NYS Music 20​18

Category: Artist Profile

  • Arielle O’Keefe, Known as Girl Blue, is in Control of Her Own Musical Destiny

    Arielle O’Keefe walks into The Hollow Bar + Kitchen with a guitar case in her hand and only blues on her mind.

    Girl Blue
    photo by Shannon Straney

    She just finished a prior engagement that left her unfulfilled. The audience wasn’t familiar with her. Her music was background noise to their conversations about other things. She stepped onto the stage and dutifully set herself up for her solo act, opening for Wurliday, her name is on the inside jacket of its debut album. She knew she was coming into her own community. She stepped to the mic and apologized in advance. She was going to spend the next hour playing music the way she wanted to. She had nothing to hide.

    “I’m more comfortable with the solos because that’s where I come from,” said O’Keefe. She nearly two years removed from being known as the local Spotify phenomenon with 200,000 listens in a day. The following year was seemingly hers, gracing newspaper covers, touring across the country, a CD release and a successful collab with Wurliday kept her name circulating. It’s November, and she just released a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” on YouTube. It’s a video of her sitting in the woods at night performing what appears to be a Wiccan ceremony. By appearance, it’s her, alone, doing her own thing. It’s fitting. That’s how she likes to control her career.

    Girl Blue
    photo by Shannon Straney

    “I like to be able to tell stories, basically,” she said. ”For me, at this level, it’s just easier for me to do when it’s just me. And, the music I love, if someone can just get up there with a guitar or a piano and make me feel something like that, that’s very meaningful to me. That’s more meaningful to me than seeing a full band that jams out all night. Which I love, but I’ve come from hearing singers and songwriters, hearing songs. I want to hear the song.”

    The Hollow crowd treats the diminutive O’Keefe “pretty tall” as she continues to play a stripped down, bluesy variation of her songs. They stand facing the stage, soaking it in.

    “I Am Not a Star”

    Her 2016 Just Pretend Records release of “I Am Not a Star” was her first collaboration effort with a band. It was the first time she trusted her songs, to which she said she’s protective of, with anyone else. She could do that with the help of longtime friends Jimi Woodul and Dan DeKalb of Dark Honey. The three have been friends ever since meeting in Dallas, where they lived before “life happened” and brought them together again in New York a few years ago.

    DeKalb and Woodul were raised in upstate New York and O’Keefe was raised on Long Island. Coincidentally, the three moved to Dallas and during shows. They became really good friends.

    O’Keefe moved to New York City to pursue her music career. The boys moved to Albany, and she would go up to visit. Before long, Albany started feeling like home.

    “I just realized, after four times of visiting, that everytime I went up to Albany, all my stress was gone,” she said. She said she would dread going back to the city, “it’s an overwhelming place, and I never found community.” When she decided to move, she found an apartment, quickly signed the lease, and moved in with little else than her clothing in her guitar case.

    It was during this period she wrote “I Am Not a Star.” Though the song initially sounds like an anthem for strength, O’Keefe said it was a conversation with herself. She had uprooted herself, and worried about taking a wrong step in her career. “I Am Not a Star,” was a means to psych herself up and dispel those worries. A new career path was taking shape.

    “Spotify”

    Spotify placed “Fire Under Water” No. 7 on its New Music Friday playlist in late 2016. On a playlist that boasts anywhere between 50 to 80 songs, she was at a premium location for exposure. In one day, she received 200,000 plays. By the end of the week, her track was played a million times. Record labels took noticed and approached her. There was a push to have her sign a deal. She said no.

    Girl Blue
    photo by Shannon Straney

    “I want to have control and have the rights over what I do,” she said. “[There were pushes made to sign right away] but that’s not really who I am. … I’m not really the type to go and grab a major label deal. I don’t know. I’m just not green anymore with the industry stuff.

    In 2012, she had auditioned for Season 2 of “The Voice.” The production had taken on 120 musicians. She was sequestered into a California hotel for a month and a half before the show aired. However, teams were filled before all of the musicians auditioned, and she never appeared on television. Shortly afterwards, she was approached by Nigel Lythgoe Productions for a television project. She signed a contract without knowing the premise of the show. It would lead to her appearance on “Opening Act” in which she appeared on its first show, in which she was the opening act for Rod Stewart in front of a Caesars Palace crowd in Las Vegas.

