NYS Music 20​17

Tag: festival news

  • Special Message From Rob Derhak Regarding Summer Camp 2018

    Hot on the heels of moe.’s recently announced, and now sold out, shows at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester Feb. 2 and 3, moe. bassist/vocalist Rob Derhak and his son put together a video to announce the 2018 Summer Camp in Chillicothe, IL.

    Summer Camp, now in it’s 18th year, will be held Memorial Day weekend (May 25-27) at Three Sisters Park with its traditional hosts, moe. and Umphrey’s McGee, co-headlining the event. Additional acts are yet to be announced. The 2017 edition of Summer Camp featured Primus, the Trey Anastasio Band, Gov’t Mule, Run the Jewels and the Disco Biscuits.

    Three-day general admission and Thursday pre-party tickets go on sale Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 12:00 p.m. Central Time (1:00 p.m. in the east). Also available will be specially discounted Loyal Summer Camper passes. Details are available at the Summer Camp website.

    The announcement alleviated concerns that the festival may be in jeopardy due to Derhak’s cancer diagnosis in July of this year. Speaking to that, Derhak took to social media Thursday to discuss his progress. He expressed appreciation for the support given him and his family since his diagnosis of oropharyngeal cancer and throughout his subsequent treatments that put moe. on indefinite hiatus. He particularly addressed the comments from fans and well-wishers claiming he had beaten cancer or is now cancer free. In his statement, Derhak said, “I’m still in recovery, and I’m doing well, but I’m also waiting to hear from my doctors on the state of my diagnosis. I’m cleared to play our upcoming shows, and my doctors feel confident, but I️ still do not know if my cancer has been fully cured.” Read the full statement below:

    https://www.facebook.com/rderhak/posts/10156071568422216

  • X Ambassadors Release ‘Ahead Of Myself’ Music Video in Advance of Hometown Festival

    Ithaca natives, X Ambassadors, have released their new music video for the single “Ahead Of Myself,” which was released this past July. In what’s sure to be another hit for the band, the video was filmed near Rochester.  Frontman Sam Harris put in an amazing vocal performance, singing the song live for the shoot instead of the usual lip syncing as he and the band walked the streets of Monroe.

    Harris recently talked with Billboard about the new music video. He stated:

    We’ve done the narrative film structure of the music video. We’ve done full-on big performance video with lights and stuff and we wanted to do something that felt really intimate and real, authentic, so we shot this video in upstate New York, in Rochester. We’re from Ithaca, New York, upstate. My grandfather used to work at the Kodak building in Rochester.

    Syracuse.com also reports, according to Billboard, Harris wanted to do the live vocal take to feel more intimate, real, vulnerable, and in the moment. The singer avoided alcohol and fried foods for a week in preparation for the vocal video performance. X Ambassadors left an Easter egg in the new music video, as Harris is seen walking into the Monroe movie theater at TMAAC, the marquee above says the word “Joyful,” the band’s next single.

    X Ambassadors will co-headline, along with the Roots, the inaugural Cayuga Sound Festival at Stewart Park in Ithaca on Sept 23. The band hit number one on the Billboard Top 40 in 2015 with the hit “Renegades,” which also became a commercial tie-in for Jeep Renegade. The alternative rock group was formed by Harris, his brother Casey, and childhood friend Noah FeldShuh. The trio went on to college in New York City where they met drummer Adam Levin while attending the New School in 2006. XA blew up all over the N.Y. music scene, and were eventually signed by Interscope Records after Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds heard an acoustic version of their song “Unconsolable,” on the radio while in the hospital. Reynolds told Interscope to sign the band right away.

    The band’s inaugural festival, Cayuga Sound takes place this weekend in the band’s hometown. The official pre-festival parties Friday night at The Haunt and The Dock will feature live music from Jukebox the Ghost, Mail the Horse, the Blind Spots, Namahrah, the Miserable Genius, No Comply, Tender Cruncher and Beau Mahadev.

    Saturday night will be co-headlined by X Ambassadors and the Roots. There will be two stages at Stewart Park, with artists rotating throughout the day. General admission tickets are still available through Ticketfly. Special VIP packages are sold out. For more information about Cayuga Sound, visit the festival’s website here. See the new video from the band below.

  • Countdown To Wild Woods Music And Arts Festival

    Greenvibe Entertainment cannot seem to contain themselves for the upcoming Wild Woods Festival in Croyden, NH, and who can blame them? This year is set to be the best yet, and on Aug. 11 – 13, Page Farm will host this small festival that packs a lot of heart.

