Catskill Chill festival lovers received a disappointing announcement that the fest is going on hiatus for 2017. Fans have been waiting for an announcement on 2017’s Catskill Chill Festival since the stage lights extinguished on 2016’s festival Sept. 25. Hoping for a lineup and date announcement for 2017, fans received the opposite news instead. Festival lovers can only hope the festival returns in 2018.
After seven years, Catskill Chill will take a hiatus in 2017. In a post to fans on social media, the Chillfam team reflected on how the festival brought people together and the one of a kind atmosphere that the festival created. The Chillfam team also thanked everyone from fans, vendors, bands/artist, volunteers, venues, promoters and media, who have supported the festival since its inception in September 2010.
One thing the festival promoters did not state in the post was why the festival would not take place, just stating that they needed to take a step back and that they will be be announcing Chillfam parties throughout the northeast real soon.
Many jamband favorites have played the festival throughout the years including Mike Gordon, George Clinton & Parliamant/Funkadelic, Greensky Bluegrass, Lettuce, moe., Twiddle, Dopapod, Kung Fu, Nth Power, Papadosio, and Pink Talking Fish to name a few.
Below is the festival’s statement issued through Facebook regarding the hiatus:
American singer, songwriter and musician, Lou Reed, will soon have his archive of various unreleased material available at the New York Public Library. Reed’s wife Laurie Anderson told the New York Times that she didn’t want Reed’s work to get lost in an archive that only people with white gloves could see. Reed, a Brooklyn native and Syracuse University alumnus, died at the age of 71, on October 27, 2013 from liver disease.
Included in the archives, is an estimated 600 hours of demos, concerts, and poetry readings, from throughout Reed’s career. The archives also consist of more than just recordings, as there are several various types of paperwork and photographs in the collection.
Wanting for everyone to see the big picture, Reed’s wife Laurie Anderson first contemplated putting the works online before finally deciding to hand the collection over to the library for public viewing. The archive will take at least a year for the library to catalog, and make available to the public. The works can be found in the New York Public Library’s performing arts branch, the Library for the Performing Arts, at Lincoln Center.
Reed’s recordings date back to near the beginning of his career in the mid ’60s, when he was on the verge of his Velvet Underground Days. There are around 3,600 audio recordings to go along with 1,300 video recordings. Another cool thing about the collection that music historians love, is that the collection of recordings, shows the evolution of the recording industry for over a half of century, from reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes, digital audiotapes and finally, computer hard drives.
When Anderson was going through the tapes with hired archivist Don Fleming, some mysteries were brought to light. There is a reel of Velvet Underground, with handwritten notes “Delightful,” and “Gas,” that Fleming believes may be from Warhol. In May of 1965, In an even bigger mystery, Reed mailed himself a five inch reel-to-reel tape. The box remains unopened to this day, and it’s contents on the reel unknown. Fleming thinks this may have been an attempt for Reed to establish a copyright for the material.
Anderson and Fleming went through the archives for almost three years. Anderson noticed a New York Times article about the library having a program that is able to digitize archival material, giving her another reason to reach her decision on what to do with the collection.
Anderson stated about her late husband’s work to soon be viewed at the NYPL:
Lou is kind of Mr. New York. This is the city he loved the most. It doesn’t make any sense for him to be anywhere else. Then what’s the best place in New York? This is the best place in New York. I just love that somebody who is so loud is in the New York Public Library.
Putting an end to the winter season, the Minus Zero Winter Sports and Music Festival, is ready for another go-around. Festival organizers have announced the lineup for their second annual event, taking place at the Stratton Mountain Resort, in South Londonderry, VT, on April 7 and 8. Minus Zero, not only features music across three different stages, festival goers can also hit the slopes with their skis or snowboards.
Zeds Dead, will headline the opening night of the festival, with Bassnectar and GRiZ, headlining the closing night. Fans will see support from Illenium, Pierce Fulton – who returns for his second stint on the festival – and a back-to-back set by Nekro and Exssv.
