NYS Music 20​18

Category: Long Island

  • The Flock Hits Brooklyn For 3 Sold-Out Pigeons Shows

    Few bands put the “f.u.” in fun and funk like Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and May 3-5 at Brooklyn Bowl demonstrated why. Pigeons is one of the hottest up-and-coming acts in the jam scene, and their ravenous fans and followers are known as “The Flock.” This weekend, the Flock flew into Brooklyn and filled out the Bowl 3 nights in a row.

    pigeons brooklyn

    Not many bands are capable of packing it out for one night, especially when considering that they were up against Jazz Fest, which annually brings many New Yorkers down to NOLA. But PPPP sold out the Bowl 3 nights in a row, a feat commemorated with special gold, silver, and bronze coins being sold at the merch table all weekend. Their meteoric rise through the scene has been a joy to watch, and it is clear why: musically, they provide what their crowd is there for—funky, fun bass lines, high energy drumming, and soaring peaks. Performance-wise, they are top-notch, with a lighting design that matches the enthusiasm of the band onstage. Not to mention, it doesn’t seem as if any band could possibly have as much fun as they do!

    This weekend showcased all of those reasons that Pigeons are experiencing this meteoric ascent, from their choreographed playing and superb lighting design to their high energy stage presence to the dancey funky fun they bring. Beginning Thursday night, it was apparent that the crowd was ready to get down. And the Pigeons didn’t disappoint! They opened the first night with “Whoopie,” with rhythm guitarist “Scrambled” Greg Ormont, lead guitarist Jeremy Schon, and bassist Ben Carrey engaged in a choreographed head-nod dance move. And the fun continued straight from there until the encore on Saturday night.

    The band played 6 sets without repeats and many fun covers, including “Hava Nagila” (a fun Pigeons staple), “Hyrule Castle” (the theme song from classic Nintendo video game “Zelda”), “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” (from The Lion King), the Star Wars “Cantina Song” and “Imperial March,” the Beatles’ “Get Back,” The Velvet Underground’s “Rock & Roll,” “Tequila,” Michael Jackson’s “Pretty Young Thing,” and The Who’s “Pinball Wizard.” And they of course broke out some of their most popular hits, like “F U,” “Fun In Funk,” “Julia,” “Poseidon,” “Horizon,” and “Melting Lights.” Each set was fun, funky, spacey, raging, and different. The energy inside Brooklyn Bowl was off the charts, and the crowd was dancing and having as much fun as the band!

    Before the encore on Thursday night, Greg announced to the enthusiastic crowd: “This is our home now, yall!” During Friday’s performance towards the beginning of the first set, he maintained “We love the Brooklyn Bowl! One of our favorite places to play…and the food is do dank!” Saturday night, just before launching into the encore, Greg proclaimed: “This is our happy place! We wish we could stay here forever!” Clearly, the Bowl and the New York crowd made an impact on the boys from Baltimore; and PPPP certainly made an impact on the flock who made it out Brooklyn this weekend, as no one wanted to go home at the end of the weekend. Pigeons can be seen next at Domefest, their curated festival in Bedford, PA, from 5/17-5/19, as well as at Summer Camp Music Festival (Chillicothe, IL 5/25-5/27), Great South Bay Music Festival (Patchogue, NY 6/14), Peach Music Festival (Scranton, PA 7/19), LOCKN’ (Arrington, VA 8/25), and many other great events throughout the summer.

  • Hearing Aide: Baked Shrimp ‘Feast of Delight’

    Baked ShrimpBaked Shrimp Feast Of Delight, one of Long Island’s best kept secrets, recently released their album Feast of Delight, showcasing the band’s various styles and genres, including multi-part compositions, radio-friendly pop songs and even a folk song in the single “Orpheus.”

    Since forming in January 2017, Baked Shrimp has broken into the Long Island and NYC jam scene and, over the course of the past year, the high-energy rock trio have played unique shows across the Northeast and are looking to build on that success in 2018 with the release of Feast of Delight that puts front and center a distinct ’90s indie vibe.

    “The Manatee,” a 10 minute gentle giant, gets heavy in the right spots, features elements of post-punk emerging throughout and gives off a Disco Biscuits feel with the continuous vibe built throughout. “Dick Turk” has wide ranging guitar play from Jared Cowen, a versatile stand out, especially on “Machiavellian” which contains guitar work that makes the song a distant cousin of Henry Mancini’s calliope in “Baby Elephant Walk,” building firmly and erupting for a fire-y ending.

