NYS Music 20​17

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  • The Heavy Pets and Backup Planet to Co-Headline Spring Tour

    The Heavy Pets and Backup Planet will co-headline their spring 2017 tour, which will kick off March 17 at High Dive in Gainesville, Florida, and run until the end of April, right before festival season kicks off.Heavy Pets Backup Planet

    The tour will have a few N.Y. dates, including March 15, at Funk ‘n’ Waffles Downtown in Syracuse, March 19, at the Brooklyn Bowl, presented by Relix, and March 21, at the Hollow in Albany.

    Other dates include an Atlanta date at Aisle 5 on March 31, Gypsy Sally’s in Washington, D.C. on March 13 and Milkboy Philly on March 14, right before their N.Y. run, which is then followed by more dates in the South at the Raleigh Pourhouse on March 26, and Revelry Room in Chattanooga, TN on March 28.

    Florida quintet, the Heavy Pets, are Jeff Lloyd (guitar/vocals), Mike Garulli (guitar/harmonica/vocals), Jim Wuest (keyboard/vocals), Jamie Newitt (drums/vocals) and Tony D’Amato (bass). While they are described as an American rock band, their sound is made unique through a blend of reggae and funk. Their vocals are addicting and soothing, with an exemplary song craft that pulls it all together. Their double-disc debut album was an instant sensation on Sirius XM radio back in 2007, and they have continued to expand their fan base over the years through extensive touring.

    Backup Planet is Ben Cooper (keys/vocals), Chris Potocik (drums/vocals), Gavin Donati (guitar/vocals), and Blake Gallant (bass/vocals). Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, this quartet’s sound is a progressive funk-rock jam that mixes in other special elements like jazz, roots, electronic, and blues. Their performances are a live experimentation for how to improvise those elements into an unforgettable show, which has kept fans coming back for more and more, as their repertoire grows.

    For more information and tickets, visit here.

  • Get the Led Out at The Palace

    I am not old enough to have said that I was lucky enough to see the original line up of the mighty Led Zeppelin in their hay day, but I have to say I came mighty close with seeing Page and Plant touring together back in the 90s. I also have been lucky enough to see Robert Plant solo whenever the chance presented itself, but it was never the real deal. When it looked like the remaining boys and Jason Bonham were going to get back together to do a tour in 2007, we were all on the verge of Nirvana, but that fell apart.

    So what is a poor fanboy to do in the face of never seeing this timeless material live? A Zep tribute band of course, and not just any tribute band but Get the Led Out from Philadelphia, PA, who took over the Palace Theatre on Saturday, February 11. With their passion for Zeppelin completely eclipsing mine, I knew I was in for a night of pure heaven. Get the Led out is made up of Paul Sinclair on lead vocals and harmonica, Andrew Lipke, vocals, guitar, theremin, and keyboard, Paul Hammond, on guitar and mandolin, Jimmy Marchiano on guitar and vocals, Phil DeAgostino on bass, Diana DeSantis, vocals on “The Battle of Evermore” and Adam Ferraioli on drums these fine musicians with exclusion of a few lineup changes early on have been bringing these past masterpieces to life since 2003. This was no Las Vegas theater show where the players are dressed up with wigs and crazy period costumes these folks came to play and played they did.

    Albany’s Palace Theater was packed with the Zeppelin faithful and the band kicked off the show with a ferocious version of “Rock and Roll” which set the tempo for the beginning of the first set. They followed up with “How Many Times,” “Killing Floor,” and “The Lemon Song.” They took it down a notch with “Down By the Seaside,” “Babe I am gonna Leave You,” and “Ramble On.” Sinclair proved himself a force to be reckon with a consummate version of “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” which then transitioned again to the mellow side of Zeppelin with “Going To California,” “The Battle Of Evermore” which featured the extremely talented Diana DeSantis on a stirring backup vocal. The band finished the first set with a crowd pleasing version of “Hey Hey What Can I do.”

