July 2 marks the beginning of the Performing Arts at the Common & Performing Arts Family Series at the outdoor Clifton Common Stage. The series will offer free shows geared towards adults on Sunday nights with kids shows being featured on Wednesday nights.
Some of the performers on Wednesday nights include: Let’s Get Cookin’, “a fun-filled performance that utilizes drama, music, complex rhythms, and acrobatics,” The Puppet People featuring their performance, The Last Dragon, comedian Sylvia Fletcher as The Magic Trunk and many others. The Town of Clifton welcomes the entire family to these shows but invites an older audience to their free Sunday shows. Some acts include: The Accents, soulful indie pop group Sirsy, Fiddler on The Roof performed by The Not So Common Players and a plethora of other works.
Clifton Park, located just north of Albany is a fitting location for a series like this. The stage they will be using for both of the series is a smaller one but has an ample amount of lawn seating to fit hundreds of people. It’s an ideal place to enjoy a late summer’s night show by honest and hardworking performers set at the best price – absolutely free.
More information about all these events are found on the Town of Clifton’s website. Most shows start after 7 and, as previously mentioned, there is no charge for any of these events.
There seems to be a growing trend in metal music of rap-metal making a comeback since Prophets Of Rage emerged last year. You could argue that bands like Body Count have been around for a long time, but now the genre seems to be in the spotlight again. And with any sub-genre of metal, you get the flash in the pan bands or the goofy sounding bands that don’t last, however, Powerflo has landed and makes a statement.
Consisting of powerhouse members of Biohazard, Fear Factory, Downset, and fronted by Cypress Hill’s Sen Dog, their self titled debut album makes you stop and say, “Hey, we got something here.” You always get a feeling with super groups that they could not work or blend well or just seem to be an odd fit. This is not the case. Powerflo is tight, has chemistry and contains killer hooks and a hard sound that grabs you by the collar and makes you listen.
The opening track “My M.O.” opens with a crushing guitar riff and dope rhymes straight from Sen Dog with a fantastic rhythm and beat from bassist Christen Olde Wolbers and drummer Fernando Schaefer. Its perfect to get you hyped up or that necessary kick you need to listen to while you’re at the gym. The next track “Resistance” is heavily vocal, driven with sick drums. But the song that stands out most is “Less Than a Human” because of how motivating it is. The track that highlights the band the best is the single “Victim of Circumstance.” If you want to get someone hooked on this band, show them this track. It’s a perfect sports anthem. I would expect to hear this band at sporting and fight events. Book it.
Some of the Biohazard fans may be let down because they’re expecting to hear the kick ass break downs and guitar solos from a band that made them so iconic. Poweflo isn’t driven by break downs and solos, it’s driven by catchy hooks. The hooks punch HARD. And Sen Dog really shines because he’s front and center. This is a band with a bold move by guitarist Billy Graziadei, because everyone is used to him being front and center anchoring for Biohazard, but he has a different role in Powerflo. But it works. This album is a must have for any hip hop, hardcore or metal fan. Keep an eye out for Powerflo. It’s easily the best debut metal album of this year.
Key Tracks: “My M.O.”, “Less Than A Human”, “Victim Of Circumstance”
The British Invasion swiftly swept over the United States in the 1960s, bringing the world pioneer rock musicians that still have the world buzzing in nostalgia over their music decades later. With the Beatles and the Rolling Stones leading the pack, two tribute acts will storm into Peekskill’s Paramount Hudson Valley Theater for a musical play-off of the ages. On Thursday, June 29, tribute acts Abbey Road and Satisfaction– The International Rolling Stones Show, will go head to head during “Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown” as each group swaps time on stage performing a total of three power sets each, with interwoven outfit changes.
For many, a show down was only a Sunday afternoon daydream while spinning Rubber Soul and Out of Our Heads with a friend in their bedroom.
Some argue the Beatles reign over the rest with Revolver notching the title of Greatest Pop Record of All Time while others credit the Stones with their ongoing ability to create. Nevertheless, both unarguably left an indelible footprint on the music world we currently live in.
Following reminiscent tunes like “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” Twist and Shout,” “Paint it Black” and “Honky Tonk Woman” as well as an experimental mash-up finale, the end of the night will bring a real-time, rock-and-roll the vote session as the audience determines who rocked the hardest.
Tickets are range from $30 to $60 and may be purchased online at the Parmount Theatre’s website, by phone at (914) 739-0039 or at the Theatre Box Office.
