NYS Music 20​18

Blog

  • Metallica Worldwired Tour to Stop in Buffalo and Albany

    New York fans have been buzzing the last couple of days after the mighty Metallica posted a video on social media that said “Monday, Worldwired Tour,” The brief video left fans hoping their city will be part of the the band’s 2018-2019 touring plans.

    Rumors started circulating once venues across North America started sharing Metallica’s post hours later. Two of 34 venues that shared Metallica’s video, were located in New York state. One of those venues on the list, had Capital Region metal fans saying “Could this be for real,” when the Times Union Center in Albany shared the band’s post.

    Now that Monday has arrived, everything has been made official. Metallica will make two stops in New York on their upcoming “Worldwired 2018/19” tour, including Oct. 27, at the Key Bank Center in Buffalo, and Oct. 29, at the Times Union Center in Albany. Fan club presale begins Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public March 2.

    Look for Metallica to announce around 50 shows to round out the 2018 tour schedule. Frontman James Hetfield admitted in a 2016 interview that, “My body has told me to tell these guys that 50 shows a year is kind of what we can do, so make the best of those. And I think we all kind of agree in that. But 50 shows a year, that’s pretty good. My body can handle that. Body, mind and spirit all need to kind of revitalize themselves at home, and days off for voices — things like that — so 50 shows a year, it goes pretty quick, I’m sure.”

    Since their debut in 1981, Metallica has released 10 studio albums, a cover album, four live albums and five EP’s. Their last six studio albums, all debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. They have sold over 125 million records worldwide, making them one of the most commercially successful bands of all time. Since 1991, the band became the third best-selling artist with over 58 million albums in the U.S. alone. Metallica has released over 37 singles, and won nine Grammy Awards.

    “Worldwired” Tour Dates:

    Oct. 2 – Kohl Center – Madison, WI
    Oct. 4 – Target Center – Minneapolis, MN
    Oct. 6 – Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, NB
    Oct. 8 – Alerus Center – Grand Forks, ND
    Oct. 11 – Denny Sanford Premier Center – Sioux Falls, SD
    Oct. 13 – Bell MTS Place – Winnipeg, MB Canada
    Oct. 15 – Sasktel Centre – Saskatoon, SK Canada
    Oct. 16 – Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center – Milwaukee, WI
    Oct. 18 -PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
    Oct. 20 – Bryce Jordan Center – State College, PA
    Oct. 22 – Spectrum Arena – Charlotte, NC
    Oct. 27 – KeyBank Center – Buffalo, NY
    Oct. 29 – Times Union Center – Albany, NY
    Nov. 26 – T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV
    Nov. 28 – Taco Bell Arena – Boise, ID
    Nov. 30 – Vivnt Smart Home Arena – Salt Lake City, UT
    Dec. 2 – Spokane Arena – Spokane, WA
    Dec. 5 – Moda Center – Portland, OR
    Dec. 7 – Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA
    Dec. 9 – Save Mart Center – Fresno, CA
    Jan. 18 – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
    Jan. 20 – Verizon Center – Little Rock, AR
    Jan. 22 – Legacy Arena at the BJCC – Birmingham, AL
    Jan. 24 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
    Jan. 28 – PNC Arena – Raleigh, NC
    Jan. 30 – U.S. Bank Arena – Cincinnati, OH
    Feb. 1 – Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH
    Feb. 28 – Don Haskins Center -El Paso, TX
    March 2 – United Supermarkets Arena – Lubbock, TX
    March 4 – Intrust Bank Arena – Wichita, KS
    March 6 – Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
    March 9 – KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, KY
    March 11 – Bankers Life Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN
    March 13 – Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, Mi

  • moe. wraps up February tour in Albany, honored by Mayor Sheehan

    At moe.’s final show of their February tour, the city of Albany had something special on tap to honor the group who called Albany a second home during the 1990s. Mayor Kathy Sheehan was welcomed to the stage by promoter Greg Bell where she recalled seeing moe. at Valentine’s, and issued a Mayoral Proclamation declaring February 24 as moe.day. With band on stage, the audience erupted in delight at the honor bestowed on them by a town ripe with bands following in moe.’s footsteps.

    After being handed a ‘Rob. Strong’ banner, moe. dove into the first of two firey sets with a “Rebubula” intro fakeout that dove into “Buster” on a dime, and followed with back to back ~12 minute versions of heavy hitters “Haze” and “Y.O.Y.” and the second version of “Who You Calling Scared?” which debuted in Portland a week earlier. “Akimbo” and “Rise” sustained the energy of the set ahead of the only cover of the weekend run, “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” with Chuck and Al trading off throughout.