    After a short break the band came back in force for the beginning of the second set with a classic version of “The Song Remains the Same” followed by “The Rain Song.” Then it was drummer Adam Ferraioli’s turn to take center stage with a version of “Moby Dick” that would have made John Bonham proud. Finally the band rounded up the final set with versions of “Thank You,” “The Rover,” and fan favorite “Kashmir.” The band left the stage and the crowd called them back for an encore that started with Zeppelin IV’s “Black Dog” and “Stairway To Heaven” and finally ended with a killer version of Zeppelin II’s Whole Lotta Love.

    Lead Singer Paul Sinclair nailed the nail on the head when he said on stage that the band were first and foremost Led Zeppelin fans just like the audience and it was apparent the band was feeling the love from an incredibly grateful audience that appreciated the craftsmanship and skill that Get the Led Out had for this amazing material.

  • Hearing Aide: John Ginty ‘Rockers’

    John Ginty has recently released a new album titled, Rockers, featuring his band’s new lead vocalist, Aster Pheonyx. This is his fourth studio effort, which was set into motion following his discovery of Pheonyx’s powerhouse vocals when she opened for his band at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park. Following some backstage conversation and jamming, he invited her to perform with his band and the chemistry during the unplanned performance was what led to the birth of this swell new line-up and album.

    Ginty is a celebrated performer and recording artist, known not only for his mastery on organ and keys, but also his extensive catalog of performances as a session musician. His career kicked off in the mid-1990’s following his contribution on Neal Casal’s “Fade Away Diamond Time,” which opened a number of doors for him. He joined Jewel’s touring band soon after, and then, went on to perform on records by Citizen Cope, Matthew Sweet and Shannon McNally. Ginty joined Robert Randolf in 2000, as a founding member of Robert Randolf & the Family Band. He has performed with nationally acclaimed artists such as, Warren Haynes, Albert Castiglia, Cris Jacobs, Alecia Chakour, Todd Wolfe and more.

    His band also features Justine Gardner on bass, Maurice “Moe” Watson on drums and BKG vocals, and Mike Buckman on guitar. Special guests on the album include Jimmy Bennett (guitar), Paul Gerdts (BKG vocals), Josh Gannet (guitar, percussion, backwoods), Paul Kuzik (bass) and Reggie Noble as DJ.

    Aster Pheonyx certainly brings her own flair to the table, bringing spice to Ginty’s expertise with her compelling vocals. Pheonyx, a three-time winner of the Top Female Vocalist from the Elephant Talk Indie Music Awards, is influenced by artists like Beth Hart, Susan Tedeschi and Amy Helm, which is undeniable in the way her sound ripped through the 12-track album that she co-wrote with Ginty.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZgPXVv1Z5o

    The first track, “The Shark,” doesn’t feature vocals, and instead eases you in with a funky melody that has Ginty rip-roaring the organ. “Lucky 13,” a hard rocking blues number that features the full band and Aster’s raging vocals that fit the music like a glove, was released as a single prior to the album release, with an accompanying music video. It has an urgent tone that shows right off the bat the power of Pheonyx’s vocals, underlined by the band’s rock fusion. “Believe in Smoke” is a great track, because it showcases the successful combination of Ginty’s sound buttered by Aster’s vocals, before diving into a great jam at the end of the song. “WKYA” breaks up the music a bit with an amusing skit featuring Reggie Noble as a radio DJ interviewing Ginty.

    Another favorite was “Mountains Have My Name,” which is where one can really hear the Susan Tedeschi influence on Aster’s voice, while the keys in this track add a special element. This beautiful soulful number features Ginty on piano and is about a woman who is called away from her man by the mountains. The instrumental title track, “Rockers,” is the last track, and it is a great way to close the album, because it leaves the audience with a full lick of their musical capacity.

