NYS Music 20​18

Category: Rock

  • Foreigner Leaves SPAC Crowd ‘Hot Blooded’

    On a beautiful ‘Hot Blooded’ Saturday night for outdoor live music in Upstate NY, Foreigner, Whitesnake and Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening took over the Capital Region’s favorite outdoor venue, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, with their Juke Box Heroes Tour.

    Fans packed the venue to hear a wide variety of rock & roll classics that will stand the test of time. Dubbed the Juke Box Heros tour, it felt like the quarters were popping with hit after hit from each band’s set list. Some fans in attendance called it a live version of local classic rock radio station PYX 106. Each band kept the talking to a minimum as it was all about the music.

    Jason Bonham, son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, got the fans in attendance and those still trying to find their seats warmed up. On a packed night, his Led Zeppelin Evening prepared the SPAC crowd for a classic hard rock night.

    The band played Zeppelin favorites like Good Times, Bad Times, Whole Lotta Love. Bonham once played drums for Foreigner from 2004-2008. They closed with the Zeppelin classic Stairway to Heaven

    Setlist: Immigrant Song, Good Times Bad Times, The Ocean, Whole Lotta Love, Stairway to Heaven

    The venue was almost full by the time Whitesnake hit the stage. Frontman David Coverdale kicked things off with “Bad Boys.” Whitesnake rocked the house with all members getting a chance to show off their skills with solos. Guitarist Joe Hoekstra is a beast on the ax and fun to watch on stage. Each band member’s resume is pretty impressive before joining Whitesnake. Coverdale showed off his charisma strutting around on stage while constantly swinging his mic stand in the air.

    The SPAC crowd was singing word for word with Coverdale by the time fan favorites “Is This Love?’” and “Here I Go Again” were performed. They closed their set with “Still of the Night” and  “We Wish You Well.”

    Setlist: Bad Boys, Give Me All Your Love, Love Ain’t No Stranger, Slow an’ Easy, Crying in the Rain, Is This Love?, Slide It In, Here I Go Again, Still of The Night, We Wish You Well

    The now packed house at SPAC was amped up and rabid for Foreigner to take the stage. Foreigner started off with “Long, Long Way from Home” followed by “Double Vision.” The third song in the set, “Head Games,” marked the point of no return as fans were locked in and consumed by the band’s energy, sound and style hit song after hit song.

    Midway through the band’s set, frontman since 2005, Kelly Hansen took a moment to give thanks and applauded the only original member and co-founder left in Foreigner, lead guitarist Mick Jones for his longevity and contributions to the music business.

    Hansen stood on a rising platform at the beginning of “Juke Box Hero” to close out the band’s set. They would shortly return for a two-song encore set. Hansen brought out music students from Hudson Falls on stage to help sing on the first encore song, “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Hansen paused several times during the chorus to let the fans sing it instead. Foreigner closed their encore set with “Hot Blooded.”

    Setlist: Long, Long Way From Home, Double Vision, Head Games, Cold As Ice, Waiting for a Girl Like You, Dirty White Boy, Feels Like the First Time, Urgent, Starrider, Juke Box Hero Encore: I Want to Know What Love Is, Hot Blooded

  • The Great South Bay Music Festival Returns for its 12th Year

    The Great South Bay Music Festival is Back for it’s 12th Year at Shorefront Park in Patchogue, NY from July 12-15 with sixty-five performers on four stages over four days.

    Known for being Long Island’s longest-running and largest four-day music festival, The Great South Bay Music Festival has grown considerably from it’s first outing in 2007, when they presented 20 artists over three days, and their major headliners were Richie Havens and Foghat. The Great South Bay Music Festival definitely makes a mark of it’s own in the festival world by taking into account four completely different genres with a different tactic than most festivals use.

    This tactic is covering several genres by splitting up genres by days. Thursday is covering the indie scene with popular headliners the Front Bottoms, Thrice, the Get Up Kids, and Long Island’s Envy On The Coast. Friday covers the Rock-Reggae-Ska Party scene on the bay, with headliner Sublime with Rome, plus the Dirty Heads & Less Than Jake. Saturday covers a “Jam Day” vibe with headliners Umphrey’s McGee, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. Papadosio, JGB featuring Jerry Garcia Band alum Melvin Seals, Infamous Stringdusters: Andy Falco & Friends with special guests: Alwyn Robinson of Leftover Salmon, and Andrew Altman of Railroad Earth.

