Bethel Woods Center for the Arts will be the home of the Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival Aug. 16-18. The Sullivan County venue is the site of the original festival produced by Michael Lang in 1969 which drew an estimated 400,000 people to the secluded Catskills town.
Music acts have not been announced, but the weekend is being billed as a pan-generational event that will feature live music from prominent and up and coming talents and TED-style talks from leading futurists and technology experts.
In December of 2017, Bethel Woods was awarded nearly $700,000 through the New York State Regional Economic Development Council to be used towards a 50th anniversary celebration.
As the stewards of this historic site, we remain committed to preserving this rich history and spirit, and to educating and inspiring new generations to contribute positively to the world through music, culture, and community.
– Darlene Fedun, CEO, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Michael Lang, who produced the original Woodstock as well as the ensuing anniversary concerts in 1994 in Saugerties and 1999 in Rome, has hinted at plans to put together his own commemoration of the historic festival though no details have yet emerged. He will not be involved with the Bethel event, which is being presented by Live Nation Concerts and INVNT, a branding and live storytelling agency.
Nestled along Tuscarora Lake between the Madison County college towns of Cazenovia and Morrisville, the Blue Canoe is a charming Adirondack style family restaurant. On Friday, November 30, this off-the-beaten-path venue was packed as it hosted Blaine Holcomb, a Nashville singer-songwriter born and raised in Hamilton and a graduate of St. Lawrence University.
Holcomb was in the area for a hometown-ish show, celebrating the release of his self-titled debut CD and did not disappoint. Holcomb is a young artist with a flair for modern country, yet has a truly high classic country IQ. His reverence for country royalty — George Jones, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, George Strait — is evident in his writing and he makes it well-known that these people are his music idols.
Holcomb entertained the standing room only crowd at the Blue Canoe with an almost three-hour set; his only breaks taking place between songs when he signed CDs for the many in attendance. If there’s one thing Holcomb is, it’s appreciative. He has spent the better part of the past few years in residency at Nashville’s famed Tootsies Orchid Lounge, and in that time, has learned the skill of entertaining. He’s not above taking requests but makes sure he sprinkles classics into his set to let everyone know his roots.
His set reflected the modern country charts, with covers from Eric Church, Keith Urban and Chris Stapleton, but also paid tribute to the legends, covering his idols, George Jones and Merle Haggard. Holcomb’s take on Jones’s “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and Haggard’s “Mama Tried” had the crowd engaged and would have done the original artists proud.
Speaking of Holcomb’s roots, his visit to Erieville on Friday was a testament to that. He holds his family and friends close and makes sure to fit in a local show whenever he is in town, whether it’s at the Blue Canoe or Ray Brothers BBQ in nearby Bouckville. His maternal grandmother sat at a table stage left the majority of his set while his mother worked the crowd selling CDs. Many fellow St. Lawrence alums and former bandmates were also in attendance.
A highlight of the night was a ballad Blaine Holcomb wrote in honor of his grandfather, who he spent much time fishing with in his youth. The song, “Keep Your Line in the Water” is an emotional ode to an influential man that Holcomb held close and brought tears to the eyes of many in attendance.
Holcomb paid tribute to friend Daryle Singletary, who he’d met in Nashville, describing the affable nature of the man as he introduced his cover of Singletary’s song “Spilled Whiskey” that is included on Holcomb’s album. Singletary died earlier this year at the age of 46.
He tried ending his set several times throughout the night, but bowing to the crowd kept extending the set for “one more” song. One more song wound up being five more songs ending the night with rousing covers of Garth Brooks’s “Friends in Low Places” and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” with his fans singing along and begging for more.
Blaine Holcomb is a unique presence in this new world of country music. An old soul housed in a young body who isn’t afraid to mix the classics with the new. You can pick up his new album at his website here or at his shows. He returns to Nashville this week to continue his Tootsies residency. You can catch him live there or through the Tootsies Live Cam here.
