NYS Music 20​18

Category: Rock

  • The Rochester Residency Rambles on with Kurt Johnson in May

    Are you hip to the Rochester Residency yet? If not, you should be. And May would be as good a time as any to start. Each month, a different local musician owns the stage at Three Heads Brewing every Thursday. Artists are free to use the nights however they wish. May belongs to Kurt Johnson, guitarist from the bands Maybird and Moho Collective among others.

    He got his residency month off to a fun and rollicking start this past Thursday by hosting a Midnight Ramble, at the more sane hour of 8pm, but in the spirit of the southern jam sessions of yore. The evening included a large portion of the other Rochester Residency hosts from previous months and from the months yet to come. January’s Fran Broderick lead the band on Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers Guns and Money,” February’s Charlie Lindner joined in on keys for about half the set, July’s Eli Flynn brought the house down with a show-closing rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” August’s James Searl lead a searing rendition of David Bowie’s “Man Who Sold the World,” September’s Matt Ramerman snuck in drum duties for the encore of “I Shall Be Released,” November’s Wil McKenna held down the low end for most of the night, and December’s Brian McDonald lit up the room with a fun playing of Jackson Browne’s “Doctor My Eyes.” The night played out like a great review of the first four months and an even better preview of the next 8.

    In addition to fellow residents, Johnson had many more friends join in on the fun. Moho Collective’s Ryan Barclay manned the drums for the whole night. Eric Carlin, from the Flood, joined on guitar and vocals for much of the night. Kris Schramm, Willy O’Reilly, Ben Rossi, Alan Murphy and Brian Blatt all got in on the action as well. But it was still Johnson’s night. And so it will be Johnson’s month. And because he chose May for it’s 5 Thursdays, and because he had to unexpectedly miss the first Thursday, he’s extending his Residency into the first week of June. So you still have four more chances to get in on the fun. See the schedule below and marker them into your calendar, you don’t want to miss one week.

    Kurt Johnson’s Rochester Residency at Three Heads Brewing
    May 17th: The Wallboards
    May 24th: The Moho Collective
    May 31st: Covering The Allman Brothers’ Eat a Peach
    June 8th: Covering The Grateful Dead’s debut album, The Grateful Dead

    Setlist: Jam > Get Out of My Life Woman (Lee Dorsey), Lawyers Guns & Money (Warren Zevon), Heart of Gold (Neil Young), ?, Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie), Jam >  Doctor My Eyes (Jackson Browne), Ophelia (The Band), What Light (Wilco), Franklin’s Tower (Grateful Dead), A Change is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke)
    Encore: I Shall Be Released (The Band)

  • Hearing Aide: News From Planet Kniffen ‘Dreamland’

    Darryl Kniffen’s brainchild News From Planet Kniffen released their debut album Dreamland on April 27, and the Vermont-based sextet has shown that they have the chops to produce some truly innovative fusion jazz/funk music. An eclectic musician from Clifton Park, New York, Kniffen has performed with a number of bands and musicians, and dominated the stage solo. He is responsible for all the arrangements found in NFPK’s triumphant debut album.

    The 9-track album begins with the promising “Blackness,” a worthy introduction track with soaring horn and trumpet lines, setting the tone for the high-energy voyage the listener is about to embark on. “Peace Journey” features a memorable piano line and some layered drumming, as well as some ultra-smooth sax and trumpet, culminating in a peaceful and ambient tune. The third track is the only cover on the album, a fresh take on AC/DC’s “Back In Black,” which manages to be both inventive and new, while remaining faithful to the hard rock classic.

    The aptly-named “Midnight Drive” builds the groove up slowly, and lets each member of the group take turns showcasing their ability and cultivating an entrancing atmosphere. See them perform it live here. After the sultry mellow groove of “Midnight Drive,” the band lets loose with the titular track, “Dreamland.” This is arguably the most danceable number on the album, with a salsa influence shining through their already-recognizable style. This intoxicating Latin-inspired track is sure to animate a crowd.

