The ’90s was a decade of maelstrom in the music industry. The decade that saw the death of hair metal also saw the rise of alt-rock, the second wave of ska and the swing revival, among many other genres. It was arguably the most eccentric of all decades in the history of American popular music. One of the bands that hit the big time in this era was Squirrel Nut Zippers, a Chapel Hill, NC band that straddled the line of swing music and New Orleans jazz. Their hit single “Hell” was ubiquitous on alternative radio in 1996.
Sunday night, the revamped version of Squirrel Nut Zippers rolled into the Center for the Arts of Homer, once the Homer Baptist Church, to hold a Palm Sunday service of their own, rapt with swing music, New Orleans style brass, Klezmer and old school crooning.
Riding the release of their first album in 18 years, Beasts of Burgundy, the new version of the Zippers provided the near sellout crowd with Vaudeville style entertainment and world class musicianship.
The band has been revamped after relocating to New Orleans and showcases some of the genre’s best musicians, including Dr. Sick, the spirited fiddler/multi-instrumentalist who stole the show with his outgoing and somewhat suggestive performance. Sick had a local connection to the show, Cortland musician Chris Merkley opened the show in the Community Space at the Center for the Arts of Homer. He documented his connection with Dr. Sick and the Squirrel Nut Zippers in a Facebook post on Friday:
The Zippers kicked off the show with a rousing rendition of a new song, “Karnival Joe From Kokomo,” a song that would fit right in with the 1996 Zippers’ catalog. The remainder of the night was a mix of old and new songs mixed with many jokes. When attending a Zippers show, you’re not just going to dance, you’re going to laugh your ass off. Between songs, band leader Jimbo Mathus and Dr. Sick riffed off each other with a string of cringe-worthy Dad jokes and bad bird puns that had the audience simultaneously laughing and wincing.
The highlight of the night was when Mathus introduced the “dancing portion” of the night. Permission was asked for audience members, who had largely been seat-ridden most of the show, to get up and dance for the upcoming section of the show. Mathus often referred to the early Zippers’ catalog as “songs from the past century.” These songs comprised the “dancing portion” of the night and the crowd complied. The band ripped into “Bad Businessman,” “Hell” and the rousing Klezmer-style song “Ghost of Stephen Foster” to finish out their outstanding set.
The encore consisted of “Axman Jazz,” “Prince Nez,” “Plenty More” and another new song, “Hey Shango!,” a Cuban-style romp from their latest album that led to a Second Line exit for the band. The Second Line wound its way through the audience and made its way to the Community Space, where the band continued playing before settling in for pictures and autographs with fans.
The Center for the Arts of Homer proved to be a tremendous host for a show like this and the Squirrel Nut Zippers were very grateful for those who attended. And the Zippers proved that original American music is not dead.
After placing the focus on his own work over the last 18 years, former Soul Coughing frontman and solo wordsmith, Mike Doughty is making a quick trip around the Northeast to turn back the clocks and perform the alternative rock group’s ‘Irresistible Bliss’ for a total of seven dates.
You’d figure by the time he notched The Heart Watches While the Brain Burns, his ninth solo album since 2000, Doughty would settle into his ways and follow a musical pattern. Simply, that’s just not the way he operates. Always diving into and exploring new sounds, the ever-growing artist and former front man is constantly taking chances on new styles and setting personal deadlines of crafting and recording original music as often as possible.
From country crooning to hard hitting beats and even a 2015 rock opera by the name Revelation, it’s clear Doughty doesn’t rely on one-track mind of creativity. Instead, he chooses from a bank of ideas in his head and decides how he wants it to translate to the public. Appealing to his roots, An Evening with Mike Doughty performing Soul Coughing’s Irresistible Bliss with Andrew “Scrap” Livingston launched on March 22 in Portland, ME before heading to a sold out gig in Boston. Having just made his way through NJ and MD, Doughty finds himself in NY from March 28 to 30, playing for crowds each night in Pawling’s Daryl’s House, Homer Center for the Arts and Albany’s the Linda, respectively.
It was a busy Thursday night in Armory Square in Syracuse. The bars and restaurants were filled with revelers, with the overabundant party spilling out into the streets. Did their beloved Orange just win a big game? Not quite. Today’s premiere Grateful Dead cover band, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD), was making it’s upstate New York debut at the nearby Landmark Theatre. As the clock struck 8, the streets, bars and restaurants all quickly emptied and quiet returned. For a few hours at least. The party continued, and ramped up into full swing, inside the confines of the historic theater.