    John Ginty is currently on tour in the south. He returns to the Northeast for an album release party on Feb. 17 at Revolution in Morristown, New Jersey. He also plays the Fountain House in Newton, New Jersey on Feb. 24. Rockers will be released on Friday, Feb. 17. For tickets and more information visit here.

    Key tracks: Lucky 13, Believe in Smoke, Mountains Have My Name, Target on the Ground, Captain Hook

  • Red Hot Chili Peppers Play Key Bank Center

    I can’t believe I made it this far in life without ever seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers but I’m so glad I was able to drive in a snow storm from Syracuse to the Key Bank Center in Buffalo on February 10 to make this at the last possible minute.  I just feel bad for missing the openers. Going into this concert my first thought was “what on earth is this band going to be like without John Frusciante?!”  And honestly this band still holds its own as the kings of funk rock. Guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is damn amazing at what he does, plays the parts justified, the solos slightly different, but nails the backing vocals.

    Overall, the band is as vital as it ever was, and show no signs of slowing down.  But their stage production was massive and unique.   Above the crowd and stage was the new kinetic light sculpture, designed by the production company called TAIT Towers.  This technique and stage design has  never been done before at other shows.  The band made an ambitious move to excite the crowd and add to their already insane musical experience.  It is really hard to explain how these lights work but check out this link to see a better explanation.

    The band opened with a cool little jam before frontman Anthony Kiedis stormed the stage before going into “Can’t Stop” and “Dani California.”  I also want to point out that Flea is still one of the most bad ass bassists ever to grace music and Chad Smith can pound the drums meaner than Animal the Muppet.  Eat your heart out Will Farrell.  Also in addition to all the crazy production, the band had additional musicians when they performed songs off their latest album The Getaway.  They had an additional guitarist, keyboardist, and percussionist to make the songs more massive.  It was also cool to see the band do jams, bass interludes, and guitar solos in between songs, as well as showing off their sense of humor.

    One of the highlights of the night was “Aeroplane” which was off their 1995 album One Hot Minute which featured Dave Navarro on guitar at the time….which was why it was such an unexpected treat to hear.  And my life was complete towards the end of the show when they played the iconic “Under The Bridge.”  Found it interesting when the band did a cover of Iggy and The Stooges’ “Search and Destroy” in which Kiedis took his shirt off.  Not sure if that was supposed to be a nod to Iggy himself.  The band closed off their set with “By The Way” before a kick ass two song encore of “Good Bye Angels” off The Getaway and the oh-so-fun and dirty song “Give It Away” which the crowd went bananas over.

    Overall it was an unforgettable night, I would expect RHCP will be back in NY very soon and will still sell out a massive arena…and it would be great to see what kind of ambitious production they would carry next.  Not to mention with so many albums out, there’s so many songs that still need to be incorporated into their set.

  • North Country Festival Backwoods Pondfest Bids Farewell

    Backwoods Pondfest, a staple music festival held just south of Plattsburgh, NY each summer, has announced it will not return in 2017. The festival’s promoters posted on the Pondfest Facebook page:

    Hello Backwoods Pondfest family!
    Coming off our 10th and best year yet, it’s disheartening for us to have to let you know that we will not be having our 11th Pondfest this coming summer. This was not an easy decision to arrive at, but after much discussion we’ve concluded that we can’t have our beloved festival for a variety of challenging reasons – rather than fight the universe, we’re instead remaining optimistic for what the future holds in years to come.

    Many of you have kindly and graciously reminded us year after year that this festival is something special for you and your loved ones, and it truly pains us to have to make this choice. We look forward to making more memories with you, no matter what form in the future they may come. We love you and thank you for making Backwoods Pondfest such a special place for 10 years running.
    Sincerely –Backwoods Pondfest

    Backwoods Pondfest was a staple of the summer in the North Country of New York. The festival finds its roots in the 70s and 80s, when Sandy Bazzano held ‘Pondstock’ each summer. Around the turn of the century, SWM Productions produced Pondstock for a few years, and was later resurrected in 2007 when Lowell Wurster of Lucid, Katie Bazzano (Sandy’s daughter), and Chris Boire teamed together to bring the event back under the name Backwoods Pondfest.