Fans with lift passes can head up the mountain where they will find the Summit Stage, and take in not only beautiful scenery, but some live music before heading back down one of the 97 trails the mountain has to offer over it’s 670 plus acres. The summit stage will run both days (weather permitting) from 11:30 am – 3:00 pm.
Last years inaugural event saw the likes of Deadmau5, and Kaskade in the headlining spot with support from Surge Devant, Thomas Jack and Tony Arazdon to name a few.
Two day passes will cost $139.00 before fees. Fans in Manhattan can purchase a 2-day shuttle option to and from the festival for $209.00 before fees. Single day tickets cost $69.00 before fees. One, Two, and Three day lift tickets are available for $62, $122, and $180, before fees. Onsite lodging, V.I.P passes, and free parking are also available.
Pierce The Veil fans are running in circles from the excitement of the Rest In Space tour.
Pierce The Veil, alongside direct support Falling In Reverse and Crown The Empire, are scheduled to play at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, N.Y. on Sunday, March 5.
On May 13, the band released their fourth full-length album, Misadventures. Fans are welcoming back the band to perform their new material at the Clifton Park venue for the first time since their nearly sold-out show in 2013 with Memphis May Fire, Letlive and Issues.
Their third U.S. headlining tour promoting the album, the Rest In Space Tour will be hitting North America until March 10. Since the release of Misadventures, Pierce The Veil have released music videos for fan favorites, “Circles,” “Dive In” and “Floral & Fading.”
Direct support Falling In Reverse are scheduled to release their new album, Coming Home, on April 7 via Epitaph Records. Their fourth full-length release, Coming Home features hit singles, “Loser” and “Coming Home.”
Following the departure of vocalist Dave Escamilla, in July of last year Crown The Empire released their third full-length album, Retrograde. Their Retrograde Tour promoting the album hit the Clifton Park venue in late November.
Doors open for the Rest in Space tour at 6 pm on Sunday, and the show kicks off at 7 pm.
On Friday, Feb 17, local rock artist from Upstate NY, Frank Palangi, and his band, had the sold out crowd at Jupiter Hall inside the Lucky Strike Social located at the Crossgates Mall in Albany, on their feet. Opening for Red Sun Rising and Badflower, Palangi performed all his fan favorite tracks, and threw a cover in by Full Devil Jacket. The boys more than did their job, and after their set, they had the sold out venue more than ready for a rock show.
New York state is filled with a tremendous amount of musical talent on the rise. Whether you’re a local writer, photographer, or both, NYS Music is one of the leaders when it comes to promoting local talent chasing down their dreams in the music industry, while we hone our crafts by covering these artists.
Palangi got right down to business, and rocked out track after track, which is expected, since he was slated in the crucial spot of opening the show to warm the crowd up. In the end, he and his band rocked the faces off everyone inside Jupiter Hall. It was obvious by the crowds reaction, and those who have not ever seen Palangi perform, and wrote him off as just a local talent not worthy, had their minds changed in a heartbeat making a perfect example why fans should show up early to events, and take in all the artist on the bill.
This group of musicians have a good chemistry on stage. They come off as well polished veterans in the business with their stage presence, playing style, and personality which are traits you look for in a band. All three seemed to be genuinely having a blast on stage.
Palangi is really coming together as an artist, and owned the crowd with his deep husky vocals and catchy rock tunes. His confidence and professionalism on stage grows with each performance. The Queensbury native opened the show with the track “Break These Chains,” which he recorded with Daughtry guitarist Brian Craddock, at Craddock’s recording studio in Virginia. Before the band played the single “I’m Waiting,” drummer Josh Opitz held down the beat, as Palangi tossed out free merchandise to the crowd. New guitarist Dillon Swertner, is very charismatic in showing off his guitar skills throughout the bands set.
Palangi is no stranger when it comes to opening up shows for national artist. He has opened up shows and festivals that have included several major rock artists including Shinedown, Megadeth, Alice in Chains, Ghost, Janes Addiction, Buckcherry, 3 Doors Down, Trapt, Lacey Sturm, Powerman 5000 and Aaron Lewis to name a few.
