NYS Music 20​18

Category: Features

  • Hearing Aide: The Wood Brothers ‘One Drop of Truth’

    After nearly 13 years of touring the globe, writing their version of Americana music and picking up fans along the way, The Wood Brothers are set to release One Drop of Truth on Friday, February 2.  Their newest studio album purposefully took a full year of studio hoping and concept swapping to complete and the finished product is the most realest, authentic, and Woodsiest release to date.

    The sobering and topical “River Takes the Town” opens The Wood Brothers’ sixth studio album as Chris Wood’s bass and Oliver Wood’s acoustic guitar naturally flow into the track.  Written prior to the devastation that swept the nation this past summer, the tune accurately describes the pain and terror that comes with overwhelming disasters whether widespread or personal. Artful lyrics with a smooth and crisp tone flood the song with emotion as Jano Rix adds the perfect amount of percussion and backup vocals.  I would argue the most powerful opening track on any Wood Brother’s album.

    The second piece in the collection introduces Americana funk as the exclusive genre in “Happiness Jones.”  Chris introduces a silky bass line that invites the listener to kick their shoes off and dance on the grass.  The muffled vocal effect along with the well-placed guitar solo is sure to start a sing-along during live performances.  Rix offers a swirling organ that adds that extra funkified soul fans have come to expect from the Wood Brothers and the turn of phrase lyrics recognize the cross-contamination of happiness and lesson-learning.  Similar to “Sing About It” on 2013’s The Muse, Oliver describes the power that singing can have on the mind and spirit during hard times.  A fresh tune rooted in Oliver’s talented and unique writing ability awards “Happiness Jones” a big smile and two thumbs way up.

    After the haunting and supernatural qualities of “Strange As It Seems,” the trio enters the realm of country twang with “Sky High.”  Not to be confused with the “sky high with chicken skin” lyrics from Smoke Ring Halo’s “Stumble In,” or the 2012 live release with the same name, this “Sky High” is a sexy and seductive ditty just begging for an AMC television drama series to use it as the credit track.  Oliver’s chilling slide guitar sings along with the band and would echo nicely off the walls of any Nashville dive-bar where the track was appropriately written.  More than halfway through the album, Oliver hands over lead vocal duties to his little brother Chris for “Seasick Emotion.”  Soaked in the sentiment of 2016’s election, Chris uses the giant body of water to describe his inner fears and confusions while Oliver and Jano blow a slow wind into the sonic sails.  Oliver’s one and only voice has defined The Wood Brothers’ sound for so long that hearing Chris sing displays a band freer and more supportive of each other than ever.

    What is a Wood Brothers album without alcohol slipping its way into the lyrics? “Sparkling Wine” serves as the playful and boozy party track in One Drop of Truth before the ultra-bluesy title song hints at a dissatisfaction with the lies and deceptions of our current political climate.  In a world of “fake news” and leaders that have billions and billions of the “best words,” Chris sings, “Give me one drop of truth I cannot deny.”  A strong and forceful message is only outshined by Oliver’s powerful and sophisticated chops. “Can’t Look Away” is perfectly segued out of “One Drop of Truth” and the listener can once again image the title being somehow politically fueled.  Oliver returns to lead and hovers on the spoken word side of the fence as he is narrating different scenes that appear to be acted out on a stage.  A rich and powerful backing bass by Chris gives this inventive new track legs to shift gears throughout.  They pour the final drops of creativity into the closing number before the 42-minute eclectic collection of originals comes to an end.

    With half a dozen studio albums under their belt, The Wood Brothers have once again proved themselves as outlaws of the mainstream corporate music industry while being fully capable of its praise.  The trio’s first five albums seem to tell a story based around the album title, while One Drop of Truth feels more like a portfolio of themes, sounds and spaces.  The eagerness to grow, the commitment to change and confidence to experiment with truth in this album is exactly what this country needs.  God Bless America and God bless the Wood Brothers!

    The Wood Brothers are currently on tour in support of One Drop of Truth, catch them at a theater near you!

