NYS Music 20​17

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  • The Radio Dept. Performs at Brighton Music Hall

    The Radio Dept. kicked things off in Boston on Tuesday, March 7, playing to a packed crowd at Brighton Music Hall. The indie dream-pop group from Sweden consists of Johan Duncanson who started making music with Martin Larsson in the late 90s and scored some impressive reviews from NME upon their first album release, Lesser Matters in 2003. For this tour they were backing their newest 2016 album, Running Out of Love, which is their fourth studio album and is a great representation of how The Radio Dept. is able to consistently bust out music within the realms of their niche style they began to perfect back in the early 2000s.

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    “Swedish Guns” is a clear favorite off their newest record and in the live format the group was able to put on a show with the song in a manner complete with necessary energy yet with the laid back, shoe-gaze nature of The Radio Dept. Actually what makes The Radio Dept. so enticing as a live band and a band on record is their ability to incorporate from so many genres. This is where the keyboards shine as an entirely vital aspect of their somewhat playful sound. Another favorite off their new album has to be “Committed To The Cause,” which has a groove similar to something Thievery Corporation might come out with, matched with a 90s style bass line along the likes of “Cannonball,” by The Breeders. What really makes the song come together is the synth line halfway through – a definite crowd favorite of the night. The chemistry between Duncanson and Larsson is clear on stage as two friends who have been playing together for quite some time are consistently feeding off each other to push and maintain their musical bounds. Sometimes reeling in comparisons to the likes of Pet Shop Boys, The Radio Dept. is a perfect modern, indie, more down tempo version of the 80s legends.

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    With a duo opener straight from Brooklyn, GERMANS eased the early birds into the night with vocals and bass performing on top of song samples. Their hit song “Cruel” has everything a modern Brooklyn indie band reminiscent of the 80s could ask for.

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  • Black Sabbath Officially Marks The End

    It’s official. After almost 50 years together, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler, aka Black Sabbath, have put the end the final stamp on their legendary career touring under the Black Sabbath banner. Fans of Black Sabbath knew that the day was inevitable and the band confirmed it as they posted a picture on social media confirming the end of an era. Guitarist Tony Iommi has stated that the band may still create music, and possibly perform one-off shows here and there.

    Black Sabbath has been on the road touring for over a year, on the band’s “The End” tour, which brought the band all over the globe, giving die hard Sabbath fans some closure. Black Sabbath performed their last show on February 4, in the band’s hometown of Birmingham, England at the Genting Arena.

    Considered one of the pioneer’s in heavy metal, Black Sabbath released 19 studio albums, and sold over 70 million albums worldwide including 15 million albums in the United States. Some of those albums include their self titled debut Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970), which some call one of the most influential metal albums in history, helping form the metal genre, 2x platinum certified album, Master Of Reality (1971), and the bands final studio album 13 (2013). Black Sabbath has won two Grammy awards for Best Metal Performance, including in 2014 for “God Is Dead?”

    Formed in 1968, Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006, and the UK Music Hall Of Fame in 2005. Rolling Stone ranked the band #85, on their 100 greatest artist of all time.

  • Trey Anastasio Brings Acoustic Phish to Troy

    The Capital Region of New York has long been stomping grounds for Phish fans. The Times Union Center, formerly known as the Pepsi and Knickerbocker Arenas, has hosted the Vermont boys several times over the last 20 years. SPAC has become a summer tradition for three-night runs and Mike Gordon has played The Egg in Albany multiple times, most recently in November. Troy, NY is now on the map for phans as our fearless leader Trey Anastasio made his second stop of his three-city solo acoustic concert series there on Friday, March 10.

    trey troy
    photo by Dave DeCrescente

    Having played at The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall with the Vermont Youth Orchestra in 2001, Trey told the sold-out crowd of 1,200 that he had been “dying to come back ever since.” The intimate venue, built in 1870 is a stark difference to the mega arenas and amphitheaters in which we congregate for Phish. It proved to be the perfect intimate setting for an evening with Trey, who played 22 songs straight through with a two-song encore. The vast majority of the songs were from the Phish catalog, punctuated with side-splitting comedic tales and tidbits from the Grammy-nominated guitarist’s career. A world class musician and captivating story teller, he is now the Garrison Keillor of the jam scene.

