NYS Music 20​18

Category: Alternative/Indie

  • Inside the Shell: An Interview with Shannon and the Clams

    The indie garage-punk quartet Shannon and the Clams has been electrifying the nation with a vintage sound which incorporates elements of doo-wop, classic R&B, garage psych and surf rock into their high energy performances. At Panorama Music Festival we had a chance to catch up with guitarist Cody Blanchard and drummer Nate Mahan to discuss their extensive touring schedule, recording their most recent album Onion (produced by Black Key’s Dan Auerbach), and their plans for the future.

    Shannon and the Clams

    Ryan Randazzo (RR): Your music is described in many different ways from doo-wop, surf rock, R&B, psychedelic; you’ve got an entire array of genres in there. How did you sound form to become what it is now?

    Cody Blanchard (CB): It was all Shannon at first. She was playing open mics by herself and just really wanted to love that ‘60’s girl group sound. Then we started a really ramshackle band in 2008 with different people, and it was really punk because we were sloppy and 21 years old. We just kind of rolled with it and made it fun. Then we got better and started working with better people, like Nate our current drummer for the past few years, and he is better than our old drummer. It just got tighter and we added a keyboard player, so that allowed us to get more nuanced, bigger sounds. I also think we get really restless musically and want to explore new zones. Then we hear more different kinds of music we’ve never heard before and it all gets mixed in.

    RR: What kind of music are you guys into right now?

    CB: I’ve been into some old country stuff. I’ve been really into mid to late ‘80’s synth driven R&B stuff. There’s this period of music that me and my wife have been trying to describe and we call it “cocaine comedown,” and it’s like late ‘70s early ‘80s. It almost sounds like disco, but it’s low and everything’s sad sounding. It sounds like the next day. Some of The Eagles’ later shit sounds like that, and Lindsey Buckingham has a couple of really clean and tight sounding tracks. I love that stuff right now. It’s very sad disco music. What do you think?

    Nate Mahan (NM): I don’t know. I’ve still been high out on the early country; just exploring. California country music in particular. The Central Valley is such a strange part of California and there are so many weird genres that originate from it.

    CB: It’s the frontier of the frontier.

    NM: Yeah. It’s not the fancy part of California. You think the fancy part of California, you think San Francisco or L.A., which is glamorous, but the Central Valley has this whole working class thing. It’s strange that it would yield a band like Korn. I’ve been listening to Korn a lot. It’s just a strange zone for creative activity for whatever reason, and I’ve been exploring that recently myself.

    RR: You recently released Onion which was produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. How was working with him, and how was creating this album different from other albums you’ve done in the past?

    CB: Very different. He’s a very hands on producer. He likes to get really into the song structure and add tons of layers. It was cool not being responsible for everything. Our first few albums we recorded ourselves and I just felt like we were always doing everything. It was rad to have an outside party to come in and contribute stuff or just have a totally outside perspective on it.

    NM: Getting songs down fast and having lots of time to explore what we could do with them and mess with the arrangements. I feel like it works to such an advantage when you know that what you have is quality and you can really just go from there and build it.

    CB: Yeah, start with a strong foundation and layer a bunch of crazy shit on top of it. The other thing is his studio is extremely streamlined, so I think because he likes to add lots of instruments really fast and not have to wait around to move things in the studio or something. I’ve never seen that before. Most studios you’ll have to go in the closet and haul out the vibraphone, then get out the microphone, and it takes like an hour. He doesn’t have that much stuff, but it’s all ready to go. You can just record that and go, which is cool and inspiring.

    NM: Yeah definitely because if you wander by an instrument, see it and go, “I’m hearing something,” he’ll say, “Great, record.” Five minutes, done. Efficient.

    RR: You guys have a really extensive touring schedule. You’re going to Europe then coming back to the West Coast and working your way east. How have you noticed your audience differs from region to region, and what would you describe as your favorite market/which one do you feel you need to break into more?

    CB: One of our biggest markets is the L.A. area. A lot of young kids there, and a lot of really high energy kids out there. Some really great shows. Europe has been slow for us because we’ve worked with so many different booking agents. I don’t know – we just keep changing, but I think we’re trying to do some of the bigger festivals in Europe to get our name out there. In Europe, I’ve definitely noticed in the Netherlands people are very stiff as an audience. They’re very cool and friendly, but as an audience they’re very stiff. No dancers. I love the U.K. a lot, which most bands don’t like for some reason. We do well there, and I really like the people; they’re really rowdy.

    It’s been interesting touring with Dan Auerbach because our audience is generally very rowdy and unruly, and Dan’s audience, who didn’t know our material also, was very pleasant and mild mannered, so that was kind of fun.

    RR: How were your first few shows with his audience?

    CB: They loved it. It was a really different vibe. New Orleans is a very rowdy place, which I love.

    NM: Florida too. There’s something about that hot weather, you just want to have a good time.

    RR: How do you feel your shows differ from a festival set like today at Panorama and your normal touring shows?

    CB: They’re shorter at festivals. It probably sounds better when we’re touring because we do a normal soundcheck. We’re not as close to the audience at festivals; there’s more an energetic distance so it doesn’t feel as intimate. I feel like we play pretty much the same. We usually do an hour to an hour and fifteen minute set on our normal tours so festivals are just a little shorter.

    RR: I was talking to a couple of your fans after your set, and asked them if they had anything they’d want me to ask you, so their question was: “If you guys all live so far apart from one another, how does your songwriting and recording process work?”

