NYS Music 20​18

Category: Media

  • Magic Beans Bring the Heat to Buffalo Iron Works

    Colorado-based The Magic Beans, currently on tour in support of their latest album Casino Cabaret , found themselves at Buffalo Iron Works on Saturday, April 7. While the calendar may indicate spring, the thermometer said otherwise, but The Magic Beans with support from Formula 5 wasted little time warming up the enthusiastic crowd.

    The opener treated the audience to a 20+ minute version of original “Blue” and nearly as much time on a jammed out cover of Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry.” The Magic Beans put on one helluva show with the crowd dancing straight through until 1am. Highlights included “Mission” and “More” off Casino Cabaret plus a huge cover of Prince’s “I Wanna be your Lover” after  “Lost and Found.” The Beans are the real deal when it comes to jams that make you dance, and Formula 5 is right there alongside them.

    Check out The Magic Beans this Thursday at The Hollow in Albany with Let’s Be Leonard and, also on Thursday, check out Formula 5 with Goose, Animal Reporters and Bee the Band at DROM in NYC.

  • Tune into the first episode of Empire State Music Podcast

    NYS Music is proud to launch Empire State Music Podcast bringing our audience the best of bands from across New York State. With host Andy Hogan, the podcast can be found on Soundcloud and will bring the best up and coming musicians from around the state, established acts and the local voices that tie together the various music scenes from around the state. Hogan, a Buffalo resident, will host the podcast, his second after What Was I Saying? and one that Hogan sees great potential for.

    podcast

    “If nothing else, I hope this podcast contributes to the never ending effort of continuing to unify the music scene throughout NYS. There are so many incredible local acts throughout the state that are made up of some really cool cats who, in my opinion, deserve a platform to be able to really express themselves; what makes them tick, and where their creativity comes from. In order to do so, I want to get to the roots of these bands and musicians; not only how they get to where they are, but how they fit in to the grand design of music history in America, and where they are headed down the line.”

    While a student at SUNY Geneseo, Andy hosted a weekly radio show which eventually became What Was I Saying?, which he co-hosted with Paris Peters. The podcast took a back seat while Andy joined Ponder (formerly Ponder the Giraffe), but has since been reborn with a new focus on the bands and artists from across New York State, as Empire State Music Podcast. Listen to episode 1 with Tough Old Bird, a folk band out of Western New York.

  • Jon Lewis Band Premieres Video for “Cinnamon Only”

    Jon Lewis Band has released the video for their single “Cinnamon Only,” off their upcoming album Get Wild Somewhere. (more…)

  • A Wild Child Night in Buffalo

    Wild Child stopped at Buffalo Iron Works on March 25 while on tour supporting their latest album Expectations. Opening the night was the Wild Reeds bringing an indie-rock vibe that meshed nicely with Wild Child’s indie-pop stylings. A great one-two punch on a wild night in Buffalo.

  • The Funk, The Whole Funk, And Nothing But The Funk

    Lettuce and The Motet finished up their two-night stand at The Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY on Saturday, March 24. The Motet’s high power, high energy brand of in-your-face-funk started the night off on the right foot. They were joined on stage by percussionist extraordinaire Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy, Ghost Note), adding an extra layer of rhythm to their already robust sound. Lettuce and The Motet capped the run off with a set of deep funk jams and crowd hyping beats. They came complete with a few musical twists and turns including a quick version of Biggie’s “Juicy” and encoring with Rick Jame’s “Mary Jane”.

    Set List

    Moetet:

    Own It, Damn, Supernova, Fountain, Keep On, Conatagious, Handcuffs, Get It Right

    Lettuce:

    Mt Crushmore, Lobbiest, Blaze, Prince SMZ, Purple Cabbage, S.L.A.P., Lettsanity, Gogo (Juicy), Gang Ten, 116th, Chief It Up, Moksha, Trap

    Encore:

    Mary Jane

  • Proctors Hosts Beatles Themed Capital Records Live! at GE Theatre

    It was the perfect duo – a collection of the area’s best musicians and the iconic catalog of music from The Beatles –  together at Proctors for Capital Records Live! at the GE Theatre on Friday, March 23.

    Let’s Be Leonard, Wild Adriatic, the Bryan Brundige Collective, Girl Blue, Clear Mind and Eastbound Jesus each played songs from The Beatles (the White Album) and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Each had liberty to perform its own renditions of songs from both albums. Some tried to capture the song as people remember them, while others added a unique spin to a classic track.

    Capital Records Live

    Highlights from Capital Records Live! included Bryan Brundige Collective’s rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” Girl Blue welcoming the crowd to sing along to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and the gratitude expressed by the audience as Clear Mind introduced a rap spin to the 50-year-old collection of songs.