    Kicking things off quickly with “Strange Design,” “Blaze On,” “Mountains in the Mist” and “The Wedge,” he paused briefly to discuss the venue, acknowledging the acoustics of the “legendary room.” Every single movement he made across his guitar sounded as if it were in high resolution – crisp and clear. Next up was “Shade,” and then with some apprehension, a wealth of nervousness and true humility, he told a tale of a birthday letter sent to him from friend and lyricist Tom Marshall during his time spent in Washington County, NY. Despite a tough situation, this letter gave way to the creation of “Backwards Down the Number Line” in which he played after acknowledging one fan’s birthday in the crowd.

    From there he went into “Twenty Years Later” and “Tide Turns” and put the crowd in stitches with a story about a Vermont snowshoeing excursion with Les Claypool and Stewart Copeland, setting the stage for “Rubberneck Lions,” a song he says is his favorite the trio did as Oysterhead.  He then switched guitars to something bigger and boxier for “The Inlaw Josie Wales,” a song that sounded angelic and sweet in this form.

    Sandwiched between two stories involving bandmates Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman, he played a beautiful rendition of “Free.” This was then followed by “Kill Devil Falls,” and “Wolfmans Brother” in which the audience lent their voices as a loop pedal allowed him to layer a jam on top of his own chords. He then performed “The Line,” and then whistled his way through “Lizards.”  “Guelah Papyrus,” “Wading in the Velvet Sea” and “Lawn Boy” preceded a touching and tear jerking “Summer of ’89,” dedicated to his wife of 22 years, Sue, who listened to the song from the audience that Trey says documents their relationship. Then as if to say “enough of the mush,” Trey delivered the always dark “Carini” followed by “Chalkdust Torture” to close the set.

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    After a standing ovation, Trey returned to encore with David Bowie’s “Rock n’ Roll Suicide” and ended the evening with “More,” the third track off Phish’s 2016 album Big Boat.

    As we picked our jaws up from the floor and embraced our neighbors with hugs and emotional high fives, our hearts overflowed with love and gratitude for this man who has provided so much joy in our lives. The Collar City has a whole new glow and meaning to those of us lucky to witness such a special evening.

    Setlist: Strange Design, Blaze On, Mountains in the Mist, The Wedge, Shade, Backwards Down the Number Line, Twenty Years Later, Tide Turns, Rubberneck Lions*, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Free, Kill Devil Falls, Wolfmans Brother, The Line, Lizards, Guelah Papyrus, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Lawn Boy, Summer of ’89**, Carini -> Chalkdust Torture

    Encore: Rock n’ Roll Suicide†, More

    *Oysterhead song
    ** dedicated to wife, Sue
    † David Bowie cover

  • Hearing Aide: Barika ‘When The Time Comes’

    When is it time to take a step back and reflect? At what point amidst the violence, protest, argument, and confusion perpetuated by the media is it ok for twenty-first century human beings to come to halt from information absorption? Barika, a psychedelic West African influenced band from Burlington, Vermont, aims to satisfy those questions with their album, When the Time Comes.

    Immediately from the beginning of the project, time seems to slow and the reflection begins. Each song in the album is different from the next which at first listen seems disjointed, only connected by the reoccurring horn lines, however when listened to more than once, it is easy to see what Barika is trying to accomplish within this forty-three minute album. Instead of a chronological storyline, as many albums try to convey, When the Time Comes has the aim to come at listeners from all angles with instrumental tracks mixed in with R&B flavored ones and even songs completely comprised of African drumming. There are also strong messages within the album.

    In “Find My Way”, instances of police brutality are highlighted by using examples of Eric Garner’s words “I can’t breathe” said over and over. In addition, Craig Myers, the leader of the band cites Ferguson Missouri and the fatal shooting of native Michael Brown. As the track in the center of the album, Barika chooses to focus on issues that are the most important. This symbolizes the need for society to reflect while at the same time remaining conscious enough to keep a grasp on the harsh and unjust realities that are plaguing society.

    In When the Time Comes, Barika transforms the traditional model of an album by keeping each track different from the one before and after but still tying them all together in the end. It is not music that can be casually listened to but needs to be thoroughly digested to understand what the motives behind it are. Catch them at Funk n Waffles in Syracuse on March 10. Check out additional shows here.