    CB: We each usually make demos at home then meet up for a week or less and rehearse. Usually if we have a show, we meet a few days early. The last record, we met in Oakland and rehearsed a bit then met in Seattle and recorded demos of the songs at a friend’s house with the full band. I feel like next time, going into Auerbach’s studio, we can come less prepared. I feel like we were pretty well prepared last time, but I feel like we could show up and fuck around more. Everything seemed rushed at a different studio before that, so I was going into it like, “We’ve got to be ready with each song,” but it’s tough because stuff is expensive. Playing the songs as a group is also SO different from the recording process.The end product of recording with Dan is different. The things that end up on top are so different from what was originally on top of the recording.

    RR: Are there any elements of your sound or show that you feel like you’d want to add? Maybe a new light rig, psychedelic images, new instruments?

    NM: I think we all have plenty of ideas (laughs).

    CB: I used to think about that stuff all the time, then I started realizing that the return of investment on energy is pretty low. I think people are happy with a very human show or experience. But if we had tons of money… we’ve had tons of weird ideas.

    RR: What’s your weirdest?

    CB: I used to want to do weird sketches on stage and crazy costumes; hire our own lighting person and do our own spotlights. I used to want to do weird inflatable creatures and shit on stage. I made some animatronic, weird monster one time for our record release show three years ago. I just took old toys that are motorized and moved around, but put different things on the outside so they looked totally different. I put real animal fur and fake eyeballs on them; that was cool. That shit is just a lot of extra effort and takes up a lot of space, and we want to focus on the music. We’ve been trying to keep it really efficient. Lately, I’ve been less ambitious with stage elements and more focused on our sound.

    RR: What are your big plans for 2019?

    CB: I’ll bet we record next year. I think I’ll be ready. I think it’ll be a faster turnaround because when we recorded our last album, Dan’s label wasn’t quite ready for records to come out, so we had to wait a year. I think we’ll record. I would like to.

    NM: Hopefully we go and visit Australia.

    CB: Yeah, we were talking about trying to go to Australia or Japan, we’ve just never had a good connection. We’d love to do either of those. We’re heading to Mexico City later in the year, and I would love to go to South America and Central America. I feel like that audience would love it also. We’ve met a few bands from there, like big bands, and they always say, “You’ve got to come down.” Hopefully we’ll get a chance.

  • Prog-Alt band T@NE release debut single ‘Rock Joint’

    T@NE™, a progressive alternative band out of New York City this summer have released their debut single “Rock Joint.”

    T@NE is the name for musician, saxophonist, composer, producer and artist Arnold Tone Kaplan Lee. Along with bandmates Taber Gable (keyboards), Andrew Renfroe (guitar), Dan Pappalardo (bass), and Pete Manheim (drums), T@NE and crew are making music for the future. “Rock Joint” is a fantastic debut single and takes the listener on a progressive journey with segments of intricate jazz and rock that you can easily sink into. Lee says of “Rock Joint”: “I chose this track as the first single because before we release music that is more produced (and more post production), I wanted to release a track that has the vibe of us just rocking out and how we play in concert, so we went in the studio and did a take and this what we got.”

    T@NE has been performing in the New York City area, playing at venues such as Pianos, Arlene’s Grocery, and Rockwood Music Hall. Catch them on Sunday Sept. 16 at Arlene’s Grocery. Follow T@NE on Instagram and Twitter.

  • Panorama Creates An Escape From Reality For NYC Music Lovers

    Being as compact and congested as it is, New York rarely has the opportunity to host a major music festival within city limits. When the opportunity arises, promoters do as any genuine New Yorker would and spare no expense in ensuring they provide attendants with a unique experience they’ll never forget.  From July 27-29, 2018 Panorama Music Festival dazzled guests with music, art, and imagination as Randall’s Island briefly transformed itself into an alternative universe where life felt like a dream.

    Despite rain, mud, and cancellations, the general vibe of the festival was heart-stirring love and acceptance. Guests walked through the turnstiles into a playground of bliss, with music and art exhibits immediately overwhelming the senses, and entered a safe space to let their freak flags fly. People dressed in costumes, covered themselves in paint/glitter, and wore unyielding grins from the moment they entered to the time they left.

    Panorama

    Even if there wasn’t music you were interested in seeing playing, you could spend hours experiencing the many wonders the festival had to offer. If you entered the festival on the east side of the island, you immediately walked into “The Lab,” an interactive experience that combined technology, artistry, and design created exclusively by New York City-based artists. There you could have your reality questioned in giant bubbles, get lost in a trippy jungle of dangling lights, or enter a portal to another dimension, among other mindboggling exhibits. Each exhibit was incredibly interactive in an attempt keep the mind and body wondering, and typically included social aspects so festival-goers could share the experience with friends, old and new.

    Artists weren’t the only ones who showcased their creativity at Panorama, as even many vendors brought their own zany ideas to life to draw in new customers. On one side of the festival you might walk by an old wooden ship converted and used as a pub beside a pop-up old western town where guests could purchase mixed drinks while interacting with, and get haggled by, actors in costumes based on fashion trends from the late 1800’s from the second story window. If you continued walking, you might end up in an outdoor dive bar with bands playing small, intimate shows or feel like you fell off the edge of the earth and ended up in Grand Cayman as you took a load off in a tropical-themed tent. Excitement was possible at every corner, and that’s before the music even started.

    Panorama

    Friday

    Unfortunately for many excited festivalgoers, Friday was a wash-literally. Ominous clouds plagued the sky all afternoon before finally breaking and showering the grounds at about 3:15 p.m. The rain only lasted for about a half hour, giving may people hope for the evening as Daniel Cesar took Panorama stage for his 3:50 p.m. set. He delivered a heartfelt performance to get music on the main stage off to a promising start before thunder and lightning threatened the city and forced Panorama cancel the rest of the evening’s performances and evacuate the grounds.

