NYS Music 20​18

Category: Troy

  • Medeski’s Mad Skillet Buffet At Cohoes Music Hall

    John Medeski’s Mad Skillet is a hot-sizzling mashup, made from the potent ingredients flavoring New Orleans. Jazz, funk and Nola-inspired spontaneity root the quartet in their self-titled debut album, released last Friday. It was recorded in a Depression-era church which parallels the Mississippi (Living Room). It’s all the spices that you didn’t expect, but, when stirred, create something magical.

    The record opens a “vast musical universe with limitless potential,” said Medeski. Bred from Jazz & Heritage Festival late night sets, the group is fired up to explore endless possibilities at Cohoes Music Hall on Wednesday, November 14.

    Dirty Dozen Brass Band sousaphonist, Kirk Joseph, grooves, period. The low-end authentic brass drives and anchors the soundscape as it drifts. Nola-born drummer, Terence Higgins, leaves it all on the record with streetbeat syncopation and second line-flare that consumes the gaps between each melody. Brooklyn’s Will Bernard transforms the second-line funk band into a psychedelic rock-arena jam session. Medeski seasons the skillet with his fingertips – zesty organ and raw keyboard asides are every bit infectious as they are iconically Medeski.

    Photo: Marc Pagani

    “We love the record,” said Medeski, who was listening to it in the van as we began our interview. “There’s a certain chemistry with the group. We’ve played together in New Orleans, recorded there and wrote a few songs spontaneously in the studio. It turned into an instant band.”

    Mad Skillet’s fusion can be heard in studio-shed tracks like “Tuna In A Can” and “Psychedelic Rhino.” Higgins opens on the snare and rim, singing out a spunky bass-line. Feeling from the soul sprawls outward into musical expression as Joseph takes the pickup, mirroring Higgins’ lips. Bernard follows and Medeski explores the spectrum of obscure keys. The track is smooth and eerie, yet at its quietest levels, you can’t help but to dance. Bernard is featured in a gritty overdriving solo.

    “Psychedelic Rhino” is a free-form experiential dish that seamlessly converges. The blind-cook stirs aimlessly, relying on only feel and taste. Steady sousaphone and sporadic drums are explosively dynamic. Medeski’s galactic keyboards diverge the track into an ambient, mind-taxing, brew.  “Psychedelic Rhino” is a 10-minute journey testing the Skillet’s endless reach.

    “On ‘Psychedelic Rhino’ we just started playing, listening and creating. Music is its own language [When you add lyrics you tell people how to think]. To be able to use notes and rhythms in this way is beyond words. Like mathematics – it’s a really powerful thing,” said Medeski.

    “The Heart Of Soul” is a driving song-structured tune with distinct melody, keyboard comps and slide guitar, in honor of Medeski Martin and Wood’s late booking agent, Chip Hooper. Medeski also contributed “Invincible Bubble” and “Piri Piri.” Bernard takes regin on his tracks “A Man About Town” and “Little Miss Piggy.” Joseph pulls from desert vistas and Ennio Morricone sores on the eclectic and spirited “Adele.” The collaboration exists like itemized palates on your tongue; each song flavors the record and the musicians within each melody follow, suit-to-taste. All nine tracks are overwhelming – hard to consume all on one plate.

    Medeski’s Mad Skillet is all about this spontaneity. Live, their musical potential is limitless. “Everyone in the band is a great musician, composer and improviser. The band can travel in whichever direction depending on the night. Being in the moment and having the tools to turn that moment into musical expression is magical – who knows what will happen,” added Medeski.

    Mad Skillet has just set out on a tour that will spill over into April 2019. For Cohoes, all the material will be fresh in the quartet’s mind – ready to excite and reinterpret the music in real time. “We want to make people feel good and open their hearts up . And help them get on with their lives in a new way,” said Medeski. The all ages show will kick off at 8pm (doors 7pm) at 58 Remsen Street – Cohoes, NY.

    Read the full NYS Music Hearing Aide HERE

  • Premiere: Let’s Be Leonard release “Channel 2” video off ‘Static’

    Let’s Be Leonard has released the second video off their sophomore album Static, for the track “Channel 2.” The video features art design by Toni Nastasi and whimsically depicts the central focus as a love affair between Nick, and his mop-lover, Sally. “Channel 2” follows on the heels of “Most Days,” released earlier this summer.

    The band will release one more single prior to the release of the full film. The feature will be shown at intermissions during a three-day stint at The Barrelhouse in Saratoga Springs on October 11, 12 and 13. Let’s Be Leonard will also appear in Troy at River Street Pub for Troy Night Out on September 28 with Great Mutations and Better Pills.

  • Photo Gallery: Rockin’ on the River with Skeeter Creek and Sydney Worthley

    Sydney Worthley opened for local country rockers Skeeter Creek on the rain date for their show earlier this summer at Troy’s Rockin’ on the River. Worthley played songs from her album Strong as well as a few covers with a mix of Alt rock and folk to a growing crowd for 75 minutes. Skeeter Creek, co-formed by guitarist/singer Joe Kulewicz and singers Dave Ahl and Renee Lussier-Ahl kept the crowd highly entertained all night into the dark. Playing country rock to the dancing crowd, Dave enjoyed going out into the crowd to sing with them and invited Sydney Worthley to join them to sing the encore “Shut up and Dance.”

