Hudson Valley-based roots-rockers the Felice Brothers will close out 2019 with a rocking New Year’s Eve performance at Club Helsinki Hudson. With the show kicking off at 9pm on Tuesday, December 31, the Woodstock-bred fusion of rock, country, folk, soul and gospel will be centerstage, with a sound compared to that of formerly-Catskills-based The Band.
Longtime Club Helsinki favorites, the Felice Brothers are a close-knit band of two brothers and three longtime friends. The group has garnered a loyal, dedicated following in these parts, as they continue to tour nationally and appear on festival bills including Bonnaroo, All Points, Outside and Newport.
The group’s new album, Undress, was cut live to tape in late summer of 2018 in nearby Tivoli, N.Y. “Many of the songs on the new album are motivated by a shift from private to public concerns,” says songwriter Ian Felice. “It isn’t hard to find worthwhile things to write about these days, there are a lot of storms blooming on the horizon and a lot of chaos that permeates our lives. The hard part is finding simple and direct ways to address them.”
Ian and James Felice grew up in the Hudson Valley, and were self-taught musicians, inspired by Hart Crane and Walt Whitman as well as by Woody Guthrie and Chuck Berry. In 2006, they began by playing subway platforms and sidewalks in New York City and have gone on to release nine albums of original songs and to tour extensively throughout the world. Following the release of Life in the Dark, the Felice Brothers served as the backing band for Conor Oberst’s 2017 release “Salutations” and the subsequent tour.
Dark Star Jubilee will feature host and headliner Dark Star Orchestra for six sets over May 22-24, 2020. Held in Thornville, OH, Dark Star Jubilee has evolved into a celebration of the music of the Grateful Dead, as well as a reunion of performers in the broader Grateful Dead scene.
Announced acts for the festival include Oteil & Friends, Galactic (featuring Anjelika Jelly Joseph), Zero (featuring Steve Kimock, Gregg Anton, Pete Sears and Melvin Seals), The Infamous Stringdusters, Jorma Kaukonen, Keller Williams, Marco Benevento, Jeff Mattson & Friends and Holly Bowling. Also performing are Rumpke Mountain Boys, Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads, Dino English & The Progfusionals and Katie Henry Band.
Dark Star Orchestra will close out 2019 with two nights at The Palace Theatre in Albany over December 28-29 and head to The Wellmont in Montclair, NJ for two final nights. More info and tickets can be found here.
Marco Benevento has released the video for “Nature’s Change” the 11th track from his latest studio album, Let It Slide. The clip was filmed by Benevento using VHS cameras, perfectly encapsulating a 1980s’ aesthetic that he’s been known to embrace in his work. It was then handed off to longtime friend Jon Wood (vocalist/guitarist in Talking Heads’ tribute band, Psycho Killers) who added animation to the clip, enhancing the song—which has become a barn-burner in the set lists for Benevento’s album release tour this Fall—with a “psychedelic warble.”
Benevento and his band, featuring bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Dave Butler will perform at Le Poisson Rouge on Sunday, December 29 following Phish at Madison Square Garden. They then pick up again in 2020 with Texas and Southeast shows in January and a three-night Colorado run in February.
“The Jerry Dance Party,” a unique and immersive late-night audio/visual experience held at ZeroSpace in New York City will return to close out 2019, immediately following Phish at Madison Square Garden on December 28, 29, and 30. Fans can walk one convienent block to ZeroSpace.
“The three-night Jerry Dance Party at ZeroSpace is a chance for Deadheads and Phisheads alike to experience the mind-bending marriage of cutting-edge audio-visual technology with the timeless music of the Grateful Dead.” says concert promoter and Relix publisher Peter Shapiro.
The three-night art-tech event will feature “custom projections, interactive LED screens, projection mapped floors, synchronized illuminations, the largest augmented reality sandbox in the world and more, all tuned to the magical sounds of the Dead.” Additionally, ZeroSpace will feature a 3D mapped, 30-foot geodesic dome synchronized to “Drums & Space” all night long.
A successful inaugural edition of “Jerry Dance Party” was held following Dead and Company’s Halloween run at Madison Square Garden, leading to the three-night event being announced. Helming the events music will be DJ Jerrbrother.
“The shows we did around Dead & Company were over the top and we can’t wait to return to ZeroSpace,” says Stephen Grybowski, co-producer of The Jerry Dance Party. “We’re taking some of the most psychedelic art-tech available and pairing it with the most amazing song catalog known to man. Our goal is to bring the energy and vibe of the early events produced by The Merry Pranksters into 2019. I have a feeling they’d be very proud.”
