As we continue our look at the best of and the brightest in music in 2017, we shift our focus to up and coming bands that are ready to burst on to the national stage. While our staff picks may mirror those of last year, NYS Music readers have voted for a new act that’s ready to join the ranks of other popular New York bands with bight futures.
And if you’ve missed any of our previous voting results from earlier this week, check out our winners for Best Venues, Best Albums and Best Festivals.
For the second year in a row, our staff has selected Aqueous as a band on the rise as the Buffalo, NY quartet continues their steady progression towards national relevancy. Playing bigger festivals, opening for acts like The Disco Biscuits, and collaborating with members of moe., fellow Upstate New Yorkers, in addition to a steady touring schedule have all contributed to this band’s surge in popularity. This should come as no surprise to Buffalo area music fans who have been singing the group’s praises for years now. They’ll get to enjoy Aqueous back in their hometown as they ring in the new year at Town Ballroom. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.
At least the readers of NYS Music have offered up a new taste this year for their Band on the Rise selection as they’ve chosen The Other Brothers. Fresh off the heels of their recently released EP Jones, this band has seen a steady rise in prominence in 2017 thanks to increased exposure this summer at local festivals like Disc Jam and strong word of mouth. They hang their hat on being able to mix delicate ballad-like songs with focused and heavy jamming in the live setting.
Artists You Should Know
We’re always looking for new music, especially bands from New York State, and this year we stepped up our game and found bands from all corners of the state playing our local bars and clubs, just getting started.
We checked in with our readers, and they overwhelmingly suggested three New York artists: The Backseat Bullets (for fans of shoegaze and a 90s grunge influence), Aqueous (jam stalwarts of Buffalo), and Hartley’s Encore, the new funk powerhouse in Albany.
Meanwhile, we asked the staff who were some artists readers should know about, and we ended up with an impressive list of 21 different artists to check out. There’s no sense in sending you off to listen to three or four bands worth checking out when there is so much variety in store. So here’s the NYS Music Staff list of Best Artists You Should Know for 2017.
Friday, December 1st, the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA hosted a sold out Pigeons Playing Ping Pong show. “One of the fastest sellouts we’ve ever had,” exclaimed Greg Ormont, rhythm guitarist and front man of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. The crowd was surging for both sets in the packed club, the band feeding off their energy. You could see it in their eyes as they belted out heavy jams.
Their cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” was met with a very positive scream from funk-hungry fans. Their set list was a “flocker’s” wet dream, keeping them in motion for the whole night. Even during the set break, it seemed like the dance floor was still in rhythm. After two incredible sets, the quartet ended with a long, dark and heavy “Live It Up” encore.
Pigeons is closing their “Pizazz” tour this weekend in Philly at the TLA and Pittsburgh at Mr. Smalls Theater on December 8 and 9. They close the year on a high note with two shows in Cleveland at Beachland Ballroom December 29 and 30, and end with a bang at Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky on New Year’s Eve.
Mastering the headlining slot across the country, invading the studios at Paste Magazine and announcing a fresh run of gigs for Winter tour with a pass through Rochester’s Anthology, Greg Ormont, Jeremy Schon, Ben Carrey and Alex Petropulos have channeled their full potential into their latest studio effort.
With their ‘Pizazz’ tour in full swing hitting every square inch of North America, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong have perfected their explosive live energy and demanding presence with each passing show. Never slowing momentum and bringing the “better than the last” mentality to every gig, they stormed the freshly introduced Brooklyn Steel on Nov. 24, just before P4 brings their “Fun in Funk” to Saratoga Springs’ newly renovated Putnam Den just over one year from their Dopapod opening set.
NYS Music got to chat with Ormont, the wide-eyed front man on a rare day off, ahead of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong‘s Putnam Den resurgence. Here’s what he had to say about song-writing evolution, evanescent free time and the group’s steadfast efforts, all with interjections from wrestling foster cats.
