NYS Music 20​18

Category: The Northeast

  • Call on Music Announces Inaugural Event ‘Get Wet for Chauncey’

    Call on Music, an organization recently launched by Omni Arts Group, will hold its inaugural event, “Get Wet for Chauncey” on Friday, April 14 at Nectar’s in Burlington, VT.
    call on music
    Omni Arts Group founder Matt Kolinski and partner Will Ralston with the help of the arts and entertainment community have launched Call On Music and intend to promote events that will raise funds and awareness on behalf of other charitable organizations through live music and other platforms.

    The first event, to be held on Saturday, April 14 at Nectar’s in Burlington, is “Get Wet For Chauncey”, which will raise money for the Lake Champlain Committee and the Vermont Clean Water Network. Headlining the event will be The Get Wet All-Stars featuring Michelangelo Carubba (Turkuaz), Craig Brodhead (Turkuaz), Rob Compa (Dopapod), Josh Myers (Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds), and Josh Dobbs (Dead Set). Patrons will enjoy opening act Doctor Rick as well as a raffle that will include items from various local Burlington establishments. Tickets are $10, doors at 8, show at 9.

  • 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

  • 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

  • YACHT Docks at The Great Scott in Boston

    On January 15, dace-pop trio YACHT took the stage in front of an uncharacteristically enthusiastic crowd of Monday-nighters at The Great Scott in Boston, MA. The show began with an ominous tome from a synthesizer and a short recorded monologue before lead singer Claire L. Evans shot across the stage and smashed any early expectations of a quiet evening to pieces.

    However, before YACHT got down with everybody, local R&B man Ed Balloon and his band got the small bar up to speed with a buoyant and athletic performance. Before his final number, Ed taught the audience some crowd harmonies, “she’ll be poppin’ it, poppin’ it,” that got most everyone moving and singing along.

    YACHT’s opening number of the evening, “Night Crawler,” was a distinctive and undulating track that seemed to also be a crowd favorite. The track had danceability, but it had clear punk roots, especially sung in Claire’s sassy and dramatic vocals. With the second track, “Trap Karaoke,” Claire took a step down from the stage to join the crowd on their level and even offered the microphone to some of the hardcore fans who were singing along with every word.

    The rest of YACHT’s performance bounded up and down with strong synth leads, consistent four to the floor beats and a powerful vocal performance from Claire. Jona Becholt, the groups founder, spent most of his time behind the synthesizer and trigger pads with Rob Kieswetter, but he made the occasional dive to the front with a microphone in hand to back up Claire. At times the songs blended together, but overall, there was a a consistent ebb and flow to the performance.

    What the music lacked in variability, Claire made up for with her wild performance, theatrics with the band, and her powerful comments including calls of, “Femininity is a a prison and we all know it!” and “The apocalypse is coming, it’s not a question of if at this point, it’s only a question of when!” to which the crowd shouted back their approval. The show proved to be a point of true levity for the fans to begin their weeks with.

  • Hearing Aide: Justin Trawick and The Common Good “The Riverwash EP”

    Justin Trawick and The Common Good are a budding new name to keep on your radar. The “Americana” band, fronted by Justin Trawick (lead vocals, guitar), Josh Himmelsbach (mandolin, resonator, vocals), and Jean Finstad (upright bass, vocals), combines the comforting notes of folk with elements of bluegrass, and even hip-hop to produce an upbeat, happy-go-lucky debut EP. The Riverwash EP, comprised of five original songs, takes on a myriad of tones, lending to a diverse, yet cohesive storytelling experience.

    Inspired by Bob Schneider, David Gray, The Tallest Man on Earth, among others, fans of The Avett Brothers and even Jack Johnson will also immediately be enamored with Trawick’s optimistic, yet realistic lyrics and tunes that set the tone of this album early on. In fact, optimism appears to be a theme of the album, indicating that no matter the losses, or longings we face, we have the capability of resilience that will keep us going.

    Justin Trawick and The Common Good

    Swinging right into the heat of things, “This is Love” kicks off the EP, played in by light percussion, and bouncing right into the prominent notes of the mandolin. The rhythmic airy tune is offset by quick paced lyrics calling out to a lover. This first track sets the tone for the album, foreshadowing the elements and themes to come.

    Taking it down a half notch, both in tone and beat, the harmonies and the lingering notes of “Ten Long Years” in the chorus remind me of indie band The Head and the Heart. The simple rhymes indicate that, played live, this song would be an audience favorite, for picking up and singing along to the lyrics would be a quick process. Piano makes its sole appearance on this track, fostering somewhat melancholy undertones, contrasting to the uncontestedly positive leading track. However, despite these nostalgic lyrics that are tinged by a slight sadness, that hint of optimism is still there, illustrating that there’s hope in moving forward, and moving on.

