he met his future bandmates. Davis Manning was an original member of the band as saxophonist. He was replaced by Langlois in 1986. The band inked a deal with MCA Records after an appearance at Toronto’s famed Horseshoe Tavern, releasing its self-titled EP in 1987. The follow-up Up to Here in 1989 produced four hit singles for the Hip in Canada, “Blow at High Dough,” “New Orleans is Sinking,” “38 Years Old” and “Boots or Hearts.”

    The band’s blues-based sound and poetic Canadiana lyrics endeared them to Canadians of all walks and perhaps kept the Hip from success in the U.S., aside from the border towns. Nonetheless, the Hip became Canadian rock royalty, garnering 16 Juno Awards (Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys), the Order of Canada, induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and a street naming in their hometown.

    Over the course of 30 years, 14 Tragically Hip albums, five solo efforts (with another set for release on Oct. 27) and many collaborations, Gord Downie was a champion of music, especially Canadian music. The Hip brought many Canadian artists with them on tour, including the Arkells, Rheostatics, the Sadies, Eric’s Trip, Spirit of the West, the Inbreds and Ron Sexsmith among others. Many of them have left fond remembrances. Max Kerman of the Arkells told CBC Radio’s “Q” podcast, “Gord taught me that it’s OK to dance.” The Toronto Globe and Mail tweeted, “Gord Downie, troubador of Canada, charmed and challenged a nation.”

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, visibly emotional, delivered a statement on Wednesday, describing Downie as one who “gave us goosebumps and made us proud to be Canadian.”

    But Downie was more than a musician. Downie was an activist. He was a performer. He was a poet. He was an actor. Gord Downie was a treasure. To gather an image of who Gord Downie was, the New York Times said it best, “The place of honor that Mr. Downie occupies in Canada’s national imagination has no parallel in the United States. Imagine Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Michael Stipe combined into one sensitive, oblique poet-philosopher, and you’re getting close.”

    Farewell, Mr. Downie. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

  • Warren Haynes’ 29th Annual Christmas Jam Lineup Announced

    Artists have been announced for the 29th annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam. The event will take place on Dec. 9 at its usual stomping grounds at the U.S. Cellular Center in Warren’s hometown of Asheville, NC. Christmas Jam will once again see a stellar lineup at this year’s benefit to help raise money for Habit for Humanity in the Asheville area.

    Headlining the show will be Gov’t Mule, with special guest Ann Wilson form Heart (making her first appearance at the event), who will perform with the band during their set. The holiday jam session will also include Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB, the Avett Brothers, Les Bros. and Blackberry Smoke. Also, special guest musicians Jake Shimabukuro, Holly Bowling, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, Kevn Kinney, and Mike Barnes will sit in throughout the evening, with more soon to be announced.

    Habitat for Humanity will take the proceeds from the event to help construct energy-efficient new houses along with purchasing and developing land for Habitat subdivisions. The project has raised over two million dollar, and has seen the construction of 36 houses to date. This year’s Christmas Jam House will be built in the non-profit organization’s new 21-house community in Arden (South Asheville). The Grammy award winning artist curated the event 29 years ago and spent the last 19 years working closely with Habit for Humanity in Asheville on these projects.

    A limited pre-sale will be available on Oct 19, where fans can get their hands on four-packs, VIP tickets, and travel packages. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Oct. 26. An increased number of seats in the balcony will be made available during both pre-sale and general sale times. Fans will have the flexibility to leave, and return to their balcony seats and mingle downstairs to the open general admission floor area during the more than seven hour long show.

  • Such Gold Throws Mid-Tour Hometown Punk Rock Show

    Such Gold ripped a gig in Rochester on Friday the 13 of October. The punk rockers played at Bug Jar, their familiar stomping grounds, at the midway point in their fall tour. “We’ve played here one… thousand times,” quipped front man Ben Kotin between songs.

    such goldThe all-local show included support from Barbarosa, California Cousins, and Taking Meds. Two members of Such Gold did double duty, as they also play in Taking Meds: Kotin (guitar) and Jon Markson (bass). Such Gold is rounded out with Nate Derby on guitar and Matt Covey on drums. They performed work from their eight-year span, including a handful of songs from last month’s release Deep In A Hole. Both in their studio recordings and at live shows, they’re energetic and fun.

    The crowd at Bug Jar was abuzz with excitement, and it wasn’t long before the center of the room opened up into a mosh pit. There was a great dynamic between the band and members of the audience, many of whom have been supporters since the early days. Tonight’s show was full of crowd surfing and even a stage dive or two. A highlight was when Skylar Sarkis of Taking Meds took the stage to sing on a cover of Snapcase’s “Energy Dome.”

    Such Gold takes to the road for the second leg of their tour with a headliner on Thursday, October 19 in Stanhope, New Jersey. They join A Wilhelm Scream, After The Fall and We Were Sharks  for a run of shows which start on Friday, October 20 at St. Vitus in Brooklyn and end with a Halloween show in Lancaster, PA.

