Seedstock is back for its tenth annual event. The art and music festival started with a house show featuring a stage on the lawn and acoustic acts on the back porch of the farmhouse. Over the past decade, it has grown into three-day-long music festival in a natural amphitheater nestled between the rolling hills of Cortland. Among the 24 acts slated to play on the weekend of Aug. 3 are Sophistafunk, Root Shock and NYS Music 87/90 artist, Space Carnival.
The Tenth Annual Seedstock X includes two nights of camping, a late-night silent disco, art vendors, children’s activities, and organically grown fresh local food. Single day and weekend passes can be purchased on the festival’s website at www.SeedstockFest.com.
Tenth Annual Seedstock
Friday, Aug. 3
Sophistafunk
Root Shock
Skunk City
Molly and the Badly Bent Bluegrass Boys
Space Carnival
Ridgeline Duo
DJ Shannon M
Saturday, Aug. 4
The Unknown Jones
Digger Jones
The Unknown Woodsmen
The Blind Spots
Gunpoets
Thousands of One
Mike Powell and Black River
Small Town Shade
Gnosis
Charley Orlando
Denton Rex
Vintage Pretty
Von Barnes Band
Drums vs. DJs with Eman
Sunday, Aug. 5
The Neighbors
Dirty Blanket
Kitestring
Zachary Rowland
Colleen Kattau
Bess Greenberg
Four additional artists have been added to Night Lights Festival’s 2018 lineup including the Syracuse-based band Sophistafunk and a supergroup featuring members of moe., Dopapod, Aqueous and Mungion in a tribute to Pink Floyd.
Sophistafunk courtesy of their website.
Sophistafunk is known not only for it’s 90’s hip hop vibes but for it’s fusion of funk and jam. After the success of their recent single “No More War” on the national circuit their 2018 got a lot busier with additions to their tour including the Night Lights Festival.
Night Lights Festival takes place August 23-25 at Heron grounds in Sherman, NY. This is the festival’s eighth year and will spread over three nights and three stages. This year the festival is trying to diversify it’s lineup and will be featuring a variety of artists spanning over genres. In addition to the music, activities will include yoga, hiking, mushroom walks, and light installations. There will also be food, craft beer, craft artisans and a variety of vendors available on site.
Tickets are $125 in advance. Camping and a Thursday pre-party are included in all weekend passes. Friday and Saturday single day passes are also available. Parking is not included. Gates open at 12 p.m. on Thursday. The lineup for Night Light Festival is listed below.
Complete Lineup:
Lotus, The Motet, Aqueous X 2, FEARLESS – PINK FLOYD TRIBUTE will feature. Chuck Garvey (moe), Mike Gantzer & Evan McPhaden (Aqueous), Eli Winderman (Dopapod) and Matt Kellen (Mungion), Octave Cat ft. Jesse Miller (Lotus), Eli Winderman (Dopapod), Charlie Patierno Anomalie, Tropidelic, Bumpin Uglies, Sophistafunk (tribute to 90’s Hip Hop), lespecial, Pappy (of Cabinet), Wild Adriatic (Led Zeppelin Tribute), Upstate Rubdown, Boss Tweed and the Carpetbaggers, Gatos Blancos, Funktional Flow, Danielle Ponder & the Tomorrow People, Dynohunter x 2, Root Shock, Space Junk x 2 (Disco Biscuits Tribute), Holy Hand Grenade, Lazlo Hollyfeld, Intrepid Travelers, Folkfaces, Soul Roach, Buffalo Brass Machine, Cold Lazarus, Psychedelic Jukebox, Cypher, Kaleidoscope Sky, The Good Neighbors, Able Footing, Neon Veins
For more information on Night Lights Music Festival visit their website.
For more information on Sophistafunk visit their website.
The Salt City’s annual rite of summer, Taste of Syracuse, kicks off Friday June 1 and runs through June 2, 2018. The annual free festival pairs the region’s foods and music in Downtown’s Clinton Square. This year’s headliner is ’90s alt-pop icons, Smash Mouth.
The fest’s claim to fame is the $1 food samples from the various eateries set up in the square. You can find the full dollar menu here.
Other than the food, Taste of Syracuse also provides a great free look at the wealth of musical talent from Syracuse and surrounding areas. With three stages, there is no shortage of music to be found. Things get going at noon Friday with Just Joe on the Clinton Square Stage, Peg Newell and Robyn Stockdale on the Erie Boulevard Stage and Max Scialdone on the Main Stage.
https://youtu.be/1X0BB-61s6Q
Music continues throughout the day with soul being the theme on the Clinton Square Stage. Tanksley performs at 6:30 p.m. followed by Israel Hagen’s Stroke at 7:45 p.m. Prime Time closes out the night at 9:30 p.m.
The Erie Boulevard Stage gets funky Friday night with a double shot of Root Shock and Sophistafunk. The two Syracuse bands recently paired for a mini-tour together called the Salt City Shakedown that also included Syracuse’s Skunk City. Root Shock won the 2017 SAMMY award for Best New Artist and also captured the NYS Music March Madness title that year. Country Swagg and Hard Promises close out the Main Stage Friday night.
