Let’s Be Leonard has released the second video off their sophomore album Static, for the track “Channel 2.” The video features art design by Toni Nastasi and whimsically depicts the central focus as a love affair between Nick, and his mop-lover, Sally. “Channel 2” follows on the heels of “Most Days,” released earlier this summer.
The band will release one more single prior to the release of the full film. The feature will be shown at intermissions during a three-day stint at The Barrelhouse in Saratoga Springs on October 11, 12 and 13. Let’s Be Leonard will also appear in Troy at River Street Pub for Troy Night Out on September 28 with Great Mutations and Better Pills.
Philly’s Funktronic outfit Tweed has released a wild new music video for their latest single “El Sucio Grande.” The disco-inspired tune highlights guitarist AJ DiBiase’s voice in groovy choruses, and combines with Tweed’s signature outer-space synthesizer licks and soaring guitar riffs. Add in gigantic drums, bass bombs, and a trappy ‘big-dirty-style’ breakdown, and you have a powerhouse track.
“El Sucio Grande” features modular synth from Lotus’ Jesse Miller and was produced at New Jersey’s Brooksound Studios with Jeff “Mudd” Mahajan. The video was filmed in Philadelphia and directed by Kevin Shields (of hip-hop duo Little Stranger) and portrays keyboardist Jon Tomczak and DiBiase planning a heist while Philly Vice Cops – drummer Joe Vela and bassist Dan McDonald, are on the chase. The story comes together when the band unites in their getaway van.
Brooklyn-based nine-piece Turkuaz have released the video for “If I Ever Fall Asleep”, the second single off their upcoming album Life In TheCity, due out in September 28. The video was filmed live at vocalist/guitarist Dave Brandwein’s Galaxy Smith Studios, and was produced by Jerry Harrison.
“If I Ever Fall Asleep” is a powerhouse funk number, the first written by Josh Schwartz (baritone saxophone), has incredible energy as the Turkuaz signature upbeat funk channels the paranoid ramblings of an insomniac before embracing his own unraveling.
Turkuaz is currently on the road in support of the new album, traveling across the U.S. with performances at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO on September 23 and The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on October 19 before the band closes out 2018 with a bang on New Year’s Eve at The Palladium in Worcester, MA.
TURKUAZ 2018 TOUR DATES:
September 14 Greenfield, MA @ Wormtown Music Festival
September 15 Fredericton, NB, Canada @ Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival
September 20 Steamboat Springs, CO @ Old Town Pub
September 21 Steamboat Springs, CO @ Old Town Pub
September 23 Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre October 4 Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Theater*
October 5 Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom*
October 6 Saratoga Springs, NY @ Putnam Den*
October 11 Chattanooga, TN @ Songbirds*
October 12 Mount Vernon, KY @ The Moonshiner’s Ball
October 14 Greensboro, NC @ The Blind Tiger*
October 17 Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street*
October 18 Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall* October 19 Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre^
October 24 Greenville, SC @ The Firmament*
October 25 Nashville, TN @ Exit/In*
October 26 Covington, KY @ Madison Theater*
October 28 Live Oak, FL @ Suwanee Hulaween
October 31 Asheville, NC @ Salvage Station~
November 1 Greenville, NC @ State Theatre~
November 2 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore~
November 3 Washington DC @ Anthem~
November 8 Pittsburgh, PA @ The Rex Theater%
November 9 Columbus, OH @ The Funk’n Beer Fest
November 10 Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue#
November 11 Grand Rapids, MI @ Elevation#
November 14 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
November 15 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon#
November 16 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café+
November 17 Chicago, IL @ Park West December 29 Rochester, NY @ Anthology**
December 31 Worcester, MA @ The Palladium**
January 15 Miami, FL @ Jam Cruise
* with Butcher Brown
^ with Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles
~ with Lettuce
% with Dynamo
# with Andy Frasco & The UN
+ with Rubblebucket
** with Too Many Zooz
Holly Bowling returns to the Capital District on Sunday, September 16 at Cohoes Music Hall, bringing her classical interpretations from the catalogs of the Grateful Dead and Phish with her. Bowling has twice performed in Albany at the Massry Center for the Arts, as well as at The Whisper Dome in Schenectady, most recently last October. With Phish just one month away in the state capital, Bowling will find a familiar audience once again in one of the oldest venues in the state. Check out what we said of her performance at The Whisper Dome in March of 2017 and get your tickets to this special night of music.
