NYS Music 20​18

Category: Folk/Americana

  • City of Rome Announces Summer Concert Series

    School’s out and summer is in full effect. With summer, comes live concert series throughout New York.

    The city of Rome’s Griffo Green at City Hall will play host to the city’s annual summer concert series. Each Monday evening, beginning July 9, many of Rome’s most talented musicians will be showcased on the green outside of Rome’s City Hall. All shows are free and run from 6-8 p.m.

    The series kicks off July 9 with a double shot of rock. Baddogg and 24/7 team up for opening night on the green. Both bands feature members with long pedigrees in the Central New York music scene. Baddogg began as a blues-based three piece and have evolved to include classic rock as well. Bassist Billy Carman performs in both bands. Carman has performed with a plethora of other CNY artists over the years as well as a stint in the band Boston. To say Carman is prolific would be an understatement.

    Local blues legend, Midnite Mike Grimaldi and his band, the Bent Blinds take the stage on July 16. Grimaldi has played with some of the legends of the blues, including B.B. King, James Cotton and Joe Bonamassa. Grimaldi is a proud hometown musician with a pure passion for performing. Listen to some of the band’s work on Soundcloud below.

    Husband and wife duo, Tammy and Andy Box, performing as the Boxed Set, bring a taste of ’70s rock to Griffo Green on July 23. The Boxed Set performs classics from Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac and other classic ’70s artists.

    The Loco Brothers bring a fresh take on classic rock to the green July 30.

    When it comes to covering deep tracks, Caut!on is your band. Chad Plantz and Mike “The Wizard” Bell form the core of this outfit. The lineup is rounded out by bassist Billy Carman and drummer John Dugan. Arkansas native, Bell plays a mean slide guitar and Plantz can belt out classics from Warren Zevon, the Grateful Dead, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Matthews like no other.

    Mike “The Wizard” Bell of Caut!on

    For your ’60s and ’70s hits, look no further than Vinyl 45 on Aug. 13. Long time CNY band, Dubonnet will finish off the series on Aug.20.

  • Alice’s Restaurant Back By Popular Demand Tour Announced

    Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the movie “Alice’s Restaurant,” based on the song by Arlo Guthrie and to commemorate the occasion, Guthrie is arranging an extensive tour which will stretch from the fall of 2018 through 2020. The majority of shows just announced for this fall will take place in New York and surrounding states. They include a hometown show in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on Nov, 17 and a return to Carnegie Hall on Nov. 24. See the full list of dates below.

    Guthrie wrote a folk song about a series of incredulous events that began on Thanksgiving in 1965. “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” struck a chord with the anti-war counterculture. By 1967 Guthrie had gone from playing small clubs to playing festivals and stadiums.

    “Arthur Penn (who had just finished filming Bonnie & Clyde) heard the record when it came out in 1967,” recalled Guthrie in an interview with NYS Music. “He also happened to live in Stockbridge, where the events took place. He thought it would be a great idea to make it into a movie. And he did.”

    For this tour, Guthrie will be joined on stage by longtime collaborators Terry “A La Berry” Hall (drums), Steve Ide (guitar, vocals), and Carol Ide (vocals, percussion). His daughter, singer/songwriter Sarah Lee Guthrie, will be opening each performance.

    “I didn’t think I was gonna live long enough to have to learn ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ again,” Arlo Guthrie says with a smile. “It was a quirky kinda thing to begin with. Nobody writes an 18-minute monologue expecting fame and fortune. The initial success of the song really took me by surprise more than anyone else… I’m surely looking forward to it again being a centerpiece of my live repertoire.”

    Arlo Guthrie Presents The Alice’s Restaurant – Back By Popular Demand Tour
    Oct. 4  – Count Basie Theatre – Red Bank, NJ
    Oct. 6  – Gordon Center for the Performing Arts – Owings Mills, MD
    Oct. 7  – Keswick Theatre – Glenside, PA
    Oct. 10 – Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center – Stowe, VT
    Oct. 12 – Palace Theatre – Manchester, NH
    Oct. 13 – Durgin Hall – Lowell, MA
    Oct. 14 – Memorial Hall – Plymouth, MA
    Oct. 19 – NYCB Theatre – Westbury, NY
    Oct. 20 – College Street Music Hall – New Haven, CT
    Oct. 21 – Paramount Center – Peekskill, NY
    Oct. 24 – The Greenwich Odeum – East Greenwich, RI
    Oct. 26 – The EGG – Albany, NY
    Oct. 27 – State Theatre – Ithaca, NY
    Nov. 1 – EJ Thomas Hall – Akron, OH
    Nov. 2 – State Theatre – Kalamazoo, MI
    Nov. 7 – Ron Robinson Theater – Little Rock, AR
    Nov. 9 – Wildey Theatre – Edwardsville, IL
    Nov. 10 – Wildey Theatre – Edwardsville, IL
    Nov. 11 – Buskirk-Chumley Theater – Bloomington, IN
    Nov. 16 – Infinity Hall – Hartford, CT
    Nov. 17 – Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center – Gt. Barrington, MA
    Nov. 24 – Carnegie Hall – New York, NY

    More dates will be announced. Stay up to date on ArloGuthrie.com.

