NYS Music 20​18

Category: Genres

  • Imagine Dragons ‘Evolve’ World Tour Features Grace Vanderwaal

    Las Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons dropped the “Thunder” with their summer touring plans for 2018. The band will continue to support their third studio album Evolve, with a 38-city tour across the United States.

    imagine dragons evolveLook for more dates to be possibly added, as there is a huge gap in between the last two announced dates. Season eleven winner of America’s Got Talent, and Suffern, NY native Grace Vanderwaal, was announced as special guest to help support and open shows during the tour.

    The band looks to make New York a “Believer,” with three stops spread across the state. Those stops will include June 11, at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, June 19, at Madison Square Garden in NYC, and  June 29, at SPAC, in Saratoga Springs. Tickets go on sale to the general public March 3.

    Imagine Dragons have sold over 12 million albums, and over 35 million singles worldwide, not including sales of Evolve. Their debut album Night Visions, earned them a twice platinum certification and a Billboard Music Award for “Top Rock Album,” in 2014. Their second studio album Smoke + Mirrors, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and is certified platinum.

    Imagine Dragons “Evolve” Tour Dates:

    June 5 – Xfinity Theatre – Hartford, CT
    June 6 – Xfinity Center – Mansfield, MA
    June 8 – Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion – Bangor, ME
    June 9 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ
    June 11 – Lakeview Amphitheater – Syracuse, NY
    June 13 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, CA
    June 16 – HersheyPark Stadium – Hershey, PA
    June 17 – Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH
    June 19 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
    June 21 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, MI
    June 22 – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center – Indianapolis, IN
    June 24 – CenturyLink Center – Omaha, NE
    June 26 – Denny Sanford Premier Center – Sioux Falls, SD
    June 27 – Summerfest – Milwaukee, WI
    June 29 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY
    July 2 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA
    July 3 – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater – Virginia Beach, VA
    July 5 – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek – Raleigh, NC
    July 7 – Colonial Life Arena – Columbia, SC
    July 8 – Brandon Amphitheater – Brandon, MS
    July 10 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
    July 11 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Maryland Heights, MO
    July 13 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Tinley Park, IL
    July 14 – Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
    July 16 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
    July 18 – Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
    July 21 – The Forum – Los Angeles, CA
    July 24 – Concord Pavilion – Concord, MA
    July 26 – Bobcat Stadium – Bozeman, MT
    July 30 – Intrust Bank Arena – Wichita, KS
    Aug. 1 – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
    Aug. 2 – Austin360 Amphitheater – Austin, TX
    Aug. 4 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – The Woodlands, TX
    Aug. 5 – Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, LA
    Aug. 7 – The Amphitheater at the Wharf – Orange Beach, AL
    Aug. 9 – Coral Sky Amphitheater – West Palm Beach, FL
    Aug. 10 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL
    Oct. 20 – FC Dallas Stadium – Frisco, TX**

    **Grace Vanderwaal not performing

  • Phish Announces 11th Fest, Curveball, at Watkins Glen

    Speculation has become fact. Phish is returning to Watkins Glen International for its 11th festival Aug. 17-19. Ticket sale begins March 2 at noon.

    Phish CurveballPhish last performed at “The Glen” for Magnaball in 2015. You can read NYS Music’s coverage of that sold-out festival here, here and here. Pete Mason re-lived the legendary Drive-In set from Magnaball here.

    Ticketing packages include a general admission weekend pass for $250 plus fees. These tickets allow weekend access to the festival grounds and GA campground. Those bringing a vehicle must also purchase a vehicle camping pass.

    There is also a Glen Close package, which includes one Glen Close vehicle camping pass (choose car or RV) and two Glen Close weekend passes with the option to purchase an additional Glen Close weekend pass during the purchase process. Pricing for this option begins at $910 plus fees. For more information, visit the festival page.

    Phish’s first festival was the groundbreaking Clifford Ball in 1996. Curveball marks the third festival the band has held at Watkins Glen International, following Magnaball and 2011’s Super Ball IX. The rolling hills and central location of this Finger Lakes venue allows for easy travel from many major cities in the northeast.

    Tickets are available beginning at noon on Friday, March 2.