Saturday gets started at noon with Lori Ann singing the oldies on the Clinton Square stage. Syracuse’s master of the slide guitar, Colin Aberdeen will get funky on the Erie Boulevard Stage at the same time.
Colin Aberdeen performing at the Dinosaur BBQ in April 2017
The Main Stage on Saturday will feature Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at at 1:30, followed by the folk rock stylings of Poor Tim, featuring Shawn “Big Sexy” Smith, a former contestant on NBC’s The Voice and Justin Smithson, who has performed at Carnegie Hall.
Chris Eves and the New Normal follow Poor Tim. The New Normal’s single “Green and Blue” was recently included on Relix magazine’s June Digital Sampler. You can listen on Spotify below:
Country act, Grit and Grace and the latest “Vinyl Albums Live” set, “The ’90s Mix Tape” follow. Closing out the main stage and the festival is ’90s pop group, Smash Mouth.
Other acts performing on Saturday include Grateful Dead tribute act Dark Hollow, hip hop from Joe Driscoll and the Brownskin Band, Americana from the Old Main, and funk from Skunk City on the Erie Boulevard Stage.
The Clinton Street stage features the soulful alt-rock of the Black River, Tim Herron and Great Blue, Soul Risin’ and the Barndogs DELUXE.
Attendance to the two-day festival is free. For the complete schedule, see below.
Ray Brothers BBQ, located on State Route 20 in Bouckville, announced its summer 2018 concert schedule for The Yard Amphitheater, located on the grounds of the popular BBQ joint. The season kicks off on Memorial Day with the 3rd Annual Backyard BBQ & SPCA Benefit featuring the Lightkeepers and Mike Powell & the Black River. Tickets for the Memorial Day show are $10 with proceeds benefiting the SPCA.
Other acts making their way to New York’s antique capital include Zach Deputy, Big Mean Sound Machine, Chris Eves & the New Normal, Hayley Jane & the Primates, Wild Adriatic, Sophistafunk, the Talking Heads tribute band, Start Making Sense and the 2017 NYS Music March Madness winner, Root Shock.
The penultimate event on the calendar is the 4th Annual Hop Harvest Festival featuring Keller Williams. This takes place Labor Day weekend. Williams also performed at the Yard last year.
Tickets for the shows will be available at Ray Brothers and through Ticketfly. For more information about the summer concerts, visit their website here.
The Yard at Ray Brothers BBQ Summer Concert Schedule:
May 28 – The Lightkeepers w/the Black River
June 1 – Zach Deputy
June 6 – Big Mean Sound Machine w/Joe Driscoll
June 16 – Adam Ezra Group w/Mike D & the Laughing Buddha Episodes
June 23 – Root Shock w/the Buddha Council
June 30 – Wild Adriatic w/Barroom Philosophers and the Spring Street Family Band
July 6 – Chris Eves & the New Normal w/the J.J. Murphy Trio
July 14 – TBA
July 21 – The Magic Beans w/special guest TBA
July 28 – A Controlled Incident Presents: To Be Announced!
Aug. 4 – Danielle Ponder & the Tomorrow People w/special guest TBA
Aug. 10 – TBA
Aug. 11 – Sophistafunk and Kris Lager w/West End Blend
Aug. 18 – TBA
Aug. 25 – Hayley Jane & the Primates w/Nina’s Brew
Sept. 2 – 4th Annual Hop Harvest Smoke Out with Keller Williams (special guest TBA)
Sept. 8 – TBA
Sept. 15 – Start Making Sense: Talking Heads Tribute Band
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!
It’s March and that means it’s time for NYS Music’s 2018 March Madness, Round 1! 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. Some of these bands you may know, some may be unknown – and that’s a good thing! 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 16 artists in the Putnam Place region and vote below
First Round voting begins at 10AM EST on Monday, March 5, and closes at midnight on Wednesday, March 7. Second Round begins at 10AM EST on Thursday, March 8 with the remaining 32 artists. Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!
The 121st Saranac Lake Winter Carnival starts February 2, 2018 and features 17 acts over eight days. Among the list of local and national bands slated to perform are regional favorites Donna The Buffalo, Sophistafunk, and Lucid. All performances take place at The Waterhole Music Lounge in Saranac Lake. For the first time ever, VIP passes are available, which entitle the purchaser to all shows during the carnival as well as special cocktail hours. Tickets are available at the Waterhole or online. The folks at The Waterhole also put together a Spotify playlist of all the featured artists:
Saranac Lake Winter Carnival 2018
February 2– O’Death with Tigerman Woah & Arthur Buezo – 9pm $13 Adv $15 Door February 3 – Kung Fu with The English Project – 9pm $17 Adv $20 Door February 6 – Swampcandy – FREE SHOW 9pm Downstairs February 7 – Sophistafunk with Jiggawaltz – 9pm $10 Adv $12 Door February 8 – Donna the Buffalo with The Old Main – 8:30 pm $18 Adv $22 Door February 9 – Lucid with Bella’s Bartok – 9pm $20 February 10 – Post Parade Party with Raisinhead – 2pm “After the Parade” FREE SHOW February 10 – West End Blend with The Big Takeover – 9pm – $10 February 11– The Plate Scrapers at Bloody Mary Sunday – FREE SHOW – 2pm Downstairs
Get to know the 8 artists in the 