    Key Tracks: When The Time Comes, Find My Way, There For You

  • Matthew O’Neill “Louisiana” to Benefit Earth Guardians

    Matthew O’Neill has released “Louisiana,” the first single from his upcoming album Trophic Cascade, coinciding with the March 10 Native Nations March in Washington D.C.

    matthew o'neill Recorded in Gowanus, Brooklyn, the emotional original song combines elements of Americana, psychedelia, and rock. The single is a pay-what-you-want release with all proceeds benefitting Earth Guardians. The album is due out May 5 from label and environmental coalition Underwater Panther Coalition, who will donate 50% of all profits to frontline earth protection groups, with a focus on indigenous rights and conservation.

    Catch O’Neill at Lantern Inn in Wassaic, NY on April 15 and April 26 at Parkside Lounge in NYC. He heads west on May 13 to perform at Raven Cafe in Prescott, AZ and returns east for a show at Radio Bean in Burlington, VT on May 17.

  • Hearing Aide: Lord Electro ‘Business’

    The Albany based trio Lord Electro has made an epic sound for such a humble group, their debut album Business is highly synthetic, immersive and overall impressive. This is the first full length album for the group and they’ve done a immaculate job. The production quality is top notch, their performance is tight and it will leave listeners with a few pleasant ear-worms. They’re playing all over the tri-state area, mainly focused in New York, as well as an album release show on Friday, March 10 at The Hollow in Albany, NY.

    They’ve played with big names like The New Deal, Soule Monde (Ft. members of TAB), Roots of Creation, Conehead Buddha and have been influenced by groups like The Disco Biscuits, Lotus, Phish, NERVE and STS9. They haven’t reinvented the livetronic style, but they have created a great album to add to the library of livetronica lovers. The group consists of Dan Gerken on Synth, Steve Mink on bass and synth and Jordan LeFluer drums.

    The title track “Business” is first up and it’s a little generic to start, but as the saying goes, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It builds nicely through a variety of unique tones from Gerken and is very spacious and trance-like with mild peaks and drops. The direction isn’t very surprising but it will definitely get people moving in a live setting. Vocal hooks will have listeners humming the tune for days making this a key track. Again, it’s easy to forget that only three men are creating this music, through the help of loops and drum tracks of course, but it is still impressive nonetheless.

    “Spiral” is truly encapsulating, partly because of the instrumental track, but also because of the thought that went into the vocals. Again, Gerken’s voice is sultry and spot on, harmonized at some points and thoroughly impressive. That voice laid over a never-stopping beat is a really nice touch considering it’s an overlooked aspect of livetronica.

    “The Slumber” is another track that incorporates that fantastic voice from Gerken. That, on top of a darker take on a trance tone makes for an excellent song. The verses aren’t the most incredible pieces of music ever created, but the chorus is astounding. The lyrics, “Too much, too fast” will be ringing out in the heads of listeners as well as this washy, never ending riff that leaves listeners feeling trapped in a whirlpool of sound.

    Towards the end, “Reflections” comes in a little slow to start, but pulls through in the end in the best possible way. LeFluer stays consistent the whole way through, Mink lays down a fantastic, highly addictive, but slightly repetitive groove and Greken digresses from a peppy and tight synth run to an intense, falling lick that gives a nice contrast of light and dark tones.

    Overall, this album won’t revolutionize the livetronica genre, but it is well thought out, well produced and will be an absolute blast to see performed live. Lord Electro perform later this month at Dino BBQ in Troy NY, March 24, The Monopole in Plattsburgh NY March 25 and several other New York based shows mid March through late April. Tour dates are on their Facebook page as well as hard copies of their CD for purchase and digital downloads available on iTunes.

    Key Tracks: Business, The Slumber, Reflections

  • Twiddle and Aqueous Host Memorable Weekend at Buffalo’s Town Ballroom

    Vermont jam band Twiddle and Buffalo groove rockers Aqueous teamed up for a legendary weekend of music. Saturday March 4, not only marked Twiddle’s first two-night run at the historical venue, but also marked Aqueous’ debut.  Saturday night was marked a sell out, while Sunday night ticket sales landed just under capacity.

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    Aqueous made the most out of their debut weekend.  The band’s hometown fan base came out in full support, with many AQ fans traveling to witness the group’s first shows at the Town Ballroom. Mike Abrahamson made the five hour drive from Hudson Falls, NY and commented, “I’ve never heard a crowd that loud for the opening band. It was insanity.”