    “All That I Lack” is my personal favorite on the album, as the thoughtfully crafted lyrics and myriad of instruments create a comforting and beautiful track. I’m always a sucker for violin, so with the stringed instrument weaving throughout lyrics such as “All that I need/Is still all that I lack/Just the love from a friend/Who won’t love me back,” I couldn’t help but feel sad as I reflected on my own past friendships and relationships. But that’s the power of good music: to make you feel and think.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na1dMGnSu88

    The final two original songs on the album “The Bright Side” and “All the Places That I’ve Been” couldn’t be more different. While the former is a bouncy and catchy ear-worm, “All the Places That I’ve Been” is a thought-provoking track inspired by Trawick’s 98-year-old grandma. The lyrics on this song provide the most thorough and descriptive story-telling experience of the album, with Trawick taking us through the events that occurred during a full, and well-lived life. It’s a stunning song that provides a sense of closure for the album.

    But just when you think the album is finished, the band launches into their own take on Oasis’s “Wonderwall.” The way Trawick chops up well-known the lines, as well as the incorporation of the mandolin creates a fresh new take on the original track. It’s a timeless tune with a folksy interpretation, officially closing off this debut album with a sense of peaceful finality.

    My favorite parts of this album are when Trawick really lets himself go and unleashes his vocals. They’re strong to start, of course, but during the loud lingering notes, you can really feel his passion for his work. You can hear a smile in Trawick’s voice throughout, and can’t help but to have fun with him. Although the band has been playing together for over ten years, it wasn’t until this debut EP that they created the sound they’re rocking now.

    The Riverwash EP had a widespread release on CD, iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify on January 22. The group performs at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 in NYC on February 27.

    This article was originally published by DCMusic News and Review and appears as a special to NYS Music as part of the Regional Music Alliance. The Regional Music Alliance was founded in 2018 as a partnership between regional websites to provide readers with in-depth coverage of the music scenes on the East Coast. 

  • An Acoustic Evening With Trey Anastasio at the Mayo Performing Arts Center

    Trey Anastasio kicked off a nine-night solo acoustic tour at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown New Jersey on February 8. He performed to a capacity crowd of 1,302 people. Just for perspective, MSG holds 20,789 people. That’s right around 16 times smaller than the room we all just saw him play in 17 times last year. 2018 is starting off a bit more intimate. The audience shared in a bit of back and forth with Anastasio, “If you sing it I’ll Play It,” Trey told fans as they were coaxing out a “Sleeping Monkey”. That then inspired Trey to challenge the crowd to a  “Limb By Limb”. “… But can you do this one?”, he laughed. They could, as both songs feature the audience singing the vocal parts normally done by Page.

    Trey Anastasio Acoustic

    As he has been known to do, Anastasio also took time between songs to share stories and engage the audience. Storytime with Trey. He covered topics ranging from pregnant cow’s milk to the tongue-eating louse, killer of fish. We also heard the tale of poor young Payton Hooten getting lost at his first concert. Don’t worry Trey talked to his mom on the phone, and reunited him with his friends. Trey also took the opportunity to share about the loss of his lifelong friend to cancer, and debut a song he wrote during the experience. He went on to describe the Portuguese emotion of “Saudade” just before he began playing, although the song was not officially named at the time.

    Trey Anastasio continues his acoustic tour tonight in Ithaca at the State Theatre.

    Setlist: Blaze On, Backwards Down The Number Line, Miss You, Strange Design, 20 Years Later, Wolfman’s Brother, Everything’s Right, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Sleeping Monkey, Limb By Limb, Waste, “Saudade”^, Bathtub Gin> Chalkdust Torture> Back On The Train

    Encore: Bouncing Around The Room, Push On Til The Day*, More

    ^ First Time Played, Original- In honor of CCott

    *Unfinished- Played up to “…Pete threw a bomb and rang the pole…” then stopped to tell the story of that lyric

  • Higher Ground Plans Change of Location

    Plans are in motion to move Higher Ground one city over to Winooski, from South Burlington, VT

    Winooski City Manager Jessie Baker is excited for the proposal for her city.

    ‘We as the city are very excited about the potential and we are excited to welcome them back to the city,’ she said. ‘They would be a great community partner and it would bring a lot of vibrancy downtown. We would welcome them with open arms.’