    “Stranger Than Fiction” led the way in Set 2 with a hefty and fluid “Faker” and “CalifornIA” that followed. Jim Loughlin then dove into “Farmer Ben” and a rage rocker “Don’t Fuck with Flo” kept Loughlin in the spotlight on vibraphone, as well as in “McBain,” the ninth of ten 10+ minute songs played this evening alone (there were 7 the night prior). After a potential segue towards “George,” moe. opted to wrap up the show the way they started and swung for the fences with “Rebubula” to the intense delight of the crowd. Returning to the stage following a balloon drop, Al Schnier thanked the crowd and the city of Albany and led the band in “Letter Home,” wrapping up the run on a heartfelt note and giving time for the kids to keep dancing long after the show on South Pearl Street.

    Setlist

    Soundcheck: Johnny Lineup, Who You Calling Scared? – Listen here.

    Set 1: Rebubula > Buster > Haze > Y.O.Y. > Who You Calling Scared?, Akimbo > Rise > In Memory of Elizabeth Reed*

    Set 2: Stranger Than Fiction, Faker > CalifornIA > Farmer Ben > Don’t Fuck With Flo > Faker, McBain, Rebubula

    Encore: Letter Home

    * with Silversun tease

    photos by Dave DeCrescente

  • Photo Gallery: Deer Tick spends Friday night at the Mall

    Going to the mall on a Friday night seems something a bunch of teenagers might do. Friday, February 23 saw a slew of twenty and thirty-somethings take over Crossgates Mall in Albany. The relatively new Jupiter Hall, located toward the back of Lucky Strike Social, has been bringing a variety of great concerts to the area and they might have outdone themselves with Deer Tick.

    Deer Tick’s “Twice Is Nice” tour is highlighting an acoustic set and an electric set. This allows the band to explore their wide variety of influences from folk to rock and from country to blues. It’s a special treat for the dedicated fans that want to hear over two hours of music from the incredibly talented group from Rhode Island.

    Deer Tick (John McCauley, Ian O’Neil, Chris Ryan and Dennis Ryan) brought along a friend for the Albany show, the Catskills’ very own James Felice jumped in on keys and accordion adding to the energy of the evening.

    The tour heads out west and back in New York for shows at The Haunt in Ithaca (March 3) and the Lost Horizon in Syracuse (March 4). The band will be taking the tour overseas to Australia and will be back in the states in April for the Rhythm and Blooms Festival in Knoxville and then another stretch of dates throughout the south.

  • Hearing Aide: The Plot In You ‘Dispose’

    The Plot In You premiered their latest album, Dispose, on February 16 on Billboard Music. Lead singer and songwriter Landon Tewers co – produced the album in Los Angeles with Drew Fulk, known for his work with Crown The Empire and I Prevail. As their first album with Fearless Records, Dispose contains ten tracks total and steers away from the band’s signature, heavy sound, leaving just a risky, yet shell of their previous work — and in its place a calculated contingency away from the past.

    For the most part, the album backs off the heavy guitars, defiant lyrics, and warmongering breakdowns. Once classified as a metal band, The Plot In You both proves their versatility and bends unspoken rules characteristic in their previous albums, such as 2011’s First Born, instead turning to multiple genres such as pop, rock, and electronic.

    Dispose opens up with “Rigged,” a slow, intense build of a track centered around a few clean, crisp guitar riffs which transition into a tense progression of Nine Inch Nails – esque industrial electronic sounds and a chaotic blitz, culminating with Tewers asking the question, “What’s left in me? Guess we’ll see. Didn’t see this coming.” This question sets the tone for the rest of the album.

    While every track experiments with the extensions of the band’s songwriting abilities, such as “One Last Time,” and “Paid in Full,” Dispose falls victim to the bane of many modern releases: tracks set in a difficult – to – follow order. However, this is not an unforgivable sin as many of the songs stand well on their own to be played as one – offs as opposed to a back to back listen. A few points’ deduction, but not a total loss.

    In fairness, The Plot In You, takes an exciting artistic risk. While their heavy side still exists in songs such as the anthemic “Feel Nothing,” they leave room for a Frank Ocean/Ed Sheeran – type ballad with “The Sound,” which introduces a soulful, lounge saxophone solo to accompany Josh Childress’ shining, dramatic guitar performance. Tewers plays with this same concept on “I Always Wanted to Leave.” Both songs deal lyrically with the stages that many relationships go through: comfort and security, and then betrayal and loss.