    “Song of Everest” follows on “Dreamland’s” heels with a heavy-metal inspired riff and some aggressive piano, adding more depth to the eclectic palette of the album. “Everest” brings some dark, raw energy that adds interesting variety and features a riveting peak and breakdown. “Beautiful Mystery” is essentially the tonal opposite of the previous song, with NFPK returning to their original, undeniably jazzy sound. “Inspiration” builds on a wave of pleasant horns and a steady build to a euphoric crescendo before the epic coup-de-grace that is “Tick Tock.” “Tick Tock” evokes the feeling of an old spy movie, with its jaunty piano-line and frantic pace, instilling a dramatic sense of urgency.

    News From Planet Kniffen shows tons of promise with their first foray into the world of jazz-fusion, with a debut album that blends mesmerizing soundscapes with genre-bending arrangements and musical prowess. These guys are not to be missed. Purchase the album here.

    Key Tracks: Back in Black, Midnight Drive, Dreamland

  • 2018 Saranac Thursday Lineup Announced

    The F.X. Matt Brewery in Utica announced the lineup for its 20th anniversary Saranac Thursday series for 2018. The annual event showcases many local and regional acts with the occasional national act as well. This year’s series kicks off May 24 with the Rome-based classic rock outfit, Work Related.

    In addition to 20 years of Saranac Thursdays, the brewery is celebrating 85 years of Utica Club, the brewery’s flagship beer, and 130 years of the F.X. Matt Brewing Company.

    Gates to the courtyard open at 5:30 and performances begin at 6:00 p.m. each week. A portion of the proceeds benefits the United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area. The events have raised more than $600,000 dollar total to date.

    2018 Saranac Thursday Schedule: 

    May 24 – Work Related
    May 31 – Chris Eves & The New Normal
    June 7 – Big Mean Sound Machine
    June 14 – Eric Tessmer Band
    June 21 – Our Common Roots
    June 28 – Follow the Muse
    July 5 – Gridley Paige
    July 12 – Last Left
    July 19 – LDF
    July 26 – Sir Cadian Rhythm
    Aug. 2 – Showtime
    Aug. 9 – The Old Main
    Aug. 16 – The Crazy Fools
    Aug. 23 – Handsome Young Ladies
    Aug. 30 – The Bomb
    Sept. 6 – Floodwood

  • Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul Bring Spiritual Nourishment to the Palace

    Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul brought a crowd of 900 to church on Friday, May 4. The full band of 14, including 5 horns, 2 pianos, 2 percussionists, 1 guitar, 1 bass and 3 back up singers, were joined on stage by Little Steven a little after 8 pm.  As the wall of sound overtook the Palace, it became immediately clear that the crowd was about to get some soul nourishment through old-fashioned big band live music.

    Little Steven spoke to the crowd repeatedly through the concert, asking initially if the crowd liked “good music” as he pointed out dancing, head bobbing fans in the seats. As the band roared through their set list, memories of Little Steven’s history playing in the E Street Band and with Southside Johnny flooded the theatre. The top-notch musicians created chord progression after chord progression of satisfying sound, filling the space with covers and new songs alike and bringing the audience to a fevered pitch of joy.

    Ever the entertainer, Little Steven was in constant motion. Between removing his trench coat, pointing to band members to cue them to take solos, and dancing with his fans, the star powered his way through five songs before taking a break and instructing his audience to “sit and relax” too. He announced the release of the group’s live album and dedicated the night to the teaching profession, noting, “It is time to give them the respect due.” He added he probably should also dedicate it to those teachers he gave a hard time to in school, which drew laughter from the agreeable crowd.

    Steven graciously shared his stage and highlighted talent within his band, giving ample opportunities to each section for solos and audience applause. Generous and joyful, Steven reflected on how live music can nourish your soul.  “The world’s going crazy out there,” he mused, “ We need to gather in cathedrals like this to remember our common ground.”

    Soul music was the common ground for this band, and as they gave nods to Motown and Springsteen alike, they shared high-intensity energy and love for their craft.  They brought the audience with them; with hands clapping and the crowd jumping, as a frenzy of lights and a wall of music lifted spirits and grounded souls in Albany.

