NYS Music 20​18

Category: Features

  • Premiere: Listen to “Hyperbole” off Swimmer’s upcoming album “Throw It Out”

    Swimmer has premiered “Hyperbole” off their upcoming album Throw it Out, exclusively through NYS Music. The 11 minute track is a sojourn through tempo, winding through 70s rock with a disco beat, while jazz flows through the composition.

    Matt Dolliver (keys, sax) says of the track “Hyperbole is a journey. It’s up and down. It’s left and right. It’s fast and slow. It’s here! Oh, look! It’s over there! It’s a tune we wrote collaboratively and has proven over time to be a highlight in a live setting.” Catch Swimmer this summer at StrangeCreek Music Festival, as well as stops in Buffalo and Syracuse this month.

    Throw it Out will be released on Friday, May 4th on Swimmer’s Bandcamp.

  • Gallery: Formula 5 and Space Carnival at The Hollow, April 28

    Formula 5 and Space Carnival packed The Hollow in Albany on Saturday, April 28 as part of a Disc Jam Music Festival pre-party. Filling in the crowd early, Space Carnival‘s heater of a set included the funky “Queen of Cups” and “Mooshbah,” threw in a crowd-pumping “Africa” by Toto and wrapped up with their classic “Moon Boots.” Formula 5 got the party going with “Trout Waters, Pt I & II”, then threw in a few covers over the course of the night, giving nods to Bob Dylan with “Tangled up in Blue,” Widespread Panic, Little Milton and wowed the crowd with their debut of Rush’s “La Villa Strangiato.” The energy from the crowd was electric and wrapped up with a 20+ minute version of “Sad Bed.”

    Formula 5 Space CarnivalCatch Space Carnival at Summer Camp Music Festival later this month, and Formula 5 at Sterling Stage Folk Fest on May 25. Both artists will appear at Disc Jam Music Festival, June 7-10 in Stephentown, MA.

    Space Carnival setlist
    Sirius Rising, Uh Oh, I slipped my Disco, Queen of Cups*, Mooshbah, Pleasure in Sin*, Africa^, Moon Boots
    *Moon Boots teases
    ^Toto cover

    Formula 5 setlist
    Set 1: Trout Waters, Pt. I & II, Blue -> Booher’s Pass, Tangled Up In Blue^, Albatross and Wolves, La Villa Strangiato•

    Set 2: Tall Boy+, Breaking Glass, That’s What Love Will Make You Do^^, Sad Bed*

    Encore: Come Along~

    ^ Bob Dylan cover
    • Rush cover, FTP
    + Widespread Panic
    ^^ Little Milton cover
    ~ w/ extended outro and chorus reprise

  • moe. Delivers Heater of a Spring Tour Closer in Northampton

    On a warm and sunny Saturday, moe.rons from all across New England gathered in Northampton, MA for moe.’s spring tour closer at the Calvin Theatre. Many .rons traveled down from Burlington, VT, fresh off an impressive 2-night run at Higher Ground from the recently rejuvenated band. If fans were to expect anything after last year’s fiery winter tour closer at the Calvin, they were in for a good time.

    moe northampton

    The first set took off quickly as Rob Derhak broke into the first words of fan favorite “Captain America,” which was met with a huge cheer from the crowd. The song set a very upbeat mood for the beginning of first set, and was a strong song to open with in the band’s return to the Calvin. The band got to jamming swiftly, seemingly very well practiced from the previous 2 nights in Burlington, and very smoothly transitioned into “ATL,” which really showcased Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico’s ability to work as a unit. During “ATL” it was very apparent that the band was having lots of fun and ready to have tons more. After a very energetic ending of “ATL,” the band took a break filled with lots of banter between the whole band, mainly focused on Rob poking fun at guitarist Chuck Garvey’s crowd work skills. The group broke into one of percussionist Jim Loughlin’s originals, “Chromatic Nightmare,” which is an extremely impressive showcase of the musicianship in the band. Chuck took the helm towards the end of the song with a crushing solo before the band did a “no huddle” transition into “Annihilation Blues.” This version of “Annihilation Blues” was pretty standard, and helped bring up the mood after the weird jazziness of “Chromatic Nightmare.” After a rather quick jam section, the band brought the song into “Seat of my Pants,” one of three repeats from last year’s Calvin Theatre show. This “Seat of my Pants” featured the first big peak of the night, led by Al Schnier, who was in full rockstar mode. Any moe.rons who attended last year’s Calvin show will remember Al soloing right on the edge of stage and using a guy’s head as a guitar slide, which Al paid homage to by performing another killer solo on the edge of the stage, sans guitar head-slide. The band brought the jam into one more verse and chorus before ending the segment.