    Key Tracks: River Takes the Town, Happiness Jones, Can’t Look Away

  • David Wax Museum Offered an Alternative to the State of the Union at Good Luck

    For Honest Folk’s first show of 2018, and their 10th show ever, they brought David Wax Museum, who themselves are celebrating their 10th year as a band. As they’ve made their way around the country, carting along their two kids, eating their kale and kimchi salads in parks or Wendy’s/Gas Station hybrids, they’ve made friendships at show stops along the way, with years separating meaningful contacts. On their drive to Rochester, with the cold and snow blustering in, they wondered if it was such a good idea to visit in January. But they remembered, people need the sense of community and warmth an intimate concert would bring, now more than ever. Right they were.

    On a different stage. in a different place, the President was celebrating his first year in office with his State of the Union. David Wax and his wife Suz Slezak, traveling as just a duo for this tour, presented their audience with a different vision of reality. While one was promising walls and deportations, this couple were breaking down barriers and blending cultures. Inspired by an early introduction to Buena Vista Social Club and collaborations with a musically-gifted Paraguayan exchange student, Wax travelled to Mexico where he learned their music and absorbed their culture. He developed a unique sound blending traditional Mexican and American folk music.

    Wax and Slezak blended the sounds of guitar, ukulele, fiddle, accordion with traditional Mexican percussion by way of a donkey’s jawbone and a tarima, a small wooden stage to stomp on. The diversity of the instrumentation provided plenty of different flavors throughout the show. On the gentle and moving “Wondrous Love,” Slezak plucked out an echoey melody on her fiddle reminiscent of Andrew Bird. They sang into a single mic on “Turn This Love Around,” which built up, finishing with a gorgeous mesh of guitar, fiddle, vocals and stomping.

    In the studio, the band would warm up by playing traditional Mexican folk songs. They shared a couple of them during the evening, including “El Toro Zacamandu,” a song Wax first heard in an ice cream parlor in Missouri of all places. They plan to record another album this year, and also introduced a pair of the new songs that will probably make it, “Line of Light” and “Be Patient.” With those as a sampling, it appears the future of their union continues to be bright.

    In a Democracy, citizens are offered the opportunity to participate in the process. The same was true during this concert. During “Yes, Maria, Yes,”  the audience was split into two sides down the middle. One side stood and sang, “Yes, Maria, Yes,” while the other stood and sang, “No, Maria, No” in quick succession, up and down and back and forth like a good congressional debate. In a more immersive bit of participation, the crowd was asked to close their eyes during “Every Time Katie” to experience a ‘concert in the blind’. Wax and Slezak walked through the room, playing guitar and bells, providing an intimate surround-sound moment of calm and beauty. A rare feat in this day and age.

    Why did the band drive to Rochester in the dead of winter? Because they trusted in the integrity and vitality of the Honest Folk music series, of which they were happy to be a part. A full house of attentive music lovers certainly made it worth their while. And they promised to be back, hoping to bring their full band back to Monty’s Krown, the first place they ever played in town way back when.

    As with all Honest Folk shows, there were also tangible answers to the state of our union. On the environmental front, Impact Earth was on hand to help make it a zero-waste event. And 10% of the concert’s proceeds were donated to The Center for Youth, whose Executive Director, Elaine Spaull, spoke about the center’s mission to provide a safe space for LGBTQ youth.

    Setlist:
    Set 1: Singing to Me, Don’t Lose Heart, El Ahualulco, Line of Light, Wondrous Love, Harder Before It Get’s Easier, At Least I Tried, Yes Maria Yes

    Set 2: The Least I Can Do, ?, Turn This Love Around, Be Patient, El Toro Zacamandu, Every Time Katie, Unfruitful, Guesthouse

  • Kendrick Lamar Releases Album Art, Track List for “Black Panther” Soundtrack

    To kick off Black History Month, Kendrick Lamar yesterday shared the artwork and tracklisting for the soundtrack to Marvel Studios’ Black Panther movie.

    kendrick lamar black panther

    With three consecutive Album of the Year Grammy nominations, Lamar keeps churning out hit after hit, and the highly anticipated film gets an equally anticipated soundtrack to accompany it.  Rappers include SZA, Future, Jay Rock, 2 Chainz, Vince Staples and Anderson .Paak highlighting the album along with The Weeknd, Mozzy and SOB x RBE, R&B stars Jorja Smith and Khalid on the 14-track album.