    Setlist: Sweet Soul Music (Arthur Conley cover), Soulfire (The Breakers cover), I’m Coming Back (Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes cover), The Blues Is My Business (Etta James cover), Love on the Wrong Side of Town (Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes cover),  Until the Good Is Gone, Angel Eyes, Some Things Just Don’t Change (Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes cover), St. Valentines Day, Standing in the Line of Fire (Gary “U.S.” Bonds cover), I Saw the Light (Little Steven cover), Salvation (Little Steven cover), The City Weeps Tonight (Little Steven cover), Down and Out in New York City (James Brown cover), Princess of Little Italy. Groovin’ Is Easy (The Electric Flag cover), Ride the Night Away (Jimmy Barnes cover), Bitter Fruit (Little Steven cover), Forever

    Encore: I Don’t Want to Go Home (Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes cover), Out of the Darkness (Little Steven cover)

  • Renowned Musician Alejandro Escovedo to Perform in Cohoes

    Rock musician, singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo, will bring his multiple talents to Capital Region when he takes the stage at the Cohoes Music Hall in Cohoes on May 11.

    The show will also feature special guest Kris Gruen. Doors open at 7 p.m. and show time at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $25-$35. All ages are welcome.

    Born in 1951, the Mexican-American musician’s guitar playing skills cross genres such as punk rock, roots rock, and alternative country. He comes from a family of musicians including brothers Coke and Pete Escovedo. Pop star of the late ’70s and early ’80s Sheila E., is Escovedo’s niece (Pete’s daughter).

    Escovedo has released fifteen studio albums since 1992 including his latest effort, Burn Something Beautiful (2016). He collaborated with R.E.M. lead guitarist Peter Buck, and The Minus 5 member Scott McCaughey on songwriting for Burn Something Beautiful. The pair also helped produce the album. Throughout his career, Escovedo has collaborated on several albums including a tribute album to Moby Grape co-founder Skip Spence.

    Alongside Jennifer Miro and Jeff Olener, Escovedo started his musical career in the punk rock group The Nuns during the ’70s music scene in San Francisco. In the ’80s, he moved on from The Nuns and teamed up with brothers and former The Dils members Chip and Tony Kinman to form the punk rock band Rank and File. Together they would release three studio albums before disbanding in 1987. He formed the band True Believers with his brother Javier.

    When talking about how he carries his career, Escovedo stated: “You just do your good work, and people care. I always believed, when I was a kid, that if you worked hard, you would find fulfillment. I think I got a lot of that from my father and my brothers. A working musician is all I ever wanted to be. Hard work, stay true to what you want to do, and then eventually someone would notice for that very reason.”

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

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

    Photo: Cornell University Press

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

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

    The Chimes

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

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

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

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

  • John Popper gets Intimate at the Swyer Theater

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

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

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

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

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

     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Wild Adriatic celebrate their 1000th show on May 5 at Putnam Place

    Wild Adriatic will boldly go where few bands have gone before, as they’ll play their 1000th show together! To celebrate this milestone, they’ll be using Putnam Place’s video wall to present “Wild Adriatic Goes to Space,” part of a 75 minute nonstop set of space themed covers and Wild Adriatic originals. Toronto’s After Funk will kick things off at 9pm.

    In determining that this would indeed be their 1000th show, Wild Adriatic drummer Mateo Vosganian looked over the band’s spreadsheet a few months ago and his reaction was a bit of a surprise, as Vosganian puts it, “Oh Shit, haha it’s our 1,000th show soon! So we threw some ideas around about how to make it special. We’ve always wanted to go to space, so what better time than now?”

    Starting in 2011, Wild Adriatic has toured across the country, performed at countless festivals including Bonnaroo, and even have two tours of Europe under their belt. “Some of our 2011-2012 shows were a bit hazy on when/where/how but luckily digging thru emails and a few old booking spreadsheets helped me put it together. Google Docs is my savior.”

