Cincinnati-based synth-pop troupe, Founding Fathers, today release their sophomore full-length album “Mating Rites.” With influences of Beck, Ween and LCD Soundsystem, Founding Fathers blends new wave, synth-rock and dance to deliver a high-energy performance of infectious music guaranteed to get you moving.
Eric Johnson (guitar, vocals) handled much of the recording, mixing, and mastering process, with production and mixing assistance from Associate Engineer Greg Yock (Bottom Line). Johnson states that Founding Fathers’ “…goal is to infect as many people as possible with our music.” The group’s debut album, Filthy Animals, was released in October 2016.
Woodstock. If you’re not from the Hudson Valley, chances are when you hear that name, you have a similar thought as everyone else: a monumental music festival that took place over three days with a bunch of hippies on some farm in upstate New York that changed the world as we know it. Everyone has a story about their dad’s friend who stayed around for Hendrix’s famous Monday morning set, or their uncle who abandoned their car on Route 17B and walked six miles through Bethel to make it to the free-love oasis. Ironically, the most popular song written about the festival, “Woodstock,” was also written via hearsay and stories from friends by folk singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, who spent the weekend watching the festival unfold on television as just another fan in a New York apartment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRjQCvfcXn0
Despite being scheduled to appear at Woodstock, Mitchell cancelled her performance last minute on the advice of her agent, David Geffen, out of fear that she would not make it back to New York in time for her television appearance on The Dick Cavett Show. Watching the television coverage and hearing stories from her then boyfriend, Graham Nash, had such a profound impact on Mitchell that she wrote the ‘60s anthem within a few weeks of the festival and debuted it live at the Celebration of Big Sur festival the following September. Since then, it has been covered by countless artists, including her ex-boyfriend in his folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.
“Woodstock” tells the story of a narrator who encounters a boy on his way to the festival at Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel (not Woodstock as originally intended) who explains to her that he is going not only for the music, but also to live off the land and cleanse his soul. She joins him on his journey because she too feels the need for a spiritual awakening and wants to get away from the rigid life she is living. By the time they arrive at the festival, it is in full swing, and even better than what they had hoped. They find a fantastic celebration, and the idea of hope in a time when the world was so unstable.
What inspired Mitchell the most about the event was the fact that people could be so good to each other and coexist without any issues, even if just for a few days. In a 1995 interview, Mitchell said:
“The deprivation of not being able to go provided me with an intense angle on Woodstock. I was one of the fans. I was put in the position of being a kid who couldn’t make it. So I was glued to the media. And, at the time, I was going through a kind of born again Christian trip – not that I went to any church, I’d given up Christianity at an early age in Sunday school. But suddenly, as performers, we were in the position of having so many people look to us for leadership, and for some unknown reason, I took it seriously and decided I needed a guide and leaned on God. …So I was a little ‘God mad’ at the time, for lack of a better term, and I had been saying to myself, ‘Where are the modern miracles? Where are the modern miracles?’ Woodstock, for some reason, impressed me as being a modern miracle, like a modern day fishes-and-loaves story. For a herd of people that large to cooperate so well, it was pretty remarkable and there was tremendous optimism. So I wrote the song ‘Woodstock’ out of these feelings…”
Joni Mitchell
The giving nature and comradery of Woodstock began before the festivities even started, however, when the original site of the festival in Woodstock, NY fell through. Just weeks before it was planned to take place, dairy farmer Max Yasgur offered up his farm in Bethel, NY as site of the festival, anticipating around 40,000 attendants. When it was all said and done, more than 400,000 people attended the festival, making Yasgur a counterculture hero to all those in attendance and countless others.
The 1969 Woodstock festival put the town Bethel on the map, although many locals were not too excited about the new exposure at the time. Many of his neighbors were against the festival from the get-go and pushed to boycott Yasgur’s milk for years afterwards. However, nearly 50 years later, the site of the festival has only become more famous. Today the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a cultural non-profit that hosts concerts and events, exists on the site of Yasgur’s farm and has become a major stop for nationally touring artists. It was added to the National Registry of Historic Places by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2017 who called the festival “a pivotal moment in both New York and American history.” There have even been talks about a Woodstock 50th anniversary festival being held at the site in the summer of 2019, but only time will tell if if it can summon the same magic that made the 1969 Woodstock festival so historic.
