NYS Music 20​18

Category: Rock

  • Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare to Host First Rock for Recovery Benefit

    The Black River will headline a March 9 benefit for Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare at the Palace Theater on James Street. The event features a who’s who of the burgeoning Syracuse music scene while raising funds for SBH programming for substance abuse recovery and mental health care.

    The unique showcase will feature performances from some of the best talent in the Syracuse rock scene. In addition to the Black River, performers include Atkins Riot, Late Earth, Molina and Climbing Stars. The show will be also have an infusion of stories of recovery from the effects of substance abuse, mental illness and other health issues. On-air personality, Scott Dixon (DXN) of 95X will be the event’s emcee.

    The March 9 show begins at 7 p.m. Advanced sale tickets can be purchased for $10 through the SBH website. Tickets at the door will cost $15. All proceeds from the event will go towards promoting SBH programming for recovery from the effects of substance use and mental health disorders through healthcare programs at every stage of the recovery process.

    The Black River, one of the hottest bands in the Syracuse scene, recently released its debut album Classic Universe and is currently playing shows throughout Upstate. Their album is available on all streaming services. A live video of the Black River’s “Roomful of Flies” can be seen below.

    Alt-rockers Atkins Riot features veteran members of the Syracuse music scene. Their riff-heavy eponymous debut is picking up steam around the Syracuse scene and can be purchased at their shows. You can check out a couple of their songs via SoundCloud below.

    https://soundcloud.com/user-257333986/too-much-whisky

    Late Earth has been nominated for a Syracuse Area Music Award for their album The Prevail. This young band’s album is an original sounding, genre-spanning work with influences ranging from ’90s alt-rock to blues to ska to reggae. Check out some tracks and purchase the SAMMY nominated album through their BandCamp page.

    Binghamton-area alt-rockers, Molina released their debut EP, Swing Devotion in 2015. Their single for “Wasted Years” boasts a heavy influence from The National and Interpol. Take a listen in their official video below.

    Climbing Stars recently recorded a “Live @ SubCat” session for 105.9 The Rebel’s weekly show, “Soundcheck.” The band’s bio states that they “pick up where grunge left off.” They are currently in the studio recording their debut album. In the meantime, you can hear the single “Angel From Afar” on their BandCamp page.

    Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare (SBH) promotes recovery from the effects of substance use and mental health disorders through healthcare programs at every stage of the recovery process through inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation as well as residential rehabilitation. In the past year, SBH programs have helped 6871 people in the Central New York area. For more information on Rock for Recovery and the services SBH provides, visit their website here.

  • Trampled by Turtles Return from Hiatus with ‘Life is Good on the Open Road’

    Trampled By Turtles, coming off an indefinite hiatus, have announced their first new album in four years, Life is Good on the Open Road, to be released on May 4 with two shows at The Palace Theater in St. Paul, MN. The tour swings east and arrives at Manhattan’s Playstation Theater on May 11.

    Life Is Good On The Open Road

    Trampled By Turtles’ signature blend of rock, folk, punk, country and their brand of progressive bluegrass can be heard on the album’s opening track “Kelly’s Bar”

    Life is Good on the Open Road is the welcome return that the group’s legions of passionate fans have been waiting for. Led by the songwriting of lead singer Dave Simonett, the new songs touch on key elements from the entire spectrum of Trampled By Turtles body of work, while creating something that sounds fresh and invigorated. Simonett, and bandmates Erik Berry, Ryan Young, Dave Carroll, Tim Saxhaug and Eamonn McLain reunited at a cabin in the Minnesota woods to see if the special chemistry they once shared still existed. It did not take long for the magic to reveal itself with a renewed sense of purpose and the result shines brightly on Life is Good on the Open Road.

    Trampled by Turtles Spring Tour Dates:

    May 4 – St. Paul, MN – The Palace Theatre ^^
    May 5 – St. Paul, MN – The Palace Theatre ++
    May 6 – Madison, WI – Capitol Theater $$
    May 8 – Boston, MA – House of Blues **
    May 9 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer **
    May 11 – New York, NY – Playstation Theater **
    May 12+13 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club **
    May 15 – Raleigh, NC – Ritz **
    May 17 – Asheville, NC – Highland Brewing Company **
    May 18 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium **
    May 19+20 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall ##
    June 21 – Tahoe, NV – Montbleau @@
    June 22 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre @@
    June 23 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay @@
    June 27 – Seattle, WA – Woodland Park Zoo @@
    June 29 – Portland, OR – Oregon Zoo Amphitheater @@
    June 30 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom @@
    July 19 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre &&
    July 21 – Missoula, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater XX
    July 22 – Bozeman, MT – Bridger Brewing XX

    More to come

    ^^ – The Pines
    ++ – Frankie Lee
    $$ – Dead Horses
    ** – Hiss Golden Messenger
    ## – Actual Wolf
    @@ – Deer Tick
    && – The Oh Hellos + Dead Horses
    XX – The Lil Smokies

  • moe. Continues Tour in Portland for Rob Derhak at Hometown Show

    On February 16 and 17, moe returned to bassist Rob Derhak in his hometown of Portland, Maine for a blistering double-header. After selling out the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester two weeks prior, moe. fans were treated to two nights of music at the gorgeous State Theatre, with fan favorites, reworked songs, well-executed covers and some deep, exploratory jams.

    moe. opened with the aptly-chosen “Bring it Back Home,” which transitioned smoothly into the intense drum intro to “Water,” featuring teases of both “meat.” and “The Pit.” Both drummer Vinnie Amico and percussionist Jim Loughlin were seemingly possessed by some ferocious energy during both shows, adding all kinds of fills and teases to familiar songs, while inventing new patterns and improvisations. After “Water,” the band immediately dropped into “Bullet,” with guitarist Chuck Garvey belting out the lyrics, before the premier of his new song “Who You Calling Scared?” They then invited a friend of the band’s, Bill Waldron to the stage to play pedal-steel on a highly-charged rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers.” Waldron had recently lent the use of his practice space for moe. to prepare for the Capitol Theatre run. The latin-inspired instrumental “Mar De-Ma” followed, with the newly reworked “Lazarus” in tow. They then closed the first set with a soaring version of “The Road” before taking a short break.

    Set 2 began with a one-two punch: “Big World,” which dropped into the funky and danceable “Ricky Marten.” The two are often paired, but following them with “Time Ed” was a rare treat for the moe. fans in attendance. “Time Ed” slowly and patiently built towards its intense climax, and then no huddled into “Puebla.” They followed this with one of the best versions of “Four” ever played, featuring an extended bass jam in the middle that featured strong teases of “In a Gadda da Vida” and a much subtler, blink and you’ll miss it “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” tease. “Four” clocked in at a staggering 30 minutes long and featured an incredible, progressive segueway into the punky intro to “head,” which served as the set closer. After a short encore break, the boys returned to the stage for their rendition of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla,” which featured an exploratory jam and some vocal shenanigans from Rob. Hardcore moe.rons would recognize the references to the raunchy moe. rarity “Tijuana Donkey Show” that were inserted into the “Godzilla” vocal jam.  Listen to the show here.

    Saturday night, an even bigger crowd made its way to the State for the second performance, which somehow managed to top the already phenomenal first night. They took the stage, and Rob wasted no time dropping into the bassline of “Billy Goat,” a song he penned for his late father. After a well-performed “Billy Goat,” they transitioned into Jim’s new song “Don’t Wanna Be,” that might be on the next album and features his gruff vocals and dark, pensive lyrics. The transition featured heavy “Tailspin” teases and was followed with the technical “Crab Eyes” and then “ATL,” which debuted in 2012 at Summer Camp, only to be shelved for several years before finally being resuscitated last year. “ATL” was followed by the first repeat of the tour, Rob’s new song “LL3,” which describes his harrowing victory against cancer. They transitioned into “Bearsong,” which went into a long, spacey, ambient jam reminiscent of 2001-era moe. Jim led them into “Tubing the River Styx,” the intro to the Satanic “The Pit,” and then back into “Bearsong,” to complete the sandwich. It is most certainly worthy to note that Rob was in a bear costume for the second half of “Bearsong.”

    Set 2 began with Rob’s relatively new jam vehicle, “Prestige Worldwide,” which debuted at the holiday show in 2016, followed by the erratic and playful fan favorite, “Seat of my Pants,” and the hyperactive “Sensory Deprivation Bank.” This was followed by the second repeat of the tour, Chuck’s immaculately composed “New Hope for the New Year,” an intricate tune with tons of potential for future improvisation. This and “LL3” were both played for the first time in Port Chester, at their first performances since the end of their hiatus. After, they dove into an uplifting “Bring You Down,” which featured one of the most patient, smooth, and entrancing segueways of the weekend, into “Kyle’s Song,” which flowed into its sister song “Kids” to close the second set. moe. then encored with the sing-a-long “Spine of a Dog” before bidding the crowd farewell. Both nights featured heavy improv from the rhythm section and alterations on classics, as well as deep psychedelic jams and segues that left the crowd guessing. moe. is back, and they are hungry. Listen to night 2 here.

