NYS Music 20​18

Author: Brian Cornish

  • Tedeschi Trucks Band and Chevy Court Crowd Agree: “I Want More”

    A crowd estimated at more than 16,000 people gathered at the New York State Fair’s Chevy Court in Syracuse on a beautiful moonlit evening to hear the unique sound of the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Susan Tedeschi’s powerful, emotion-soaked vocals are at the front of most of their songs. What makes the band unique is the addition of her husband, world class guitarist Derek Trucks, and a cast of fellow band mates that would be the envy of any guitar/vocal combo. Including the punch of double drums, the wallop of a horn section and extraordinarily gifted backup singers, and the sublime Kofi Burbridge contributing accents on flute and huge swaths of sweeping organ melodies, there is a multi-layered density to their music that simply doesn’t sound much like other bands.

    At times, there are elements of funk, soul, roots rock, blues, jazz, free-form jams, and a kind of comfortable pulse or groove to all of it that propels the music further. While Tedeschi and Trucks have their names on the marquees, they allow plenty of latitude for every member of the band to shine and contribute. It’s the type of music that finds people that might be unfamiliar with the songs still smiling, tapping their feet, shuffling and swaying back and forth, and feeling their spirits uplifted as the music builds and soars.

    A couple of the evening’s highlights occurred back to back, in the form of Tedeschi’s breathtaking vocals on the gospel-like “Bound for Glory,” followed by Mike Mattison (who shares many songwriting credits in the band) taking the lead to sing a gritty, growling cover of Bob Dylan’s “Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)”. Those weren’t the end of the highlights, as a couple of tunes later, the band invited Central New York native Al Schnier from the band moe. to join them in a cover of “Tell the Truth.” This was a guitar fan’s dream, as Trucks, Schnier and Tedeschi stood side by side at center stage and traded riffs for nearly ten minutes. In an interesting twist, the first ever live performance and first ever recording of that song by Derek and the Dominoes included Dave Mason (of Traffic), who had played earlier in the afternoon on the same Chevy Court stage.

    The band finished their main set with a song that seemed to perfectly express the sentiments of the crowd, “I Want More.” After a brief exit, the band returned for encores. Derek Trucks and saxophonist Kebbi Williams teamed for an instrumental “Swamp Raga” intro to “Midnight in Harlem.” The band closed the show with an exuberant take of Joe Cocker’s “Space Captain.”

    Tedeschi Trucks Band Chevy Court Setlist: Don’t Let Me Slide, Laugh About It, High & Mighty, Get What You Deserve, Lord Protect My Child @, Bound For Glory, Made Up Mind, Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood) @, Part Of Me, Tell The Truth #, More And More, How Blue Can You Get %, I Want More, Encores: Midnight In Harlem (Swamp Raga intro), Space Captain $

    @ – Bob Dylan cover, # – Derek and the Dominoes cover, % – BB King arrangement cover of Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers song, $ – Joe Cocker cover

  • Magpie Salute Fans Swept Away by High Water

    Area fans of Rich Robinson, Marc Ford, and all of their previous musical projects, had eagerly anticipated the first Central New York appearance of their latest collaboration, The Magpie Salute at del Lago Casino in Waterloo, New York on July 19. In addition to Robinson and Ford, the band includes Sven Pipien on bass, Joe Magistro on drums, Matt Slocum on keyboards, and John Hogg on vocals, guitar, and harmonica.magpie salute

    Del Lago Casino’s first class, state-of-the-art, 2400-seat theater, The Vine, hosted an enthusiastic crowd with many people up and dancing, or advancing to the stage. The opening song, “Mary the Gypsy,” set the tone with Magistro’s booming, manic drums, with layers of guitars and keyboards energizing the entire room. Later in the set, the band raised the bar even higher with a full-throttle version of Jeff Beck’s “All Shook Up.” The band displayed remarkable range by switching immediately from that powerhouse high-tempo blues rock number to covering the alt-country tune “Hot Burrito #2,” a love letter of sorts from the iconic Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers.

