NYS Music 20​18

Category: Genres

  • Disc Jam Music Fest 2018 Announces Daily Schedules

    Disc Jam organizers released the daily lineups for this year’s festival, being held June 7-10 in Stephentown, NY. Daily headliners include Aqueous and Moon Hooch (Thursday), The Motet and Galactic (Friday), Beats Antique and Lotus (Saturday) and Tom Marshall’s Amfibian All-Stars (Sunday). Late night acts include Gubbulidis and solo sets from Ryan Dempsey and Brook Jordan, all of Twiddle (Thursday), DJ Logic & Friends and Barber Acoustic (Friday), and Electron and Tom Hamilton & Holly Bowling (Saturday).

    Tickets for the festival are available now. Attendees can purchase full weekend passes or daily passes. Information on ticketing can be found at the Disc Jam website.

    Artists at Large

    Once again, Disc Jam will have some of the biggest names in the jam scene performing throughout the festival, collaborating with artists and bands each day. Artists at Large for Disc Jam 2018 include Eli Winderman and Rob Compa (Dopapod), Michelangelo Carruba, Shira Elias, Craig Brodhead, Chris Brouwers, Greg Sanderson, Josh Schwartz (Turkuaz), DJ Logic, and Honeycomb. Experience the collective nature of the Disc Jam community as these incredible musicians join more than 100 artists this June 7-10 in Stephentown, NY.

    Woods Stage Artists

    This year, Disc Jam has four of the hottest promoters in the Northeast taking over the Woods Stage for themed electronic dance music takeovers. Thursday night will be produced by Rezinate, well known for promoting some of the sought after underground parties and events in Boston. Friday’s duties go to Minus Zero Festival co-producers, NV Concepts, who will be presenting an entire night from the top house music artists off the Dirtybird Records Label, including Christian Martin, Kill Frenzy, Golf Clap and Ardalan. On Saturday, Brooklyn-based Sermon will host a night of bass music with U.K. producer Joker topping their list of wompy artists. The Wook of Wall Street will be hosting nightly curated Silent Disco Sets that go until sunrise.

    Disc Jam Flow Tribe

    Disc Jam Flow Tribe performances at Disc Jam are a staple for attendees and will once again include a renowned team of well rounded performance artists who have been a major part of the Disc Jam family since 2012. The featured flow artist for 2018 is world renowned Hula Hooper Rachael Lust. Rachael will be hosting flow arts workshops for beginner to expert levels, with multiple sessions each day. A variety of workshops will be offered to broaden the mind, body and spirit. Choose from Wellness, Flow Arts, Yoga, Painting, Disc Golf, and Permaculture classes available daily.

    Visual Artists

    Visual artists, including live painters and artists, will create massive murals and art installations throughout the site all weekend long. Featured artists Gabriel Welch, Stephen Kruse, Andy Reed, Raf Mata and many more will be creating murals, as well as curating an art gallery tent where attendees can view and buy artwork from all of the artists.

    Disc Golf Tournaments

    Disc golf is a game for experts, beginners, and everyone in between. Playing at least one round is a must for Disc Jam enthusiasts and the course encourages both the avid and first timer players to try their hand, all at no additional cost to play (outside of tournaments), with discs provided free of charge for those interested in playing.

    Disc Golf Tournaments for men and women are held on Saturday and Sunday mornings, with cash and prizes from Innova Disc Golf, Grassroots California, Vibram Five Fingers shoes, Native Eyewear, Suspended in the Trees Hammocks, The Earth Ship Tents and more going to the top finishers. Nationally ranked and touring Team Innova Disc Golf Pro Gregg Barsby will be hosting the tournaments as well as playing rounds, hosting workshops and clinics all weekend long.

    Road to Disc Jam Tour

    Having kicked off in April, more than 20 Disc Jam artists will perform at 11 venues across seven states including New York, New England and Pennsylvania, with free Disc Jam tickets given away as a door prize at each show.