    Friday, Feb. 16

    Set 1: Bring it Back Home > Water (nh)> Bullet, Who You Calling Scared? (FTP), Dead Flowers, Mar De-Ma (nh)> Lazazarus, The Road

    Set 2: Big World > Ricky Marten > Time Ed (nh)> Puebla, Four > head.

    Encore: Godzilla

    Saturday, Feb. 17

    Set 1: Billy Goat > Don’t Wanna Be, Crab Eyes, ATL, LL3 > Bearsong > Tubing the River Styx > The Pit > Bearsong

    Set 2: Prestige Worldwide > Seat of my Pants > Sensory Deprivation Bank, New Hope for the New Year, Bring You Down > Kyle’s Song > Kids

    Encore: Spine of a Dog

    photos by Sarah Bourque

  • Disc Jam Music Festival announces 2018 Lineup

    Disc Jam Music Festival announced today the initial lineup for the 8th installment of the annual music festival held in Stephentown, NY. Slated for June 7-10, the music-filled weekend promises over 80 artists, along with Disc Golf Tournaments, Flow Tribe dancers, craft vending, yoga workshops and much more.

    The 2018 artist lineup includes a heavy dose of national and regional funk and jam artists, in addition to collaboratives and side projects, including unique pairings only found at the festival. Headliners include Lotus, Beats Antique, Galactic, The Motet, Electron (feat. members of Lotus and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead), Disco Biscuits guitarist Jon ‘The Barber’ Gutwillig (solo acoustic set), DJ Logic and Friends (feat. members of The Disco Biscuits, Dopapod and Turkuaz), Gubbulidis (Twiddle side project), Kung Fu, Moon Hooch, Aqueous, Ghost Note (Snarky Puppy side project) Tom Marshall’s Amfibian All-Stars, Ghost Light (Tom Hamilton and Holly Bowling project), among more than 80 artists performing on 4 stages over 4 days of camping at the picturesque Gardner’s Farm.

    “I spent the entire off-season trying to come up with a festival experience that could one-up the magic we conjured up last year. I think what we have in store will set the bar high for next year. And I’m already nervous thinking how we’ll top this in 2019.” In their 4th consecutive year at Gardner’s Farm, Disc Jam has found a venue that feels like home.  “I truly believe that we have been blessed with the perfect festival grounds, surrounded by rolling hills with picturesque views and soft grass beneath our feet.”

    As the name Disc Jam would imply, this 4 day and night event features the fast growing sport of disc golf and festival grounds hold a 27-hole disc golf course on site. Disc Golf Tournaments for men and women are held throughout the weekend, with prizes from Innova and Pure Flight Disc Golf. The annual tournament is a must for Disc Golf enthusiasts and encourages the casual and first timer players to try their hand on the course all weekend long with no additional costs to play and even provide discs free of charge for those interested in trying their hand at the course.

    VIP packages include hotel and condo style rooms at the beautiful Jiminy Peak Ski resort just 5 minutes from the venue. A variety of activities and workshops are a big attraction for Disc Jam, including flow art workshops, daily yoga sessions, interactive music and art amidst the festival grounds, plus craft and art vending that help make Disc Jam create a unique and memorable experience for both new and returning fans.

    Music can be found on twin Main stages, ensuring nonstop music well into the night along with the massive Tent stage and Woods stage, the latter of which features nightly takeovers from some of the top names in bass and house music, with The Wook of Wall Street hosting a Silent Disco Party lasting until sunrise.

    Check out our review of Disc Jam 2017, Watch the 2017 Disc Jam Recap video and check out the lineup below!

