NYS Music 20​18

Author: Pete Mason

  • Gramatik and Balkan Bump team up for “Aymo” ft, Talib Kweli

    Balkan Bump, the newest project from trumpet player, producer and ethnomusicologist Will Magid, Gramatik and Brooklyn-born Talib Kweli have combined forces on the debut track “Aymo.” Balkan Bump debuted at Gramatik’s NYE show at Terminal 5 this past December and will be joining Gramatik on the road during his Spring 2018 Re:Coil tour.

    Aymo

    Musically, Balkan Bump is a fusion of live instruments, world influences and lush electronic production. The debut EP demonstrates his experience as an instrumentalist and arranger, fusing energetic Balkan brass with heavy electronic production and hip-hop/trap influences. This thrilling blend of live brass and electronic production carries over to Balkan Bump’s live show, and can be found joining Gramatik as he unveils his horn-infused live set to a North American audience in Spring 2018 for the Re:Coil Tour starting in February 2018.

    “Aymo” was a collaboration from Gramatik’s Re:Coil Part I EP, originally written by Will Magid and Talib Kweli, who met while playing alongside Pretty Lights on The Conan O’Brien show. Gramatik loved it so much he wanted to put his own spin on it and now his independent label Lowtemp will also provide a home for Will’s first EP under the Balkan Bump moniker, due out in early March. In December, Will released the first single from the upcoming EP, “Irfan.”

    Re:Coil Tour Dates
    Feb. 21 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
    Feb. 22 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
    Feb. 24 – New Orleans, LA – Joy Theatre
    Feb. 26 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Druid City
    Feb. 27 – Chattanooga, TN – TBD
    March 1 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
    March 2 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
    March 3 – Knoxville, TN – The International
    April 12 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
    April 13 – Richmond, VA – The National
    April 14 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
    April 15 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
    April 18 – Columbia, SC – Music Farm
    April 19 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre
    April 20 – Washington, DC – Echostage
    April 21 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
    April 22 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
    April 24 – Syracuse, NY – The Westcott Theater
    April 26 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall

  • Listen to the Premiere of Escaper’s sophomore album “Edge Detection”

    Space rockers Escaper, who perfectly blend funk, rock, jazz and fusion, today released their second album Edge Detection on Ropeadope Records. NYS Music is proud to premiere Edge Detection, recorded at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn with co-producer John Davis (Lettuce, Brad Mehldau, Black Keys). The opening track “Secret Weapon” is indeed that – with a slowly accelerating build infused with saxophone, the song gets grittier and nastier, and just when you think it’s fading out, Escaper storms back giving a Flying Frog Brigade level of intensity to the track. Give a listen to the album below.

    Escaper performs in Syracuse on Saturday at Funk ‘n Waffles with special guest Ryan Vendetti.

    While at The Bunker Studio, Escaper recorded over the course of two days with all five band members playing together simultaneously, while in isolated rooms. Bandleader and guitarist, Will Hanza, expresses, “This also allows for synergy to happen because instead of me playing with something that is already there and that not being able to react back to me, we can all react to each other together, alive in the moment. I think that is the most important thing. Our live show is really important to us and what we can do with that. We wanted to be able to capture that feel and that synergy in the studio as much as possible.”

    escaper edge detection

    The songs all had a set structure, but left plenty of room for improvisation right in the studio. The idea was to capture an in-the-moment feel of the musicians working off of each other. In regards to this, Will further states “The term ‘jam’ can be a loaded one, but the idea of having some concrete ideas, while still allowing the music to be open to take advantage of the moment is really important to us.”

    Escaper is featured on the lineups of Rock n Roll Resort and Disc Jam Music Festival, among others this festival season. For more dates and information, check out Escaper’s tour dates.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHYIt5rIZoE&list=PLNhsxcg6mM6vasFeA4-1NXxRenp5cerjX

  • Trampled by Turtles Return from Hiatus with ‘Life is Good on the Open Road’

    Trampled By Turtles, coming off an indefinite hiatus, have announced their first new album in four years, Life is Good on the Open Road, to be released on May 4 with two shows at The Palace Theater in St. Paul, MN. The tour swings east and arrives at Manhattan’s Playstation Theater on May 11.

    Life Is Good On The Open Road

    Trampled By Turtles’ signature blend of rock, folk, punk, country and their brand of progressive bluegrass can be heard on the album’s opening track “Kelly’s Bar”

    Life is Good on the Open Road is the welcome return that the group’s legions of passionate fans have been waiting for. Led by the songwriting of lead singer Dave Simonett, the new songs touch on key elements from the entire spectrum of Trampled By Turtles body of work, while creating something that sounds fresh and invigorated. Simonett, and bandmates Erik Berry, Ryan Young, Dave Carroll, Tim Saxhaug and Eamonn McLain reunited at a cabin in the Minnesota woods to see if the special chemistry they once shared still existed. It did not take long for the magic to reveal itself with a renewed sense of purpose and the result shines brightly on Life is Good on the Open Road.