    To close out the set, the band presented the first big highlight of the night, “Montego” > “Kyle’s Song” > “head.” “Montego”’s Latin sound switched the mood up after the very upbeat and reggae-esque “Seat of My Pants,” and featured a very trippy jam led by Loughlin and Schnier. The band transitioned into the slow, but warm, “Kyle’s Song,” kicking it off with Derhak playing the very recognizable intro bass riff. The whole crowd was singing along and participating in the usual clapping, even joined by Schnier for most sections. Lighting Director Preston Hoffman was flexing his lighting muscles during this “Kyle’s Song,” putting on one of the more impressive lighting performances of the show. Chuck Garvey took the helm of this jam, taking a lengthy but impressive solo tensely leading the whole band into one last chorus, before they started energetically building into “head.” The jam into “head.” featured a big Rob solo before starting into the main riff of the song. “head.” was met with a roar from the crowd and got everyone in the room pumped up as the band was steaming ahead like a freight train on stage. The jam featured an Al-Jim call and response section initiated by Rob, and a killer slide solo from Chuck before they ended the song.

    moe northampton

    The group opened the second set with their bluegrass tune “Queen of Everything,” which was an interesting way to start off set 2 after the high energy “head.” first set closer. After an energetic ending, the band “no huddle” segued into one of Garvey’s new songs, “Who You Calling Scared,” which was debuted at the State Theater in Maine this past February. “Who You Calling Scared” featured a very fun blues jam to close out the segment. The group wasted no time as they broke into one of my favorite moe. songs, “Four,” another repeat from last February’s Calvin Theater show. This version of “Four” was really solid, and the second big highlight of the show. “Four” featured a lot of .rons’ favorite moment from Saturday’s show: a great extended solo from Rob that featured some strange but cool synth bass tones. After Rob’s solo, the group brought the song into the third big peak of the night before one more chorus that had the whole theater singing along. “Four” smoothly transitioned into the rocker “Deep This Time,” the last of the repeats from last year’s show. Chuck broke out the slide again, starting a trend in his playing throughout the set. This version of “Deep This Time” was fairly standard and brought to close with no big jam section.

    The band started into another one of the post-hiatus debuts, Loughlin’s soulful “I Can Never Remember.” This is one of my favorites of all the new songs they’ve debuted since their return as it really allows for a chance to let Jim’s voice shine and its slow, somber feel serves as a nice break between all the big peaks moe. sets tend to contain. Chuck took a great solo to end the song, rounding out this extremely solid version of “I Can Never Remember.” “Not Coming Down” started off the last segment of the night, bringing the mood up and featuring Rob Derhak’s slapping capabilities. The song had another big crowd sing along moment before taking a lesson from Wormwood’s track listing and transitioning into “Wormwood,” which brought the set back into the slower mood that “I Can Never Remember” was evoking. “Wormwood” is a great showcase of Chuck’s slide playing, which he was already showing off earlier in the show. After a pretty standard version of “Wormwood”, the band segued into “Puebla” > “St. Augustine,” the last big highlight of the show. “Puebla” set a mysterious mood in the theater, and the band made quick work of getting to the jam. This jam section started off slowly but heavily featured Rob and Vinnie’s impressiveness as a rhythm section, as the duo kept driving the jam faster and faster until they had built up enough tension to transition into “St. Augustine.” Schnier also played very heavily into “Puebla”’s jam section, taking his solo to shred city as the band steamed on behind him. The segue into “St. Augustine” was very energetic and made the crowd go wild. This song quickly picked up the pace from “Puebla” and served as a great second set closer, as the crowd sang along and the band had fun with a bluegrass-y jam towards the end. The band brought “St. Augustine” into one last chorus sing along with the crowd before ending the segment.

    moe northampton

    The group encored with the heavy but energetic Wormwood cut, “Crab Eyes” which was a great way to end this burner of a show. Two years in a row now, moe. has served up absolute heaters in Northampton! Seems like they should keep ending all their tours down at the Calvin Theatre, as one moe.ron put it, “Never miss a Calvin show!”

    Setlist: 

    Set 1: Captain America > ATL, Chromatic Nightmare (nh) > Annihilation Blues > Seat of my Pants, Montego > Kyle’s Song > head.

    Set 2: Queen of Everything (nh) > Who You Calling Scared, Four > Deep This Time, I Can Never Remember, Not Coming Down > Wormwood > Puebla > St. Augustine

    Encore: Crab Eyes

    Purchase & Listen to the show on Nugs.net.

