NYS Music 20​18

Category: Pop

  • Hearing Aide: Ripe ‘Joy in the Wild Unknown’


    Boston’s seven-piece phenom Ripe attacks funk-infused rock, groove, jazz, R&B and even ska, with passion,     precision and purpose, leaving a wake on the dance floor with their debut offering Joy In The Wild Unknown. The album, due out April 6th, is a reflection the highs and lows of life and the musical connectivity in between. With uplifting tracks like Little Lighter, playful songs like Stanky, and songs about love like Downward, Joy leaves an indelible mark.

    Joy in the Wild UnknownRipe’s unbelievably tight jams , genre-bending originality and rapidly growing fan base have helped them rack up over one million Spotify streams with their fan-favorite Goon Squad, over 15,000 followers on Facebook, and landed them on the bill at venues like the House of the Blues, the Roxy Theater, and Levitate Music Festival in July in the coming months.

    Lead vocalist Robbie Wulfsohn’s distinctive and likeable chops allow him to stand on his own amidst the outstanding musicianship of Tory Geismar (guitar), Jon Becker (guitar), Sampson Hellerman (drums), Josh Shpak (trumpet), Calvin Barthel (trombone) and Nadav Shapira (bass). All seven members graduates of Berklee College of Music, this dynamic and well-oiled music machine can easily appeal to the masses and fit into any scene, from festivals to clubs and beyond!

    With two EP’s, Hey Hello and Produce the Juice, under their belts, Ripe launches straight into a musical holiday from the first track of their first full-length album. Simmering bass lines set the stage to usher in Wulfsohn’s powerful opening lines, while funkified guitar licks and a three-piece horn section glue it all together for a polished finish in “Little Lighter.”

    Joy in the Wild Unknown“Downward,” the fourth-track on the album, produced by Cory Wong of Vulfpeck, mixed by five-time GRAMMY-Winner Joe Visciano and mastered by Randy Merrill, reflects the duality of love with its catchy chorus:

    This love keeps pulling me downward

    Pulling me downward

    And I don’t mind the fall

    The fifth track, “Stanky,” swaggers onto the scene with the instruments a funky game of cat and mouse between the bass and horns, with help from the guitar to create a unique syncopation that packs a powerful musical punch.

    Ripe’s debut offering, Joy In The Wild Unknown, may be a studio recording, but it’s basically propaganda to get you out to one of their live shows. The good news is they’re about to hit the road for an extensive US tour to promote their latest album and there’s a good chance they’ll be coming to a city near you! Be sure to bring a toy to donate to the band’s efforts to collect toys for the local Boys & Girls Clubs of America (link) and give their new listen before you hit the show! 

    Key Tracks: Little Lighter, Downward and Stanky

  • Hearing Aide: Soviet Dolls ‘Hunters’

    Masters of dark synth pop Soviet Dolls strike again with their new EP Hunters. In a mere four tracks, the Rochester band flaunts their prowess at delivering decadently dark and sensual lyrics shrouded in seductive glittery electronica.

    soviet dolls huntersSoviet Dolls make no bones about their intentions to seduce the listener, starting from the first lines in the title track. “We are the hunters, we make sacrifices. We leave our mothers, cause we have appetites,” croons singer Alexandra Wendt in her deliciously sultry voice. Pulsating beats pound out beside undulating rhythms which swirl together to entice the listener into a mesmerizing hypnotic state.

    In subsequent tracks, Soviet Dolls continue to marry supernatural reveries and pop electronica in a way that will delight fans of new wave acts like Echo and the Bunnymen, The The, and The Cure who are looking for something fresh and new. The gothic storylines also hearken back to classic themes of glorification of eternal life, the thrill of the hunt, and falling in love with a phantom. Hunters is the perfect pick to listen to on a night prowling the town, or indulging in the guilty pleasure of reading goth novels.

    Follow Soviet Dolls on Facebook, and find Hunters on Bandcamp.

    Key Tracks: Hunters, Ghostlover

  • Hearing Aide: The Weeknd, ‘My Dear Melancholy,’

    The Weeknd released a six-track EP called My Dear Melancholy, as a surprise in the early morning of Friday, March 30, following up his previous effort, 2016’s Starboy. Earlier that day, The Weeknd had posted a photo of the cover art of the EP with the caption “tonight,” leading fans to correctly speculate that they would hear new material that evening.

    My Dear Melancholy, was launched through XO and Republic Records. It’s a direct, dark message that describes the lows that come with ending a relationship. Its synth waves matched with blunted 808 kicks and lo-fi Moog leads create the perfect film noir atmosphere for a dramatic reading of this letter in a high pitch, saccharine croon. The featured vocal style features a redux of influences like Michael Jackson and Prince, and mingles well with contemporaries such as Bruno Mars and 6lack. Much like the cover art, Melancholy is a unique cross between new age R & B; hip hop bass and drum lines with Halloween synth parts and moody melodies.

