NYS Music 20​19

Category: Media

  • Fever Dolls: Musical Populists Transcend As Visual Storytellers

    Earlier this month, Fever Dolls released their third single, “Mrs. Carver.” Similar to their previous two releases, this song was accompanied by a thematically sound music video. However, it would be a disservice to simply call this visual component a music video, as its narration and storytelling resembles elements of a short film. Just like “Gennifer Flowers” and “Adline,” there are greater cinematic influences at play here that work together with the lyrics to ultimately enhance the listener’s experience. 

    Fever Dolls The Distance

    NYS Music had the pleasure of asking Renn Mulloy and Evan Allis of Fever Dolls questions regarding their creative vision and how visual media has influenced their music. 

    Sammy Steiner: Who are some of your biggest musical influences? How have they influenced your work?

    Evan & Renn: Our biggest influences are people that play no-frills, hook-driven pop music. We love Motown, new wave, and 70’s FM radio, and see ourselves in that tradition. We’re musical populists. We write choruses you can sing with your friends. 

    SS: What (or who) excites you within the realm of music right now? 

    E&R: RKS, Lizzo, Kacey Musgraves, Billie Eilish…people that transcend genres and think about their music as a fully immersive experience for their fans. That excites and inspires us. We’re noticing more bands that aren’t afraid to draw from pop music, write big choruses, or make the spectacle an equally important part of the live experience. We feel like there’s a better responsiveness to our type of band than there was a couple of years ago.

    SS: Lyrically speaking – do you draw on influences from your personal lives or through the lives of others? 

    E&R: At first our songs were mostly autobiographical and confessional, but recently I’ve started writing more about made-up people. In general, I think I’m probably a better storyteller than a protagonist, and find that writing songs about fictional characters allows me to write about a wider array of subjects than when I was starting out and only writing about my own love life. Moreover, since we always wanted to be a theatrical band, it feels more in line with our vision to play ballads and story songs.

    SS: Do you think the average person’s relationship with music has changed with the rise of visual storytelling? What role has the convergence of visual media had on your creative process and ability to tell a story?

    E&R: It definitely seems that for a lot of people hearing a song by itself isn’t enough anymore. Why stimulate one sense when TV stimulates two! Even Spotify now incorporates video into the platforms of their top tier artists, with these slightly ridiculous 20 second loops of animation or video. For the record, this seems to be about as cool as the iTunes equalizer button, but the point is people are excited by the relationship between audio and visuals, and want more music that speaks to them in that way. 

    Speaking as a member of this generation, I think television is the greatest art form ever invented, and it invades every part of my life and thought process. I constantly find myself reducing complicated life situations to derivative story arcs, and the personalities of people in my life to those of their most similar TV character. It makes living easy. Even when I write songs, I find my brain responds to what I’m writing by concocting scenes from fictional movies that play out in my head over the melodies. For a long time this seemed crazy, but now we try to lean into these associations and embrace the ways in which our band’s music inspires images and non-musical stories for us. We feel like the output makes sense to our audience’s listening experience, and has been more authentic and reflective of the way people in our generation’s brains work.

    SS: With an album on the way, what are your goals for the upcoming year?

    E&R: We’re sitting on a ton of recorded material that we’d like to release in the next year. The hold up is that I’m not a very capable engineer — but I’m getting better at asking for help and relinquishing control. The goal for the upcoming year, beyond the album, would be to release most or all of what we’re recording right now. We’re especially excited about a collection of songs and videos we’re working on about different criminals throughout American history that we’re calling, Only When Its Dark Out.

    Be sure to follow Fever Dolls on Facebook for updates regarding new music. 

  • In Focus: Governors Ball 2019

    This past weekend, Randall’s Island played host to the 2019 Governors Ball Music Festival. The festival, in its ninth year, featured many of the hottest musical acts of today with performances by Tyler the Creator, Florence and The Machine, Nas, Lily Allen, Lil Wayne, The 1975 and many more of today’s most popular musical acts. An amazing first two days set the stage for a full final day of music, with the home town favorites The Strokes closing out the 2019 edition of the New York City music festival. But Mother Nature had other plans as impending inclement weather forced a delayed gate opening and, eventually, thunderstorms forced the cancelation of the rest of the day including The Strokes’ headlining set.