    April 27 – Funky Dawgz Brass Band, Congo Sanchez and Honeycomb – Jewel Music, Manchester, NH
    April 28 – Formula 5 and Space Carnival – The Hollow Bar and Kitchen, Albany, NY
    April 28 – Congo Sanchez – Strange Brew Pub, Norwich, CT
    May 4 – Strange Machines and The Clock Reads – Electric Haze, Worcester, MA
    May 10 – Marbin and Swimmer – Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo, NY
    May 11 – Swimmer and Goose – Nectar’s, Burlington, VT
    May 11 – The Wook of Wall Street Pre-Jawn – Sprout Music Collective, West Chester, PA
    May 17 – Borg Party (members of Dopapod, Turkuaz, Giant Panda) – Flour City Station, Rochester, NY
    May 17 – Consider the Source – River Street Jazz Cafe, Wilkes-Barre, PA
    May 17 – Kung Fu – Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center, Greenfield, MA
    May 18 – Harsh Armadillo – Arch Street Tavern, Hartford, CT
    May 18 – Funktional Flow and Swimmer – Funk n Waffles, Syracuse, NY
    May 19 – Bella’s Bartok and Cousin Earth – Funk n Waffles, Syracuse, NY
    May 24 – West End Blend and Craig Brodhead (Turkuaz) – Fete Music Hall, Providence, RI

    See the daily schedule and the 2018 Disc Jam announcement below:

  • moe. return to Saranac Brewery on September 7 and 8

    moe. has added two more dates to their 2018 calendar with a return to Saranac Brewery in Utica, NY on September 7 and 8. The multi-band bill for the annual weekend of shows includes Aqueous opening the night on Friday, and Moon Hooch and Darryl Rahn kicking things off on Saturday.

    moe return saranac

    A limited number of VIP packages are available and include a brewery tour guided by the members of moe. with a post-tour beer and acoustic performance by the band. VIP tickets will be available at here alongside an online presale for general admission tickets as of Wednesday, May 9 at 10am ET. The public on sale will begin at 10am ET on Friday, May 11. Please visit moe.org for more information. moe will also return to Runaway Bay, Jamaica for the third installment of moe.’s tropical throedown.org. Jan. 10 – 14, 2019.

  • Watch NYC Emcee/Producer EB Rebel Video for “12”

    EB Rebel, a New York City emcee, producer and lyricist, has released her latest music video for “Spiritual,” off her upcoming sophomore EP Mama, I’m OK. This powerfully uplifting track pays homage to EB’s Dallas, Texas roots and follows the success of her debut EP, TRANCE, which was featured in the BET documentary Stay Woke.

    EB Rebel had aspirations of a musical career since she was 10 years old, but chose a more practical profession and to become a lawyer. Thanks to the plummeting economy and a burning desire to create, EB Rebel decide to skip law school to become a hip hop artist. The inspiration behind Mama I’m OK was EB Rebel’s thoughts and feelings during her first year after moving from Dallas to NY and the emotions that came with being away from family and following her dreams. Mama I’m OK is meant to bring attention to mental illness and to remind people to take care of that part of themselves.

    EB will perform at Queer Abstract on May 18, the night of her EP release.

  • Hearing Aide: Dana Fuchs ‘Love Lives On’

    dana fuchs love lives onIt was the immortal bluesman B.B. King who once deftly stated “As long as people have problems, the blues can never die.”  New Jersey native and soul singer extraordinaire Dana Fuchs is living proof that the King of the Blues was right on the money.  After overcoming numerous trials and tribulations in her personal life over the years, Fuchs has been able to overcome that pain and hardship by channeling it into her music. The latest LP from Dana Fuchs, Love Lives On, was recorded on her own newly formed label Get Along Records in Memphis, TN.  The record features a stellar backup band which includes Dana’s longtime musical collaborator and guitarist Jon Diamond as well as R&B legends Charles Hodges on Organ and Stax Records session veteran Steve Potts on Drums.

    Perhaps the most radio friendly number on Love Lives On is the opening selection on the album, “Backstreet Baby.”  The song has an infectious groove and upbeat vibe that features a nice electric guitar hook by Diamond which is supported by a nicely placed funky horn section.  The lyrics are stark and yes a little dark, but Fuch’s streetwise soulful vocals along with the band’s upbeat tempo really makes “Backstreet Baby” cook.