And as if these three nights weren’t enough, the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. is hosting a similar event, “A Very Jerry Holiday Dance Party,” on Dec. 27. “At the Dec. 27 ‘Very Jerry Holiday Dance Party’ you can experience The Capitol Theatre like never before, as the ghosts of Grateful Dead past come alive to our amazing, state-of-the-art sights and sounds,” adds Shapiro.
The Jerry Dance Party will feature concert-quality sound throughout each room so jam fans can dance to the Dead until dawn. Tickets are $30 per night.
Our annual recap of the Best of 2019 has arrived at music festivals. Just like when fans arrive at these ever-popular weekend extravaganzas, we’re bright-eyed and bushy-tailed looking forward to what surprises lay around the corner. Our staff has been to dozens of festivals around the country, and of course, across New York State, where we have the most music festivals of any state! Whether it’s the original Woodstock, Summer Jam at Watkins, The Clifford Ball, Mountain Jam or Jazz Fests, New York is home to some of the most historic music festivals in American music history.
If you missed our earlier selections for 2019’s best “under the radar” bands, and our albums of the year, go here and catch up. What festivals had the kids dancing and shaking their bones? Let’s take a look at the best festivals in New York State.
Best New York State Festivals
Adirondack Music Festival
In only it’s fifth year, Adirondack (aka, ADK Fest) Music Festival has established itself as the Labor Day weekend event in Lake George, with fans pouring in from across the Northeast to see Twiddle, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Pink Talking Fish, Everyone Orchestra, G. Love and Special Sauce, and many more. For two days and two crazy late nights, Charles R. Wood Park, just a stones throw from the shores of Lake George attracted thousands of live music fans in one of the most intimate settings you’ll find for a music festival. Miles Hurley said of the festival:
All of this top-notch live music was met resolutely throughout the weekend with a positive and welcoming vibe, upheld via a sense of strong community and creativity. For mid-size festivals Adirondack Music Festival is one of the best you can experience in the ever-musically-fertile land of upstate NY—yet here’s to a steady growth from mid-size to who knows how big.
Here’s to another fantastic year of ADK Fest in 2020!
Governors Ball
Despite most of Sunday’s performances being cancelled due to intense storms in the area, Governors Ball was a rousing success, with performances by Tyler the Creator, Florence and The Machine, Nas, Lily Allen, Lil Wayne, and The 1975 among others. The 2020 edition will return to Randall’s Island June 5-7, although the festival has been looking into relocating to the Bronx for future installments.
CGI Rochester International Jazz Fest
Now in it’s 18th year, one of the most well known annual festivals in New York, CGI Rochester International Jazz Fest, brings together musicians and jazz luminaries from across the country and the world. The eight day-long festival will introduce you to new artists, hard to catch acts and significant musicians who should be on your radar.
Eli Stein profiled 10 artists that caught his eye (and ear) at the 2019 installment, including Girls in Airports, Enemy, Paris Monster and Spaga, to name a few. Read more about these acts and get ready for the 2020 edition, to be held July 19-27.
Night Lights Music Festival
A staple of Western New York, Night Lights Music Festival once again brought a diverse lineup to the Heron Farm and Event Center in Sherman, NY. Staples such as Aqueous, !!!, Big Something, and Girl Talk headlined the affair, but the visual thrill is a major draw year after year.
Kat Horton, Night Lights Marketing and Artist Relations specialist said to NYS Music, “While creating the lineup for the festival each year it is always a priority to make sure to share new music. We want to be your gateway festival, we want you to trust us and trust that we will blow your mind.” She also explained that while curating the lineup, the focus is to tell a story. “We try to create an ebb and flow to the layout of each daily schedule, we want the weekend to create a story.”
Check out some of the action from this year’s installment from Strawberry Island Dweller here.
Best Out of State Festival
Peach Fest was the runaway winner this year, and for good reason. The lineup for this year was stacked top to bottom with a who’s who of jambands, classic rock acts and up and coming groups, including Goose, who put on a memorable set that burst them out into as of the strongest and most exciting new acts. Writer Jared Lindquist said of the festival, “This weekend was full of great music and rarely ever had a lull in things to do. Spirits were high and the weather was great until the yearly rain on Sunday night. Peach is an event not to miss.” His detailed take on the festival, covering sets from Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Trey Anastasio Band, Mungion and more can be found here.
The 2020 edition of Peach already is a contender for lineup of the year, with Oysterhead, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, String Cheese Incident, moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Twiddle, Turkuaz, and dozens more. Find out more info on Peach Fest 2020 here.
Chameleonize, a six-piece acid-jazz / funk-fusion band based in New York City, will be joined by Nerd Salad for a Phish After-Party at Arlene’s Grocery on the Lower East Side on Sunday, December 29.
Doors are at 11:30pm, with Chameleonize at Midnight and Nerd Salad at 1:00am. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 day of show. More info can be found here.