‘Woodstock’ Lyrics:
I came upon a child of God He was walking along the road And I asked him where are you going And this he told me I’m going on down to Yasgur’s farm * I’m going to join in a rock ‘n’ roll band I’m going to camp out on the land I’m going to try an’ get my soul free
We are stardust We are golden And we’ve got to get ourselves Back to the garden
Then can I walk beside you I have come here to lose the smog And I feel to be a cog in something turning Well maybe it is just the time of year Or maybe it’s the time of man I don’t know who I am But you know life is for learning
We are stardust We are golden And we’ve got to get ourselves Back to the garden
By the time we got to Woodstock We were half a million strong And everywhere there was song and celebration And I dreamed I saw the bombers Riding shotgun in the sky And they were turning into butterflies Above our nation
We are stardust Billion year old carbon We are golden Caught in the devil’s bargain And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden
When pop icon Paul Simon split from the famous folk duo Simon and Garfunkel in 1970, the future was foggy for the young singer. He briefly stepped away from the hectic pop world to figure out where he wanted to go next with his musical career. For two years he spent his time teaching songwriting classes at New York University, travelling around the country to record demos and searching for inspiration in genres of music with which he was not very familiar. After some much needed soul searching, in January 1972, Simon released his first solo album in the US, Paul Simon. The album looks at many of the issues Simon was going through at the time, ranging from his fading adolescence to increased drug use. The second single off the album, “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” is inspired Simon’s whimsical childhood in Queens, and was written as a vague, yet playful, reflection of growing up during an era of change.
Over the course of his childhood in Kew Garden Hills in Queens, NY, Simon saw his small Jewish community grow into a more diverse neighborhood featuring many different cultures and ethnicities. Many believe the name “Julio” (then controversial for a white artist to write a song featuring a Latino name) is used in this song to highlight the increasing diversity in Queens, and the obscure use of Brazilian percussion techniques often used in samba music only further support this theory.
In addition to Simon’s own neighborhood changing during the ’60s, the entire country was going through an intense shift which furthered the gap between the political left and right. When asked what the crime committed in the song that made mama pajama so distraught was, Simon was very vague with his answer. In a 1972 interview he said:
“I have no idea what it is. Something sexual is what I imagine, but when I say ‘something,’ I never bothered to figure out what it was. Didn’t make any difference to me. I like the line about the radical priest–I think that’s funny to have in a song.”
While the crime may in fact be something sexual, many fans theorize that it could also be referencing something illegal pertaining to drugs, political activism, or is somehow racially motivated. With the influx of political movements occurring during the 1960s, any one of those theories could essentially be accurate with regards to the story. All we know from the narrator is that the crime committed was illegal at the time, and controversial to the point where a radical priest questions its morality on a national level. Because of their actions, the narrator and Julio will never view the world on such a small scale again and must say goodbye to local heroes, such as Rosie the Queen of Corona (Corona Park is close to where Simon grew up in Queens), and they are also forced to say goodbye to their adolescent bubble.
Since the release of “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” the Kew Garden Hills neighborhood Simon grew up in has seen many different changes in terms of demographics. It is still an ethnically diverse neighborhood with Jewish roots which has seen a recent influx of Korean immigrants inhabiting the neighborhood. As many things change, some things will always stay the same, such as the ambiguity of this song. If Simon were to rewrite the song today, it might even be titled “Me and Do-Won Down by the Schoolyard.”
‘Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard’ Lyrics:
The mama pajama rolled out of bed
And she ran to the police station
When the papa found out he began to shout
And he started the investigation
It’s against the law
It was against the law
What the mama saw
It was against the law
The mama looked down and spit on the ground
Every time my name gets mentioned
The papa said, “oy, if I get that boy
I’m gonna stick him in the house of detention”
Well I’m on my way
I don’t know where I’m going
I’m on my way
I’m taking my time
But I don’t know where
Goodbye to Rosie, the queen of Corona
Seein’ me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
Seein’ me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
Whoa, in a couple days they come and take me away
But the press let the story leak
And when the radical priest
Come to get me released
We was all on the cover of Newsweek
And I’m on my way
I don’t know where I’m going
I’m on my way
I’m taking my time
But I don’t know where
Goodbye to Rosie, the queen of Corona
Seein’ me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
Seein’ me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
Seein’ me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
Based out of Albany, this progressive folk group blends genres and in a live setting the band turns their focus towards the audience having a great time. In an interview with Charlie Burgess (guitar, vocals), the various rounds of March Madness were a testament to the hard work the band has put in to connect with fans across the state. “Whether out in the Finger Lakes or Woodstock where fans have been especially kind, up to the North Country in Plattsburgh, Keeseville and other spots, getting back to home in Albany, it’s great to see fans coming out in your hometown after returning back from shows, that’s meant a lot to us.”