    “That whole attitude to make it nowadays, it’s just so not what people think it is,” she said. She has nothing ill to say about the television or music industry, only that she felt that in her television moment she was not true to herself. The vigorous pace and push to get something on presentable on television pulled her in many directions. “It’s so not what it’s presented to be. I got to see behind the curtain just enough to where it became unappealing to me. I don’t know, man. Anything that’s just going to shoot you up there, I don’t know. It seems too good to be true.”

    O’Keefe is less concerned about whether she took the wrong step in moving away from New York City. Her self-described itch to move every year-and-a-half has been quelled. The Albany music scene has allowed her room to explore herself, and the community she couldn’t find in Gotham. The past few years have confirmed that a music career is not defined by where one lives. Instead of trying to wedge herself into the industry machine, she’s trying to “have the plan fit me a little better.” She is presently working on a new album with the help from AntiFragile Music out of New York City. She’s also started an account on Patreon, a membership platform that connects her with fans through subscriptions. It gives her the chance to share her music intimately with fans instead of throwing herself out into the empty ethos of the internet. Her next track “Lolita” is to be released Friday, March 30. Her latest work, she said, is delving deeper into herself. It will be the most vulnerable she has been with her audience, and she’s excited.

    She’s also to play in Capital Records Live at Proctors on Friday, March 23 before a gig at another iconic venue, Caffè Lena in Saratoga Springs next month.

    “I want to build it slowly and build something that’s going to last,” she said. “I’ve been doing this since I was young. I’m a young woman, so especially a lot of people want to come in and tell me what they think that I am. At this point in my life, I’m just not really interested. I understand the idea of branding, but I kinda know who I am at this point. I’m trying to build a business.”

  • Jocelyn and Chris Arndt Demand Attention, and They’re Getting it

    In the Arndt family collection of movies is a video of Jocelyn and Chris playing upon the consecrated stage of Caffe Lena. Their father still watches it, though Chris says it’s from a “long time ago.”

    It was six years ago.

    Consider that six years is nearly a quarter of a lifetime to a 21-year-old, and just yesterday to his father. Still, let’s also factor in the sister-brother duo’s professional career; contracts, albums and countrywide road trips. There’s The Whisky a Go Go, Mountain Jam and, yeah, Billboard’s Top 40 that have since followed. From that perspective, it has been a long time.

    “Touring is the best job, ever,” said Chris. “Playing music, making music in general, it is the single greatest job you can have, hands down. I’m not biased or anything. Except for driving through Nebraska.” On cue, David Bourgeois holds up a thick set of tire chains.

    It’s February and the band has returned after several months of touring across the country. There’s still little rest. Chris, Joceyln and Bourgeois sit at White Lake Studios to rehearse for a radio gig in Boston. Bourgeois takes a moment to slump into a comfortable chair. He’s a man of many hats. Visually, he’s the band’s drummer. Behind the scenes, he’s its music director. He owns the Albany studios along with his wife, Anna. Within the bigger picture, he’s president of Bridge Road Entertainment. About five years ago, he discovered the two while they played together at a local festival. He’s been their manager ever since.

    Playing gigs and hitting radio stations like the one in Boston is all in the effort to earn more air time. It’s called chasing radio play. It involves a lot of networking, sending tapes, exchanging phone calls and logging in the miles on the road. Where U2 and Interscope have years of established success and reputation, Jocelyn and Chris need to hustle. On top of being musicians, they also have to act as their own marketers. There are about 120 radio stations across the nation that play under the adult album alternative format, and grabbing a program director’s attention can be “extremely challenging,” according to one.

    “To put it simply — there is so much great music out there, and very few slots they can fit in, and that goes for every format,” said Kim Neaton, former music director for WEQX. She was among three directors responsible for deciding what songs played on the radio. Unknown bands have to win out against trusted record labels, often times against management and promotional companies, for just a few open slots. For a band chasing radio play, “Even if you have one of the best songs in the room,” said Neaton, “you have the smallest voice in the room. But if you find a station that will take a chance, and you do well there, that’s ammo you can take to the next station when you reach out. Maybe things go well there, too. A story can build and so can a song’s success.”