    Initially held in early September, the festival shifted to August and saw a continually huge turnout from a loyal audience who came for a wide array of music offerings. Lucid performed twice each weekend, serving as host band, and welcoming acts that included Spiritual Rez, Twiddle, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Bernie Worrell, Pork Tornado, Pink Talking Fish, Chali2na, Ryan Montbleau, Assembly of Dust, Melvin Seals and JGB, The Breakfast, Cabinet, Conehead Buddha, plus up and coming bands including Formula 5, Mister F, Capital Zen, Annie in the Water, Hayley Jane and the Primates and many, many more over the 10 years Pondfest brought music to the North Country.

    Reflecting on what he will miss the most from the past 10 years of Pondfest, Lowell Wurster replied

    After 10 years of Backwoods Pondfest, what I will miss the most is the family. New people come every year, but there are a bunch of people who have come every year or most every year. Some of those people I only see once a year, some of them I see often. But once a year we are all together in the same place, at the same time to worship music and freedom. Pondfest isn’t like other festivals and these people understand that. This is more than a festival: it’s a community, it’s a family, and that is what I will miss most.

    Pondfest may be gone for now, but if Pondstock can give rise to Pondfest some 20 years later, perhaps Pondfest will lead to yet another music festival, one that maintains the true feeling, freedom and experience of music festivals not found at larger, corporate events. The empty weekend on early August calendar will be the first time in 10 years we didn’t get lost in the back of the woods, by a pond, at a music festival.

    Backwoods Pondfest

  • Melissa Etheridge Bringing True Self to Troy

    Academy Award and Grammy winning musician Melissa Etheridge is bringing everything she’s got to the Troy with the Hodges Brothers this April.

    On April 23. at 7:30 PM, Etheridge will be performing at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy on her M.E. tour. With two Grammys and an Academy Award win behind her, Etheridge has continued for over two decades to be one of America’s beloved female singer-songwriters.

    Known for hit singles such as, “I’m the Only One”, “Ain’t It Heavy” and “I Want To Come Over,” Etheridge is bringing her signature smoky, raspy vocals to Troy alongside new content for her tour.

    On Oct. 7, Etheridge released, Memphis Rock & Soul, her first album since 2014’s critically acclaimed, This Is M.E. Receiving praise from renowned publications such as Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly, Etheridge will be sharing some of her newer works across the country for her M.E. tour.

    Etheridge is also known for inspiring people beyond her music. Beating her battle with breast cancer, Etheridge appeared at the 2005 Grammys to perform Janis Joplin’s, “Piece of My Heart,” bald from her chemotherapy. Doing so, Etheridge inspired women across the world with her powerful message.

    Tickets go on-sale for the M.E. tour this Friday, Feb. 17 at 10 AM.

  • Metallica 2017 North American Tour Announced, Includes Stops at MetLife Stadium and Uniondale

    After being disrespected at this years Grammys, the kings of thrash Metallica have officially announced their 2017 North American Tour in support of their new album Hardwired…To Self Destruct.  The first date kicks off in Baltimore, and concludes in Edmonton, AB, Canada.  But for the first time in over 6 years, Metallica will be stopping twice in the New York City surrounding area with a May 14 date at the glorious MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ and May 17 at the New Coliseum in Uniondale, NY (which is set to open their doors for the first time on April 5.)  Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat are slated to be the openers on this tour. Gojira is set to open on the Canadian dates.

    This is likely to be one of the highest grossing tours of 2017, and tickets will be going fast as they go on sale to the public this Friday, February 17. Check out the tour dates below.