    It was interesting to see a few of the band members smile as they recognized familiar faces in the crowd. Robinson made mention of this, stating that such continuing support of he and Ford over all the years meant a lot. He made it a point to say that this was a new venture, with new ideas, and in the face of the world being “batshit crazy these days,” it was important to focus on now, and maybe not so much on the past. That notion was reflected in the set list. Though there were a few songs from Ford and Robinson’s previous individual side projects, any fans expecting an evening of Black Crowes covers were left empty-handed on this night, which emphasized that this was indeed a new sound and a new direction.

    One element from the past that did remain evident was the effortless interplay between Ford and Robinson. It can be argued that the two of them were the equal of any guitar duo of the nineties. Though they had separated for a number of reasons, and hadn’t played together for over a decade, their decision to reunite in The Magpie Salute has found that their old magic still exists. That connection was never more evident than during “For the Wind.” This is a sweeping song that begins with a light melodic line from Robinson, and builds to a muscular crescendo with Pipien keeping the bottom end on his familiar blue Fender jazz bass while the guitars soar and seem to draw from each other. As Robinson has stated, “Marc Ford and I have this thing and it’s something you can’t put your finger on and understand, but he and I just go to these places when we play together. The older I get, the more I realize how important that is.”

    magpie salute

    Hogg, Robinson, and Ford each took turns on lead vocals, with Pipien adding backing vocals and harmonies. Most of the evening’s one hour and forty minute set was from The Magpie Salute’s upcoming release, High Water I, available August 10 via Eagle Rock, Mascot Label Group, and Sony Japan. Pre-orders are available here. The band will continue to tour in support of the album, with scheduled U.S. dates through September.

    The Magpie Salute Setlist: Mary the Gypsy, Comin’ Home*, Walk On Water, I Remember, Take It All, Shalimar Dreams, All Shook Up ^, Hot Burrito #2~, Open Up, Hand In Hand, You Found Me, Goin’ Down South, For the Wind, Devil’s In the Details, I Don’t Hear the Sound of You, Colorblind, Can You See, High Water, Send Me An Omen

    *Delaney & Bonnie cover   ^Jeff Beck cover   ~ Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Brothers cover

  • Americana Music Award Nominees Announced

    On May 15 in Nashville, The Americana Music Association announced the nominees for its 17th annual Honors & Awards. The winners of each category will be announced during the Americana Honors & Awards show on September 12, 2018 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. The celebrated program is the hallmark event of AMERICANAFEST: The Americana Music Festival & Conference, which runs from September 11-16, 2018

    The nominees are:

    Album of the Year:
    All American Made, Margo Price, Produced by Jeremy Ivey, Alex Munoz, Margo Price and Matt Ross-Spang
    By The Way, I Forgive You, Brandi Carlile, Produced by Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings
    The Nashville Sound, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Produced by Dave Cobb
    Rifles & Rosary Beads, Mary Gauthier, Produced by Neilson Hubbard

    Artist of the Year:
    Brandi Carlile
    Jason Isbell
    Margo Price
    John Prine

    Duo/Group of the Year:
    I’m With Her
    Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
    Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
    Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

    Emerging Act of the Year:
    Courtney Marie Andrews
    Tyler Childers
    Anderson East
    Lilly Hiatt

    Song of the Year:
    “A Little Pain,” Margo Price, Written by Margo Price
    “All The Trouble,” Lee Ann Womack, Written by Waylon Payne, Lee Ann Womack and Adam
    Wright
    “If We Were Vampires,” Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Written by Jason Isbell
    “The Joke,” Brandi Carlile, Written by Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth

    Instrumentalist of the Year:
    Daniel Donato – Guitar
    Brittany Haas – Fiddle
    Jerry Pentecost – Drums
    Molly Tuttle – Guitar

    Additionally, the Americana Music Association annually honors distinguished members of the music community with six member-voted awards and with Lifetime Achievement Awards, which will be announced leading up to Americana music’s biggest night.

