NYS Music 20​18

Author: Nora Hones

  • Saranac Brewery Hosts Classic Tribute Bands

    Saranac Brewery, in Utica NY, has two shows coming up you don’t want to miss. Dark Star Orchestra and Get the Led Out are both making stops at the brewery on their separate tours this summer.

    Dark Star Orchestra

    Dark Star Orchestra is a Grateful Dead tribute band who’s known for recreating historic dead shows. Dark Star Orchestra formed over a decade ago and their determined commitment to ‘raising the Dead’ has drawn them nationwide attention from publications as big as Rolling Stone who say they are, “Quite possibly the most talented and accomplished tribute band out there… they’ve definitely mastered their inspiration’s vagabond nature.”

    Get The Led Out is a Led Zeppelin tribute band who, “have captured the essence of the recorded music of Led Zeppelin and brought it to the concert stage” according to their press release. Get The Led Out consists of six musicians and are based out of Philadelphia. They have been dubbed by the media as “The American Led Zeppelin.”

    Tickets went on sale Friday, May 25th at 10AM from Creative Concerts for both shows.

    Show information:

    Dark Star Orchestra
    July 31- Saranac Breweries – Utica, NY
    Doors: 7PM // Show: 8PM
    All ages.

    Get The Led Out
    Aug. 10 – Saranac Breweries – Utica, NY
    Doors: 7PM // Show: 8PM
    All ages.

    For more information on Dark Star Orchestra visit their website

    For more information on Get The Led Out visit their website

  • Chiggin is Starting to Sizzle

    Chiggin, a funk band hailing from Syracuse, has started booking tour stops through Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica and NYC off of the buzz surrounding their recently released EP, “Original Recipe.”

    Max Rips frontman of Chiggin. Photo courtesy of Chiggin’s website.

    “Original Recipe” is a four-song EP containing the songs, “Funky Elbeaux,” “Stevie Wonder’s Morning Breath,” “Eggistential Barnyard,” and “Waiting for Marmalade (Between the Busses)” which keep to the bands funky nature known and loved by Syracuse locals at venues, like Funk ‘n Waffles, where they have become a fan favorite.

    The video for their debut single, “Stevie Wonder’s Morning Breath” (which was shot and directed by Kevin Brite) was released April 6th via YouTube. The video has a classic music video format jumping between a recording studio and a live performance, which accompanies the upbeat funk sound Chiggin’s carries, perfectly.

    Chiggin formed in July of 2016 in Syracuse and quickly built a name for themselves because of “their fun stage show and their untamed musicality,” according to their website. The band consists of Max Puglisi, Sam Roux, Gavin George, Nick Fields, Ethan Wojcik, Brian Caswell, and Jacob Penner and is currently pushing their plan forwards for an east coast tour in 2018 starting with some shows in Syracuse, NY.

    Upcoming shows:

    May 31 – Al’s Wine & Whiskey – Syracuse, NY
    Chiggin w/ Tiger Chung Lee (Buffalo) – 9:30pm, Free

    June 9 – Funk n’ Waffles – Syracuse, NY
    Ghost-Note (Members of Snarky Puppy) w/s/g Chiggin – 9:30, $10 Adv/$15 DOS

    For more information visit their website.

  • Herbie Hancock Earns Honorary Doctorate from New England Conservatory

    Legendary jazz composer/performer and 14-time Grammy award-winner, Herbie Hancock, was celebrated on Sunday, May 20, 2018 and received an honorary doctorate as part of the 147th Commencement ceremony in NEC’s (New England Conservatory‘s) Jordan Hall.

    Herbie Hancock © Eric Antoniou courtesy of NEC.

    Hancock was one of four distinguished musicians to receive an honorary doctorate. Joseph L. Bower, Edgar Albert Meyer, Jr., and Peter Lyman Row were the other recipients of NEC’s honorary doctorates.

    According to NEC:

    “Born in Chicago, Hancock was a piano prodigy, performing with the Chicago Symphony at age 11. His career began after being discovered by Donald Byrd and, shortly thereafter, he joined the Miles Davis Quintet; he later made appearances on Davis’ groundbreaking In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew, which heralded the birth of jazz-fusion. After leaving Davis, Hancock put together a new band called The Headhunters and, in 1973, recorded Head Hunters, which became the first jazz album to go platinum. The winner of multiple Grammy Awards, he also won an Academy Award for his film score ‘Round Midnight. His 2007 tribute album River: The Joni Letters won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, only the second jazz album ever to win the award, after Getz/Gilberto in 1965. Recently named by the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Creative Chair For Jazz, he also serves as Institute Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.”

    Approximately 265 students graduated from NEC’s degree, diploma, and certificate programs this year along side Hancock while he received his honorary doctorate. Students graduated in a range of studies including: Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees, as well as Graduate Diploma and Artist Diploma.

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