    A full statement from festival organizers can be found here.

  • Summer Camp: Wet, Hot, Dreamy American Summer

    It rained, it scorched, a few artists had to cancel due to travel issues, but that did not stop Summer Camp from being an absolute blast! A festival full of ups and downs but mostly a lot of awesome, jaw-dropping moments of improvisation and collaboration, beauty, artistry, community, and fun.

    Summer Camp, what a line up! Many sets of Umphrey’s Mcgee, moe., plus Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Lotus, STS9, Gramatik, Space Jesus, Papadosio, and so so many more! Unfortunately not all major acts performed due to various issues, some weather related – Space Jesus, Govinda, Blackstar, & Rebelution were some of the acts that were unable to perform.

    moe. in full bubble mode.

    The pre party did not look so promising on Wednesday night. In a nearby arcade bar in Peoria, just twenty minutes outside the festival, the sky was black and the lighting fierce. Tornado warnings broke up the chill vibe of the bar as it interrupted old hits like “Electric Feel” by MGMT.

    But alas the rain stopped, as it always does. The sun came out and the patrons lined up at the entrance. God bless the express lane for media and the friendly folk who pointed out that media does not have to wait over an hour in the sun just to have their items inspected.

    Umphrey’s McGee at the Sunshine stage. We’ll miss you, Jefferson Waful. (UM lighting designer to retire from touring at end of year).

    Jay Blakesburg was directing the video team and filming patrons as they entered. The pre party featured some amazing acts like STS9, EOTO, Keller Williams, & Spafford, plus late night by Umphrey’s & Here Come The Mummies. Now that’s how you kick off a festival!

    Spafford played an incredible “All In” as well as “The Reprise” amongst their shred-filled set. Umphrey’s Mcgee played some strong first sets including songs like “Andy’s Last Beer” and “Syncopated Strangers.” STS9’s ‘Axe The Cables’ set was filled with groove including a masterful “Mischief of a Sleepwalker” > “New Dawn New Day” > “Mischief of a Sleepwalker .”

    Taz sits in with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong at the Moonshine Stage.

    Friday started off with Brandon “Taz” Niederauer. Now this kid can shred. “Fire on the Mountain” > “BlackBird” was phenomenal, heart touching, and ever so appropriate. Keller Williams’ Pettygrass with the Hillbenders was cancelled due to some lighting, a storm was coming that never came. Music is back on! moe., Exmag, Spafford, Karl Denson, Here Come The Mummies, Ghost Light (Tommy Hamilton still has the tape on his guitar from Shpongle Live Red Rocks!) and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong were all happy to oblige.

    Since Rebelution was cancelled, moe. & Pigeons Playing Ping Pong put together a set. At first it was moe. with Jeremy Schon, but what happened next was really impressive. While playing the same song (“Cissy Strut” by The Meters), members of moe. on stage switched with the Pigeons guys backstage, switching bands while maintaining the same jam ! Crazy impressive. Other songs played included “Get Back” by The Beatles, “Deal”, and “Sympathy For The Devil” by The Rolling Stones.

    Aqueous at the Moonshine Stage.

    Umphrey’s McGee performed Anchor Drops in its entirety during their evening set, filled with virtuoso shredding and improvisation.

    Some heavy hitting bass music on Friday by Zeds Dead, Tokimonsta, Flux Pavilion was followed by Ryan Stasik’s side project Doom Flamingo at the Campfire Stage who are definitely an act worth seeing.

    Mihali sits in with Big Gigantic at the Sunshine Stage.

    Saturday looked very promising, especially during the epic Big Gigantic set with an unexpected sit in by Mihali of Twiddle. But alas, during Umphrey’s set, the rain came in and washed it all away, along with several sets including those of Space Jesus & Manic Focus.

    Saturday also featured amazing performances by Chromeo Live, Cory Wong of Vulfpeck, Blues Traveler with a sit in Mihali of Twiddle and a separate one from Al Schnier of moe. , Andy Frasco with a sit in from Gumby himself! (by sit in what is meant is that Andy invited someone in a Gumby suit from the crowd to dance on stage as he shoved mushrooms in the costume’s mouth and finished Gumby off with his band members with an implied circle jerk).

    Cory Wong at the Moonshine Stage.