    Dana’s voice has the ability to conjure visions of such female blues greats as Etta James and Janis Joplin.  The soul that is put into the phrasing in her voice is essential to the classic R&B genre and is most reflective on tracks such as “Faithful Sinner.”  The song’s inspiration comes from Fuch’s late father and their relationship.  The lyrics talk about looking past the faults in people in your life and giving them unconditional love. The tune also features a beautiful organ introduction and in concert with Fuch’s gospel inspired vocals transports the listener to a Memphis church straight out of the sleepy South.

    The acoustic “Fight My Way” is a lyrical declaration by Fuchs that the struggle with darkness in one’s life is real and redemption does not come free or easily.   It is a constant battle that takes both your will and hard work to achieve.  Musically the number features Fuch’s at her soulful best, while Diamond demonstrates his folksy blues side by playing slide acoustic along with a pleasing mandolin accompaniment.

    Love Lives On finishes up strong with  a stripped down version of the Johnny Cash classic “Ring Of Fire.”  The LP’s version slows the tempo of the number down drastically and transforms the defiant and angry number into a classic Soul Cry torch song. The drastic change up from the Cash original totally works, and is a testament to the collaborative creativity that Fuchs and Diamond have developed over the years working together.

    Dana Fuchs will be touring in support of Love Lives On with numerous dates both in the U.S. and Europe this summer.

    Key Tracks: Ready To Rise,  Sittin’ On, Back Street Baby, Ring Of Fire

  • Grateful Dead to be Celebrated by The Cornell Chimes May 8

    May 8, 1977 is a date most Deadheads are familiar with and many adore for the Grateful Dead show performed that day at Barton Hall at Cornell University. Last year marked the 40th anniversary of that show with an official mastered release of the Betty Board tapes from the show (and a few others from the Dead’s early May ’77 run). Numerous venues also hosted listening parties and other events, the most unique being a live performance by the Cornell Chimes atop the McGraw Tower.

    Photo: Cornell University Press

    For a second year in a row, the Chimes will be ringing out the tunes of the Grateful Dead in a concert that can be enjoyed on campus (with a promise of fair weather this year) or streamed online. It is set for Tuesday, May 8 at 6 p.m.

    Last year’s event, which at first was simply a request for the Chimes to arrange one Grateful Dead tune, turned into something much greater – a full half hour concert and a proclamation making May 8, 2017 Grateful Dead Day in the City of Ithaca. “[The Chimes] were surprised by how many people tuned in to the live stream and gathered on campus even though it was only 35 degrees out,” said Liz Field in an interview for WVBR and NYS Music, who works for Cornell and had the idea for last year’s event. Riding on the success of the 2017 celebration, Field said that the Chimesmasters were excited about the idea of doing it again this year.

    The Chimes

    The Chimes concert will feature the same arrangements as last year’s performance with three new arrangements which will be kept a secret until shortly before the concert.

    It isn’t certain if the Cornell Chimes will turn this into an annual event; however they now have several Grateful Dead arrangements in their library which could be heard into the future. The Chimes, which has a long history at Cornell dating back to the university’s 1868 opening ceremonies, performs three fifteen-minute concerts each day during the academic year and takes song requests from visitors to the tower.

    The event can be streamed live online, starting around 5:45pm with the concert starting at 6pm. A link to the stream will be posted on the event’s Facebook page and on Twitter the day of and video recordings will be posted on YouTube after the event. The McGraw Tower will be closed to visitors for this special concert, however there is plenty of space on the lawn for people to gather and enjoy the show.