  • Metallica Worldwired Tour to Stop in Buffalo and Albany

    New York fans have been buzzing the last couple of days after the mighty Metallica posted a video on social media that said “Monday, Worldwired Tour,” The brief video left fans hoping their city will be part of the the band’s 2018-2019 touring plans.

    Rumors started circulating once venues across North America started sharing Metallica’s post hours later. Two of 34 venues that shared Metallica’s video, were located in New York state. One of those venues on the list, had Capital Region metal fans saying “Could this be for real,” when the Times Union Center in Albany shared the band’s post.

    Now that Monday has arrived, everything has been made official. Metallica will make two stops in New York on their upcoming “Worldwired 2018/19” tour, including Oct. 27, at the Key Bank Center in Buffalo, and Oct. 29, at the Times Union Center in Albany. Fan club presale begins Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public March 2.

    Look for Metallica to announce around 50 shows to round out the 2018 tour schedule. Frontman James Hetfield admitted in a 2016 interview that, “My body has told me to tell these guys that 50 shows a year is kind of what we can do, so make the best of those. And I think we all kind of agree in that. But 50 shows a year, that’s pretty good. My body can handle that. Body, mind and spirit all need to kind of revitalize themselves at home, and days off for voices — things like that — so 50 shows a year, it goes pretty quick, I’m sure.”

    Since their debut in 1981, Metallica has released 10 studio albums, a cover album, four live albums and five EP’s. Their last six studio albums, all debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. They have sold over 125 million records worldwide, making them one of the most commercially successful bands of all time. Since 1991, the band became the third best-selling artist with over 58 million albums in the U.S. alone. Metallica has released over 37 singles, and won nine Grammy Awards.

    “Worldwired” Tour Dates:

    Oct. 2 – Kohl Center – Madison, WI
    Oct. 4 – Target Center – Minneapolis, MN
    Oct. 6 – Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, NB
    Oct. 8 – Alerus Center – Grand Forks, ND
    Oct. 11 – Denny Sanford Premier Center – Sioux Falls, SD
    Oct. 13 – Bell MTS Place – Winnipeg, MB Canada
    Oct. 15 – Sasktel Centre – Saskatoon, SK Canada
    Oct. 16 – Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center – Milwaukee, WI
    Oct. 18 -PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
    Oct. 20 – Bryce Jordan Center – State College, PA
    Oct. 22 – Spectrum Arena – Charlotte, NC
    Oct. 27 – KeyBank Center – Buffalo, NY
    Oct. 29 – Times Union Center – Albany, NY
    Nov. 26 – T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV
    Nov. 28 – Taco Bell Arena – Boise, ID
    Nov. 30 – Vivnt Smart Home Arena – Salt Lake City, UT
    Dec. 2 – Spokane Arena – Spokane, WA
    Dec. 5 – Moda Center – Portland, OR
    Dec. 7 – Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA
    Dec. 9 – Save Mart Center – Fresno, CA
    Jan. 18 – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
    Jan. 20 – Verizon Center – Little Rock, AR
    Jan. 22 – Legacy Arena at the BJCC – Birmingham, AL
    Jan. 24 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
    Jan. 28 – PNC Arena – Raleigh, NC
    Jan. 30 – U.S. Bank Arena – Cincinnati, OH
    Feb. 1 – Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH
    Feb. 28 – Don Haskins Center -El Paso, TX
    March 2 – United Supermarkets Arena – Lubbock, TX
    March 4 – Intrust Bank Arena – Wichita, KS
    March 6 – Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
    March 9 – KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, KY
    March 11 – Bankers Life Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN
    March 13 – Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, Mi

  • moe. wraps up February tour in Albany, honored by Mayor Sheehan

    At moe.’s final show of their February tour, the city of Albany had something special on tap to honor the group who called Albany a second home during the 1990s. Mayor Kathy Sheehan was welcomed to the stage by promoter Greg Bell where she recalled seeing moe. at Valentine’s, and issued a Mayoral Proclamation declaring February 24 as moe.day. With band on stage, the audience erupted in delight at the honor bestowed on them by a town ripe with bands following in moe.’s footsteps.