    “It’s also funny because even though we’ve played 1,000 shows I feel like we’re just getting started. Like this year we just figured out how to write songs together in a really meaningful way to the three of us. It’s sort of like these 1,000 shows have been preparation for the next step. We have a ton of new material we’re going to start unveiling in the next year and have a stacked summer tour ahead, so it’s just a really exciting time. Super happy to be able to celebrate with our family and friends in Saratoga, especially before the summer gets insane.”

  • Dweezil Zappa Brings ‘Choice Cuts’ Tour to The Egg

    The Zappa family has always loved Upstate New York. Frank opened his 1988 U.S. tour at the Palace Theater and his son, Dweezil Zappa, has continued that love for the area on his runs. Coming to The Egg for the first time since 2016, he played everyone’s favorite tunes during this ‘Choice Cuts’ tour. With his usual band of eccentric members, they set expectations high and delivered all night.

    Dweezil Zappa The Egg

    As the band members came on stage, the show started into “The Purple Lagoon (Intro)” before Dweezil came out to a thunderous applause. Wasting no time, they started the 1975 favorite, “Andy” and then began the originally unreleased “Lonely Little Girl”. “Flakes” included its usual Bob Dylan homage and a new Eric Cartman section which was hilariously performed by Scheila Gonzalez. Cian Coey took the mic for “Fifty Fifty” and did not let her foot cast stop her from rockin’. Dweezil took it on himself to deliver a blistering solo to end the song and then took them band into “Po-jama People”.

    Before the next song, he paused to tell the crowd that it was “great that Albany loves Zappa so much” and then surprised everyone with the “James Bond Theme” which segued perfectly into “Studebaker Hoch”. A lovely “Rollo” medley was followed by an explanation that the next song couldn’t originally be played live because certain feedback techniques were not possible to recreate outside of the studio. Using modern technology, they all brought “Absolutely Free” to life and followed it with “Call Any Vegetable” and “Tell Me You Love Me”, which features some great keyboard work from Chris Norton.

    Pausing again to chat with the audience, Mr. Zappa proclaimed that the theme of the show was “It’s so fucking great to be alive”. He went on to say that of all the songs his father composed, his favorite was this next song, “Dog Meat”. The beautiful clamor had people on their feet cheering for more, so the band declared, “And now for something completely different” before launching into AC/DC’s “Back in Black”. Bassist Kurt Morgan was dressed to impress as Angus Young and really shined during this track.

    Next up were two “songs from the 80’s” called as “Cocaine Decisions” and “Drowning Witch” before jumping back decades to play “Sleeping In A Jar” and “Florentine Pogen”. Dweezil was happy to announce that it was now ‘Unreleased Time’ and played a song called “Sleep Napkins”, which is a combination of “Black Napkins” and “Sleep Dirt”. Drummer Ryan Brown tore the roof down with his exceptional drumming during both “The Black Page # 1” and “The Black Page # 2” and led the band into everyone’s favorite, “Peaches en Regalia”.

    Zappa was more than just a musician and in 1971, Frank directed the movie 200 Motels. Unsurprisingly, he also wrote the soundtrack too and Dweezil brought the classic “This Town is a Sealed Tuna Sandwich” to life for the enthusiastic audience. Jumping to the other end of the decade, the band started into everyone’s favorite, “Keep It Greasy” and when it finished, Dweezil started talking to the crowd about his all-time favorite Zappa songs and said this next one was high on the list. “Cheepnis” became everyone’s favorite by the time it was over and they followed that with “Son of Orange County” before ending the two-and-a-half hour set with “Trouble Every Day”.

    After a few minutes offstage, everyone came back to a roaring crowd as Dweezil told a story about a failed jingle that his father wrote back in the day. It was for Remington Electric Razor’s and it was to be performed with Linda Ronstadt. They were paid for their work, but the company was not a fan of the song. “Remington Electric Razor Jingle” was followed by a lovely version of “Oh, In The Sky” performed by Adam Minkoff. Dweezil let loose with another jaw-dropping solo during “Muffin Man” before they ended the night with “The Purple Lagoon (Reprise)”.

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