    Check out a video of The Chimes performing “Playing in the Band” May 8, 2017:

  • John Popper gets Intimate at the Swyer Theater

    The Venn Diagram of ‘Blues Traveler Fans’ and ‘people who like hearing songwriters talk about the music they’re performing’ intersected at The Egg’s Swyer Theater on Thursday, May 3, with John Popper performing songs from across his catalog with fellow Blues Traveler Ben Wilson accompanying him on piano. Over two hours, Popper would dip into song after song, rip passionate vocals onto the crowd, dive into a high arcing harmonica solo, and then after closing the song out, get into a story about that, or the next song. Katrina Woolverton opened for Popper, performing originals such as “Better now” and covered Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons” alongside guitarist Lance Conner.

    Gen X fans of Blues Traveler brought their kids to listen to Popper perform “100 Years,” “Regarding Steven,” and “Alone,” which brought Popper and Wilson back to the early 90s when they lived on 134th street in NYC. “Champipple” had an interesting backstory involving an episode of Sanford and Son where Fred shares his recipe for homemade Champagne – Ripple and Ginger Ale. “Mountains Win Again” and “But Anyway” both made appearances, as well as “Hurry Up and Hang Around,” off the upcoming Blues Traveler album, due out this October, and was inspired by their 2014 trip on JamCruise. “Carolina Blues” led into Wilson’s piano solo of the night, and then seamlessly worked into “Hook,” earning a standing ovation from the audience, and again for an encore of “Imagine” with Woolverton and Wilson.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BiVtmxCHrOo

    Popper has evolved over the past 30 years of Blues Traveler into an elder statesman of the jam scene, and being the founder of H.O.R.D.E., he certainly earned the title at a young age. At the same time, Popper looks like your neighbor who takes pride in mowing his lawn and has two young kids running around that he dotes on. Either way, this is a Popper tour real fans should plan to catch.

  • Album Review: Hartley’s Encore ‘Hartley’s Encore’

     

    hartley's encore albumJoining the ranks of Albany’s tasteful and expansive live music scene over the last two years, Hartley’s Encore has become a recognizable name, plastered on fliers at favored venues and taking on hosting duties for local funk nights, and after rounding up a collection of distinguished tracks, the spunky Capital Region locals finally put forth their first, self-titled album on April 20, 2018. 

    The 6-track effort was recorded and mixed by Soulives’ Alan Evans at Iron Wax Recording Studio in Millers Falls, MA and comes stacked with talent, including Luke Malamood (Lead and Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Hammond B3, Percussion), Chris Oliver (Guitars, Backing Vocals), Jeff Nania (Saxophones), Josh Gordon (Bass: tracks 1, 3, 4, and 6), Mike Gilet (Drums: tracks 1, 3, 4, and 6) and the help of Erik Pravel (Drums: tracks 2, and 5), Phil Chow (Trumpet) and Brad Monkell (Bass: tracks 2, and 5).

    From the album’s opening notes, it’s apparent the assortment has one goal in mind: create funky, dance-leaning tracks that leave the live crowd and listener at home no choice but to groove in their immediate proximity. “Take ‘Em Down” and “Can’t Fake the Funk” are full embodiments of dance anthems, complete with transitions between soulful vocals and an impressive horn section splashed throughout. Groovy, harmonized background vocals and a splash of falsetto are quick to grab an ear as well as carefully placed elements of rock and roll.  Although generally funky and soulful, a fiery nugget of psychedelic rock is thrown into the mix with wailing guitar solos by Oliver.

    Rotating focus on which instruments shine, “Keep That Bright Light Shining,” “All My Funky People” and “Hooklynn” highlight the ability to swap musical hats with tasteful drum lead-ins, tickling of the keys and fleeting solos on guitar. Appropriately named “Hartley’s Encore” and placed as the closing track of the album, the repeated mantra of “gonna give you an encore” paired with jazzy pockets of saxophone and trumpet leave you feeling the funk up until the final notes.

    Over six tracks, Hartley’s Encore manages to fuse their chosen genres in a seamless way, weaving rock and roll amidst funk and jazz while keeping the message lighthearted and fun. Between catchy hooks, tasty riffs and feel-good tunes, the up and comers pieced together a collection of tracks suitable for those live on the dance floor, cookin’ and dancin’ at home or anxiously wiggling in the car during rush hour traffic.