    The proposed venue will include 1,500 seats and will also have 20,000 square feet of office space. It will be a four-story building on Main Street.

    The next step in the process will be between the development partner and a potential tenant to negotiate ownership structure and figure out financing for the project, Baker said.

    “I am confident that both parties are working hard to make it happen,” she said. “It is pending financing.”

    Higher Ground currently has two separate venues. The Ballroom holds 750 people, while the Showcase Lounge has a capacity of 300.

    Higher Ground moved from Winooski to South Burlington in 2004.

  • Strangefolk close out Northeast run at The Warehouse

    Strangefolk wrapped up their three-night run of New England on Sunday, January 21 at The Warehouse at FTC in Fairfield, CT. With Dave Diamond Band opening up the night, the crowd filtered into the 500 cap room early, crowding to the rail for Strangefolk, who continue to have a dedicated following more than 20 years since they started at UVM in Burlington. The group recently recorded a new song, and first since 1998, as the title track of the new Reid Genauer & Folks upcoming album Conspire to Smile.

    Setlist: Sinner, Fountain, Utterly Addled, Furnace, 40 Reasons, In Deep, Folka Polka -> Alaska, Elixir, Faces, What Say You?, So Well, Take It Easy on Me, Rachel, Lines & Circles, Sidestep Blues

    Encore: Westerly -> Lay The Dust -> Westerly

  • Scott Hannay Plays Video Games with Friends

    So, what do you do when your actively touring band goes on a hiatus? If you’re Scott Hannay (Mister F), you play video games, or at least video game music… or both.  Scott Hannay Plays Video Games – Multiplayer Edition, is a unique twist on the 8-Bit music that so many gamers hold dear.  Hannay is bringing five of his favorite musicians as part of his new project to The Jewel in Manchester, NH this Saturday, and The Monopole in Plattsburgh on February 23.Scott Hannay Plays Video GamesScott Hannay Plays Video Games Multiplayer Edition features a rotating cast of video game loving, musically inclined masters all trying to level up.  Hannay handles keys duties and will will be joined by fellow Mister F band mate Matt Pickering on drums, guitarists Matt Dempsey (Cosmic Dust Bunnies) and Andrew Carton (Chromatropic), percussionist Josh West (Annie in the Water/Lucid) and bassist Billy Comstock (Annie in the Water, Twiddle).

    Over the summer Mister F performed what became known as the “Game Genie” set at the Night Lights Music Festival.  While working on that project, Hannay began to perform a series of solo shows, showcasing his 8-bit prowess.  With Mister F on hiatus, Hannay wanted to expand the idea to include a full band that would change players with each new city or performance.

    “I put a post out on Facebook to sort of see if the idea would grow legs, and it did,” Hannay told NYS Music. “I had a number of people reach out immediately about wanting to be involved.

    The Multiplayer Edition was debuted on Jan 19 at Toads Place in New Haven, CT.  The set featured Comstock, Dempsey and Cosmic Dust Bunnies drummer Eric Hyland.

    As a young boy, Hannay cut his teeth on his family’s piano by gingerly plunking out notes to his favorite video game tunes. By his teen years, he was obsessed with MIDI files, bought some cheap software and began transcribing video game soundtracks like Mega Man 1, 2, 3, Contra, Mario 1, and Zelda 1 . Transcription gave way to recording and recording ultimately led Hannay to learn guitar, bass and keys. All of which gave way to Hannay becoming a working a musician.

    Hannay’s skills behind the keys has led to sit-ins with a laundry list of artists including Umphrey’s McGee, Twiddle, Dopapod, Turkuaz, Pink Talking Fish, Aqueous, The Werks, Mihali and Frends, Particle, and Kung Fu.

    And while Hannay’s history of video games and 8-bit artistry indicates the Scott Hannay Plays Video Games project is a literal dream come true, Hannay noted in a Solitaire Cash review that he’s excited by the reaction of his fellow SHPVG players.

    “One of my favorite things about this, that I discovered last week at Toad’s Place, is how much fun the others are having, ” Hannay said, ” I know how much I love playing this stuff, and how much video game music has meant to my musical growth since I was young. It also breaks off a piece of childhood and brings it right to the forefront – with a full band, that part of the experience is made quite obvious.”

    Scott Hannay Plays Video Games – Solo Edition is also slated to stop in Plattsburgh, NY on February 23 at Monopole. Tickets for this Saturday’s show at Jewel Music Venue will be available at the door for $10.  Show starts at 8pm and is 21+.

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