    After being handed a ‘Rob. Strong’ banner, moe. dove into the first of two firey sets with a “Rebubula” intro fakeout that dove into “Buster” on a dime, and followed with back to back ~12 minute versions of heavy hitters “Haze” and “Y.O.Y.” and the second version of “Who You Calling Scared?” which debuted in Portland a week earlier. “Akimbo” and “Rise” sustained the energy of the set ahead of the only cover of the weekend run, “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” with Chuck and Al trading off throughout.

    “Stranger Than Fiction” led the way in Set 2 with a hefty and fluid “Faker” and “CalifornIA” that followed. Jim Loughlin then dove into “Farmer Ben” and a rage rocker “Don’t Fuck with Flo” kept Loughlin in the spotlight on vibraphone, as well as in “McBain,” the ninth of ten 10+ minute songs played this evening alone (there were 7 the night prior). After a potential segue towards “George,” moe. opted to wrap up the show the way they started and swung for the fences with “Rebubula” to the intense delight of the crowd. Returning to the stage following a balloon drop, Al Schnier thanked the crowd and the city of Albany and led the band in “Letter Home,” wrapping up the run on a heartfelt note and giving time for the kids to keep dancing long after the show on South Pearl Street.

    Setlist

    Soundcheck: Johnny Lineup, Who You Calling Scared? – Listen here.

    Set 1: Rebubula > Buster > Haze > Y.O.Y. > Who You Calling Scared?, Akimbo > Rise > In Memory of Elizabeth Reed*

    Set 2: Stranger Than Fiction, Faker > CalifornIA > Farmer Ben > Don’t Fuck With Flo > Faker, McBain, Rebubula

    Encore: Letter Home

    * with Silversun tease

    photos by Dave DeCrescente

  • Photo Gallery: Deer Tick spends Friday night at the Mall

    Going to the mall on a Friday night seems something a bunch of teenagers might do. Friday, February 23 saw a slew of twenty and thirty-somethings take over Crossgates Mall in Albany. The relatively new Jupiter Hall, located toward the back of Lucky Strike Social, has been bringing a variety of great concerts to the area and they might have outdone themselves with Deer Tick.

    Deer Tick’s “Twice Is Nice” tour is highlighting an acoustic set and an electric set. This allows the band to explore their wide variety of influences from folk to rock and from country to blues. It’s a special treat for the dedicated fans that want to hear over two hours of music from the incredibly talented group from Rhode Island.

    Deer Tick (John McCauley, Ian O’Neil, Chris Ryan and Dennis Ryan) brought along a friend for the Albany show, the Catskills’ very own James Felice jumped in on keys and accordion adding to the energy of the evening.

    The tour heads out west and back in New York for shows at The Haunt in Ithaca (March 3) and the Lost Horizon in Syracuse (March 4). The band will be taking the tour overseas to Australia and will be back in the states in April for the Rhythm and Blooms Festival in Knoxville and then another stretch of dates throughout the south.

  • moe. Returns Home to Albany for Night 1 at The Palace Theatre

    moe. returned to The Palace Theatre in Albany on Feb. 23 for the first time since New Years Eve 2015 and brought along Buffalo’s Aqueous, giving fans a look at the past, present and future of the New York State jam scene.

    Looking to the future of the scene, look no further than Aqueous, one of the success stories coming out of Western New York. The versatile foursome set a standard for touring bands who are just getting their start or waiting for their big break out of the clubs and into the national scene. They kicked off the night shortly after doors and proceeded to give the Albany audience a five-song set. Guitarist Mike Gantzer noted they only had 15 minutes left, and that meant there was time for one more song, and with that dove into the proggy “Triangle,” which had hints of Umphrey’s McGee but still the classic Aqueous tightness throughout.

    moe. stepped out with bright lights shining behind creating a silhouette during the accelerating instrumental “Jazz Wank” and instead of the usual “Buster,” “Skrunk” followed and bled into “Down Boy” with Chuck and Rob creating a vocal segue over the end of “Skrunk” with the first verse of lyrics. 15 minutes of a Chuck-led jam later, “Down Boy” moved into a high energy “Tailspin.” The new “I Can Never Remember” was the only breather in a firey first set, with “Blue Jeans Pizza” jumping the tempo back up and giving the crowd chills when Rob hit the high note. The highlight among a packed first set was Mike Gantzer of Aqueous coming out for “Waiting for the Punchline,” with Al taking the lead on the jam before turning Mike loose on the audience who greeted his moment in the spotlight with intense cheers to end the set.