    Trampled by Turtles Spring Tour Dates:

    May 4 – St. Paul, MN – The Palace Theatre ^^
    May 5 – St. Paul, MN – The Palace Theatre ++
    May 6 – Madison, WI – Capitol Theater $$
    May 8 – Boston, MA – House of Blues **
    May 9 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer **
    May 11 – New York, NY – Playstation Theater **
    May 12+13 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club **
    May 15 – Raleigh, NC – Ritz **
    May 17 – Asheville, NC – Highland Brewing Company **
    May 18 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium **
    May 19+20 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall ##
    June 21 – Tahoe, NV – Montbleau @@
    June 22 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre @@
    June 23 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay @@
    June 27 – Seattle, WA – Woodland Park Zoo @@
    June 29 – Portland, OR – Oregon Zoo Amphitheater @@
    June 30 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom @@
    July 19 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre &&
    July 21 – Missoula, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater XX
    July 22 – Bozeman, MT – Bridger Brewing XX

    More to come

    ^^ – The Pines
    ++ – Frankie Lee
    $$ – Dead Horses
    ** – Hiss Golden Messenger
    ## – Actual Wolf
    @@ – Deer Tick
    && – The Oh Hellos + Dead Horses
    XX – The Lil Smokies

  • Nietzsche’s Fourth Annual Herbie Hancock Tribute Celebration

    This Thursday, Nietzsche’s will present its fourth annual Herbie Hancock Tribute Night, a tradition that honors the diverse catalog of one of America’s most prolific composers. Featuring a collection of some of Buffalo’s best musicians, the show runs from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., with performances by The Alex McArthur/Jon Lehning Sextet and The TRUTH Travelers, a group comprised of members from both THE TRUTH and Intrepid Travelers. Both bands will be playing two sets, alternating between the front bar area and the main stage.herbie hancock tribute

    The Alex McArthur/Jon Lehning Sextet is Alex McArthur on vocals, Jon Leaning on saxophones, Harry Graser on piano/keyboards, Adam Bronstein on guitar, Anthony Henry on bass, and Ryan Cavan on Drums, while The TRUTH Travelers boast Ellen Pieroni on saxophones/flute, Donny Frauenhofer on piano/keyboards, Brian Calisto and Adam Bronstein on guitars, Sam Pavolich on bass, and Jon Fohl and Ryan Campbell on drums and percussion.

    Herbie Hancock Tribute Night is $5 at the door and all guests must be 21 and older unless accompanied by a parent.

  • Video: Funk Night in Albany from Parish Public House

    Members of Dopapod, Kung Fu and Wurliday joined forces on Thursday, February 15 for the latest installment of Funk Night in Albany. Held at Parish Public House, the night featured funk tunes, Zappa and Nirvana covers, plus special guests Rob Sommerville of Kung Fu on saxophone and Philippe Chow of Albany on trumpet. Watch video footage from the show, plus a gallery from the night’s performance below.

    Set 1: Hot Dog, Miss Riverside, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), Stink Foot, All Apologies, Shake Everything You Got, Cold Sweat

    Set 2: Ain’t it funky now, Peg, Bodhisattva, Catfish John, Flood in Franklin Park, Windjammer

  • Hudson Taylor Release New Acoustic Single and Video ‘Run with Me’

    Irish Americana-pop duo Hudson Taylor, comprised of brothers Harry and Alfie Hudson Taylor, will release their new EP, Feel It Again, capturing their fresh sound and three tracks produced by Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Vance Joy). They’ve also announced tour dates in both Ireland and the US, where they will be supporting Gabrielle Aplin.

    The brothers honed their craft busking on the streets of their hometown of Dublin, as well as cities all over Europe, leading to the release of their debut album, Singing for Strangers, in 2015. Most recently, the band enjoyed a very successful 2017, playing to one of the biggest crowds of the weekend at the Electric Picnic festival in September, and their lead-off Irish single “Feel It Again” was one of the biggest national airplay hits of 2017. Hudson Taylor’s Irish autumn tour was a sell-out and they also played huge shows with Picture This, The Script and Kodaline.

    Fresh from a sold out UK tour, Hudson Taylor are currently touring in Europe in support of their brand new single “Run With Me.” The brothers will visit North America for a tour supporting Gabrielle Aplin, kicking off in February, before returning to Ireland in March for an eight-date tour which will coincide with the release of Feel It Again.