    Now almost twenty years old, the prestigious ceremony has honored pioneers and emerging artists, while presenting many memorable moments, including Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash’s last live performance together, and performances and collaborations from such diverse artists as by Van Morrison, Bob Weir, George Strait, Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt, Gregg Allman, The Avett Brothers, Solomon Burke, Rosanne Cash, Civil Wars, Dr. John with Dan Auerbach, Patty Griffin, Levon Helm, Robert Plant and more.

    More information can be found here.

    Jason Isbell and Brandi Carlile reviews by NYS Music can be seen here and here.

    Upcoming New York State appearances by AMA nominees include:

    Margo Price, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, June 2, Governor’s Ball Music Fest, NYC, June 3, CMAC, Canandaigua, July 26

    Brandi Carlile, CMAC, Canandaigua, July 20, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, July 26

    Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, CMAC, Canandaigua, July 20, Forest Hills Stadium, Forest Hills, on September 29

    Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Ommegang Brewery, Cooperstown, on June 5, ; Forest Hills Stadium, Forest Hills, on June 9, SPAC, Saratoga Springs, on September 23,

    I’m With Her (Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan) Caramoor, Katonah, NY July 7, SOLD OUT

    Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Stephen Talkhouse, Amagansett, July 21, SOLD OUT, and July 23, SPAC, September 23

    Anderson East, Mountain Jam, Hunter, June 16

    Molly Tuttle, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Oak Hill, NY, July 20

  • Blues Music Awards Honor Chenango Blues Festival Performers

    The Blues Foundation held its 39th Blues Music Awards on Thursday, May 10, in Memphis, Tennessee. Several award winners have appeared recently in Central New York, most notably at the Chenango Blues Festival. Victor Wainwright took home the prestigious Pinetop Perkins Best Instrumentalist – Piano Award, and Jason Ricci was named Best Instrumentalist – Harmonica. Both Wainwright and Ricci delivered jaw-dropping, show-stopping performances at the 2017 Chenango Blues Festival, reviewed by NYS Music’s Mike Kohli here.

    Jason Ricci

    Other winners that have appeared at Chenango through the years include Curtis Salgado, Soul Blues Male Artist; Southern Avenue, Best Emerging Artist Album; Ronnie Earl, Best Instrumentalist – Guitar; Samantha Fish, Contemporary Blues Female Artist; Mike Ledbetter, who won with Mike Welch for Traditional Blues Album for Right Place, Right Time on Delta Groove Records; Mike Zito, Rock Blues Artist; Rick Estrin, who won Band of the Year, Traditional Blues Male Artist, and Song of the Year, for “The Blues Ain’t Going Nowhere;” and the late, great Luther Allison, Best Historical Album for Luther Allison – A Legend Never Dies, Essential Recordings 1976-1997 (Ruf Records).

    Other BMA nominees that have appeared at Chenango include Paul deLay, Guy Davis, Shemekia Copeland, Janiva Magness, Mitch Woods, Chris Cain, John Nemeth, Upstate New York’s own Tas Cru,  (whose latest release, Memphis Song, was recorded at SubCat Studios in Syracuse), Anson Funderburgh, Savoy Brown, Vanessa Collier, Sugaray Rayford, Anthony Geraci, and the North Mississippi All Stars. 2018 Festival performers Toronzo Cannon, The Cash Box Kings, and Elvin Bishop were also nominated.

    Emerging Artist nominees Larkin Poe, quickly gaining followers and national attention, will headline opening night of the NYS Blues Festival in Syracuse on June 28.

    Some of this year’s Blues Music Award winners can be seen throughout New York State this summer. Here is a partial list:

    Mike Zito is at The Tralf in Buffalo on May 17.

    Keb Mo plays at the Tarrytown Theater on May 25.

    Jason Ricci can be seen in Ellicottville on June 2, and in Lima, NY on June 3.

    Samantha Fish can be seen June 2 in Rochester at Flour City Station, June 7 at Daryl’s House in Pawling (already sold out), June 12 at Funk ‘n Waffles, Syracuse, and will return to Chenango on August 18. A NYS Music review of her appearance at the Westcott Theater on February 9, 2018, can be viewed here.