Ever since my first local show experience in my hometown of Syracuse, N.Y, I was addicted to finding local bands. The one thing us New Yorkers know best is how to make our own brand of metal. Look around in the Central New York area and you will find some of the most talented bands you can find from Ire Clad, which has some of the best mixture of Black Sabbath’s doom approach mix with some of the hard rock vibrations of Soundgarden, and Vile Tyrant who continues to liberate the black metal underground with their melodic approach to the genre. New York bleeds metal! To present my case, I give you this album review of A Fitting Revenge’s album, Tempus Fugit. I now have the floor!
A Fitting Revenge is based out of Rochester, N.Y. We have Ledwing Hernandez on both guitars and vocals to bring the battlecry, Chris Xu on guitar to help bring the groove back to the mosh floor, Chandler Moran on bass to make your skin vibrate with excitement, and Aaron Smith on drums fueling the fire with his sonic attack behind the kit! Tempus Fugit is a deadly cocktail of groove and melody. The track “Cured of Faith” has some of the best groove induced execution I have seen in recent years. The band’s influences really show here. From the vocal approach much in the style of Randy Blythe, from Lamb of God, to the very catchy riff playing similar to Dimebag Darrell, the band still gives this track some NY style flavor. Hernandez’s vocals are just murderous and carries very well with the intricate drumming of Smith; by far my favorite track from the group. Moran’s bass playing will make you pick up your feet as Smith’s sounds the battle drums! Prepare for a moshpit for this one!
Even with the intense amount of aggression, you can still find some of the best melodic material from A Fitting Revenge. The track for me that screams out to in this manner is the beautifully constructed ‘Quiverfull’. The guitars harmonize very well on this song. Xu and Hernandez really have that chemistry to make this song hit hard. It is like taking a punch from Tyaon; yes including the ear biting! The fingering and precision is remarkable. Not even once when I was this demon did they lose my attention on this track; superb. Extremely catchy and melodic, it will have you begging for more as Hernandez’s guitar soars and compounds the solos with no struggle. The bass playing of Moran is spot on as it helps propel the emphasis of the bottom end of the song with the help of Smith’s very technical playing to keep that neck of yours breaking!
These musicians are extremely talented in what they do. With the aggressive tracks, like “Cured of Faith” and “Quiverfull,” and the melodic tracks, like the instrumental “Neuromancer” and “Wintermute,” the band no doubt has mastered their craft. In my opinion you should check out this band if you need a groove fix for your collection. I give this album 5 out of 5 horns. Go to the band’s links below to show your support!
This week’s featured artist at Alive at 5 was the Grammy award winning hip-hop group Naughty By Nature. The weather was perfect on Thursday, June 22, and the energy was a max. The group got the crowd on their feet right from the start with one of their hit’s “O.P.P.” Naughty By Nature performed for about an hour. This also marked the first hip-hop group of this year’s concert series. The group from New Jersey is celebrating 20 years of creating music.
Next week’s Alive at 5 Concert brings rock and roll band The Outlaws along with The Steppin Stones. Be sure to get down to Jenning’s Landing right at 5pm to catch both acts!
Parkway Drive brings their last US tour of the year to the greater North American area. Thursday, June 22 they paid a visit to Upstate Concert Hall.
The crowd was off of their feet the second Parkway Drive came on stage and started their set with the song “wild eyes.” With nonstop crowd surfing and moshing throughout the whole set, you could feel the energy and the room shaking from the stage all the way to the back of the venue! You do not want to miss this tour.
Setlist: Wild Eyes, Carrion, Dedication, Vice Grip, Karma, Sleepwalker, Dark Days, Destroyer, Boneyards, Writings on the wall, Idols and anchors, Romance is Dead
Positive Mental Trip recently releasedThe Black and White Album, a collection of 15 songs that spans the genres of reggae, progressive rock, alternative rock, and more. The band is from Catskill, and The Black and White Album is their sophomore album coming five years after Change Your Mind. The band’s core writer/recording musician is Luke Weiler; he taught himself drums and bass to record nearly every instrument you hear on the album. The few exceptions are the sax parts in “The Bronco Rides at Midnight” and “Circles,” recorded by Chris Bonnano, and additional guitar from Steve Repka on “Circles,” “The Happy Old Man,” and “As a Friend” and Walt B on “The Bronco Rides at Midnight.”
The album kicks off with two reggae-styled tracks: “The Road” and “The Happy Old Man.” “The Happy Old Man” is one of those feel-good songs with simple structure, ending each lyrical phrase with “cuz I’m the happy old man.” It makes good use of percussion and guitar arpeggios. “The Road” is one of the best on the album with a laid-back groove emphasized by the scratchy/distorted guitar. “December Winds” stands out as the heaviest track on the album, greatly juxtaposing the lighter works throughout. It has a driving backbeat and prominent guitar until the end where the track suddenly shifts to a slower, lethargic tempo. “Sleeping Dreamland” artistically features some flat pitch bending in the guitar to illicit a dream-like or even a disoriented state by the listener. “Circles” closes out the album with an upbeat, funky, progressive jam that really caps the project with an exclamation point!