  • In Its Eighth Year, a Festival in the Berkshires Never Ceases to Amaze

    Just off Route 22, along the New York/Mass border and you’ll see a faintly stained sign that reads Gardner’s Ice Cream and Coffee. If you blink you might miss it, but behind the sign and diner lives a much greater entity. Barely known to locals but well-known by its recurring attendees, this farm is home to the annual Disc Jam Music Festival, just completing its eighth year, where a small city resides for a weekend among a vast farm landscape near the Berkshires.

    This year, the participant count, coined as the “Disc Jam Fam,” upticked to 5,000 people. Despite the large city created, live music was a constant, with a show for anyone at any time. Vendors came prepared with endless meal offerings, artists drew and designed in rotations to provide a fresh visual, and members of the prestigious Jam Flow Tribe used dance and props to draw attention to the festival’s bigger stages. Workshops for everything from Reiki to juggling detached a small community from the bigger festival ‘city’, and to truly get away from it all, you could disappear into the deep woods to try your hand at Disc Golf. With so many offerings, even the movement around festival goers seemed spacious, and with a stellar lineup of mixed music soundtracking the weekend, Disc Jam made its mark as one of the most versatile, yet secluded, festival experiences New York State has to offer.

    Thursday

    As the sun sweltered above, thousands of people crammed the box office gates early on Thursday, but soon dissipated as they began unloading their campsites. Whether it was the warm breeze in the air or the serene cow pasture in plain view, there didn’t seem to be any tension as people unloaded their bags. Most attendees set up shop long before the music began and took some quality time to unwind from whatever expedition they came from. Before the live music began, music was amplified from several campsite speakers, somehow blending together in a fine fashion. The Mushroom Cloud was first to play the Main Stage at 2 pm with some explosive funk rock to warm up bodies for a long weekend of dance. Shortly after came the enticing “prog-uke” eruption of Brooklyn-based (and 87/90 featured) band Cousin Earth. Despite some initial sound snafus, the five member band kicked off their set with “Womp”, a driving rhythmic jam to compliment each introduced instrument. Cousin Earth also performed tracks off of their newly released album Human Music, such as the party pump-up “Alive,” the molasses-smooth track “Super Fun Laser Beams” featuring tight vocal harmonies, and the classic dance track “I Got This.” Despite a rather short set, it was clear that wandering attendees moved in waves to the Tent Stage, and Cousin Earth commanded their audience with fresh ideas and instruments to keep the sound moving and layered.

    Following suit with complex rhythmic tempos and multi-instrumentalist members was ShwizZ, who took to the Main Stage at 4 pm. The Main Stage was divided into two halves, setting up one band while another played, which made transitions seamless and much less stressful for bands on deck. The shift of stage focus was only made apparent when the crowd starting spreading in great numbers in anticipation for the arrival of Aqueous, who played the Main Stage (side B) at 7 pm Thursday night. They played tracks from their 2012 album Willy is 40, including the title track, the jump-inducing rock anthem “Strange Times” and the transient jam of perspective, “Warren in the Window”. Diving into their old repertoire from 2009, the band played “Dave’s Song” featuring special guest Rob Compa of Dopapod, one of his many appearances playing as a guest on the Disc Jam stage. Aqueous teased the audience for a few seconds with a vamped intro to “Bennie and the Jets” before taking a funky dive into the full Elton John cover and returning back to a reprise of “Warren in the Window.”

    Moving from a lower listing on festival lineups to the opening headline for Disc Jam 2018, the bari sax, saxophone and drummer trio Moon Hooch took to the Main Stage at 8:45 pm following Aqueous’ valiant set. The environment shifted as the sun set, and the staccato pulsing of bari sax combined with crisp drumming patterns turned the long lawn of listeners into a club of dancers. The dissonant harmonies of “Tubes” was well-received by the audience and the traffic cone saxophone wail was both an alarming and endearing sound that made people want to move. The band threw in some surprises in their set, adding some playful synth to layer upon the existing space. Nevertheless, the driving drop of each beat was amplified over the crowd like a punch. Even if you kept your cool on the outside, you could feel the beat inside your body.

    After Moon Hooch closed up the Main Stage for the night, music would not stop there. Over in the Tent Stage, the show was just beginning as the entire audience from Moon Hooch drifted over to the smaller stage as Twiddle members Zdenek Gubb and Mihali Savoulidis played an acoustic set under the alias Gubbulidis. In addition to their music as a side project, the two never shy away from performing Twiddle tunes like “Apples,” the relaxing remedy “Syncopated Healing” and “White Light” from the full group’s PLUMP album. While the hours passed into the early morning, people grew weary of the acoustic sets that followed, but many stuck around to see the night finally close with a combo set of Rob Compa and Aqueous guitarist Mike Gantzer.