    Saturday night, Aqueous opened with the fan favorite “Strange Times.” Moving forward, the set progressed to a newer tune, the recently debuted “Second Sight.” “Numbers and Facts” took a highly talked about turn, when the band switched gears midway and debuted a cover of the NWA classic “Express Yourself,” featuring bassist Evan McPhaden on vocals with Twiddle bassist Zdenek Gubb on bass duties.  McPhaden took to crowd surfing before returning to the stage to conclude “Numbers and Facts” with the band. Aqueous closed out their debut set with the high energy “Don’t Do It” from their EP Best in Show.

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    Twiddle held nothing back on night one, instantly commanding the room with “Blunderbuss” an intense, high energy instrumental that is slated for release on the upcoming Plump – Chapter 2.  Their Saturday night set was a varied list of fan favorites that spanned the band’s catalog including  “Brick of Barley,” “Carter Candlestick,” “Indigo Trigger” and “Lost in the Cold.”

    Twiddle also welcomed Aqueous guitarist Mike Ganzter for the Twiddle instrumental “Latin Tang.”  Ganzter’s guitar work added an incredible layer of guitar harmonies.  It also added an incredible layer of on-stage camaraderie. There is an evident level of musical respect and appreciation between the two bands that shines, specifically when Gantzer and Twiddle guitarist Mihali Savoulidis take the stage together.

    The night concluded with Ganzter returning to the stage with McPhaden on synth. The pair sat-in with Twiddle for the Ray Parker Jr. hit “Ghostbusters.” The encore choice was inspired by a plaque in the venue, listing the site at one of Western New York’s most haunted buildings.  Formerly known as the Town Casino and used as a speakeasy during Prohibition, employees of the Town Ballroom often report ghost sightings, unexplained sounds through the venue’s basement tunnels and the venue’s equipment often turning on without explanation.

    Both bands used Saturday night’s momentum to launch a Sunday night burner. Aqueous came out firing, bringing a unique twist to some of their most beloved tunes. The night was kicked off with “Underlyer” and “Marty.” AQ then fired into an alternative funk version of “Eon Don” (nicknamed “Eon Ron”) before bringing on Twiddle drummer Brook Jordan for the David Bowie classic “Let’s Dance.” Vocals on the tune were handled by Aqueous drummer Rob Houk. Aqueous concluded their two-night run at the Town Ballroom with the high energy favorite “Origami.”

    Longtime Buffalo fan Matt Shotwell enjoyed the band’s take on songs he’s heard at many previous shows: “Still can’t get over how they gave seemingly every song at least a slight reworking. New tempos, new licks and teases aplenty.”

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    Sunday night proved that Aqueous is poised to move into larger venues.  Their sound is built to fill a larger space. Abrahamson summed it up best telling NYS Music, “The boys absolutely commanded the attention of the room without hiccups. The sound was perfect in my opinion. It can be hard to upscale your sound to a bigger stage but they had no problem whatsoever.”

    Their incredible use of layers and depth, enhanced by Lighting Director Ryan Bress, showcased an entire stage package that hometown fans have longed to see. Bress, also went on to light Twiddle both nights to rave reviews.

    Twiddle brought high energy on Sunday night.  The mellow mood established by first set opener “Subconscious Prelude” was quickly turned on its ear as the band turned the Town Ballroom into a dance party fueled by “Apples>Funkytown>Apples.” Set one also contained fan favorite “Gatsby the Great” and concluded with the instrumental tune “The Catapillar.”

    Set two kicked off with “Earth Mama” followed by the moody and edgy combination of “Wasabi Eruption > The Box.” The four-song set concluded with “Syncopated Healing” featuring Ganzter on a quitar solo that had fans of both band’s talking.  NYS Music Photographer Tim Merrill, who was shooting at the time even noted that “Gantzers solo during syncopated had me in tears in the pit. It was beautiful.” Ganzter returned to the stage with Twiddle for a Radiohead “Karma Police” encore.

    Taylor Cauwels, who traveled both nights from Rochester, summed up the feelings of a lot of fans at the conclusion of the weekend. She told NYS Music, “So thankful for this band and the medicine they provide. I leave every show with more “frends” than I came with. The amazing feelings that radiated throughout the Ballroom were almost overwhelming. My cheeks still hurt from smiling so much.”