    The Rochmon Record Club provided Beatles trivia and history with a video presentation. There were moments when members of each band would stop setting up their gear to read along on the large screen behind the stage as everyone learned more about The Fab Four.

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYSmusic. TheSpot518 and NYSmusic 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.

  • Shovels and Rope Get Intimate at Asbury Hall

    Tuesday, March 20, Shovels and Rope tour found them in Asbury Hall, the former church turned concert hall in Buffalo. It was an intimate ‘evening with’ format so no opener needed as the duo took to the stage with just a single lamp as the only source of light as they played a tender ballad. As the evening wore on so did the intensity of the music and the lights. It remained a relaxed affair and plenty of tales from the road were shared with the audience in between songs that spanned the duo’s career.

  • A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie teams up with Audiomack for Trap Symphony rework of “Drowning”

    Bronx rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie has teamed up with emerging music discovery platform Audiomack to remake three of his smash hits with a professional orchestra for the Trap Symphony video series. The latest installment of the series is a rework of chart topper “Drowning,” joining orchestral versions of A Boogie hits “Say A” and “No Promises.”

    Joined by a nine-piece orchestra, A Boogie takes center stage as he dives into a classical rendition of his most popular single to date. Playing off the single’s opening piano chords, the Trap Symphony rendition of “Drowning” captures the emotive composition that brings new life to the track through composer John Clearly, who added a additional layers giving the song a richer depth. This particular Trap Symphony emphasizes A Boogie’s artistic versatility as he adapts to a more subdued performance style versus rambunctious performances fans have become accustomed to.

    A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie

    David Ponte, Audiomack Co-Founder and Trap Symphony co-creator said of the series “…the purpose of Trap Symphony is to showcase a vocalist’s talent and emphasize their unique skill set over an unexpected musical backdrop. With the Trap Symphony series, artists prove that they can go toe-to-toe with classically trained musicians and create something that is sonically beautiful and unique.”

    Starting in 2015, the Trap Symphony series kicked off with mega-star trio Migos who reimagined their hits “Hannah Montana,” “One Time,” and “Handsome & Wealthy.” Fans of Trap Symphony can view each edition of the project, as well as additional content, via Audiomack’s recently launched platform audiomack.world, which highlights content, artists, and cultural tastemakers.

  • Puttin’ It In The Dumpsta

    On Friday, March 16, Dumpsta phunk made a stop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for a night of New Orleans funk at the Brooklyn Bowl. They gave fans everything expected in a show from the Nola-funk gurus with a couple of surprises mixed in, including a cover of The Eagles’ hit “Life in the Fast Lane” and a two-song cameo from guitarist Tash Neal. The Dumpstaphunk tour goes through Philly and Richmond before it hits the West Coast.

    Setlist: Make it After All, Let’s Get At It, I Wish You Would, Do You, Street Parade, Life In The Fastlane, Sounds*, United Nation Stomp*, Dumpstamental, Maze, Justice, Up From The Downstroke, Dancin’ To The Truth

    *Featuring Tash Neal

  • Pittsburgh electro pop band, little good bad (+ -), premieres video for “Black + White”

    little good bad (+ -), a hybrid-pop band from Pittsburgh, premieres the video for “Black + White,” an energetic EDM-tinged pop song. The trio innovate a new style of pop music adding in punk, neo-soul and EDM, creating a hybrid style of music that translates into a unique live show experience. 

    Rachel B (vocals, keytar + songwriter) shares insight behind the song, saying “Black + White is about proving people and your own negative thoughts wrong. There’s not one way and Black + White is an electronic rock song defying any notion that the world is just black and white or wrong and right. We usually find the answer somewhere in the middle…”
    little good bad (+ -) formed when Rachel B and Billy Castle (drums, multi-instrumentalist) met at a party in Boston before dropping out of college. They reconnected a year later in Los Angeles and moved to Pittsburgh where they started writing and performing together. Dinn Winnwood (DJ), an electronic producer from Philadelphia made the group a trio and gave their songs new life by bridging Rachel and Billy’s sounds.

    Together, they represent the duality that lives within ourselves and our relationships.The group creates music with unique sounds and visuals that break down society’s confines of originality, sexuality, and complacency. Rachel B says of the trio, “Life is a series of random events, both beautiful and sometimes tragic. The more we come together to create unity in chaos, the better the show.” Listen to more on their Soundcloud and check out their show at The Stage at Karma on March 24 in Pittsburgh with Red Room Effect and Xavier Wells.

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