Celebrating 40 years of performing, the Verona-based Fritz’s Polka Band will release its 19th album, Hey! on Friday.
Recorded at SubCat Studios in Syracuse over the course of several weeks this fall, the album marks a bit of a departure for the band. Of the twelve original tracks included on what was originally planned to be a double album, half stick to the band’s namesake style. The other half spans various styles lead singer/accordionist Fritz Sherz and his bandmates, Gabe Vaccaro (bass/vocals), Frank Nelson (guitar) and Mike Faraino (drums) have dipped into throughout the years while busting open the polka band stereotype.
Several guests make appearances on the new album, including SubCat Studios owner Ron Keck and previous Fritz’s Polka Band collaborator, Rocko Dorsey. Those familiar with Guns ‘n Roses guitarist Slash’s solo outings will recognize the name Todd Kerns. Kerns is the bassist in Slash’s band, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators and a friend of Sherz. He contributed guitar tracks to the title song written by Sherz. The song eschews the typical polka format for more of a Flogging Molly-style Celtic vibe.
(L-R) Mike Faraino, Todd Kerns and Fritz Sherz
The new album hits this Friday, Nov. 30 on all major streaming services and will be available for purchase at all Fritz’s Polka Band gigs or through Sherz himself. For more information, follow Fritz’s Polka Band’s social media channels of visit their website here.
Iron Maiden makes its return to North America next summer with the Legacy of the Beast Tour. The band, known for elaborate stage shows, is calling this tour its biggest production yet.
The tour will kick off July 18 in Sunrise, FL and visit arenas and amphitheaters throughout the U.S. and Canada next summer. The itinerary includes a July 26 stop at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and an Aug. 13 visit to Buffalo’s KeyBank Center.
Bassist Steve Harris said of the tour:
We gave a lot of thought to the set list for this Tour as the songs needed to follow the narrative of the changing worlds of the stage show. We feel we ended up with a very strong and well balanced set mixing songs we haven’t played in many years like ‘Flight of Icarus,’ ‘Sign of The Cross’and ‘The Clansman’with songs we know the fans want to hear like ‘The Trooper,’ ‘2 Minutes to Midnight,’ ‘The Number of The Beast,’ ‘Fear of The Dark,’ ‘Run to The Hills,’ ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’and others, reflecting the journey through the different themes of the show.
Tickets for most shows go on sale Nov. 16 at 10:00 a.m. local time. British band The Raven Age, which includes Harris’s son, George on guitar, will be the opener with Fozzy opening the Los Angeles show.
The North American leg is continuing the tour that sold out venues across Europe last year and included props such as a full-scale WWII-era Spitfire plane flying above the stage during the Powerslave track, “Aces High.”
The production is based around the Legacy of the Beast mobile game that takes the band’s mascot Eddie through various adventures though Iron Maiden’s history.
The band created a video to thank fans following the European tour. Check it out below.
Iron Maiden 2019 North American Tour Dates:
July 18 – BB&T Center – Sunrise, FL
July 20 – Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood – Atlanta, GA
July 22 – PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC
July 24 – Jiffy Lube Live – Washington DC July 26 – Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY
July 30 – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
Aug. 1 – Xfinity Center – Boston, MA
Aug. 3 – Hartford, CT @ Xfinity Theatre
Aug. 5 – Bell Centre – Montreal, QC
Aug. 7 – Videotron Centre – Quebec, QC
Aug. 9 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON
Aug. 10 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON Aug. 13 – KeyBank Center – Buffalo, NY
Aug. 15 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
Aug. 17 – PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
Aug. 19 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
Aug. 22 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL
Aug. 24 – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center – Indianapolis, IL
Aug. 26 – Xcel Energy Center – St Paul, MN
Aug. 28 – Bell MTS Place – Winnipeg, MB
Aug. 30 – Rogers Place – Edmonton, AB
Aug. 31 – Scotiabank Saddledome – Calgary, AB
Sept. 3 – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC
Sept. 5 – Tacoma Dome – Tacoma, WA
Sept. 6 – Moda Center – Portland, OR
Sept. 9 – Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA
Sept. 10 – Oracle Arena – Oakland, CA
Sept. 13 – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Las Vegas, NV
Sept. 14 – Banc of California Stadium – Los Angeles, CA
Sept. 17 – Talking Stick Resort Arena – Phoenix, AZ
Sept. 19 – Isleta Amphiteater – Albuquerque, NM
Sept. 21 – Dos Equis Pavilion – Dallas, TX
Sept. 22 – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Houston, TX
Sept. 25 – AT&T Center – San Antonio, TX
Funk ‘n Waffles owner Adam Gold announced that he is closing the Rochester location of his unique night spot. The final day of operation will be Sunday, Nov. 11.