    The team has been hard at work, adding an entire new building for the beautiful art that will be on display all weekend. They’ve also welcomed back The Reliquarium to add their incredible works of art to each stage. Their intricately designed stage setups are custom made and add much to each set. Because of the Lotus will have one of their mind-melting visual art installations on site, and you can be sure there will be plenty of performance artists dancing, hooping, and fire-spinning, as The What Collective will be in attendance.

    Wild Woods has added heavy hitters Emancipator and Papadosio as the headliners this year. There are many familiar faces with Kung Fu, Lespecial, Strange Machines, Of The Trees, and Harsh Armadillo returning for another year at the farm. This festival has become a staple in a lot of these band’s summer tours and you can be sure they’re going to add a little extra energy to their sets. The list of musical talent continues with Cabinet, Roots of Creation, Govinda, and Broccoli Samurai being just a few of the other notable mentions.

    Wild Woods has a very special vibe going down on the little farm in New Hampshire. You can tell the thing they care about most is the fans. Between the live art, visual displays, amazing stage setups, and a lineup that just won’t quit, what else could you ask for? Well, how about a whole extra night to set up and relax with your friends? This year (for a fee) you’ll be allowed early entry into the festival on Thursday, Aug. 10 to claim the best spot for you and yours. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the Wild Woods website. Get them before Aug. 10 to save yourself $20.

  • Huichica East Festival Features Real Estate, Charles Bradley, Cass McCombs

    The 2017 Huichica East Festival brings headliners Real Estate and Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires to the Hudson Valley next month for a two-day music, food and wine festival.

    Huichica East takes place Aug. 25 and 26 at Chaseholm Farms in Pine Plains. The small “boutique” festival brings Sonoma County wine from Gundlach Bundschu Winery and farm-to-table food, much of it sourced directly from Chaseholm Farms, together with a strong music program. With attendance capped at 700 tickets, the festival will be an intimate experience for all attendees.

    Headlining the music on Friday, Aug. 25 is Real Estate, performing along with Doug Tuttle, Marissa Nadler, Surf Curse, Currituck Co., John Andrews and the Yawns and Ruth Garbus. Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires headline Saturday, Aug. 26. Also performing are the Cass McCombs Band, the Mattson 2, Mail the Horse, Meg Baird, Driftwood Soldier, ARD, MV & EE and the Cut Worms.

    Huichica East tickets are $90 for the two days. Camping passes are available for $30 for up to eight people. The family-friendly event encourages attendees to bring their children with free admission for those under 16.

  • Wild Adriatic to Host ‘The Summit’ Hometown Music Festival

    After years of planning, Wild Adriatic unveiled details of their very own music festival. The Summit will be an annual hometown event featuring up-and-coming live bands. Wild Adriatic aims to use the event to bring music lovers together to foster community and collaboration. The premier on September 29 and 30 at the Queensbury Hotel will include performances by Aqueous, Madaila, Girl Blue, NYS Music 87/90 artist Let’s Be Leonard, Angels on the Fourth, the LateShift, Ramblers Home, Last Daze, Paradox Saints and Chestnut Grove.

    Wild Adriatic spends much of the year on the road. Fresh on the heels of their new album, Feel, the power trio is currently on tour. They dish out high-energy rock and roll, creatively incorporating elements from influences including Motown and classic rock.

    Wild Adriatic member and festival producer Mateo Vosganian issued the following statement regarding the new festival:

    We’re three guys who were raised within two miles of each other in Queensbury and we’ve been fortunate enough to build a career of touring the world playing our music. Our hometown played huge roles in that in so many ways and we’ve been looking for ways to do something fun, memorable, and community oriented.

    The Summit is an opportunity for us to gather friends from all over the northeast under one roof with the intention of collaborating and creating a special, memorable weekend that we can build on as a yearly function. We’ve already been poking around about next year and adding an outdoor mainstage, so this is something we’re looking to keep cheap, fun, and accessible for our local community for ideally a long time to come.

    Featured artists for the festival include bands that they’ve played with over the years. This sense of camaraderie is sure to add fun to the festivities. Live performances will run from 5 p.m. – 1 a.m. both nights, running on two stages within the Queensbury Hotel. The festival is a bargain at $15 for one day or $25 for both, thanks to partnerships with Mean Max Brew Works, Empire Audio Recording + Sound, and the Queensbury Hotel. Tickets go on sale on Thursday, July 20.