    The band’s unsung heroes, however, are drummer Mathis Arnell and bassist Ethan Yoder, who hold down the basis of this rock/pop – driven album. Songs such as “The One You Love” and “Disposable Fix,” both use a building block approach, starting with input from the rhythm section and centering around their pocket. Along with Childress, Arnell and Yoder keep the instruments minimalistic yet intentional. The space left in each song provides a mysterious effect which draws the listener in and allows for the breathing and taking in of fine details in each painting. This is also true for the music videos of the album, “Feel Nothing,” “Not Just Breathing,” “I Always Wanted to Leave,” and “Disposable Fix,” all of which Arnell directed.

    Although Dispose has been met with mixed criticism over the band’s changed sound, their songwriting, engineering, and production deserve acknowledgment. And whether most fans enjoy these changes or not, some credit must be given to the group for sticking to their intentions and musical wishes. Independent of any previous claims, songs, or performances, Dispose objectively displays cohesion, weighted movements, experimentation, and vulnerable soul. At the very worse, it could be a small misstep in a continuing career; at best, a welcome change in direction, an honest set of thoughts, and a passionate description of current events with a unique blend of genres. That is to say, overall, it’s a solid effort that The Plot in You can be proud of.

    Dispose is available digitally and physically at all major platforms.

    Key Tracks: “Feel Nothing,” “The One You Loved,” “The Sound”

  • moe. Returns Home to Albany for Night 1 at The Palace Theatre

    moe. returned to The Palace Theatre in Albany on Feb. 23 for the first time since New Years Eve 2015 and brought along Buffalo’s Aqueous, giving fans a look at the past, present and future of the New York State jam scene.

    Looking to the future of the scene, look no further than Aqueous, one of the success stories coming out of Western New York. The versatile foursome set a standard for touring bands who are just getting their start or waiting for their big break out of the clubs and into the national scene. They kicked off the night shortly after doors and proceeded to give the Albany audience a five-song set. Guitarist Mike Gantzer noted they only had 15 minutes left, and that meant there was time for one more song, and with that dove into the proggy “Triangle,” which had hints of Umphrey’s McGee but still the classic Aqueous tightness throughout.

    moe. stepped out with bright lights shining behind creating a silhouette during the accelerating instrumental “Jazz Wank” and instead of the usual “Buster,” “Skrunk” followed and bled into “Down Boy” with Chuck and Rob creating a vocal segue over the end of “Skrunk” with the first verse of lyrics. 15 minutes of a Chuck-led jam later, “Down Boy” moved into a high energy “Tailspin.” The new “I Can Never Remember” was the only breather in a firey first set, with “Blue Jeans Pizza” jumping the tempo back up and giving the crowd chills when Rob hit the high note. The highlight among a packed first set was Mike Gantzer of Aqueous coming out for “Waiting for the Punchline,” with Al taking the lead on the jam before turning Mike loose on the audience who greeted his moment in the spotlight with intense cheers to end the set.

    moe albany palace

    Set 2 began with the Sticks and Stones era “Deep This Time” and “New York City,” followed by a break for tuning that led to Al and Rob riffing on an ‘Albany Song’ made up on the spot. “What Can I Say” was a lighthearted break in the action but from here the jamming went deep. “Hi and Lo” built the foundation for the next hour that built with a Latin-tinged “Montego,” a marvelous “Captain America,” and a 26 minute version of “She” that was at times loose and spacey and somehow found its way into “Happy Hour Hero.” The encore of “Downward Dog” closed the night at nearly 1 in the morning, with one more night in store on Saturday. Tickets are available here.

    Aqueous setlist: Aldehyde > Skyway, Strange Times > Marty, Triangle

    moe. Setlist:
    Set One: Jazz Wank > Skrunk > Down Boy > Tailspin, I Can Never Remember > Blue Jeans Pizza > Waiting For The Punchline*
    Set Two: Deep This Time > New York City, Albany Song^, What Can I Say, Hi & Lo > Montego, Captain America > She > Happy Hour Hero
    Encore: Downward Facing Dog

    * with Mike Gantzer of Aqueous on guitar
    ^ ‘debut’, made up on spot

  • Hearing Aide: Soulive ‘Cinematics Vol. 1’

    Soulive Cinematics Vol. 1Easy Rider, Boogie Nights, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Pulp Fiction. What do these films have in common? Fantastic soundtracks. But what if the soundtrack preceded the movie concepts and producers were asked to build their storyline around the music? This is the question that New York’s funk trio Soulive takes aim at with their new EP, Cinematics, Vol. 1.