    So spirits were a little low Saturday night in the rain. Some major acts had gotten cancelled and the rain was not letting up. But indoor stages were still on! lespecial saved the day. Space Jesus did not get to play but he was rocking out to lespecial for the entirety of the set front row. With a little support from ‘his uncle,’ Luke Bemand and the lespecial boys crushed the late night Saturday set including the lespecial heavy hitter “Fruit Wolf Dance.” All those folks who may have been somewhere else were now packed and raging lespecial. Their tight, hard rock, danceable groove was perfect for this night. What better Primus song to play after a torrential rain storm… My name is mud!

    lespecial at The Soulshine Tent.

    Sunday funday. Never miss a Sunday show right? Chris Robinson Brotherhood was in the house, Oteil & Friends, Eric Krasno, Papadosio, The Werks, Ben Harper… the jam was strong with this day.

    Aqueous put on a particularly solid set to kick off the day featuring a live debut of “APunk” by Vampire Weekend. Umphrey’s, bringing the heat after having one of their Saturday night sets rained out, included “Whitehouse Road” by Tyler Childers with a special sit in from Arlo McKinley and Allie Kral from Yonder Mountain String Band. Umphrey’s McGee closed up their set with “Outshined” by Soundgarden.

    Neal Casal, Weedie Braimah, and Oteil Burbridge of Oteil & Friends at The Moonshine Stage.

    Oteil & Krasno in the VIP Lounge was beautiful, featuring masterful renditions of Dead songs such as “Help On The Way.” Oteil & Friends featured Jeff Chimenti, Krasno, Neal Casal, Weedie Braimah, John Kimock, and Alfreda Gerald. Now that was a set filled with such tight, progressive jams. It really flowed, had a direction, and was sonically impressive.

    Chris Robinson Brotherhood put on an incredible set with songs like “Rare Birds” and “Venus In Chrome” was played with precision and whole lot of energy.

    Chris Robinson Brotherhood at the Sunshine Stage.

    moe. busted out some live debut covers including “Rebell Yell” & “Turning Japanese.” This set featured masterful, psychedelic stage lighting complete with UV reacting bubbles!

    “Loving Cup” by The Rolling Stones was played at least twice that day by different bands, so that should tell you what kind of Sunday it was. A fun one. It was a Sunday Funday! Ben Harper & The Innocent Nocturnals proved to be intimate, full of masterful blues, and virtuoso musicianship including a Buddy Miles cover, “Them Changes.”

    Ben Harper & The Innocent Nocturnals at the Sunshine Stage.

    Lotus played a particularly awesome set, including a particularly groovey “Eats The light.” It flowed very well and people danced from the very first note until the end of the encore. Lotus is a nice happy medium between jam and electronica, where they can satisfy musical preferences of different tastes with the same song. Someone who loves to hear someone play guitar can appreciate their guitar playing, but someone who just wants to dance to a catchy beat can also do so at Lotus.

    Summer Camp had some heavy hitting bass music to close out the festival featuring Gramatik, Squnto, & Borgore. Borgore dropped old classic dance songs that everyone knew like “Sandstorm.”

    Mike Rempel of Lotus at the Sunshine Stage.

    Overall, Summer Camp was a success! Thousands of strangers gathered to celebrate freedom, music, and art. Summer Camp is a magical place full of amazing people, incredible music, inspiring art, and a thriving community that is held together by the love of music.

  • The String Cheese Incident Delivers Heady Queso at 25th Anniversary Run

    Colorado’s The String Cheese Incident graced the tri-state area with a 3-night run at the storied Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY to celebrate twenty-five years as a band. This run featured numerous rare covers, the spirit of Jerry Garcia, NOLA style marching into the crowd, and special guests. The band includes Michael Kang (electric mandolin/fiddle), Michael Travis (drums), Kyle Hollingsworth (Keyboards/Synth), Billy Nershi (electric/acoustic guitar), Keith Moseley (bass) and Jason Hann (percussion).

    Night one started out with a bang, despite the band and crew travelling through the night from Del Fest and arriving at 8 a.m. that morning. The set started with “Believe,” from their 2017 album with the same name. The boys brought a piece of Del Fest to the Capitol Theatre with bluegrass tunes “So Far From Home” > “Cedar Laurels” and energized the crowd with an incredible segue. “Laurels” was last played at Red Rocks in July 2018. “Gone Crooked” is a new tune by Moseley, written with Raymond Baxter, and had a nice old timey feel. Rounding out the set was “BollyMunster” and the psychedelic “Peace of Mine” > “Let’s Go Outside.”