    Robert Cray stops in Vestal on June 13, and in Geneva on June 15.

    Victor Wainwright will perform at Funk ‘n Waffles Syracuse with an early 6:00 p.m. show on July 6.

    Beth Hart is on the bill with Kenny Wayne Shepherd at Albany’s Palace Theater, July 27.

    Trombone Shorty visits Bethel, NY on August 11, and Lewiston, NY on August 14.

    Rick Estrin & the Nightcats are scheduled to appear at Wakely’s on Varick, in Utica, NY on August 11.

  • Samantha Fish Throws Curveballs to Westcott Audience

    In baseball, one of the most effective tools in a pitcher’s arsenal is to throw a pitch the batter isn’t expecting. Kansas City resident and unabashed Royals baseball fan Samantha Fish was equally effective in keeping a Syracuse audience guessing what was coming next by throwing a variety of aural curveballs at them during her performance on February 9 at the Westcott Theater.

    samantha fishA blustery winter evening saw over two hundred music fans turn out at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse, New York for a double bill of Judge Gazza and headliner Samantha Fish. Both of these artists held surprises for anyone expecting straight ahead blues music. Gazza is a ubiquitous presence at Central New York live music events, supporting his fellow artists and promoting future shows. A burly, barrel-chested man with some prominent chin whiskers, he opened the show accompanied by Joel Reissig on drums. Gazza played slide and finger-picking style on a colorful folk art style cigar box guitar decorated with his name on the fretboard. His vocals were a gruff, gravel-throated sound that took some getting used to, but fit well with a number of the more aggressive tunes in a spectrum that drew from from Mississippi hill country blues to punk rock. Overall, his set was reminiscent of everything from Social Distortion and the White Stripes to Sleepy John Estes and R. L. Burnside, whose “Poor Black Mattie” was covered by Gazza.

    samantha fish

    Samantha Fish has built a reputation as a popular festival act touring for nearly a decade as a blues trio, with a large slice of cigar-box slide guitar playing of her own. Her latest album and her latest touring band are a decided sonic shift from many of her previous recordings and performances, more roots rock than blues. That may have been unexpected for some attendees anticipating only her older repertoire. Fortunately, Fish’s guitar skills, vocals, and the dense layers of sound that her five piece backing band added were enthusiastically received by the vast majority. Her songs had elements of soul, gospel, country, and Americana, and she was sure to show off her guitar chops on the more blues-tinged numbers, as well as on a roaring cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Heartbreaker.” The variety of styles and sounds kept Fish’s guitar tech busy, frequently changing between an offset Telecaster, Fender Jaguar, Gibson SG, Taylor acoustic, and a gorgeous custom Delaney guitar, before making her way to a cigar box guitar for a second encore.

    Among the highlights were the beautiful, plaintive “Need You More,” and the infectious “Somebody’s Always Trying,” accented by the punch of Alex Massa on trumpet, Chris Spies on saxophone and the driving beat of Scott Graves on drums that had dozens of folks up and dancing. Rounding out the band were Chris Alexander on bass guitar and Phil Breen on keyboards.

    Fish’s set consisted primarily of songs from her two most recent recordings, Chills and Fever, and her latest, Belle of the West, both on Ruf Records. Each of these 2017 releases have received prominent critical acclaim. The former was named in NY Times music critic Jon Caramanica’s Best of 2017 list. Regarding the latter, Rolling Stone, despite calling Fish a country artist, said, “it sounds like the intersection of coffee-shop folk and juke-joint blues, performed in a sophisticated jazz club.” A broad but apt description, as Fish would likely appeal to fans of artists as diverse as the retro sounds of Duffy or Amy Winehouse, the alt-country of Maria McKee and Lone Justice, to the blues and soul of the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Perhaps most remarkably, Fish now has five studio albums to her name, thousands of performances, international acclaim, and is not yet thirty years old. The future is bright for the Kansas City-based artist, and you should be part of it the next time she’s playing nearby.