    “Orpheus” is the lightest fare on the album, but the acoustic sing along makes it a perfect single off the album and stands out just before the closing “Chimera,” which has a distinct Ominous Seapods feel, even if the bands are nearly 25 years apart, and a little dose of Talking Heads’ “Cities,” wrapping up an album that will be perfect for afternoon listening and dancing to late into the night this summer. Tune into Feast of Light below, on Bandcamp, and check out live shows from Baked Shrimp on Archive.org

    Key Tracks: The Manatee, Machiavellian, Orpheus

  • Interview: Call It Home

    Long Island metalcore outfit Call It Home are on the verge of releasing their debut full-length album Better Days. The latest single “Deserter” made this week’s Alternative Press “9 Songs You Need To Hear This Week” list. Lineup changes have brought long-time member Dom Delfino to the helm of clean vocals and lyric-writing, resulting in a fresh new sound that appeals to both new fans and long-time followers. His bandmates are Chris Christofi on harsh vocals, Jay Schwartz on guitar, and Jon Beane on drums. NYS Music spoke with Delfino in advance of the album release and upcoming tour with This Curse.

    Paula Cummings: How does the new album compare to your previous work?

    Dom Delfino: It’s still the same sound, but more mature. It’s more technical in the instrumental work, more interesting for the listener. There’s a little sampling of piano/synth, and a little dub step in there. We also have a few different guest vocalists, which we haven’t done before: Jayden Panesso from Sylar, Landon Tewers from The Plot in You, and Michael Swank from Myka Relocate.

    PC: What about the lyrics?

    DD: The lyrics are a lot different. We’ve had a switch in clean vocalists. My writing style is different. The album is called Better Days because every song is about an issue people go through every day, whether it be a relationship or a family issue. Every song is a breakdown of these things, but we show how to get through them. A lot of bands write angry songs that people can relate to, but not about how to get through it.

    PC: I could see that in the video for “Lanterns.” Can you tell me about the filming of the video?

    DD: Josiah Moore filmed and edited the video in Rochester. It was so much fun, but there was a lot of stress. The day we left for filming, we couldn’t get in touch with the actress. At the last minute we were able to find a replacement.

    PC: You’ve spent a lot of time touring. Any memorable moments you’d like to share?

    DD: We were starting a tour. On the first day we were going to Michigan from New York. We’re in Pennsylvania, and it’s snowing. As we’re going it gets worse and worse to the point where we can’t see. We have another band following us. We pull off and look to the left and there’s a big hill. We turn in the other direction. It turns out there’s a giant hill. Both vans with their trailers get stuck on this hill. The only way out is to go in reverse, two vans with trailers going down. After a couple hours, we’re on flat ground. We find a gas station six miles away, and a drive that should have taken six minutes took thirty. That was a crazy experience. We still got to the show on time.

    PC: And that didn’t deter you from continuing to tour?

    DD: We do everything we can to make it to the show. That’s the worst thing in the world to us is cancelling a show.

    You can catch them on tour in April with This Curse. Better Days comes out on April 10, but is available to preorder. Follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates.

  • Flashback: Phish’s Legendary 2003 Nassau Coliseum Show

    On February 28, 2003, Phish performed the penultimate show of their Winter Tour at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, their first since returning from a two year hiatus. The result was one of the best Phish performances of the ‘2.0’ era that spanned from December 31, 2002 through August 15, 2004.

    phish nassau 2003
    poster by Louis Arzonico

    The first set of the show kicks off with “Birds of a Feather” and while this is a solid starter to a 2003 Phish show, the “Destiny Unbound” that followed is the song that fans skip to, for this was the first version of the song since 1991, and one that fans had been clamoring for since the mid-90s. At first, few in the crowd knew what it was, but as the lyrics started, you can hear the crowd erupt, and even more so when the refrain “We gotta get on the road, Destiny Unbound” is sung.

    phish nassau 2003
    poster design by Troy Alexander

    Shock and awe swept through the crowd and continued into “Horn,” for the biggest bust out of them all was finally here. A 20+ minute “Bathtub Gin” is full of peaks and jam sections, never letting up and only resting when followed by “Sleep.” An extended “Back on the Train” and “Walls of the Cave” sandwich “Bouncing Around the Room” to wrap up the firepowered first set, and set two would prove to be equally incredible.