    Michael Kang on the fiddle

    Set 2 began with a SCI classic, “Smile,” played for Nershi’s wife Jillian who was celebrating her birthday that night. Nershi announced that the song was originally written for her. Fan favorite “Desert Dawn” segued into two tunes from The Beatles’ Abbey Road, “Polythene Pam” and “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window.” “Pam” was last played 15 years ago, on 04/04/2004, with six total live appearances in all. While not as rare, “Bathroom Window” was last played two years ago on 08/13/2017.

    These rarities continued the high energy segue chain into the traditional bluegrass tune turned jam monster, “Rivertrance.” A rocking drum segment followed, with only Travis and Hann on stage. The new Dead-influenced Hollingsworth song “Big Reveal” > “All We Got” closed the set, but the show was far from over. SCI encored with their latin classic “San Jose” and then finished “Desert Dawn.”

    Keith Mosely and Michael Kang jam together

    Night two picked up where night one left off. Set one started with “Vertigo” and the segue sandwich of “Black and White” > “Can’t Wait Another Day” > “Midnight Moonlight,” the latter being a cover of Peter Rowan for the Jerry Garcia side project, Old and in the Way. The party then went into high gear as the band dove into “Valley of the Jig,” a SCI dancehall beast that is a reworked version of the traditional bluegrass tune, “Red Haired Boy.” The set closed out with Untying the Not’s “Sirens” > the quintessential “Restless Wind.”

    SCI covers The Talking Head’s “Burning Down The House”

    Set two continued with jam vehicles “Just One Story” > “Rosie.” “Song In My Head” then proceeded, from the album of the same name, followed by their debut of the Jerry Garcia Band cover, “Tore Up Over You.” “45th of November,” from the album One Step Closer, started a funk and psychedelic sequence that reminded the Northeast who SCI is. This began with a segue into the Talking Head’s “Burning Down the House.” The walls of the Capitol Theatre were filled with projections of fire. This cover was last played on 10/29/16 at Hulaween. The jazz-jam monster by The Weather Report “Birdland” > “Wheel Hoss” > “Birdland” > “Just One Story” closed out set two. Apparently, the band was also supposed to play “Jellyfish,” but scrapped the song based on time constraints. Capitol Theatre owner and jamband promoter Pete Shapiro was in the crowd tonight and addressed the audience before the boys returned for the encore. Nershi’s timeless bluegrass tune about rekindling lost love, “Bar Stool,” ended the show.

    Pete Shapiro, owner of the Capitol Theatre, addresses the audience

    Night three began with the band announcing, “Never miss a Monday night show.” The venue was half full, and those in attendance were in for a cheesy treat. The show started on a high note with “You’ve Got The World” and Believe’s “Sweet Spot.” The perennial fan favorite plus bluegrass tune “Little Hands” included a tight jam and segue into “Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance,” a Jerry Jeff Walker cover. Kang’s “Beautiful,” also from Believe, led into the introduction of their friend, guitarist Scott Sharad. He joined the band on stage for a rocking version of “Outside And Inside” > “Hot’ Lanta.”

    Billy Nershi

    SCI seemed determined to top each setlist, and the last set was no exception. All six members started the second set by marching into the floor NOLA style, and played an acoustic version of “Dark Hollow.” This song was last played almost 13 years ago at the Tweeter Center on 07/15/2006. “Into The Blue” preceded the always inspiring “Joyful Sound” > “Rumble” and got the crowd moving again. The Keller Williams cover “Best Feeling” launched into a dark reggae jam and segued into The Police’s “Walking On The Moon.” This is the third time they have played this unique cover. “Moon” went back into “Feeling” and then transitioned into Song in my Head’s “Colliding.” Another quintessential String Cheese Incident classic and jam beast, “Texas,” closed out this sensational set. Peter Gabriel’s “Shaking The Tree,” last played 03/18/2017, ended the run and sent the hard core fans home happy. The Northeast awaits the return of this gouda band.