    Disc Jam 2018 Music Festival Initial Lineup

    Lotus
    Beats Antique
    Galactic
    The Motet
    Electron
    Jon ‘The Barber’ Gutwillig (Acoustic Set)
    DJ Logic and Friends (feat. members of The Disco Biscuits, Dopapod and Turkuaz)
    Gubbulidis
    Kung Fu
    Moon Hooch
    Aqueous
    Tom Marshall’s Amfibian All-Stars
    Ghost Light
    Jo Jo Mayer / Nerve
    Ghost-Note
    Consider The Source
    The Nth Power
    Yes Darling
    Wolf!
    Soule Monde
    The TAZ Band
    Bella’s Bartok
    Marbin
    Compa/Gantzer
    Ryan Dempsey Solo
    Big Mean Sound Machine
    West End Blend
    Dub Apocalypse
    The Funky Dawgs Brass Band
    Strange Machines
    Space Bacon
    Escaper
    G-Nome Project
    The A Beez
    Root Shock
    Bearly Dead Formula 5
    Goose
    Shwizz
    Funktional Flow
    Mammal Dap
    Floodwood
    Blind Owl Band
    Swimmer
    Of Clocks and Clouds
    Cousin Earth
    Space Carnival Of Tomorrow
    Harsh Armadillo
    Fake Flowers Real Dirt
    The Clock Reads
    The Wiley Griffin Band
    The Mushroom Cloud
    Catullus
    Lord Electro
    Dizgo
    Dewpoint
    Let’s Be Leonard
    Cypher

  • An All-Star Lineup Celebrates David Bowie at The Egg

    With members of his touring bands on stage at The Egg, the catalog of David Bowie was celebrated in earnest, featuring a mix of classics, rarities and fan favorites that sprang an audience from their seats throughout the night. Having lost Bowie just over two years ago, the stars sounded very different tonight thanks to the voices of Bernard Fowler (The Rolling Stones), Gaby Moreno, Joe Sumner and Corey Glover (Living Colour) bringing life to Starman’s songs once again.

    david bowie egg

    Celebrating David Bowie featured an incredible lineup fronted by Queens native Mike Garson, who performed with Bowie at his first and last U.S. concerts, and noted early on that he was blessed to play 1000 concerts and 20 albums with Bowie and was proud to continue bringing his music to you. Joining Garson were guitarists Earl Slick and Gerry Leonard, Carmine Rojas on bass and Lee John Madeloni (Slick’s son) on drums. Over the course of two and and a half hours of more than 20 songs, between 5 and 10 musicians were on stage at a time, echoing Garson’s remark, “It takes a village to get Bowie’s music across.”

    With all this talent and the music of David Bowie, it raises the question, “Is there such a thing as too many hits to play?” The answer, by the end of the marathon performance, was a definitive no. Rojas noted after the show that with all the tunes to choose from, it is hard to pick what to play, but they intend to mix it up night after night this tour. Bowie indeed had too many hits to count, plus a bevy of under-appreciated albums, many of which found themselves in the limelight this evening, performed by the musicians who knew the music better than anyone other than Bowie himself.

    Starting the night with “Bring Me the Disco King,” an extended cut from 2003’s Reality album, Fowler took the lead on vocals from the get-go, following with “Rebel Rebel,” “Moonage Daydream” and ‘Fame” which saw the crowd rose with encouragement from Fowler. Living Colour’s Corey Glover, who sang backup for Fowler on many songs tonight, took to the mic for the first time singing “Changes,” followed by “Space Oddity,” the first song vocalist Gaby Moreno, a 2017 Grammy nominee for Best Latin Pop album for Ilúsion, sang amid a starry backdrop. Joe Sumner, Sting’s son, sang and played acoustic guitar for “Quicksand” off Hunky Dory, followed by Glover back on vocals for “Young Americans.”

    An immense highlight of the show followed in the form of “5 Years,” performed elegantly by Moreno. The gritty, dark rock of “Station to Station” brought Earl Slick into the limelight to perform the title track of the album to which he contributed. During the outro to “Alladin Sane,” a piano medley by Garson included Bowie, Beatles, and old timey piano tunes mixed in. Moreno and Fowler performed a duet on “Wild is the Wind” while Sumner sang “Ziggy Stardust” better than anyone alive, with Slick shredding throughout.

    During “Suffragette City,” Glover ventured into the crowd for the latter part of the song, and admiring the amphitheater in front of him, he took a seat in the top row to take in the set closing “All the Young Dudes,” where Sumner had everyone waving hands in the air.

