NYS Music 20​18

Author: Kyler Klix

  • Alex Bay’s Riverboat Bar Announces Summer 2018 Lineup

    The Riverboat Bar announced their Summer 2018 Live Music Series. The fourth-annual live music series in Alexandria Bay, features national touring bands from around the Northeast — heavily focusing on promoting original music. There will be a total of 25 bands performing throughout the series — 14 returning and 11 new bands will make their debut. Most of the shows are free to attend.

    New this year will be a 1000 Islands concert cruise boat tour party. On Friday, Aug. 24, The Blind Owl band will perform two sets on the water from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The show will take place on one of Uncle Sam’s tour boat. This will be a ticketed event. Afterward, Folkfaces are set to play an afterparty at The Riverboat Bar.

    This weekend to close out June, Wild Adriatic performs Friday and Mike Powell & The Black River is to play Saturday.

    July’s bands includes: Aqueous; Broccoli Samurai; Formula 5; Funktional Flow; Balkun Brothers; The Melting Nomads; Chris James & Mama G; and Let’s Be Leonard.

    August’s bands include: The Old Main; The Northmen; and Adapter. Then coinciding with Alex Bay’s annual 10-day Bill Johnstons Pirate Days event, The Riverboat Bar booked Nina’s Brew, Gang of Thieves, Quantum Cosmic (featuring members of Annie in the Water, Lord Electro, Knot Dead and Raisin Head) and Barroom Philosophers.

    The Riverboat Bar is located at 15 Church St., Alexandria Bay, NY

    Friday, June 29 — Wild Adriatic
    Saturday, June 30 — Mike Powell & The Black River
    Friday, July 6 — The Melting Nomads
    Saturday, July 7 — Balkun Brothers
    Friday, July 13 — Funktional Flow
    Saturday, July 14 — Let’s Be Leonard
    Friday, July 20 — Aqueous
    Saturday, July 21 — Chris James & Mama G Band
    Friday, July 27 — Formula 5
    Saturday, July 28 — Broccoli Samurai
    Friday, Aug. 4 — The Old Main
    Saturday, Aug. 5 — Adapter with special guests The Northmen
    Friday, Aug. 10 — Nina’s Brew
    Saturday, Aug. 11 — Quantum Cosmic featuring members of Annie in the Water, Lord Electro, Knot Dead and Raisin Head
    Friday, Aug. 17 — Gang of Thieves
    Saturday, Aug. 18 — Barroom Philosophers
    Friday, Aug. 24 — Blind Owl Band (Uncle Sam’s Boat Tour Party)
    Friday, Aug, 24 — Folkfaces (Blind Owl Band afterparty)
    Saturday, Aug. 25 — To be announced

  • Hearing Aide: Progger ‘Dystopia’

    Progger has put together a masterful ensemble to release an album that consists of layers of different music to stimulate all your senses. Progressive jazz-rock-funk fusion Progger released their fourth album Dystopia recently. Twelve musicians make up the credits for the album — from New York City, Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles.

    This album puts some of the best work right in the beginning to show listeners how explosive this band can be. “Oba-bow” sets the tone for the album with a dramatic build-up that teases the expectation of a musical journey that takes you high and low.

    The bass must be played at an appropriate level when listening to Dystopia. Without proper speakers, the listener will not get the full effect of the tremendousness of the sound Progger creates.

    Progger does a great job of mixing energy and taking it away to a peaceful melody. On “Housewives” the soothing, soft sounds go from an R&B feeling to something grittier when the guitarist shows off his skills.

    The brass and keys really give Progger their impressive sound. The album title track, “Dystopia,” brings out a progressive melody from the saxophone, while delivering some pretty sounds from the piano and going off the other end with the keyboards. Some of it is reminiscent of classical music.

    “Adryllanin” is a crescendo that has a very soft beginning and progresses into a loud collaboration of all the instruments to pull together a beautiful song. “Adrenal Interlude” brings out some different sounds from Progger. The funky dance beat is fun. It’s just a short song, but perfect for the middle of the album to keep the energy flowing. The energy stays consistent through “Morning Star.” The end of the album transitions to softer, soulful sounds. “Choom” keeps the same level throughout and is an easy-listening song for relaxation.

    “Sinister decisions” features a mellow, energetic tone. The harmony between all the instruments takes on a different journey. “Haunt” comes in soft like a lullaby. The album’s structure flows well to end with softer songs. Beautifully written, “Haunt” feels like a proper conclusion to a good time. One last song, “Sinister Prelude,” is a short outro to conclude the album with just a few more fun noises from the band before they go.