    One of the first stations the band won over was Albany’s WEXT. Its programming has helped local artists earn air time and, “they’ve helped us out so much,” said Jocelyn. There’s also WDST in Woodstock, a good station to have behind you. It originated Mountain Jam in 2004, a three-day music festival that has featured Robert Plant and Tom Petty in recent years. Jocelyn and Chris played there three years ago and will return to play its main stage in June.

    Last December, Jocelyn and Chris broke into the Top 40 on Billboard’s Adult Album Alternative chart. “Red Stops Traffic,” the band’s third single off its 2017 studio release “Go,” debuted at No. 37. Jocelyn and Chris were listed along with the names of The Killers, Big Head Todd and U2. The band topped at No. 35 before slipping back down in January.

    “The next goal is Top 10,” said Jocelyn, with a smile. The volume of her statement tapers off to a near whisper, as if in fear of sounding arrogant. There is no arrogance in the room, as the two siblings are still laughing in amazement over having charted above Bono. Their story has caught the attention of television producers. Four television shows, including NBC’s “The Voice” approached Jocelyn to perform. She turned it down. “That’s not how it works,” said Jocelyn. “We’re a team. Any time it starts to tilt towards one or the other, we’re just weary of and we don’t do it.”

    Jocelyn and Chris resigned a three-year contract with Bridge Road Entertainment, and head back into the studio in April to record a new album. Before retreating to the studio, the band is set to perform at Caffe Lena on Sunday, March 4, at 7 p.m. Edge TV will be following as it films a documentary. The documentary should contrast with the video their father is still fond of playing from years ago. As “Red Stops Traffic” continues to resonate with radio listeners, people can expect to hear a maturity behind their play.

    “It’s definitely a more mature sound,” said Jocelyn. “We’re not kids anymore.” she laughs.

    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.

  • Behind the Gear: Mike Candela

    Mike Candela is the lead guitarist of the D.C.-based band Of Tomorrow and was previously the lead guitarist of Mister F. Mike brings ripping leads to any show he may be playing, as well as extremely skillful looping abilities as showcased in his cover of Girlfriend is Better by the Talking Heads. Catch Of Tomorrow at their official Funk vs. Bluegrass Umphrey’s McGee After Party in D.C. on Feb. 15th! 

    Guitars & Amp

    2007 Paul Reed Smith Hollowbody II & 2017 Music Man Cutlass Strat

    Supro Royal Reverb 60W 2×10 Combo

    Mike CandelaKeyboards

    Akai Advance 49 & Novation Circuit

    Mike CandelaPedalboard

    Signal Chain-

    EHX Pitchfork > TCE Polytune 2 > Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone > EHX Micro Synth > Noisekick Almond Blossom > Teese RMC3 Wah > Noisekick Oriole Fuzz > JHS Double Barrel > EHX Small Stone > Xotic EP Booster > Strymon Timeline > Mr. Black Eterna> A/B Box > TCE Hall of Fame > MXR Talkbox > TC-Helicon VoiceTone H1

    Mike Candela
    Behind the Gear: How did you develop your solo show? You have a pretty extensive set up for a one man band.

    Mike Candela: So my one man band set up is actually everything pictured plus a Boss RC 300, and I was heavily inspired by Zach Deputy’s early setups. Basically I needed drums which I get from the Novation Circuit, and keys which I get from the Akai Advance 49. Also the TC Helicon Voicetone gives me some cool harmony effects that correspond to what I’m playing on guitar.

    BTG: How has your new Music Man been treating you?

    MC: This thing is the Strat of my dreams man, haha, the 10″ radius and stainless steel frets make it feel very similar to my PRS, which was refretted with SS by Philtone Guitars in Baltimore MD.

    mike candela
    Photo credit to Matt Way of Moon Daze Photography.

    BTG: What are three pedals on your board that you couldn’t live without?