  • Photo Gallery: Mallett Brothers Band at Troy Rockin’ on the River

    For the second week in a row, Troy’s Rockin’ on The River had a rainy start before the sun came out. Saratoga Springs’ North and South Dakotas kicked off the night with a mix of Americana, mountain folk and bluegrass. The Mallett Brothers Band headlined, featuring brothers Luke and Will who formed the band in Maine in 2009, and occasionally have Phish drummer Jon Fishman behind the kit. Their new album Vive I Acadie is out now.

  • Photo Gallery: Rubblebucket at Troy’s Rockin’ on the River

    What started out as a rainy day in Troy led to a beautiful night of music with Rubblebucket, And the Kids, and Onlyness. Rubblebucket band leader Kalmia Traver and Alex Toth lead the group with a mix of dance rhythms with colorful costumes and props. Check out their new album Sun Machine, due out on August 24.

  • Gabriel Sanchez Presents The Prince Experience at Rockin on the River

    Gabriel Sanchez started The Prince Experience as a small local theatre production of Purple Rain which has expanded into a night of unbelievable entertainment. Costumes and choreographed dances really had the Troy waterfront rocking and dancing July 18, playing all of Princes hits into the night. Sanchez along with musicians from Wisconsin and Chicago bring the music of Prince to a new tribute band standard.

    Adrian Lewis performing as The Age, opened the night. He plays around the Capital region and Downtown Troy, performing his Neo-soul mix of music. The crowd enjoyed his soulful singing and hot electric guitar with a great band. The Age is releasing a new EP with his Neo-sou; sound with a Jazzy feel.

  • Photo Gallery: Blues for Breakfast Makes a Splash at Troy’s Rockin’ on the River

    Burlington’s Blues for Breakfast performed for Deadheads dancing in the rain at Troy’s Rockin’ on the River on June 27. Over the course of three hours, the Seth Yacavone led Dead tribute band performed a wide array of Grateful Americana and a mix of classic rock, reggae, Motown, and originals. Check out Blues for Breakfast in August in Plattsburgh at North Country River Jam.

  • 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.

  • Hearing Aide: The Sea the Sea ‘From The Light’

    A lot has changed for The Sea the Sea since the release of their first album, Love We Are We Love in 2014. The debut album received high praise for its folk-acoustic basis that allowed the beautiful vocals of the original duo, what Huffington Post refers to as, “two of the loveliest male-female voices you might ever hear this or any other year,” to truly shine.  The same praise is just as easily applicable to their sophomore album, From The Light, which certainly does not disappoint on the vocals.  The band, originally an acoustic-folk duo act featuring Chuck and Mira Costa, has grown to now include Cara May Gorman on vocals and synthesizer, and Stephen Struss on drums and percussion.

    This album stays true to their folk roots, but shows how their sound has matured by adding a whole new spectacular layer of production and instrumentation that serves not to hide, but compliments their stunning vocals even more.  With the group’s introduction of reverb-heavy electric guitars, the dream-like production done by Troy Pohl, and by lacing almost every line with their signature harmonies, making every coming one as chillingly beautiful as the last, this album is a piece of art through and through, and is certainly a display of their musical growth as a group.

    The opening track, “Everybody,” is the perfect invitation for the listener to enter this album.  Opening with mesmerizing swirling sounds, as soon as the vocals join this dream sequence in stunning harmony, the song practically extends a hand connecting the musicians with the listener. The lyrics immediately dive into the album’s themes of the duality of human nature, accepting our differences, and fostering positivity times amidst hard times that the group explores.  It addresses the inescapable human fallibility we all face as somebody in this population of “everybody.”  The hypnotizing simplicity of the piece transforms as the sound thickens.  Percussion is layered onto a quicker beat, and an electric guitar takes center stage before the song strips back down to it’s original simplicity.  Without a hiccup, it then leads right into the next song, one of the notable singles off the album, “Bang Bang Bang.”  “Everybody” is a stunning opener and preview of what is to come from the album. It shares the driving questions, has the dreamy production highlighted in other songs such as “All Go Right,” and hints at more upbeat songs like “Phototrophic.”

    The title track, “From the Light,” takes it’s time building up, layering sound on top of sound, with the reverb allowing each to swim between your ears in anticipation for the next addition.  Starting off with simple percussion and working it’s way into an explosion of instrumentation and vocals.  The repeating lyrics circle back, creating a beautiful push and pull dynamic between good and bad, mimicking the tendency to sway back and forth between the two within human nature.

    The ballad “Good for Something,” was inspired by Chuck’s grandfather’s often repeated mantra stated in the above quote, which is now immortalized within the lyrics of the song.  The echoing melodic guitar and lyrics make this track a stand out song on the album and a happy ending to the story the album tells: focusing on the positive even in trying and confusing circumstances.

    For as much as the sound itself is a breath of fresh air, so is the obvious social commentary throughout From the Light and the optimistic outlook it takes on recognizing that we are all human, but ultimately choosing to focus on the good in that.