After studying piano performance at SF State University, Bowling has turned her agile mind and interpretive prowess to the works of Phish on 2015’s Distillation Of A Dream album and the Grateful Dead focused Better Left Unsung (2016, The Royal Potato Family). Her compelling playing and unerring ability to successfully collaborate with other musicians in an impressive array of styles has brought her to the attention of Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes, and other luminaries who’ve asked Bowling to perform with them. Already a rising star on the festival circuit, Bowling currently tours as a member of Ghost Light with Tom Hamilton, Steve Lyons, Raina Mullen and Scotty Zwang. Texture, nuance, and a gift for dexterous high-wire improvisation are the hallmarks of San Francisco-based classically trained pianist Holly Bowling.
Will Fredette of El Modernist walked into a conversation that included radio personality Jeff Morad of WEQX. The radio station just concluded the second round of its annual battle of the bands competition. It pits four bands against one another to determine who opens Pearlpalooza, a large all-day block party in the middle of Albany. On this night it looked like Fredette’s band wasn’t going to be it. His band lost, earning first runner-up honors to Dooojj.
Fredette extended a hand and thanked Morad for the opportunity to play. His El Modernists had just played a tight set. Despite the short 20 minutes, the four came out hot. They got the Friday night crowd on their feet with a lively punk act that contrasted against the popular jam and garageband sound across the scene. If he was dejected by the loss, he didn’t show it. The kid’s toothful grin made it look like he just earned the job.
“Nice burp you had there,” Morad said, complimenting Fredette for appearing loose enough on stage to let out a belch into the mic. The lead singer admitted to downing a drink just prior to taking the stage. He felt the air bubble crawling back up from his gut as he was introducing the band to the crowd. He laughed as he later explained what was a pending dilemma in his mind. Should he back away or just own it?
He shrugged it off. “I had to own it,” he said.
El Modernist came out with, not so much a devil may care attitude, but more of an affable and earnest personality between them. Afterall, the band wasn’t supposed to be there. The collection of bands playing in this year’s competition included recognizable names. Acts that had CDs to sell at their merchandise table in the back of Jupiter Hall. The four of them just formed as a band. They only played their first gig together on St. Patrick’s Day five months before.
“Honestly, that first set… we liked that opportunity,” said Will Hahn, El Modernist’s drummer and occasional rapper. The 15 minutes allotted to each band in the preliminary rounds was like doing a late night show on television. Just enough time to do a quick highlight of the band’s act. “Get it done and leave people wanting more.”
It was enough to have judges bring the band back to the final round, and the gratitude was expressed yet again on stage. The largest crowd out of all the rounds gathered for the last act to see who would win. There were members from other bands, promoters and manager scattered around. The local music community was in one room. As if in tune to the fact, Hahn announced he created a Spotify playlist, “We Are Albany NY,” to market all of the local bands online.
“Every single band in every round we played with was a great band,” said Hahn. “Not only that, but very supportive. Awesome people to work with. Fun part of the event was that you get more people to play some shows with.”
These newcomers were going against veterans. Honey Suckle Vine, though relatively new to the local scene, had played together out West before moving into town. Joey Jaquez, who often sported a mean harmonica, fronted the four-piece band that brought a blues flavor to the party. Dooojj, who beat out El Modernist in the second round, was a good four-piece garageband. Then, there was Bendt.
The members of Bendt knew how to embrace the local music community. Before taking the third round, Matt Plummer knew to thank and compliment his competitors. Hahn said he couldn’t “be mad” to losing to a bunch of guys like them. In the final round, taking the stage after El Modernist, with each of its four members sporting a T-shirt from Girl Blue, Good Fiction, Stellar Young and Hasty Page. If any one band knew how to win, it was Bendt. The band’s grunge style won Schenectady County’s Battle of the Bands last year.