    MC: The Double Barrel is a really nice sounding 808 clone and a killer Bluesbreaker clone in one box, it’s definitely the foundation of my tone. The EP booster is a great clean boost that’s adds a slight amount of tonal color, but it’s a really great color, I am always using this pedal for solos. The TimeLine allowed me to go from having 3 delay pedals on my board to just 1. The functionality and sound quality is off the charts, and it’s really easy to use live; switching between the different preset banks is a breeze.

    BTG: What kind of synth/keys sounds are you running from the laptop?

    MC: I run a Novation Bass Station plugin to my talkbox and I use the included Akai plugins and VIP software, which groups your VSTs together in a central program that you can control from the keyboard itself.

    BTG: How do you like your Supro Royal Reverb? 

    MC: It’s an amazing clean pedal platform amp. It has a great midrange character that is essentially always there due to the lack of a mid knob, and it’s also got trem and reverb. It also switches between 35, 45, and 60 watts for getting cranked amp sounds at lower volumes, I always run it on 60 watts though since I get all my dirt sounds from the pedals.

  • Syracuse Native Rhiannon Payne Taking Music Career to Next Level

    Rhiannon Payne knew she wanted to be a music superstar since the very beginning of her life.

    “I was 3 years old when someone told me ‘Hey kid you can sing,’” said the Syracuse native. “So that was kind of it for me.”

    She’s ready to take her career to the next level with a new album and tour planned this summer. The album, which she hasn’t titled yet, will include 10 tracks, and she hopes to have it released by early June with a two-month tour to coincide.

    Payne will share her talents at Funk ‘N Waffles on Clinton Street in Syracuse at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9.

    EARLY EXPERIENCE

    Payne explored her musical talent often growing up and she worked hard pursuing her career. She took music classes and participated in chorus, but it was a band that guided her.

    “I was in a band for three years, and that really helped me realize what I wanted to do,” she said.

    From age 13-16 Payne sang for the pop-punk/alternative band Nextake. She familiarized herself with the stage through singing and playing local venues.

    “I love performing in front of people,” she said.

    Nextake performed at local venues around Syracuse, and one big feat Payne was proud of was opening for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus at the Westcott Theater in April 2012.

    “That was an amazing experience,” she said.

    In high school she started buckling down to prepare for the journey ahead.

    “I took every opportunity I could to put myself here,” she said. “It was kind of like my accumulation of taking all of the tools and people I had to help me out — I took advantage of everything I had.”

    “I met wonderful people there who really knew how to tie and relate what I learned in school to my actual career.”

    Payne didn’t want to go to college because she thought it wouldn’t help her career. But she found classes she could apply to singing and help her voice for the long-term. So she pursued a degree from Onondaga Community College and graduated with an associate’s degree in applied science.

    NEXT STEPS

    Now that Payne honed in on her talents, she is focused on her album and the next steps for her path of success. She hired a manager at the end of last year, she has a producer working on her album, and she also hired a promoter as well.

    “My music was beginning to falter because I couldn’t spend time to practice or write,” she said. “It got super overwhelming. I understand why musicians need large teams of people to do what they do.”

    She said she wrapped up recording for mostly everything on the album and is going back and forth with the editing process. Shane Patterson is working as the producer out of Hobin Studios in Phoenix, NY.

    The album includes eight new songs and two she has already released. “Bedtime Stories” was published in October with a music video. “Through Me” was a song she had produced and released in May 2015.

    Payne is shooting for early June to release her album. She is planning to have a huge party and then have a two-month tour lined up around New York and New York City.

    She said her ultimate goal is to move to Nashville, to continue developing as an artist.

    “I want to get experience writing and collaborating with more musicians,” she said. “I want to learn as much as I can from a large music capital.”

    PLAYING STYLE

    When it comes to her music, Payne said she likes to play all types of genres.

    “No one can really ‘genre-tize’ my music,” she said. “One song will sound jazzy, one will sound like Irish folk.”

    While she can play many different instruments, she is often seen with a guitar. At her shows, fans can expect to hear her original songs with some covers added to the setlist.

    Since she likes to play all genres, she said she covers anything — giving classic rock, Ariana Grande and Paramore as examples of the variety she includes.

    The show at Funk ‘N Waffles will include a set by former Nextake bandmember Dylan Aird. Payne said she is excited for the show and they will perform together for a song during each other’s set.