Electric is not his only forte, Palangi holds many acoustic shows across the region. He has upcoming shows on March 25, at Mean Max Brew Works in Glens Falls, and April 21 at Dinosaur BBQ in Troy. Frank Palangi consists of himself on vocals and guitar, Josh Opitz (drums), and Dillon Swertner (guitar).
Setlist: Break These Chains – I Am Ready – Now You Know (Full Devil Jacket Cover) – Thank You – Jam – I’m Waiting – Turn It All Around
Come to find out, our generous busker not only resides in NYC, current street performer Will Boyajian, is a Clifton Park native, and son of notable Albany lawyer, Don Boyajian. Boyajian graduated from Shenendehowa High School in 2008. He studied music theater at Ithaca College, and has been living in NYC since 2012.
As word of his story rapidly spreads, Boyajian stated to The Schenectady Gazette, that he hopes someone will step in and make it bigger, as he will be leaving NYC in March to act in the Capital Repertory Theater production of “They Built America: The Workers of the Erie Canal.” After that, Boyajian will take his acting skills, and head back to the cruise ship from April through December.
Musicians from Los Angeles and Chicago have reached out to Boyajian, wanting to start their own #HopefulCases, but Boyajian wants to make sure that people are doing it for the right reasons, at that the campaigns name is never used for profit and personal gain.
Original Article Follows:
In Upstate NY, you can usually catch street performers playing their instruments, looking for a little extra cash near all the downtown hot spots in whatever city you reside. When you travel to a bigger city, like New York, one common place to see street performers looking for earnings, are in subway terminals. In a different twist, one specific street performer does it solely for humanitarian reasons, and now has the whole city talking.
The New York Post reports that 26-year-old Will Boyajian, performs his bluegrass style of music to strap hangers walking by at the 42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal subway station, and gives away his earnings throughout the day to those in need while trying to show New Yorkers a different way to give back and donate.
Boyajian, who saved money for his cause by performing 8 months for Norwegian Cruise Line, earns around $400 daily in tips from passersby. Before he starts playing, the busker leans a sign against his case that reads, “If you’re homeless or need help, take as much as you need from the case.” His goal at the end of the day is to end with zero dollars in the case. If any cash is left, Boyajian will either hand out the left over singles, or purchase single ride MetroCards to pass out.
There is no limit to what a person can take from the case as Boyajian trusts the persons taking from the case are truly in need. When talking about his experiment, which he calls Hopeful Cases, Boyajian stated to the New York Post:
It’s really wild. Some people come up and take a dollar or take five dollars, some people come up and take $80… It’s not my job to judge it’s just my job to give.
Boyajian reflected about a moment that grabbed his heart Sunday when a man, with his dog, approached the case:
I probably had $40 or $50 left, and my voice was trashed, and I wanted go home. ‘I said, just empty it out man…Treat yourself.’ And he said it’senough for one of those hotels that let the dogs come, and he told the dog, ‘Moby, we’re going to be OK.’
He also recounted about a time when he first moved to the city:
When I first moved to the city… this dude got on the train… and was clearly homeless. The whole train moved away. None of us will ever experience that kind of rejection in our lives.
In a recent Blabbermouth report, former Queensryche frontman, Geoff Tate, discussed with the “Noize In The Attic” radio show, whether he thinks a reconciliation could happen in the future, and reunite with original Queensryche lineup someday down the road.
Tate’s response when asked if a possible Queensryche reunion possibly happening:
I suppose so. I suppose that if everybody got in a room…The only reason to get together is for the money. That’s the only reason. So, if everybody really needed money and wanted to get together and bury the hatchet, so to speak, and sit in one room and say [mocking tears] ‘Gosh, I’m really sorry I treated you that way.’ You know, maybe then we could work toward some sort of resolution, but I haven’t seen any attempt by anybody to do that. So I’m holding out…holding my breath. [But] I’d never say never. I might get to a point where I really need the money. It’s nice to have that little back-up plan.