  • Lineup Announced for Cortland’s Seedstock Festival 2017

    This year’s Seedstock Fest lineup is stacked with some of Central Region’s best musical talent over the span of three days from August 4-6, 2017, the festival will feature performances by 27 acts, including Sophistafunk, Digger Jones, Floodwood, and Root Shock.

    Now in it’s 9th year, Seedstock Festival brings together a crowd of 1000 music enthusiasts to Reed’s Farm in Cortland. While day passes are available, many attendees take advantage of the camping on the picturesque site. This family-friendly festival also includes activities for kids.

    Friday, August 4: Sophistafunk, Root Shock, Mosaic Foundation, Quona Hudson, Next to Kin, Horizon Wireless and Red Brunette.

    Saturday, August 5: Digger Jones, The Unknown Woodsmen, and Molly and the Badly Bent Bluegrass Boys, The Blind Spots, Chris Eves and the New Normal, The New Daze, Dapper Dan, Tanksley, and Adam Ate the Apple.  The late-night silent disco will feature sets by DJ Tech and Weasel Dust.

    Sunday, August 6: Floodwood, Analogue Sons, Milkweed, The Local Farmer’s Union, Bea, Austin MacRae and Rachel Beverly.

    Tickets are available at the Seedstock website.Follow Seedstock Festival on Facebook for updates.

  • Pennsylvania Venue Releases Statement Following Reports of Mad Tea Party Jam Illnesses

    The Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary released a statement via e-mail after reports of illnesses at the venue caused concern to attendees of two festivals.  Over the course of two weekends, a multitude of symptoms were reported from patrons, staff, volunteers and musicians during the Mad Tea Party Jam and the WickerMan Burn.

    Anyone suffering symptoms associated with viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu) are encouraged to contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health.  The venue is working with local health officials to collect accurate data. Organizers of both events as well as the venue are hoping this data can help further explain what happened and why some some attendees became ill.

    To our Visitors and Friends

    Recently we have suffered at Four Quarters outbreaks of a very contagious Viral GI illness that is following the pattern of the 2008 season outbreaks. We have been in contact with our public health officials about Viral GI prior to the outbreak at The Mad Tea Party and have been in continuous contact since Sunday morning, June 18th. We have been forwarding contact information, hospital information, test reports and samples directly to the PA Epidemiological Dept, and will be meeting with them on site shortly.

    We have confirmed with some public health officials that this is a “hot” season for Viral GI with outbreaks emerging. It is our own opinion that we are experiencing a very contagious variant this season with one day incubation times, less than 24 hour mean duration and high transmissiblity through surfaces.

    We have confirmed ill parties arriving on site and passed this information forward, while protecting identities of individuals and venues involved. It is important to remember that the virus can travel through casual contact with surfaces and does not reflect on the personal habits of the persons afflicted; in fact, for the virus to survive every person casually infected must, on average, infect another person.

    In working with the PA Health Dept after our experience with Viral GI in 2008, we put into place policies and improvements under their recommendation. We believe these policies prevented a much wider outbreak at Mad Tea Party.
    * We quarantine campers and campsites that display symptoms of any kind of GI distress, until it is known they are not infectious, and we supply these camps with chlorine wash-down supplies. We track arrival times, travel histories and first symptoms of cases reported to us.
    * We educate through signage and publications about the nature of Viral GI. Much of our staff has passed Safe-Serve educational certification.
    * During high risk events we continuously clean and chlorine wash-down all potties, water spigots, hand-wash stations and smooth public surfaces many times during the day.
    * Our water supply is tested and licensed with daily chlorine readings and monthly sampling. We volunteered for this highest level of testing.
    * Food vendors are safe-serve certified and are Health Dept. inspected prior to events. Our own kitchen is licensed to the commercial level with safe-serve certified staff.

    This announcement is intended to answer in small part some of your concerns. Please understand that science takes time and we are currently focused on supplying the raw data that will allow the experts to identify and understand what may be an especially contagious variant. If you have information to share do call PA HEALTH at 717-787-3350. As you travel and attend events, be very aware of the increased risk factors for Viral GI and practice good hygiene in it’s prevention, with Wikipedia @ Norovirus a good reference. As we receive information back from the science community we will pass it on to you.

    In closing we wish to express our sympathy and concern to those people who have experienced this contagion, and our appreciation to those who have shared with us their medical histories. Our praise for the outstanding work of EMS and sanitation staff who went far beyond the call of 16 hour shifts to treat patients and keep the facilities clean. And our thanks to the very many people whose recent messages of support and appreciation for our work, has made that work worthwhile.