Gold jumped on the opportunity to purchase the former warehouse and site of Water Street Music Hall when it became available last year. As a musician and member of Sophistafunk, Gold fell in love with the location and couldn’t pass on making it Funk ‘n Waffles, version three.
The unique restaurant and performance space features a menu based around, what else, waffles and live music seven nights a week.
Gold hopes to re-open in the Rochester area in the near future to a smaller location with better foot traffic. He told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, “We love Rochester. We did well. It just wasn’t enough for that space.”
The venue will serve out its final week with a full menu and a full music schedule, including performances from Hayley Jane and the Primates and Todd Snider plus a final brunch on Sunday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. See the week’s schedule below. For further information, visit Funk ‘n Waffles’s website here.
The closure leaves just one Funk ‘n Waffles location, at 313 South Clinton Street in the Armory Square district of Syracuse. The original location, on the Syracuse University hill, closed in February of 2017 due to the building being razed for a redevelopment project in the Marshall Street area of Syracuse.
Nov. 6 – Siena Facciolo, Dream Float and Ava Sauer – 8:00 p.m.
Nov. 7 – Orgone with The English Project – at 8:00 p.m.
Nov. 8 – Closed
Nov. 9 – Hayley Jane and The Primates – 10:00 p.m.
Nov. 10 – Todd Snider with Kevin Gordon – 8:00 p.m.
The masked Iowans of Slipknot unleashed a surprise new video on fans Wednesday for Halloween. The video for “All Out Life” from their upcoming, yet-to-be-named album was produced by band member M. Shawn Crahan — aka “Clown.” Apple Music’s Beats 1 debuted the single with frontman Corey Taylor in studio.
Taylor told host Zane Lowe, “Everybody talks about toxic masculinity and toxic fandom these days. For me, it’s more about this toxic idea that unless something came out 10 minutes ago, it’s not any good, and that bothers me.”
The single, the first new music from the band since 2014’s .5:The Gray Chapter, is a rallying cry according to Taylor, “Let’s not talk about old. Let’s not talk about new. Let’s talk about what’s good, what’s real, and get behind that and start embracing things that matter.”
Taylor calls the upcoming album, “One of the darkest chapters in Slipknot’s history.” Get a glance of what’s upcoming with the video for the new single below.
Mutants clamoring for moe Ominous Seapods after January’s successful three show run have something to look forward to in January 2019. Seapods members Tom Pirozzi (bass and vocals), Max Verna (guitar), Brian Magini (keyboards) and Ted Marotta (drums and percussion) will be joined by moe.’s Al Schnier (guitar and vocals) and Vinnie Amico (drums) for a one-night performance by moePods, Jan. 26 at the Cohoes Music Hall.
Seapods vocalist and guitarist Dana Monteith moved to Australia following the band’s break-up in 2001 but has traveled back to the states for several reunion shows since. Monteith will not make the trip from down under for this show, however.
Ominous Seapods and moe. came up in the same Upstate NY jamband revival scene of the early ’90s, performing at the same venues and often collaborating. With the addition of moe.’s Schnier and Amico to the lineup, the group will bring a fresh take on Seapods and moe. songs.