    The Weeknd My Dear Melancholy“Call Out My Name” opens the EP and describes a bad relationship, labeled a “mistake” in the first verse. The narrator, born Abel Tesfaye, 28, denies responsibility for the relationship’s downfall, accusing the former partner of “wasting [his] time.” The theme of time wasting comes up again as the title of the third track, “Wasted Times,” where Tesfaye introduces a second relationship, one that occurred a long time ago. In this track, he compares the two relationships, saying that “she wasn’t even half of you,” as an ode to the one who got away.

    Perhaps his downfall is that his lyrics have no repentance. He refuses to see his own faults in the described situation and he attempts to make the subject jealous, while also complaining that she dates other people. Instead of contemplating what he could have done better, he wastes time by both bragging about his wounds and shifting blame throughout the narrative. But his broken heart is consumable. It works. It sells. It’s tearfully, deliciously entertaining.

    Although Tesfaye has possibly the most recognizable face in modern hip hop and pop music, he keeps a relatively low profile in the public eye, rarely giving interviews or confirming information about his personal life. This adds to the air of mystery that is also carried through the image and production of the EP. Melancholy hosts collaborators such as Gesaffelstein, who produced tracks 4 and 5, “Hurt You,” and “I Was Never There.” Other producers, co – producers, and collaborators included Frank Dukes (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6); Cirkut (track 5); Marz (track 2); and more. Tesfaye handled executive production after multiple tours throughout 2016 and ‘17 following Starboy.

    Overall, My Dear Melancholy, keeps the presentation short, sweet, and sad; yet hopefully open-ended like the comma attached to the title. It’s a tragic story, but it gives a lot of insight into its subject in a way many listeners can understand. Atmospheric, smokey production with a few plot twists that work are a great pairing with the emotional lyrics and intense delivery. Although sometimes extra, The Weeknd delivered a solid performance and debuted a message about a darker time in life, and his pain comes across as genuine.

    My Dear Melancholy, can be found on all major digital music platforms.

    Key tracks: Try Me, Wasted Times, Hurt You

  • Hearing Aide: Haunted Cat ‘Haunted Cat’

    Haunted Cat released their self-titled thirteen-track album earlier this year. The album was a solo project developed by Drew Benton. Benton has played with bands like Complicated Shirt and ToUGH in New York’s Capital Region for fifteen years, and is now working on his own material. The band that stemmed from the advent of this project includes Jason Jette from Complicated Shirt, Moon Worship, and Brevator, Brook Degener from Brent Gorton’s band and Better Pills, and Kevin Flansburg from John Rifle. The record was mastered by Jason Loewenstein.

    This album kicks off with an 18 second Phantom of the Opera-like organ passage in “Carfull of Nightmares.” The introduction quickly transitions into “Sing a Rainbow.” This has a childlike quality to it with the sound of a crib mobile/music box type of sound under the vocals. This sounds just like a ’90s indie track with the simplistic, youthful writing. “I Played a Bored Whore” provides quite the contrast; it sounds like a song straight out of the ’80s with the synthesizer and technological string sounds. The message of the song is a bit unclear, but it’s got a great punchy bass line.

    “Angry is Ugly” sounds just like a Bon Iver song with the vocal distortion technique used. There’s some backward masking in “Spyglass Time Capsule.” It remains to be determined if there is a hidden message within the lyrics. The most unique track is “Funeral for a Bird” which is a classical piano composition. It features no other instruments. The closing song is “Reaper Calls Collect.” This is clever in that the ringing continues throughout the whole song relentlessly; you wouldn’t want to pick up a call from the Grim Reaper if you had the choice!

    The album features unique timbres throughout, raw vocals and interesting harmonies. The collection of songs features something for a wide variety of tastes. The album showcases Benton’s diverse musical talents in both his writing and performance.

    The band is hosting a release party on May 4 at The Low Beat in Albany, NY at 9 pm. Catch Hill Haints at the show as well.

    Key Tracks: Funeral for a Bird, Styrofoam Bird, Posture Lessons

  • Cayuga Sound Returns for a Second Year

    Cayuga Sound Music Festival will close out back to back summer seasons in Ithaca’s historic Stewart Park and other local venues on Sept. 21-22, expanding the festival to two days during the city’s week long outdoor concert festival series.

    Last year’s event helped raise nearly $50,000 to benefit non-profit organizations that specialize in helping children throughout the community. This year’s festival will be no different, with a portion of the proceeds going back into the community.