El Modernist, however, stood out with elements of punk — screaming guitar riffs and electric drums. The four each graduated from the College of St. Rose’s prestigious music program. They’ve messed around with other bands before coming together in March, blending various influences and creating something entirely their own.
“El Modernist seemingly came out of nowhere to take us all by surprise with their performance at the finals,” said Morad, after the four earned the coveted Pearlpalooza slot. “It says a lot about them when you consider they knocked off the likes of Bendt, Honey Suckle Vine and Dooojj!”
Morad said El Modernist pulled away with the win because of it’s “high energy, engaging and unique.”
“Going from the wild card slot and winning it, I was little surprised,” said Joe DeTillio, El Modernist’s bass player. “Aside from that, it was so cool.”
The opportunity now places El Modernist in the same company with Good Fiction and four different national acts coming in to Albany to play Pearlpalooza: Kitten, The Greeting Committee, Caroline Rose and Superorganism.
“The four other bands are all national acts that blew everybody away at the 2018 SXSW Fest in Austin,” said Morad. “We’re glad to have been able to put them all together on the same day — for free! Not to mention, but I am mentioning, all four national acts are female fronted, cause girlpower.”
El Modernist is already on the move. After the band sets the scene for Pearlpalooza this Saturday, at 1 p.m. and follows up with a gig at Savoy Taproom at 9:30 p.m. The band released its debut single “Up” on all available streaming services, including the band’s Albany-centric playlist on Spotify.
This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYS Music. TheSpot518 and NYS Music work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.
Ponder this – Buffalo alt-rock group ponder (small p) today premieres “Fits the Scene,” a groove-oriented, jazz and funk inspired song arranged over dozens of shows with different musicians of varying influences as ponder’s lineup was solidified. The Buffalo alt-rock group has been on a journey since their formation at SUNY Geneseo and have found a sound and lineup that has them on a track for success.
“Fits the Scene” was originally slated to be released in mid-2017, but when ponder’s original drummer left the band, the song was placed on the back burner while the group decided what the fate of the band would be going forward. With hard work already put into the project and with much on the horizon for the band, Gabe Birkby (guitar/vocals) and Andy Hogan (bass/vocals) chose to rally and rapidly began recruiting as many musicians in the Buffalo area who they knew would help drive the band sonically.
“Fits the Scene” is ponder’s first release since April 2017’s These Words and acts as a definitive statement of how they have re-invented themselves. “These Words was a hodgepodge of punk, blues, funk, and indie elements — we were more or less absorbing all of our childhood influences and throwing them all against the wall to see what stuck. This new tune builds on those earlier songs like fan favorites “Toast” and “Shot Down” said Hogan. Andy Fischer (trumpet) and Paul Sottnik (keys) are also featured on “Fits the Scene.”
Ponder’s current line up is stronger than ever with Gabe and Andy with Marcus Peters (drums) and Sam Shafer (lead guitar) helping to launch the band into its next phase. Catch them this fall across New York:
September 14: Nietzsche’s, Buffalo, NY, with Litz
September 28: The Firehouse Saloon, Rochester, NY with Adventure Dog
October 18: TBA
October 19: CyberCafe West, Binghamton, NY
October 20: The Black Oak Tavern, Oneonta, NY
November 1: Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo, NY with The Werks
Be a part of Oswego history and come ‘Out’ and show your support for the local LGBT community as Oswego Pride Festival will celebrate at West Linear Park Sept. 14-15, with family friendly events, a drag show, music and much more.
On Friday, Sept. 14, a Drag Show Fundraiser will be held at American Foundry, with proceeds benefiting the Oswego Pride Committee. Tickets are available here. On Saturday, the Oswego Pride Parade lines up at 10 a.m. at Breitbeck Park for an 11 a.m. kick off with a theme of ‘Love in Color.’ All are welcome to join the parade and no registration is required.