    moe albany palace

    Set 2 began with the Sticks and Stones era “Deep This Time” and “New York City,” followed by a break for tuning that led to Al and Rob riffing on an ‘Albany Song’ made up on the spot. “What Can I Say” was a lighthearted break in the action but from here the jamming went deep. “Hi and Lo” built the foundation for the next hour that built with a Latin-tinged “Montego,” a marvelous “Captain America,” and a 26 minute version of “She” that was at times loose and spacey and somehow found its way into “Happy Hour Hero.” The encore of “Downward Dog” closed the night at nearly 1 in the morning, with one more night in store on Saturday. Tickets are available here.

    Aqueous setlist: Aldehyde > Skyway, Strange Times > Marty, Triangle

    moe. Setlist:
    Set One: Jazz Wank > Skrunk > Down Boy > Tailspin, I Can Never Remember > Blue Jeans Pizza > Waiting For The Punchline*
    Set Two: Deep This Time > New York City, Albany Song^, What Can I Say, Hi & Lo > Montego, Captain America > She > Happy Hour Hero
    Encore: Downward Facing Dog

    * with Mike Gantzer of Aqueous on guitar
    ^ ‘debut’, made up on spot

  • Hearing Aide: Soulive ‘Cinematics Vol. 1’

    Soulive Cinematics Vol. 1Easy Rider, Boogie Nights, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Pulp Fiction. What do these films have in common? Fantastic soundtracks. But what if the soundtrack preceded the movie concepts and producers were asked to build their storyline around the music? This is the question that New York’s funk trio Soulive takes aim at with their new EP, Cinematics, Vol. 1.

    When you’re an all-star in any profession in life, people want you to play for their team. This is why it has taken guitarist Eric Krasno, drummer Alan Evans and keyboardist Neal Evans six years to join forces and release new material. Individually keeping busy and immersing themselves in a universe of sound has always been the formula they have used since the birth of Soulive in 1999. After nearly 20 years, the sonically mature threesome continues to say it best with their instruments and give listeners a chance to go on a wordless adventure of their own. “We didn’t have to talk about anything,” Alan says. “It all unfolded as we were working on it; one song influences the direction of the next, and soon you find yourself going down this path. We want this music to take people on a little journey.”

    The “Ad Lib” puzzle of carefully crafted soundtrack material begins with “Kings March,” a vintage villain theme song for any 70’s James Bond flick. When the movie theater displays the rules before the film begins, they always ask you to “turn your goddamn phone off” in the politest way possible and occasionally they will add some universally intimidating music to the background. That is “Kings March.” “Bluebird” is the easy rider of the 5-pack EP and offers listeners the opportunity to mellow out and grab some more popcorn. Imagine a drug-dealing montage where everything is going well in the storyline… there is probably trouble and intensity lurking but it is the mystery that keeps us entertained and “Bluebird” is the sound heard in the backdrop.

    “Sidekick” sits in the middle of ‘Cinematics’ and highlights Neal’s ability to blast some interstellar effects into the number. Serving as a platform to give Robin some love in a world of Bruce Wayne, “Sidekick” reintroduces us to the Soulive studio time we have been asking about for the better half of a decade. Authentically groovy with a psychedelic backdrop, this track will hopefully find itself sampled on the next Wu-Tang Clan album.

    Quentin Tarantino would kill for the rights to use “Millers Last Stand,” the spaghetti western infused cocktail that can be ordered on the newest Soulive menu. Krasno’s wobbly guitar is at a standoff with Alan’s whip cracking drum kit and creates a sonic landscape as vast as the desert for listeners to explore. The EP comes to a crashing finish with “Waves,” the calm, salt-water soaked ditty that gives our imaginary character some alone time to tell Sandy she’s the one that he wants.

    The beauty of jazz is that like a great film, it is timeless and thought-provoking. Soulive can throw these tunes into any of their cataloged creations and fans might not tell the difference, but it is the way they place each track into a story that gives it power. While ‘Cinematics, Vol. 1’ will not win an Oscar, the next all-star director may throw on some headphones and space out to the mix, finding the next ET, Dirty Harry, or Black Panther.