    Setlist: Intro, Locked Out of the Magic Theater, Engulfed In Flames, Two Year Plan, Ceiling Stare, Ransom, Four Superbowls No Rings, Nauseating, Deep In A Hole, Rot Gut, No Cab Fare, Energy Dome (Snapcase), Storyteller, Sycamore

    such goldsuch gold

  • Hearing Aide: Lettuce ‘Witches Stew’

    In the shadows beyond darkness and light, the ghost of Miles Davis begins to take flight. Swirling and blaring a trumpeter we know. A new face in the cauldron begins to show. With funk and synth and guitar riffs anew, out of the fire comes Lettuce’s Witches Stew.

    lettuce witches stew

    On October 13, just in time for Halloween, funk powerhouse Lettuce will release a new live album that pays tribute to the late Miles Davis, one of the band’s biggest and most beloved influences.

    Witches Stew is Lettuce’s eerie and psychedelic take on seven of Davis’ songs. As did the breakthrough 1970 album, Bitches Brew, Lettuce pairs their own funky guitar riffs and electronic keyboard with improvisational trumpet and saxophone.

    Recorded at the 2016 Catskill Chill Music Festival in Lakewood, PA, the album is a haunting mix of both jazz and funk that breathes new life into Davis’ tracks. “Shhh/Peaceful” was released as a single on September 29 marking the 26th anniversary of his death.

    A ghostly presence is felt throughout the album allowing the listener to lose themselves in the hypnotic and haunting grooves. A far cry from the days of Rage! and Fly, this album is more exploratory in nature with similarities to their most recent EP Mt. Crushmore.

    Witches Stew is the perfect soundtrack to a crisp fall night, sure to cast a spell on listeners old and young.

    Key tracks: Shhh/Peaceful, Sivad, Black Satin

  • STS9 Impresses in Philly

    Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) played The Fillmore in Philly on September 30. I have only seen them a few times over the last few years, but this show was different. They sounded like a new band. A lot of the jams seemed to have an almost house like feel. Not to compare them to another jamband, but they almost sounded like some glorious 2007 Disco Biscuits, without trying to. After touring since their last release, 2016’s The Universe Inside, the new line-up is firing on all cylinders and I suggest you give their new sound a listen.

  • Listen to Intrepid Travelers Themed September Residency at Nietzsche’s

    After a September residency at local Buffalo dwelling, Nietzches, Intrepid Travelers packed up their sets chock-full of themes and set their sights on new residencies. Week one offered tunes from the British Invasion, spanning from the expected efforts of the Rolling Stones, Beatles, The Who, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix while week two introduced a set list that spelled out”Witty Tarbox.”

    Carefully crafted to spell its theme out with the first letter in each track, week two ripped through an eclectic combination of tunes by pairing Pink Floyd, Rush, Talking Heads and Lotus covers in the company of Diana Ross and Dr. Dre.  Sam Pavlovich was introduced as the new bassist in Intrepid Travelers and sat in on “Take Me to the River,” “YYZ,” “Xxplosive,” and “Funky Duck.”

    2017/09/07 – LIVE at Nietzsche’s (Buffalo, NY) by Intrepid Travelers

    2017/09/14 – LIVE at Nietzsche’s (Buffalo, NY) by Intrepid Travelers

    The third week of the IT residency treated fans to an intersteller set appropriately in place with Space Junk acting as supporting act. The night unveiled “Space Odyssey,” “Satellite of Love,” “Rocket Man,” “Great Gig in the Sky,” “Standing on the Moon,” and other intergalactic classic rock favorites. The fourth and final week closed out a wildly executed residency with a final theme as a play on “dirt,” with musical support from Dirty Blanket. Also acting as David Neimanis’ last as a member of Intrepid Travelers, the group welcomed covers of musical giants Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, Phish, Primus, Lettuce and more, with the help of Ellen Pieroni on saxophone.

    2017/09/21 – LIVE at Nietzsche’s (Buffalo, NY) by Intrepid Travelers

    2017/09/28 – LIVE at Nietzsche’s (Buffalo, NY) by Intrepid Travelers

    IT are already in the midst of their latest residency at Funk N Waffles in Rochester, every Wednesday for the month of October!

  • JJ Grey and Mofro: Tasty Soul from the Sunshine State

    Since the 1990s, JJ Grey and Mofro have been dishing out hearty helpings of southern soulful blues rock. Based out of Gainesville, Florida, these seasoned road veterans have played around the globe spreading their brand of musical expertise that hearkens to the likes of Otis Redding, Jerry Reid, and The Allman Brothers Band. Lead singer and soul-bent swamp rocker John Higginbotham aka “JJ Grey” infuses his music with a definitive southern flavor, transporting all who listen to the landscape of his youth. If you have a hankering for upbeat feel good music and you love to, as lead singer Grey states, get “Janky” this is the band for you.

    The current lineup of JJ Grey & Mofro includes JJ Grey on vocals and electric guitar, Dennis Marion and Marcus Parsley on trumpets, Todd Smallie on Bass guitar, Craig Barnette on drums, Zac Gilbert on guitar, and Eric Brigmond on keyboards.

    Live Nation Promotions will be presenting JJ Grey & Mofro along with special guests The Commonheart at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park NY on Thursday October 19. Get tickets here.

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