Following the parade, from 12-4 p.m. at West Linear Park at the Veteran’s Stage, there will be a family friendly drag show, local musical groups, a children’s activities area and audience participation games on the main stage. There will also be a nonprofit organizations with information tables as well as craft and food vendors. You can even sign up for a stage spot in the “Oswego Pride’s Got Talent.”
David Byrne’s much-hyped (and rightly so) American Utopia Tour found its way to Albany’s Palace Theatre on Sunday, September 9, after six months of crisscrossing the country, with all the buzz about the set and production having preceding each performance. Byrne’s catalog of music was on display throughout the night, with 21 songs covering his solo work, as well as that with Talking Heads and with St. Vincent and Fatboy Slim, combining for a nearly two-hour performance with the psychedelic alt-rock of Tune-Yards opening the night. With a futuristic mix of electronic, new wave and indie pop, plus a lead singer dressed like a dystopian Supreme Court justice, made for an interesting prelude to Byrne. Forty minutes of pure energy and symphonic pomp was capped by “Heart Attack,” and paired nicely with the variety of Byrne’s music that would follow. Nature sounds over the PA filled the air as the stage was set for David Byrne. When the curtain opened, we found Byrne sitting at a table holding a human brain, pointing out the purpose for the brain in the lyrics of the opener ‘Here,’ an anticipatory introduction into the evening’s performance. Slowly, an 11 piece band, including six percussionists and drummers, emerged from behind the silver strand curtains that surrounded the stage on three sides, as Byrne moved into “Lazy,” which could have easily been pulled from LCD Soundsystem’s catalog. But it was the opening beats of “I Zimbra” that brought the audience to their feet in unison, like a preacher calling the congregation back from a moment of reflection.
Following “Slippery People,” Byrne took a moment to recognize Headcount and encouraged everyone to register to vote, and then make sure they vote in elections, which was met by thunderous applause from the audience. The St. Vincent collaboration “I Should Watch TV” and “Everybody’s Coming to my House” preceded two of the most familiar songs of the night, “This Must be the Place (Naive Melody)” and “Once in a Lifetime,” the crowd singing along some of Byrne’s finest work.
The band was introduced one by one for a slowly growing intro to “Born Under Punches” from the acclaimed Remain in the Light. Byrne’s solo work was showcased with four songs that followed, “I Dance Like This,” “Bullet,” “Every Day is a Miracle,” and “Like Humans Do.” Blind” took on an ominous feel with low stage lighting projecting a monstrous shadow of Byrne on the curtains behind the band, with a raucous “Burnin Down the House” closing the 80+ minute set.
For an encore, Byrne introduced “Dancing Together” as a song with lyrics provided from Imelda Marcos’ own words and originally from a musical Byrne collaborated on with Fatboy Slim about the former Philippine dictator’s love of shoes and disco. A frenetic version of “The Great Curve” followed, with the woke audience moving to the enthusiastic Talking Heads original. Returning to the stage for a second encore, Bryne chose “Say Your Name” by Janelle Monae to put a coda on the evening, which shares the names of numerous individuals who have been victims of police and/or racial violence, including Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Amadou Diallo and others. It was a powerful statement to send the audience out on and left an exclamation point on an evening at The Palace.
Byrne’s American Utopia tour continues with stops in Syracuse on Sept. 12, Queens on Sept. 15, and two nights in Brooklyn Sept. 16-17.
Setlist: Here, Lazy, I Zimbra, Slippery People, Dog’s Mind, I Should Watch TV, Everybody’s Coming to my House, This Must be the Place (Naïve Melody), Once in a Lifetime, Doing the Right Thing, Toe Jam, Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On), I Dance Like This, Bullet, Every Day is a Miracle, Like Humans Do, Blind, Burning Down the House
Encore: Dancing Together, The Great Curve Encore 2: Hell You Talmbout*
This week, keyboardist Erik Deutschdebuted the video for his studio performance of “Little Bell,” off his upcoming album, Falling Flowers, releasing on September 14 via LoHi Records. An atmospheric ten minute piece of psychedelic abstraction, “Little Bell” is a gumbo of American music that touches on jazz, blues, pop, funk and dub.