    Key Tracks: Kings March, Sidekick, Millers Last Stand

  • Juicy Connotation Gets Spotlight Treatment

    Juicy Connotation is the latest band to be featured on the interview/concert series Rochester Indie Musician Spotlight. The five piece group blends funk, jazz, Latin and rock to create what they identify as “juice funk.” In this episode, they speak with the show’s host Dan Gross about their origin, the magic behind the making of their material, and their upcoming self-titled album.

    Upcoming Rochester Indie Musician Spotlight featured artists for Season 5 include Tough Old Bird, Hannah PK, Vanishing Sun, Grand Canyon Rescue Episode, Seth Faergolzia, and Jimmy Highsmith Jr.

    Rochester Indie Musician Spotlight is produced and hosted by Dan Gross. Camera operation and video production are provided by Jason Thibault and David Clapp, and audio is mixed by Josh Pettinger at Wicked Squid Studios. This season is made possible by Bop Shop Records, Rowe Photographic Video and Audio, Bernunzio Uptown Music, Sound Source, Joe Bean Coffee Roasters, Three Heads Brewing, Wicked Squid Studios, and patrons who contributed to the Season 5 indiegogo campaign.

    For more about Juicy Connotation and Rochester Indie Musician Spotlight, read the NYS Music feature. For the latest news and access to dozens of episodes, visit Dan Gross Music and Journalism.

  • Gramatik and Balkan Bump team up for “Aymo” ft, Talib Kweli

    Balkan Bump, the newest project from trumpet player, producer and ethnomusicologist Will Magid, Gramatik and Brooklyn-born Talib Kweli have combined forces on the debut track “Aymo.” Balkan Bump debuted at Gramatik’s NYE show at Terminal 5 this past December and will be joining Gramatik on the road during his Spring 2018 Re:Coil tour.

    Aymo

    Musically, Balkan Bump is a fusion of live instruments, world influences and lush electronic production. The debut EP demonstrates his experience as an instrumentalist and arranger, fusing energetic Balkan brass with heavy electronic production and hip-hop/trap influences. This thrilling blend of live brass and electronic production carries over to Balkan Bump’s live show, and can be found joining Gramatik as he unveils his horn-infused live set to a North American audience in Spring 2018 for the Re:Coil Tour starting in February 2018.

    “Aymo” was a collaboration from Gramatik’s Re:Coil Part I EP, originally written by Will Magid and Talib Kweli, who met while playing alongside Pretty Lights on The Conan O’Brien show. Gramatik loved it so much he wanted to put his own spin on it and now his independent label Lowtemp will also provide a home for Will’s first EP under the Balkan Bump moniker, due out in early March. In December, Will released the first single from the upcoming EP, “Irfan.”

    Re:Coil Tour Dates
    Feb. 21 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
    Feb. 22 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
    Feb. 24 – New Orleans, LA – Joy Theatre
    Feb. 26 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Druid City
    Feb. 27 – Chattanooga, TN – TBD
    March 1 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
    March 2 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
    March 3 – Knoxville, TN – The International
    April 12 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
    April 13 – Richmond, VA – The National
    April 14 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
    April 15 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
    April 18 – Columbia, SC – Music Farm
    April 19 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre
    April 20 – Washington, DC – Echostage
    April 21 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
    April 22 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
    April 24 – Syracuse, NY – The Westcott Theater
    April 26 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall

  • Interview: Young Culture Takes New Release ‘Blue’ On The Road

    Vibrant pop punk outfit Young Culture made their way from their hometown of Albany to Rochester on February 17 for the first night of their coast to coast tour. They’re on the road promoting their sophomore EP, Blue, which was released in the fall. NYS Music met up with founding members Alex Magnan and Gabe Pietrafesa just before their show at Vineyard Community Space to talk about the release, tour, the importance of support from friends and family, and the game called Odds.

    Young Culture
    Photo by Danny DeRusso Photography

    Paula Cummings: You’re on tour for your new EP. Tell me about Blue.

    Gabe Pietrafesa: We recorded last January, about a year ago. We went out to Always Be Genius Studios in Indiana and recorded it with Seth Henderson and Derek Discanio from State Champs. We were there for eight days, did five songs. We had a blast. Now it’s out and it’s going good. The shows have been really great, and the songs are where we want them to be.