    Progger’s Dystopia is a quality album that deserves recognition and accolade. The music is a soundtrack to a good time. Whether you are relaxing by yourself or hosting a party with a few friends, Dystopia is an album to keep in your collection for the right moment.

    Performing on this album are Daniel Watson (drums), Devin Collins (drums and electronic percussion), Steve Anthony Belvilus (drums on “Morning Star”), Nicholas Clark (electric bass and synth bass), Bryan Ladd (electric bass), Isamu McGregor (keyboards), Carter Arrington (guitar), Daniel Muniz (guitar), Akira Ishiguro (guitar), Matthew Muehling (guitar), Paul Deemer (trombone), and Brian Donohoe (saxophone, keyboard, drum loops, and additional guitar).

    Key Tracks: Oba-Bow, Housewives, Sinister Prelude

  • Musicians Call on Congress to Fix Copyright Loophole

    A law requiring companies to pay artists royalties for their music recorded prior to Feb. 15, 1972 is in the works. Currently, musicians who recorded music before that date are not being paid for their work — ever since Congress passed the Copyright Act of 1976.

    Momentum is growing for calls to Congress to pass the CLASSICS Act. A group of 213 musicians, along with eight music organizations, came forward recently to address the copyright loophole.

    Abdul “Duke” Fakir brought more progress to the issue in an opinion piece he wrote for The Washington Post in December 2017. A founding member of the Motown group, the Four Tops, Fakir explains how digital streams make up half of all business revenue and that the companies pay royalties to artists to play their music. But these same companies do not have to pay artists who recorded before the February 1972 date.

    Fakir feels for these older artists as well in that they are not being treated fairly and are not as well off as people who had sturdier careers.

    “Yet artists who recorded those classics — many of whom are no longer able to tour — struggle for basic food, shelter and medical care,” Fakir writes in his op-ed column. “It’s ridiculous, it’s unfair, and it’s about time we make it illegal.”

    Together, the musicians and organizations released an advertisement that stated:

    Digital radio makes billions of dollars a year from airplay of music made before Feb. 15, 1972. Yet, because of an ambiguity in state and federal copyright laws, artists and copyright owners who created that music receive nothing for the use of their work. The CLASSICS Act (H.R. 3301 / S. 2393) would correct this inequity and finally ensure that musicians and vocalists who made those timeless songs finally get their due. We urge Congress to pass the CLASSICS Act and other pro-artist reforms quickly.

    This has been brought up as an issue today with the profits of online radio companies soaring. Companies like Sirius/XM, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio and more have all been more profitable with the expansion of technology.

    According to a press release, supporters of the CLASSICS Act anticipate the House Judiciary Committee will resolve this loophole by consolidating the key reforms into a single bill.

  • Camp Bisco 16 Announces Lineup

    Camp Bisco returns for year 16.

    The music festival hosted by the Disco Biscuits takes place once again on Montage Mountain on Thursday, July 12 to Saturday, July 14, in Scranton, Pa.

    Marc Brownstein, Biscuits bassist posted on Facebook: “Back to the mountain with an amazing lineup!!”

    It will be the festival’s fourth consecutive year at Montage Mountain — which includes a waterpark and camping grounds for festivalgoers.

    The Disco Biscuits headline the three-day event, and the festival continues to book the biggest names in EDM and jamtronica.

    Headbangers and bassheads can rejoice there will be no shortage of bass at this year’s event.

    Bisco staples such as Bassnectar, Tipper, Lotus and STS9 return to headline once again. Excision and Illenium will also headline along with Bonobo, which will include a live band.

    More bands included are: 12th Planet; Anna Lunde; Big Wild; Boogie T; Buku; Desert Dwellers; DJ Jazzy Jeff; The Floozies (ft. the Terminus Horns); The Funk Hunters; G Jones; Ghostface Killah; Jai Wolf; Lettuce; Liquid Stranger; Mija (back to back) Billy Kenny; Oliver Tree; Papadosio; Quinn XCII; Space Jesus X2 (including a special downtempo set); Snails; Sunsquabi; Tauk; Zion I x Lespecial.

    Also making the trip to Montage Mountain will be: Agent Zero; Bass Physics; Bluetech; Cofresi; Ducky; Flamingosis; Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad; The Hip Abduction; Horizon Wireless; Kidswaste; Kung Fu; Let’s Danza!; Magic Beans; Naughty Professor; Orchard Lounge; Probcause; Space Bacon; Squinto; Yheti and Zeke Beats.