    For the encore, Gerry Leonard came out for a solo guitar rendition of rarity “Loving the Alien,” followed by Sumner stepping out to sing “Life on Mars?,” an emotional rendition of one of Bowie’s best songs. For the grand finale, “Heroes” closed the show, bringing all 10 musicians to the stage for an all-star ending to an emotional tribute for one of the greatest rock n’ roll legends ever.

    Setlist: Bring Me the Disco King, Rebel Rebel, Moonage Daydream, Fame, Changes, Space Oddity, Quicksand, Stay, Conversation Piece, Can You Hear Me, Young Americans, 5 Years, Station to Station, Time, Lady Grinning Soul, Alladin Sane, Wild Is the Wind, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, All the Young Dudes

    Encore: Loving the Alien, Life on Mars?, Heroes

    Celebrating David Bowie next perform this Friday, February 16 in Boston, MA at Chevalier Theatre, Saturday, February 17 in Montreal, QC at M Telus and Sunday, February 18 in Toronto, ON at Danforth Music Hall.

  • moe. Returns to Bass Player Rob Derhak’s Home State for 2-Night Run

    moe. are set to return to the State Theater in Portland Maine for their first Maine shows since 2016, and their first shows at the State since their New Year’s run in 2012. After a brief, but harrowing battle with oropharyngeal cancer, moe bass player Rob Derhak is eager to play a two-night run in his home state of Maine. If their inaugural shows back after the hiatus at Capitol Theatre were any indicator, these shows should be a dream come true for an energetic and deprived fan base. In the beginning of February, moe. returned to the stage for an absolutely blistering pair of shows, and are slated to play two more nights in Portland followed by two nights in Albany.
    moe bass player
    Bassist and vocalist Rob Derhak proved at the start of this tour that he is happy and healthy, his voice is still very much intact, and his fingers and hungry for some bass. Their last visit to his hometown featured three shows at the two venues, an intimate concert experience at Port City Music Hall, followed by two shows at the scenic Thompson’s Point, overlooking the ocean. Prior to that, they hadn’t seen any action in Maine since a one-night stand in 2014. Before that, moe. delivered a phenomenal New Year’s run in 2012 that spanned two venues across two states.

    After the uncertainty of the hiatus, and Rob’s cancer victory, moe. has announced an extensive tour that only seems to be growing, as well as several festival appearances and their triumphant return to Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, Illinois. After the smashing success that was their sold-out Capitol run, the moe. fan community, with the proud moniker “moe.rons” are eagerly awaiting Rob’s return to his beautiful home state. These shows are not to be missed for any fans of Buffalo jam monsters moe.

    Listen to past moe performances from Portland:

    State Theater 12/30/2012 and 12/31/2012

    Port City Music Hall 6/16/2016

    Thompson’s Point 6/17/2016

    Thompson’s Point 6/18/2016

  • Camp Bisco 16 Announces Lineup

    Camp Bisco returns for year 16.

    The music festival hosted by the Disco Biscuits takes place once again on Montage Mountain on Thursday, July 12 to Saturday, July 14, in Scranton, Pa.

    Marc Brownstein, Biscuits bassist posted on Facebook: “Back to the mountain with an amazing lineup!!”

    It will be the festival’s fourth consecutive year at Montage Mountain — which includes a waterpark and camping grounds for festivalgoers.

    The Disco Biscuits headline the three-day event, and the festival continues to book the biggest names in EDM and jamtronica.

    Headbangers and bassheads can rejoice there will be no shortage of bass at this year’s event.

    Bisco staples such as Bassnectar, Tipper, Lotus and STS9 return to headline once again. Excision and Illenium will also headline along with Bonobo, which will include a live band.

    More bands included are: 12th Planet; Anna Lunde; Big Wild; Boogie T; Buku; Desert Dwellers; DJ Jazzy Jeff; The Floozies (ft. the Terminus Horns); The Funk Hunters; G Jones; Ghostface Killah; Jai Wolf; Lettuce; Liquid Stranger; Mija (back to back) Billy Kenny; Oliver Tree; Papadosio; Quinn XCII; Space Jesus X2 (including a special downtempo set); Snails; Sunsquabi; Tauk; Zion I x Lespecial.

    Also making the trip to Montage Mountain will be: Agent Zero; Bass Physics; Bluetech; Cofresi; Ducky; Flamingosis; Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad; The Hip Abduction; Horizon Wireless; Kidswaste; Kung Fu; Let’s Danza!; Magic Beans; Naughty Professor; Orchard Lounge; Probcause; Space Bacon; Squinto; Yheti and Zeke Beats.