Alyssa Ladzinski: Hey Greg! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me tonight. You’re in between gigs, where am I catching ya today?
Greg Ormont: I’m in Baltimore where we live when we’re not touring all the time so I’m at home which is always appreciated! Ready to get this interview rollin’.
AL: Let’s do it. Well as far as NY state shows go, you hit Brooklyn Steel a few days ago and being from Port Washington, LI yourself, how can you describe the atmosphere of that NY show and playing in a freshly opened and energized venue?
GO: Oh, Brooklyn Steel is fantastic. It’s very “Brooklyn” in the sense that you’re walking outside of it and it kinda looks like a warehouse, you really wouldn’t expect it to be this awesome venue from the outside but once you’re inside, its expansive, everyone can see the stage, the sound is great and on our end, the crew was awesome and super helpful. We had a smooth time at a new venue in Brooklyn. The energy in the room was off the charts. I had a few friends from LI in the crowd but it was hard to see them because fortunately a lot of people came out, so it was a blast. We even debuted a new Stevie Wonder cover that seemed to go over well.
AL: The last time you played Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs you opened for Dopapod. This time around, you’re headlining. Are you approaching this show any differently than you did nearly one year ago?
GO: Well we approach all our shows more or less the same with the full amount of energy that we can muster. With a headlining show, we have more time to jam and extend songs. I think the only difference will be that we’re able to dig into our catalogue more and extend jams for however long we want. When you’re opening, you’re always looking at the clock trying to wrap up with enough time for the next band to go on. We have a lot more freedom headlining and hopefully it’ll reflect in the music.
GO: *Hold on, time out. I have to break up a cat fight. Come on! Enough! Sorry, you can include this in all the quotes. Or don’t.*
AL: You bet I will. It’s all gold. I feared my cats would do the same.
GO: Go upstairs! My fiance fosters a lot of animals so I have an old geriatric dog barking at random cats. OK they’ve been separated. We should have a smooth interview from here. We have a bunch of cats walking around. This dog will bark at its reflection for a while. Animals have been separated, adrenaline is pumping, let’s keep movin’!
AL: Colorful is one word that comes to mind when thinking of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. Let’s say you, Jeremy, Ben and Alex are each your own crayons. What color would each of you be and why?
GO: Holy moly I really didn’t see this question coming. Well Jeremy would be green and we’re gonna go with snake green. That’s because our guitarist has always been into snakes, lizards and frogs and stuff. He’s the kinda guy that will pick up a frog if its hopping around and I believe his first screen name was greensnakeman, maybe greensnakeman88. For some reason I’m thinking Alex would be red. I haven’t played with crayons in a while. He’d be a ragin’ red. And then I really wanna be blue but I’d have to pick a better adjective.
AL: I’m channeling a Blazin’ Blue.
GO:Blazin’ blue, that’s not bad! I’ll take help from NYS Music. Boy, and Ben would be the only one that changes color. He’d be the chameleon crayon. Everyday is different, every song is different and he changes outfits right in front of your eyes on stage. He’s a chameleon crayon straight-up and I’m blazin’ blue courtesy of NYS music.
AL: That’s what we’re here for! You announced even more winter tour dates on this ‘Pizazz’ run- how do you take time to rejuvenate with every show during this expansive and rigorous touring schedule?
GO: Well we just appreciate the times that we’re home and try to pour as much energy into our home life as we do on stage and on tour. We keep pretty busy off the road between working on new material, upcoming shows and we’ll be announcing a theme for our New Year’s show very soon. Jeremy and I throw Domefest, so you know I would like to rejuvenate more but I definitely don’t have any complaints. Now is the time for us. I know that and I love hustlin’, it’s good to stay busy. Even on tour we have some sweet off days. We went out in New Orleans this past tour and blew off some steam day drinking and wandering around the city. We recently went jet skiing in San Diego with our original drummer which is a great way to rejuvenate and keep the spirits exploding. It’s also another way to stay completely exhausted on tour on your one day off but it’s a sacrifice we’re willing to make.