    For more information and tickets for Camp Bisco 16, visit campbisco.com

  • Kyle Hollingsworth Band Bringing New Jams to Funk ‘N Waffles

    Music fans are in for a treat this weekend if they are heading out to see the Kyle Hollingsworth Band.

    “As of right now, I’m excited about this little run in the Northeast,” said Kyle Hollingsworth. “I’m excited about hitting the road a little bit and playing some of these tunes I’ve been working on the last year or so — testing out live performance of the songs. And raging the best we can.”

    The keyboardist for String Cheese Incident brings his solo project to New York for a show on Friday in Rochester and another in Syracuse on Saturday, both at Funk ‘N Waffles.

    “We have a new lineup of musicians and it’s more jam-oriented than I’ve ever made it,” he said.

    Hollingsworth’s tour coincides with the release of his new solo album 50 — coming out March 2.

    NEW SONGS

    Fans attending the shows on this tour will be the first ones to hear the new songs played live from the album.

    “There will be some debuts,” he said.

    While he has played about half of the album live already, he said it’s fun playing songs for the first time because people don’t know them and he does more experimentation and jamming.

    “If we screw up the song, people won’t know because they haven’t heard it before,” he said.

    NEW ALBUM, BIRTHDAY

    The album 50 comes out a day before Hollingsworth’s birthday, when he turns 50. Reflecting on that milestone, Hollingsworth is not slowing down at all.

    “I still feel super creative and very active,” he said. “I feel very young still.”

    Regarding the title he laughed and said: “What the hell was I thinking? Why’d I call it 50. I’m gonna call it 25 Again.”

    Hollingsworth describes the album as exploratory and epic. “The album starts out as if you walked into the club and the band is already raging,” he said.

    He said it starts that way in the beginning with the song “Onset” and keeps the theme throughout while the last song is titled “Offset.”

    BREWING BEER

    If it doesn’t seem like Hollingsworth has enough on his plate, he also has a new brew to wash things down. Ground Score IPA came from a collaboration between Hollingsworth, Relix magazine and Sweetwater Brewing Company. The launch party for the 7.1 percent ABV brew coincides with the first date of the tour on and will be served at the first venue they play at, Brooklyn Bowl in New York City.

    “I’ve made about 30 beers with people all around the country,” he said. “And this is one of my more favorite ones,” he said. “It is more unique in their (Sweetwater) style of beer.”

    Hollingsworth picked up homebrewing as a hobby from his brother.

    “I always did anything my brother did,” he said. “He started watching the Grateful Dead, so I started. He started smoking pot, I started smoking pot, and he started brewing beer, so I started.”

    Hollingsworth compares brewing to making music because it gives him the same creative outlet.

    “Once you get it on your fingers, whether it is playing piano or brewing beer, it is fun to improvise and drift from the process, and some of that is where the magic happens,” he said.

    He appreciates the experimentation aspect of both hobbies.

    “It could be a great beer, or it could be a terrible solo,” he said. “Sometimes you win sometimes you lose. Sometimes you have a great beer; sometimes you have a terrible solo.”

    VISIT TO NEW YORK

    Hollingsworth said the beer he made with Relix and Sweetwater was inspired by some of the great Northeastern breweries. He can’t wait to try more local New York brews.

    “I’m excited. I don’t know much about the area,” he said.

    He also invites people to share their creations or favorite local beers with him.

    “People are always welcome to bring me tasty beers,” he said. “Either their home brews or local microbrews — I’ll try them.”

    He also plans to ski in some of his free time on tour. He said he has never heard of a garbage plate, but he would definitely try one.

    STRING CHEESE INCIDENT

    Hollingsworth said String Cheese Incident is in the studio working on a new album.

    “When I’m not running around making beer or touring, I’m in the studio full time with String Cheese,” he said.

    He cannot wait to let loose and get creative in their studio known as SCI Lab.

    Since he keeps himself busy with many projects, he doesn’t get much time to see many shows, but he said at festivals he enjoys drifting to the smaller stages and finding inspiration in what he hears. He mentioned he enjoyed seeing a DJ by the name of Elohim and My Morning Jacket, and he is always finding something new.

    “When I see music, for me, it is just wandering Electric Forest or Hulaween to smaller stages,” he said. “I try to find what inspires me. When I hear something magical, it draws me to the stage.”