    Gantzer left the weekend feeling supported by their local fan base. “I feel a true sense of pride and admiration for our fan base at this moment in time,” he said. “Our hometown crowd really brought it (as they always do), and the weekend was full of absolute magic because of their incredible energy and excitement; it was a shared experience and one that I’ll likely never forget.”

    The weekend was not only a success for Twiddle and Aqueous, but also for the Twiddle fan funded organization The White Light Foundation.  The charity held its first event in Buffalo successfully raising money for two Western New York charities, Crisis Services and Going to The Dogs Rescue. 

    Ganzter noted that, “We also have been having THE BEST time with the twiddle boys and their awesome crew, so we’re psyched to keep this momentum going with them on and off stage!”

    Twiddle and Aqueous hit the road together again and head to Keene, New Hampshire on March 17 and March 18. The two bands will also be making stops together in Stroudsburg, PA and Washington, D.C. before concluding their shows together at the Playstation Theatre in New York City on March 31 and April 1. Aqueous was also recently announced on Twiddle’s Festival Tumble Down which will be held in Burlington on July 28 and July 29.

    Twiddle Setlist via uTwiddle.net

    Saturday 3/4/2017
    Set 1: Blunderbuss, Polluted Beauty, White Light, Brick Of Barley, Carter Candlestick

    Set 2: Wildfire, Indigo Trigger, Dr. Remidi’s Melodium, Latin Tang[1], Lost In The Cold Encore: Ghostbusters[2]

    Show Notes: [1] “Latin Tang” featured Mike Gantzer (Aqueous) on guitar. [2] “Ghostbusters” featured Mike Gantzer (Aqueous) on guitar and Evan McPhaden (Aqueous) on bass.

    Sunday 3/5/2017
    Set 1: Subconscious Prelude, Apples -> Funky Town -> Apples, Gatsby The Great, Dusk ‘Til Dawn, The Catapillar

    Set 2: Earth Mama, Wasabi Eruption -> The Box, Syncopated Healing[1] Encore: Karma Police[1]

    Show Notes: [1] “Syncopated Healing” and “Karma Police” featured Mike Gantzer (Aqueous) on guitar.

    Aqueous setlist via – aqueousband.com

    Saturday 3/4/2017
    Set 1: Strange Times, Second Sight, Numbers and Facts > Express Yourself1 2 3 > Numbers and Facts, Don’t Do It

    Show Notes: 1NWA cover, Aqueous debut 2 Evan rapping (Last Evan rap – 2013/5/11 436 shows)3 Gubb [Twiddle] on bass, Donkey Kong theme in DDI, Post rapping Evan crowd surfed. #rockstar

    Sunday 3/5/2017
    Set 1: Underlyer > Marty, Eon Don > Let’s Dance1 2 > Complex Pt. I, Origami

    Show Notes: 1 Rob on vocals 2 Brook Jordan [Twiddle] on drums, Let’s Dance last played 2016/8/11 67 shows

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  • moe. Packs the F Shed for Another Hometown Throe.down

    moe. closed out its Syracuse residency Saturday, March 4, with a scorching show at the F Shed. A show that featured a hot first set, a second set “Kids” sandwich and three-song encore.

    The above referenced residency had moe. spending a few days in town being feted by the Syracuse Area Music Awards as inductees into that organization’s Hall of Fame, along with a three song performance at Friday’s award ceremony.  Saturday was the culmination of a great weekend of music in the Salt City.

    The frigid night began with guitarist Chuck Garvey’s monotone greeting, “Welcome to the hockey rink. Are you ready to rock? I said, ‘Are you ready to rock?’ I can’t hear you. Are you ready to rock?” As he fiddled with the tuning knobs of his Fender Stratocaster, he proclaimed, “I’m not quite ready to rock.” The lackluster delivery of a standard arena rock tone gave an ironic insight to the night’s proceedings. moe. – and Garvey – were, in fact, ready to rock.