    Metallica 2017 North American Tour Dates

    May 10 – Baltimore, MD – M&T Bank Stadium
    May 12 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field
    May 14 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
    May 17 – Uniondale, NY – New Coliseum
    May 19 – Boston, MA – Gillette Stadium
    May 21 – Columbus, OH – Rock On The Range Festival
    June 4 – St. Louis, MO – Busch Stadium
    June 7 – Denver, CO – Sports Authority Field
    June 11 – Houston, TX – NRG Stadium
    June 14 – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome
    June 16 – Dallas, TX – AT&T Stadium
    June 18 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field
    July 5 – Orlando, FL – Camping World Stadium
    July 7 – Miami, FL – Hard Rock Stadium
    July 9 – Atlanta, GA – Suntrust Park
    July 12 – Detroit, MI – Comercia Park
    July 14 – Quebec City, QC – Festival D’Ete
    July 16 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Centre
    July 19 – Montreal, QB – Parc Jean-Drapeau
    July 29 – Los Angeles, CA – Rose Bowl
    August 4 – Phoenix, AZ – University of Phoenix Stadium
    August 6 – San Diego, CA – Petco Park
    August 9 – Seattle, WA – Centurylink Field
    August 14 – Vancouver, BC – BC Place
    August 16 – Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium

  • New York Artists Make a Splash at 2017 Grammys

    Talk of the 2017 GRAMMYs will center on Adele’s profanely humble request to re-start her tribute to George Michael so she can “get it right for George,” Beyonce’s cinematic performance of “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles” from her universally acclaimed album Lemonade or Bruno Mars’ role as the Purple One in the joyous celebration of Prince that also included Morris Day and the Time. The televised portion of the awards is the show, with the focus on performances and the marquee categories. However, there was a slew of awards presented throughout the weekend that weren’t televised. NYS Music detailed a number of the New York-based honorees and nominees in December. Many took home Grammys this weekend.

    2017 grammysThe late David Bowie was nominated in five categories for his groundbreaking album Blackstar and won all five. Taking home the Grammy for Best Rock Performance, Blackstar, Best Rock Song, “Blackstar,” Best Alternative Music Album, Blackstar, Best Recording Package, Blackstar, and Best-Engineered Album, Non-Classical, Blackstar.   Bowie had never won for his music throughout his storied career prior to this year. In his later years, the Great White Duke maintained a residence in Woodstock.

    DJ duo the Chainsmokers, Andrew Taggart (a Syracuse University graduate) and NYC native Alex Pall, were nominated in three categories – Best New Artist, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their single, “Closer,” which also features Halsey on vocals, and for Best Dance Recording for their single, “Don’t Let Me Down,” featuring Daya – ultimately leaving with a win in the Dance category.

    2016 Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Fallen Angels, and for Best Historical Album, The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol.12 (Collector’s Edition), winning for Best Historical Album.

    New York-via-Texas transplants, Snarky Puppy were also nominated and won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Culcha Vulcha, an album NYS Music reviewed last year. The jazz fusion band made several stops in New York last year, breathing new life into the genre. You can read our review of Snarky Puppy’s Syracuse stop last year here.

    Perhaps one of the most powerful performances of the night came from Queens natives a Tribe Called Quest who were joined by Busta Ryhmes and rising rap newcomer Anderson .Paak to perform “Award Tour” and “We the People.”  An empty microphone stand was present in tribute to fallen Tribe member Phife Dawg, who passed away last March.

    The performance with Rhymes delivering a particularly scathing diatribe of President Trump and the executive order signed to prevent people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. It concluded with a parade of people of varying ethnicities entering the stage to cheers from the people in attendance.

    Art rock pioneers the Velvet Underground were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, an award few would have imagined for the band in the burgeoning New York City art scene of the late 1960s. The late Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison, former roommates at Syracuse University, along with Welsh-born John Cale formed an early version the Velvets, called the Worlocks in the mid-60s. Cale was in attendance at Sunday’s ceremony to represent the band.

    The Velvet Underground was a band that never achieved significant commercial success. But as producer Brian Eno once said in an interview, “everyone who bought one started a band.”