    FRIDAY, FEB. 9

    WHAT: Kyle Hollingsworth Band; Sophistafunk opener

    WHERE: Funk ‘N Waffles 204 N. Water St., Rochester, NY

    WHEN: Doors 8 p.m.; Show 9 p.m.

    TICKETS: www.funknwaffles.com

    SATURDAY, FEB. 10

    WHAT: Kyle Hollingsworth Band; Sophistafunk opener

    WHERE: Funk ‘N Waffles 307 Clinton St., Syracuse, NY

    WHEN: Doors 8 p.m.; Show 9 p.m.

    TICKETS: www.funknwaffles.com

    Kyle Hollingsworth Band’s new album “50”

    1. Onset
    2. Wyatt Earp’s Tale
    3. Let me in
    4. All Falls Apart
    5. Finding Our Way
    6. Prime
    7. Stuff
    8. Tumbling
    9. Come On
    10. So Fine
    11. Take the Ride
    12. Offset

  • Syracuse Native Rhiannon Payne Taking Music Career to Next Level

    Rhiannon Payne knew she wanted to be a music superstar since the very beginning of her life.

    “I was 3 years old when someone told me ‘Hey kid you can sing,’” said the Syracuse native. “So that was kind of it for me.”

    She’s ready to take her career to the next level with a new album and tour planned this summer. The album, which she hasn’t titled yet, will include 10 tracks, and she hopes to have it released by early June with a two-month tour to coincide.

    Payne will share her talents at Funk ‘N Waffles on Clinton Street in Syracuse at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9.

    EARLY EXPERIENCE

    Payne explored her musical talent often growing up and she worked hard pursuing her career. She took music classes and participated in chorus, but it was a band that guided her.

    “I was in a band for three years, and that really helped me realize what I wanted to do,” she said.

    From age 13-16 Payne sang for the pop-punk/alternative band Nextake. She familiarized herself with the stage through singing and playing local venues.

    “I love performing in front of people,” she said.

    Nextake performed at local venues around Syracuse, and one big feat Payne was proud of was opening for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus at the Westcott Theater in April 2012.

    “That was an amazing experience,” she said.

    In high school she started buckling down to prepare for the journey ahead.

    “I took every opportunity I could to put myself here,” she said. “It was kind of like my accumulation of taking all of the tools and people I had to help me out — I took advantage of everything I had.”

    “I met wonderful people there who really knew how to tie and relate what I learned in school to my actual career.”

    Payne didn’t want to go to college because she thought it wouldn’t help her career. But she found classes she could apply to singing and help her voice for the long-term. So she pursued a degree from Onondaga Community College and graduated with an associate’s degree in applied science.

    NEXT STEPS

    Now that Payne honed in on her talents, she is focused on her album and the next steps for her path of success. She hired a manager at the end of last year, she has a producer working on her album, and she also hired a promoter as well.

    “My music was beginning to falter because I couldn’t spend time to practice or write,” she said. “It got super overwhelming. I understand why musicians need large teams of people to do what they do.”

    She said she wrapped up recording for mostly everything on the album and is going back and forth with the editing process. Shane Patterson is working as the producer out of Hobin Studios in Phoenix, NY.

    The album includes eight new songs and two she has already released. “Bedtime Stories” was published in October with a music video. “Through Me” was a song she had produced and released in May 2015.

    Payne is shooting for early June to release her album. She is planning to have a huge party and then have a two-month tour lined up around New York and New York City.

    She said her ultimate goal is to move to Nashville, to continue developing as an artist.

    “I want to get experience writing and collaborating with more musicians,” she said. “I want to learn as much as I can from a large music capital.”

    PLAYING STYLE

    When it comes to her music, Payne said she likes to play all types of genres.

    “No one can really ‘genre-tize’ my music,” she said. “One song will sound jazzy, one will sound like Irish folk.”

    While she can play many different instruments, she is often seen with a guitar. At her shows, fans can expect to hear her original songs with some covers added to the setlist.

    Since she likes to play all genres, she said she covers anything — giving classic rock, Ariana Grande and Paramore as examples of the variety she includes.

    The show at Funk ‘N Waffles will include a set by former Nextake bandmember Dylan Aird. Payne said she is excited for the show and they will perform together for a song during each other’s set.

    One last thing about Payne’s name in case it sounded familiar: She was named after the Fleetwood Mac song. And Stevie Nicks did inspire Payne at a young age.

    “I saw her rocking on stage and I would say ‘Yup, that’s gonna be me.’”