    When you’re an all-star in any profession in life, people want you to play for their team. This is why it has taken guitarist Eric Krasno, drummer Alan Evans and keyboardist Neal Evans six years to join forces and release new material. Individually keeping busy and immersing themselves in a universe of sound has always been the formula they have used since the birth of Soulive in 1999. After nearly 20 years, the sonically mature threesome continues to say it best with their instruments and give listeners a chance to go on a wordless adventure of their own. “We didn’t have to talk about anything,” Alan says. “It all unfolded as we were working on it; one song influences the direction of the next, and soon you find yourself going down this path. We want this music to take people on a little journey.”

    The “Ad Lib” puzzle of carefully crafted soundtrack material begins with “Kings March,” a vintage villain theme song for any 70’s James Bond flick. When the movie theater displays the rules before the film begins, they always ask you to “turn your goddamn phone off” in the politest way possible and occasionally they will add some universally intimidating music to the background. That is “Kings March.” “Bluebird” is the easy rider of the 5-pack EP and offers listeners the opportunity to mellow out and grab some more popcorn. Imagine a drug-dealing montage where everything is going well in the storyline… there is probably trouble and intensity lurking but it is the mystery that keeps us entertained and “Bluebird” is the sound heard in the backdrop.

    “Sidekick” sits in the middle of ‘Cinematics’ and highlights Neal’s ability to blast some interstellar effects into the number. Serving as a platform to give Robin some love in a world of Bruce Wayne, “Sidekick” reintroduces us to the Soulive studio time we have been asking about for the better half of a decade. Authentically groovy with a psychedelic backdrop, this track will hopefully find itself sampled on the next Wu-Tang Clan album.

    Quentin Tarantino would kill for the rights to use “Millers Last Stand,” the spaghetti western infused cocktail that can be ordered on the newest Soulive menu. Krasno’s wobbly guitar is at a standoff with Alan’s whip cracking drum kit and creates a sonic landscape as vast as the desert for listeners to explore. The EP comes to a crashing finish with “Waves,” the calm, salt-water soaked ditty that gives our imaginary character some alone time to tell Sandy she’s the one that he wants.

    The beauty of jazz is that like a great film, it is timeless and thought-provoking. Soulive can throw these tunes into any of their cataloged creations and fans might not tell the difference, but it is the way they place each track into a story that gives it power. While ‘Cinematics, Vol. 1’ will not win an Oscar, the next all-star director may throw on some headphones and space out to the mix, finding the next ET, Dirty Harry, or Black Panther.

    Key Tracks: Kings March, Sidekick, Millers Last Stand

  • Juicy Connotation Gets Spotlight Treatment

    Juicy Connotation is the latest band to be featured on the interview/concert series Rochester Indie Musician Spotlight. The five piece group blends funk, jazz, Latin and rock to create what they identify as “juice funk.” In this episode, they speak with the show’s host Dan Gross about their origin, the magic behind the making of their material, and their upcoming self-titled album.

    Upcoming Rochester Indie Musician Spotlight featured artists for Season 5 include Tough Old Bird, Hannah PK, Vanishing Sun, Grand Canyon Rescue Episode, Seth Faergolzia, and Jimmy Highsmith Jr.

    Rochester Indie Musician Spotlight is produced and hosted by Dan Gross. Camera operation and video production are provided by Jason Thibault and David Clapp, and audio is mixed by Josh Pettinger at Wicked Squid Studios. This season is made possible by Bop Shop Records, Rowe Photographic Video and Audio, Bernunzio Uptown Music, Sound Source, Joe Bean Coffee Roasters, Three Heads Brewing, Wicked Squid Studios, and patrons who contributed to the Season 5 indiegogo campaign.

    For more about Juicy Connotation and Rochester Indie Musician Spotlight, read the NYS Music feature. For the latest news and access to dozens of episodes, visit Dan Gross Music and Journalism.