    The Upstate New York-local band will be kicking off their summer tour by giving New York State the pleasure of hosting their album release party.  Presented by Guthrie Bell Productions, on June 1st at the Hollow Bar + Kitchen in Albany, NY, The Sea the Sea will be celebrating this incredible new album by performing it live.  Click here to secure your ticket and get more information about the event.

    Key Tracks: Everybody, Bang Bang Bang, Good for Something

  • Rocking For Rosie’s Love: Local Bands Support Kids Suffering from Cancer

    It was a great night of local music on Saturday, January 27 as The Crimson Tips, The Hard Luck Souls, and Iüdica took over the Low Beat in Albany for a very special benefit to help kids diagnosed with cancer. Admission to the event was free and the participating bands only asked that attendees donate a small toy or provide a financial contribution to the not for profit Rosie’s Love Foundation. 

    Rosie’s Love Foundation was formed after the death of it’s namesake, two-year-old Rosemary Frances Johnson, who passed away after a valiant battle with neuroblastoma.  Her family wanted to give something back for all the love Rosie received while being treated for her illness at Albany Medical Center.  The foundation provides fun activities and toys for children receiving in-patient cancer treatment and offers various types of assistance to those children’s family members. 

    First up in the line up was Lake George based Iüdica. The roster of the band includes Brian Michael Rhythm on guitar/vocals, Chris Walker on bass/vocal, Nate Fidd on percussion, and Thom Grover on lead guitar. The group came out strong with a rendition of “Arty” a hard rock in your face number that set the tone of the show.  The highlight of the set was the band’s rendition of “Circuits,” which is featured on their 2017 EP Brain Carvings.  Iüdica went on to play their new release “Lipstick, Black Dress” which is slated to be released later this year.  Lead singer and guitarist Brian Michael lost his guitar strap during the song and while trying to keep the number rolling, wound up whipping off his glasses, which landed on the stage.  He was able to keep the pace and when asked about the incident after the show he stated “well that’s rock and roll.”

    The Hard Luck Souls were next up on the bill and they came out swinging with “I Never” the second track off of their 2017 release Closer To The Flame.  The Souls are a tight unit with front-man Chris Itani commanding the stage like a seasoned veteran.  The song’s lyrics describe the end to a messy relationship and paired with the excellent guitar work of Brian Gentile, perfectly represents the hard rock vibe of the four man group.  The highlight of the Soul’s set was “Get Back,” a fast paced number reminiscent of The Stone Temple Pilots.  The crunchy tune showcased the prowess of the band’s rhythm section which features Dave Smassanow on bass and Mark Schmidt on drums. Deep into their set the Souls treated the audience by performing the band’s newly minted single “Keep On Running.”  The number has only been played out live by the boys a few times and was received enthusiastically by the crowd.  The Hard Luck Souls finished their portion of the evening strong with high energy renditions of 90’s classics “Nice Shot” by Filter and Soundgarden’s “Outshined.”

    The Rock and Roll fund raiser was capped off when the event’s organizers, The Crimson Tips, took the stage.  The hard rock outfit is a family affair with Lance Valderrama on guitar/vocal, his son Kyle Valderrama on bass/vocal, and Lance’s cousin John Nicotina on drums/vocals.  Lance started the show by thanking everyone for coming out and supporting Rosie’s Love and dedicated the show to his good friend Walter, who is currently battling with fourth stage cancer.   He said that the band wanted to do more for shows for charities in the Capital Region in order to give back to their community.  The Tips then went into  their first number “Please Help Me” off of their 2016 LP Sludge Train.  The tune got off to a rocky start due to sound problems which cut off the vocals of drummer John Nicotina.  The problem was quickly resolved and the band kept playing through the difficulties.  The boys produce tremendous sound for a trio and with pieces like “Let Her Bark” and “Same Shit Different Day,” The Crimson Tips gritty sound hearkens back to the late 80’s NYC punk scene.  The Crimson Tips ended their performance with a blistering performance of  “I Just Caught You Looking,” a song that is about when someone can’t let go of a failed relationship and becomes a stalker.

    Overall the fundraiser at the Low Beat was a success.  It was a great lineup of local talent and the bands were able to collect a sizable amount of donations in toys and some much needed money for Rosie’s Love. These tokens of goodwill will hopefully bring a little joy into the lives of some kids who are going through a really tough time.

    Setlists:

    Iüdica:  Arty, Ghosts, Watching, Circuits, Brain Carvings, Lipstick Black Dress, B side Love, Chocolate And Parsley

    Hard Luck Souls: I Never, Hold On, Can’t Be True, Izzy’s Thunder, Feels Like Forever, Let My People Go, Way Down Low, In My Head, Fly Away, Get Back, Nice Shot, Better Keep Running, Outshined

    Crimson Tips: Please Help Me, Better For You, Let Her Bark, Liar, Sunday Morning, Bleed Me, She Moves, Just A Girl, Freedom, I Won’t Be There, Goodbye, So Low, Hold On, Same Shit Different Day, I  Just Caught You Looking

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