    Thousands were in disbelief as they were herded out to buses and subways and back into the city without ever having gotten a chance to see artists they were looking forward to such as The Weeknd, Father John Misty, and The War on Drugs. While many were disappointed, Panorama did the right thing and refunded everyone their money back and no one was seriously injured fleeing the island, so it could have been far worse.

    Saturday

    Thankfully, the rain cleared and the sun came back with a vengeance for all those who attended the second day of Panorama. Although the sun seemed hotter than usual at times, a large majority of the grounds were reduced to a muddy swamp which would create obstacles, games, and funny stories for the remaining two days of the festival. It hardly spoiled anyone’s time though (except for that one girl who dropped her pizza in the mud) as the day proved to be a complete success.

    Musically, Saturday was absolutely dominated by talented female performers. Cloves kicked things off on the Panorama stage with a passionate set which set the tone for the rest of the day. The British singer wooed the crowd with her remarkably beautiful voice and electric stage presence. Dressed like she just hopped out of bed, she danced like a flower blowing gently to the breezy notes her band seeped as she swayed across the stage. Each bar was sang with purpose and she conveyed her emotions eloquently through her notes. Although she was obviously uncomfortable in the sweltering heat and grimy humidity, she gave it her all for her allotted time slot and left fans wanting more. Many fans’ wishes came through later that evening when she played another set at the Bud Light Dive Bar to a much smaller crowd of people.

    Panorama

    As Cloves continued her set on the Panorama stage, Sigrid began hers on the Pavilion stage. In contrast to Thrice’s dark and vicious singing, Sigrid’s vocals were much more bright and upbeat. She constantly smiled and winked at specific members of audience, jumped around the stage, and danced along to the party music bobbing behind her. Pvris followed with a set of music with Rage Against The Machine-like intensity and a dangerous female lead. With trippy echoing effects and dark, alternative jams behind it, you felt like you could go into the wilderness with her, take a look around to see what she sees and come out with only a few scratches. The high energy set with constant peaks and outbursts of primal howls kept fans on the edge of their blankets, if they were even still sitting by the end of it.

    Japanese Breakfast served as an essential cool down to Pvris’s murky set as laid back, ambient music gave attendants a chance to take a breath and let their heart beats return to normal. Their jams sounded like a big wave at high tide, causally moving up and down as it worked its way to the unknown, far away shore. The music contained a different mysticism as compared to the other acts, which brought peace and calming to the inquiring minds of the lawn. To much of the crowd’s disbelief, Lil Wayne’s set following Japanese Breakfast was cancelled due to his flight being delayed, which wouldn’t be the last time a set would be cancelled.

    Since Lil Wayne was not playing the Panorama stage, what felt like the entire festival came out for St. Vincent’s intense performance. Although she was a quite few slots away from headlining Saturday’s show, she came on stage like a queen who owned the festival. You can spot a dominant person when you see one and St. Vincent is the epitome of a strong female rocker. She had the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand the entire performance with goddess-like fineness and master musicianship, both as a singer and guitar player. Each movement she made drove the crowd wild, and her ability to boil an explosion of cheers with a single stare demonstrated how short of a lease she kept her fans on.

    The high energy, visually engaging set concluded with a passionate tribute to New York; a city she’s proud to call home. The fitting tribute was one of many, as throughout the weekend artists paid their respect to the city. Unlike other major tour destinations, New York has an energy like no other and it is felt between both the band and the audience. The thrilling anxiousness of playing the Big Apple often brings out the best in artists since they feel the need to deliver a top performance for such a diverse and electric crowd; a theme which was present all weekend.

    Panorama

    SZA especially felt the need to impress as she followed St. Vincent’s set and sought to blow away the New York crowd as redemption for not delivering a top performance the last time she visited. Clearly excited to be on stage, she ran around as she poured out her soul and made innocent jokes in between songs. Her stage presence was youthful and full of play, but it was clear she was no amateur by the way she controlled both the crowd and her dynamic voice.

    As the first and only male headliner to take the stage, Gucci Mane decided to take his sweet time coming out. His hype man continuously teased the crowd, asking them if they were ready for his appearance, however, after five or six times and no Gucci Mane the crowd began to become skeptical while still cheering just in case. Whether the lack of Gucci Mane for nearly half his time slot was intentional or not, it certainly drove the crowd into a frenzy, which only enhanced the energy of the crowd when he finally took the stage and delivered a pumped up set for the eager audience.

    The night was capped off with potentially the most anticipated act of the festival, Janet Jackson, who delivered a career-spanning set of twists and turns that had the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand. Every aspect of Jackson’s set was clearly meticulously choreographed to extract the highest level of satisfaction she could draw from the audience. Dancing around the stage like a youthful pop singer, Jackson declared to New York that she still has the goods and flaunted them in a way that converted any doubtful listeners. The crowd responded with high praise, as she ended the first full day of Panorama in pop-goddess style.

    Sunday

    After a whirlwind of music genres and eccentric female leads on Saturday, Panorama concluded its final day with a bang on Sunday. The day began as a high energy punk fest with Downtown Boys promoting a rebellious, anti-establishment message to get the blood flowing in the growing, youthful crowd. Shannon and the Clams followed, and for those who had never heard of the psychedelic, surf-rock/doo-wop group they were sure to put them on the radar following their jubilant 1:30 p.m. set. Blending multiple-types of music to create a familiar, yet entirely distinct sound of their own, Shannon and the Clams treated early arrivals to a set of non-stop fun music which drew as much joy out of the band as it did the audience. Vocally and musically the band hit all the right notes to ensure continuous dancing, applause, and smiles in the growing audience.