With a new album due out in June, Black Mountain Symphony mixes up their upbeat bluegrass and adjust their set for a full energy show each time. “As we write new songs and new covers to plug in, we fill gaps in our set where the momentum could be going even longer, so we write new songs that fill that gap. What we’ve found that fans who are getting into the dancin’ stuff they also dig the slow stuff,” Burgess shared with NYS Music.
Schenectady native, and upcoming local hip hop artist, 3ality, recently sat down with NYS Music for his first ever interview with any kind of publication.
3ality has been blowing up fast on the local hip hop scene since debuting last summer. During the interview, 3ality was asked about performing live for the first time, when his next album will come out, and his first experience hitting the road.
NYS Music: I was at your very first performance back in June at Our Place in Mechanicville. There was a downpour of rain all day. The promoter shows up late, in a pickup truck with all the sound equipment including speakers in the back getting soaked. Besides the obvious butterflies that had to be in your stomach, what was going on through your mind after witnessing this?
3ality: I didn’t know what to expect, I just know I practiced my ass off and was ready to go do what I had to do…Nine months later, I know that my feelings that day are true. It was so unprofessional, so poorly promoted, and to this day, nothing has changed. I have one more date there that is part of an upcoming tour, unless changes are made, I promise that place will never see me again.
NYS Music: Yeah I would say after nine months, and several shows, its time to move on from that promoter, but how about the venue itself? Was there something about the venue that you didn’t really care for?
3ality: Besides being in the middle of nowhere, it’s kind of small but it does justice for a local show. If shows were actually promoted, it wouldn’t be so bad. The promoter and even the owner make it hard for people to enjoy themselves. 3ality tomatoes gives it a thumbs down, but I’ve enjoyed all my times there. It was the first place I got to perform my own music. The promoter doesn’t make fliers until the week of the show. Like what? The venue has a 21 and over only policy which dampens ticket sales and no real security.
NYS Music: Interesting. You think they would implement a wristband system and place a black X on the back of the hand like other venues to tell difference between customers under 21.
3ality: Yeah it only makes sense. They sell soda and food there. No reason they cant do 18+.
NYS Music: How did you go about practicing for your first show? You obviously never performed on stage or in front of a crowd.
3ality: I knew a month in advance that I was on the show so I filled my allotted time with my tracks and just did them over and over again until I was confident wit the memorization.
NYS Music: How did you go about memorizing them? Did you just read over and over again what you wrote while sitting on your couch? (Laughs)
3ality: I had some studio recorded stuff, so I have been already listening to myself and singing along. What I mainly did practicing was play the beats and sing over it cause that’s what I will be doing live. You check your lyrics until you get them. Just keep practicing like a spelling test. I worked at a community center which is like a YMCA, and after I was done working, I would go into the auditorium and use the mic set up and practice on stage to an empty room or a friend or two. Our Place didn’t have a stage and I felt like I could’ve put on an even more badass show for my family and friends from work who came to see me.
NYS Music: That’s pretty badass. Nice to see that some family friends and co workers came out a supported you.
NYS Music: Since your first performance, you have played several local shows throughout the Capital District in 2017, some shows in Pennsylvania, and capping the year off on New Year’s Eve in New Hampshire. How did you feel performing for the first time in a room where only the performers knew who you were.
3ality: It felt amazing and right at home. That New Hampshire show was a “Juggalo” show which is the crowd I feel I appeal to most. I’m not shy when it comes to seizing the moment. I’m an outgoing guy when comfortable and have had a lot of experience prior to 3ality performing in front of big crowds.
NYS Music: Experience performing in front of crowds before how?
3ality: Singing in shows in school, karaoke in bars, and doing demonstrations in tae kwon do.
NYS Music: What about IYF Wrestling? (Laughs) I’ve seen on your Facebook page that you used to wrestle on the local independent scene.That had to help with performing in front of a crowd.