    Friday

    In contrast to the cold night that followed campers back to their sites, the warm sun radiated early Friday morning, and there was no alarm clock that could’ve waked you up better than the set of Funky Dawgz Brass Band hitting the Main Stage at 11:45 am. With a wide array of brass instruments from trombone to sousaphone, catchy melodies, clever raps and a whole lot of audience participation, the band made it clear that There ain’t no party like a Funky Dawgz party. Their set included their original “Make It Work” and a brilliant cover of Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” to backdrop a beautiful Friday afternoon. In typical Funky Dawgz fashion, the entire ensemble paraded into the audience and shifted the focus into the middle of the crowd, where people danced alongside the band and clapped to the rhythm before erupting into a thunderous applause to close out their performance. With so much music to come on Friday, you’d think the crowd’s energy level would be sub-par, but the funky wake up call made everyone alert and ready for more music.

    Brandon “Taz” Niederauer took to the Main Stage next, with some crisp riffs and catchy songs that got the audience clapping in awe at the now 15-year-old prodigy guitarist. Backed by a full band, his guitar teacher included, Brandon was liberated to follow melodic instincts in his guitar soloing, while smoothly transitioning to the main vocals in his original material.

    Connecticut-bred band Kung Fu took to the Main Stage at 6 pm to play their electro-funk fusion for the large crowd that gathered. They brought on a cohort of special guests, most notably the alto powerhouse Shira Elias from Turkuaz. To close out their set, the ensemble and Elias covered “We Are the Champions” which rang through the audience with all singing in unison. Kung Fu were not the only ensemble to feature great covers throughout the evening. Denver-based band The Motet made a profound entrance to the Main Stage at 7:15 pm, throwing in a cover of “I Get High On You” from Sly and the Family Stone. Following in the same funky fashion was their performance of “The Truth” off of their 2016 album Totem, along with a track “Keep On Don’t Stoppin” from their 2014 self-titled album. With a whirlwind of brass solos and dance breaks, the sun set on Disc Jam with everyone moving together, and at the best moment, singer Lyle Divinsky paid a special tribute to Prince, who would’ve turned 59 that day. In Prince’s honor, Turkuaz vocalist Shira Elias joined The Motet on stage for a special rendition of the Chaka Khan’s classic “I Feel For You” which Prince had covered numerous times. It was clear that Friday night was designed to bring the funkiest bands one after the other, and with Galactic closing out the Main Stage for the night and DJ Logic hosting a variety of musicians over at the Tent Stage, the funk would keep rolling into the morning hours.

    Saturday

    In their first visit to the Disc Jam stage, Big Mean Sound Machine greeted the new day with a booming brass resonance from its nine members. They performed “Seeing the Bigger Picture” from their 2017 release Runnin’ for the Ghost and the pulsing piece “In the Name of What?” from their 2014 album Contraband. 

    Easing into the afternoon was the set of Formula 5, over at the Tent Stage at 3:30 pm. Delivering impeccable improvisation and melodic mastery, the Albany-based quartet played a mastered mix of stylistic interludes in the opener “Breaking Glass” along with the dance inducing in “Sad Bed,” from their 2017 album All Points North. To make the set even sweeter, Rob Compa was invited on stage with the band to close out the set with a cover of “Swamp Music” from Lynyrd Skynyrd, which had everyone chanting swamp swamp swamp as a mighty chorus.

    As festival attendance hit its peak during a warm Saturday sunset, the mastermind collaboration of Holly Bowling and Tom Hamilton headed to the Main Stage with a full band under the name Ghost Light. With a new album in the works, many of their song titles were unknown to a portion of the audience, but the vulnerable story behind “Diamond Eyes” and ongoing polyphony in the improvisational “Come Around” needed no title to make a profound effect on the audience’s attention and movement. This performance helps serve as the beginning of a very prosperous career for Ghost Light, and as they continue to play the festival circuit, people around the nation will connect with their stories and spontaneous jam abilities.

    After an array of tribal fusion compositions and bellydance performances from the small ensemble of Oakland-based Beats Antique, the sun set for the final night of Disc Jam, with Lotus as the final headliner on the bill. This band goes back as far as 1999, the prime of their career skyrocketed in the late 2000s, and their set was a true ode to their continued success. They opened the set with the driving rhythmic force of “Bellweather,” dating back to 2008 from their album Hammerstrike. With altered voicing and just enough cowbell, people jumped to the beat and decorated the crowd with confetti, glowing staffs and a variety of strange masks. Dating back to the 2005 album Nomad, Lotus changed pace to a dreamy disco sequence with “Spiritualize,” transitioning to the electro-space track “Livingston Storm” released on that same album. They closed out their set with a feature from their 2007 Escaping the Sargasso Sea album entitled “Sunrain”. As Saturday rolled out into the evening hours, Electron took us on an eclectic, psychedelic listening experience complimented with the erratically-fitted guitar riffs of Ghost Light and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead guitarist Tom Hamilton. The set to follow was unannounced in the event program, but those who stayed up late enough got to join in the surprise set of Octave Cat at 2 am. Based out of Philly, this conglomerate of Lotus bassist and sampler artist Jesse Miller, Dopapod keyboardist Eli Winderman, and professional drummer Charlie Patierno brings influences of jazz, techno and hip hop to the electronic realm, and those still awake were beyond energized, dancing in the available space they had and applauding into the night.