  • Restless Streets Releases New Single, ‘In Vogue’

    Restless Streets, a post-metalcore band from Albany, NY, released a brand new single along with a corresponding lyric video, titled “In Vogue,” via YouTube on February 9, 2017.

    The song features an overhauled version of Restless Streets’ distinctive sound, now with more melodic elements found in pop and rock music as opposed to harsh vocals featured on previous efforts.” In Vogue” is the second single that they have released since the release of an acoustic EP, We Had It Perfect, and their debut album, Sincerely. Both “In Vogue,” and their first single, “Sugar Free,” can be streamed on their YouTube channel.

  • This Week in Protest Music: Tribe at the Grammys, Depeche Mode and Standing Rock

    In a busy week for protest music, the Grammy’s served as ground zero for speaking out against the actions of the Administration in Washington, D.C. Katy Perry wore a ‘Persist’ armband, a nod to Senator Elizabeth Warren.

    A Tribe Called Quest stole the show at the Grammy’s with a three song medley of “Award Tour,” “Movin Backwards,” and “We the People,” which featured Busta Rhymes thanking the President:”

    “I wanna thank President Agent Orange for perpetuating all the evil that you’ve been perpetuating throughout the United States. I wanna thank President Agent Orange for your unsuccessful attempt at the Muslim ban. Now we come together!”

    Depeche Mode released the video for “Where’s the Revolution,” off their upcoming album Spirit, due out March 17th. The lyrics are straightforward – wondering where the revolution is – and the video dark with nods to authoritarian leaders.

    “You’ve been kept down / You’ve been pushed ’round / You’ve been lied to/ You’ve been fed truths / Who’s making your decisions / You or your religion / Your government, your countries / You patriotic junkiesWhere’s the revolution / Come on people / You’re letting me down / Where’s the revolution / Come on people / You’re letting me down”

    Joan Baez talked to Rolling Stone to discuss protest movements in the 1960s and today and her feelings on our current president.

    Billboard checked in with record shops around the country to see what protest music people are buying. Stores in L.A, NYC, Detroit and Madison, WI were sampled and among others, Bob Dylan’s music stands the test of time.

    Wayne Coyne isn’t a fan of protest music, telling Newsweek “If you want to protest, you can’t do it abstractly. Music only works as an abstraction.”

    Musicradar.com takes a negative (or tongue in cheek – we really couldn’t tell) look at why protest songs are making things worse.

    Glassine, a musician from Baltimore, created a track comprised solely of samples from the Women’s March to benefit Planned Parenthood.

    Charlene Haparimwi from Depaul University writes for Huffington Post with a look at women of color in folk music, a direct tie-in to protest music of today and yesteryear.

    Trapdoor Social, an activist-centered music group, produced “Never Stop Listening,” focuses on the group’s experiences at Standing Rock in North Dakota, and the fight that has yet to come.

    This cover of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” includes overviews of the protests in the past four weeks.

    People Magazine has as list of 16 protest songs from the past century, including some lesser known tunes.

    Brendan Maclean’s explicit “House of Air” video was pulled off YouTube and Huffington Post discussed the idea behind the song and video with him.

    Washington D.C. group Coup Sauvage and The Snips released Heirs of Nothing, the title track speaking like a sermon on gentrification before it gets funky.

    The Cornel West Theory released “#weaintblack,” using samples from Cornel West speeches ahead of deep lyrics on race and the struggle of African-Americans through U.S. history

    The Observer, serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s colleges, reflects on how we arrived at 2017 with a look at modern protest music, summing up the current state of affairs:

    Internet fundraising in 2017 may not have Country’s Joe’s iconic flare or Springsteen’s popular appeal, but it makes up for these shortcomings with its clear logistical vision. Awareness won’t cut it anymore. A successful movement turns its obstacles into assets and embraces a political game movement in which persuasion is king and money the most convincing premise