    Hudson Taylor Tour Dates (supporting Gabrielle Aplin):

    Feb. 21 – Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground
    Feb. 22 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
    Feb. 24 – Cambridge, MA – Sonia’s
    Feb. 25 – Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall
    Feb. 27 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry at The Fillmore
    Feb. 28 – Columbus, OH – A&R Music Bar
    March 1 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
    March 3 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
    March 5 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
    March 7 – Portland, OR – Holocene
    March 8 – Seattle, WA – Chop Suey
    March 10 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour
    March 11 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s

    Ireland Headlining Tour:

    March 27 – Belfast – Elmwood Hall
    March 28 – Dublin – Olympia Theatre
    March 29 – Cork – Opera House
    March 31 – Galway – Radisson Hotel
    April 1 – Limerick – The Big Top
    April 2 – Castlebar – TF Royal Acoustic Room
    April 4 – Derry – The Glassworks
    April 5 – Carlow – The Tower

  • Long Island Based Cloud Releases Trippy New Single, ‘Wildfire’

    Long Island’s Cloud (aka Tyler Taormina and friends) return with their new album Plays With Fire, featuring the single “Wildfire.” With a poppy, vibrant sound, hints of Panda Bear Electronics, Mazzy Star and Cocteau Twins can be found in this warming tune.

    “Wildfire” is accompanied by a music video for “Watch Your Mind Wander,” which Taormina directed in Los Angeles, one which revels in the sinister side of a good time, and an exclusive non-album B-Side. Nearly 10 minutes of tenderness and melancholy, “Watch Your Mind Wander” glimmers and glistens as it loops to its gentle conclusion. It’s a powerful comedown from the frenetic crash of “Wildfire” and offers yet another hint of what’s to come on the forthcoming Plays With Fire LP from Cloud.

  • An All-Star Lineup Celebrates David Bowie at The Egg

    With members of his touring bands on stage at The Egg, the catalog of David Bowie was celebrated in earnest, featuring a mix of classics, rarities and fan favorites that sprang an audience from their seats throughout the night. Having lost Bowie just over two years ago, the stars sounded very different tonight thanks to the voices of Bernard Fowler (The Rolling Stones), Gaby Moreno, Joe Sumner and Corey Glover (Living Colour) bringing life to Starman’s songs once again.

    david bowie egg

    Celebrating David Bowie featured an incredible lineup fronted by Queens native Mike Garson, who performed with Bowie at his first and last U.S. concerts, and noted early on that he was blessed to play 1000 concerts and 20 albums with Bowie and was proud to continue bringing his music to you. Joining Garson were guitarists Earl Slick and Gerry Leonard, Carmine Rojas on bass and Lee John Madeloni (Slick’s son) on drums. Over the course of two and and a half hours of more than 20 songs, between 5 and 10 musicians were on stage at a time, echoing Garson’s remark, “It takes a village to get Bowie’s music across.”

    With all this talent and the music of David Bowie, it raises the question, “Is there such a thing as too many hits to play?” The answer, by the end of the marathon performance, was a definitive no. Rojas noted after the show that with all the tunes to choose from, it is hard to pick what to play, but they intend to mix it up night after night this tour. Bowie indeed had too many hits to count, plus a bevy of under-appreciated albums, many of which found themselves in the limelight this evening, performed by the musicians who knew the music better than anyone other than Bowie himself.

    Starting the night with “Bring Me the Disco King,” an extended cut from 2003’s Reality album, Fowler took the lead on vocals from the get-go, following with “Rebel Rebel,” “Moonage Daydream” and ‘Fame” which saw the crowd rose with encouragement from Fowler. Living Colour’s Corey Glover, who sang backup for Fowler on many songs tonight, took to the mic for the first time singing “Changes,” followed by “Space Oddity,” the first song vocalist Gaby Moreno, a 2017 Grammy nominee for Best Latin Pop album for Ilúsion, sang amid a starry backdrop. Joe Sumner, Sting’s son, sang and played acoustic guitar for “Quicksand” off Hunky Dory, followed by Glover back on vocals for “Young Americans.”

    An immense highlight of the show followed in the form of “5 Years,” performed elegantly by Moreno. The gritty, dark rock of “Station to Station” brought Earl Slick into the limelight to perform the title track of the album to which he contributed. During the outro to “Alladin Sane,” a piano medley by Garson included Bowie, Beatles, and old timey piano tunes mixed in. Moreno and Fowler performed a duet on “Wild is the Wind” while Sumner sang “Ziggy Stardust” better than anyone alive, with Slick shredding throughout.