    Sunday

    On an equally gorgeous morning, the atmosphere was bittersweet as the last performances rang throughout the last day of Disc Jam. After a folksy duo set from Drummer Russ Lawton (known from Trey Anastasio Band, Strangefolk, The Chrome Cowboys) and Cabinet banjoist and vocalist Pappy Biondo, Norwalk-based band Goose drew the remaining crowd’s attention over towards the Tent Stage. They eased into the afternoon with a cover of the classic song “Little Eliza Jane,” immediately transitioning to a fast-paced race supported by an almost ska-like rhythm. They seamlessly moved from one musical style to the next, allowing space for individual soloing and a special guest performance from Rob Compa.

    One of the most anticipated artists on the Sunday bill was Bella’s Bartok, which was made very apparent by the theatrically-dressed fans that found their place in front of the Main Stage at 4:45 pm. Jumping to the rhythm of “So Calm, Relaxed,” attendees and members of the band acted in a completely opposite fashion, spinning in circles and parading a brash frenzy. The band recently released the album Is Me That Monster? and many of the songs from their set were pulled from this, with rhythms too fast for any dancers to keep up with, though they tried.

    As the music came and went on Sunday evening, festival attendees trickled out of the festival, unloading their gear with heavy heads. The sold-out weekend had such a variety of music to offer, and outside of the festivals stages was an entirely separate community of gatherers. Disc golfers and foodies alike traveled to take in Disc Jam’s many offerings. Wellness instructors, hula hoop dancers and visual artists all left with their own Disc Jam experiences, separate from their neighbors’. This community of art, music and memories is what Disc Jam thrives on, and the lasting memories made from this festival are made to last a lifetime. As another year of Disc Jam goes in the books, we are blown away by the versatile experience Disc Jam gives to each individual, and as the fest continues to grow, its capabilities will follow suit.

  • This Crazy Dream Called Bonnaroo

    “I want you to take one moment to be present enough [in this dark world] to realize that you’re surrounded by people that you may never see again, but for some reason we all came here today. And we get to be present. And we get to be right here with each other. So no matter what you are going through, I know this doesn’t make it go away. But for one second, just be present, enjoy music, and lets just fucking do this!”

    Hayley Williams, Paramore.

    Williams speech, as she sat cross-legged at the edge of What Stage, embodied the spirit of Bonnaroo for artists and fans alike. We were truly one – over 60,000 pieces woven together for the 17th annual gathering on The Farm. With 150 performances, art & culture, community building and sustainability efforts, it was effortless to make Bonnaroo your personal oasis out of the masses. But, we hardly had time for the music – chasing back to back sets which quickly wore holes through our shoes, top and bottom. Artist big and small, including Paramore, made their debut-Roo appearances and revealed unheard material. It’s only to be expected when you hear the word Bonnaroo. It swallows and consumes. It sucks you up and spits you out four days later of non-stop musical bliss. Welcome Bonnorovians.

    Bonnaroo Part One: Thursday and Friday

    There is no void in the wake of DREAMERS, a powerhouse rock trio with heavy New York roots. Lead guitarist and vocalist, Nick Wold’s feet tuck into his chest and plummet to the Who Stage, kicking off their first Bonnaroo performance at 5pm. They’re abrupt – snapping you into consciousness. The band drifts from punk, alternative and electronic music in its bare form.

    “A triangle is the strongest shape in music,” said Wold, as he form his hands accordingly. Debuting their new single “Screws,” the band shows off an eclectic mix of grunge guitar, electronic drums and bass that moves. “It’s about composition and playing tight together to communicate exactly what we wrote,” added Wold. “We are excited to express this thing we have been feeling and working on.” The driving chorus of “Wolves” picked the crowd off their feet while the breakdown in “Painkiller” sent everyone into oblivion.

    “Bonnaroo is one of those holy grail festivals. So it is a cool thing for us to be here,” said Wold. The band is excited to soak in the music vibe and become one with the audience to see all the new acts throughout this lineup.

    Iowa’s Lissie, continued at That Tent with the title track of their forthcoming album Castles, featuring an all female front with bassist Megan Mahoney and guitarist Toni Lindgren. Swelling peaks and valleys made the set dynamic, heard in “Love Blows” and “Feels Good.” Lissie sang with heart and makes a vivid connection to the lyrics in real time with “Best Days.” The soulful singer was in control, engaging the crowd. The performance strayed away from the electronic record with Luke Anderson on acoustic drums.