AL: A lot of these tracks have been performed over the course of the years with your extreme live presence and are already fan-favorites. Which track are you happiest made the cut onto Pizazz?
GO: I’m definitely proud of “Ocean Flows.” That’s a song that I wrote the basic ideas for a while ago and it took us a while as a band to agree that it’s one we should play live. It’s one of the band’s more favorable songs to play to keep the energy flowing all the way to the end. It’s always cool listening to the finished products and remembering how they were written. Some being in spur of the moment goofy situations and it’s amazing people are listening and playing it on the radio when it was just a fun little diddy that developed into a song. A lot of times it boils down to if you picked up the guitar that day. One day I pick up the guitar and stumble across a fun new song that we love playing live, then it’s onto the album and radio station. You can always bring it back to “what if I never picked up the guitar that day.” Reminds me to take chances and strike now but at the same time keep it loose and not worry about where the song is going. If it ends up on an album that’s great, but if not, that’s also fine because fortunately the jam community allows us to play a lot of different kinds of music.
AL: Let’s talk the Flock and the Coop, your Facebook fan page and marketplace. Your fan base exponentially grows as does the sale of your pins. Are you surprised to see how much money people are willing to drop on them? I’ve even seen a few go for around 300 bucks.
GO: It’s pretty wild people are collecting our pins so feverishly. I kinda shut that type of stuff out. I stopped looking at the Flock as much as well its better I just focus on writing music and making plans for upcoming shows and not getting bogged out whats going on with the outside of things. I’m very appreciative people are psyched about our artwork and the band and we hope that whoever is flipping these pins are doing something good with the money. We prefer that go to charity or something but nonetheless, we’re excited that people are stoked on it and we love working with local artists and people from all over the country to make new artwork and keep pushing the envelope with how wacky we can get with a band named Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.
AL: What advice do you have for first time flockers catching the Putnam Den show?
GO: Oh man, well just relax and if you feel like dancing like a monkey go for it, no one’s gonna judge you if you dance like a monkey. We’ve had a few monkeys at our shows that have impressed us and inspired us to play more jungle style music. Just let it flow and don’t forget to smile.
AL: What actor would play you in a movie based on your life?
GO: Oh I hope me, that would be so cool! Do people do that? Maybe John C. Reilly but we’d have to act quickly. Wouldn’t want to do that in 20 years, that would be older Dewey right before he has a heart attack on stage. I think he could pull it off. Maybe Idris Elba. A strong combo of Idris Elba, John C. Reilly and a dash of Jack Black.
AL: Spitfire round! Choose the first answer that comes to mind.
AL: Kiwi or mango?
GO: Kiwi!
AL: Lemon or lime?
GO: Lemon
AL: New York or California?
GO: Ah. I know it’s supposed to be quick but I’m from New York and I really like California and I WANT to say California but my heart says New York.
AL: Sweet or savory?
GO: Sweet
AL: White or dark chocolate?
GO: White, and you know, I really would choose milk chocolate and in retrospect, I’d probably go lime but I said lemon. But that’s what it’s all about! It reveals things to me that I didn’t know about myself. In most interviews I don’t learn a lot about myself so thank you for this introspective line of questioning. I’ll be up all night thinking about the crayons and who would play me in a movie. I’ll text you later if i think of a better answer. Also feel free to take a poll! If any of our readers know who would play me in a movie, let’s hear it!
AL: We’ll put a call out! Thanks so much for entertaining these questions with some fun answers and anecdotes. Really looking forward to catching you at the Den.
GO: That was fun! You really threw me off. I normally get more standard questions. If I seriously think of anything else I’ll text you a follow up and you can say ”Greg texted later that it’s really “Sahara orange.”
Catch Pigeons Playing Ping Pong at Putnam Den on Saturday, December 2nd with the help of Flamingosis in the opening slot. Doors open at 8:30pm with the show to rage shortly after at 9:30pm.