    Setlists courtesy of friendsofcheese.com

    Saturday, May 25, 2019

    Set One: Believe, So Far From Home > Cedar Laurels, Gone Crooked, BollyMunster, Piece Of Mine > Let’s Go Outside

    Set Two: Smile, Desert Dawn > Polythene Pam > She Came In Through The Bathroom Window > Rivertrance > Drums, The Big Reveal > All We Got

    Encore: San Jose > Desert Dawn

    Sunday, May 26, 2019

    Set One: Vertigo, Black and White > Can’t Wait Another Day > Midnight Moonlight, Valley Of The Jig, Sirens > Restless Wind

    Set Two: Just One Story > Rosie, Song In My Head, Tore Up Over You, 45th of November > Burning Down The House, Birdland > Wheel Hoss > Birdland > Just One Story

    Encore: Barstool

    Monday, May 27, 2019

    Set One: You’ve Got The World, Sweet Spot, Little Hands > Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance, Beautiful, Outside And Inside1 > Hot ‘Lanta1

    Set Two: Dark Hollow2, Into The Blue, Joyful Sound > Rumble, Best Feeling > Walking On The Moon > Best Feeling > Colliding, Texas

    Encore: Shakin’ The Tree

    Notes 1 with Scott Sharrard on electic guitar, 2 Unplugged, Acoustic

  • In Focus: MGMT Dazzle Capitol Theatre with Their Tricks

    MGMT & Warpaint recently performed at The Capitol Theatre. MGMT played an intimate and fun set with hits such as “Kids,” “Time To Pretend,” “Brian Eno,” and “Electric Feel” sprinkled within some of their newer material from their newest album Little Dark Age.

  • Sixth Annual Five Boro Craft Beer Fest Brings Music, Brews & Community Together in Brooklyn

    At The Well in Brooklyn, hosts Mike & Lauren invited 55 craft brewers, several local food vendors and two regional bands to come together for the 6th Annual Five Boro Craft Beer Fest. Attendees enjoyed 100+ beer and cider choices, gourmet eats and one hell of a rock ‘n’ roll show in an open, sunny setting splashed with bright and colorful street art, providing a pleasurable experience for both the palate and the eye.

    The day began with a lot of hustle and bustle; craft beer vendors buzzing around, ice trucks loading in, and the bands plugging in for soundcheck. Individual tasting glasses featuring the rockin’ Five Boro Craft Beer Fest logo were lined up at the registration table, the guest line formed and at 4 P.M. the party began. The event was an all-inclusive one, wristbands provided attendees with all you can eat, drink and dance for the duration of the afternoon into the evening.

    First up, the brews. It felt like a perfect summer night, pairing well with the plentiful selection of perfectly chilled craft beer and ciders from local, regional and out of state brewers. No matter your preference, there was something to appeal your fancy, including exclusive varieties that had never been poured before. Sours, stouts, lagers, IPAs and everything in between from breweries such as King’s County Brewer’s Collective, Barrier Brewing Co., Icarus Brewing, Noble Ale Works, Garvies Point Brewery, River Roost Brewery, Collective Arts Brewing, Hermit Thrush Brewery, District 96, Gun Hill Brewing Co., Torch & Crown Brewing Co. and many more.

    Five Boro Craft Beer Fest

    Beers were flowing, toes were tapping and it was time for some snacks. Staying true to the well balanced theme of the day, the food vendors provided festival goers choices of all things sweet, salty, savory, spicy and tangy to compliment the plethora of liquid libations. Traze, a Queens-based food shop that offers up gourmet “grandma-style” pizza were slinging slices as fast as the brews were pouring. Little Chef, Little Kitchen, a personal chef service served up “adobo chicken and waffle bites,” the sweet and savory combo hit with the crowd. More top-notch tastiness was brought to the party by The Huntress Whiskey n’ Wings, with delicious chicken wings, Sigmund’s Pretzels, with the ever-favorite salty pretzels and Kalahari Biltong, providing samples of “air dried, thinly sliced beef” a provision that beer drinkers, hikers, campers, festival goers alike would find handy. None went hungry at the 6th Annual Five Boro Craft Beer Fest, that is for sure.