    The soundtrack from Kendrick Lamar, for Black Panther will be released on Friday, Feb. 9 via Interscope Records and Marvel’s Black Panther will be released nationwide on Feb. 16. Listen to the first single from the album “All the Stars,” featuring Kendrick Lamar and SZA.

  • The Wood Brothers Warm The Egg on a Chilly Evening

    The Wood Brothers brought their tour to The Egg Performing Arts Center in Albany, NY. The sold-out crowd dealt with the return of winter to hear some of the newest songs on their latest album, One Drop of Truth. The album was available at the merchandise table before its official release date of Friday, February 2. The brothers, Chris and Oliver Wood, and Jano Rix mixed new tunes with a healthy selection of Wood Brothers standards. Although, the crowd seemed more than happy to explore the new songs.

    Before the evening was over The Wood Brothers brought out special guest Aaron Lipp from Rochester, NY and the opening band, The Stray Birds, to help out with the one-microphone part of the evening. The voices of The Wood Brothers and their guests blended in the solo microphone to create an “old timey” feel inside The Egg. The night also featured a Wood Brothers cover of the late Tom Petty’s hit “You Wreck Me.”

  • Behind the Gear: Karina Rykman

    Karina Rykman is the bassist of Marco Benevento’s solo band. Karina brings her beefy bass tones and funky grooves to Marco’s upbeat music. Her enthusiastic presence onstage is sure to infect any crowd with enough energy to dance for hours. Check out Karina’s playing at this Brooklyn Bowl show from February 2017, footage courtesy of LazyLightning55a.

    Bass

    1978 Fender Precision Bass (w/ a single coil in the bridge position)

    karina rykman

    Amp/Cabinet

    MarkBass Big Bang into a Fender 1×15 cabinet

    karina rykman

    Pedalboard

    Signal Chain- Korg Pitch Black Tuner > 3Leaf Octabvre > MXR Phase 90 > Akai Deep Impact > ProCo RAT > Eventide H9 > JAM Pedals Delay Llama +

    Behind the Gear: What drew you to using a P Bass as opposed to a J Bass or something with active pick ups? Do you plan on changing your axe anytime soon?

    Karina: I love my P Bass – it’s a 1978, and I picked it out with Dave Dreiwitz so it feels like it has extra good vibes in it! It does have a J pickup in it, so if I want that brighter sound – which I must admit, I never really do – I always have that option. It’s the most reliable bass I’ve ever owned, and it’s incredibly versatile. I used to play a Rickenbacker which was GREAT for straight rock, but didn’t have enough low end for when I wanted to drop the proverbial bomb, or get it real funky. It also has a hipshot, so switching from drop D back to standard is super easy. I have a guy talking to me about building a custom bass…and honestly I’m going to completely model it after this one. I’d just try to make it slightly shorter scale, and lighter. The P Bass is heavy as all hell and basically breaks my back nightly. Wouldn’t have it any other way, though!

    karina rykmanBTG: How do you feel having the many options of pedals like your Eventide H9 and Akai Deep Impact has allowed you to expand sonically live? What are some of your favorite sounds from those pedals?

    KR: The kind folks at Eventide gave me that H9, and I’ve been having way too much fun with it. My favorite preset is called “Mosquitos”…shit gets real weird real quick. That pedal is like a goddamn computer – it does EVERYTHING, and then there’s an app for it, where you can fine tune every preset. It’s a little much, but it’s so ridiculously fun to scroll through. The Deep Impact is the finest synth pedal of all time. So many others just sound out of place when you try to integrate them into a band setting, but the Deep Impact somehow seemingly just blends right in there. I love setting #6. I once did a gig where I basically played on 6 for like 20 minutes – felt great. To me at least!

