NYS Music 20​17

Tag: Break Science

  • ARISE Has Risen

    ARISE Music Festival was held at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Colorado, on a jovial weekend August 4-6, surrounded by rock formations, pleasant lakes, and mysterious meadows. This land was indeed filled with love, so its name holds true to its essence. It was a glorious gathering of all walks of life – an open, family friendly, health conscious like-minded atmosphere where one can simply be whoever they please. Acceptance was a big feature of the time that was had and the energies that flooded the air proved this to be true. People united and rejoiced in ways the whole world could learn from.

    ARISEThe weekend consisted of countless extraordinary artists including performances by Atmosphere, Tipper, Lettuce, Beats Antique, Ani DiFranco, SunSquabi, Rising Appalachia, Brother Ali, Break Science, The Brothers Comatose, Desert Dwellers, and Dopapod, just to name a few. The vibe of these acts included a wide range of eclectic music including electronic, hip-hop, funk, jazz, world fusion, folk, soul, and progressive rock.

    Despite the waves of torrential downpour fluctuating all weekend, flooding and destroying the temporary homes of many, everyone at ARISE seemed to shine through the rain and it only made people dance even harder to the grooves of mother earth, especially when a calm, strong, and bright double rainbow appeared at the end of a fierce shower on the third day. This experience was an evolution of mankind, uniting positivity and kindness throughout each moment.

    Food vendors provided healthy and nutritional options for all types of eaters, as well as the festival’s own farmer’s market. As you entered from the main camping ground through giant neon totem poles, there was eye candy everywhere; each white tent displayed an extensive collection of interesting goods to be sold, not to mention countless painters, sculptors, and artists of all kinds.

    Temptations with zero expectations. Hammocks galore! There were yoga workshops and practices, domes to climb, beaded huts, teepees, and much, much more. This interactive experience gave one the liberty to wander to different areas such as the “Wisdom Village,” “Children’s Village,” and “Solutions Village”, which all co-created a friendly habitat for the weekend in its own worldly bubble. As a good-vibe-only festival, people could be found at any of the stages, including Big Sunrise Dome, StarWater, Scene Magazine, Green Tree, and main headliners at the Eagle stage.

    Sound mimicked the rhythm of body movements and the full moon and clear night on the final evening of the journey fabricated unparalleled liveliness. For anyone interested in participating in a relaxing care-free time with no service whatsoever, ARISE should be on the top of your list, where you can freely admire the sun and moon rise and set over this magical land while opening your mind to stellar soundwaves.

  • Photo Recap: Summer Camp Music Festival 2017

    Summer Camp 2017 was another fantastic year in the Midwest festival’s history. Amid powerhouse sets from hosts Umphrey’s McGee and moe., and alongside memorable performances from Trey Anastasio Band, Pretty Lights Live, Gov’t Mule, Turkuaz, TAUK, The Disco Biscuits and dozens more artists from across the country.

    Tributes to Gregg Allman, who passed away on the third day of the festival, poured out almost immediately, with Eric Krasno Band, Flaccid and Gov’t Mule all covering “Whipping Post” within hours of his death. Trey Anastasio Band followed suit the next day by covering “Midnight Rider,” just a small sampling of the immense influence and praise Greg Allman earned from nearly 50 years of performing. Watch Gov’t Mule’s star-studded tribute:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVt8ni18N50

    Buffalo’s Aqueous played three sets over the weekend, each one drawing a larger crowd than the last as they finally moved from the Camping Stage to the Starshine Stage. The following Aqueous has developed over the past decade is a testament to the band’s work ethic and connection with fans as far back as performances at Nietzsche’s. They welcomed moe.’s Vinnie Amico and Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee to the stage for a cover of Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne,” putting an exclamation point on their breakout weekend.

    Lettuce alums Break Science and Eric Krasno Band stepped out on their own for well received performances, as did Brooklyn’s Turkuaz, who blew the crowd away at the Campfire Stage late Saturday night with a powerhouse set, putting them head and shoulders above others in the funk world. Wild Adriatic and Intrepid Travelers performed at the Camping Stage, a stepping stone for the many rising bands that Upstate New York produces. Both bands dropped spirited covers to the Camping audience, with Wild Adriatic covering Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and Intrepid Travelers paying homage to Prince with “Electric Avenue.”

    Of course moe. performed five sets throughout the weekend, with one set being rained out on Friday afternoon. Their late night performance in the Red Barn with Everyone Orchestra was full improv, and a treat for all ticket holders. moe. later brought up Turkuaz horns for “Ophelia” and “Happy Hour Hero” and bringing a jaw-dropping opener “Battle Without Honor Or Humanity” from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill and was part of moe.’s Halloween performance last year. Turkuaz later came out in full for “Life During Wartime” in a show that featured a giant “Meat” sandwich of the entire second set on Saturday. Sunday’s performance closed out with pure moe. start to finish, including a “Chromatic Nightmare” sandwich of the second set and “Opium” featuring Allie Kral of Yonder Mountain String Band on fiddle.

  • Breaking Biscuits in the Bowl

    Brooklyn Bowl, the iconic music haven in the heart of Williamsburg, served up some delicious sounds last weekend, courtesy of a mashup of two giants in the jamtronica world.  Breaking Biscuits is the name of this super group which is comprised of Aron Magner (keys) and Marc Brownstein (bass) of Disco Biscuits fame alongside renowned drummer Adam Deitch and Borahm Lee (keys) who together form Break Science, an emerging force all their own.  As a sparse crowd of people took their hacks on the bowling lines on the other side of the room, the dance floor was full of attentive listeners and dancers enjoying everything this uber talented side project had to offer.