    Ithaca natives, platinum recording artists and curators of the festival, X Ambassadors, will return as one of the festival’s headliners along with Young The Giant. Other artists confirmed to appear include Talib Kweli, Matt & Kim, Buddy, Sofi Tukker, Morgxn, with other artists still TBA. Local and regional artists will also appear during the two day event including KNEW, No Comply, and Lady D & the Shadow Spirits to name a few.

    X Ambassadors frontman Sam Harris, shared his excitement for not only being back home, but returning to the festival, “We’re beyond thrilled to be bringing Cayuga Sound back to Ithaca this year. Last year was such a milestone for us and the prospect of making this an annual tradition is so exciting. Expect another eclectic lineup with both global acts and some our favorite Ithaca music too.”

    This Fiction founder, and band manager, Seth Kallen, showed his enthusiasm, “Building a festival from the ground up was huge challenge, but the weekend was incredibly gratifying for all of us involved. To be able to create something that will continue for years to come, while giving back to such a great community was so amazing. We’re so excited to expand to two days this year and bring even more amazing music to the city of Ithaca.”

    DSP founder Dan Smalls, commented on how beneficial the festival was to the community in its inaugural run, “DSP set out to bring a true world class music festival to our home town and we did just that. The comments from folks who attended were just great and we feel we created a venue that made for an amazing experience all around. We donated nearly $50,000 last year and over 80% of that stayed right here with 10 not-for-profits that help kids in our community. There is nothing more gratifying than giving back and we hope to do even more this year – both financially but also through our talk series, events and growing idea list. Just saying it aloud gets me excited for what we have in the works!”

    Early bird two-day tickets for Cayuga Sound Festival will go on sale Wednesday April 4 at 10 a.m. with general admission two-day tickets going on sale Friday, April 6 at 10 a.m.

  • Proctors Hosts Beatles Themed Capital Records Live! at GE Theatre

    It was the perfect duo – a collection of the area’s best musicians and the iconic catalog of music from The Beatles –  together at Proctors for Capital Records Live! at the GE Theatre on Friday, March 23.

    Let’s Be Leonard, Wild Adriatic, the Bryan Brundige Collective, Girl Blue, Clear Mind and Eastbound Jesus each played songs from The Beatles (the White Album) and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Each had liberty to perform its own renditions of songs from both albums. Some tried to capture the song as people remember them, while others added a unique spin to a classic track.

    Capital Records Live

    Highlights from Capital Records Live! included Bryan Brundige Collective’s rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” Girl Blue welcoming the crowd to sing along to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and the gratitude expressed by the audience as Clear Mind introduced a rap spin to the 50-year-old collection of songs.

    The Rochmon Record Club provided Beatles trivia and history with a video presentation. There were moments when members of each band would stop setting up their gear to read along on the large screen behind the stage as everyone learned more about The Fab Four.

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYSmusic. TheSpot518 and NYSmusic work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.

  • Pittsburgh electro pop band, little good bad (+ -), premieres video for “Black + White”

    little good bad (+ -), a hybrid-pop band from Pittsburgh, premieres the video for “Black + White,” an energetic EDM-tinged pop song. The trio innovate a new style of pop music adding in punk, neo-soul and EDM, creating a hybrid style of music that translates into a unique live show experience. 

    Rachel B (vocals, keytar + songwriter) shares insight behind the song, saying “Black + White is about proving people and your own negative thoughts wrong. There’s not one way and Black + White is an electronic rock song defying any notion that the world is just black and white or wrong and right. We usually find the answer somewhere in the middle…”
    little good bad (+ -) formed when Rachel B and Billy Castle (drums, multi-instrumentalist) met at a party in Boston before dropping out of college. They reconnected a year later in Los Angeles and moved to Pittsburgh where they started writing and performing together. Dinn Winnwood (DJ), an electronic producer from Philadelphia made the group a trio and gave their songs new life by bridging Rachel and Billy’s sounds.

    Together, they represent the duality that lives within ourselves and our relationships.The group creates music with unique sounds and visuals that break down society’s confines of originality, sexuality, and complacency. Rachel B says of the trio, “Life is a series of random events, both beautiful and sometimes tragic. The more we come together to create unity in chaos, the better the show.” Listen to more on their Soundcloud and check out their show at The Stage at Karma on March 24 in Pittsburgh with Red Room Effect and Xavier Wells.

  • Premiere: Indie-Pop trio Modern Whale release latest single “The Dirt”

    Brooklyn-based trio, Modern Whale, are too pop for indie, yet too indie for pop, and have a released their latest single, “The Dirt,” cultivating a sound rooted in pop-rock. The driving rock of “The Dirt” brings to mind the post-grunge 90’s of Three Days Grace and My Chemical Romance with driving guitar rhythms and symphonic vocals that combine for an instant, and pleasant earworm.

    modern whaleHelmed by Bushwick-based record producer and songwriter Rob Guariglia, Modern Whale is not a specimen of the sea but rather a musical crossing. The group formed in Brooklyn at the infamous rock refuge Meserole Sound Studio, with a name that reflects the animalistic tendency of music and is encapsulated through Rob’s dog Stella, his assistant and muse. “The Dirt” was written by Robert J. Guariglia & Stephen Ericson and produced by Robert J. Guariglia.