In a past interview with The Metal Gods Meltdown, Tate described his time with the band as a business more than a brother hood. He stated:
We weren’t really friends, you know – we were business associates. We had a wonderful entity that we shared called Queensryche, but it wasn’t an equal sort of partnership as far as involvement goes. You know, so there wasn’t a real camaraderie amongst everybody in the band… From my perspective and my involvement, it wasn’t an emotional sort of brotherhood kind of thing that some people might think existed. That wasn’t my reality with them.
Tate tried suing the band over the rights to the Queensryche name in 2012. A settlement was reached between both parties in 2014, giving original band members Michael Wilton (guitar), Scott Rockenfield (drums), and Eddie Jackson (bass), the rights to the Queensryche name, while giving Tate the rights to perform live, the albums, “Operation Mindcrime,” and Operation Mindcrime II.”
All Over Albany has reported that the 101-year-old EBA, short for Electric Body Arts, a landmark theater building, located on the corner of Lark and Hudson in Albany, is up for sale by online auctioneers Collar City Auctions.
EBA founder Maude Baum, purchased the building in 1977, from the Daughters of the Eastern Star, and has been running dance classes out of the building ever since, making it one of the staples of the community. Although this era is coming to a close, Baum states that the company will continue.
Baum talked about the current situation:
There are lots of places to hold classes, there are lots of places to perform, there are lots of places to rehearse. I’m OK with it. I’m sort of at the point where it’s time for a change.
The building was up for auction a while back, but developers only wanted the land, not the building. They discovered that their original plans of demolishing the building, wouldn’t be cost effective according to Baum. She stated:
It’s built like a Mack truck. The beams are 15-inch metal studs so it’s structurally sound. It’s in excellent shape. We just finished shingling, there’s a new boiler, and a new tin ceiling in the theater.
Before considering the online auction route, the company was turned down for a state Main Street grant, hoping to add apartments and offices to the building.
EBA is still holding regular scheduled rehearsals, performances and classes until the bidding closes on March 2, with an assessed value of $518,400, according to city tax records. After that, Baum and her board of directors are up for any ideas, opportunities, and possibilities.
Baum on the future of the building:
Who knows, maybe someone will buy the building and want to lease the space back to us, or share it with us somehow. Anything could happen.
Everything that has happened here is still in my heart — All the artwork and performances — They’re still inside of me. What’s the difference if you look at a photo here or you look at it someplace else.
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.
Grounded with combined elements of soft grooves, grit, guitar heavy tunes, seventies rock and Motown soul, Wild Adriatic will bring a stacked show to Putnam Den on Saturday, Feb. 4, just one day after their latest album, Feel, drops. Having only released 3 EPs prior, the power trio consisting of Travis Gray, Rich Derbyshire and Mateo Vosganian will celebrate their fresh release for a Saratoga Springs home crowd, the very place in which the group first convened.
Wild Adriatic have already notched three EPs and one live album — leaving 2017’s Feel highly anticipated by fans and band members alike. During the growth process of Feel, the trio decided to focus on their raw, live performance as opposed to the craftiness that can be conjured up in the studio through samples, digital instruments and the like. This time around, the goal was to emphasize organic talents in Gray’s powerful, soul-grabbing vocals and lead guitar riffs, Derbyshire’s bass slaps and Vosganian’s heavy-hitting drums, bringing their natural creativity and emotions to the forefront of the music.
Promotion of the sophomore full-length release has not seen a lull. The group has shown triumphant efforts to push the album recorded in Austin, Texas with Grammy-nominated producer Frenchie Smith. Fans have been delighted with various album teasers, acoustic video sessions and snippets of mock reality show footage featuring members of the band in Ghost Hunters, Dancing with the Stars and Naked and Afraid. Sure, playing the bass in a band is rewarding but check out Rich as he takes on new moves for Dancing with the Stars. You can also check out Mateo’s fearless ghost hunting video and Travis’ video on Facebook, where he took on a different area of exploration–he is most certainly naked, but is he afraid?