    BTG: I’ve read in other interviews that your ProCo RAT is a pedal you couldn’t live without; could you speak about why you love the RAT so much?

    KR: The RAT pedal is my choice distortion for when I take my fuzz solos in Marco’s band. It’s not traditionally used with a bass, but I just love the dirty growl of it. It definitely cuts a bit of the low end, which makes me turn it up louder than I probably should. But I love it! I love imperfect shit like that. It’s super brown. I carry around a spare RAT with me everywhere, just in case one malfunctions. In the Marco set, it’s truly the one pedal I couldn’t do without. The rest are all gravy.

    BTG: What are some of your favorite pedal combinations to play with live?

    KR: I love the RAT with the Delay Llama by ToneConcepts and the Phase 90 turned up all the way. That’s tried and true combo for me. If I need a little more low end juice, the Octabvre and the Deep Impact come out together, often with the RAT as well. That’s when things go from recreational to medical, if you know what I’m saying.

  • Let’s Be Leonard offers live preview of Summer release ‘Static’

    Let’s Be Leonard will be releasing their sophomore album Static in July, and they’ve shared a live preview of some tracks that will be on their next studio effort. The recording comes from Caffe Lena and was produced by F. Cavone Productions. 

    Video setlist: Balloons*, Comet* -> High N’ Dry, How Do You Fall in Love, Most Days*

    *appears on Static

  • Hearing Aide: Luke Cornwell ‘Wallop Dollop’

    Luke Cornwell’s Wallop Dollop catches your attention from the get-go. When you’re honing your songs in café’s like Cornwell has been doing, you have to find a way to be noticed above the din of cappuccino machines and the drone of conversation. This debut EP showcases Cornwell’s flair for theatrics, pairing playful storytelling with inventive acoustic arrangements.

    Wallop Dollop begins with the spunky ditty “Good Morning Sunshine.” It’s an invitation to spend the day on a rollicking romp: taking a spin on the mall carousel, hanging at the park, and eating breakfast foods all day long. It’s a little earworm that I catch myself humming when I’m making coffee. I could almost imagine it in a film or television show, like when Bowling for Soup did the theme song for Disney’s Phineas and Ferb. It would even hold up next to a Moldy Peaches song on the soundtrack to the movie Juno.

    Cornwell combines upbeat guitar melodies with punchy percussion from Noah Boss to create a sound that is a cross between art rock and punk folk. The lyrics are refreshingly whimsical, but also contain subtle tongue-in-cheek commentaries. Cornwell could have used almost any object to finish the line “Where is my…” A Google search I conducted suggested finishing the sentence with the words tax refund, mind, phone, or super suit. Instead, Cornwell chose the words oxygen mask, making the song a story about anxiety and a frantic, panicked search for his breathing apparatus. The anti-love ballad “Paint Thinner” recounts a laundry list of things Cornwell would rather do than be with the subject of the song.

    Overall, Wallop Dollop is a study in contrasts. It’s punk and it’s folk. It’s sincere and it’s ironic. But one thing is for sure, it’s never boring!

    Wallop Dollop was recorded in Rochester by Alexander Eschbach at Light 40 Studios. It features Cornwell on vocals and guitar, Noah Boss on drums and background vocals, and Amanda Kuzar on kazoo. Kuzar is also the one throwing blue goo at Cornwell on the album cover, which was photographed by Jason Ackerman. It’s available to stream on Spotify and purchase on Bandcamp. True to the DIY art aesthetic, a limited run of hand painted CD’s are also on sale via Bandcamp. Visit Luke Cornwell’s website for more information and updates.

    Key Tracks: Good Morning Sunshine, Oxygen Mask, Paint Thinner

  • Strangefolk close out Northeast run at The Warehouse

    Strangefolk wrapped up their three-night run of New England on Sunday, January 21 at The Warehouse at FTC in Fairfield, CT. With Dave Diamond Band opening up the night, the crowd filtered into the 500 cap room early, crowding to the rail for Strangefolk, who continue to have a dedicated following more than 20 years since they started at UVM in Burlington. The group recently recorded a new song, and first since 1998, as the title track of the new Reid Genauer & Folks upcoming album Conspire to Smile.