    For more information and tickets for Camp Bisco 16, visit campbisco.com

  • Samantha Fish Throws Curveballs to Westcott Audience

    In baseball, one of the most effective tools in a pitcher’s arsenal is to throw a pitch the batter isn’t expecting. Kansas City resident and unabashed Royals baseball fan Samantha Fish was equally effective in keeping a Syracuse audience guessing what was coming next by throwing a variety of aural curveballs at them during her performance on February 9 at the Westcott Theater.

    samantha fishA blustery winter evening saw over two hundred music fans turn out at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse, New York for a double bill of Judge Gazza and headliner Samantha Fish. Both of these artists held surprises for anyone expecting straight ahead blues music. Gazza is a ubiquitous presence at Central New York live music events, supporting his fellow artists and promoting future shows. A burly, barrel-chested man with some prominent chin whiskers, he opened the show accompanied by Joel Reissig on drums. Gazza played slide and finger-picking style on a colorful folk art style cigar box guitar decorated with his name on the fretboard. His vocals were a gruff, gravel-throated sound that took some getting used to, but fit well with a number of the more aggressive tunes in a spectrum that drew from from Mississippi hill country blues to punk rock. Overall, his set was reminiscent of everything from Social Distortion and the White Stripes to Sleepy John Estes and R. L. Burnside, whose “Poor Black Mattie” was covered by Gazza.

    samantha fish

    Samantha Fish has built a reputation as a popular festival act touring for nearly a decade as a blues trio, with a large slice of cigar-box slide guitar playing of her own. Her latest album and her latest touring band are a decided sonic shift from many of her previous recordings and performances, more roots rock than blues. That may have been unexpected for some attendees anticipating only her older repertoire. Fortunately, Fish’s guitar skills, vocals, and the dense layers of sound that her five piece backing band added were enthusiastically received by the vast majority. Her songs had elements of soul, gospel, country, and Americana, and she was sure to show off her guitar chops on the more blues-tinged numbers, as well as on a roaring cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Heartbreaker.” The variety of styles and sounds kept Fish’s guitar tech busy, frequently changing between an offset Telecaster, Fender Jaguar, Gibson SG, Taylor acoustic, and a gorgeous custom Delaney guitar, before making her way to a cigar box guitar for a second encore.

    Among the highlights were the beautiful, plaintive “Need You More,” and the infectious “Somebody’s Always Trying,” accented by the punch of Alex Massa on trumpet, Chris Spies on saxophone and the driving beat of Scott Graves on drums that had dozens of folks up and dancing. Rounding out the band were Chris Alexander on bass guitar and Phil Breen on keyboards.

    Fish’s set consisted primarily of songs from her two most recent recordings, Chills and Fever, and her latest, Belle of the West, both on Ruf Records. Each of these 2017 releases have received prominent critical acclaim. The former was named in NY Times music critic Jon Caramanica’s Best of 2017 list. Regarding the latter, Rolling Stone, despite calling Fish a country artist, said, “it sounds like the intersection of coffee-shop folk and juke-joint blues, performed in a sophisticated jazz club.” A broad but apt description, as Fish would likely appeal to fans of artists as diverse as the retro sounds of Duffy or Amy Winehouse, the alt-country of Maria McKee and Lone Justice, to the blues and soul of the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Perhaps most remarkably, Fish now has five studio albums to her name, thousands of performances, international acclaim, and is not yet thirty years old. The future is bright for the Kansas City-based artist, and you should be part of it the next time she’s playing nearby.

    Judge Gazza Setlist: Nobody’s Fault But Mine, Going to Brownsville, Jelly Roll, Black Mattie, Bunny Foo Foo, Up Da Punx, Amen, Black Betty, Rollin’ & Tumblin’, Dirty Get Down, You Gotta Move> Nobody’s Fault But Mine

    Samantha Fish Setlist: Hello Stranger, American Dream, Blood in the Water, You Can’t Go, Chills and Fever, Little Baby, Don’t Say You Love Me, Need You More, No Angels, Somebody’s Always Trying, Belle of the West, Gone for Good, Nearer to You, Cowtown, Daughters> Heartbreaker

    Encore: Go Home, Unidentified (cigar box guitar)

  • Carnegie Hall Tribute to Led Zeppelin to feature Betty Lavette, The London Souls, more

    On March 7, Michael Dorf, founder of The Knitting Factory and City Winery, will bring together a wide ranging lineup of artists once again for an annual tribute to a legendary musical act. This year, The Music of Led Zeppelin will be honored by 20 genre-spanning artists at Carnegie Hall.

    carnegie hall led zeppelin

    For the concert, the house band will be led by Tony Shanahan (Patti Smith) and will include Jackie Greene, Andy York, Andy Burton and Dennis Diken. Previously-announced performers for the benefit are Bettye LaVette, The Zombies, Living Colour, The London Souls, J Mascis, Orianthi and Richie Sambora, O.A.R., Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards and Brian Wheat of Tesla.