  • Proctors announces new concert series, Capital Records Live 

    With a little help from world class musicians across the region, Proctors and WAIX 106.1 are teaming up to present a new concert series highlighting classic albums performed by local artists. Capital Records Live will debut on Friday, March 23 at 7:30pm in the GE Theatre at Proctors.

    Six bands from the greater Capital District will perform selections from The Beatles (The White Album) and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The lineup includes Bryan Brundige Collective, Clear Mind, Eastbound Jesus, Girl Blue, Let’s Be Leonard and Wild Adriatic, who will come together on stage to celebrate the work of the Fab Four. Additionally, Beatles trivia will be hosted by Chuck Vosganian of Rochmon Record Club.

    Attendees will experience distinct renditions of The Beatles’ most recognizable tracks. Sal Prizio, program coordinator at Proctors, explains “With CRL, our mission is to introduce music fans in this market, each year, to the abundance of great local music.” Tickets are on sale now at Proctors box office or online.

  • “Weird Al” Yankovic opens his weirdest tour to date in Poughkeepsie

    “Weird Al” Yankovic opened “The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour” in Poughkeepsie, NY on Tuesday, February 27. While past tours have featured giant video screens, costumes changes and parody-heavy setlists, Al included a disclaimer on his website stating that this tour is “a scaled-down tour in smaller, more intimate theaters, with limited production (no costumes, props, or video screens) and Al’s set list will be comprised almost entirely of his original (non-parody) songs.” The sold-out crowd of 950 was treated to the comic stylings of Emo Philips, featured in the movie UHF as Joe Earley. Al hand-picked him to open for the entire tour and his absurd 30 minute set had the audience roaring with laughter.


    Yankovic’s band took the stage at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House and laid down an instrumental version of “Dare to be Stupid” before the man himself arrived to a massive fanfare. His first song of the tour was the White Stripes pastiche, ‘CNR.’ Al took it down for a minute to warn the crowd that tonight was in fact, their “soundcheck” and that “if you came to see me screw up, you will not be disappointed!”. He did not disappoint as he dove into the Bob Dylan’esque ‘Bob’ and the 2003 favorite, ‘Why Does This Always Happen To Me?”

    After fooling the audience into thinking that this tour would not feature costumes, parodies or accordions, Al finally brought out his new MIDI-accordion as the band started into “Generic Blues.” This classic track from the UHF soundtrack was followed up by the Hawaiian Reggae tune, “Buy Me a Condo.” The 9-minute epic “Jackson Park Express” was played for the first time live as the weirdness continued. Next up was the 2011 hit “Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me” before Al channeled the Lizard King with his Doors homage, “Craigslist.”

    Al continued the set with one of his darker songs, “Good Old Days,” an example of what would happen if James Taylor collaborated with Charlie Manson. The band lightened the mood with the song “Happy Birthday” from his debut album before taking it down a notch with the anti-love ballad, “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.” “Party At The Leper Colony,” one of the bands “Top 3 Immature Songs” preceded the 2006 hit, “Don’t Download This Song” and the Don Henley inspired “When I Was Your Age.” Weird Al continued the 80’s hits with “Melanie” and “One More Minute” before changing the pace of the concert.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BfwhNj3nagt/?hl=en&taken-by=nystatemusic

    Despite announcing a lack of parody songs prior to the tour, Al dove into a medley of his comedy hits as the band played differing music underneath. The band started playing a wonderful rendition of “Layla” as Al sang the lyrics to his hit “Eat It.” This led into “I Lost On Jeopardy” with a walking baseline before switching over to chimes and acoustic guitar for “Amish Paradise.” “Smells Like Nirvana,” “White and Nerdy” And “Rocky Road” had a mix of bouncy pop and doo wop behind it before a piano heavy rendition of “Like A Surgeon” ended the set.

    Weird Al and his bandmates came back out to “play a song they usually end each show with.” The audience was dumbstruck as the band started playing the guitar riff to Deep Purple’s, “Smoke On The Water.” This was no parody as Al wow’d the crowd with a spectacular, normal, regular version of this track. Not to disappoint, Al ended the show with fan-favorite, “The Saga Begins” before thanking the crowd for a wonderful show.

    Weird Al will continue his tour March 13th in Buffalo, March 14th in Ithaca, March 17th in Huntington and March 22nd and 23rd at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.