    Five Boro Craft Beer Fest
    Little Chef Little Kitchen serving up “adobo chicken & waffle bites”
    Traze slinging little slices of pizza heaven.
    The Huntress dishing out a variety of addicting chicken wings and flavors.
    Five Boro Craft Beer Fest
    Kalahari Biltong sharing their “air dried thin beef.”

    Next, the tunes. First to take the stage was Black Brant, a rock trio hailing from New Jersey. Comprised of Pat Seiler (guitar), Mike McCabe (bass), and Shawn Latham (drums), the threesome got the crowd moving with a wide array of cover songs ranging from alternative, reggae, blues and classic rock. Sing-a-longs and “rock-on!’s” were heard coming from the dancing crowd.

    After a short changeover, Brooklyn-based band Of Clocks And Clouds hopped on stage. The stage and crowd warmed by Black Brant, they started right into a strong set of rock ‘n’ roll. Of Clocks And Clouds is comprised of Brooklyn-bred brothers Joe Salgo (guitar, vocals), Tom Salgo (lead guitar, vocals), Nick Salgo (drums), Russian-born Yuri Soussov (bass), and Connecticut native Zander Ryzinski (keys/synth), forming a powerful force that is both predictable and imperceptible; much like clocks and clouds. The first set featured several original songs and closing out with a saucy rendition of Cream’s “Sunshine Of Your Love.” OCAC opened the second set with “Worst Look,” into an impressive, hard hitting cover of Metallica’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” led by drummer Nick Salgo on vocals. The sun was starting to set, the crowd was having a blast and the band jammed out six more big, emotive, rock tunes closing with another bang “Who I Am,” led by drummer Nick Salgo. The song is new to their repertoire, but quickly became a staple fan-favorite.

    Black Brant, rockers from New Egypt, New Jersey
    Five Boro Craft Beer Fest
    Brooklyn band Of Clocks And Clouds close out the night.

    The 6th Annual Five Boro Craft Beer Fest was an incredible success, a great time was had by all. Sunshine, delicious food, tasty brews, great music, friends and family all made for an event that will be attended year after year. For more information on this event, the breweries, provisions, and musicians, visit the Five Boro Craft Beer Fest website.

    In Focus: The Brews

    In Focus: The Bands

    In Focus: The Fun

  • Kat Wright and The Old Main Take on Clinton

    The Kirkland Art Center in Clinton was recently the scene for Kat Wright‘s return to her upstate roots. The Rochester-born chanteuse and her band performed a soulful, sometimes funky, 22-song set to a sold out audience at this small venue in Central New York.

    NPR once described Wright as a mix of Amy Winehouse and Bonnie Raitt. It’s easy to note tones of Susan Tedeschi in her delivery as well. This served Wright well later in the set when she and guitarist, Bob Wagner, teamed for a stirring duet of Tedeschi Trucks Band’s “Shelter.”

    Kat Wright 

    Wright’s band is one of the tightest around, making due without the presence of keyboardist, Shane Hardiman, who was missing due to health issues. Wright made note of the spaciousness to her right and wished Hardiman well in his recovery.

    Wright commands your attention with her presence and her voice. As soon as she opens her mouth, the notes pour out effortlessly. She possesses that rare quality of projecting deep soulful notes with what may seem to the onlooker as pure ease.

    Their set opened with an instrumental jam sans Wright, where the band: Bob Wagner (guitar), Josh Weinstein (bass), Colin Jalbert (drums), Jake Whitesell (tenor sax), and Phil Rodriguez (trumpet), displayed their chops right out of the gate.

    Wright joined the fellas for a sultry, soulful performance of “All About You” to get things rolling. The standing room only audience was rapt with the voice coming from the stage while the band provided a jazzy backdrop.

    Throughout the course of the night, Wright wowed with her voice while the band did the same. There were points during the show where the band seemed like they were ready to let rip but were holding back just a bit, to allow Wright to shine. These moments were sparse and when they let loose; they really let loose.

    This is a well-educated outfit, as shown in covers of blues classics from Howlin’ Wolf and Junior Wells and their jaw-dropping version of the Tedeschi Trucks Band’s “Shelter.” This is a band that wears its influences on their sleeves. If you want funk, they can funk you up with the best of them. If you want soulful ballads, you got it. Blues? Indeed. Kat Wright is one to check out.

