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!
It’s time for Round 2 of NYS Music’s 2018 March Madness! We have brought together 64 of New York State’s up and coming bands for a friendly tournament-style competition throughout the month of March, and we are now down to 32.
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, from Plattsburgh to Patchogue and all points in between. Discover your new favorite band and vote for your favorites!
These are 64 bands you might not know about, but should. NYS Music March Madness is a great way to discover a new and upcoming band in your area and show your support and love for bands you see often. We’d like to thank our regional sponsors Putnam Place,Anthology, Funk n Waffles and CEG Presents. These venues and promoters are small businesses and a sample of the backbone of the statewide New York music scene that helps artists grow and reach ever-widening audiences.
Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!
Get to know the 8 artists in the Putnam Place region and vote below
Second Round voting begins at 10AM EST on Thursday, March 8, and closes at midnight on Saturday, March 10. Round of 16 begins at 10AM EST on Monday, March 12. Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!
We’re back with another great slate of shows for you to see in Rochester in February. The typical winter slowdown doesn’t seem to be happening this year. These suggestions just scratch the surface, so time to break out of your cabin fever and go see some live music!
Saturday, February 3 Huntertones @ Abilene Bar and Lounge
During the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, Rochester gets to experience some of the best music the world has to offer. The artists, in turn, get to experience the best Rochester has to offer as a music town. Lucky for us, this gets many of the acts to return, even in the off season. The Huntertones were a hit with their sets at this past year’s festival and they’re back for an encore at the intimate Abilene Bar and Lounge. The old juke joint will be jumping with their big brass sound. They’re not afraid to throw in some uniquely surprising covers in the mix; their version of “God Only Knows” was a highlight this summer.
Monday, February 5 Honeysuckle @ Funk ‘n Waffles Music Hall
Boston’s Honeysuckle bring their acoustic trio to Funk ‘n Waffles Music Hall. It’s traditional in nature, with guitar, banjo and mandolin. But throw in a kick drum and some non-traditional song structures and it becomes something unexpected and exciting. Three-part harmonies and wonderful songwriting bring this young group to the next level. Fans of Americana looking for something fresh but familiar will find lots to warm to here.
Wednesday, February 14 The Ballroom Thieves @ Arbor Loft
Another folk-trio from Boston, The Ballroom Thieves have been a band on the rise the past couple of years. We caught their show here a few years ago and had this to say: “It begins with Earley’s guitar work. Then sprinkle on the unique rhythms from Mauch and engaging cello work from Peters. Layer upon that what might be this bands strongest attribute, their soaring 3-part harmonies. Working all together to perform the music they’ve written, a varied collection of rockers, ballads, hymnals, barroom blues and on.” Can you think of a more perfect way to spend your Valentine’s Day?!
Saturday, February 17 Critt’s Juke Joint @ Anthology
Buffalo’s multi-instrumentalist Eric “Critt” Crittenden plays a fun mix of jazz, funk and soul he has dubbed “Soulprovisational.” His band, Juke Joint, is actually an ever-evolving, rotating cast of musicians. For this iteration he’s employed DJ Logic, Turkuaz’s Michael Carruba (drums) and Craig Broadhead (guitar), and Harry Graser on keys. Put your dancing shoes on and head down to Anthology for a funky good time.
Thursday, February 22 Oval Sandwich @ Flour City Station
Lastly this month we have Oval Sandwich. You’re forgiven if you’ve never heard of them. This will be their first show and there might not be many to follow. Dopapod is taking 2018 off from touring. Rob Compa, the guitarist, is keeping busy with other musical endeavors. He put together this Rochester supergroup of sorts (Paul McCardle: guitar – Doja, English Project, Will O’Riley: keys- The Niche, Swooners, Tristan Greene: drums – Doja, Ocular Panther and Justin Rister: bass – Moho Collective) and right now the only two shows will be this one and one in Syracuse the next night. To find out more about how he put the band together and other things he’ll be up to on the break check out an interview he did with our own Pete Mason. As to how this will sound, your guess is as good as ours. But we definitely recommend being there to find out!