General admission tickets for the event will go on sale Monday, Oct. 22.
Maryland Earth rockers, Clutch have announced a mini-run of shows to finish the year. The quartet will visit Clifton Park’s Upstate Music Hall on Sunday, Dec. 30. Tickets are on sale now.
Joining Clutch on this short run of shows is The Messthetics, a trio that includes the Fugazi rhythm section of Brendan Canty (drums) and Joe Lally (bass) and Anthony Pirog (guitar).
Also on the tour is the Mike Dillon Band. Dillon is a frequent moe.down guest and has been featured in some legendary vibraphone duels with moe. percussionist Jim Loughlin over the years. Check out some fan-shot video below of Loughlin and Dillon going at it at last year’s moe.down.
The final band on the bill is fellow Maryland natives Lionized.
Clutch is touring in support of its 12th studio album Book of Bad Decisions in their return to Upstate Concert Hall Dec. 30. They’re also performing two sold out shows at Irving Plaza in New York State on Oct. 26 and 27.
Drummer Jean-Paul Gaster sat down with NYS Music two years ago to discuss his style, influences, and choices in equipment. You can read that interview here.
For more information, visit the official Clutch website.
Clutch Holiday Run 2018 Tour Dates
Dec. 27 – Ram’s Head Live! – Baltimore, MD
Dec. 28 – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ
Dec. 29 – Aura – Portland, ME Dec. 30 – Upstate Concert Hall – Clifton Park, NY
Dec. 31 – Masonic Auditorium at Temple Live – Cleveland, OH
Mike Powell has had a prolific few years, performing throughout the northeast with his solo act, his duo, and his full band the Black River. He also released a solo album and an album with his band. This Friday, Oct. 5, Powell will release his latest solo effort, Shelter Without Walls.
The six song EP features two previously released, but re-worked songs, “Twenty One Rounds” and “Sad Day in Champion” and four brand new heartfelt compositions. The album can be pre-saved on Spotify and Apple Music through this link. It will be available on all streaming services beginning Oct. 5.
Powell is a unique storyteller who writes with emotion, breaking down walls to allow the listener into the story. He writes best when he draws from personal experiences. “Twenty One Rounds” tells the tale of a mother who lost her son while serving his country; something Powell has knowledge of through his upbringing in Carthage, just outside of the Fort Drum Army Base in Northern New York. This much-loved song gets a rework on the new EP and has lost little of the original’s emotional appeal.
Writing songs has always been a soul satisfying activity for me. I just have a deep love for words and telling stories. Music is the most impactful medium I’ve found for connecting with people and evoking emotion. Being able to play intimate acoustic sets in tandem with rock n’ roll shows with my band is like scratching two creative itches at once. I feel like I have two separate vehicles that share the same fuel system.
“Sad Day in Champion” recalls the closing of a paper mill in that same region of the North Country that affected so many of the people in the region as well as those close to the young Mike Powell.
One of Powell’s new songs, “Poison Diamond” closes the record. A dirgy number, highlighted by Hanus’ trademark guitar and a church-like organ, where the narrator laments, “You took my hand/You stole my heart/ You loved me to pieces/That’s what tore me apart/You set the fire/And it made me cold/You made me higher/And you cut me down low/That’s what tore me apart/I need some glue, or something heavy I can hold on to/This old bottle here will do/I’m never together with you.” This is one of the Powell’s most powerful recordings to date, from the lyrics to the delivery to the musicianship within the song. The subdued duet with a female voice on “I’m never together with you” hits the listener in the heart. This song could be Powell’s launching pad to a wider audience.
“The Polite Rebel” will also embark on the most ambitious month of his professional music career beginning Friday. The busy month kicks off with the Black River opening for Canadian rockers The Trews at Exhibition Hall in Watertown this Friday, Oct. 5. Following the Watertown gig, Powell and his duo partner, John Hanus trip down to Goshen, CT for a main stage gig at the Black Bear Americana Music Fest on Oct. 6. The weekend wraps on Sunday with an intimate gig at The Sinclair in Skaneateles on Oct. 7.