    SEE RHIANNON PAYNE LIVE

    WHAT: Rhiannon Payne with Dylan Aird

    WHERE: Funk ‘N Waffles 307 Clinton St., Syracuse, NY 13202

    WHEN: Friday, Feb. 9

    MORE INFO: Funk ‘N Waffles Website

    Rhiannon Payne Facebook

    Twitter: @RhiannonPayne7

    Instagram: @RhiannonPayne7

    Interview with #thePostshow from KROCK

    Rhiannon Payne’s music is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and iHeartRadio.

  • Higher Ground Plans Change of Location

    Plans are in motion to move Higher Ground one city over to Winooski, from South Burlington, VT

    Winooski City Manager Jessie Baker is excited for the proposal for her city.

    ‘We as the city are very excited about the potential and we are excited to welcome them back to the city,’ she said. ‘They would be a great community partner and it would bring a lot of vibrancy downtown. We would welcome them with open arms.’

    The proposed venue will include 1,500 seats and will also have 20,000 square feet of office space. It will be a four-story building on Main Street.

    The next step in the process will be between the development partner and a potential tenant to negotiate ownership structure and figure out financing for the project, Baker said.

    “I am confident that both parties are working hard to make it happen,” she said. “It is pending financing.”

    Higher Ground currently has two separate venues. The Ballroom holds 750 people, while the Showcase Lounge has a capacity of 300.

    Higher Ground moved from Winooski to South Burlington in 2004.

  • Jack White 2018 Tour Hitting Three Upstate NY Venues

    Jack White is building enthusiasm for his 2018 tour by releasing a track from his upcoming third solo album Boarding House Reach, which comes out in March.

    “Corporation” will be available for fans to download digitally worldwide on Friday, Jan. 26 at midnight. Tour tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.

    White is giving away a physical CD copy of the new album with every ticket purchased online for the North American shows. Fans will have the option to upgrade the CD to the standard black vinyl LP.

    Jack White’s Facebook page released a 25 second preview of the track, check it out below.

    https://www.facebook.com/jackwhite/videos/1828260743873817/

    Boarding House Reach is the first all-new album in nearly four years, according to a press release. The album will be released Friday, March 23. Fans can pre-order the standard vinyl LP, CD and digital format beginning Friday, Jan. 26. Fans who purchase the digital album pre-order will also receive downloads of three songs – “Corporation,” “Connected by Love” and “Respect Commander.”

    White’s tour travels across North America and Europe for 42 shows from April 19 to Aug. 23.

    The tour includes several music festivals that Jack White will headline. North American festivals include: Atlanta’s Shaky Knees; Boston Calling 2018; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; and The Governors Ball in New York City. Jack White will also headline some festivals in Europe: Rock Werchter in Belgium; Mad Cool Festival in Spain; NOS Alive in Portugal; and the Ilosaarirock Festival in Finland.

    White released the third single “Corporation” from Boarding House Reach via YouTube Friday morning. You can view that here.

    Check out Jack White’s website for more information.

    Jack White 2018 Tour

    April 19 – Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
    April 20 – Eagles Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI
    April 21 – 20 Monroe – Grand Rapids, MI
    April 23 – Baxter Arena – Omaha, NE
    April 24 – Providence Medical Center Amphitheater – Bonner Springs, KS
    April 25 – Chaifetz Arena – St. Louis, MO
    April 27 – Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
    April 29 – Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
    April 30 – Revention Music Center – Houston, TX
    May 1 – Revention Music Center – Houston, TX
    May 2 – Austin360 Amphitheater – Austin, TX
    May 4 – 6 – Shaky Knees Music Festival – Atlanta, GA *
    May 6 – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – New Orleans, LA *
    May 26 – Boston Calling Music Festival – Boston, MA *
    May 27 – Brewery Ommegang – Cooperstown, NY
    May 29 – The Anthem – Washington, DC
    June 1 – Governors Ball Music Festival – New York, NY *
    June 4 – Express Live! Outdoor Amphitheater – Columbus, OH
    June 6 – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica – Cleveland, OH
    June 7 – Dome Arena – Rochester, NY
    June 8 – Artpark Mainstage Theater – Lewiston, NY
    June 9 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON
    June 27 – Hammersmith Apollo – London, UK
    June 28 – Hammersmith Apollo – London, UK
    July 2 – AFAS Live – Amsterdam, Netherlands
    July 3 – L’Olympia – Paris, France
    July 4 – L’Olympia – Paris, France
    July 7 – Rock Werchter – Werchter, Belgium *
    July 12 – 13 – Mad Cool – Madrid, Spain *
    July 14 – NOS Alive – Lisbon, Portugal *
    July 15 – Ilosaaririock Festival – Joensuu, Finland *
    Aug. 6 – The Armory – Minneapolis, MN
    Aug. 8 – 1st Bank Center – Broomfield, CO
    Aug. 9 – SaltAir – Salt Lake City, UT
    Aug. 11 – Veterans Memorial Coliseum – Portland, OR
    Aug. 12 – Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC
    Aug. 13 – WAMU Theatre – Seattle, WA
    Aug. 15 – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA
    Aug. 19 – Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
    Aug. 21 – Viejas Arena – San Diego, CA
    Aug. 22 – Comerica Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
    Aug. 23 – The Chelsea @ The Cosmopolitan – Las Vegas, NV