2017’s Feel reaches new depths with 11 tracks of emotion, dipping into realms of politics, modern relationships, friendships and soul crushing break ups, adding nods to new genres into their personal melting pot of sound.
Don’t miss a wild album release party at Putnam Den on Feb. 4 with openers Let’s Be Leonard and Bathrobe Robots–available to those 18+, with a surcharge of $5 for those under 21. Tickets cost $10 in advance or $15 the day of the show but WA fans can also get their hands on a few combo deals, like an advance ticket and CD for $20, advance ticket and tee shirt for $25 and all three in a bundle for $35! Doors open at 8 with the show to follow at 9.
Q&A with Mateo Vosganian of Wild Adriatic:
Alyssa Ladzinski: It’s obvious that the message of Feel is to be in touch with your emotions. Can you elaborate on the occurrences that made each one of you come to terms with accepting your own feelings and using them as inspiration for your second full length release?
Mateo Vosganian: This record was written and recorded during a pretty tumultuous few years in our personal lives. A lot of the songs are about a specific old relationship of Travis’ that was the source of a lot of stress and craziness in his life. Writing more specifically and personally to our lives seemed to be a natural progression for us with this record. We go into each new recording process with hopes to open some more doors and explore our abilities a bit. I turned 30 in 2016 and we’ve all grown up together a lot in the last five years we’ve been doing this band. Personally, I feel like a big part of growing up is getting in touch with your feelings and who you are as a person. Finding what makes us tick and being honest about it. This record is another step down that path.
AL: Favorite track off of the new album and why?
MV: I think my favorite track is “Chasing A Ghost.” It’s the song that took on the most influence from our surroundings and producer down in Austin and we were sort of able to get in touch with our more cosmic & space-y yet still soulful sides.
AL: I know you guys wanted to focus on your raw talents other than the effects that can be placed on music in the studio. Are there any new avenues you explored on this album in lieu of recording studio magic and finishing touches?
MV: We recorded the basic tracks for the album live in a room together and I think that really added more of our vibe to the recording than we’ve been able to capture in the past. We’ve self-produced all of our old records and this time we worked with a very talented and inspiring dude named Chris “Frenchie” Smith down in Austin. He helped us tap into some very expressive areas in our playing and inspired searches for new sounds and lots of risk taking in the studio.
AL: You and Travis were once involved in a pop punk group called Horse in A Box. Can you recall some of your favorite memories playing in this band and how it lead you to where you are today?
MV: Travis and I have been making records and playing shows together since we were teenagers. My favorite memories of that band came from absolutely ridiculous road trips in my mothers mini van to go play shows all over NY state. We were 4 of the weirdest, dumbest kids you could find and it was an absolute blast. We took it pretty seriously even as kids so we were on the road most weekends. I think that led to interesting school lives where we weren’t really around a lot on the weekends and the band was our family. We learned a lot about performing live, recording and the business side of making music at a young age. That has helped so much now, along with a hell of a lot of growing up.
AL: What are your favorite current pop punk acts– favorite while you were in Horse in A Box?
MV: Honestly I haven’t been paying too much attention to pop punk these days but the one record I heard last year that i really loved was State Champs’ album. They’re a band from Albany who has slowly but surely been taking over the world and it’s been a delight to see and hear.
AL: You guys originated in Saratoga Springs and attended school extremely close to the area in Queensbury. What are some of your favorite Saratoga Springs businesses/restaurants?
MV: My absolute favorite restaurant in Saratoga is the Park Side Eatery on Phila St. It’s got a super diverse and delicious menu, wonderful staff and just an overall great vibe similar to places we’ve run into on the road. Oh and the baked goods. OH the baked goods. Homemade donuts, cinnamon buns, the works. It’s ridiculous. And we have to mention Esperanto because doughboys are a way of life when we play in town.
AL:How does it feel to have an album release show in a place you can refer to as home?