    Orren Whiddon
    Four Quarters InterFaith

    Anyone who attended Mad Tea Party Jam over the past two weekends are encouraged to disinfect supplies, wash clothing, and seek medical attention if symptoms worsen.  According to the Center for Disease Control, the virus that causes Viral GI may be present in vomit and stools both before and after symptoms are present. Proper hand hygiene is the best way to prevent infecting others.

    NYS Music will continue to update this story as it develops.

  • Patrons, Musicians and Staff Fall Ill at Mad Tea Party Jam

    Patrons, staff, volunteers and artists at the Mad Tea Party jam have reported a multitude of illnesses over the weekend. Many attendees of the three day event reported sickness through social media that prevented performances and sent several people to the hospital. The festival was held at the Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary in Artemis, Pa.

    mad tea partyMad Tea Party released a statement via their Facebook Page on Sunday evening.

    Despite our best efforts to maintain the health safety of our patrons, people were falling ill. We ourselves are seeking any and all answers. The Pennsylvania Center of Epidemiology has been contacted by the venue in order to properly ascertain what has happened this past weekend. In order to better understand and identify the issue and better yet, how to fix this issue, we are openly asking people to report their own health issues to the Pennsylvania board of health. Please call this number in order to aid us. 1-877-PA HEALTH

    We will be posting more information as it is received.

    Headliner Papadosio was forced to cancel their third and final performance of the weekend which was scheduled for Saturday night. Three of the band’s five members were reportedly too ill to perform.

    Ona Hogarty of Bedford, PA was taken to the emergency room at War Memorial Hospital in Berkley Springs, PA.  She reported to NYS Music that doctors there gave her a dysentery diagnosis.   She said doctors noted that dysentery  is often given as a broad term diagnosis to stomach viruses accompanied by bloody stools.  Hogarty is awaiting test results to further explain her illness.

    Online accounts point to a potential Norovirus outbreak. Although the symptoms match reports from sick attendees, NYS Music has been unable to confirm the official cause of the weekend’s illnesses. Symptoms were reported as early as Friday morning. Norovirus is often the cause of mass outbreaks in nursing homes, cruise ships and daycare centers.

    A similar situation was reported at last weekend’s WickerMan Burn. A pinned post on the WickerMan Burn Facebook group early Sunday morning, dated June 16, read:

    The organization team and the 4QF board of directors are sympathetic and full of compassion for those who got sick after WickerMan. You have all already heard that we test the water and septic systems, that we bleached everything we could as often as we could, and that some number of people still got sick. We can’t go back into the event and change the fact that a highly contagious illness got passed around.

    However, by Sunday evening, the post was updated with the above text deleted. Only an explanation about norovirus and stomach bugs remained from the original post. Several post in the group were made, questioning the link between the illnesses over the two different weekends.

    Although the venue has signs posted about norovirus prevention at the showers, the venue offered no other warning about potential issues from the previous weekend.

    mad tea partyWhile the organizers of Mad Tea Party Jam have been open with its patrons, Four Quarter’s has been silent about the situation. Over the past two days, long-time attendees of the grounds are commenting on their positive experiences in vast numbers, which has some of the sick attendees crying fowl. Brooke Lown of Richmond, Va, who became ill early Saturday morning told NYS Music, “It’s really upsetting and makes me feel like we are going to have to try hard for this to be taken seriously and be addressed. They are all trying to play it off like we don’t have personal hygiene and are just some dirty hippies who are always bound to get this sick at fests.”

    This story is developing and NYS Music will bring you the latest developments. Request for comments from Mad Tea Party Jam and Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary are pending. The Pennsylvania Department of Health is working to provide accurate data on the total number of cases reported, both over the weekend and throughout the venue’s history.

  • Woodhenge Music, Art and Sustainability Festival 2017 Announced

    Off the grid sustainable community, Woodhenge, has announced its first Woodhenge Music, Art, and Sustainability Festival, located in Adams Center near the Adirondacks, the community will host the festival on June 23-25, 2017.

    The three day event features a diverse mix of music genres including rock, jam, jazz, reggae, bluegrass, electronic, and funk, and features over 20 artist including Formula 5, Space Carnival, Root Shock, Intrepid Travelers, Lord Electro, Jiggawaltz and Drumadics.

    Fans will have the privilege to explore each morning the 60+ acres of nature and trails the area has to offer, along with yoga and workshops focused on how to live mortgage free, creating a sustainable lifestyle, optimal nutrition, and how to build with recycled materials. The event itself will be held in a field, between the village’s garden and orchard.