    Sunday will consist of it’s annual Morning Children’s Concert, Great South Bay is bringing back Disney’s Imagination Movers and then the festival closes with a historic lineup, as they present guitarist, singer-songwriter, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Co-Founder of the Allman Brothers, Dickey Betts and His Band in his only New York Festival appearance. Supporting and returning for their third visit is Electric Hot Tuna, plus the legendary Little Feat, and the Devon Allman Project, featuring Duane Betts.

    The fest features three different craft beer tents, a wine garden, an artisan and craft market, and food court offering a diverse gourmet menu. Ticket price includes all concerts and entertainment. Food & beverages not included. Children ten and under are free, except for the Imagination Movers concert. For a full schedule and other info visit The Great South Bay Music Festival’s website.

    Drawing of The Great South Bay Music Festival courtesy of their website.

    Festival Door times:
    Thursday, July 12 – Doors are at 3:00 p.m., till 10:00 p.m.
    Friday, July 13 – Doors are at 3:00 p.m., till 11pm,
    Saturday the 14 – Doors are at 1:00 p.m, till 11PM,
    Sunday the 15 – 11:00 a.m. doors for Imagination Movers Kids Concert
    Sunday Regular Fest Ticket holders – 1:30 p.m. Doors till 10:00 p.m.

  • Photo Gallery: Wurliday and Super Doppler at Troy’s Rockin’ on the River

    Rockin’ on the River in Troy hosted Albany’s Wurliday on June 20 for some lively funk and soul, with guest vocals by Tyrone Hartzog and Ilana Morris, and led by Justin Henricks on guitar. Super Doppler followed with their brand of country rock and roll from Norfolk, VA, who perform later this year at The Sloss Music Festival in Birmingham, AL.

  • Syracuse is ‘Still Into You,’ Paramore

    It is nothing but awe inspiring seeing Paramore go from performing on a tiny pink bus on the Shiragirl side stage on Warped Tour in 2005, to seeing lead vocalist Hayley Williams having pink hair and wearing a pink jacket, performing in front of thousands of fans at the Lakeview Amphitheater on June 17 who were still into you.

    Kicking off the show with “Grudges,” Williams couldn’t help but have a huge smile on her face as she sang. Williams kept her performance fun, kicking her stylish yellow boots in the air, yet still letting her raw emotions shine through as she knelt to get closer to their fans.

    Williams dedicated their hit “Still Into You” to Paramore, which was a cheeky nod to all the trials and tribulations that the band has dealt with throughout its career.

    still into you paramoreHalfway through Paramore’s set, the band took a quick break to allow their crew to set up the stage for an acoustic mini set. They came back out to perform a cover of “Passionfruit,” “Misguided Ghosts” and “26.” This was a very intimate and personal portion of the set with Williams sharing some insight on how she felt now as opposed to when she initially wrote “Misguided Ghosts” and even teased about the audience giving her a therapy session.

    Dialing the energy back up with “Caught In The Middle,” the band continued to give their all for their fans. Another highlight was when Williams picked three fans named Jessy, Cameron and Danielle to come onto the stage and help the band finish “Misery Business.”

    After seeing Paramore’s performance, it is safe to say that their fans will forever “still be into you.”

    Setlist: Grudges, Still Into You, Rose-Colored Boy, That’s What You Get, Crushcrushcrush, Fake Happy, Playing God, Forgiveness, Ignorance, Pool, Passionfruit (Drake cover), Misguided Ghosts, 26, Caught in the Middle, Idle Worship, No Friend, Misery Business, Ain’t It Fun, Told You So, All That Love Is, Hard Times

  • Photo Gallery: DadFest in Albany brings together classic cars and Rock ‘n’ Roll

    Sunday, June 17, was Albany’s annual DadFest held in Washington Park. This year’s event featured a custom and classic car show by Capital Car Shows, with cars parked all around the concert field. DadFest also featured food and art vendors, along with Sly Fox and the Hustlers, Hartley’s Encore and Grand Central Station. A very hot day in the park with great music introduced by Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan also had activities such as free rock climbing wall and a bounce house and other activities for the kids.