For many it was their first taste of this revelatory refreshing of the catalog left by one of the all-time great American rock bands. Though many others had caught them elsewhere, as this is a band worth traveling for, cover band or no.
As is usually the case, the band, Joe Russo on drums, Marco Benevento on keys, and for this night on the theater’s baby grand, Tom Hamilton and Scott Metzger on guitars, and Dave Dreiwitz on bass, began the night with a warmup jam. It started quietly, loosely based around Tom Petty’s “Breakdown”, before slowly building in volume and complexity and exploding into “Mississippi Half-Step.” A couple lengthy jams eventually dissolved into a groovy space reminiscent of Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” which wound wonderfully into “Estimated Prophet.”
The Dead’s catalog served as a template, a coloring book for the band to fill in with their own color. But, in the true spirit of the music, they had a liberal and creative way with the colors and styles with which they fill the spaces, frequently and almost by rule coloring outside of the lines. Common traditions are bucked, new ones written. The songs sound like the ones you know and love, but the band quickly jumps ship and bring it to a nebulous no man’s land.
“Estimated” broke into a weird and wild freeform space where disparate pieces of “China Cat Sunflower” emerged. Like a puzzle, the different pieces fit together and like that the crowd found itself shaking to a new groove. The band could break the songs down into parts, shake them up, all the while mixing in new on-the-spot improvisations along with parts from other songs. Bits and pieces of other songs, some Dead many otherwise, were thrown into the mixer and given a few more good shakes. It made for a dizzying and disorienting musical experience that left listeners blissfully lost in the haze. Depending on how keen one’s ears were they may have heard Herbie Hancock’s “Fat Mama,” “Farmer in the Dell,” Radiohead’s “Airbag,” Harry Belafonte’s “Banana Boat Song,” the Drifters’ “On Broadway” along with the Dead’s “Iko Iko,” “St. Stephen,” “Let It Grow,” and many others jumbled into the pot at various points in the evening.
The traditional “China > Rider” combination was expectedly untraditional as they stuffed it with “Good Lovin’” and “Cats Under the Stars.” As “I Know You Rider” came to a finish, the band had been playing for 90 minutes straight with nary a second of silence. The first set was all but assumed to be over. Though, Russo, after introducing the band, indicated that because of a strict 11pm curfew they were also going to buck the traditional set break. Benevento jokingly laid atop the piano, almost posing for a painting, though it was the band who needed to get back to their painting. Russo announced “Set Two,” and the band immediately kicked off “Row Jimmy.”
Without the break available to reorient themselves, the crowd dizzily jumped back into the mix while the band continued their long explorations for another non-stop hour. By the time it was all through, “Saint of Circumstance” was taken the distance and the usual “Scarlet > Fire” was once again untraditionally broken up with Bob Dylan’s “Sylvio.” The band wasn’t above the traditional encore, and a relatively quick “Promised Land” ended the indoor party at the Landmark, 3 hours and thirteen songs later. The quiet streets outside were once again bustling with the giddy energy of the crowd, and so the party continued…
Setlist:
Jam> Mississippi Halfstep> Estimated Prophet> China Cat Sunflower> Good Lovin> Cats Under The Stars> I Know You Rider, Row Jimmy> Lost Sailor> Saint Of Circumstance> Scarlet Begonias> Silvio> Fire On The Mountain
Reigning from Upstate New York, the group Townhouse Warrior are set to release their third full-length album on March 20. This four-man punk rock band released their debut album just three years back and followed it up with their sophomore album in 2016. The group is back with their newest project and is ready to share it with the world. The latest addition to their group is guitarist Tim Hall who joins original members Zack Fitzgerald on lead vocals/guitar, Kyle Malfa on drums and Joshua Rivet on bass to take their high-energy sound even further.
Words, Unsaid, features twelve songs; each one is a powerhouse track in its own right. Every song brings a level of upbeat intensity starting with track one, “Echoes.” The opening to track three, “So Left, It’s Right,” slightly differs from the others as the guitar and drums are panned left and right respectively. This adds more layers to the song and encourages a head-bobbing reaction to its rhythm right off the bat.
I am personally a big fan of the album title namedrop in the song “Fake Confrontations.” The lyrics tell the story behind the title Words, Unsaid, giving this title a deeper meaning. Other noteworthy tracks on this album include “Toll Taker,” as it begins with an almost soothing electric guitar solo before introducing the sound from rest of the band. Likewise, “Daydreaming” is an inherently dynamic song as takes its listeners on a journey through soft and high-energy segments.
In my opinion, Townhouse Warrior is the perfect fit for the DIY music scene. Their fast-paced musical style has the power to electrify an audience and I would personally love to catch them performing in a basement venue.
Any good St. Patrick’s Day celebration includes music. Music and the Irish are inseparable. According to the latest U.S. Census, nearly 12 percent of the U.S. population claim some Irish ancestry, a total of 35 million people. A very high percentage of this population is centered in the Northeast U.S., particularly right here in New York State. So, it is only fitting that the day to celebrate the Irish would be rife with music across the state. Naturally, a state with such deep Irish roots celebrates the day with parades following the parade activities, much live music can be found around New York. NYS Music provides you with a listing of some St. Patrick’s Day festivities from the North Country to Long Island, Albany to Buffalo. Whether you crave traditional Irish music, reggae, punk, reggae, rock or blues, we have you covered.
Saratoga singer-songwriter Katie Louise will perform a set at Main Street in Saugerties beginning at 9:30.
Plattsburgh’s seminal venue, the Monopole hosts Burlington’s Jiggawaltz for the funkster’s first appearance at in quite some time at the venue.
Capital District
If you’re in Albany for the St. Patrick’s Day parade, start your day off with a brunch at the Savoy Taproom on Lark. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. you can enjoy traditional Irish music from Toss the Feathers while enjoying traditional Irish food.
All day long, the Pearl Street Pub offers live music with DJs at night. Larry Ross gets things rolling followed by an appearance from the City of Albany Pipe Band.
Following the parade, head on down to Paulys Hotel on Central for an after-party with the sometimes punk, sometimes ska, sometimes rap act Smittix with special guest Feral Meryl from 2-6 p.m.
Celtic Hall, located on New Karner Road, hosts its own post-parade party beginning at 5 p.m. The City of Albany Pipe Band continues its busy day with an appearance at Celtic Hall, along with the An Clar Irish Dancers and the popular Celtic-rock band Hair of the Dog. Hair of the Dog has been performing since 1993 and is a regular act at Irish festivals throughout the northeast.
Also in Saratoga, a special night celebrating female voices in Irish music featuring the Grady Girls and Kara Doyle is going down at the legendary Caffe Lena. The kid-friendly event begins at 8 p.m.
Central NY
Funk ‘n Waffles in Syracuse gives St. Patrick’s Day a little zydeco flair with the soulful, funky, blues of hometown boys, Los Blancos, starting at 3:00. Dubbed “The Hardest Working Band in Syracuse,” Los Blancos has a proven track record of packing venues and laying down the funk.
Syracuse’s symphony, Symphoria, will perform a pops concert celebrating the Music of the Emerald Isle at the Onondaga County Civic Center beginning at 7:30. Tickets for this special event, which features violinist Maria Kaneko Millar a performer with Riverdance productions on Broadway as well as the touring version, are still available through the Symphoria website. Prices range from free for 18 and under to $38.
Maria Kaneko Millar
EDM jamband, Phasers Engage puts an interesting twist on the day’s festivities, throwing a house party on Tennyson Ave. with free beer for anyone 21 and over. They’ll perform from 1-3 p.m.
If you’re looking for more traditional Irish fare along the lines of the Clancy Brothers, Tommy Makem or the Dubliners, head out to Jake Hafner’s Restaurant & Tavern in North Syracuse for Quigsy and the Bird from 5-9 p.m.
The Syracuse Polish Home hosts its annual parade day corned beef and cabbage dinner with entertainment from 4-9 p.m. Jo Duz provides Irish and folk music from 4-6 p.m. followed by Just Joe from 6-9 p.m.
If you’re out Utica way, Nick Piccininni and Jay Barady of Floodwood are performing at the recently re-vamped John Devereux’s Tavern from noon until 4 p.m.
Piggy Pat’s Smoke and Ale House in Washington Mills, just outside of Utica, is now under new ownership, but that hasn’t changed the music offerings they’ve presented over the years. The Blarney Rebel Band will take the floor from 1-4 p.m. This veteran Celtic band from Utica performs traditional Irish music from pub tunes to sea shanties to moving ballads and rousing rebel songs.
Woodland Farm Brewery in Marcy, just north of Utica, gets the day off to an early start. The local farm brewery opens at 8 a.m. for liquid breakfast and keeps the party going all day, highlighted by bluegrass from Remsen Social Club starting at 1 p.m.
The Continental Kit Band will perform at the 16 Stone Brewpub in Holland Patent. Doors open at noon with Irish stew, Reubens and an almost Irish Red ready for sampling.
If you’re in Rome, Copper City Brewing Company is offering traditional Irish music by Mighty Craic from 1-3 p.m. Mighty Craic is a trio with deep roots in the Central New York Irish scene. This farm brewery will also have a taco truck on hand as well as two Irish beers freshly tapped for the day.
Western NY
Out west, Rochester, as always, has several musical offerings for St. Patrick’s Day. The Crooked North brings its brand of Rust Belt bluegrass to the Little Theatre on East Ave. from 8-10 p.m.
Three Heads Brewing hosts the reggae vibe of Personal Blend from 8-11 p.m. There is a $5 cover charge for one of Rochester’s favorite reggae bands.
The Montage Music Hall has a ’90s night on tap for St. Patrick’s Day. The 8 p.m. show features Pearl Jam tribute act, Given to Fly, R.E.M. tribute act, Dead Letter Office and Flannel Millennium, who covers music from such ’90s alt-rock staples as Stone Temple Pilots, Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Alice in Chains. Tickets for the show are $20 in advance and available at the Montage website.
Cathie Ryan, the original lead of Irish-American sensation, Cherish the Ladies, joins the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre for a Celtic Celebration both Friday March 16 and Saturday March 17. The shows begin at 8 p.m. The combination of Ryan’s beautiful voice and sarcastic wit, accompanied by the RPO, promises to be a unique night of music in the Flower City.
The Buffalo Iron Works welcomes Vancouver Celtic rockers, The Town Pants and Whitesboro native Tim Britt with his Tim Britt Band. Syracuse native and Pale Green Stars drummer, Jeff Tripoli, plays drums for the Pants, who also perform at the Smith Opera House in Geneva on March 16. The 9 p.m. Buffalo Iron Works show has a ticket price of $17-22.
NYS Music 87/90 artists, the Intrepid Travelers, return to their home base, the Sportsmens Tavern on Amherst for St. Paddy’s Day for a psychedelic jam session. Doors for the two set show open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.
Downstate
Larry Kirwan of Black 47 brings his St. Patrick’s Day show to YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts in Bay Shore. Aside from fronting the politically reactive New York-based band Black 47, Irish expatriate Kirwan hosts the show Celtic Crush for Sirius XM. He’ll be joined by Deni Bonet (violin), Coty Cockrell (keyboards), Thomas Hamlin (drums), Rene Hart (double bass), Andrew Sharp (Uilleann pipes). The band will be releasing a new single for the occasion, a remake David Bowie’s “Heroes” from a Belfast perspective. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $47.
Legendary Queens punks, Murphy’s Law will perform at the Brooklyn Bazzar with Drunken Rampage, Moral Panic and Runny. The 7 p.m. show costs $17 and tickets are available through Ticketweb.
Needless to say, there is no shortage of live music available to music fans across the Empire State on St. Patrick’s Day no matter what your taste. This is but a snapshot of all that is happening across the state on one day. If your area wasn’t covered by this piece, leave us a message, comment or tweet us @NYStateMusic. NYS Music’s mission is to expose ALL of New York’s musicians, venues and scenes and with your help, we can do just that. Now take this list and get out and enjoy some music!
Varying iterations of rock will grace the stage at Saranac Brewery in Utica, NY this summer, including Dirty Heads, Dispatch and Taking Back Sunday.
Reggae rockers Dirty Heads will swing by Sunday, June 10, supported by Iration, The Movement and Pacific Dub. One dollar of every ticket sold along this tour will be donated to the Natural Resources Defense Council, which works to bring awareness to environmental issues and affect impactful change. Doors open at 6 p.m. Show starts at 7 p.m.
Tickets go on sale Friday, March 16 at 10 a.m. through Ticketfly or Creative Concerts.
Indie rockers Dispatch will play Sunday, July 15 along with songstress and environmental activist Raye Zaragoza.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts at 6:30 p.m. This is an all ages show.
Tickets are on sale now at Ticketfly, Creative Concerts, the Brewery Shop, and at the Sound Garden in Armory Square.
Emo rockers Taking Back Sunday will hit the stage Saturday, July 28. Although they will be sharing the stage with Coheed and Cambria for most of their summer tour, they will be performing solo at Saranac. Doors open at 7 p.m. Show begins at 8 p.m. Get tickets through Ticketfly or Creative Concerts.
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are back in business with their highly anticipated new album, Beasts of Burgundy is the first release in eighteen years.The twelve tracks are “inspired by the city of New Orleans, the poet Ron Cuccia, and a disregard for convention.” Pre-orders are being taken for the album, which will be available March 23 via Southern Broadcasting. They are already on tour for the album, and additional dates have been scheduled. They’ll be playing in the Northeast from late March to early April, with shows at the Center for the Arts of Homer on March 25 and City Winery in New York City on March 28. Tickets are on sale now.
Squirrel Nut Zippers – 2018 Tour Dates
March 2 – Palm Springs, CA – McCallum
March 3 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach House
March 4 – Berkeley, CA – Freight & Salvage
March 5 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre
March 6 – Arcata, CA – Humboldt State
March 7 – Nevada City, CA – Miner’s Foundry
March 8 – Reno, NV – The Saint
March 9 – Grants Pass, OR – The Rogue Theatre
March 10 – Eugene, OR – Jacqua Concert Hall
March 11 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
March 13 – Seattle, WA -Triple Door
March 14 – Seattle, WA – Triple Door
March 22 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere
March 23 – Pittsburgh, PA – Jergels
March 24 – Williamsport, PA – Arts Center March 25 – Homer, NY – Homer Arts Center
March 27 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe March 28 – New York, NY – City Winery
March 29 – New Haven, CT – The Ballroom
March 30 – Fall River, MA – Narrows
March 31 – Plymouth, NH – Flying Monkey
April 1 -Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
April 2 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
April 28 – Oxford, MS – Double Decker Festival
April 29 – New Orleans, LA – Tipitina’s
May 10 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater
May 11 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler Theater
May 12 – Tulsa, OK – The Vanguard
May 13 – Wichita, KS – Crown Uptown Theatre
May 15 – Indianapolis, IN – The Hi-Fi
May 16 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
May 17 – Columbus, OH – Skully’s Music Diner
May 18 – Newport, KY – Southgate House
May 19 – Milwaukee, WI – Wilson Center
May 20 – Chicago, IL – City Winery
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.
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.
The latest addition to the Live Phish series is Phish’s show from Central New York’s harness racing mecca, Vernon Downs, on Aug. 12, 1998.
The only show Phish has ever performed at this venue worked perfectly into Phish’s wordplay throughout the night. The “Makisupa Policeman” lyric, “Woke up this morning, burning down,” was met with rapturous applause due to its resemblance to the venue’s name. Later in the show, the band performed a cover of the Talking Heads classic “Burning Down the House,” which took on a new persona as Trey Anastasio sang, “Vernon Down the house,” much to the delight of those in attendance.
The show was also somewhat of a hometown show for drummer Jon Fishman, a graduate of nearby Jamesville-DeWitt High School. Anastasio refers to him as “Bob Weaver” during the show. He also continuously busted Fishman’s chops throughout the show, referring to his old high school band, Frodo, on several occasions.
As far as Phish shows go, this one has to be one that would convert many first-timers. Covers of ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Talking Heads and the Rolling Stones, along with several popular Phish standards, definitely converted many in attendance for the first time.
Set One: La Grange, Makisupa Policeman, Funky Bitch, Possum, Roggae, Character Zero, Ramble On, Slave to the Traffic Light
Set Two: Mike’s Song> Simple> Rift, Loving Cup, Sleeping Monkey > Weekapaug Groove, The Squirming Coil
Phish frontman Trey Anastasio brought his solo acoustic tour through Ithaca this past Friday night. Trey combined story telling with many of the songs, including stories about Phish shows in Ithaca in the late 80s and early 90s. Download the show here.
SET 1: Prince Caspian [1], NICU[1], Theme From the Bottom[1], Rise/Come Together[2], Ghost[1], The Wedge[1], AC/DC Bag[1], Light[2], The Inlaw Josie Wales[1], Dog Faced Boy[1], Sleep[1], Ocelot[2], Summer of ’89[1], Twist[1], Sand[2], Fuego[2]
ENCORE: Carini[1], Wilson[1]
[1] Trey solo acoustic. [2] Trey solo acoustic debut.
March 20. This four-man punk rock band released their debut album just three years back and followed it up with their sophomore album in 2016. The group is back with their newest project and is ready to share it with the world. The latest addition to their group is guitarist Tim Hall who joins original members Zack Fitzgerald on lead vocals/guitar, Kyle Malfa on drums and Joshua Rivet on bass to take their high-energy sound even further.