    One last thing about Payne’s name in case it sounded familiar: She was named after the Fleetwood Mac song. And Stevie Nicks did inspire Payne at a young age.

    “I saw her rocking on stage and I would say ‘Yup, that’s gonna be me.’”

    SEE RHIANNON PAYNE LIVE

    WHAT: Rhiannon Payne with Dylan Aird

    WHERE: Funk ‘N Waffles 307 Clinton St., Syracuse, NY 13202

    WHEN: Friday, Feb. 9

    MORE INFO: Funk ‘N Waffles Website

    Rhiannon Payne Facebook

    Twitter: @RhiannonPayne7

    Instagram: @RhiannonPayne7

    Interview with #thePostshow from KROCK

    Rhiannon Payne’s music is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and iHeartRadio.

  • Behind the Gear: Joe Davis 12/30/17

    Behind the Gear, a new website from Jared Lindquist, covers the fine details of the gear that helps to create a musician’s sound. Each week, NYS Music will bring you Jared’s latest in depth coverage of various musician’s gear.

    Joe Davis is the guitarist of Albany-based band Formula 5. Joe is one of the most precise players on the scene, shredding with a tone so wonderful that you can’t help but smile. He brings the heat every time he takes a solo, and can settle into any groove the band throws at him. Check out his playing on Formula 5’s recent live release from November 24th.

    Guitar

    2012 Gibson SG ’61 Reissue

    Joe’s SG has some serious meaning to him, saying, “It was gifted to me by my Father and has accrued some serious road rashes, including having its headstock snapped off after a show in Canadaigua, NY. It was repaired by Dan Neafsey who built Mihali’s (Twiddle) guitars and speaker cabinets amongst other things in his rig and Zdenek’s (Twiddle).”

    Amp/Cabinet

    Amp: Traynor YBA-1 Bass Master (ca. ’72-75)
    Cab: Fuchs 2×12 w/ Jensen Jets (Debadged)

    Joe runs a pretty impressive head and cab, saying, “My amp setup hasn’t changed much over the last few years. I use a Traynor YBA-1 Bass Master head, which based on the serial number I can date to roughly 1972-75. It’s an old amp and it’s using the original tubes that were in it when it was gifted to James (bassist of Formula 5) from a friend’s dad. Not sure on the model but they are old and sound GOOOD! The head actually needed to have the original ungrounded power cable removed and replaced with a grounded one after it got wrapped around a tube during a show at Mojo’s in Jamestown, NY. Ryan Nogle, gear wizard and former drummer of AQ fixed it for us and we had a good time trying to get the head out of the enclosure chasis. Let’s just say the things a tank and they don’t make em like they use to. My Cabinet ironically is also owned by James Woods and was formerly owned by Andrew Chamberlaine the original guitarist of Mister F and Timbre Coup. Andrew hooked it up with the road case too. That cabinet is a huge part of my tone, loaded up with two Jensen Jet speakers rated for 100 watts each. The thing can SCREAM whilst being buttery smooth.”

    Pedalboard

    Quick note from Joe, “Missing from my chain currently is my Fulltone Deja Vibe, which is on the mend, and my Electro Harmonix Switchblade + A/B Switch that switched between just my amp and the Motion Sound Pro 3 Rotary Speaker.”

    Signal Chain

    Dunlop 535Q Wah > Digitech Whammy II > Ibanez CP-835 Compressor II > Ibanez TS-9 (no mod) > J Rocket Audio Archer Ikon > Xotic Effects EP Booster > Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe (with Preset Controllor) > Mad Professor Silver Spring Reverb
    img_1539

    He says that a huge part of his tone is the vintage gear he uses, especially his Ibanez CP-835, “The Ibanez Compressor I received as a gift from my sister, Shannon, for Christmas the year I joined Formula 5. Being a huge Trey fan my entire life, I was searching for a set and forget, always on, comp that would smooth out my clean tone and give a lil more transparency to my fully saturated TS-9 tone whilst adding sustain. Another thing I was looking for was a comp that was very quiet during operation. Most comps I tried had a lot of noise and hiss when engaged. A lot of that is to do with requiring 9V power; this old beast, which dates to roughly 1981 and is an original model, runs on an 18 V 1/8 inch power supply and is eerily quiet, even with the sustain rolled to 5. I don’t use it to squash as my sustain knob rests at 9 o’clock, but I use it to boost the signal from my guitar to my amp just a tad to really brighten the attack. That pedal is never off and is a huge staple of my tone.”