  • 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.

  • Bonnaroo 2018: Waking Up in the Present

    Bonnaroo days bleed together and it was hard to resist the sun making a full circle upon The Farm, as birds chirped at 5:30am – music still thumping from The Ville and Kalliope. With Eminem, Anderson.Paak, and two sets of Bon Iver today, it seemed hard for them to compare to the rising wave of 16-year-old Billie Eilish. She was the talk of Roo – before, during, and after her set.

    Read Part 1 of NYS Music’s Bonnaroo coverage HERE.

    Earlier on, she spoke to press about her quick rise to stardom, losing those ‘friends’ close to her and fighting a fake internet-driven world. She was unfiltered and spoke like any 16-year-old would, but something so intriguing and real laid beneath the surface.

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    It wasn’t until she took the Which Stage that teens flocked and the rest not much older. Whispers and smiles filled the crowd about her age and attitude. That discomfort Eilish felt off-stage suddenly disappeared as the barriers blended into all of Centeroo. Her music is seamless in hope and heartache as intimate feeling slowly cuts.

    “Put your hand up if there’s somebody you fucking hate out there,” screamed Eilish – finger pointed up. It was unanimous. She is human and her music speaks to us. Eilish continued in choreographed dance with her brother and stage partner, Finneas O’Connell. They played “Lovely” for the third time ever at her debut-Roo performance as well as the catchy dance groove of “my boy” that’s refreshing, moving Bonnaroovian’s parallel to Eilish.

    As Eilish concludes, “Those of you who fuck with me, thank you … And those of you who don’t fuck with me [pause]. Thank you too.” The crowd willing drops to the hay-filled grass with little effort for Eilish during the bridge of her final song. Bodies drive up with hard crashing drums bordering your favorite rock-dub breakdown.

    Captivating music and artists like Eilish continued to pour in including rapper, drummer and producer Anderson .Paak, First Aid Kit and Old Crow Medicine Show. Rebelution took That Tent by storm along to Bon Iver’s first set on Which Stage. The Rebel-horns were fiery, screaming out with improv every chance they could. Glowing totems danced with the packed crowd and swayed with lighters on mellow tracks like “Fade Away.”

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    A white curtain was draped from What Stage as a Godzilla-spoof Eminem appears on screen. The crowd goes nuts and the curtain falls to Slim Shady himself spitting the tongue-twisting Dr. Dre cover “Medicine Man”. It was just like a scene out of 8 Mile – hands swaying back and forth with “Kill You,” “Rap God” and “Like Toy Soldiers.” Fireworks blast into the night sky during “White America.” The set caused immediate controversy about alleged ‘gun shot’ sound effects during the performance.

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    Bon Iver’s second appearance on Which Stage was poetic. It was hard to categorize it in purely musical terms. It was moving. Opening with a heartfelt acapella chorus of “Heavenly Father.” Likewise, TU Dance accompanied the ensemble with white t-shirts stamped “PEOPLE,” reminding us we are all human. It was as if Bon Iver didn’t exist, there was just music and pure emotion. Iver featured a five-piece trombone section and countless guest including Francis and the Lights, Sylvan Esso, Moses Sumney and Naeem Juwan. It was captivating and the crowd agreed, swaying slowly or too mesmerized to move their eyes away from the stage.

    It was unbelievable to think, most haven’t experienced this many bands in a lifetime let alone in three days. Sunday morning crept upon us and frankly it was hard to digest all the music we loved, wanted to see and the ones we didn’t, but had got sucked into the live performance anyway.

    For the fourth and final day at Bonnaroo, it hardly felt like the end. Canada’s Broken Social Scene played That Tent with a massive 10-piece band. They could have gone wherever they wanted and still griped the crowd’s attention. “Texico Bitches” and “Shampoo Suicide” moved Bonnaroovian’s equally. The band was drum-driven with dynamic and transparent intent. “I don’t have much to say, we’re just gonna keep playing….On the count of three, let everything out and scream as loud as you can.” The music had taken over. “One more time.” The crowd yelled beyond belief.

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    By this point Bonnaroo fever had caught up with us – trapped between the heavenly vocals of St. Paul & The Broken Bones or Moon Taxi’s third return to Bonnaroo. St. Paul was unruly, biting the cord and letting the gold microphone dangle from his mouth as the band slows in a mountain-sized retard. The band fades away.