  • Bring On The Heat: Vicious Jimmy Tears Up Albany’s Parish Public House

    It was a cold and snowy night on Saturday, February 17th, outside Albany’s Parish Public House, but inside you could feel the heat with a packed house that was ready for a heavy dose of deep fried funk served up by Vicious Jimmy and special guest Morris Code. It was apparent that Vicious Jimmy’s two year hiatus from playing did not detract from their fans coming out and supporting the band. This type of fan support could be due to the fact that the lineup of the band features all Albany natives, including Tom “TK” Kretzler on guitar/lead vocal, Tim Fiato Jr. on keyboards, Jeff Jukes on Bass, Gary Nowik on drums/percussion and newcomer to the band, Jason “JY” Young on lead guitar/backup vocal.

    Vicious Jimmy was formed back in 2009 and released their single LP Relatively Dangerous in 2012.  The band has had a few lineup changes over the years, but with the welcomed addition of Young to the band’s roster this past year,  the band has developed a new energy in their playing and showmanship. JY is no newbie, he has been a mainstay in the local musical scene for years with his long time work in the acoustic duo Yellow Dog, which just celebrated their 25th year playing together. Kretzler and Young met at a party and when JY listened to their music, he knew he wanted to be part of the band.

    Vicious Jimmy took the stage first, which initially seemed strange to me, but when I asked about the band opening the show bassist Jeff Jukes stated jokingly,  “Our fans like to be home before midnight so they can get their sleep”.   He was alluding to the fact that the audience that came out for Vicious Jimmy was primarily comprised of their Generation X contemporaries, who are now well into their late 40’s.

    The band started their set with a “Black White Black” jam which is strictly an instrumental led off by Tim Fiato’s funky keyboards which was slowly picked up by the rest of the band, leading them straight into “Intro,” a mainstay in the band’s set list.  This number set the groove for the evening while, at the same time, musically introducing the band members to the crowd in a very Vicious Jimmy deep fried, funky way.  Next up was “Ape City” which showcases the comical and irreverent lyrics that makes VJ’s music so much fun to listen to. During the break between songs, guitarist Young called for the audience not to be shy and to come up towards the stage and dance.  After a brief tune up, Vicious Jimmy went into their classic song “Donkey” and kept the pressure up on the audience with their lyrical chant, “Get Your Ass Grooving”.  The crowd still seemed reluctant at first, but after a few more funky licks from the boys, they finally started to loosen up and dancing started to break out right up by the stage. Vicious Jimmy showed that they came to play. During the number “Underground,”  when Kretzeler and Young went into a complicated extended guitar solo, the two guitarists harmonized expertly together, creating a jam that was a personal highlight of the show.

    Another high point of the night’s set was Fiato’s artful keyboard solo that was an intro into “Dr. Selkirkian,” a song that eerily depicts a menacing physician living in the tiny town of Selkirk which is located just south of Albany.  VJ finished their set strong, performing fan favorite “Liquor,” but instead of playing the number as it is on Relatively Dangerous, they broke the piece up into three pieces in a variant style labeled as “Liquor in Three Jiggers.”  The first part being the bluesy “Who’s Drinking?,” in which Kretzler polls the audience from the stage on what type of alcohol they were partaking in. The second “Jigger” was the more traditional “Liquor” that featured the band’s signature funky sound.  The third and final movement was straight out of the Blues Brothers/Sam and Dave soul review routine. The boys sped up the tempo of the last movement, while Kretzler, in true Elwood Blues style, thanked everyone for coming out in the crummy weather and pleaded to the crowd to drive safely home and to remember to be good to one another.  The set wrapped up with the band leaving the audience craving more of Vicious Jimmy’s down home, deep fried funk.

    After a brief pause in the action, while the bands transitioned their gear, it was Morris Code’s turn to take the stage.  The Albany 5-piece is comprised of band members Conor Donovan on vocals,  Jesse Rawson on guitar, Daniel Milici on keyboard,  Dan Walker on drums, and Kyle Salcedo on bass. Walker was not available for the gig so Vicious Jimmy’s drummer Gary Nowik was gracious enough to fill in for him for the performance.  The band came out strong with a Morris Code original, “Take Over.”  The sound of the band was much harder than Vicious Jimmy and lent itself more to hard rock than funk.  The band also did a few covers and featured a mash-up of The Allman Brothers’ classic “Midnight Rider,” Lorde’s “Royals” and finally Lynyrd Skynyrd’s rock anthem “Sweet Home Alabama.”  While you might think that this would not be a good combination of songs to work with musically, all in all, it really seemed to work. It became apparent that the crowd was thinning out and became much younger.  Morris Code went on to play more original material including “Snake Charmer” and “Cafe Berlin,” both of which were featured on the band’s 2015 LP Decrypted.  A personal highlight of the set was an interesting version of Radio Head’s “Creep” which featured Rawson on both electric guitar and trombone.