  • Gallery: Cousin Earth celebrates release of “Human Music” at Bowery Electric

    Cousin Earth celebrated the release of Human Music on Friday, April 27 at Bowery Electric. Check out photos from the night and read our review of this fantastic album!

  • Hartley’s Encore Fills the Hollow

    The record release party for Hartley’s Encore filled the Hollow on Friday, April 27 in Albany, NY. The eight-piece band worked the excited crowd up until the floors shook with dancing until the wee hours. The self-titled debut album, released on 4/20, served as the bright and energetic soundtrack to one funky night. While it’s easy to label the band as funk, the jazz, soul and R&B elements are also clear.

    Albany’s own funk band, Hartley’s Encore, formed just over a year ago with 2003 Guilderland High School Graduates, Luke Malamood (Keys), Chris Oliver (Guitar), and Jeff Nania (Saxophone), as well as Josh Gordon and Brad Monkell (Bass), Mike Gilet and Erik Pravel (Drums), Alex Gonzalez (Percussion), Phil Chow (Trumpet), and Zach Lauzon (Trombone). The group’s next show is on May 18th at Bowery Electric in New York, NY. While this was my first time seeing the band, it most definitely won’t be my last.

  • Keller Williams Reminds Us to Celebrate Our Youth in Buffalo

    Buffalo is home to so many fantastic venues and hosts an endless, revolving stream of incredible artists all year long. When we had the pleasure of hosting Keller Williams at one of the best venues in Buffalo we knew we would be in for a treat. celebrate youth

    keller williams celebrate youth

    Keller Williams is a long time staple in the jam band scene playing as a solo artist and with several other projects ranging from funk to blue grass. His high energy shows make up for in talent, creativity, and a magnetic, eternal, youthful jubilance what they lack in lights and lasers. Fans come out to hear the man play, to watch him layer each instrument, to marvel as he deliberately selects each note and nuance. A one man band for the ages, Williams refers to his sound as acoustic dance music, and I’d be hard pressed to describe it any better.

    Williams resumed his solo tour in conjunction with the release of his 20th album Vape, with a much anticipated stop in Buffalo on what felt like the first sunny day this side of the millennium. He took to the stage to a sold out crowd at the Tralf Music Hall shortly after nine o’clock on a Friday night. Located in the heart of Buffalo’s theater district The Tralf is a gem of a venue, occupying the second floor, perched above a night club, and residing next to the historic Shea’s Performing Arts Center. When stepping outside at set break the juxtaposition offered by its locale is unmatched. Men in tuxedos escorting women in fine gowns through clouds of smoke and profanity, punctuated by the occasional drag queen or panhandler, make for a scene that’s as hard to replicate as it is easy to love.

    Unfortunately, not everyone was feeling the love. The beefed up security at the Tralf resulted in several attendees being ejected from the capacity event. The limited wiggle room and constant chatter of the well liberated crowd made for a first set that was at times a challenge to enjoy. Williams persevered however and did not delay acknowledging the importance of the date of his performance here in Buffalo, rolling out a first set full of tributes to 4/20 including covers of Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It” and, Buffalo’s own, Rick James’ “Mary Jane”. He also delivered a soul soothing Tom Petty medley alongside several original tracks.

    The second set saw a thinned out crowd and significantly less noise. Williams delivered some long time favorites like “Kiwi and the Apricot”, “Stupid Questions”, and a clever and entertaining “Super Hot Girl”- a truly comedic lyrical romp with Keller providing the perfect soundtrack. The highlight of the second set came as the crowd was expecting a cover of “Stairway to Heaven” and instead received a much welcome “All Along the Watchtower”. Williams dubbing the mashup “Stairway To Watchtower” to cheering fans.  Keller Williams closed out his 4/20 party at the Tralf with an important reminder to “Celebrate Your Youth” before it’s too late.

    Author: Ashley DePasqaule

  • ‘My Favorite Band’ Podcast looks at unwanted touching at shows

    Allie Wenner had an idea for the second episode of her podcast ‘My Favorite Band‘: to interview Phish fans over the recent New Years run at Madison Square Garden, and see what happened. But before she headed to to MSG, she came across NYS Music’s article on Groovesafe, an organization formed to combat unwanted touching at concerts and shows. It struck a cord for Wenner who says “I have been touched in ways that made me feel uncomfortable many times, but this was the first time I had heard about anyone really talking about it.”

    https://myfavoriteband.co/episode-2-phans-punks/

    Wenner reached out to Ashley Driscoll, founder of Groovesafe, and met at American Beauty for an interview, finding what she had to say quiet shocking, especially “the liability issues around this and how venues and promoters are dragging their feet when it comes to establishing policies to protect patrons from sexual violence.”  Ashley emphasized that this kind of unwanted touching was not just happening at Phish shows and not just happening to women, so the next day she decided to interview some fans at the Hotel Penn PhanArt show and found out that she was 100% right: “Men, women, gay, straight, old, young — nearly every person I talked to had a story to tell about being touched at a concert, and it was pretty striking.”