Powell’s intense schedule continues Oct. 10 and 11 as he makes his solo debut at Ani DiFranco’s 9th Ward at Babeville in Buffalo and Lovin’ Cup in Rochester. Oct. 12 sees Powell closer to home at the Brewerton Center for the Arts for another solo show.
The most highly anticipated nights of the month occur at the historic Nelson Odeon, a renovated former Grange Hall located in the rolling hills of Nelson, near Powell’s current hometown of Cazenovia on Oct. 13 and 14. These shows will be used to record Powell in both solo and duo formats as well as certain selections with the Black River, to be included in a future live Powell album.
The Odeon is one of Powell’s favorite rooms to perform and is the reason he chose this historic building for the recording of his first live album. He says of the building:
The Nelson Odeon stands for everything I love about music. It’s like stepping back to a simpler time. I have always dreamed of releasing a live record and this is the perfect room to try and bottle up a moment in time. It will be a special night.
The Black River, in addition to their gig opening for The Trews on Oct. 5, will take up a Thursday residency at King of Clubs in Syracuse’s famed Armory Square on Oct. 4 and 18. Dubbed “The Thursday Night Rock Show,” this ongoing event is hosted by the band and features some of the region’s top acts. Capital District rockers Wild Adriatic will join the Black River in a November session of “The Thursday Night Rock Show.”
Finally, on Oct. 19 Powell makes a trip to Blue Mountain Lake for a performance at the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts and wraps up with a songwriters and on Oct. 20 the 18 Songs Tour visits Casita del Polaris in Ithaca. This set brings together three of Central New York’s premier singer songwriters for a night of music – 18 songs- with Powell joined by Charley Orlando and Chris Merkley.
When not on the road, Powell will be in the studio recording the Black River’s sophomore effort. The band released its debut, Classic Universe in January.
Check out the video for “Sad Day in Champion” below featuring Powell and members of the Black River.
The Magpie Salute is riding a wave of popularity following a busy spring and summer touring with Gov’t Mule and the Avett Brothers along with several well-received headlining and festival gigs. Sunday night the band rolls into The Space in Westbury in support of their debut release, High Water I.
The band brings together three core members of the Black Crowes – guitarists Rich Robinson and Marc Ford and bassist Sven Pipien, along with drummer Joe Magistro, keyboardist Matt Slocum, and singer John Hogg. They first began collaborating in late 2016 and spent most of 2017 on the road perfecting their sound.
The band has a catalog of over 200 songs in its repertoire, a mix of covers, Black Crowes songs and original Magpie Salute material and has quickly gained a reputation as an explosive live act. Robinson describes the renewed relationship with his former bandmates:
It’s the recontextualization of playing with one another. When I was putting this thing together, I was thinking about how even though we may not have played for almost a decade, it just comes back immediately. The chemistry is unexplainable. Of course, I’m the same guy who played with the Black Crowes and wrote all of those songs, but this is a different context for myself, Marc, and Sven. It’s the convergence of three different worlds and eras for me. We’re all here together in this one place. Simultaneously, it’s amazing for Marc and Sven to play with Joe and Matt and John to be in the middle of it all. For me, that was really cool to witness. This is what I wanted to do.
Tickets are still available for the Sunday show at The Space at Westbury. General admission tickets are $25 and reserved seating is $35. Following Sunday’s show, the band heads to the Canadian Maritimes to perform at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in Fredericton, NB. For ticketing information and tour dates, visit the Magpie Salute website here.
The tour will kick off July 18 in Sunrise, FL and visit arenas and amphitheaters throughout the U.S. and Canada next summer. The itinerary includes a July 26 stop at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and an Aug. 13 visit to Buffalo’s 