    In route to Moon Taxi, you were halted by the experimental trio that is Daniel Caesar. The drums would not let up – what seemed to be a 12 minute constant solo. The keys and bass kept pushing and pulling during “Streetcar,” while Caesar expresses his love of felines. “Do y’all like cats? [crowd cheers] Do y’all know my cats name? I try to facetime my cat every day…dead ass [seriously].”

    By the end of Moon Taxi you could feel the world during “Two High.” It was real – invading your brain. We were floating like beach balls as big as the moon. Three of them surfed the crowd during screaming keyboard-synth solos on “Make Your Mind Up”. Seriously, where did they come from?

    The band also paid it forward with a rock mashup of “Lose Yourself” [Eminem], “All These Things That I’ve Done” [The Killers] and MUSE’s “Uprising” as the amber-sun came down on Tennessee. When there are just too many bands to see, take the ‘moon taxi’ whistling the melody to “Good As Gold.”

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    Finally, the end was upon us although it didn’t sink in until you woke up singing “Mr. Brightside” at 6:30 Monday Morning. The Killers were fantastic, bring a Las Vegas strip show to Bonnaroo. Brandon Flowers dressed in an all red suit with gold pleats mirroring a modern day Elvis.The Killers played a Tom Petty tribute of “American Girl” with the intro of “Free Fallin.” It was wild. Fireworks filled the sky. Stage lights were beaming through the night on The Killers first Bonnaroo gig.

    Ambient keyboards began. Two notes and Roo instantly goes wild, screaming at the top of their lungs. Flowers licks his lips and grins back at them – then turns slowly to the band. “I don’t think they’re ready. Did you get that one in the back,” he looks out. Bonnarovians are going wild and the keys lean into the same two notes as before. But this time, a little harder and longer…

    “Read My Mind” was only the beginning of the end. A near 15 minute wait cued an encore of “The Calling” and “When You Were Young” featuring a collective Bonnaroo choir: I got soul, but I’m not a soldier.

    So as you can see this whirlwind we call Bonnaroo is unlike no other. It is ever expanding. The festival takes eight or more months to prepare 24/7 – nearly twice as long as any other festival. With dates booked for June 13-16, 2019. We can only wait to see what will top a fantastic 2018 Roo.

    Bonnaroo Day 3 Gallery

    Day 4 Gallery

  • The Bowling Alley Sound release new single “The Highway State”

    Post-rock band The Bowling Alley Sound have released “The Highway State,” their latest single off their label 46 West. The nine and a half minute track draws inspiration from the suburban New Jersey roots of the band and the sometimes overwhelming experience of driving on the highway in New Jersey.

    On the growing highways of the Garden State, The band says “The cars are going fast, the lanes are tight, and many highways cross over each other. There is grit, and when you exit into a suburban town there is more space, verdant greenery, and places to reflect. That’s what life can be like in America: craziness and hustling around on a chaotic highway, then reflecting and relaxing after exiting that highway. This is what the band wanted to convey with this song, structurally and emotionally.”

    The Bowling Alley Sound is a five piece instrumental band consisting of guitar (Mike Basil), drums (Nick Looney), bass (Andrew Capuano), violin (Isaac Rubins), and trumpet (Danny Molloy). The band was originally formed in order to bring Mike Basil’s songwriting to life in their debut record and has since been active in the northern New Jersey music scene. The Bowling Alley Sound was named a “Fresh Find” by Spotify for 2017.

  • 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.

  • Eighth Annual Governors Ball Festival Spans Decades and Genres in Music

    Governors Ball Music Festival returned to Randall’s Island Park last weekend for its eighth year in a row, bringing a mainstream savvy lineup that spanned an array of genres as well as several decades in music. Nearly 150,000 people trekked to the scenic Manhattan locale, to rock and dance it out to the newest in electronic pop, the hippest in indie folk, some of the best in hop hop, and much more.