    “Some people had had it happen to them personally, but many people also told me stories about people harassing their significant others or friends as well. And the fans I talked to also confirmed that it wasn’t only happening at Phish, or even just at jam band shows. So after I got back from the NYE run I started doing some research about how other scenes are trying to combat sexual violence, and found some articles about last year’s Warped Tour, the SaferScenes booth, and War on Women, and things kind of went from there.

    Listen to the second episode of My Favorite Band Podcast, and check out the first episode where Wenner looks at Insane Clown Posse fans (Juggalos) and how the FBI has labeled the entire fanbase of ICP a gang, alongside the Bloods and Crips etc.

    Wenner is a multimedia journalist based on Princeton, N.J., who is passionate about live music and storytelling. She created My Favorite Band to give music fans a platform to talk about issues that matter to them and how those issues impact both their concert-going experiences and lives in general.

  • Ace Frehley releases new song ‘Bronx Boy’

    On April 27, Ace Frehley celebrated his birthday and released a new song, proclaiming that after all these years, he’s still a “Bronx Boy.” The song is a the first single from his upcoming eighth studio album. No date or title yet on the new release, but the first release has a lot of old-school rock and roll grit that shows the co-founding Kiss is still a contender. Rumor has it the new album will be out this summer.

    Paul Daniel Frehley was born and raised in The Bronx (Boy), New York City, the youngest of three children of Esther Anna (Hecht) and Carl Daniel Frehley.

    Frehely grew up on the corner of Marion Avenue and 201st Street, off Bedford Park Boulevard (also known as 200th Street) and Webster Avenue in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx.

    bronx boy ace frehely

    Frehely invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. Space Ace) and played with the group from its inception in 1973 until his departure in 1982. After leaving Kiss, Frehley embarked on a solo career, which was put on hold when he rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a highly successful reunion tour.

    Frehley’s second tenure with Kiss lasted until 2002, when he left at the conclusion of what was originally purported to be the band’s Farewell Tour. His most recent solo album, Origins Vol. 2, was released on September 18, 2020. Guitar World magazine ranked him as the 14th Greatest Metal Guitarist of All Time. Outside Kiss, Frehley had commercial success, with his first solo album going platinum. His first album with his “Frehley’s Comet” band was also a big seller. Frehley is noted for his aggressive, atmospheric and melodic guitar playing and is also known for the use of many “special effects” guitars, including a Gibson Les Paul guitar that emits smoke from the neck humbucker pickup and produces spinning pyrotechnics, and a custom Les Paul that emits light based on song tempo.

  • Hearing Aide: Cousin Earth “Human Music”

    Cousin Earth Human MusicThe greatly anticipated Human Music from Cousin Earth, is unlike any studio album you’ll listen to this year. Immense talent is found in this Brooklyn five-piece, and share a wide range of influences that all align greatly. The variety of songs throughout the album are each presented without pomp or overshadowing any other. Well produced and executed, Human Music is an exemplar of how to showcase the influences of your music while drawing the listener deep into an album.

    “Peculiar Patterns” opens up as the mildly upbeat intro, finding a Goldilocks Zone of not too hard, not too soft – it’s just right, and has a great swell of energy to close. “I Got This” gives off an electric feel and shows fantastic guitar work from Joey Calfa that sends this for a late-80s hair metal loop. “Train Luck” gives the gripes of subway transit in NYC with a Zappa flair and a 70’s era music video to go along with it.

    The EDM-inspired “Super Fun Laser Beams” delivers in spades, driven by ukulele wunderkind Joey Calfa and steady beats from drummer Nate Searing and percussionist Terry Brennan. Clocking in at 9:05, you can easily picture the laser beams on the crowd as they get down. Mid-Eastern flair can be found throughout the mesmerizing “Dirty Wet Rock,” some Latin tanginess in “Puerto Rican Pancakes,” and sax-driven funk throughout “Alive,” all of which burst with ukulele driven jams that take command and guide the song.

    Do you like kazoo in your music? Cousin Earth has you covered on “When the Dinosaurs come back from Outer Space,” a funky ditty that could crossover to a children’s album with ease. Tara Lawton puts on her Broadway musical shoes for “Keep on (Show me the Numbers, Ian),” but she really shines across the entire album, versatile whether singing, on keys or melodica.