    Stripped down at On Tap Lounge, R&B singer Jalen N’Gonda revealed “Medicinal Fix” for the first time live. Accompanied only by a Cajon, N’Gonda’s set was jazzy and syncopated, stretching each chord higher than the last. Songs like “Honey” (If Only Honey Was As Sweet As You) were soothing, displaying N’Gonda’s pun personality. “I hope you think it’s sweet.” A solo guitar take on “Hollar” was proof Jalen is just as strong with or without his full band.

    As night fell, New Jersey bred Jasha Tull, known as Space Jesus, gave Bonnaroo new life. “You can have all the psychedelics you want, just don’t get paranoid out there. Drink lots of water and hug your friends all day!” The love was real and bass roared across Centaroo from The Other Stage. Massive screens surrounded the DJ with psychedelic visuals sucking you into the wormhole. Festival-goers, two females in particular, were stretched over the barricades head-banging with each drop. As the rave settled, Tull called a friend up on stage, who proposed to his fiancé for their first Bonnaroo. YES!

    If you haven’t hear the name, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, it is exactly what it sounds like – an overwhelmingly energetic jam-funk band bouncing from one groove to the next. Fans gathered in That Tent for an epic hour and thirty minute set, like a flock of pigeons taking the name way too literally. Getting lost in “Horizon” while actual ping pong balls soared across the stage covering the floor post-set. Lead vocalist Greg Ormont’s eyes nearly popped out of his head singing neverending songs like “F.U.,” while the band swung in unison with their flock.

    “We’re all staying for the rest of the weekend to hang out with you guys,” said Ormont, and the crowd went nuts. The band featured trumpet and sax players of The Revivalists, Michael Girardot and Rob Ingraham for many tunes. It was only Thursday and us Bonnaroovians couldn’t get enough. “Welcome to the flock. This one goes out to you!”

    As Thursday rolled into Friday morning in Manchester, the party was still going with various DJs across the campgrounds and a secret set from Cage The Elephant at Plaza 9. The main stage lineup was impressive; featuring Paramore, Manchester Orchestra, The Revivalists, Sturgill Simpson, Muse and Bassnectar.

    With the sun high, dripping sweat, our 15-hour trek around Centroo began. There were just too many good artists to pass up. In route to Which Stage, the second largest at the venue, edgy post-glam Pop lured you into the intimate On Tap Lounge.

    Nude mannequins stood on either side of the drums – headless, wearing ball caps. “Undies! Undies!,” lead singer, Julia Lauren Bullock screams. She pressed her lips to them and launches them back at the packed tent. “Yeah, that’s a big fucking pair of underwear.” The ambient keypads lingered in the Tennessee heat. Bullock, stretches the mic cable through her dirty blonde hair, back facing the crowd, dancing with it.

    Meet The Foxies. Bare syncopated drums kick off “Our Blood Is Fire,” from their 2016 EP Oblivion. The band sets off, inviting ‘our friends’ up onto stage. The trio screamed the hook, ‘fire – fire – fire’ pressed up against guitarist Jake Ohlbaum’s cheek. It was a party-gone-wrong and Bullock was the antagonist. The Nashville based band continued with their latest 2018 single of “Be Afraid Boy,” in your face and full of attitude.

    Early on, New Orleans iconic brass band sound blew north with Trombone Shorty & New Orleans Ave. Troy Anders, a.k.a Trombone Shorty conducted the band with conviction, cueing each syncopated hit and crescendo. The rhythm section with dirty-growling horns moved in the breeze, left to right in unison – making the set as visually funky as it was sound. The Alto Sax player was breakdancing and dragging staff from backstage into the groove. Screaming arena-rock guitar solos contrast the driving second-line style, making mashups of The Jackson 5 and RHCP’s “Give It Away” riveting. These guys are truly masters of their craft – constantly moving on stage and switching instruments seamlessly.

    Trombone Shorty walked back from behind the drums dripping in sweat, as if he had just emerged from a Louisiana Swamp. “One more time,” Shorty calls out and the horns scream with the crowd – Ba-Da-Da-Daaaaa. Five minutes later the energy cuts abruptly, with an outro only possible at Bonnaroo. His arms spread to the ceiling of This Tent, folded across his chest and burst back out in the air slowing the band. “We love you Roo, see you next time.”

    Vivid clouds and clear skies paint a soundscape for the love that is Bonnaroo. One can’t help, but to be submerged in the culture and essence of each band, being, and walk of art that roams The Farm. Manchester Orchestra appears on Which Stage blowing your thoughts to the back of Centroo and filling your mind with sound. Now, you’re just hanging on for the ride.

    “I’ve Got Friends,” is energetic with landscape overtones pouring from the band. “Cope” amplifies intensity with raging distorting leads. The band disappears into their backdrop and the music becomes faint. Hairs rise on your skin as Manchester Orchestra drives up in melodic progression. Rock-cinema pours out of the lower 108 speakers spread in front of the stage. Ending with bassist Andy Prince, dangling his instrument from its headstock, over his shoulder to the floor – ringing in discord.