    A record release party took place on Friday, April 27 at The Hollow in Albany with special guest Victory Soul Orchestra and was hosted by Guthrie/Bell Productions. They will also perform at Bowery Electric on May 18 in Manhattan. Hartley’s Encore is now available on Spotify and Apple Music.

    Key Tracks: (Keep That) Bright Light Shinning, All My Funky People, Hartley’s Encore

  • Intrepid Travelers Kick off Cinco en Mayo Residency with Funky Tribute to James Brown

    Intrepid Travelers kicked off their Cinco en Mayo residency at Nietzsche’s with some funk and celebrated the birthday of James Brown by bringing in a front man and a reed section. “Get Up Offa That Thang” featured a breakdown drum and bass solo, “Sex Machine” saw Eric Crittenden taking over Donny Frauenhofer’s keyboard rig and “The Boss” had a hip hop jam and heavy “Xxplosive” (Dr. Dre) teases.

    “Goodness Sakes, Look at Those Cakes” was highlighted by solos from the entire sax section and Critt rapping about the “cakes” he and the band saw. The James Brown show concluded with a stretched out take on the Intrepid Travelers original “Photo Booth Youth.” Ellen Pieroni joined the band for the encore with a performance of Vulfpeck’s “Funky Duck.”

    https://www.facebook.com/intrepidtravelersfamily/videos/1929817953717736/

    Setlist: Pass the Peas(1)$, Get Up Offa That Thang(1)$ > Sex Machine Bridge(1)$ > Sex Machine(1)$, The Boss(1)$ > Goodness Sakes, Look at Those Cakes(1)$, Superbad(1)$, Photo Booth Youth

    Encore: Funky Duck(2)%

    (1) James Brown Band
    (2) Vulfpeck
    $ with Eric Crittenden on lead vocals and alto saxophone, Ellen Pierono on alto saxophone, Jon Lehning on tenor saxophone, and Kyle Ohlsen on baritone saxophone
    % with Ellen Pieroni on alto saxophone

    The second week of IT’s Cinco en Mayo residency will feature Haewa and celebrate the Golden Years on over 65 night!

    intrepid travelers james brown

  • Watch “Shadow of Your Love,” an unreleased Guns N’ Roses song from Appetite for Destruction

    Guns N’ Roses announced this week that Appetite for Destruction: Locked N’ Loaded will be released on June 29 at the whopping price of only $999. But it might be worth the price given that it includes 25 unreleased demos that were recorded during a Sound City session in 1986, as well as two tracks that were cut during sessions with Appetite producer Mike Clink. You’ll also get the original 1987 album remastered from the original stereo analog tapes, plus 12 remastered tracks taken from of-era EPs and b-sides. One of the unreleased tracks, “Shadow of Your Love” was shared on YouTube this week. Watch below.

    The unreleased audio on this box sex features two songs Guns N’ Roses cut with Clink, “Shadow of Your Love,” which was recorded during a trial session that led Clink to the production job, plus an acoustic version of “Move to the City,” which came out of the GN’R Lies sessions. Plus you’ll hear two early versions of “November Rain,” two unfinished songs – “The Plague” and “New Work Tune,” plus covers of Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel,” Aerosmith’s “Mama Kin” and acoustic and electric versions of the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”

    But wait…. there’s more! Altogether there are four CDs, seven LPs, seven 7-inch singles, a hardcover book, five “custom hand-made metal-cast band skull face rings” and the same number of “hand-made metal-cast band skull face lapel pins” and “metal skull face and signature-stamped guitar picks,” to name just a few of the included items. And all those tiny skulls and records will cost you only $999. Pre-order is now open.

  • Deer Tick Storms into Buffalo

    Deer Tick may have been nearing the end of a lengthy tour but you wouldn’t have known it from the energy the Rhode Island based band brought to the stage of Buffalo Iron Works on Tuesday May 1st.

    They came out of the gate swinging and held the captivated audience entertained with their unique blend of americana soaked indie rock. To start the night off Nashville’s Liz Cooper and the Stampede played an intensely fun set that won over many in attendance.