    Setlist: Sinner, Fountain, Utterly Addled, Furnace, 40 Reasons, In Deep, Folka Polka -> Alaska, Elixir, Faces, What Say You?, So Well, Take It Easy on Me, Rachel, Lines & Circles, Sidestep Blues

    Encore: Westerly -> Lay The Dust -> Westerly

  • Greensky Bluegrass Takes Flight at the Egg

    Greensky Bluegrass returned to The Egg in Albany, NY on January 24 for their first East Coast show of 2018. The Michigan band was joined by Billy Strings, who opened the show with a selection from his 2017 album, Turmoil & Tinfoil. This sold-out crowd was treated to two sets of fantastic bluegrass on this “Casual Wednesday” with a number of egg jokes thrown in for good measure.

    greensky bluegrass egg

    The Quintet from Kalamazoo opened their first set with “Past My Prime,” which was greeted with a thunderous applause from the crowd. They followed that up with “Bringing In The Georgia Mail” and “Jaywalking.” Each featured a flurry of impressive solos with an eerie Dobro solo from Anders Beck. Both the band and the audience threw out egg jokes before and after launching into “Gumboots,” “Against the Days” and “Into the Rafters.” The bird jokes continued before starting “Reverend” and then following that with “Clinch Mountain Backstep.” The boys ended the set with “Nine Days” and fan-favorite, “Worried About The Weather.” This was the longest song of the set and received the loudest response from the fawning crowd.

    The beer line quickly faded as the lights dimmed, signaling the start of a magnificent second set. “Cryin’ Holy Unto The Lord” was the uplifting opener everyone needed to start dancing again. The highlight of the night was “All Four,” an 18 minute gem which featured a rousing jam that dazzled and amazed everyone in attendance. “What’s Left of the Night” was next and Michael Arlen Bont’s incredible banjo solo was spectacular. The band brought the jam down to an ephemeral lullaby before bringing it back up to finish the song and move into “Miss September.” This was the catchiest song of the night and Paul Hoffman really shined on Mandolin during this track.

    Greensky slowed things down with a spacey intro into “Bottle Dry,’ whose roaring peak was followed by the frenetic “Radio Blues.” The band’s fingers were a blur as they played each verse of this toe-tapping hit. The Egg received even more compliments during an appropriate “Casual Wednesday.” Anders came out and said this was an “Eggs-quisite room that was really Grade-A” and the crowd couldn’t agree more. Without missing a beat, they were off like a shot with “Broke Mountain Breakdown.” After some bombastic back-and-forth playing, they broke into a wavy, ambient jam before they brought it all back together with an effect-laden scorcher of a solo on the pedal steel.

    Things weren’t over yet as the band ended the second set with the Michael Jackson hit, “Beat It.” Mike Devol’s bass playing had everyone moving as this song got everyone out of their seats to end the set. As the crowd gave a standing ovation, Dave Bruzza welcomed Billy Strings out on stage to help with their encore. The audience went silent as all 8 players played an unplugged encore featuring the solemn “Tear Down The Grand Ole Opry” and the upbeat “Sunny Side Of The Mountain.”

    Setlist via PhantasyTour

    Set 1: Past My Prime, Bringing in the Georgia Mail, Jaywalking> Gumboots, Against the Days, Into the Rafters, Reverend> Clinch Mountain Backstep, Nine Days, Worried About the Weather

    Set 2    : Cryin’ Holy Unto The Lord (Rock Where Moses Stood), All Four, What’s Left of the Night> Miss September> Bottle Dry, The Radio Blues, Casual Wednesday, Broke Mountain Breakdown> Funk Jam> Beat It

    Encore: Tear Down The Grand Ole Opry* Sunny Side of the Mountain*

    * w/ Billy Strings Band, acoustic at the lip of the stage

  • Umphrey’s McGee celebrate 20 Years with NYC run

    Umphrey’s McGee celebrated 20 years together as a band over January 17-19 with a trio of shows at The Beacon Theater in New York City, alongside stops at Sirius/XM Studios and The Cutting Room to promote the group’s latest release It’s Not Us.