    No introduction is needed for Paramore. It was only 6:15 and we had been lost in musical paradise. “It doesn’t seem like life just, suddenly got better once we sang about it, but I will say that singing about it and dancing about – it sure makes the time go by a lot more fun, I guess,” Hayley rambles on.

    Williams was frisky and vibrant. In between her intimate prose with all of Roo, she jolted up for Paramore classics including “That’s What You Get,” “Ain’t It Fun” and “Ignorance.” Williams’ Bowie inspired makeup, megaphone, and high-kicks made the set anything but, hard times, a-play-on she kept throughout the show, even After Laughter.

    What made Bonnaroo’s stages so exciting is that the bands always spiced up their music. Paramore, in particular, gave “a little Roo treat” featuring their drummers band, HalfNoise. Zac Farro go out from behind the kit to sing “French Class” alongside Williams, while excerpts from the music video played on screen.

    With nearly 90 degree heat, we needed a wakeup call. “Y’all ready to Rock n’ Roll?” David Shaw of The Revivalists screamed across Which Stage. Saxophonist Rob Ingraham, was strapped into a 4-point harness, twirling his sax and jumping across stage.The guitar stacks followed suit. As the band took on “Wish I Knew You” and “It Was A Sin” the wood began to bow beneath their feet like a trampoline. Michael Girardot bounced his feet in the air crashing into his keyboards, as the whole rig tipped back into one of the two dueling drum-sets. Everything was ready to come down. But it didn’t.

    Shaw, dressed in overalls, was ‘The Farmer’ rounding up his roo-cattle engaging them at every chance he could, pointing the mic out into the fields. “I don’t know if Shaw is late for the Hoot-N-Nanny or early for the Okie Dokie (a later band playing the Who Stage),” said Ingraham. The energy was real. Shaw jumped on and off stage relentlessly, eventually charging the gates around the pit screaming out, lost in the crowd.

    Red as David’s beanie, an apple rockets on-stage inches above the monitor. Shaw reaches down and snatches it up. Crunch – It sinks into his teeth. He then throws it out to the herd for feeding. Shaw had made it home – all two tons.

    The chaos continued with Country artist Sturgill Simpson performing on the What Stage on his birthday. His footsteps onstage cued the ovation of “Happy Birthday.”

    British Rock trio MUSE was overwhelming, shoving their discography down your throat with little breath in between. Opening with “Thought Contagion,” “Hysteria”, and “Interlude” to name a few. Despite their fame, it was MUSE’s first appearance at Bonnaroo. Eleven screens backed the drummer featuring live video onstage an kaleidoscope effects. The band carried on with precision, playing their hi-tech carbon-neck instruments and touch sensitive picking. Before their six-song encore, the band tributed Rage Against the Machine’s “Guerrilla Radio” into “Back In Black,” by AC/DC.

    For “Madness” lead Matt Bellamy wore 3-D style glasses revealing the lyrics in real time to the slow electrified trance. Giant balloons soared during “Starlight,” as hands clapped in uniform with the snare. When they burst the sky was filled thousands of tiny silhouettes falling like snow, cannons and confetti tying everyone together.

    The night would not come to and end without the infamous Tom Petty Superjam at This Tent. Heavy attendance was required to fill the shoes of Petty. Cage The Elephant’s Matt Shultz, David Shaw, My Morning Jacket drummer Patrick Hallahan, Sheryl Crow, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.

  • Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats and The Head and the Heart Kicked It Up in Cooperstown

    Ommegang knows how to host a party. At what has become one of the hottest concert venues in Central New York, the Cooperstown brewery’s second show of the summer brought the co-headlining show of The Head and the Heart and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats.

    Nathaniel Rateliff cooperstown

    Acoustic singer-songwriter Brent Cowles opened the show, winning over the crowd early in his set. He was followed by the first of the co-headlining bands, The Head and the Heart. It’s safe to say that there were just as many in the crowd there to see the indie folksters as were there to see Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. Many up front were decked in Head and the Heart gear and singing along with the majority of the songs during the band’s hour plus long set, especially the set closer, “Rivers & Roads.”

    Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats came out to a packed house, opening with “Shoe Boot,” a slow burner that brings to mind The Band’s “Don’t Do It.” The Night Sweats horn section was on point all night, especially during a raucous rendition of the band’s hit, “I Need Never Get Old.”

    Rateliff is a front man with aplomb. His gruff soulful voice and talent to shimmy demand the audience’s attention despite the fact that the rest of the Night Sweats are world class entertainers themselves.

    The night ended with all of the evening’s musicians joining together on stage for a rousing performance of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.” The energy on stage carried over into the crowd during the finale as the traditional fireworks show led the nearly sold-out crowd into the Otsego County night.