The Lizards they have….. arrived! Toronto-based Phish tribute band The Lizards will tour throughout New York and New England this winter, with the first show taking place on January 26 at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse, followed by February stops in Ithaca, Rochester and The Hollow in early March. Phish fans in need of a winter fix can catch one of Canada’s finest exports and let their 20+ minute jams warm you up as you await Phish to announce Summer 2018 dates.
Known for recreating the authentic Phish experience for dedicated phans, and even featuring their own light show directed by the infamous TG5, The Lizards put on a must-attend show. For their first foray throughout the Northeast, The Lizards guitarist Rich Grossman talked to NYS Music to chat Baker’s Dozen, the origins of The Lizards and what the scene is like north of the border.
Pete Mason: Let’s get the backstory on The Lizards – you’ve played the states a bit already, but when did the band first get together and start playing?
Rich Grossman: We started up in 2013 right after Phish had come to Toronto. It was the first time they had been here since 2000 and I was stoked to get to see them in my hometown. After a cancelled and rescheduled show, it got me thinking about the “state of affairs” of the jam scene in Toronto. There used to be a number of clubs that serviced the scene in TO, but they had long closed and we eventually found ourselves having to travel stateside to see this music often. Not that we don’t love making the pilgrimage, but the real heart of the jam world has always been the community. By Canadians being nomadic, and not rebuilding at home, we weren’t strengthening our side of the community. I thought starting a Phish tribute would be an amazing way to bring new life into the scene.
I had known Ben (drums) for years and we had played together in a number of bands, jam and not, so I contacted him first. Neither of us had real candidates for piano or bass so I went to Facebook. I posted something like “does anyone know a piano player who wants to jam some Phish tunes?” and a buddy tagged Joel, our keys player. We’d never met, but I got his number and asked him if he was into it. Not only did he say yes, but when I mentioned we couldn’t find a bass player, he brought Phill to the table. The first time we jammed was the first time a lot of us met each other. We charted out a lot of material, rehearsed it even more and booked a show at The Comfort Zone. Back in the day, this was the hub for jam music in TO. Growing up I would see Charlie Hunter, Ominous Seapods, Merl Saunders and other jam acts there, but management changed over the years and it became a late night rave scene. For whatever reason, they let us put on a show there for next to nothing and we must’ve had 250 people show up the first time. A lot of friends for sure, but a lot of people that just caught word of it showed up. Since then, we’ve done countless more shows in Toronto and in the past year, have started to take it down to you guys. The response is always the same. No matter what country we’re in, people are so grateful that they get to hear this treasured music. It’s very endearing to me, and I know that if I had seen a Phish tribute band and not started one, I would react the same way.
PM: What aspects of Trey’s guitar playing and tone drew you into honing his sound?
RG: Once we started the band, the game was on to get the sound. On the first gig, I played a PRS Santana III.The guitar has a very different sound than Trey’s Languedoc, but I could mask the differences with some of the other gear Trey would use like specific pedals. He’s famous for using 2 tubescreamers going into a compressor, so I started there. Over the year or two I amassed almost all pieces to recreate his mid 1.0 sound (93-97) including the Mesa Mark III red stripe, the ross compressor, the whammy II and more. I then started using a Languedoc clone that was built by a luthier in Toronto. It was based off of the Koa 98 model. Once I got that, the tone was really happening. After that, I would add pieces here and there that came later in his career like the boomerang, super tremolo, supa-puss, black cat vibe, etc. I haven’t really “updated” my rig in a few years, because I feel like I have enough pieces of the puzzle to make the gig happen. Trey changes his rig so often these days, to keep up would put me in debt.
PM: How much of Baker’s Dozen did you get to see?
RG: I was one of the lucky ones this summer 🙂 Bought my tickets well in advance and lucked out pretty good. I’m a full time musician and to take weekends off in the summertime can prove to be challenging, so I bought tickets to the first Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday show. Red Velvet, Jam Filled and Powdered night. Thank you Phish!
PM: For those of us down south, what’s the scene like in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario and Quebec for Phish and jam fans?