Once you fall down the rabbit hole and begin obsessively following the “Jam Scene” you quickly take note of which bands are the real deal and which ones will soon become another fourth-tier festival causality. Since their birth in 2009, Baltimore natives Pigeons Playing Ping Pong have quickly pulled themselves up the ropes and show no signs of slowing down. Progressing from simply a name you saw on the line-up of nearly a dozen festivals and hearing about them for Phish after-shows to headlining their own two-set shows and establishing an obsessive fan-base of their own (often referred to as “The Flock”), PPPP has secured a spot in the rank of bands you absolutely must see if they are within driving distance (eight hours is driving distance… right?). With the release of their new album PIZAZZ on October 20, the band solidifies that they are here to stay and only getting better with age.
If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to catch a show, then you already know how much energy this band has at all times. For the right person, a PPPP show is the equivalent of running a 5K on acid. Prior to your first show I would recommend going to the gym three times that week to prepare for the number of funk-driven convulsions your body will encounter. While it is often difficult to translate what a band can achieve in a live setting to a studio album, PIZAZZ is about as close as it gets. This is the essential “dancing your ass off in the kitchen while cooking dinner and you’re so into it you don’t even notice your roast has burnt” kind of album. It is genuinely fun, with each track offering a different form of exhilaration to keep the listener engaged. It is often difficult to choose music that satisfies every guest’s tastes when throwing a party, but with PIZAZZ you are guaranteed a bridge that will keep everyone satisfied and may even inspire a few hallway dance circles.
The album starts off hot with its first single “Fun in Funk” which epitomizes what the band and album is all about. The lyrics are playful and self-aware, but musically it is clear that they are not messing around. While “Fun in Funk” has already debuted live, like many other tracks from the album, the studio version is cleaned up and polished, while not at all overproduced. The second single “Something for Ya” follows keeping the energy going, but after listening through the album a couple of times you realize that they could have release almost any other song as their second single and it would fit. The album flows like a well-thought out 11-song set. As you reach the end of the final track, the mystical “Poseidon,” you have the urge to let out a little yell and clap for a couple of minutes until they come out for an encore. While we will have to wait a bit for the encore, this album is certainly one you will listen to over and over until it comes.
Key Tracks: Fun in Funk, Something for Ya, Poseidon
LOCKN‘ 2017, held annually at Infinity Downs Farm in Arrington, Virginia, draws lovers of funky jams, old school blues, and gritty hard rock from all corners of the country. This year, residents from every single state migrated to the mountainous landscape on a late summer weekend, August 24-27. Beautiful sunny weather with a scattering of clouds provided much welcome shade as festival goers danced and mingled, sampling a variety of local brews and food. All-star jams and vibrant performances by local artists studded the four-day event with excitement and musical release.
A gentle breeze wafted across the festival grounds to keep festival goers cool on Saturday for the third day of LOCKN’ 2017. Nashville group Los Colognes helped start off the day at the Relix stage a bit before noon, with a few enthusiastic dancers already in the mood to move. One older gentleman with a silver ponytail beneath a weathered safari hat and donning a brown kilt pranced around the gravel pit directly in front of the stage.
Not to be outdone, a toddler sporting a billowing batman cape and brandishing a brightly colored parasol flitted about observing the black fabric flap wildly behind him. Los Colognes conducting their own dance on stage, showcased their instrumental finesse in the way they would carefully build up the momentum in their sound, which kept the crowd engaged in their performance.
A very enthusiastic crowd flocked to the field to see Pigeons Playing Ping Pong fly away with some energetic funky grooves that got the entire pit jumping to the beat. Ping pong balls were flung through the air in every direction, just as some toss glow sticks during their favorite jams. Lead singer Greg Ormont adores his flock, as Pigeon fans are fittingly named, as evidenced by the warm gratitude he expressed to the crowd throughout the set.