  • Known to the World as “Mr. Misunderstood,” McKinley James is Playing the Guitar and Making a Name for Himself

    McKinley James, the 16-year-old, self-proclaimed “rock and roller,” was featured in Eric Church’s 2014 release Mr. Misunderstood of which he also appeared on the cover and the corresponding video.

    James has since been making himself more understood by those listening to him play the blues and good, old-fashioned rock and roll with his guitar. He just recently dropped a live EP, McKinley James Live in Nashville, and is currently on tour. He’ll come rolling into town this week to play at The Ale House in Troy on Sunday, Jan. 14, at 8 p.m. For tickets and information, go to brownpapertickets.com.

    We were able to exchange a few emails back and forth to find out what’s going in James’ life, and what people ought to know about Mr. Understood.

    Michael Hallisey: You’re a teenager in Nashville. You as a music lover, that’s got to be a wonderful place to live.

    McKinley James: Moving to Nashville was a really exciting move, there is great live music happening everywhere. Also moving here has inspired me to practice much more, everywhere you turn is an amazing guitar player.

    MH: You’re originally from Webster, NY — when did you move to Tennessee? What was that like for you?

    MJ: We moved about a year and a half ago, it was exciting. We had visited Nashville many times before we moved so my parents could figure things out like where we should live, so when we were there my dad would take me out to clubs so I could see as much live music as I could.

    MH: Your taste in music is not “normal,” and you are aware of how far-reaching your curiosity and tastes lead you. How did your appreciation in the blues develop?

    MJ: I grew up with listening to all my dad’s (Jason Smay of The Los Straitjackets) records and he’s a big fan of blues music, plus he played in lots of blues bands so I was always around it.

    MH: How much did your father play a role in your love for music?

    MJ: A lot! My younger brothers know a lot about music, too, because it’s always on at the house.

    MH: Blues music is more than just a genre — can you share with me how you feel while you listen and when you play?

    MJ: Well, that’s a tricky question. Blues music to me is the base for all the styles of music I love and play. I consider myself more of a rock and roller. I try to play what feels good, not necessarily a certain genre. In my live shows we play rock ’n’ roll and soul music, too.

    MH: Please break down for me how you wound up associated with Eric Church for “Mr. Misunderstood”?

    MJ: That’s a really long story! But, short version is, we were visiting Nashville staying with Mr. John Peets who is Mr. Church’s manager. How we got to stay there is another story, but Mr. Peets met my brothers and me while we were there, and I guess he noticed me wandering around all day in the house, outside playing my guitar, and that I was a greaser and only 13. Fast forward a few months and Mr. Church delivered his new record to Mr. Peets, and the title track “Mr. Misunderstood.” Mr. Peets said it hit him that I was that kid! Didn’t care about anything but what I was into, which is music, and for me going the opposite direction than the crowd never bothered me.

    MH: How was that experience for you, and what did you learn?

    MJ: The experience was awesome. Mr. Peet’s is one of the coolest guys I’ve met. His love for music is awesome, and he treated my family and me like we were his family. Getting to meet Mr. Church was great. He is a super nice guy, too. As is his awesome band. I’ve actually become good friends with Jeff Cease, lead guitar player in Mr. Church’s band. I learned that in the music business opportunity can happen anywhere and at anytime.

    MH: You are in the midst of a tour, do you have a record release in the works?

    MJ: We are starting to put demos together for a session later this spring.

    MH: With the old stereotype of blues being something for older men and women, what kind of reception do you get on stage?

    MJ: I think that with all music if you are true to what’s in your heart and enjoy performing, people can connect young or old. it’s the feeling that gets people, not necessarily the genre. I love some Dr. Dre songs and get as excited as when I hear Bobby Blue Bland.

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518