RG: To be honest, it’s the best I’ve seen it in years. Since The Lizards started, there have been a few Dead and Allman Brothers tributes that have started to perform as well. The other American “Phishy” tributes like Pink Talking Fish and Jazz is Phish have started to come up as well. Toronto has over 2 million people in it, but the jam band community is pretty niche, so we usually see a lot of the same happy faces at shows. Outside of Toronto, I’d say the scene is pretty small. There’s a dedicated group of heads out in Southwest Ontario like Hamilton and St. Catherines but not much else in our province or in Quebec. We have a huge country, but only 35 million people live here so an already small community gets smaller up here and more sprawled out.
PM: How do The Lizards stand out among phish tribute bands?
RG: I think what sets us apart from the other bands is that we really try to recreate the live experience aurally and visually. We have a dedicated lighting director (Toby) and sound engineer (Kory) that tour with us, bring, set up and tear down their own gear and work just as hard as us to make the show as much of a spectacle that it can be. Musically, everything is subjective. Some people will like us and some people won’t, but the show looks and sounds amazing, so that’s where I think we stand out.
We met Kalmia Traver, lead vocalist and sax player of Rubblebucket, a Brooklyn-based funk dance troop, standing in the green room on a carpet already littered with small squares of white confetti paper- a playful hint to where the night would lead.
Her slender frame and fair skin animated by a vibrant orange and yellow poncho, paired with sparkling gold baggy shorts over black leggings. What could easily have been mistaken for her stage outfit was actually just her driving PJ’s. She would later sport a petticoat upon her shoulders, normally worn underneath a skirt to exaggerate it’s volume. She greeted us with an unassuming and innocent smile before we made our way to a couch along the back wall. The small room was cluttered with other musicians chatting, snacking and sipping on kombucha, a favorite drink of Traver and other Rubblebucket members.
Traver’s first order of business that morning before departing Brooklyn for the Flower City? Acquiring the leaf blower they use as their confetti cannon, obviously. Then they loaded the van, hit the road and after a tumultuous interaction with the GPS, made it to Anthology an hour late but ready to start the party.
After taking her spot on the couch to chat with us, Traver parted a grocery bag at her feet to unearth a quart of soup from a local noodle bar which she proceeded to drink straight from the container. No frills here.
Traver’s free spirited nature made it easy to relax into playful conversation before switching gears to discuss their current projects. Since the release of their EP If U C My Enemies in early 2017, Rubblebucket has been working to complete a full length album, with the first month and a half of 2018 set aside to finish it up. Traver and Alex Toth (sax/vox) had been heavily experimenting with their solo projects, leaving less time for Rubblebucket recordings until more recently. Traver’s project Kalbells explores a softer side with whispery vocals, but a familiar quirkiness, with bells, synths and other curious sounds decorating her tunes. Toth chose to put down the trumpet and pick up a less familiar instrument for his self-titled guitar venture Tōth.
As projects develop and evolve, musicians are constantly refining their image and identity. Rubblebucket once called themselves Rubblebucket Orchestra. As Traver was discussing the decision to condense their name, some tall guy slid into the conversation to invite the band to breakfast the next morning. The rest of her explanation spun down the drain before we could catch it as the conversation stayed on food.
Back in November she posted an Instagram photo adoringly posing with a few Brussels sprout stalks. Both Traver and Toth share their concern for sustainable farming and other environmental issues, which they both studied in college. Now they bleed these topics into their performances, hearts set on using their music for more than just giving people a good time. Their Dec. 29 performance at Anthology also included an information table on renewable power so fans could get learnt on how to reduce their carbon footprint.
When it comes to protecting their creative environment, we asked Traver about any pre-show rituals. Traver’s only anchor is selecting an outfit that will accentuate her dance moves to add visual interest on stage and put her in the right mindset for the performance. She gets her “dancespiration” from the world at large and from frequent dance excursions in her room with the help of a mirror. As any good dancer knows, a mirror is the key to methodically evolving dance skills, using the constant visual feedback to refine or exaggerate movements.
Oh and if you were wondering why a dusting of confetti flecked the green room carpet before the show even began, Rubblebucket came equipped with an arsenal of confetti balloons for the performance. One of the big balloons unexpectedly popped in a “sad happy accident” as Traver called it, providing the sprinkle of playful floor decor for our pre-show hangout.
Pete Mason: Let’s get the backstory on 