    The festival continued all day with options for attendants to enjoy DJ sets, art exhibits, and an array of music from many different genres. From the high energy DJ Haram to the laid back Chicano Batman to the soul driven Rex Orange County, fans had a chance to experience any kind music they’d like, and even experiment with music they might not have seen if they weren’t at the festival. One of the most wonderful aspects of Panorama was the idea that you could wander around, see new things, hear new music, and experience it all within the confines of a peaceful and friendly space with thousands of others doing the same. At the heart of it, that is why New York is the perfect place for a music festival as large as Panorama; there are very few other places in the country where people can be themselves, try new things, and enter a world of their own imagination without the slightest thought of being judged or even noticed for their behavior.

    As the day continued, it felt much more like a Saturday rather than a Sunday, with world class headliners performing and the lack of music due to cancellation on Friday only reinforcing the thought. Sunday seemed to gather the largest crowd, a mixed group of older and younger music lovers who each had a chance to hear something they’d never heard. For many of the younger fans, the biggest surprise came in David Byrne’s set. Many kids in the crowd didn’t know who he was, but by the time he began “Burning Down The House,” they realized they were clearly in the presence of greatness.

    David Byrne is a magnificent performer, who takes every opportunity he’s got to flex his creativity. Playing a set of fresh, new songs from his latest album mixed in with Talking Heads classics, he dazzled the audience with choreographed dances, a band of mobile musicians who constantly marched up and down the stage, and strange props and lights. Many of his new songs sounded like they could have been released in the early ’80s, and the overall set had a dystopian theme which was a clear message from Byrne about the current state of the world and where we are going as a society. There wasn’t a single cool down throughout the performance and those who weren’t sweating from the sun were now sweating from the non-stop dancing.

    Fleet Foxes were the perfect act to follow Byrne with their entire set feeling like a dreamy cool down. Fans knew exactly what they were getting in for when they arrived at the Pavilion stage for the Fleet Foxes’ set as blankets were draped over the lawn as far as the eye could see. People enjoyed the euphoric music on their backs staring at the clouds or swaying in their seats with their eyes glued to the stage. The band’s incredibly full sound hugged your soul as grand harmonies, campfire chords, and even a small orchestra barreled from the glowing stage.

    The Fleet Foxes were the last of the night’s tranquil sets with performances by The XX and ODESZA following. The XX were honored to be playing their last show of their two year and 138-show tour at Panorama, which sparked heavy emotions from the musicians as they emptied their tanks with a heartfelt performance filled with highs, lows, and gut-wrenching vocals. ODESZA provided a different take across the lawn as the high energy EDM set shook the ground and the bodies of everyone from the pit to the back of the grass while alluring, colorful lights churned through the sky all the way to Astoria. The light show drastically enhanced the set as it followed the music and heavy bass, demanding the audience to keep their eye on the stage though the entire set.

    Panorama ended on about the highest note they could with The Killers (from Las Vegas, as they like to point out) rocking the core of Randall’s Island. The band played a set of hits spanning through their entire career and turned the muddy lawn into a gigantic sing-a-long party as everyone in the crowd seemed to know the lyrics to at least a few songs. From across the lawn, those who wanted to zone out and dance had a chance to at Nora En Pure’s set, which featured an array of impressive lights and high energy beats. Festival goers left happy and full of life as they made their way off the grounds and back into reality, but not without the memories of the fun they had that weekend.

  • Sister Sparrow releases “Ghost” off upcoming album ‘Gold’

    Sister Sparrow has released the first single, “Ghost,” a poppy, energetic club number with hints of Blondie throughout, off Gold, due out on October 12th.

    Sister Sparrow has released the new single, “Ghost,” ahead of the release of their latest album Gold, a single that Arleigh Kincheloe explains was inspired by “That feeling when someone has rejected you but now suddenly wants you back… that drunken late-night text from an ex out of the blue. Ain’t got time for that. Ghosting someone who really deserves it is what it’s about. Getting even but also ridding your life of the BS that keeps holding you back.” In an unconventional move, Sister Sparrow premiered the unique “lyric” video, which features the lyrics displayed in emojis instead of words, on Snapchat, after leading fans through a social media scavenger hunt to allow them to see the video and hear the single 24 hours before it was officially released.

    Gold takes the classic soul-rock sound created by Sister Sparrow and her brass-fueled combo, The Dirty Birds, and turns it into something altogether new, a soul-blasted contemporary pop approach supremely suited for Kincheloe’s immense voice and even greater vision. Produced and co-written in collaboration with Carter Matschullat (Chef’Special, Secret Weapons) at Brooklyn’s DØØM Studio, the new album sees Sister Sparrow expressing herself like never before.

    Sister Sparrow will celebrate their new LP with a major U.S. tour, kicking off on Aug. 30 in Athens, New York, and running through December. Check out tourdates here and New york dates below.

    Aug 30 Athens Summer concert series, Athens, NY
    Sept 21 Westcott Theater, Syracuse, NY
    Sept 22 Borderland Music Festival, East Aurora, NY
    Nov 10 The Egg, Albany, NY
    Dec 1 Irving Plaza, NYC

    For a taste of Sister Sparrow’s live sound, check out their NPR Tiny Desk Concert.

  • Woods Fest Music Festival Announced

    The first Woods Fest Music Festival is happening at the Woods Valley Ski Area in Westernville, just north of Rome, on Aug. 18.

    Woods Fest Music Festival

    This festival features not only legendary acts but also up-and-coming bands from throughout Central New York. It strives to bridge the Utica-Rome and Syracuse music scenes for one day of family-friendly fun. It will be spread across two stages, the outdoor stage provided by the City of Rome and the inside stage at Tap Room 46 in the chalet.

    The initial lineup of artists scheduled to perform includes: Los Blancos, The Old Main, Les Brers, Mike Powell and John Hanus from the Black River, Nick Piccininni and Jason Barady from Floodwood, the Ron Spencer Band, the Live and Breathe, Remsen Social Club, Follow the Muse, Pocket Change and Work Related.

    Woods Fest Music Festival
    The Old Main

    In addition to these musical acts there will also be yoga from Alanna Bone of Just Breathe Yoga Studio, inflatables from Varano Super Jump and several area food trucks. The festival was created by Woods Valley Ski Area and Copper City Brewing Company, in association with Oneida County Tourism, the Heart of New York Beverage Trail and NYS Music.

    The Heart of New York Craft Beverage Trail will also be present at the Woods Fest serving drinks from 16 Stone Brew Pub from Holland Patent, Woodland Farm Brewery from Marcy, Copper City Brewing Company from Rome, Villa Verona Winery from Verona and Prospect Falls Winery from Prospect Falls.

    The festivities start at 11:00 a.m. with the gates open at 10:00 a.m. and the music will run until approximately midnight. Tickets for the first Woods Fest Music Festival are now available online through the Woods Valley Ski Area website . Advance sale tickets are $20. Day of the show tickets are $25. Children 12 and under are free with accompanying adult(s). Tickets may also be purchased at Copper City Brewing Company and the Snubbing Post in Rome.

    Woods Fest Music Festival
    Los Blancos (Photo: Brian Cornish)

    For more information on the Woods Fest Music Festival , please visit the Woods Valley website or Copper City Brewing Company’s website.

  • Western NY Gets Warped One Last Time

    Warped Tour made its last stop at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, July 25. Despite the heat and humidity, fans came out in droves from all over Central and Western New York for one last Warped Tour experience.

    Ice Nine Kills

    NYS Music Photographer Meredith Snow and I started the day off catching Warped alums Ice Nine Kills. Even in 79 degree heat, the horror-core band from Boston played the entire set dressed as horror movie icons like Freddy and Jason, with full costume and makeup. The highlight of the set was hearing their new song “The American Nightmare,” from their upcoming album The Silver Scream.

    Ice Nine Kills

    The next stage over featured As It Is. The British band doesn’t make it stateside often. I first heard band leader Patty Walters when he was a teenager doing solo cover songs on YouTube. Now he’s backed by a full band and performing original songs. Gone is the wholesome “boy next door” persona. In its place is an edgier look and sound. After singing “Hey Rachel,” from last year’s debut album, Walters introduced the band as My Chemical Romance and welcomed everyone to 2005 Warped Tour. They launched into a couple new songs, “The Stigma” and “The Wounded World,” off their new album The Great Depression which comes out in a couple weeks.

    As It Is

    It’s impossible to catch everything at a festival with eight stages, and sometimes we just caught snippets as we raced from stage to stage. We saw the tail end of Tonight Alive’s set, as front woman Jenna McDougall told us in her Australian accent, “You have the right to lose your minds,” before launching into one of their new songs. I took a much needed break from the heat at the Reverse Daycare tent while my photographer snapped a few pics of Buffalo’s Every Time I Die.

    Every Time I Die

    Then we were off to see The Maine. A whooshing sound filled the air as they filed on stage in their signature matching outfits. They started with a cover of Blur’s “Song 2” which got the crowd singing along. The rest of their set was all originals from their eleven years as a band. On “Girls Do What They Want,” they called a random audience member up on stage to help sing the song. This guy Brian came up in his tank top and shorts and made the most of his five minutes of fame, nailing the lyrics and vocals.

    The Maine

    It wouldn’t be Warped Tour without ska bands. Reel Big Fish was crushing it on the main stage with their signature sound and antics, and the sun had dried out the muddy ground enough to make it possible for fans to dance in the fields. Over on the Korner Stage which featured regional acts, Buffalo band The Toy Box Brigade was putting on a fantastic performance. Their set included a ska rendition of The Bloodhound Gang’s “The Bad Touch.”

    One of the bands on my must-see list is Las Vegas’ Palaye Royale. These darlings of the Vegas art rock scene are originally from Toronto. The three brothers named the band after the dance hall where their grandparents met. Their last album payed homage to the bands who played The Boom Boom Room and they are set to release a Part B soon. They played the song they just released this week called “You’ll Be Fine” as well as a gritty cover of My Chemical Romance’s “Teenagers.” The high-energy set included singer Remington Leith climbing up to hang upside down from the stage rafters during the song “Get Higher” and crowd surfing on a coffin-shaped raft.

    Palaye Royale

    Asking Alexandria was a band I’d never seen before, but the consensus from the faithful fans around me was that this was not their best performance. We then headed over to catch Simple Plan’s set. It was late afternoon and attendance had peaked; I could barely see the stage as the audience sprawled around behind tents and trailers. Despite the poor visibility, the sound was cranked to full volume and people young and old were singing along to hits like “Addicted.”

    Asking Alexandria

    I popped back over to catch some more locals. On The Cinder made their return for a second year at the Korner Stage. The three-piece punk rock outfit drew a lively crowd which danced and moshed throughout the entire set.  Some locals were on the Full Sail Stage, too. Lucky33 from Syracuse was upgraded to the larger stage for the day. They put on an energetic set that included a version of CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising.” Between songs, bass player Red talked about attending his first Warped Tour in ’96 and being inspired to start playing music himself.

    Following Lucky33 was Rochester’s Kaiser Solzie. Rochester native James Jackson has been performing under the moniker Kaiser Solzie for years, and has recently built a full band. Jackson was the driving force behind the creation of the local Korner Stage last year. And all local band members and their fans had migrated to Full Sail to rock out to Kaiser Solzie’s set. Donning his pink guitar, Jackson belted out song after song, from one about actor Bill Murray to “Punk Pop Hip Hop” and “Ordinary Average Day,” the songs paired a raw punk energy with catchy feel-good messages.

    Kaiser Solzie

    On the way to see 3OH!3, I ran across With Confidence. The Australian pop punk band was finishing their set with hits from their last album, “Voldemort” and “Keeper.” They signed off with a promise to return to the states by the end of the year. Over the hill, 3OH!3 was in full swing. The massive dance party spilled out from under the amphitheater tent and into the expansive lawn. For their grand finale, they brought the members of Simple Plan onto stage to join in on their hit song “Don’t Trust Me.”

    We ended the day at the amphitheater tent with a performance by Waterparks, a Texas trio who are more on the pop side of the pop/punk spectrum. When I saw them at Warped Tour a couple years ago, they were playing songs from their EP Cluster. They’ve since released two full-length albums.Their set list included songs from both, including the acoustic “Lucky People.” They ended with the the catchy little love song “Stupid For You.”

    Waterparks

    Photographer Meredith Snow caught a few sets that I didn’t, including Motionless In White, Digital Afterlife, Doll Skin, Great American Ghost, Of Night and Light, Pros & Icons, and Every Time I Die. See the full photo gallery below for these pics and more.

    All in all it was a memorable day, although tinged with sadness about the end of the Warped Tour era. Throughout the day, I spent time with friends from as far flung as Syracuse and Buffalo. I saw people I met at Warped Tour in previous years,and I met some new people. We swapped stories while making new memories. This touring festival successfully brought together some of the greatest alternative musicians from around the world and made them accessible to millions. But it also brought people together and built communal experiences that defined an entire generation.

  • Hearing Aide: Jeremy Discenza ‘Hearts As Vessels’

    I’ll be the first to admit that it took me a few listens to understand Hearts as Vessels, but I’m curious to hear more from its curator, Jeremy Discenza of Chittenango, New York. The new EP went live 28 April, 2018. First impression is that Discenza is formidable as a musician — he single handedly performed all instruments and vocal parts. Between interlocked, glassy guitar lines, 80’s horror movie soundtrack synths, and escalations to some heavy metal, we end up with a lot to think about. The music takes flight off the strength of influences characteristic of multiple genres, but most notably present is alternative rock. Fans of Stellar Young, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and La Dispute will likely appreciate many aspects of this melodic work.

    While this EP is a generally strong debut, its vocal production leaves room for improvement. This is not to say that Discenza can’t sing — he obviously is competent — but his potential certainly is not realized in this iteration. Track 1, “Burning Up the Night,” features a soaring, sing-along-able chorus, but it’s verse melodies would welcome a second opinion. Needless to say, Discenza stays introspective and nails down meaningful and conceptual lyrics in all songs.

    Hearts As Vessels has a lot of other great things going for it: track 3, “Destroyer of Worlds” includes twisting verse melodies and a driving chorus while remaining catchy and chaotic. “Destined to walk this Earth, created to watch it burn, is this all I am?” Discenza asks. This track stands out as the highlight. Additionally, the track listing on the album ushers the listener through a journey. The EP finishes off with “Goodnight and Goodbye Forever” whose guitar parts tie the album together thematically. In general, Hearts as Vessels does a standup job experimenting with multiple musical genres while keeping my ears tuned in — this is difficult for any musician to do and should be commended. If this is just the first release, I’m curious to see what other music Jeremy Discenza comes out with and how his abilities grow over time. In the meantime, I definitely give Discenza credit where credit is due.

    Hearts As Vessels is available for streaming on major platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and BandCamp.

    Key Tracks: Goodnight and Goodbye Forever, Destroyer of Worlds

  • Cobblestone Live to Host Second Annual Buffalo-Centric Fest

    This weekend, the second annual Cobblestone Live will be taking place in Buffalo. Cobblestone is a fairly small festival, taking place in a single neighborhood and making use of the bars, restaurants, and venues that call it home. The festival’s stages are set up on the famous Illinois and Columbia Streets, as well as inside Lockhouse Distillery Buffalo Iron Works.

    The lineup features some big names, such as the soulful Andy Frasco & the U.N., known for Frasco’s wild stage antics and soulful blues music, Brooklyn-based funk band Turkuaz, Broken Social Scene, and Buffalo natives Aqueous, the groove rock quartet that has spent the last two years touring the country relentlessly. Some smaller, more local bands are also featured, namely Space Junk, Cold Lazarus, First Ward, and Grateful Dead tribute band, Workingman’s Dead. Michelangelo Carubba of Turkuaz will be hosting a “Super Jam” on Saturday, July 28, which should be interesting to see, as they’ve yet to mention who will be included in the jam.

    Cobblestone offers a wide variety of activities and vendors, including an alpaca farm on Saturday you should be sure to check out. Food vendors include Grateful Grind Coffee, Lloyd, Mazurek’s Bakery, Lugia’s, and Totally Edible. Lockhouse Distillery & Buffalo Iron Works will be providing festival drink menus. There will be several different vendors at the fest, including a tent for the Child Advocacy Center, an organization that provides treatment and support for kids in Erie County that have been physically or sexually abused. A portion of Cobblestone Live’s profits will be donated to the CAC.
    cobblestone live

    Cobblestone Live is looking like a grand time, full of delicious food, drinks, and good music! Take a look at the daily lineup above to better plan out your Cobblestone experience. Check back with NYS Music for photos and coverage of the fest.

  • Great South Bay Music Festival Brings Musical Diversity to Long Island

    The Long Island music scene is incredibly fertile and diverse. It is rare to have an event that brings everyone together in one place, from the hardcore kids out east to the classic rock loving dads from Glen Cove, to celebrate music, art, and unity. Great South Bay Music Festival achieved this in strides with their incredibly colorful lineup of popular acts ranging from Sublime with Rome to Electric Hot Tuna. Located directly on the water of the south shore of the island at Shorefront Park in Patchogue, NY from July 12-15, the festival grounds is the optimal place to see live music on a hot Long Island summer day.

    Great South Bay Music Festival
    Festival Guide

    Unlike other festivals around the nation which focus in on one single genre of music, Great South Bay is a family-oriented festival that mixes up the genre of music played each day to give everyone a chance to enjoy themselves. Music lovers who attended each day went through a journey of seeing hardcore/punk bands on Thursday night to ska/reggae groups on Friday night to jam bands on Saturday night with blues/classic rock acts capping off the weekend on Sunday night.

    The overall vibe of the festival was incredibly relaxed, despite how many people attended, and festival goers had the option to sit back on the grass in their lawn chairs and blankets or head up front to stand in the pit if they wanted to get closer to the music. Because of how drastically the music changed from night to night, the crowd tended to change with it, creating a different feel for each day of the festival.

    Jim Faith, the man responsible for putting the event together, started Great South Bay Music Festival to create a Long Island music festival which would keep the spirit of music alive, positively change people’s lives, and create a space safe for people of all races and ethnicities to come together and celebrate different kinds of music. His goal is to inspire people to listen to new music as well turn younger folks onto legendary artists they might not have heard. The festival is not designed to be an over the top production, but rather a place to bring people together and get to the heart and soul of the community- which it certainly achieved.

    Great South Bay Music Festival
    Happy Festival Goers

    Thursday, July 12:

    The first night of music kicked off with a bang with an assortment of punk and hardcore groups who played to an energetic crowd of generally younger fans. When Get Up Kids took the main stage at 6:10 pm, the crowd was antsy and ready to go. The 90’s rock/emo band got the crowd going with an injection of high energy punk-esque songs which kept up the entire set and established the first big mosh pit in front of the stage of the night, but certainly not the last.

    Great South Bay Music Festival
    Eddie Breckenridge of Thrice

    Thrice followed at 7:30 to the excitement of many attendants, and picked up exactly where Get Up Kids left off.  The veteran alternative rock band’s heavy riffs incited headbanging, fist pumps and mosh pits in the crowd close to the stage, while those who were hanging back danced to themselves. Thrice was a treat to many festival goers as they had recently released new music and came back from a three-year hiatus, so it was many fans first time seeing them since they returned. An incredibly polished, hard rocking band, their set was played with such precision it sounded as though it was recorded in a studio.

    A half hour after Thrice finished their set, the headliners of the night, The Front Bottoms, took the stage and treated the crowd to an energetic hour and ten minute set of twists and turns. Playing with the “Legendary Uptown Horns,” the set featured an animated setlist of melodic arrangements. The band sounded like a mix of Mumford and Sons and Streetlight Manifesto, and produced incredibly positive and vibrant music. By the end of the set there were people jumping, crowd surfers bouncing, and heads banging: a magnificent end to the first night of the festival, which would set the stage for the next three nights.

    Great South Bay Music Festival
    Front Bottoms

    Friday, July 13:

    Friday night was all about the ska and reggae scenes, and featured an impressive assortment of some of the nation’s top touring acts for the genre. The crowd began to fill up after 6 pm as they made their way over to the festival grounds after work, and included a very diverse crowd of fans old and young.

    Great South Bay Music Festival
    Less Than Jake

    Less Than Jake started their set right on time at 6:30 and jumped right into a fast-paced, rocking ska song to the crowd’s delight. The band seemed to be in a great mood as they played a set of many of their hits from their most recent albums to older crowd favorites, and played around heavily with crowd participation. In between songs they made jokes, brought people up on stage to dance, and even had a beer chug off with people from the crowd who they brought on stage. They had the crowd in the palm of their hands as they encouraged sing-a-longs, jumping in unison, and moshing. While they were very playful they were also an incredibly tight band who clearly had been playing together for a long time.

    Great South Bay Music Festival
    Dirty Heads

    The Dirty Heads followed at 8 pm as the smell of marijuana filled the air in anticipation. The Dirty Heads are a great, chill summer band, and the beach is the ideal place to catch one of their sets. The band played a very diverse setlist from hip-hop beats and rapping to slow, bouncing reggae tunes which saw the massive crowd swaying in harmony like the waves of the sea behind them. Everyone sang along when they played their hits, and Rome even came out to perform a song he’d recorded with them for one of their earlier albums, to the crowd’s delight.

    The appearance by Rome in the Dirty Heads’ set was only a taste of what was to come, as Sublime with Rome followed in the headlining spot. The band got the crowd going right away with a few classic Sublime songs, each featuring an echo of the crowd singing along. The band was able to emulate the sound of the original Sublime lineup with ease, while at the same time staying fresh with many of their new songs. Some of their new songs sounded like something from a vintage Sublime album, while others strayed genres a bit and became much heavier. Overall the night was exactly what the crowd came for as they left smiling and hazy.

    Sublime With Rome

    Saturday, July 14:

    Saturday’s show featured an array of artists from the jam scene, ranging from cover bands to some of the top touring acts of the scene. JGB Featuring Melvin Seals brought heat with a set of Jerry Garcia music that would make Jerry proud. Seals still has the chops he had while playing with Jerry, and put together a band of world class musicians to keep the spirit alive. The set mirrored that of a ‘90s JGB show with original Garcia tracks and some of his favorite covers played with emotion and soul. Each member of the band came to play, and every note played was treated with dignity and respect, whether it was a fast-paced rocker or classic ballad.

    Photo of The Great South Bay Music Festival courtesy of their website.

    Papadosio followed and began their set with a jam on middle-eastern chord progressions, which piqued the interest of the crowd. Their hour long set featured mild twisting space-funk, dangerous peaks, and breezy, floating jams which exploded like the waves on the nearby jetty. Although the band normally plays indoor shows or late night time slots, having them play in the afternoon was a treat because despite the lack of light show, the crowd was able to see that the band was dancing on stage and as into the set as the audience, which only pushed the music further.

    Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

    With the crowd loose and ready to jam, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong took the stage at 7:30 and impressed the crowd with a show that they played like it was their last. The upbeat funk-rockers explored different areas of jam music from ‘70’s disco-esque grooves to dark, gritty jams. The entire crowd grooved along as the non-stop set kept everyone dancing and on their toes for what they would play next. At the end of their set the crowd didn’t seem to want them to leave, as they didn’t want to either, and gave the band an ovation which was heard a town over.

    The half hour time slot in between bands gave festival goers a chance to sit down and collect themselves before they were thrown back into the madness with a dynamic set by jam band giants Umphreys McGee. Umphreys McGee quickly dove into a high-energy rocker, each note played with sharp precision. For the first time that evening, it was dark enough for a band to incorporate a light show, and it did not disappoint as the lights added another layer to the improvisational machine on stage. The band shined effortlessly through difficult progressions and raging peaks with an incredibly fun set of music. The band left the stage before their time slot ended only to come back and deliver a rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” that sounded like a crisp studio recording of the song until they put their own spin on the jam which amused and exhilarated the attentive audience.

    Umphrey’s Mcgee

    Sunday, July 15:

    The final day of the festival seemed to attract the largest crowd, as well as the oldest crowd. From Thursday to Sunday the average age of the crowd seemed to jump nearly a decade, with the old boys coming in and finishing things off right. The Devon Allman Project featured impressive guitar work and blues jamming by sons of the original Allman Brothers Band, Devon Allman (Greg Allman’s son) and Duane Betts (Dickey Bett’s son). Looking the carry on the family musical tradition, the band did not disappoint and put a fresh spin on bluesy, rocking tunes. Some might have thought that the band was only there because of the last names of the performers, but had their names been John Doe the band would have been incredibly impressive with their set of high quality musicianship.

    Festival Goers, Old and Young

    Little Feat came next to the crowd’s excitement, and the classic rock legends played a set full of fun and hits. The large band of musicians played with incredible gusto, and communicated with each other musically on stage as if they were speaking a language the crowd instinctively knew. Their soulful singing and silky jams showed that they are a band worth continuing to see as they segued from song to song with their eyes closed.

    After a short break, Electric Hot Tuna took the stage to an ovation unmatched by any other of the weekend. Practically ignoring the applause, they dove into a sneaky, haunting blues jam featuring impressive guitar licks and full band modulations with ease. Each song featured a notable jam of its own right, and the versatile rockers changed genres on the turn of a dime with each song. The sound was ideal as the bass was up in the mix, which is exactly what you want when Jack Casady is on stage.

    Dickey Betts Band

    After Electric Hot Tuna’s set, the crowd was antsy to hear the final headliner of the night, Allman Brothers Band guitar player and founder Dickey Betts take the stage with Dickey Betts Band, however they were forced to wait an additional half hour due to sound issues. The crowd was overjoyed when the band finally took the stage and jumped right into the Allman Brothers material Betts wrote. Betts was a bit rusty throughout the set, but still reached many highs on well-known Allman Brothers Band solos, and the crowd was happy to hear the music they grew up with.

    Overall the festival was a great success, with attendants raving about the music they had just seen as they made their way to the parking lot on the final night. With sunlight and a cool ocean breezes, you couldn’t ask for a better weekend as people from all walks of life joined together to celebrate love and music.

  • Dispatch Hits The Central Park Park Summer Stage

    On the evening of Wednesday, July 18, Dispatch, joined by Nahko and Medicine for the People and singer-songwriter Raye Zaragoza, took the stage in Manhattan’s Central Park for the first of a two-night stand. Brad Corrigan, Chad Stokes and Pete Francis formed Dispatch over twenty years ago and have been no strangers to New York City over the last two decades. The band reminisced on stage about the early years at the former lower Manhattan venue “The Wetlands.” In the summer of 2007, during their hiatus, Dispatch sold out Madison Square Garden for three consecutive nights. All of the money raised from those ticket sales went directly to charities that are fighting disease, famine and social injustice. And now, seven years after the break ended in 2011, they are a part of The City Parks Foundation’s illustrious SummerStage line up. Their blend of folk, indie rock, funk and reggae combined with their ability to just downright jam out is a perfect addition to the outdoor music scene the park is hosting this season.

    Set List:

    Only the Wild Ones, Time Served, Midnight Lorry, Bang Bang, Beto, Windy Like, Flying Horses, Painted Yellow Lines, Rice Water, Fallin’, Curse + Crush, Open Up, Fly With Me, Bats in the Belfry, Be Gone, Out Loud

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