3ality: I don’t know. That was a whole different world. I feel like if I could’ve done that, I can do anything so your right cause that definitely had me nervous. (Laughs)
NYS Music: (Laughs) I Bet.
3ality: Yeah hopefully one day I’m big enough to set up a match at WrestleMania.
NYS Music: It is coming to NY/NJ in 2019 so a close to home boy on a close to home show would be pretty cool.
NYS Music: You traveled to New Hampshire and performed your first live set for a New Year’s Eve crowd. What expectations did you have going into the show, compared to how you felt after your performance?
3ality: I think my expectations were exceeded from the point my first song ended and the crowd erupted. I felt like I belonged and the rest of my set was a breeze.
NYS Music: In mid April you and some other local hip hop artists are going to hit the road and open shows for Skero. The tour is going to travel to parts of the U.S. including once again NH, West Virginia, Michigan, Indiana and kicking things off in Ohio. What are you looking to gain from this first time extended touring experience.
3ality: This tour is gonna have the same type of crowd as New Hampshire. I met Skero at that show. I hope I get the chance to expand my fan base, and get people to follow me, want new music, and come out a see me perform again.
NYS Music: You’ve released an EP and CD in the past year. Speaking of new music, can fans expect a new EP on this run?
3ality: I’ve been a little busy…there wont be a new solo EP before summer, but there will definitely be new music before the year is out. One EP, two albums, I cant say yet but everyone is gonna get more familiar with the name 3ality, so I hope everyone is ready. You can check out my debut album on Spotify, iTunes, Google play and other like sites.
NYS Music: Since your first live performance, how do you feel you have progressed from that first show, and have you changed anything about the way you approach a live performance?
3ality: Not much. I’ve performed a few different songs, and collaborated with other artists. I’d say I have a lot more energy now.
NYS Music: Thanks for taking the time out and chatting with us here at NYS Music. Last question: What else can we look forward to in the future from 3ality? Any other tours or shows planned?
3ality: Thank You.Not yet. My biggest show to date will be in Stanhope, NJ, on May 13, when I open for Blaze Ya Dead Homie.
New Yorkers can check out 3ality on April 15, at Our Place in Mechanicville, April 17, at Gusa’s in Elmira, and April 25, at The Footlight in Queens.
Skillet drummer and vocalist, Jen Ledger, has shown her various talents behind the drum kit and on the mic during her run with the band. Now those talents will be showcased on even a higher level as she plans to release her first solo EP titled Ledger.
Never doubting on using her talents to one day make a solo album, many fans and music insiders thought that Ledger would first unite with other very talented female musicians in rock music and form a female “super group,” with the likes of Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale, Sick Puppies bassist Emma Anzai, and Skillet bandmate Korey Cooper. Ledger, will be released on Atlantic Records on April 13. Skillet keyboardist and guitarist Korey Cooper, helped produce the EP with well known Nashville writer/producer Seth Moseley.
In a recent Billboard article, Ledger shared her excitement about the upcoming project: “I feel I’ve just been growing and changing over the last few years and I feel the time is now. It just feels like everything is lined up all at once. It’s super exciting because it is a little bit of a destiny moment.”
Ledger credits her Skillet bandmates John and Korey Cooper for helping her find her own sound while mentoring her though the process.
Atlantic Records President of A&R Pete Ganbarg, spoke highly of Legder’s talents from knowing her over the past decade:
From when I started working with Skillet 10 years ago, I was immediately impressed with how vibrant and talented Jen Ledger is. Her voice is so unique — and has become such an identifiable part of Skillet’s sound — that we’ve waited for most of the past decade for the moment when she would finally be ready to release her own music. What she’s been working on with John and Korey Cooper, as well as with Seth Moseley and others, shows that the wait has definitely been worth it.
Now that Ledger’s solo career is on the way, many Skillet fans are worried that her days in Skillet will soon be a memory, but the singer/songwriter has no plans on leaving the band. In fact, Ledger will pull double duty, and open shows for Skillet’s upcoming spring “Unleashed” tour starting on April 12, with her backing band, then head behind the kit for Skillet’s performance to close shows. Ledger was asked if she planned on leaving Skillet: “We’re all on the same team and we’re all kind of mixed into everything. John is actually going to be singing on one of my songs and Korey is co-producing all of it and writing it with me, so it’s ridiculously perfect. I get to do everything I want and have the best of both worlds.”