Attendees raged to their animated cover of “Psycho Killer,” and solicited loud cheers when Ormont, Jeremy Schon (guitar) and Ben Carrey (bass) all spun in unison with their instruments, clearly having as much fun on stage as the crowd was below. At one point Ormont proudly decreed, “I think it’s officially FLOCKN’!” Their performance of “Couldn’t We All” immediately brought Charlottesville back to people’s hearts as the band repeated the line “couldn’t we all just get along” before Ormont, arms outstretched, paused briefly and smiled widely before diving back into their spritely brand of jam.
Virginia native Keller Williams took up residence on the main stage with a guitar and some pedals to loop in his own effects. He put forth a low key, but upbeat set as people mulled about, many lounging happily in the dusty grass. A woman tapping on a hand drum offered it to the curious toddler gazing in her direction, mesmerized by the toy, but unsure what to do with it. The scene painted a heartwarming snapshot of the countless friendly interactions igniting across the festival grounds as complete strangers crossed paths and became friends.
The energy shifted drastically as Greensky Bluegrass emerged, standing almost shoulder-to-shoulder armed with their instrument of choice, emitting their powerful barrage of mountain music. Some audience members displayed their sense of humor carrying poles with an assortment of figures mounted atop. One of the most recognizable was none other than the beloved character Wilson, the white volleyball marked with a blood red handprint from the movie Castaway. It’s owner freely passed Wilson on a stick to anyone desiring to dance with it.
Lead vocalist Dave Bruzza took a moment to appreciate playing the festival and commented, “This is awesome. I watched this from my couch last year.” The crowd laughed and cheered in response, recognizing Bruzza’s supremely upgraded festival experience from last year. Greensky closed out their set with “Atlantic City” to loud cheers of the crowd, beautifully timed with the sunset as their last views of the crowd were awash in glimmering golden hues.
Once again the main stage rotated to unveil John Butler Trio, who opened their set with “Cold Wind.” Butler then addressed the crowd stating, “Before we go any further, we’d like to pay our respects to the Native American people whose land we’re on today,” referring to the lands of Nelson County that the Monocan tribe originally called home. Butler is well-known for tying social, environmental and political issues into his songs, and his audience enthusiastically responded. He dedicated his next song “I’d Do Anything (Soldier’s Lament),” expressing, “To all the soldiers, may they call come home.”
Following that he lightheartedly explained, “The intro to this next song is called ‘My Little Pony on Crystal Meth.’ I want to see that image at least once in my life. I dunno why I want to see that, but I just do.” He then quickly transitioned to “Better Than,” followed by “I Used to Get High.” Again Butler addressed to crowd to say, “On the day we arrived in your country we witnessed a whole bunch of bigotry… So we dropped this new song and it’s very fitting. It’s called “Bully.” The tune embarked with an electric guitar distortion that sounded like an emergency siren before engaging in a heavy hard rock sound.
Next Butler brought out his acoustic for his meditative solo of “Ocean,” a full hand of long fingernails picking furiously as the crowd swayed. Butler continued to tie political awareness into his performance, at one point stating, “This is a great time to be playing music,” in reference to the power of creativity to fuel positive change within the community.
Classic rock legend, John Fogerty, singer and songwriter of Creedance Clearwater Revival, pulled out all the hits in an explosive set opening with “Green River,” “Born on the Bayou” “Suzie Q” and “Who’ll Stop the Rain.” A jovial gentleman then trotted across the stage for an accordion solo as the crowd cheered him on. The band followed with “Lookin’ out My Back Door,” and Fogerty continued to wow the crowd with his non-stop energy, building momentum and at some points mixing rapid elements of punk rock into his performance.
Widespread took to the stage for a jam that pushed into “Fishwater” which included Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” “Who Do You Belong To?” and the ending of “Fishwater” to start the night off. Other highlights of their energetic headlining set included Dylan’s “A Hard Rains Gonna Fall” and a monster verison of “You Should be Glad” to end it.