The album is quite diverse in song structure, featuring tracks only about a minute long up to almost 12 minutes, and it’s also inclusive of multiple genres; it has something for all listeners. They used a number of vocal effects which added a bit of depth to the vocalist’s sound. Weiler mixed and mastered the entire project with a little help from Tony Gonzo on “The Road.” The bass and drums could have been higher in the mix throughout to give the music a little more support, but still impressive nonetheless that Weiler crafted this album himself.
The album is a bit more experimental than the last, illustrating the artist’s growth in musicianship and willingness to diversify the writing. The band took some liberties with the recording process by tracking anywhere from 5 to 12 layers of guitar and including an array of instruments throughout. They’re not touring in support of this album, save for the CD release party in Athens, NY. So this allowed them to focus on creating densely textured tracks without worrying about how to recreate them live. Click here to check it out!
Key Tracks: The Road, The Happy Old Man, and The Bronco Rides at Midnight
Saturday’s Dead & Company show at Citi Field will have a special sit-in for the encore. Empire State Reality Trust, owners of the iconic Empire State Building, has teamed up with Dead & Company and New York’s classic rock station Q104.3 to provide a synchronized LED light show to illuminate the famed tower as the band performs its encore at Citi Field.
The Empire State Building’s light show will be designed by Marc Brickman and begins at approximately 11:00 p.m. Those not at Citi Field can still enjoy the music through the iHeartRadio app or over the air on New York’s classic rock station Q104.3.
Once the show is over, it will be available for viewing on the Empire State Building’s Facebook and YouTube channels as well as the Dead & CompanyYouTube channel.
Dead & Company recently performed at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. You can read the NYS Music review of that show here and video from SPAC below.
Ten minutes down the road from Saratoga Performing Art Center’s Dead and Company concert June 20th, the performing arts center was co-hosting with Skidmore a classical event “Mozart in Havana.” While stylistically different from the jam up the road, and certainly separate in target audiences, the Cuban orchestra inspired by free expression and lighthearted love for music.
Pianist Simone Dinnerstein and the Havana Lyceum Orchestra intrigued a full house of excited classical music lovers with over two hours of intricate dialogues between piano and orchestra. The concert featured a classical piece from Cuba, two Mozart concertos, a Copland, and a surprise arrangement of Cuban music that had the orchestra members dancing in their seats, and eventually off stage to a salsa rhythm. Simone Dinnerstein, a well-respected and acknowledged talent of her generation, paired her love of piano music with her interest in Cuban music and culture on this cool June evening.
Taking the stage at Skidmore’s Arthur Zankel Music Center, Ms. Dinnerstein held the audience captivated with the technically challenging yet beautifully managed Mozart concertos. Both concertos 21 and 23 were recognizable to the audience, making the music selection accessible to audiences while also demonstrating Ms. Dinnerstein’s well-controlled and expressive musicianship.
Simone Dinnerstein, a well-respected and acknowledged talent of her generation, paired her love of piano music with her interest in Cuban music and culture on this cool June evening. The concert’s bookends were well-loved compositions from both Cuban and American cannons for orchestra. Concert notes reflected thought about how to best bridge the cultures through classical music
The concert’s bookends were well-loved compositions from both Cuban and American canons for orchestra. Concert notes reflected thought about how to best bridge the cultures through classical music choices and had settled on Farinas and Copland for this purpose.
The true excitement of the night, however, came from an encore performance of an arrangement composed by the orchestra’s own violinist, Jenny Pena Compo, who delighted audiences with dueling melodies on the trumpet and later violins. Showcasing musicianship and a true passion for their country’s music, the young and diverse orchestra members swayed together to the rhythms of Cuba’s traditional melodies. Musicians left the stage dancing and playing their instruments with a joyful, young energy often missing from classical concerts.
Audience members shared culture through music in the concert hall, laughing and dancing in their seats in an invigorating and inspiring night of music.
You knew it wouldn’t be long before Stone Sour/Slipknot frontman, Corey Taylor, would enlighten everyone with his thoughts about Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger and his recent comments about him and Stone Sour. Kroeger’s comment about Taylor starting Stone Sour to get away from being under a mask is not accurate, as Taylor started Stone Sour just before getting involved with Slipknot.