MV: Well the tour starts on 2/1 in Virginia so it’s kinda nice to play a few shows (in VA, NYC and Pennsylvania) before we come home and celebrate with our amazing home area. It’s about to be a big year on the road and we’re grateful to be able to do a show at home before taking off for a few months!
AL: Does this pose extreme levels of comfort and/or pressure to do something huge?
MV: At this point we feel very comfortable in our lives as working musicians and these kinds of shows and tours end up being so rewarding if we can stay present and keep a good mindset. It helps to remember how little control we have over anything but ourselves and just go out there and be with the audience.
AL: So on FaceBook, it says you enjoy voodoo. Are you putting hexes on those who don’t feel your music?
MV: I’m amazed you read that. Sometimes, me from three years ago writes shit on Facebook that even I don’t understand anymore.
AL: You’re playing this show with fellow Saratogians Let’s Be Leonard– what do you want fans who’ve never listened to them to know?
MV: They’re one of our favorite bands; they write great songs and perform them with tons of heart and open minds live. No two shows are the same from Leonard and that’s one of my favorite parts about seeing them. Also, they have a new record coming out this year at some point!
AL:Your TV parody commercials were brilliant. Where did you get the idea to place yourselves in the midst of reality TV in order to promote your latest album? Are you actually hardcore fans of each show you “participated” in?
MV: Honestly, Travis was telling us about some really super ridiculous episode of Naked and Afraid that he had seen where the guy wouldn’t stop talking about how a Sasquatch laid on him one time. No joke, this happened on TV. We thought it was so funny and I had been toying around with ideas for ways to help promote that weren’t your traditional live videos and studio videos and such. It just sort of happened that we needed three solid concepts and we knew to start with Naked and Afraid. Rich is actually a great dancer so we knew that would be fun too. It all worked out really well and, with our ideas, that’s not always the case haha. We really love comedy, love being ridiculous and have some extremely talented friends in Jamie, Nick and Zach at Chromoscope Pictures. They spent a whole day running around with us to shoot those 3 commercials and then edited them beautifully. We’re psyched people think they’re as fun as we do!
AL:You start touring Feel in the beginning of February. Any locations or venues on the bill that you’re looking forward to hitting the most? Why?
MV: Oh man, pretty much all of the venues are favorites we’ve hit before. We’re doing some new spots in the southeast with our good friends Welshly Arms before we join up with the Rock Boat down in Tampa, FL. That’s going to be an absolutely insane week at sea, we’ll be sailing with around 30 bands and 2200 music fans, and we’ve got a late night 70s themed set prepared that has been SO much fun to work on. The Rock Boat is definitely one of the most exciting things in our lives and we love being a part of that family.
AL: After spending massive amounts of time on the road and gearing up to do it again, have you come into any “road habits,” games or activities to help pass long hours on monotonous drives?
MV: We listen to a ton of new music and lots of podcasts. We love good comedy podcasts like You Made It Weird and The Boogie Monster. My Dad has a pretty vast knowledge of music and is always showing me new bands to dig into, so that’s been fun to just have so much time to listen to entire records and really get into bands.
AL: Which groups are you hoping to hear more from in 2017?
MV: Always White Denim. Northern Faces. Welshly Arms. Marcus King Band. Eric Krasno Band. West End Blend. Swear and Shake.
Included in the archives, is an estimated 600 hours of demos, concerts, and poetry readings, from throughout Reed’s career. The archives also consist of more than just recordings, as there are several various types of paperwork and photographs in the collection.
When Anderson was going through the tapes with hired archivist Don Fleming, some mysteries were brought to light. There is a reel of Velvet Underground, with handwritten notes “Delightful,” and “Gas,” that Fleming believes may be from Warhol. In May of 1965, In an even bigger mystery, Reed mailed himself a five inch reel-to-reel tape. The box remains unopened to this day, and it’s contents on the reel unknown. Fleming thinks this may have been an attempt for Reed to establish a copyright for the material.