    FRIDAY

    Friday kicked off by bringing both some newer, big solo artist names and a few modern rock legends. Something interesting to note about Gov Ball’s lineup this year was the high percentage of non-US-based artists. On the Bacardi Stage, British foursome Wolf Alice tore through a ferocious set of their brand of garage rock, whipping up the first day audience into a frenzy right away and holding them there for the duration of their performance. Meanwhile, Canadian breakout artists Alvvays, whom took to the Gov Ball Main Stage, and Australian four piece Pond, whom rocked the Honda Stage, brought in their sets shades of dreamy shoegaze and psychedelic pop.

    Maggie Rogers, later on, was beaming from the Gov Ball stage in a fluorescent stormy weather dress, channeling a hipster, young version of Ms. Frizzle. She, like many of the other breakout artists lighting up GovBall 2018, expressed her humility at getting to perform the event. She quipped at the end of her set:, “Can you believe that mother****ing Karen O is about to be standing on this stage in just a bit??” Karen O did indeed take the stage just a bit later, with her defining alternative rock group Yeah Yeah Yeahs, for one of the first hugely anticipated rock sets of the weekend.

    Governors Ball did well to line up their Honda Stage with some very fresh names in the music world. Shawn Mendes was announced closer to the event as a special set and, as he explained to GovBall’s Friday crowd, it was personally special to him. He told the audience that the Governors Ball was one of the first music festivals he had ever attended. Rapper Post Malone was certainly another highly anticipated act of the first day, and he delivered the goods on many of the songs that have accompanied his fast recent rise, like “Candy Paint” and “Paranoid,” and a set closer of “Congratulations.” Damian Marley, meanwhile, brought his reggae-inspired hip-hop to the lineup for a very fun performance that even included a story about telling Bruno Mars to smoke pot. Eventually, towards the end, he offered great, danceable covers of his father’s “Exodus” and “Could You Be Loved?”

    Jack White returned to Governors Ball for his first appearance at the event since 2014. After an early surprise of “Lazaretto,” the guitarist offered much from the White Stripes’ catalogue, including “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,” “Hotel Yorba,” and “Black Math.” White is a guitar player of a strict artistic sense—it may not pull the ripcord quite like other heavy hitters, but every time the solo is sure to be unique in both tone and melody. He split up of some of the sonic madness with a brief acoustic portion featuring tunes like “The Same Boy You’ve Always Known” and “We’re Going to Be Friends.”

    Opposite him, James Blake delivered quite a different kind of closing show—deep, mellow, at times almost downright sullen in his surreal kind of new age soul. While Jack White basked in a backdrop of bizarro blue light, Blake’s set was a cool, minimalist light show that silhouetted himself and his two bandmates. The effect complimented the soft intensity of his songs and kept the focus on the singing and the playing.

    SATURDAY

    Saturday morning started big and bright with a few up and coming singers. New Nashville crooner Mikky Ekko shined with “Stay,” his hit song which features guest singer Rihanna, while Cuco and his backing band kicked off the American Eagle stage. Early on the Honda stage, GovBall spanned the US, first bringing Los Angeles’ The Regrettes—punk in a clean package—followed by NYC’s own VHS Collection. As the name might suggest, VHS Collection throw fresh digs on an old school sound, and the result encompasses, in a way, a lot of the musical aesthetic running through GovBall’s lienup—a love note to the past that’s written in shiny, forward-looking letters.

    Galantis, for instance, are about as fresh as live electronic music gets. Their jam is club music made for a sunny day in a New York City park, so they were right at home Saturday mid day at GovBall. Galantis grooves are mechanical yet often feel good at times, all while keeping a sense of nuance and experimentation in their work—as if to say, we’re serious about our craft here but not without having some fun. And some big fun at that: for their set’s end, the electronic duo were leaping among exploding columns of smoke and glitter.

    Rivaling Post Malone and Shawn Mendes and James Blake for big time single name performer was the Grammy Award-nominated Halsey. Thousands of fans flocked to catch her flawless presentation of pop magic. In her path towards super stardom, Halsey has remained a down-to-earth artist for the people. She sung her heart out on songs about tackling the patriarchy, dealing with drug issues, LBGT rights, and more.

    Of course, many, many GovBall attendees were waiting to see the hyped-up debut performance of Silk City—the combined talents of electronic superstar Diplo and mega music producer Mark Ronson. The result was a nicely dressed combo of beats and remixes that mixed in touches of coastal-groove, hip hop and more. Many acts helped to dazzle out Governors Ball weekend with visually striking and ambitious set pieces, and Silk City were not in the least in that department. A mini cityscape towered behind, boasting all kinds of street sigs, while Ronson and Diplo did their thing above a bright blue, emblazoned signature of their name.