    The night’s opener was the Utica-based Americana band, The Old Main. Their brand of music is rife with foot-stompers and tender ballads with the ability to flat-out rock. They’re a band on the rise around New York State, but knew their role on this night as the opening act. Humble and funny, they quickly won the audience over with witty, self-deprecating banter between songs and a solid set of original material spanning their two studio albums, as well as a new, as-yet-unnamed song.

    The Old Main

    The band, consisting of stand-up bassist Nash Robb, guitarist Seth Becker, drummer Mitch Eckler, and banjoist Dusty Elmer, rolled through a solid eight song set, incorporating an enthusiastic jam session that had Eckler using Robb’s bass as an adjunct to his drum kit during “Tuesday.” Robb and Owen offer some of the best harmonizing in Americana today with Eckler providing additional harmonies to add an extra punch. Elmer’s picking is effortless. The Old Main did exactly what they set out to do for this show — provide solid opening band material while winning over new fans.

    Kat Wright will be performing at the moe.down Festival in Turin Fourth of July Weekend. The Old Main will be performing at Woods Fest 2 in Westernville on August 10. Both bands are well worth checking out.

     

  • Into the Mystic brings music of Van Morrison to Skyloft

    Into the Mystic – six musicians from the Burlington, Vermont area plus a ringer guitarist from neighboring New Hampshire – paid tribute to the artistry of Van Morrison at Skyloft in Crossgates Mall on Saturday May 18.

    For nearly two hours the septet ranged through the early years of Morrison’s catalog, focusing mostly on his heralded seventies period. With Avery Cooper contributing on sax (plus some lovely flute on “Tupelo Honey”) and Gordon Clark on trombone, Into the Mystic resembles a stripped-down version of Morrison’s 1973 Caledonia Soul Orchestra.

    The Caledonia ensemble featured a string section as well as horns, but Into the Mystic was content to embellish every song (except “Bulbs”) with peppy horn arrangements. They certainly did justice to such early hits as “Wild Night,” “Domino” and “Caravan,” but the charts were even more intriguing when ITM explored less familiar eighties compositions, such as “Dweller on the Threshold,” “Cleaning Windows” and “Tore Down a la Rimbaud.”

    Justin Panigutti, on vocals and rhythm guitar, had perhaps the toughest job of anyone in the septet, emulating Morrison’s gruff vocals, his penchant for wordless exclamations and exhortations, and even occasionally Van’s patented leg kick and arm thrust.

    Into the Mystic
    The Alchemystics

    Panigutti’s love for Van’s music was evident – in fact, it was clear that the entire band enjoyed their work. Guitarist Daniel Rahilly didn’t have much room to show off, but on “Kingdom Hall” he unleashed a pithy stinging solo with a studied nonchalance that evoked Robbie Robertson.

    Setlist: Wavelength, Kingdom Hall, And It Stoned Me, Warm Love, Dweller on the Threshold, Glad Tidings, Wild Night, Domino, Cleaning Windows, I’ve Been Working, Tupelo Honey, Sweet Thing, Tore Down a la Rimbaud, Satisfied, Bulbs, Into the Mystic, St. Dominic’s Preview, Caravan

  • In Focus: Shakey Graves With Illiterate Light

    Shakey Graves With Illiterate Light – May 15, 2019 at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY.

    Unofficial Setlist: Hard Wired*, Nobody’s Fool*, Roll the Bones, Built to Roam*, Georgia Moon*, Pansy Waltz, Mansion Door, Dining Alone, Big Bad Wolf, Dearly Departed, Family and Genus, The Perfect Parts, Word of Mouth*, Tomorrow*.

    Encore: Late July.

    *Performed Solo Acoustic

    Illiterate Light

  • In Focus: Eric Krasno closes out Blue Note Residency

    On Sunday, May 19, Eric Krasno closed out his residency at the famous Blue Note Jazz Club with an amazing night of music and special guests. The eight-show residency concluded with two sets with the house band: keyboardist/vocalist Nigel Hall, drummer Louis Cato, and bassist Chris Loftlin

    Krasno welcomed previously announced guest bassist MonoNeon, as well as surprised guest saxophonist James Casey and lap-steel god Robert Randolph to close out this special run. This amazing group of musicians was such a treat and really seemed to be a close-knit group of friends, a quality that shines through in the music.  

Built in Breakdance