We started with 64, now we’re here. Two artists remain in NYS Music’s 2018 March Madness! Two weeks ago, we started with 64 up and coming artists from across the Empire State, and now there are two vying to take it all in our friendly tournament-style competition.
Black Mountain Symphony winner of the Putnam Place division, showcases an eclectic range of influences, blended together to create their own special sound. From baroque classical violin and haunting folk-tinged ballads to funk-rock drums and hard-hitting dance numbers, the six-piece band sprinkles their live sets with hints of everything from classical music to bits of Motown, blues and jazz. Black Mountain Symphony performs both intimate acoustic shows as well as intense, full-band rock shows. Upcoming shows include April 6 The Colony in Woodstock, and on May 18 Flyday Music Festival in East Durham, NY.
Finals voting begins at 12 noon EST on Thursday, March 22 and end at midnight on Saturday, March 24. The winner will be announced on Monday, March 26. Vote now for your favorite and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!
With the first weekend of the Big Dance in the books (and Syracuse busting brackets left and right), we are now at the Final Four of NYS Music’s 2018 March Madness! Two weeks ago, we started with 64 up and coming artists from across the Empire State, and now there are four vying to take it all in our friendly tournament-style competition.
These artists who hail from the Empire State are a sampling of the next generation of artists and come from all corners of the state, from Buffalo to Binghamton, Plattsburgh to Patchogue and all points in between. Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!
Winner of the Putnam Place division, Black Mountain Symphony showcases an eclectic range of influences, blended together to create their own special sound. From baroque classical violin and haunting folk-tinged ballads to funk-rock drums and hard-hitting dance numbers, the six-piece band sprinkles their live sets with hints of everything from classical music to bits of Motown, blues and jazz. Black Mountain Symphony performs both intimate acoustic shows as well as intense, full-band rock shows. Upcoming shows include April 6 The Colony in Woodstock, and on May 18 Flyday Music Festival in East Durham, NY.
Candy Ambulance is the winner of the Anthology division. Formed in the summer of 2014, grunge-influenced Candy Ambulance of Upstate NY are Caitlin Barker, Jesse Bolduc & Jon Cantiello. Lifelong friends and musical mates Bolduc & Cantiello rescued Barker from a wealthy engagement prospect and whisked her away to the land of DIY punk. Poppy melodies, dynamic vocal changes and half-naked live shows have solidified this rock trio as always entertaining, unabashed fun. Boasting a healthy and frequent tour schedule the band has played with notable acts such as Screaming Females, Speedy Ortiz, Daddy Issues, and Dorothy. Their next show is on March 30 during Troy Night Out at River Street Pub with The Death Vacation and Sun Natives.
CEG Presents’ division winner is ShwizZ, a unique cast of characters reigning from downstate New York. Best described as a melting pot of funk and progressive rock, this giant original sound will be sure to put a smile on your face. The band’s variety and depth allows for lovely twists of improvisation and spontaneity spiked with technical prowess and musical complexity. Over the years the group has shared bills with many notables including Jeff Beck, Primus, Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Kung Fu, Dopapod, Consider The Source and more. ShwizZ can be found gigging all over the northeast and you won’t be surprised to find them playing at your favorite festival or club for years to come. Their next show is on April 11 with The Mushroom Cloud & Stubbs at Wonder Bar in Allston, MA.
Final Four voting begins at 10AM EST on Monday, March 19, and closes at midnight on Wednesday, March 21. The Championship round begins at 10AM EST on Thursday, March 22. Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!
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.
Brooklyn-based trio, Modern Whale, are too pop for indie, yet too indie for pop, and have a released their latest single, “The Dirt,” cultivating a sound rooted in pop-rock. The driving rock of “The Dirt” brings to mind the post-grunge 90’s of Three Days Grace and My Chemical Romance with driving guitar rhythms and symphonic vocals that combine for an instant, and pleasant earworm.
Helmed by Bushwick-based record producer and songwriter Rob Guariglia, Modern Whale is not a specimen of the sea but rather a musical crossing. The group formed in Brooklyn at the infamous rock refuge Meserole Sound Studio, with a name that reflects the animalistic tendency of music and is encapsulated through Rob’s dog Stella, his assistant and muse. “The Dirt” was written by Robert J. Guariglia & Stephen Ericson and produced by Robert J. Guariglia.
Space Bacon
Helmed by