    Bassist Corey Feldman charges out of the gate slapping away on the bass for “Capricorn on the Cob,” the final track and an exclamation point on the album. This is the only track that sounds like something from a jamband, with elements of Umphrey’s McGee’s prog-rock, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s bouncy, driven rock and flowing jams of moe. The start and finish of Human Music is 100% Cousin Earth and a hearty taste of what you can expect live, where they shine even brighter.

    Listen below on Spotify or purchase on Bandcamp and don’t miss the album release show tonight at Bowery Electric with The Phryg and Hunt for Hunter!

    Key Tracks: Peculiar Patterns, Super Fun Laser Beams, Capricorn on the Cob

  • Popovic’s ‘Stormy Monday’ Blues Night at The Cohoes Music Hall

    It was a “Stormy Monday” for the blues inside the prestigious Cohoes Music Hall on April 16. The heavy rain didn’t put a damper on the blues fans that had stepped inside the music hall on a Monday evening to escape from the everyday stresses of daily life for a worry-free, entertaining evening of music from both Girl Blue and Serbian-Blues guitarist and vocalist, Ana Popovic.

    Popovic

    Almost a full year since her last performance at the music hall, this time around, Popovic pulled out all of the stops as she continued to dazzle the audience with her electrifying guitar solos, captivating vocals, and a stunning cast of performers within her five piece ensemble that had joined her for her tour to promote her new three disk album Trilogy.

    Popovic’s rhythm and horn ensemble were tight and in full swing throughout the entire evening. Her rhythm section begun the evening with an instrumental of their own rendition of “Ana’s Shuffle” from the album Can You Stand The Heat. They continued to jam along to the tune before Popovic, dressed in the similar red tank top, jeans, and heels that was previously worn at last year’s concert, joined the band on stage to play some solos on her guitar before moving on to perform a series of her songs from Trilogy.

    “It’s great to be back!” called out Popovic to the audience as she had begun her song, “Can You Stand the Heat”, from her previous album. Song after song, Popovic and her ensemble were outstanding, never outshining each other as they performed their own riffs, rhythms, and solos for each song. Popovic took the time to introduce the City of Cohoes to her full ensemble before performing “Train” from Trilogy: Disk #1 (Morning) to a happy audience that was excited to also hear Popovic’s drummer, Cedric Goodman, play some riffs on the drums that got them dancing and moving in their seats. “Long Road Down” brought her listeners back in time to the times of being on the Oregon Trail while focusing on Popovic’s extensive travels as she had continued on her journey to further pursue music as she had moved from her origins of Belgrade, Serbia, to Amsterdam, Holland, Memphis, Tennessee, and settled in Los Angeles, California where she has currently resided for the past two years.

    Popovic is able to smoothly transition well from performing lead to slide guitar as she continued to play slide on “If Tomorrow Was Today.” Following suit to her empowering gym-based workout song, “Show How Strong You Are,” each of her key players in her ensemble rose to the occasion and performed their energetic, emotionally-felt awakening solos, from the jazz-lead bass playing of the bassist, back to Popovic, to the drummer, and on towards the other performers to close out their main set.

    The blues wasn’t exactly going to end completely from Popovic and her ensemble. The band returned to the stage for their encore as they concluded the evening with a cover of Popovic’s “Mo’ Better Love,” and closing out the event with a cover of a song that she had discovered recently before she began recording Trilogy, “Fence Walk” from the Brooklyn, NY based band, Mandrill. Popovic’s interaction with both the crowd and with her own band members is both electric and entertaining to watch. Moving from side to side, Popovic joined in on the jam between her horn players, Jon Ramm (trombone) and Brad Walker (saxophone), on the right side of the stage as they had gathered around each other, creating a musical dialogue heard within their notes and soloing while closing out the evening. Popovic left the stage, leaving the remainder of the ensemble to continue to jam to the tune and close out the funky number on a high note that satisfied both the band and the audience.

    Albany based act, Girl Blue, featuring vocalist and guitarist, Arielle O’Keefe, opened up for Ana Popovic and her band. Playing a set of eight original songs, O’Keefe did a great job performing solo to her tunes that were mixed in with her own vocals being recorded on a loop. My first time hearing O’Keefe perform live, the sound of her voice reminded me of a mix between Norah Jones, Regina Spector, Alanis Morrisette, and Katy Perry, as she had sung her own unique, original tunes that related back to teenage and early adult moments of angst, drinking, and other fun, significant moments within her life.

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