    Umphrey's McGee 20For the January 19 show at The Beacon, Umphrey’s added songs off It’s Not Us – “Remind Me,” “Speak Up,” “Looks,” and “The Silent Type” – into a setlist that featured a “JaJunk” sandwich in set 2, a monster version of “Hurt Bird Bath” (see video below) and Talking Heads’ “Making Flippy Floppy” with guitarist Oz Noy joining in.

    Set 1: There’s No Crying In Mexico > Remind Me, Anchor Drops > Day Nurse > White Man’s Moccasins > Speak Up > Mulche’s Odyssey, Making Flippy Floppy[1]

    Set 2: JaJunk > Push the Pig[2], Looks, Hurt Bird Bath, 2nd Self, Conduit, The Silent Type > JaJunk

    Encore: Bad Friday

    [1] with Oz Noy on guitar and Brendan on percussion and keys
    [2] with Jake on keys; with Lose Yourself (Eminem) jam

    On night 2 of the run, Umphrey’s dusted off part of Guns n Roses’ “Paradise City” inside of “Utopian Fir” (see video below) for the first time in nearly 1500 shows. Acoustic versions of “Memories of Home” and “You and You Alone” followed “Fir,” and were joined by the horns of Peter Apfelbaum (TAB, saxophone) and Mike Maher (Snarky Puppy, trumpet) for a vigorous combo of “Attachments” and Sturgill Simpson’s “Call to Arms.” Set 2 was a gift that kept on giving, with little room to breathe amid “Wappy Sprayberry” > “Wife Soup,” “August” and “The Linear” > “In the Kitchen.”

    Set 1: You Got the Wrong Guy > Spires > Walletsworth, Utopian Fir > Paradise City[1] > Utopian Fir > Memories of Home[2], You & You Alone[2], Whistle Kids, Attachments[3], Call to Arms[3]

    Set 2: Maybe Someday, Wappy Sprayberry > Wife Soup, In The Kitchen > Little Gift, August, The Linear > In The Kitchen

    Encore: Hajimemashite > Pay the Snucka[4]

    [1] one verse
    [2] with Jake and Brendan on acoustic guitars
    [3] with Peter Apfelbaum on saxophone and Mike Maher on trumpet
    [4] with Eruption (Van Halen) tease

    For the 20th anniversary show, Brendan Bayliss spoke from the heart from the stage, opening the show up by saying,

    “On behalf of the band and the crew, I just want to say thank you for the last 20 years. It’s still very surreal to us, and because of you our dreams became our reality, so thank you so much. Tonight we’re going to take you backwards through time over the last 20 years. We’re going to play a song that we debuted each year. We’ll start with something new and end with something old. And we hope you like it.”

    And with that, Umphrey’s McGee journeyed 20 years in reverse, starting with the recent debut “Half Delayed” and ending with their classic “All in Time.” In between, the band let loose with fan favorites and heavy hitters that have been developed into jam vehicles over the past 20 years, a dream setlist for Umphreaks and an impressive way to mark the start of their third decade performing together.

    Set 1: Half Delayed, North Route > Draconian, Similar Skin[1] > No Diablo, Comma Later > Puppet String[2] > No Comment > 1348, Gulf Stream

    Set 2: The Floor[1] > Eat[1] > Higgins[3], Bridgeless[1] > Ocean Billy > The Triple Wide > Ringo[4] > 40’s Theme

    Encore: All Things Ninja[5] > All In Time[6]

    [1] unfinished
    [2] incomplete
    [3] with Can’t You Hear Me Knocking (The Rolling Stones) jam
    [4] with Voodoo Child (Jimi Hendrix) teases; unfinished
    [5] intro only
    [6] with Divisions, 10th Grade, and Nachos for Two teases; also with Thunderstruck (AC/DC) tease

    Setlists via Allthings Umphreys

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