    One of the best versions of “Tweezer” this century kicked off a five-song second set, stretching more than 27 minutes and finding ebbs and flows throughout, never noodling or fading out, just pure improvisation start to finish. The segue into a then-rare cover of Bob Marley’s “Soul Shakedown Party” lit up the room once again, as did a dark 19 minute “David Bowie.”

    The only time to catch a breath this set was “Round Room,” but being the title track off the band’s recently released album, fans were rapt with attention to the new tune. Closing the set was a slow building “Harry Hood” that capped the show with a bang.

    phish nassau 2003
    shirt design by chris mcmurray

    A three song encore starting with “Contact,” “Mexican Cousin” gave the fans a couple of sing-alongs before the energetic close of “Tweezer Reprise.” You would be hard pressed to find a Phish show in 2003 or 2004 that had as much firepower as February 28, 2003 did.

    Phish, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, Long Island, NY February 28, 2003

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Birds of a Feather, Destiny Unbound, Horn > Bathtub Gin, Sleep, Back on the Train, Bouncing Around the Room, Walls of the Cave

    Set 2: Tweezer > Soul Shakedown Party -> David Bowie, Round Room > Harry Hood

    Encore: Contact, Mexican Cousin > Tweezer Reprise

    Listen on LivePhish.com

  • Sammi Rae Murciano Spreads Anti-bullying Message with ‘Reflection’ Video

    Singer/Songwriter Sammi Rae Murciano recently debuted the video for her single “Reflection,” a heartfelt track that looks back on her experiences with bullying and her journey towards empowerment. The cinematic video was produced and directed by Nick Terrana and shows Sammi’s struggle as it weaves between depictions of her as both a young girl and teenager, struggling as a victim of bullying and the effects on her self-esteem.

    A Long Island native, 17 year old Sammi Rae has been singing for three years, and is inspired by a wide range of talents before her, citing influences from Beyoncé to Demi Lovato, Rihanna, Adele, Dua Lipa and many more. Sammi’s strong and soulful voice is beyond her years and knows that you have to believe in yourself and have confidence to be successful has been her continued mantra, especially showcased on “Reflection,” which was recorded at The Loft Sound Studio with Donnie Klang, a recording artist and winner of MTV’s “Making The Band 4” and artist/engineer Matthew LaPorte.

    Murciano’s three song EP “The Story” includes “Reflection” along with “Back to Me,” about wanting to move forward and finding the strength to trust and love again, and “Never Letting Go,” a track she says she wants “to inspire others” continuing “no one should let anyone stop them from doing what they love.”

    Murciano shares about the writing behind “Reflection,” “There are many stories you hear about people being bullied and how they resort to harmful and drastic measures which could lead to dangerous outcomes. I had my singing to turn to and it’s only made me stronger. As a way to escape from the feelings of being hurt, bullied, and hated on, I started writing in my journal…which turned into a source for songs that told my story.”

    Having performed “Reflection” at the Long Island Coalition Against Bullying’s 2nd Annual Fall Gala, and with the video debut at Patchogue’s 89 North on Saturday, February 17, Murciano will certainly have better days to reflect upon as she continues to help others with her music in 2018.

  • Long Island Based Cloud Releases Trippy New Single, ‘Wildfire’

    Long Island’s Cloud (aka Tyler Taormina and friends) return with their new album Plays With Fire, featuring the single “Wildfire.” With a poppy, vibrant sound, hints of Panda Bear Electronics, Mazzy Star and Cocteau Twins can be found in this warming tune.

    “Wildfire” is accompanied by a music video for “Watch Your Mind Wander,” which Taormina directed in Los Angeles, one which revels in the sinister side of a good time, and an exclusive non-album B-Side. Nearly 10 minutes of tenderness and melancholy, “Watch Your Mind Wander” glimmers and glistens as it loops to its gentle conclusion. It’s a powerful comedown from the frenetic crash of “Wildfire” and offers yet another hint of what’s to come on the forthcoming Plays With Fire LP from Cloud.