    With the hard-hitting “Stay Vicious” revving things off, The Gaslight Anthem took to the Gov Ball main stage Saturday night and charged their way through a tremendous twenty-five songs—twelve of which comprised the entirety of the band’s groundbreaking album The 59 Sound. Quite the big to-do, but the band certainly delivered all the favorite bits of the record: like the heavy “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues,” and the extra tender “Here’s Looking At You, Kid.” As Anthem furrowed through a third block of songs for their GovBall set, the rain started and would soon enough be a “true test of will” kind of downpour. But the show raged on, especially also for Travis Scott, taking the Honda Stage opposite Anthem. Scott gave live versions of tracks he’s collaborated on with some of the biggest in the game—”4 AM” with 2 Chainz, “Through the Late Night” with Kid Cudi, “Goosebumps” with Kendrick Lamar.

    SUNDAY

    An early highlight of the festival’s third morning were Middle Kids—another breakout foursome from Australia that, like many other artists on this year’s lineup, have been successful in taking the indie world by storm, and after debuting their brand of folky garage rock only a couple of years ago. While other artists on the list ride high on the rock charts, Margo Price might be considered the newest queen of country. In addition to her own material, she offered covers of Willie Nelson’s “Whiskey River” and Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” Even after laying down a full set of her pop Americana, she enthralled the crowd all the more by jumping on a second drum set for a crazy breakdown ending.

    Across the way, Khalid delivered a soulful, emotional set of his many beautiful songs. Kicking off with favorites like “8TEEN,” “American Teen” and “Coaster,” Khalid had one of the most massive daytime crowds of the weekend. One of the most thankful offerings was “Silence,” the song that Khalid introduced as having written with his good friend, EDM producer Marshmello. At the same time, Third Eye Blind amassed a surrounding of their own sort, perhaps more nostalgic but no less enthusiastic. After they had cranked out a few rocking early numbers, a grateful Stephen Jenkins said to TEB’s ecstatic audience, “Thank you for keeping our music alive.”

    Shortly after them, one the most bombastic sets thrown down the whole weekend came from N.E.R.D, the hip-hop hard rock group centering around Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, and Shay Haley. In a curious surprise opening bit, N.E.R.D had a young kid address the Honda Stage crowd with a moving speech about working hard for your dreams and overcoming adversity. Once done, Pharrell and company rushed the stage and alighted the scene fast. The performers never once stopped moving, circumventing the stage with a raucous energy matched also by their jubilant dance troupe. Pharrell, in between bringing hits from both N.E.R.D’s early days from over a decade ago and newer favorites, called out the crowd to help bring about all the vintage gems of intimate rock concert—crowd surfing, mosh pits, and getting everybody to get off the ground simultaneously.

    Sylvan Esso delivered a black and white set of sorts, showing the range of their appeal. The first half of their hour on the Bacardi Stage stayed to a very mellow side of their electronic pop. But by the time the duo had to take their leave, they had found their way into a zone and were syncing up beats and vocals brilliantly, and the energy was overflowing through the finish. “The only way I can describe this feeling of playing Governors Ball,” a wide-eyed, out-of-breath Amelia Meath said, “is that I hope, one day, you also get to perform in front of thousands of people in the finest ice skating leotard imaginable!”

    At the conclusion of Governors Ball 2018, Randall’s Island fought a second battle with some vicious rain, but that didn’t stop a dynamic, larger-than-life set from the lineup’s musical crown jewel for the weekend, Eminem. Droves of people, groups of friends, aged from mid teens to mid forties, were screaming along with the modern hip-hop phenom. Halfway through, for a huge surprise, the performer invited up another legend in 50 Cent, who stayed for versions of “Patiently Waiting,” “In Da Club,” “I Get Money” and “Crack a Bottle.” Eminem steered the end of his tenacious, spot-on performance with a slew of the classics, including “My Name Is” followed by “The Real Slim Shady.” People who had retreated to dodge the increasing rainfall were sprinting back through the mud once “Lose Yourself” was dropping as the big encore.

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