When Joe Russo’s Almost Dead took the stage, Bob Weir joined shortly after “Althea” for “Black Throated Wind” and a “Jack Straw” that pushed Bobby’s limits as he was sweating and gave a look of relief when the build up finally paid off and he could simmer things down into to end “Straw.” A stellar version of “The Wheel” included a ‘Benevento/Russo Duo-esque’ jam for the ages and Weir joined the band for the finale of the expected “One More Saturday Night.”
Levitate Music Festival said this year there would be two days and it was groovy. July 8 and 9 in Marshfield, MA, this little grassroots festival brought thousands of fans to the fairgrounds for some of the best and brightest names touring today.
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad had people going ape in the pits to start off on Saturday. The good tunes kept rolling as New Orleans’ own Rebirth Brass Band brought that southern jazz you never knew you needed. These Grammy winners didn’t become a NOLA institution by accident. You can’t help but get down to this kind of funk. I was a little disappointed to find that Mihali & Friends was dueling with Rubblebucket, but the festival was so well organized that I was able to move between stages with ease to make sure I captured as much of the magic as possible. Deer Tick and The Revivalists were followed by the first set of Umphrey’s McGee. A heavy dose of Umph goodness echoed over a packed crowd. The guys took a quick break to let local-legends Stick Figure tear up the main stage, and then returned with a jam-heavy second set that took over that little fairground. The headliner for the night was the legendary Dispatch, and the rails were surging as they rocked the crowd til the sun had finally set on a magnificent first day.
Guitar prodigy and singer/songwriter Quinn Sullivan really impressed to start off Sunday. The teenage phenomenon has made a true name for himself in his short career. It was a treat to see him and his star-packed band play a hometown show. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong opened the main stage with their insanely contagious energy and funky jams that cannot be matched. Once “Melting Lights” was done melting everyone’s brain, Ripe followed on the Style Stage. This funk/pop group has completely taken this scene by storm with Robbie Wulfsohn’s sassy and soulful presence. Their cover of Ellie Goulding’s “On My Mind” is one of those songs that you can play on repeat for an hour… at least. Trevor Hall and JJ Grey & Mofro had the pits screaming so loud I thought my ears were gonna burst. Vermont favorites, (and yours), Twiddle blew the fans away and blanketed them with dreams and relaxation. You couldn’t help but sing along when they played their new song “Orlando’s.” The Style Stage was closed out with the hottest folk-rock band out there right now, in Lake Street Dive. The reggae legend, Ziggy Marley closed out the festival in pure style. The festival could not have ended on a higher note. Check out the pics from Zatchmo Lives Media and remember to Dream Big, Live Bigger.
moe. and Twiddle have announced a co-headlining show with special guest Pigeons Playing Ping Pong on August 13 at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO.
The weekend will kick off at Boulder Theater with moe. and Twiddle trading off acoustic and electric sets on August 11 and 12. Tickets go on sale February 17 through moe.org and Twiddlemusic.com
Multi-day, VIP and GA tickets will be available Friday, February 17.
Their cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” was met with a very positive scream from funk-hungry fans. Their set list was a “flocker’s” wet dream, keeping them in motion for the whole night. Even during the set break, it seemed like the dance floor was still in rhythm. After two incredible sets, the quartet ended with a long, dark and heavy “Live It Up” encore.
If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to catch a show, then you already know how much energy this band has at all times. For the right person, a PPPP show is the equivalent of running a 5K on acid. Prior to your first show I would recommend going to the gym three times that week to prepare for the number of funk-driven convulsions your body will encounter. While it is often difficult to translate what a band can achieve in a live setting to a studio album, PIZAZZ is about as close as it gets. This is the essential “dancing your ass off in the kitchen while cooking dinner and you’re so into it you don’t even notice your roast has burnt” kind of album. It is genuinely fun, with each track offering a different form of exhilaration to keep the listener engaged. It is often difficult to choose music that satisfies every guest’s tastes when throwing a party, but with PIZAZZ you are guaranteed a bridge that will keep everyone satisfied and may even inspire a few hallway dance circles.
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad
