With a career spanning more than 30 years, including 10 albums, Angel Forrest is very well known in the Canadian blues scene. Forrest, recipient of the Maple Blues Award for Female Vocalist of the year, channels the gritty and spirited sound of Janis Joplin. The first set at the PB&J show this Friday will be her “Rock Christmas” set and the second set is going to be her “Rock Blues” show. Get your advance tickets now here. Advance tickets are $12 and $15 at the door. More information can be found on the Facebook event page.
Plattsburgh Blues and Jazz is busy planning upcoming shows with saxophonist and singer Vanessa Collier and her band as well as a Bluegrass special with Tony Trischka so be sure to keep an eye out for more to come in the North Country.
MG3‘s Soulful Christmas Celebration will be held on Friday, December 21 at SALTspace in Syracuse, when Melissa Gardiner brings together an all-star band to perform funk and soul takes on your favorite Christmas classics.
MG3 is a jazz trio with added influence from the blues, gospel, soul, neo-soul, R&B, funk, and fusion. Their diverse repertoire of original music, jazz standards and covers always focuses on a strong groove, combined with creative reharmonization and beautiful soaring melodies.
Trombonist and vocalist Melissa Gardiner put together her jazz trio MG3 in Harlem in 2014. Since that time, they have become an in-demand act in Upstate New York. Besides Gardiner, the trio consists of organist William Gorman and Byron “Kidd” Cage on drums.
Together, they’ve opened up for artists such as Moonchild, Jane Monheit and Jonathan Scales, backed up artists such as Ronnie Leigh and Nancy Kelly and have played at the Rochester International Jazz Festival and most recently, won the grand prize at the Bucharest International Jazz Competition. As individuals, they’ve played with music royalty such as Aretha Franklin, Patti Austin, Dave Matthews Band, Benny Golson, Ernie Watts, Joe Louis Walker and more at venues and festivals all over the world.
They will be joined on December 21 by special guest singers Harper Sinclair, Gabrielle Gorman, Ariana Gates, Alto Phillip Young, Tenor Quinn Lawrence, Trumpeter Tom Killackey and Guitarist Stephen Pale.
Dave Matthews Band has been on an extensive fall tour this year, making stops all across the United States, sounding tighter than ever and brought an incredible show to the Times Union Center in Albany, NY on December 5.
Usually, the band makes their way to the Albany area in the summer for their legendary SPAC runs in Saratoga Springs. The group opened up with “You Never Know” into “One Sweet World,” followed by “Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin).” Next, Dave Matthews and his band played crowd favorite “Everyday” followed by a cover of Aerosmiths’ “Sweet Emotion.”
The night was filled with crowd pleasers and hits like “Where Are You Going,” “Don’t Drink The Water” and of course “What Would You Say.” The Dave Matthews Band ended the night with a two-song encore featuring “Granny” and the Bob Dylan cover “All Along the Watchtower.” The group continues their tour through December 28 when they close in Miami, FL. Check out photos from their Albany performance below provided by Vinny Otto:
Setlist: You Never Know, One Sweet World, Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin), Everyday, Sweet Emotion (Aerosmith cover), Minarets, Where Are You Going, Burning Down the House (Talking Heads cover), Crush, Kill the King, What Would You Say, Here on Out, Don’t Drink The Water, Dancing Nancies, Come On Come On, Grey Street, She, You Might Die Trying
Encore: Granny, All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan cover)
Located in the center of downtown Plattsburgh, The Strand Theater is a historical landmark that has been the cultural heartbeat in the North Country for almost a century. Opened on December 29, 1924, as a Vaudeville theater featuring stunning architecture and interior design. The Strand Theater provided the community with theatrical and musical productions of all types and was considered the “Pride of Northern New York.”
The Strand went through some changes over the years. In the 70’s the theater was renovated in such a way that it became a two-room movie theater, and eventually a four-room theater. The changes covered the original interior design. The beautiful and ornate features were no longer visible, and the theater took on a different feel. The theater struggled financially and went on to change hands several times until in 2004 when the North Country Cultural Center for the Arts purchased the building. This was the beginning of a ten year, four-million-dollar restoration project.
Years of hard work, public and private grants, donations, and the dedication of the community has paid off. Now known as The Strand Center Theater, the venue is flaunting the ornamental design meant from its inception in 1924. Two highlights from the restoration include the replica of the original chandelier, donated by Swavorski Lighting, and a 1924 Wurlitzer organ. The Wurlitzer was donated by Leonard and Louise Johnson of Hingham, MA, owners of the Colney Theater in Philadelphia. A group of volunteers refurbished the 1924 instrument and it is now fully functional and an astonishing sight.
Not only has the theater completed its restoration and is sporting its fancy facelift, but The Strand Center Theater also has a new Executive Director creating quite a buzz in Plattsburgh. Mr. Bob Garcia relocated from New York City to Plattsburgh and is the first permanent director for The Strand in three years. Mr. Garcia has an impressive background in theater and production. He worked at Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden in finance positions for many years. Mr. Garcia has much enthusiasm about the future of The Strand and has great ideas about ways to make the theater more and more successful with each event.
Recently Mr. Garcia brought Dave Mason, Traffic co-founder, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee to The Strand. Dave Mason is a rock legend, having an artist of this caliber grace the stage in Plattsburgh was a huge honor. Between his unsurpassed guitar playing, storytelling and great sense of humor, Mason gave the audience one of the best shows to date. Receiving several standing ovations throughout the night Dave Mason’s performance brought an undeniable, tangible energy to the theater. The seated crowd ended the evening on their feet and dancing in the aisles. The following weekend The Strand Center Theater welcomed another world-class musician. Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters brought their classic soulful blues to Plattsburgh, and it was a show the audience won’t forget. Earl is known for his old-school style, mesmerizing fans since he started playing in the 1970’s. B.B. King has stated, “…he is one of the most serious blues guitarists you can find today. He makes me proud!” Another top-notch performance for The Strand, with many more to come.
The Strand Center Theater is excited to announce that The Allman Betts Band set to perform on March 30, 2019 and Lonesome Traveler, a concert version of the acclaimed off-Broadway musical with special guest star and Folk Legend Peter Yarrow, the only living member of Peter, Paul & Mary. The musical tells the story of Americana music over the years. More event listings including comedy shows, ballet, theater, art and orchestra events can be found at the venue’s website.
The future of this historical theater in the North Country is bright. With Mr. Garcia at the helm, continued passion and support of the community, this venue is bringing back the heartbeat in downtown Plattsburgh.
Pop-Fest 518 takes place at The Linda on Saturday, Dec 1 from 7-10 pm. Featured in this evening of eclectic musicians are Blockhouses, Sydney Worthley, Pop-Clique, Sarah Kohrs & Coyote, and Daniel Conley. While students can get a $10 ticket at the door with ID, all-ages $15 tickets can be purchased through The Linda’s Pop Fest 518 event page. This one-night show not only showcases original work by performers native to the 518 area, but admission goes towards the upstate arts community fostered by the Columbia Arts Team.
Blockhouses
The pop trio Blockhouses will groove the audience followed by festival-seasoned, 16 year old Sydney Worthley, who takes the stage to build on that energy with her country/rock infused lyrics. Expect a blast to the past as the internationally recognized Pop-Clique takes concert-goers back with a ’60s flavored vibe. A new face joins the stage with them as notorious singer/songwriter Liv Cummins makes her Pop-Clique debut on Dec. 1 at Pop-Fest 518.
The mood changes yet again as Sarah Kohrs & Coyote deliver their take on blues and jazz; the influence of iconic female vocalists Joni Mitchell and Amy Winehouse comes through in Sara Kohrs’s performance. To cap of a great night of 518 artists, Daniel Conley has a large body of work to pull his Americana offerings from as he has launched two albums in the last year.
The Columbia Arts Team is a non-profit performing arts company that promotes local arts efforts and has partnered with The Linda to make this performance possible. The Linda is committed to growing the arts in New York as it serves as the performing arts studio for Albany-based public broadcast radio station WAMC. There is growing community interest in the cultivation of original, local, musical talent. Pop-Fest 518 gives these unique voices a stage where they can truly shine.
There aren’t a lot of options for purely original local artists to perform in a concert format…This is music that belongs in a ‘listening’ venue, not a bar. This is music that needs to be heard.
– Andy Gregory, WEXT Radio’s Local 518 program host.
The Egg recently announced five great musical acts visiting the Capital Region for shows this coming spring. The first is Americana, rock, and improvisational group Railroad Earth. The group self identifies with rock-and-roll, but their distinct bluegrass influence is undeniable. Who says you can’t have the best of both worlds? You can see this incredible fusion of musical genres yourself Feb. 14.
Railroad Earth
Next in the line up is local talent who hail from Albany, the folk group Dannybrook Fair. The three original members recently celebrated a successful summer tour. You can catch the trio during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on March 14.
March’s offerings continue at the performing arts venue as Pat Metheny’s recent jazz project Side Eye makes an appearance on March 30. Universally recognized as one of the best guitarists in jazz history, Metheny is joined by pianist James Francies and drummer Nate Smith for this musical experiment. You will not want to miss a performance from the unmatched Pat Mentheny.
Last, but not least, Candlebox comes to Capital region audiences on Thursday, April 25. The Seattle rock group, who rose to fame in the ’90s grunge scene will be showcasing songs from their sixth album Disappearing in Airports.
On October 11, The Ridgefield Playhouse hosted two acoustic bands with a big sound. Lucky Chops, who are on a national tour, were joined by Funky Dawgz Brass Band for a double bill that made a Thursday night feel more like the start of a long weekend.
Funk Dawgz started the night with a high energy take on the New Orleans street band sound, mixing some funk and hip-hop elements into their arrangements and improv. Later in their set, Tommy Weeks (tenor sax) welcomed one of his younger music students on stage for a few minutes to shine during a traditional NOLA take on “When The Saints Go Marching In.”
Lucky Chops has been growing in popularity since getting a bit of attention busking in the NYC subway stations, so much so that they’ve gone on to play at packed houses on European tours. Though om a Thursday night with a small crowd, the band played with the high level energy they consistently bring to the sold-out clubs shows of Brooklyn and the outdoor summer festivals.
Lucky Chops debuted some new music from an upcoming recording project and dug a bit into their 2018 EP Virtue and Vice Sessions, Vol. 1. As a tribute to their high school band roots, they started off their encore with “For Connie,” a tune written in dedication to one of their music teachers.
Lucky Chops Setlist: Halfway to the Hudson, Best Things, The Dancing Babies, Ab Jam, Prisoner, Temple of Boom, Buyo, These Tears, Hoodoos at Sunrise, Familiar Places, Full Heart Fancy, Without You, Coco, Ska Ba, Danza
Beloved singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is featured in an upcoming Morrison Hotel Gallery entitled JONI. The exhibition is a collection of over a dozen photographers’ work who have captured her essence as a folk pioneer in addition to cultivating her artistic relationships of mutual respect and admiration.
The opening date for the photography exhibition and sale is Friday, Nov. 16. The event is being held at various locations: the Sunset Marquis Hotel location in Los Angeles, at the New York City gallery on Prince Street in SoHo and the gallery in Maui at Mick Fleetwood’s General Store and restaurant.
Morrison Hotel Gallery is proud to represent the world-class talents of a group of photographers who together have taken some of the most beautiful and timeless images of Joni Mitchell – an artist who many consider to be one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century. — Morrison Hotel Gallery co-owner Peter Blachley
The photos range from Joel Bernstein’s gatefold Hijira album to Amalie R. Rothschild’s concert action shots to Norman Seef’s cover art and various sessions with Joni. Other photographers featuring Joni Mitchell include: Henry Diltz, Graham Nash, Baron Wolman, Bonnie Schiffman, Rowland Scherman, Ken Regan, Jay Blakesburg, David Gahr, and Guido Harari. These priceless images give life to Joni’s musical career from as earlier as 1967 at the Newport Folk Festival, through the late ’90s.
Aside from being the good friend of a great many gifted photographers, Joni Mitchell is remembered as one of the greatest musical artists of the late 20th century. Mitchell is well-known for her blues and jazz-infused style present in some of her long-praised folk tunes. She recently celebrated her 75th birthday earlier this month so this exhibition could not be more perfectly timed for fans to look back and honor the great Joni Mitchell.
John Medeski brought his latest project, a quartet with Will Bernard on guitar, Kirk Joseph on sousaphone and Terence Higgins on drums, to the Buffalo Iron Works on Sunday night. Collectively known as Mad Skillet, the seasoned veterans brought fresh sounds from a wide expanse of influences, mixing in styles from the South, East and West.
Touring behind their just-released album, they stretched those tracks and some additional material into two super-grooving hour-plus long sets. Joseph held down the low end with honking sousaphone blasts that twisted and exploded with electronic distortions. Bernard shredded a hollow body guitar with jazzy chops, funky cuts and bluesy slide-laden swirls. Medeski threw in everything but the kitchen sink: massive swells and chunks of B3 organ, heady splashes of Mellotron and a bit of spice from the Wurlitzer. Higgins beat it all together to a perfect blend.
They weren’t shy in slathering on some jam either. They moved in, out and through grooves with ease. Each player headed up the kitchen while the others played the sous chef. The baton was passed around the room until the dish was ready and all the flavors came together for a glorious four-pronged meal of sound. Regardless of the on-stage dynamic, playing as one, two, three or the full band, each individual flavor came through loud and clear; nothing was lost in the mix. Each individual musician sounded exactly like themselves, and the end result was no more surprising. As good as you would come to expect.
The Earth is 4.5 billion years old, yet you are lucky enough to be around for another John Medeski side project. The mastermind of recruiting untouchable supergroups such as Hudson, The Word and Spectrum Road is here to release the newest roster with Mad Skillet. Their fresh, self-titled album features the otherworldly jazz organist along with his New York native buddy, Will Bernard–an insanely adaptable guitarist that works as a sonic chameleon in the studio.
Medeski also picked up a pair from the world-renowned Dirty Dozen Brass Band in Kirk Johnson on sousaphone and drummer Terence Higgins–both Louisiana natives and both highly capable of gritty improvisation. The album was recorded on the hallowed ground of a 1930’s wood-framed church across the mighty Mississippi from downtown New Orleans and the Crescent City influence is hammered home throughout the 9-track eclectic spread.
Opening John Medeski’s Mad Skillet, “Man About Town” is a great introduction to what this quartet brings to the table. Swirling organ work, bluesy guitar, thick slabs of sousaphone bass and well-executed drumming are poised to take the soulful song in a new direction when performed live. The second track is a Medeski tune called “Invincible Bubble” not to be confused with “Uninvisible” which is the title track from 2002’s Medeski, Martin and Wood album.“Invincible Bubble” is the sound you would expect if the New Orleans-based Popeye’s chicken chain needed an updated theme song for a commercial (and who doesn’t love that chicken from Popeye’s). Each of the four members gets their time to punch in with Higgins driving the train on percussion, Bernard executing a dirty jazz guitar, Medeski nailing a plethora of keyboards, and Johnson bringing a swampy sousaphone reminiscent of an alligator rising up from the murky water.
Mad Skillet pays tribute to Sun Ra with the fourth track, “Golden Lady.” Sun Ra’s “The Lady with the Golden Stockings” can be found on the 1966 album The Nubians of Plutonia, which featured songs recorded from late 50’s Chicago sessions. Nearly 60 years later, Mad Skillet tightened up Sunny’s loose jazzy sound with their own unique modifications in the studio. The thrilling, Sean Connery approved track would serve as the perfect theme song for an early James Bond flick. Medeski makes his moves with the Mellotron, Bernard vibrates on a wave of surf rhythm guitar and Johnson provides an elusive bassline.
“Piri Piri” is the poppy street jazz you may find walking around during the heart of Mardi Gras. Medeski’s up-tempo piano keeps a light and swanky vibe throughout while Bernard shows off his nasty versatility by way of melodic guitar. Higgins gets his moment to shine behind the kit and is heard proclaiming, “Nailed that shit! Y’all some bad motherfuckers” at the very end of the ditty. Track 6, “Psychedelic Rhino” was one of two improvised studio sessions along with “Tuna in a Can” to make the Mad Skillet cut and also serves as the longest song on the record. A prime example of their diverse talents, “Psychadelic Rhino” takes a 180-degree turn from the rest of the album and can be attributed to the wild live approach of The Doors, the trippy Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters studio sessions, and a rhinoceros with a head full of acid running around Guitar World. This one opens many doors and ensures that things have the potential of getting pretty weird on the upcoming Mad Skillet tour.
Speaking of the tour, Mad Skillet will hit Buffalo, Cohoes, and Brooklyn during their visit to the Empire State. A full list of tour dates can be found here.
Key Tracks: Invincible Bubble, Golden Lady, Little Miss Piggy
Trombonist and vocalist Melissa Gardiner put together her jazz trio MG3 in Harlem in 2014. Since that time, they have become an in-demand act in Upstate New York. Besides Gardiner, the trio consists of organist William Gorman and Byron “Kidd” Cage on drums.
The night was filled with crowd pleasers and hits like “Where Are You Going,” “Don’t Drink The Water” and of course “What Would You Say.” The Dave Matthews Band ended the night with a two-song encore featuring “Granny” and the Bob Dylan cover “All Along the Watchtower.” The group continues their tour through December 28 when they close in Miami, FL. Check out photos from their Albany performance below provided by Vinny Otto:
