NYS Music 20​18

Category: Hudson Valley

  • alt-J North American Tour Includes New York Dates in June

    alt-J will be criss-crossing the globe all year, hitting the U.S. in April and June. The first leg of the North American Tour takes place in April on the West Coast and includes Coachella.

    They come back to hit up the East Coast in June, playing Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on June 15 and headlining Mountain Jam, which takes place that same weekend. Of note, Forest Hills will be the largest US venue alt-J has headlined, and will be piped out through an immersive sound system which envelops the audience in the audio experience. Tickets are on sale now for some shows on the North American Tour, including Mountain Jam and Forest Hills Stadium.

    alt-J are Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton and Thom Green. With three successful albums to date, alt-J’s current project involves collaborating with other artists to reprise and re-imagine 2017’s Relaxer. No word yet on what the concept entails or when it will be available. Follow alt-J for updates.

    TOUR DATES:
    April 7 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
    April 10 – Magna, UT – The Great Saltair
    April 12 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
    April 14 – Indio, CA – Coachella
    April 16 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
    April 18 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
    April 20 – Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea Theatre – The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
    April 21 – Indio, CA – Coachella
    April 23 – Davis, CA  – UC Davis – Pavilion at ARC
    April 24 – Eugene, OR – Cuthbert Amphitheater
    April 25 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
    June 6 – St. Louis, MO – Peabody Opera House
    June 7  – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
    June 8 – Louisville, KY – Iroquois Amphitheater
    June 7-10 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
    June 11 – Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
    June 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
    June 14 – Dover, DE – Firefly
    June 15 – Hunter, NY – Mountain Jam
    June 15-17 – Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium
    June 18 – Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point
    June 20 – Toronto, ON – Echo Beach
    June 24 – Monterrey, MEX – Teatro Banamex
    June 26 – Mexico City, MEX – Pepsi Center

  • Hearing Aide: Greg Jacquin, ‘Hudson River EP’

    In case the album title didn’t give it away, Greg Jacquin is a native of the Hudson Valley region, and his music and persona possess very apparent undertones of a small town songwriter. Jacquin will release his newest EP, Hudson River on February 9th, but we were able to get a sneak preview of the album first.

    Greg JacquinAlthough acoustic guitar certainly drives each song on the album, Jacquin dices in some interesting instrumentation, including a string and brass section woven in between songs. His album features six songs with two additional bonus song versions. His single for the album “The Station” is featured in two versions on this album, bringing two separate ideas to the table. He has simultaneously released a video for the single, which is slowly rising in views. The video paints his melancholy demeanor, and features shots the daily commuter would consider second nature. But this video is about Jacquin in his nature, with shots of nature in his surrounding area. His album has downs like these, with several ups as well, including the cheerful tune “On the Moorings.” Greg Jacquin is in good company on this album, and each recording is well balanced and intentioned.

    Jacquin will release his album on February 9th, but pre-orders are available now on his website.

    Key Tracks: The Station, On the Moorings

  • The Wood Brothers Warm The Egg on a Chilly Evening

    The Wood Brothers brought their tour to The Egg Performing Arts Center in Albany, NY. The sold-out crowd dealt with the return of winter to hear some of the newest songs on their latest album, One Drop of Truth. The album was available at the merchandise table before its official release date of Friday, February 2. The brothers, Chris and Oliver Wood, and Jano Rix mixed new tunes with a healthy selection of Wood Brothers standards. Although, the crowd seemed more than happy to explore the new songs.

    Before the evening was over The Wood Brothers brought out special guest Aaron Lipp from Rochester, NY and the opening band, The Stray Birds, to help out with the one-microphone part of the evening. The voices of The Wood Brothers and their guests blended in the solo microphone to create an “old timey” feel inside The Egg. The night also featured a Wood Brothers cover of the late Tom Petty’s hit “You Wreck Me.”

  • Hearing Aide: Dan Zlotnick ‘Bumpers’

    Sometimes in life you need to stop stressing about everything, take a deep breath, and focus on what’s truly important; love, joy, adventure. That is exactly what the Somers, NY local Americana musician Dan Zlotnick did when he sat down and wrote his second album Bumpers. Driven by his soothing yet powerful voice, Zlotnick’s Zen-like stories of love and life inspire listeners to seek out the nearest mountain range and get lost in a world of childlike wonder.

    dan zlotnickWhether you are having your Sunday morning coffee, embarking on the road trip of the decade, or just need to smile, Bumpers is a versatile album worth revisiting again and again. The album begins on a genuine positive note with “Ballad of Dreamers,” a song that makes your body sway without realizing it and immediately establishes trust with the narrator, which bonds stronger as the album progresses. Throughout each track, Zlotnick speaks to the human element of who we are as a species and how, in many ways, we are all the same. Although we may seem different and lead individual lives, all everyone truly wants in life is to be happy. His thoughtful lyrics in the title track “Bumpers” reflect this as he urges listeners to enjoy every moment for what they are, good or bad, and reminds them that they owe it to themselves to be happy.

    What separates DAn Zlotnick from other Americana musicians these days is the fact that he does not take anything too seriously. His songs are bright and full of joy, and it is clear without knowing him that he is a playful person. Songs like “Hide and Seek” and “Creatures” attest to this, for although they delve into a deeper romantic world at times there is always a juvenile sense of play at hand. If you are in the Hudson Valley you can catch Zlotnick perform live at the Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon (opening for Patty Larkin) Jan 20, or at the Paramount Theater in Peekskill (opening for Marc Cohn) Feb 16, and for a full list of shows visit DanZlotnick.com.

    Key Tracks: Ballad of Dreamers, Bumpers, Creatures