    SETLISTS:

    Vicious Jimmy:  Black White Black Jam, Intro, Ape City, Donkey, Good For You,  Blackhouse, Underground, Hard Boiled, Dr Selkirkian, Stiff Arm, Liquor in Three Jiggers: • Who’s Drinking? • Liquor

    Morris Code:  Take Over, Only Me To Blame, Midnight Rider/Royals/Sweet Home Alabama, No Turning Back, Charades, Hysteria, Snake Charmer, Creep, Cafe Berlin Watching Stars, Joker And The Thief, Don’t Count Me Out

  • Joe Satriani’s G3 Rocks the Rochester Auditorium Theater

    On February 20, world-famous guitar legend, Joe Satriani  brought internationally renowned concert tour G3 to the Auditorium Theater in Rochester. Accompanied by axe-wizards John Petrucci (Dream Theater) and Phil Collen (Def Leppard), the three shredders tore down the Auditorium Theater’s roof. Each musician played a short set and then the three came together to jam over “Highway Star” by Deep Purple, “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, and lastly “Going Down” by The Alabama State Troopers. Check out this photo gallery courtesy of But I Was There Photography below.  You will also find below the photos the full concert set list.

    SETLIST:

    Phil Collen’s Set:
    Quadrant 4 (Billy Cobham cover), Yo 2 Joe, Bless These Blues (Delta Deep song), Burnt Sally (Delta Deep song), Mistreated (Deep Purple cover), Down in the Delta (Delta Deep song)

    John Petrucci’s Set:
    Wrath of the Amazons, Jaws of Life, The Happy Song, Damage Control, Glassy-Eyed Zombies, Glasgow Kiss

    Joe Satriani’s Set:
    Energy, Catbot, Satch Boogie, Cherry Blossoms, Thunder High on the Mountain, Super Funky Badass, Cataclysmic, Headrush, Circles, Always With Me, Always With You, Summer Song

    G3 (Collen, Petrucci, & Match) Set:
    Highway Star (Deep Purple Cover), Superstition (Stevie Wonder cover), Going Down (The Alabama State Troupers cover)

  • Gramatik and Balkan Bump team up for “Aymo” ft, Talib Kweli

    Balkan Bump, the newest project from trumpet player, producer and ethnomusicologist Will Magid, Gramatik and Brooklyn-born Talib Kweli have combined forces on the debut track “Aymo.” Balkan Bump debuted at Gramatik’s NYE show at Terminal 5 this past December and will be joining Gramatik on the road during his Spring 2018 Re:Coil tour.

    Aymo

    Musically, Balkan Bump is a fusion of live instruments, world influences and lush electronic production. The debut EP demonstrates his experience as an instrumentalist and arranger, fusing energetic Balkan brass with heavy electronic production and hip-hop/trap influences. This thrilling blend of live brass and electronic production carries over to Balkan Bump’s live show, and can be found joining Gramatik as he unveils his horn-infused live set to a North American audience in Spring 2018 for the Re:Coil Tour starting in February 2018.

    “Aymo” was a collaboration from Gramatik’s Re:Coil Part I EP, originally written by Will Magid and Talib Kweli, who met while playing alongside Pretty Lights on The Conan O’Brien show. Gramatik loved it so much he wanted to put his own spin on it and now his independent label Lowtemp will also provide a home for Will’s first EP under the Balkan Bump moniker, due out in early March. In December, Will released the first single from the upcoming EP, “Irfan.”

    Re:Coil Tour Dates
    Feb. 21 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
    Feb. 22 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
    Feb. 24 – New Orleans, LA – Joy Theatre
    Feb. 26 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Druid City
    Feb. 27 – Chattanooga, TN – TBD
    March 1 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
    March 2 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
    March 3 – Knoxville, TN – The International
    April 12 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
    April 13 – Richmond, VA – The National
    April 14 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
    April 15 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
    April 18 – Columbia, SC – Music Farm
    April 19 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre
    April 20 – Washington, DC – Echostage
    April 21 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
    April 22 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
    April 24 – Syracuse, NY – The Westcott Theater
    April 26 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall

Built in Breakdance