    The F Shed is one of the more unique venues on the live music circuit, as it is literally a shed. Located in the Regional Market on Syracuse’s north side, the market provides not only a venue for live music, but a year-round location for farmer’s markets and flea markets. Garvey’s hockey rink reference isn’t a far stretch. One could easily see a set of dasher boards and red and blue lines being a part of this facility. With outside temperatures hovering in the zero range, the indoor temps seemed just slightly warmer upon entry. Thoughts of an impending hockey game weren’t a far stretch.

    The show opened with a boom, boom, boom, as the band busted into “Crab Eyes” from Wormwood. The song had a heavy Garvey/Jim Loughlin presence, which set the tone for the remainder of the night. The band dipped into its early 2000s catalog of songs featuring Garvey’s vocals and Loughlin’s percussion often.

    The first set was segue after segue as the band whirled through “Threw It All Away” and a rare moe., version 1.0 run-through of “Funky Reuben” before seamlessly moving back into “Crab Eyes.” The nearly all-segued first set continued with Garvey leading the way out of a spacey “Silver Sun.” “Akimbo” closed the solid first set, finally allowing the near capacity crowd to catch its breath.

    Following an extended setbreak, the band kicked into a low-key “Moth” to usher in the second set. moe. kept it mellow as Rob Derhak’s familiar bass intro to “Kyle’s Song” segued out of “Moth.” Garvey’s mid-song solo kicked up the pace with the crowd following suit.

    Throughout the night, the lights incorporated the industrial sized ceiling fans into the scenery, creating a scene reminiscent of Willy Wonka’s ‘Fizzy Lifting Drink.’

    The opening notes of “Kids” ripped open a box of crazy that resulted in a “Kids” sandwich to wrap up the second set. “Down Boy” set a funky tone into “Hector’s Pillow” and “Bring You Down” before settling back into “Kids.”

    After a quick break, Al Schnier returned with his usual slate of al.nouncements. Offering a cheers to the crowd with a can of Utica Club, Schnier ran through engagement announcements and show numbers from various fans as well as a tease of moe.down’s return to Snow Ridge Ski Area this summer.

    An energetic encore began with the slow swirling build up of “Wind It Up,” with Loughlin’s mallets working overtime. The closing chorus turned into a sing-along as lights lit up the inside of the shed. The crowd-pleasing “Nebraska” followed with nearly all in attendance joining in.

    moe. has often used classic rock staples as show closers. Tonight was one of those times. The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” has been tackled by many but moe. seemed particularly equipped to replicate the synthesizer opening using Loughlin’s malletkat and guest violinist Nick Picciccini from Floodwood tackling the signature solo with ease.

    “Baba O’Riley” ended the night on a high note. The entire night capped off a three-day celebration of moe. as hometown heroes following the band’s induction into the Syracuse Area Music Awards (SAMMYS) Hall of Fame on Thursday and a performance at the awards ceremony on Friday.

    Seeing moe. perform in their home area creates a great homey vibe that reveals a fondness of their roots as a blue collar jamband from Central New York. At this point in their storied career, moe. is playing with  an energy that is still infectious to the long-timers yet finds them gaining new fans along the way. The return of moe.down to its original location in the Tug Hill can only add to what could end up being the peak year in the band’s career.

    Setlist:

    Set I: Crab Eyes > Threw It All Away > Funky Reuben > Crab Eyes, Captain America > Rise > Silver Sun > Akimbo

    Set II: Moth > Kyle’s Song > Kids > Down Boy > Hector’s Pillow > Bring You Down > Kids

    Encore: Wind It Up, Nebraska, Baba O’Riley*

    * with Nick Piccininni (Floodwood) on violin

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  • St. Paul and The Broken Bones Flow Like a Mighty River in Albany

    The eight-piece powerhouse that is St. Paul & The Broken Bones took the stage at The Egg in Albany on Sunday, March 5 in classic soul – R&B fashion, with the lights dimmed and front man Paul Janeway cloaked in a cape. As the sound of “Crumbling Light Posts, Part 1” built to a crescendo, he shed the cape as the band exploded into their next number, in which Janeway sang “Just flow with it.” It was good advice. Janeway and the Broken Bones took the audience on quite a journey, from funk to earth shaking shouts to heartbreaking soul music, changing tempo and dynamics while the attendees’ enthusiasm continued to build.