Blabbermouth reports that in a recent interview with Sweden’s Metal Covenant, Kroeger blasted Taylor when he asked the interviewer to name another band that’s as diverse as they are[Nickelback]. Kroeger stated before being cut off: “I can’t think of another band that’s as diverse as we are. I can’t. And I don’t think that’s me talking from pride or ego. I mean, you’re sitting across the table. You know what you’re talking about. Can you name me another band who can play.”
After the interviewer cut off Kroeger, and spit out Stone Sour as his answer, Kroeger quickly responded: “Stone Sour? Yeah, ’cause they’re trying to be Nickelback. Corey Taylor has said some really nasty things about me before in the press. He talks about how easy it is to write a hit song. Well, show me. Show me. Write one. I have yet to hear one. They’re okay. But they’re not as good as Nickelback. They sound like ‘Nickelback Lite.’”
Kroeger continued to bash Taylor while talking about Taylor’s other band Slipknot. He said: “They had to put on masks and jump around. How good can your music be if you’ve gotta beat each other up on stage, throw up in your own masks every night…? I mean, music shouldn’t come with a gimmick; music should just be music. None of my favorite music comes with a gimmick. And he got tired of sitting behind a mask — he wanted people to know what he looks like — so he started Stone Sour.”
Arizona radio station KUPD, had the honor to be the first ones to ask Taylor about Kroeger’s recent comments. Taylor on saying it was easy to write a hit song: “You know what? I’ve never said it was easy to write a hit song, I don’t know what the hell planet he’s living on. Apparently it’s Planet Kroeger, and there must be good weed there, ’cause he’s an idiot.”
Taylor was set to give a verbal onslaught when hearing the comments, but after seeing fans reactions, Taylor stated: “I don’t have to say a damn thing — he is not a liked person. That’s all we have to say about it.”
Taylor’s response about Slipknot wearing masks, and jumping around: “You can run your mouth all you want. All I know is I’ve been voted ‘Sexiest Dude In Rock’ wearing a mask. You’ve been voted ‘Ugliest Dude In Rock’ twice without one. Stick that up your ass.”
He added that it seems Kroeger is the only member of Nickelback that has the problem with him. “I love Mike [Kroeger, Nickelback bassist and Chad’s brother], I love… Everybody else in that band I’m very, very cool with; I’ve hung out with them. It’s just ‘Face Like A Foot’ who I can’t really hang out with. He’s got a face like a foot. Am I wrong? See, that’s the hard thing: I can’t even say anything about the band, Nickelback, because none of ’em have an issue with us. It’s him. So, dude, curl up in bed with your Hello Kitty pillow and shut up.”
Taylor even brought up a past statement he from over 10 years ago about when both bands shared the same label: “Let’s just say Roadrunner took all the Slipknot money and gave it to Nickelback to sign them. That’s all I’m gonna say about it.”
In that interview in 2002 with Rock Sound, Taylor suggested that Roadrunner put their promotional machine behind Nickelback instead of supporting Slipknot:
I’m glad they could use our money to make fucking Nickelback happy. That’s a very, very bitter subject for me, and if I ever see any of those fuckers, it’s going to be brutal. I’m happy for them, but at the same [time], we went out and bust our asses to make what we did. If they’re still here in a couple years then, hey, good for them, but this band isn’t going anywhere, and when the record label basically fucks your loyalty in the ass, it’s really bitter — especially when we went out and fucking bled, sweat and earned every fucking album that we sold. MTV won’t fucking touch us, radio barely fucking touches us and here comes those fucking pretty boys… and the lead singer looks like Shaggy from ‘Scooby Doo’… and what the fuck am I supposed to do? Am I not supposed to feel bitter when I have broken bones and fucking torn corneas? It’s bullshit, and the record label just smiles at you and goes ‘Yeah, yeah whatever…’ It’s fucking not right, dude.
It’s just the fact we could have used the help. We have fucking fought for everything we have fucking made, when is someone going to help us, and when is someone going to step up and fight for us? The record label doesn’t do that for us. It’ll go to bat for fucking Nickelback, but when it comes to us, it’s fucking shutdown. It’s, like, what the fuck? I’m fucking proud of what we’ve done, but goddamn it, when are we going to get given a hand? I’m so fucking tired of it.”
During the interview with KUPD, the host joked that Stone Sour should open up for Nickelback during their Canadian tour, which made Stone Sour guitarist Josh Rand reply that they were actually asked a couple of months ago to open for them on that tour, but they of course declined Nickelback’s offer. With that being said, maybe hard feelings are starting to set in.
There seems to be a growing trend in metal music of rap-metal making a comeback since 
A Fitting Revenge
Next week’s Alive at 5 Concert brings rock and roll band 