    The Head and the Heart Setlist: Sounds Like Hallelujah, Rhythm and Blues, Ghosts, City of Angels, Another Story, Let’s Be Still, Lost in My Mind, Heaven Go Easy on Me, Shake, Down in the Valley, Backwards Poker, Living Mirage, All We Ever Knew, Rivers and Roads

    Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats Setlist: Shoe Boot, Be There, Look It Here, A Little Honey, Coolin’ Out, Out on the Weekend, You Worry Me
    Wasting Time, You Should’ve Seen the Other Guy,  Babe I Know, Intro -> I Need Never Get Old, Hey Mama, S.O.B., Trying So Hard Not to Know

    Encore: Atlantic City (Bruce Springsteen Cover)

  • Hamilton’s Thursday Concert Series on the Village Green Kicks Off

    The Thursday on the Village Green concert series is kicking off on July 12th in Hamilton, NY. The concert series takes place in downtown Hamilton and is known for being a 100-year tradition with music on the Village Green dating back to 1902.

    Courtesy of Thursdays on the Village Green press release.

    There’s a family-friendly theme to go alongside the concert each night this year in hopes of expanding on the traditional musical performances by incorporating these family-friendly themed nights. The family themed activities will start at 5:30 p.m. and music will take place from 7-9 p.m. There will also be local food trucks and 200 ice cream sandwiches provided each week by Hood Dairy. The concert series has no cover charge and is open to the public.

    The kick-off event is on July 12th and will include the American Blues Roots band Chris Merkley’s Rocky Bottom Trio paired with a First Responders Night where the local police and ambulance will be present.

    Event dates listed below:

    July 12 – Chris Merkley’s Rocky Bottom Trio and First Responders Night – Hamilton, NY
    July 19 – The Old Main and Comic-Con Night – Hamilton, NY
    July 26 – Loren Barrigar and Education Night – Hamilton, NY
    Aug. 2 – Nate Gross Band and Racing Night with Matt Janczuk – Hamilton, NY
    Aug. 9- Sanguine Penguin and Healthy Hamilton Night – Hamilton, NY
    Aug. 16 – JJ Murphy and Veterans Night – Hamilton, NY

    For more information visit their Facebook.

  • Big Mean Sound Machine Announces Summer Tour

    Central New York funky big band, Big Mean Sound Machine announced summer tour dates through June and July throughout New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The stretch of shows leads up to the fourth annual Big Mean BBQ festival in August.

    big mean summer

    The festival is set to take place in Trumansburg, just outside Ithaca. Curated by Big Mean the festival has extended to a two-day weekend, featuring over 22 bands and two headlining performances by the band themselves.

    Weekend camping and RV passes are on sale now, to purchase passes head to the festival’s website. It l kicks off on Saturday Aug. 24 and features bands Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad, Driftwood, the Blind Owl Band, Marco Benevento and Kat Wright. For the full list of participating acts and ticket information, visit the festival website.

  • Hearing Aide: The Sea the Sea ‘From The Light’

    A lot has changed for The Sea the Sea since the release of their first album, Love We Are We Love in 2014. The debut album received high praise for its folk-acoustic basis that allowed the beautiful vocals of the original duo, what Huffington Post refers to as, “two of the loveliest male-female voices you might ever hear this or any other year,” to truly shine.  The same praise is just as easily applicable to their sophomore album, From The Light, which certainly does not disappoint on the vocals.  The band, originally an acoustic-folk duo act featuring Chuck and Mira Costa, has grown to now include Cara May Gorman on vocals and synthesizer, and Stephen Struss on drums and percussion.

    This album stays true to their folk roots, but shows how their sound has matured by adding a whole new spectacular layer of production and instrumentation that serves not to hide, but compliments their stunning vocals even more.  With the group’s introduction of reverb-heavy electric guitars, the dream-like production done by Troy Pohl, and by lacing almost every line with their signature harmonies, making every coming one as chillingly beautiful as the last, this album is a piece of art through and through, and is certainly a display of their musical growth as a group.

    The opening track, “Everybody,” is the perfect invitation for the listener to enter this album.  Opening with mesmerizing swirling sounds, as soon as the vocals join this dream sequence in stunning harmony, the song practically extends a hand connecting the musicians with the listener. The lyrics immediately dive into the album’s themes of the duality of human nature, accepting our differences, and fostering positivity times amidst hard times that the group explores.  It addresses the inescapable human fallibility we all face as somebody in this population of “everybody.”  The hypnotizing simplicity of the piece transforms as the sound thickens.  Percussion is layered onto a quicker beat, and an electric guitar takes center stage before the song strips back down to it’s original simplicity.  Without a hiccup, it then leads right into the next song, one of the notable singles off the album, “Bang Bang Bang.”  “Everybody” is a stunning opener and preview of what is to come from the album. It shares the driving questions, has the dreamy production highlighted in other songs such as “All Go Right,” and hints at more upbeat songs like “Phototrophic.”