    In 1997, James and Krista Juczak, created the eco/self reliance village known as Woodhenge. The mortgage free community is set in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains along the outskirts of a large forest, complete with a stream and waterfall set between a pond and an orchard. The off the grid solar and wind powered sustainable community practices upcycling, using environmentally friendly materials along with alternative building techniques.

    The village grows and cans most of their own fruits, berries, nuts and vegetables in their community garden and raises their own ducks and honey bees for honey and eggs. The community also hosts several workshops throughout the year on building a tiny house, living off the grid, and renewable energy.

    Known as the “King of Scrounge,” Juczak took 5 years to build his 3000 square foot home, set on 50 acres, out of recycled material including beams salvaged from an old bowling alley, and a two-story concrete column made out of scrapped manholes. Windows, doors, sinks, tubs, and other items were bought cheap, or salvaged for free from renovated buildings. The mortar holding the walls is made from 80% paper sludge waste from a nearby mill. The other 20% is made of masonry cement. Juczak has also buried a 10,000 gallon fuel tank used as a guest home buried into the side of a hill.

    Woodhenge has also hosted other music festivals in the past including Summer Solstice Campout in 2016, and the Halloween Costume Fiesta.

    Fans who purchase full weekend passes to the festival online will save some cash. The online pass costs $50 for all three days, and $60 at the gate on Friday, June 23. Other passes range between $20-$40. Camping is available in the field, and in the forest close by.

  • Fyre Festival Hits New Low, Considers Suing Festival Goers

    Since Ja Rule’s cultural moment of music, art and food, known as the Fyre Festival  announced its last minute cancellation, organizers have been slapped with a $100 million lawsuit. The class action lawsuit was filed by on behalf of Danial Jung, a festival-goer who purchased a $2000 ticket, and fans purchasing tickets costing $10,000 each, not including travel expenses to the Bahamas.

    The Fyre Festival didn’t provide a specific reason for the cancellation other than a brief statement on social media that referred to “unforeseen extenuating circumstances.”

    No word as to how many fans were affected by the cancellation, but current estimates have the pending lawsuit, with over 1,000 inquiries, rumored to reach near the $100 million range. The suit claims fraud, breach of covenant of good faith, breach of contract, and negligent misrepresentation. Celebrity lawyer, Mark Geragos, is heading the case while another attorney, Ben Meiselas, posted the following statement on social media:

    Fyre Festival and it’s promoters recklessly stranded thousands of consumers in a festival of horror, and cost them thousands of dollars on travel, lodging, and time off from work.

    Through this Federal Class Action we will make sure to hold Fyre — and all those who recklessly and blindly promoted the festival — accountable to make sure all consumers receive not only a ticket refund but also 100 percent reimbursement for travel, lodging, time off from work, and any other incidental and consequential damages.

    Some festival-goers thought they were going to party with the likes of super models Bella Hadid, Angel Elsa Hosk, Rose Bertram and Emily Ratajkowski, among other celebrities. Fans were also promised, as part of their experience, yachts, luxury cabanas, and celebrity chef catering to go along with great live music. What fans received instead was a last second cancellation with no explanation, resulting in many stranded without flights back home.

    Fans stranded at airports suffered water shortages, while multiple attendees had their luggage lost. The luxury cabanas resembled a refugee/disaster relief camp, while the celebrity chef cuisine was more like a cheap school lunch with two slices of bread, two slices of cheese, and small amount of salad inside a styrofoam container.

    In a bit of a nervy twist, the Fyre Festival is now considering suing fans, who took to social media posting their displeasure and pictures of what was going on. Fyre Festival lawyers sent one attendee a cease and desist order after he posted that the grounds looked like a refugee camp. The festival’s lawyers statement said that comparing the conditions to a refugee camp could “incite violence, rioting or civil unrest. If someone innocent does get hurt as a result [of your postings] Fyre festival will hold you accountable and responsible…Inciting violence crosses the line.”

    Vanity Fair has reported that questions have been raised about the motives the festival organizers had as the pitch for the festival was leaked. It points out that the festival was given $8.4 million of “market value” land on Black Point, Exuma in exchange for hosting the festival and advertising the island.

    Co-founder of the festival, Ja Rule, posted on social media in caps that the events were “NOT MY FAULT.” Fyre’s other co-founder and C.E.O, Billy McFarland, said it was the worst day of his life.