    During “Suffragette City,” Glover ventured into the crowd for the latter part of the song, and admiring the amphitheater in front of him, he took a seat in the top row to take in the set closing “All the Young Dudes,” where Sumner had everyone waving hands in the air.

    For the encore, Gerry Leonard came out for a solo guitar rendition of rarity “Loving the Alien,” followed by Sumner stepping out to sing “Life on Mars?,” an emotional rendition of one of Bowie’s best songs. For the grand finale, “Heroes” closed the show, bringing all 10 musicians to the stage for an all-star ending to an emotional tribute for one of the greatest rock n’ roll legends ever.

    Setlist: Bring Me the Disco King, Rebel Rebel, Moonage Daydream, Fame, Changes, Space Oddity, Quicksand, Stay, Conversation Piece, Can You Hear Me, Young Americans, 5 Years, Station to Station, Time, Lady Grinning Soul, Alladin Sane, Wild Is the Wind, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, All the Young Dudes

    Encore: Loving the Alien, Life on Mars?, Heroes

    Celebrating David Bowie next perform this Friday, February 16 in Boston, MA at Chevalier Theatre, Saturday, February 17 in Montreal, QC at M Telus and Sunday, February 18 in Toronto, ON at Danforth Music Hall.

  • Ghost Light, featuring Tom Hamilton and Holly Bowling, Announce U.S. Tour

    Ghost Light, combining the musical talents of Holly Bowling, Tom Hamilton, Steve Lyons, Raina Mullen and Scotty Zwang, will tour across the country this summer, with a stop at Brooklyn Bowl on April 11. 

    ghost light tom hamilton

    Ghost Light, a true musical collaboration, combines five personalities, five perspectives, and five unique approaches towards one common sound. The group initially got together in a recording studio in Philadelphia, developing songs and musical communication without pre-conceived notions of their sound. Scotty Zwang explains, “It’s a unique and interesting approach we get to take…we are being patient with each other and figuring out what the song needs.”

    Tom Hamilton says of the band’s formation, “Having played with everyone involved in a live setting before, I had a pretty firm grasp of what we all brought to the table and it was exciting. There is a wonderful freedom that comes with knowing that you don’t have to carry the entire load over the finish line. So when Raina and I were workshopping ideas to bring to this new band, we felt super comfortable going in any direction, knowing that with our new bandmates, the songs will get to where they needs to go. And in the live setting, that confidence is just as strong.”

    The first half of 2018 will see the band playing major venues in major markets coast to coast, followed by  stops at festivals including Peach Fest and Lockn’ Festival, with more to be announced. A debut studio release will be released later this year, followed by a supporting tour. 

    Ghost Light Tour Dates
    March 20 – Winstons – San Diego, CA
    March 21 – The Mint – Los Angeles, CA
    March 23 – 24 – Terrapin Crossroads – San Rafael, CA
    March 27 – Humboldt Brews – Arcata, CA
    March 28 – HiFi Lounge – Eugene, OR
    March 29 – Volcanic Theater Pub – Bend, OR
    March 30 – Mission Theater – Portland, OR
    March 31 – Lofi – Seattle, WA
    April 11 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
    April 12 – Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA
    April 13 – The Acoustic – Bridgeport, CT
    April 14 – Thunder Road – Boston, MA
    April 17 – Gypsy Sally’s – Washington, DC
    April 18 – Lincoln Theater – Raleigh, NC
    April 19 – 5 Points Sanctuary – Roanoke, VA
    April 20 – Asheville Music Hall – Asheville, NC
    May 10 – Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, CO
    May 11 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO
    May 12 – Globe Hall – Denver, CO
    May 16 – City Winery – Chicago, IL
    May 17 – Founders Brewery – Grand Rapids, MI
    May 18 – Blind Pig – Ann Arbor, MI
    May 19 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
    July 19 – 22 – Peach Music Festival – Scranton, PA
    August 24 – Lockn’ Festival – Arrington, VA

  • Percy Hill to Celebrate 20th Anniversary of ‘Color in Bloom’

    Percy Hill will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1998 album Color in Bloom on Saturday, May 12 at Gramercy Theater in NYC. The jamband classic will be played in its entirety, along with other Percy Hill favorites. Peter Prince and Moon Boot Lover will open the night.

    percy hill color in bloom

    Percy Hill has performed sporadically over the past few years, and are excited to bring Color in Bloom to life on May 12. “Even at live shows and within the Color In Bloom tracks that we play on stage, we’ll go places we wouldn’t normally go musically and wouldn’t be heard on the record,” says John Leccese. Formed in New England in the 1990s by Joe Farrell and Nate Wilson, the group gained a core following and praise in The Village Voice and Entertainment Weekly.

    Tickets are $25 or $45 with VIP seating and are on sale now through CEG Presents.