    * Denotes festival

  • Rob Derhak is ready for a Comeback

    Rob Derhak of moe. stopped by 98.9 WCLZ’s studio in Maine Friday to guest DJ and spin some of his favorite tracks while also sharing his thoughts on going through treatment for oropharyngeal cancer.

    “I feel great,” the bass player said. “I’m a healthy young man.”

    Derhak stayed busy by writing new music while traveling to Boston for treatment.

    “I did a lot of writing honestly,” he said. “I think I wrote like 15 songs. I’m not saying that they’re all good songs. Some of them are just nonsense that an opioid-addled mind was just jotting down. But some of them came out pretty good.”

    The band is getting ready for the upcoming shows and shaking off a little rust after a 6-month hiatus.

    “We are rehearsing some new material and practicing some of their older stuff,” Derhak said. “It’s been a while.”

    Derhak described the last few shows before moe. took a hiatus due to his health.

    “It was very emotional sort of, shows,” he said. “I didn’t have a full handle on what I had to go through at that point. The turnout of fans and well-wishing people was just beyond like anything I had ever dreamed of or imagined.”

    He went on to say how he didn’t expect the tremendous amount of support from fans.

    The fans gave Derhak a lasting feeling of optimism after their last rendezvous at the Playstation Theater in New York City in July.

    “Nobody was upset in the sense that we were quitting or stopping or doing anything,” he said. “Everyone was just like ‘you got this,’ ‘you’re gonna be OK.’ It was just this giant room filled with people throwing their love at the band and myself and it was overwhelming and amazing.”

    Besides talk about the return and hiatus, Derhak shared some of his favorite songs from other artists and talked about his personal life.

    He explained how certain songs influenced him and shaped how he plays bass today.

    “Bonin in the Boneyard” by Fishbone was a funky song he described as: “One of the reasons I started playing bass in the first place. I was really drawn to these heavy bass-influenced bands.”

    Derhak told a story of how he came to enjoy Primus after a guy at a record store recommended the album “Frizzle Fry.”

    “I brought it home, put it in and it was just so off putting,” he said. “This is nonsense. This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” Then he said he would give it another chance.

    “Yeah no, no, then I just kept playing it again anyway,” he said. “Then all of a sudden, I just found myself. It was like when I switched from regular Coca-Cola to Diet Coke. Diet Coke is disgusting. My point is I got so I got so used to drinking Diet Coke by forcing myself that I couldn’t drink regular coke anymore. This is disgustingly sweet; this has character. And then I became obsessed with Primus. It just became like one of my biggest influences ever.”

    Another small factoid Derhak shared is he went to college to be a lawyer.

    “That’s what my dad wanted me to be,” he said.

    He said he was into philosophy, arguing and rebelling against everything. But when he discovered film and video and media studies that was the outlet that led him to an artistic life.

    The playlist Derhak created for the show included Steely Dan, Little Feat, J.J. Cale. Bonefish and Primus got some playing time. Jethro Tull’s
    “Locomotive Breath” gave Derhak chills, and he described the first time he heard it in high school: “It was the first time I was ever like, ‘Whoa, music can do this.’”

    He played a Peter Gabriel song with Kate Bush that he really liked and then ended the show with a moe. song, he wrote about his daughter, “Blond Hair and Blue Eyes.”

    Moe. returns from their hiatus on Friday, Feb. 2 and 3 at The Capitol Theatre in Portchester, NY, followed by two shows Friday, Feb. 16, and Saturday, Feb. 17, at the State Theatre in Portland, Maine. The band heads to the Palace Theatre the following weekend in Albany, NY, on Friday, Feb. 23 and Saturday, Feb. 24.

Built in Breakdance