    The title track, “From the Light,” takes it’s time building up, layering sound on top of sound, with the reverb allowing each to swim between your ears in anticipation for the next addition.  Starting off with simple percussion and working it’s way into an explosion of instrumentation and vocals.  The repeating lyrics circle back, creating a beautiful push and pull dynamic between good and bad, mimicking the tendency to sway back and forth between the two within human nature.

    The ballad “Good for Something,” was inspired by Chuck’s grandfather’s often repeated mantra stated in the above quote, which is now immortalized within the lyrics of the song.  The echoing melodic guitar and lyrics make this track a stand out song on the album and a happy ending to the story the album tells: focusing on the positive even in trying and confusing circumstances.

    For as much as the sound itself is a breath of fresh air, so is the obvious social commentary throughout From the Light and the optimistic outlook it takes on recognizing that we are all human, but ultimately choosing to focus on the good in that.

    The Upstate New York-local band will be kicking off their summer tour by giving New York State the pleasure of hosting their album release party.  Presented by Guthrie Bell Productions, on June 1st at the Hollow Bar + Kitchen in Albany, NY, The Sea the Sea will be celebrating this incredible new album by performing it live.  Click here to secure your ticket and get more information about the event.

    Key Tracks: Everybody, Bang Bang Bang, Good for Something

  • Hudson Taylor release video for “Old Soul,” featuring Gabrielle Aplin

    Hudson Taylor, an Irish-Americana Pop duo of brothers Alfie and Harry Hudson Taylor have released the video for “Old Soul,” off their recent EP Feel it Again, which charted in the Top 5 on the Irish album chart. The video was filmed during the band’s homecoming show at Dublin’s legendary Olympia Theatre and features guest vocals from Gabrielle Aplin.

    The duo recently toured the United States for the first time, supporting Aplin, and returned to Ireland where they performed to sold out crowds, as they did in Europe and the United States. Hudson Taylor will play summer festivals in Ireland, the UK and continental Europe, including high-profile spots at the UK festivals Leeds/Reading, Latitude and Isle of Wight, as well as Benicassim in Spain. The brothers will return to the UK and US for headlining tours in the fall.

  • Taste of Syracuse 2018 Kicks Off Friday

    The Salt City’s annual rite of summer, Taste of Syracuse, kicks off Friday June 1 and runs through June 2, 2018. The annual free festival pairs the region’s foods and music in Downtown’s Clinton Square. This year’s headliner is ’90s alt-pop icons, Smash Mouth.

    The fest’s claim to fame is the $1 food samples from the various eateries set up in the square. You can find the full dollar menu here.

    Other than the food, Taste of Syracuse also provides a great free look at the wealth of musical talent from Syracuse and surrounding areas. With three stages, there is no shortage of music to be found. Things get going at noon Friday with Just Joe on the Clinton Square Stage, Peg Newell and Robyn Stockdale on the Erie Boulevard Stage and Max Scialdone on the Main Stage.

    https://youtu.be/1X0BB-61s6Q

    Music continues throughout the day with soul being the theme on the Clinton Square Stage. Tanksley performs at 6:30 p.m. followed by Israel Hagen’s Stroke at 7:45 p.m. Prime Time closes out the night at 9:30 p.m.

    The Erie Boulevard Stage gets funky Friday night with a double shot of Root Shock and Sophistafunk. The two Syracuse bands recently paired for a mini-tour together called the Salt City Shakedown that also included Syracuse’s Skunk City. Root Shock won the 2017 SAMMY award for Best New Artist and also captured the NYS Music March Madness title that year.  Country Swagg and Hard Promises close out the Main Stage Friday night.

    Saturday gets started at noon with Lori Ann singing the oldies on the Clinton Square stage. Syracuse’s master of the slide guitar, Colin Aberdeen will get funky on the Erie Boulevard Stage at the same time.

    Colin Aberdeen performing at the Dinosaur BBQ in April 2017

    The Main Stage on Saturday will feature Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at at 1:30, followed by the folk rock stylings of Poor Tim, featuring Shawn “Big Sexy” Smith, a former contestant on NBC’s The Voice and Justin Smithson, who has performed at Carnegie Hall.

    Chris Eves and the New Normal follow Poor Tim. The New Normal’s single “Green and Blue” was recently included on Relix magazine’s June Digital Sampler. You can listen on Spotify below:

    Country act, Grit and Grace and the latest “Vinyl Albums Live” set, “The ’90s Mix Tape” follow. Closing out the main stage and the festival is ’90s pop group, Smash Mouth.

    Other acts performing on Saturday include Grateful Dead tribute act Dark Hollow, hip hop from Joe Driscoll and the Brownskin Band, Americana from the Old Main, and funk from Skunk City on the Erie Boulevard Stage.

    The Clinton Street stage features the soulful alt-rock of the Black River, Tim Herron and Great Blue, Soul Risin’ and the Barndogs DELUXE.

    Attendance to the two-day festival is free. For the complete schedule, see below.