Connecticut-based punk band Scooped Up overindulge in their latest music video for “Weed Song,” channeling early Blink 182 and Screeching Weasel as they set off on a hazy adventure with their favorite rolled up herb.
The DIY video by the up and coming punk trio was a first for Scooped Up. “This video was really fun to make and happened to be one of the last songs we wrote for the new album,” says vocalist/guitarist Jimmy Barbetti. “We filmed and edited the video ourselves for less than a hundred dollars and we are pretty stoked about how it came out!”
Scooped Up’s debut album Dumbass is scheduled to be released April 20th, and they will perform that night supporting Fox Nüz in Wallingford, CT.
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
Brooklyn-based trio, Modern Whale, are too pop for indie, yet too indie for pop, and have a released their latest single, “The Dirt,” cultivating a sound rooted in pop-rock. The driving rock of “The Dirt” brings to mind the post-grunge 90’s of Three Days Grace and My Chemical Romance with driving guitar rhythms and symphonic vocals that combine for an instant, and pleasant earworm.
Helmed by Bushwick-based record producer and songwriter Rob Guariglia, Modern Whale is not a specimen of the sea but rather a musical crossing. The group formed in Brooklyn at the infamous rock refuge Meserole Sound Studio, with a name that reflects the animalistic tendency of music and is encapsulated through Rob’s dog Stella, his assistant and muse. “The Dirt” was written by Robert J. Guariglia & Stephen Ericson and produced by Robert J. Guariglia.
With a little help from world class musicians across the region, Proctors and WAIX 106.1 are teaming up to present a new concert series highlighting classic albums performed by local artists. Capital Records Live will debut on Friday, March 23 at 7:30pm in the GE Theatre at Proctors.
Six bands from the greater Capital District will perform selections from The Beatles (The White Album) and Sgt. Pepper’sLonely HeartsClub Band. The lineup includes Bryan Brundige Collective, Clear Mind, Eastbound Jesus, Girl Blue, Let’s Be Leonard and Wild Adriatic, who will come together on stage to celebrate the work of the Fab Four. Additionally, Beatles trivia will be hosted by Chuck Vosganian of Rochmon Record Club.
Attendees will experience distinct renditions of The Beatles’ most recognizable tracks. Sal Prizio, program coordinator at Proctors, explains “With CRL, our mission is to introduce music fans in this market, each year, to the abundance of great local music.” Tickets are on sale now at Proctors box office or online.
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.
Legendary musician Paul Simon is calling it quits as it pertains to full scale touring in his career and has released dates for his Homeward Bound – The Farewell tour. Appropriately named after a classic Simon & Garfunkel song, this final tour will see Simon play a swath of venues throughout North America and Europe beginning in May and ending in late September. The Jersey-born and Queens-raised icon will fittingly return home for a set of shows at Madison Square Garden at the end of the tour.
“I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to reach the point where I’d consider bringing my performing career to a natural end,” said Simon in his official statement. “Now I know: it feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating, and something of a relief.” Simon did also include that he has no intentions of quitting music altogether and will still play the occasional show here and there.
Friends and fellow musical luminaries James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt will accompany Simon for two shows overseas and one would think (and hope) that Art Garfunkel, the other half of one of the greatest folk duos of all time, will make at least one appearance. The full tour schedule is listed below. Tickets are being sold for this once in a lifetime event via Ticketmaster with a public on sale date and time of March 16, 9:00 am.
Paul Simon Tour Dates
May 16 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
May 18 – Seattle, WA – Key Arena
May 19 – Portland, OR – MODA Center
May 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
May 23 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
My 25 – Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
May 27 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 28 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
May 30 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green
June 1 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Arena
June 2 – Houston, TX -Toyota Center
June 4 – Austin, TX – Frank Erwin Center
June 6 – Chicago, IL – United Center
June 8 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
June 10 – Detroit, MI – DTE Energy Center
June 12 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
June 13 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
June 15 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
June 16 – Philadelphia, PA—Wells Fargo Center
June 19 – Greensboro, NC—Greensboro Coliseum
June 20 – Nashville, TN—Bridgestone Arena
June 30 – Stockholm, Sweden—Ericsson Globe
July 1 – Oslo, Norway—Spektrum
July 3 – Copenhagen, Denmark—Royal Arena
July 5 – Antwerp, Belgium—Sportpaleis
July 7 – Amsterdam, Holland—Ziggo Dome
July 10 – Manchester, UK—Manchester Arena
July 11 – Glasgow, UK—SSE Hydro
July 13 – Dublin, Ireland—RDS Arena*
July 15 – London UK—Hyde Park, BST Festival*
Sept. 5 – New Orleans, LA—Smoothie King Center
Sept. 7 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
Sept. 8 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL—BB&T Center
Sept.11 – Orlando, FL—Amway Center
Sept. 12 – Atlanta, GA—Cellairis Amphitheatre
Sept. 14 – Washington, DC—Capital One Arena
Sept. 15 – Newark NJ—Prudential Center Sept. 20 – New York, NY—Madison Square Garden
Sept. 21 – New York, NY—Madison Square Garden
Sept. 22 – New York, NY—TBA
The Palace Theatre in Albany will welcome the legendary David Byrne in concert this September 9 as part of an extensive world tour. Joining Byrne is a twelve-piece band who will performs songs from his recently released album, American Utopia, classics from his solo career and favorites from his days with Talking Heads. Special guest Tune-Yards will open.
Byrne has called the tour “the most ambitious show I’ve done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense.” This tour also marks Byrne’s first extensive outing since his 2013 shows with St. Vincent and also his first solo tour since 2009.
Watch “Everybody’s Coming To My House” from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Byrne has released American Utopia: Detroit, the music video for “Everybody’s Coming to My House,” from American Utopia, featuring a performance of the song by Detroit School of Arts (DSA) Vocal Jazz Ensemble students. Byrne spoke with Trevor Noah on TheDaily Show about the collaborative video, the experience of making it, and how it ties into the musician’s larger vision of both the new album and his ongoing Reasons to Be Cheerful series, which includes a hub of stories, news and ideas which inspire optimism.
As the Big Dance kicks off (and Syracuse quiets the haters for two more days), we launch into Round 4 of NYS Music’s 2018 March Madness! We started with 64 up and coming artists from across the Empire State and now we have the Elite Eight who are taking part in our friendly tournament-style competition.
These artists who hail from the Empire State are a sampling of the next generation of artists and come from all corners of the state, from Buffalo to Binghamton, Plattsburgh to Patchogue and all points in between. Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!
Elite Eight voting begins at 10AM EST on Thursday, March 15, and closes at midnight on Saturday, March 17. The Final Four begins at 10AM EST on Monday, March 19. Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!
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.
Helmed by 
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.