“’Little Bell’ is what I call a psychedelic dub ballad,” notes Deutsch. “It’s a sound I’ve been exploring for a long time. The composition began as a piano riff (like many of my songs do) and then evolved into the full melody and improvisation. I brought the song to rehearsal to see what it might sound like, and as soon as I started the riff, Jesse Murphy and Tony Mason dropped a deep dub groove. It was perfect—and also a reminder that when I’m surrounded by world-class musicians, they’ll often come up with better ideas then I can if I give them the freedom to be creative.”
Over the past 20-plus years, Erik Deutsch has earned a stellar reputation as a bandleader and collaborator, working with artists like Rosanne Cash, Nels Cline, Charlie Hunter, Shooter Jennings, Norah Jones, Leftover Salmon and many more. At the same time, he’s made five albums under his own name full of compositions that combine jazz, funk, country and rock into a swirling blend that jumps, struts, croons and shouts.
Falling Flowers was recorded at Trout Recording in Brooklyn with engineers Bryce Goggin and Adam Sachs and mixed by Jeff Hill (Rufus Wainwright, Elle King) at Bass Station. Deutsch will be on the road this fall for a small run of Falling Flowers release shows.
Erik Deutsch Tour Dates Sept 19-20 – New York, NY @ Bar Lunatico
Oct 17-18 – Guadalajara, MX @ Primer Piso
Oct 19-20 – Mexico City, MX @ Zinco Jazz
Nov 01 – Denver, CO @ Nocturne
Nov 02 – Boulder, CO @ Caffe Sole
Nov 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Apotheke
Nov 30 – Oakland, CA @ Piedmont Piano Co.
“My friends and family and fans didn’t seem to know how to talk to each other anymore without calling each other awful names.” This all too relatable comment from Mick Fury speaks volumes and is a statement that spans the country. So Mick, a Nashville singer/songwriter originally from Syracuse, set out to do find out how deep these divisions truly are.
Mick Fury‘s “Front Porch of America” debuts today with all four episodes available on YouTube and soon on the All Guitar Network on Roku, and features interviews with Americans across the country, with conversations on their front porches, with the goal to answer the question, “Is America really as divided as it seems?”
To that end, after traveling 8,500 miles across the country over 14 days, Fury has a mixed answer to that question. “If I answer that I would be spoiling the whole show, so I’m cheating when I say yes and no. The divisions are there and often there are those who are unreasonably angry about issues they don’t always fully understand. I don’t blame people for that but the places people are getting their news from are not helping them in this. I read New York Times, BBC, while others listen to AM radio and get polarized by those who try to skew their views in a certain direction. You see an anger and fervor to get their opinion out, but after 10 minutes, you see that people have the same goals in life and you’ll see both parts of that in these episodes, and see people being divisive and also very reasonable.”
Each episode will detail the crew’s struggles to drive extreme distances on a limited budget, feature multiple interviews of Americans from their own front porches, and follow Mick’s musical journey along the way. “It started as way to integrate some new songs from my upcoming album into an issue that was really rubbing me the wrong way on social media.”
“I thought a cool element of the project was that a front porch was a place growing up where we’d sit around, shoot the shit, and solve the world’s problems over cheap beers or coffee. I knew that as we drove around America, everyone’s idea of a ‘front porch’ would vary based on where they lived. In DC, it was a picnic bench that a guy liked to hang out on in his complex. In NYC it was a Spanish Harlem rooftop. In Oregon it was a deck overlooking a pot farm. Everyone’s view (and thus their “view”) from their Front Porches was different, and I thought that was a critical part of our American story.
The drive found Fury, videographer Terry Little, friend Adam James plus their gear, heading from Nashville to Washington D.C., New York City, to Syracuse, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Standing Rock, SD, Kirby, OR, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Oklahoma City and back to Nashville. You can watch all the entire series of “Front Porch of America” on YouTube.
Will Fredette of El Modernist walked into a conversation that included radio personality Jeff Morad of 