    The group consists of Chad Fisher on trombone, Allen Branstetter on trumpet, Jason Mingledorff on saxophone and flute, drummer Andrew Lee, bassist Jesse Phillips, guitarist Browan Lollar, and Al Gamble on organ and piano, with Paul Janeway on lead vocals. A consummate showman clad in a leopard print jacket and pants with gold shoes, Janeway pulled out all the stops, dropping to his knees, rolling on the floor, shimmying and sliding all over the stage, and doing a crowd walk halfway up and across the theater during the emotionally wrenching “Broken Bones and Pocket Change.” The band changed gears once again, following up with the crowd singing and dancing to “Call Me.” The bulk of the set was from 2016’s Sea of Noise, but there were a few remarkable cover songs. During the encore, a fan called out for some Otis Redding. Janeway responded that the band hadn’t played the song yet on this tour, but led them into a showstopping rendition of “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” Despite over ninety minutes of music and a four song encore, St. Paul & The Broken Bones adhered to one more bit of showmanship – always leave the audience wanting more.

    Opening act Aaron Lee Tasjan captured the audience’s attention before he even played a note, taking the stage bedecked in a black and white star-spangled suit, silver boots, and a wide brimmed cowboy hat.

    He led his trio through an eight song set peppered with humor and story telling between songs. The songs were from his 2016 album Silver Tears, released on the New West Records label. Describing him as alt-country, or folk rock with a gritty undertone, doesn’t completely tell the story. Some songs, including “Little Movies” had an ethereal Brian Ferry / Electric Light Orchestra vibe, and Tasjan certainly showed his considerable guitar skills on “Ready to Die” and also when he was invited onstage for an encore with the headliners for a cover of David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream.” You should put both of these acts on your list of artists to listen to and go see live.

    Set Lists:

    Aaron Lee Tasjan: Out of My Mind, Little Movies, Memphis Rain, Lucinda’s Room, 12 Bar Blues, Where the Road Begins and Ends, Ready to Die, Success

    St. Paul & The Broken Bones: Crumbling Light Posts, Pt. 1, Flow With It (You Got Me Feeling Like), Like a Mighty River, I’ll Be Your Woman, Tears in the Diamond, All I Ever Wonder, I’m Torn Up, Unknown (band instrumental), Brain Matter, Waves, Midnight on the Earth, I’ve Been Working (Van Morrison cover), Broken Bones & Pocket Change, Call Me, Sanctify

    Encore: Is It Me?, I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (Otis Redding cover), Moonage Daydream (David Bowie cover, joined by Aaron Lee Tasjan), Burning Rome

  • Korn To Headline the Return of K-Rockathon

    After going on what seemed like a forced hiatus after it’s 20th year anniversary due to various reasons, K-Rockathon makes its triumphant return in 2017 at the Lakewood Amphitheater on July 19, as they mash-up with Korn’s “The Serenity Of Summer Tour,” with some minor alterations.

    First thing Central NY fans will notice, is that the festival has moved to the Lakeview Amphitheater from it’s usual stomping grounds at Chevy Court, inside the the New York State Fairgrounds.

    After 20 festivals, and last year’s hiatus, it looks like K-Rockathon, will shed is numeration, and replace it with the current year the event takes place.

    K-Rockathon’s Wednesday, July 19 date also means that the festival will not take place on a Saturday as in year’s past.

    So far, K-Rockathon features a much smaller lineup than usual, with only five bands performing instead of twelve, but more bands should be added down the line according to the radio stations Facebook page. Syracuse’s K Rock  falls in line with what many other radio stations have been doing over the years when trying to organize bands for a one day festival. Each year it seems to be getting tougher for promoters and organizers to put together these type of events for fans, so it only makes sense for local radio stations to put their name on a show, and promote what they feel will be the hottest tour for their genre for that said year.

    Slated to appear at this years K-Rockathon will be headliners Korn, Stone Sour, Skillet, Yelawolf and DED. Korn, Stone Sour and Skillet are all supporting new music on this tour.

    Korn released their twelfth studio album The Serenity Of Suffering, on Oct. 21 2016. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200.

    Stone Sour’s sixth studio album, Hydrograd, will be released in June of 2017, just in time for the upcoming tour.

    Skillet released it’s tenth studio album, Unleashed, on Aug. 5 2016. The album reached number thre on the Billboard 200.

    Tickets go on sale to the general public March 10, with ticket prices slated at $74.50, $54.50, and $25.00. VIP packages are also available.