    Alex Magnan: It definitely felt like a good follow-up to our first EP You because that one we recorded when we were pretty young. We were 17/18 when we recorded Blue, so it’s just more mature than the last one. It felt like the next step.

    PC: You recorded with Derek from State Champs. They’re from your hometown of Albany, right?

    GP: We’re homies with the State Champs guys. Derek actually worked with us on our first record, too. He’s a friend now and he’ll come to us with ideas or we’ll come to him with ideas. He just wants to be part of what we’re creating because he’s been with Young Culture from day one. State Champs has been a big thing in the Albany scene.

    PC: Also important are supportive parents, and I’ve heard that you guys have an awesome band mom.

    AM: Both my parents, Mike and Gina, are the greatest souls ever. They just love everybody and they really are into what we’re doing. So they’re very supportive of it. Every time before we leave for tour they always make us mad food, a big breakfast and food to take.

    GP: And any time we have friends’ bands, like if Rarity was in town, they’ll have them over, let them stay and do their laundry, cook them food. They go out of their way. They’re great people.

    AM: I feel like they were never doubtful about it. When I was like “Mom, Dad, I want to do music,” they were like, “This is the right move, but if you want to do it, you better haul ass and be 100% about it.” They pushed us to keep doing what we’re doing, which is pretty unorthodox. A lot of parents don’t do that.

    Young Culture
    Photo by Danny DeRusso Photography

    PC: You spend a lot of time on the road. I hear you like to play a game called Odds.

    GP: So the rule for Odds is… I’ll use (friend and cameraman) Danny as an example. I’ll think of a crazy task. I’ll be like, Danny, what are the odds that every photo you take tonight you have to close your eyes. Danny will be like one out of ten. And Alex will count us in like 3, 2, 1. And then we both say a number between one and ten, and if we both say the same number, then he has to do it. If I said four and Danny said six and it adds up to ten, then the odds are reversed, and I have to do it, and he won’t have to. We’ve done some pretty stupid odds.

    AM: It’s like you’re on the road in a van a long time with a bunch of dudes and you’ve got to keep things interesting sometimes. So we’ve gone to some extremes.

    GP: We make an agreement that we don’t do odds for the show. We don’t do anything that’s going to mess with it. That’s a big thing. One time we were doing the drive from here to Texas, and it was insane and we were really bored, and there was a cup of Alex’s pee and someone odds me to drink a sip of it. I didn’t think it would happen.

    AM: Needless to say, we’re more than friends now. We’ve done some outlandish stuff.

    GP: One time we had our manager Joe go up to someone after their set and say, “Good set. Not great, though.”

    Young Culture
    Photo by Danny DeRusso Photography

    PC: You’re ending this tour with a hometown show. How psyched are you for that?

    GP: So stoked.

    AM: We’re going to try to sell that one out. It’s going to be at a venue called Lucky Strike Social. All the openers for it are friends of ours. The Maloy Brothers, who have never done a full show are going to be the openers. And then we have Perfect Scores. And a band called Viewpoints – they’ve been doing this as long as we have.

    GP: It’s going to be two weeks of us playing shows, and then we get to come home to a big hometown show. We haven’t done a hometown show in like six months.

    AM: That’s the best way to do it. You come home and end tour with a bang.

    GP: We’re playing so many places we’ve never even been to.

    AM: I was excited to come back to Rochester.

    GP: It’s cool because not only do we get to play music, we get to travel the world.

    AM: What better platform to travel than music.

    GP: It’s a lot of fun.

    Catch Young Culture on their remaining tour dates:

    Feb. 23 – Los Angeles, CA – The Vibe
    Feb. 24 – Lake Forrest, CA – Rushbar
    Feb. 25 – Santa Anna, CA – 4th Street Market
    Feb. 26 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge
    Feb. 27 – Albuquerque, NM – The Jam Spot
    March 1 – Indianapolis, IN – Hoosier Dome
    March 2 – Cleveland, OH – Euclid Tavern
    March 3 – Erie, PA – Basement Transmissions
    March 4 – Albany, NY – Lucky Strike Social

    Find Blue, and their 2016 debut EP You on iTunes. Follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date on their adventures on (and off) the road.