    Recent additions to the show include moe. and the return of Bustle in Your Hedgerow, a supergroup formed in 2003 that features Joe Russo, Marco Benevento, Scott Metzger and Dave Dreiwitz. Nicole Atkins, Joseph Arthur, Son Little and Patty Smyth fill out the lineup for The Music of Led Zeppelin.

    The March 7 show will be the 15th annual tribute concert Dorf has held at Carnegie Hall, with net proceeds benefiting music education organizations for underprivileged youth. Over $1.3 million has been raised by the series in since its inception. Benefits in the past have honored the music of Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, David Byrne, Paul Simon, Prince, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, R.E.M., Neil Young, The Rolling Stones and others. For tickets and more info, visit Carnegie Hall’s website.

  • Hearing Aide: Ampevene’s ‘Ephemagoria’

    Complex isn’t always good, but in Ampevene’s case, it’s raw, emotive and highly expressive. The Albany-based quartet will unveil their latest live album, Ephemagoria at The Hollow Bar + Kitchen on Feb. 9 with the helping hands of their friends in Cousin Earth. Having teased fans along the way with the releases of “Valencia” and “Rometheu,”  the complete live effort commands attention from its earliest, distorted notes. Over a 10-track sonic highway, the prog rockers take listeners for a noisy ride as they blend blatant psychedelic rock influences with their own gritty flair and unique cocktail of spellbinding genres. 

    Branching off of Gabe Stallman’s solo project as a guitarist, Ampevene is completed by Stallman on guitar and vocals, Mack Hogan on bass, Brian Fahey on drums and Ava Smith on keys. Seeing a minor lineup change, Fahey is the current drummer who took over for Darryl Kniffen, the recorded drummer on the album. The first few tracks come as an attack on your senses, kicking off with a myriad of sound and distortion as an 8-minute journey unfolds within “Florida.” While the group is undoubtedly influenced by psychedelic rock before its time, (think Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett era) Ampevene channels those visceral tendencies and matches them with the gripping mood and scaling of metal progressions and often hard to compute math-rock.

    Just when you get settled into a groove, it doesn’t last for long before you’re tossed into new kaleidoscopic arrangements and time signatures. The first half of the album relies solely on storytelling through music before a 12-minute “Rometheu” introduces the first glimpse of vocals on the album, although that’s not the pinnacle of the track. While fleeting, Stallman’s vocals are comparable to the tone and echoing of groups like Circa Survive and the Mars Volta, with the latter covered later on the album. With the first and fourth beats emphasized in each measure, the song picks up speed with compositional mastery as the foursome jerk the steering wheel into fresh segments, a common thread throughout Ephemagoria.

    “Hill” comes as a hard-hitter with all the focus placed on tight drumming at the album’s peak with an explosion of sound before introducing the first cover in a somber, slowed down version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” With a new age take on a beloved classic, the warped arrangement and unique style almost makes the song unrecognizable at times, if not for the lyrics. A second cover comes as a crisp version of the Mars Volta’s “Goliath,” mimicking the song’s natural sound and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’ distinct vocal inflections.

    The live album as a whole features classic and never before recorded Ampevene songs as well as covers, capturing the feel of a live performance at The Recording Company in Esperance, NY, and mixed by Tim Lynch with mastering by Alan Douches of West West Side Music. Ampevene has the raw talent of making their multi-segmented tracks seem like effortless jams spliced together at all the right, unexpected times. With the ability to entice fans to try to follow along and eventually surrender to the flow, the quartet seems to have mastered their live presence and execution while diving deep into guitar solos, exploratory jazz segments and thrash metal elements.

    Catch the high-energy release Friday night when Ampevene takes The Hollow stage at 9:30 PM!

    Key tracks- Rometheu, Hill, Tumultuous