    Breaking Biscuits in the BowlThe show featured two opening acts in Upright Man, a relatively new act formed in the halls of NYU’s music school, and Space Bacon.  The latter of which was an ideal choice for an opener as the Disco Biscuits influence was palpable in some impressive jamming that saw virtual hat tips to Bisco staples like “Morph Dusseldorf” and “Basis for a Day” with a noticeable “Funkytown” tease thrown in for good measure at some point.  But the main course was served via two sets of precise and enthralling electronica orchestrated by some of the best in the business.

    With Deitch and Brownstein setting much of the rhythmic foundation, Lee and Magner seemed to go back and forth, trading incendiary leads and emptying out all the tricks their respective keyboard rigs carried.  While it didn’t quite have the raging intensity of a Bisco show, both sets featured constant downtempo grooves that were more than easy to move along to as well as selective covers of some of the genre’s finest like Air’s “La Femme D’Argent” and RJD2’s “The Horror.”  This was only the second night of a short three show tour, after playing only once before that, but it seems as if these artists have formed a collective that yields a unique sound that also pays respect to its forefathers in the electronica scene.

  • Summer Camp Music Festival Returns for 17th Installment this weekend

    Music Festival season gets underway across the country in May, and Summer Camp Music Festival has made a mark for being a destination event in the Midwest. Umphrey’s McGee, moe., Trey Anastasio Band, Pretty Lights Live and dozens more can be seen this weekend, May 25-28 at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL. New York State artists Aqueous, Break Science, Eric Krasno Band, Escort, Turkuaz, Intrepid Travelers, Wild Adriatic, and of course moe., will perform at the four-day festival, now in its 17th year.

    Summer Camp has a lot going on, making it tough to see it all, but far from overwhelming like mega-concerts and nowhere near the dumpster fire that is/was Fyre Festival. Check out the full schedule here, or create your own on the Summer Camp app (highly recommended).

    Listen to your Counselors!

    You should listen to your counselors. Seriously, these are the pros who know Summer Camp inside and out. They’re the best resource for Scampers of all ages and experience levels. Read the handbook, which covers virtually every detail and question about the festival, and if you still have questions, join the Facebook group where you can find answers to virtually any question that may arise over the weekend.

    When it comes to camping, unless you’re in an RV, NYS Music recommends the field between Sunshine and Camping (Area D in the map above). Why? Because you are proximate to five stages—Sunshine, Starshine, Vibe Tent, Camping and Soulshine Tent (very underrated, even late at night)—and although there is no shade, you’ll love being able to catch a set of music while chilling between sets of music. The Woods are a solid option as well if you have a smaller set up, but fear not—the sprawling area in the woods is one of the coolest areas to walk through at any festival, night or day.

    And while you are at Summer Camp, Make a Difference! there are so many ways to leave Three Sisters Park better than how you found it; clean up trash, cigarette butts, bring a reusable water bottle, recycle your waste and check out the Soulshine Tent to find ways to bring some of that positive energy from Summer Camp back home with you.

    Then, of course, what do you do when you want to relive a little bit of Summer Camp from your youth? You participate in Field Day! Yes, Field Day is an annual tradition at Summer Camp, one that has a rightful place in the history of the festival. Started in 2011, the annual event takes the cake as the most unique and most fun non-musical component of Summer Camp. Sign up online, and the first 100 get a free team bandana on Friday from noon–1 p.m. at the Vibe Tent. Come back Saturday at 3 p.m. and participate in capture the flag, arm wrestling, spelling bee, banana eating contest and much more, with a Champions ceremony at noon Sunday. Field Day is open to all, the smack talk is free and it has become a growing event everyone should check out, whether as spectator or participant.

    The Field Day staff shared a little insight into why you should take part in Field Day:

    The number-one reason why people should sign up is because of the amount of awesome people you’ll meet doing so, especially myself Ashley Pardy. What keeps me coming back is all of the memories, and the Red Team wins. I mean would you leave a team that has won almost every year?” – Ashley Pardy

    “You will meet amazing people, laugh your ass off and drink free beer. Participating in one of the many cool activities at Summer Camp will make your festival experience unique beyond just seeing shows.”
    – Jessica Coughlin

    “Bragging rights.” –  Elizabeth Cox

    What memories of past years keep these wonderful staff keep coming back, year after year?

    I come back year after year because the people are so amazing. Favorite memory is Sheppy nearly getting arrested by some serious looking state troopers for defacing an American flag, while simultaneously being hoisted on our shoulders raising the red flag after yet another contested victory.”
    – Anthony Piccirilli (Shep talked his way out of it and the cop came to our keg party.)

    “Mud Tug-o-War, Drunken Spelling Bees, Sheppy drunken walks with the cup.” – Elizabeth Cox

    “Drunken Spelling Bees.” – Anthony Piccirilli

    And while sunrise kickball isn’t an official activity, it has been the unofficial opening ceremony of the games for six years now. This is one of the highlights of Summer Camp; at 5:30 a.m. come to the Sunshine Stage for a game of kickball with faithful fans led by Ryan Stasik. There will be trampolines, bacon at second base and no apparent rules; it is the most beautiful and absurd shit-show ever witnessed, and one worth staying up for!

    There you have it; NYS Music gives you the ins and outs of Summer Camp 2017. Make sure to follow us all weekend on Twitter and Instagram to live vicariously if you can’t make the trip to the Midwest.

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