    Judge Gazza Setlist: Nobody’s Fault But Mine, Going to Brownsville, Jelly Roll, Black Mattie, Bunny Foo Foo, Up Da Punx, Amen, Black Betty, Rollin’ & Tumblin’, Dirty Get Down, You Gotta Move> Nobody’s Fault But Mine

    Samantha Fish Setlist: Hello Stranger, American Dream, Blood in the Water, You Can’t Go, Chills and Fever, Little Baby, Don’t Say You Love Me, Need You More, No Angels, Somebody’s Always Trying, Belle of the West, Gone for Good, Nearer to You, Cowtown, Daughters> Heartbreaker

    Encore: Go Home, Unidentified (cigar box guitar)

  • The Weight Band Announces Release Date for ‘World Gone Mad’

    The Weight Band, an assemblage of veteran musicians with connections to Woodstock, Levon Helm, and The Band, have announced the release date of their debut recording, World Gone Mad.

    Throughout the storied history of the Midnight Ramble performances at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, New York, there have been multiple configurations of some of the same musicians for different host bands at “the barn.” The Levon Helm Band had morphed into the Midnight Ramble Band, followed by the Dirt Farmer Band, and most recently The Weight Band. Each of these ensembles has relied on a strong belief in the collaboration of all band members. The entire bands were the focus, rather than any individual being featured above the others. That spirit of collaboration is evident in the writing and recording of The Weight Band’s first full-length album, World Gone Mad, scheduled for CD and digital release on February 23.

    The Weight Band World Gone Mad

    Inclusion of two previously unreleased songs co-written by Levon Helm, “You’re Never Too Old (To Rock N Roll)” and “Common Man,” along with guest appearances by Jackie Greene and Randy Ciarlante, and a cover of the Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter song, “Deal” give some added flavors to the half dozen original songs by The Weight Band.

    Central New York music fans may recall a previous incarnation of the The Weight Band, with Byron Isaacs on bass and Ciarlante on drums from their appearance at The Camden Music Festival in 2014. Eventually, Albert Rogers and Michael Bram found their way into those respective slots, joining Jim Weider (guitar), Brian Mitchell (keys/accordion), and Marty Grebbs (keys/saxophone). All five members of the band contribute vocals to their sound.

    The title song was a phrase Jim Weider has said he had kicking around in his head for about a year, until a bit of a melody came along to join it, and he collaborated with the renowned Canadian singer-songwriter Colin Linden to complete the tune. Weider and Linden had previously joined forces on several songs. These include “Remedy,” a version of which is included on World Gone Mad.

    https://youtu.be/aouEP5OjB-0

    The Weight Band will tour in support of their pending release, including four New York State appearances.

    TOUR DATES:
    Feb. 9 – Bergen Performing Arts Center – Englewood NJ
    Feb. 10 – The Warehouse at FTC – Fairfield CT
    Feb. 16 – Infinity Music Hall – Hartford CT *Album pre-release concert
    Feb. 17 – Levon Helm Studios – Woodstock NY *CD release ramble
    March 9 – Sportsmen’s Tavern – Buffalo, NY
    March 10 – Anthology – Rochester, NY
    March 11 – Center for the Arts of Homer – Homer, NY
    March 30 – Beacon Theatre – Hopewell, VA
    March 31 – McGlohen Theater at Spirit Square – Charlotte, NC
    April 1 – City Winery – Atlanta, GA
    April 4 – Crest Theatre – Delray Beach, FL
    April 5 – King Center for the Performing Arts – Melbourne, FL
    April 6 – Capitol Theatre – Clearwater, FL
    April 7 – Center for Performing Arts – Bonita Springs, FL
    April 19 – Narrows Center – Fall River, MA
    April 27 – Fox Tucson Theatre – Tucson, AZ
    April 29 – Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach, CA
    June 24 – Rocks, Ribs & Ridges Festival – Augusta, NJ
    Aug. 20 – Camp Cripple Creek at Full Moon Resort – Big Indian, NY

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