Chameleonize draw influences from Erykah Badu, Snarky Puppy, and Hiatus Kaiyote. They combine complex musical sequences with attractive pop melodies and hip-hop grooves, and exhibit a unique twist on contemporary music. Current members include Gabi Feliciano on vocals and alto saxophone, Mo LaMastro on guitar, Brian Gipson on guitar, Mikey Rotunno on bass, and Jake Navarro on drums.
Nerd Salad’s music is the product of childhood friends combining their love for the melodies of alternative rock, with their appreciation for technical musicianship. Their debut album Your Father And I Aren’t Angry, We’re Just Disappointed showcases the wide range of styles Nerd Salad is capable of. In just under twenty minutes of music, they leap from the infectious melodies of indie rock, to the psychedelic grooves of funk rock, and even the crushing breakdowns of metal, all while keeping their lyrics witty and relatable. Nerd Salad is truly an act that offers a little something for everyone.
Aqueous has revealed the themes for their New Years Run shows at The Town Ballroom in Buffalo to end 2019. The hometown band will present “Almost Dazed and Confused” on December 30, and “Fast Times at The BreAQfast Club” on New Year’s Eve.
The Buffalo-bred quartet has also asked fans to dress in their “funkiest 70’s gear” on the 30th and to “get your spandex ready, cause we’re headed straight to the 80’s” on New Year’s Eve. Tickets to both shows are on sale now.
PEAK had a truly remarkable 2019, and they’re looking forward to winter tour 2020 with a slate of Northeast shows, as well as one big show to close out the year.
Combining the characteristic flair that a weathered live band brings to the table, PEAK has the instrumental prowess and focus that draws crowds in. The group’s music, described as psychedelic indie funk, is a mix of poetic, melodic songwriting, moody electrofunk, riffed-out blues-rock, and exploratory danceable improvisations. Some of their many influences include artists such as The Band, The Talking Heads, Phish, The Grateful Dead, Radiohead, James Brown, and Miles Davis, as well as modern songwriters such as Conor Oberst, Mac Demarco, Kurt Vile, and Jack White to name a few.
PEAK consists of singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeremy Hilliard, drummer Kito Bovenschulte (Particle), bassist Josh T. Carter (Hayley Jane and the Primates) and Johnny Young on keys.
Their latest album,Electric Bouquet, offers a staple sound that PEAK can use to differentiate themselves from an ever-growing list of funk/rock bands.
Joining PEAK on December 30 are Digital Frontier, who lay down robotic dance beats and driving bass lines, producing progressive, multi-dimensional, synth-laden soundscapes; Teddy Midnight, who mix house, disco, techno and breakbeat with drum and bass to bring high energy to the dance floor; and Up & Orange, who bring soaring melodies, chunky grooves, and drum and bass driven electronica. For more information visit here.
Circles Around the Sun has unveiled the video for “Babyman,” the first single and lead track off the group’s upcoming self-titled studio album, to be released on March 13, 2020. The video was directed and animated by Steven Mertens (Regina Spektor, Dan Auerbach, Sheryl Crow).
“Babyman” was recorded just a week before guitarist and founding member Neal Casal tragically took his own life, and Circles Around the Sun marks the third studio album from the group. Casal left behind a note asking surviving members Adam MacDougall (keys), Dan Horne (bass) and Mark Levy (drums) to move forward with the band. Along with a rotation of guitarist, the three have been doing precisely that, with Scott Metzger (Wolf!, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead) filling in on guitar.
We love this music. The three of us—Dan, Mark, and myself—we really love it and really don’t want to stop playing it,” says MacDougall. “I don’t want our decision to come off in any other way than based on the fact we really, really love this band so much. We would always sit around and talk about the dream: the feeling of what it was like to be a teenager and start your own band. It’s your band, with everyone pulling their own weight, doing their part. This band felt like being in high school again.
Circles Around the Sun 2020 Tour Dates
12/29 – Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theater 12/30 – Englewood, CO – The Gothic 12/31 – Crested Butte, CO – Crested Butte Public House 1/7-12 – Miami, FL – Jam Cruise 1/16-19 – Cancun, MX – Playing In The Sand 3/28 – Frisco, CO – 10 Mile Ride: A Deadhead Ski Trip 4/3-5 – Ventura, CA – Skull & Roses Festival
Over five of the final days of December, The Fab Faux – featuring Jimmy Vivino, Will Lee, Rich Pagano, Frank Agnello and Jack Petruzzelli – will be bringing their versions of the Beatles songbook to the Cutting Room in NYC.
Each of the five gigs will have its own theme, including ‘Animal Songs,’ and favorites from Revolver and The White Album on the final two nights. Food and drinks will be served during the show. Check out themes and ticket links below:
