NYS Music 20​19

Category: Media

  • Mike Gantzer, Kris Myers and Ryan Stasik drop DOOKIE

    Albany was certainly the place to be Friday, February 1. The Palace Theater hosted Umphrey’s McGee for another always-astounding performance, and the Pearl Street Pub threw a legendary after-show. Once the UM show concluded at The Palace, drummer Kris Myers and bassist Ryan Stasik made their way down the block to meet up with Aqueous guitarist Mike Gantzer.  The three collaborated on an energetic, punk-rock tribute to Green Day‘s 1994 album Dookie that took the Pearl Street Pub’s crowd on a high-speed cruise down memory lane.

    The trio took the stage with attendees anxious to take it all in.  Set one blasted off with “Burnout,” “Having a Blast” and “Chump.” Stasik then dropped into the signature bass line of “Longview,” bringing about a crowd sing-a-long. One highlight of the night was a set of three Ween covers. In between Green Day hits “Longview” and “Welcome to Paradise,” the guys played Ween’s “The Grobe,” “It’s Gonna Be a Long Night,” and “Transdermal Celebration.” The set continued with Dookie tracks in sequential order, mixing in genre-relevant covers from Nirvana, The Ramones and Weezer.  Craftily weaving in a tease that was also featured at the UM show earlier, “Norwegian Wood” (The Beatles) was heard throughout “In The End.”  The end of the evening featured an epic trio of songs including “Brain Stew,” “Geek Stink Breath,” the first single from Green Day’s album Insomniac, and “Bad Mouth,” a Fugazi cover.

    This date marked the 25th Anniversary of the release of Dookie, making the performance a celebratory collaboration.  Mike Gantzer, Kris Myers and Ryan Stasik have performed full covers of the Green Day album on two other occasions: once as a late night tribute set at Summer Camp Music Festival 5/26/17 and again at Brooklyn Comes alive on 9/24/17.

    (Unofficial Setlist)

    Burnout, Having a Blast, Chump > Longview, The Grobe (1), It’s Gonna Be a Long Night (1), Transdermal Celebration (1), Welcome to Paradise, Pulling Teeth > Basket Case, She, Drain You (2), Sassafras Roots, When I Come Around, Coming Clean, I Wanna Be Sedated (3) > Blietzkreig Bop (3), Emenius Sleepus, In The End (4) > F. O. D. > All By Myself, My Name Is Jonas (5), Say It Ain’t So (5), Undone – The Sweater Song (5), Brain Stew

    Encore: Geek Stink Breath, Bad Mouth (6)

    1- Ween cover
    2- Nirvana cover
    3- The Ramones cover
    4- Norwegian Wood (The Beatles) tease
    5- Weezer cover
    6- Fugazi Cover

  • AJ Lambert, Sinatra’s Granddaugher, debuts John Cale cover in new Video

    AJ Lambert, granddaughter of Frank Sinatra and daughter of Nancy Sinatra, recently debuted the video for “Cleo,” a cover by artist John Cale. The track appears on her first full length solo album, Careful You, which was released earlier this month. 

    Careful You is an album of unique, poignant interpretations of songs by artists including Spoon and TV on the Radio, as well as some of her grandfather’s deep cuts such as “Sleep Warm” and “I’ll Be Seeing You.” The album was recorded with a full band and produced by Daniel Schlett (The War on Drugs, Amen Dunes) and Boshra AlSaadi (TEEN, Janka Nabay). AJ will tour in support of the release, with a full band featuring musicians from the album, such as drummer Parker Kindred (who also plays with Joan As Policewoman) and bassist Josh Werner (who recently collaborated on a release with Bill Laswell).

    Speaking about the video for “Cleo,” Lambert said, “I just thought it would be fun to really play up the pop elements of the song in a new version… to me, it’s lyrically keeping with the theme of the record – namely thinking that love will save the day and then reckoning what happens, when it gets more complicated than that. Hence the ‘always a bridesmaid’ theme of the video, too.”

    Last year, she released Lonely Songs, a collaborative EP with Greg Ahee of Protomartyr, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of her grandfather’s seminal album, Only the Lonely. In AJ’s words: “These songs let me say thank you to Frank. I’m so honored to carry on a bit of this tradition of being a song interpreter and it’s so much fun to do it in a modern way… I believe that good music is good music, no matter what era it’s from… Greg was a big fan of the album already so it was fun to collaborate.”

    AJ Lambert has worked as a film music supervisor and bassist in various bands (including Here We Go Magic and a reunion of seminal punk icons, The Homosexuals). As a solo vocalist, she performs two complete Sinatra albums live – In The Wee Small Hours and Only the Lonely – with John Boswell on piano, at small clubs and theaters around the country. AJ also hosts “Third Generation” on Sirius XM’s “Siriusly Sinatra” channel and regularly performs at private and charity events. Whether performing with a pianist, a full band or on record, AJ Lambert’s style and interpretations of both standards and contemporary music alike are truly her own.

  • Photo Gallery: Mungion Matters to Buffalo

    Chicago groove rockers Mungion stopped at Buffalo Iron Works on January 27, their first stop in Buffalo since the release of their latest album Ferris Wheel’s Day Off. They’ll be hitting the road with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong in February and March so be sure to check them out.

  • Photo Gallery: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Mihali

    The Flock was not disappointed at a sold-out Capitol Theatre show with Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle, Saturday, January 26. The room was packed and a sense of excitement could be tasted in the air. It was funky. Mihali’s set featured new material, as well as Twiddle classics like “Every Soul” and a sit-in on “River Drift,” from Pigeons Playing Ping Pong basist, Ben Carrey, playing a set of whistles! Mihali’s set was unlike the Pigeons, with deep storytelling-like lyrics. This made a more intimate experience where lots of the audience had their eyes closed, deeply feeling the music.

    Pigeons Playing Ping Pong opened with “Time To Ride” and the first set highlights included the beloved “Poseidon > Eyes Of The World > Poseidon,” mashup. Pigeons paid tribute to The Capitol when Ormont changed their lyrics to Wake up to find out that you are the size of a squirrel. The crowd went wild. The second set featured “Yo Soy Fiesta,” one of Pigeon’s newer tunes, “Kiwi” and “Upfunk,” where Jeremy Schon was really shredding, going that extra mile. We have not seen this level of excitement and Schon just kept getting better.

    The encore included a rendition of  Disney’s “Colors of the Wind” during “Schwanthem” and “Doc” with the West End Blend horns sitting in. The Pigeons are building their flock and flying higher than ever.

  • Guster Kicks Off 2019 Tour With Show at Upstate Concert Hall – Photo Gallery

    Boston based alternative rock band, Guster launched their 2019 tour in support of their new release, Look Alive at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY on January 16. Supporting Guster was Burlington Vermont singer Henry Jamison who had a February 8 released album, Gloria Duplex.

    Guster
    Guster
    photo by E. Reid Coker
    Henry Jamison

    Guster set list: One Man Wrecking Machine, Terrified, Stay With Me Jesus, Diane, Hello Mr. Sun, Backyard, Architects and Engineers, Look Alive, Manifest Destiny, Doin It By Myself, Come Downstairs and Say Hello, Gangway, Overexcited, I Spy, Satellite, Long Night, Demons, Mind Control, Amsterdam, Barrel of a Gun, Hard Times (audience choice), Hang On, What You Call Love, Happier.

  • The Revivalists Sell Out The Beacon Theatre

    On Thursday January 17 The Revivalists closed a sold-out two night run at The Beacon Theatre, bringing that sweet New Orleans soul to Broadway. The high energy critically acclaimed rock band had a packed house on their feet, and in the palm of their hand, as they moved through new and old songs for the entire night. From the first verse of the popular new song , “All My Friends,” the audience was lured to get down with each of the eight band members.

    It’s actually hard to believe that everyone in Manhattan didn’t hear this show. Guitarists Zack Feinberg, two-drummer-setup Andrew Campanelli  and Paulet “PJ” Howard, pedal steel player Ed Willams, bassist George Gekas, saxophonist Rob Ingraham and keys and trumpet player Michael Girardot incorporated the twang from pedal steel, a rich guitar sound, NOLA style horns to roar a full Rock n Roll sound – shaking the hollowed halls of the Beacon Theatre. The extremely talented lead singer, David Shaw made this sold out audience get out of there seats and sing every lyric at the top of their lungs.

    David Shaw is one of the top frontmen in music today; a full package blend of entertainer and musician, with such a powerful voice and meaningful lyrics. He commands and manipulates the audience with ease, having even the casual fan singing their hit song, “Wish I Knew You”. He shined on a cover of The Rolling Stones “Miss You,” adding his own style and sound to the classic. It was a joy to see Shaw perform from a place of joy and share that with a captive audience.

    The Revivalists are a hard working band that embody a direction that music deserves to be going in. Selling out two nights at the historic Beacon Theatre proves they are well on there way to achieving that. I highly recommend their new album Take Good Care and really look forward to seeing where this band goes next.

     

  • Photo Gallery: Lettuce at Upstate Concert Hall

    Funk all-stars Lettuce continued their Vibe Up Tour at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY on Saturday January 12. Snarky Puppy side project, Ghost Note, opened the show with an incredibly energetic set.

    After nearly 27 years together, Lettuce still brings an amazing amount of energy and life to their shows. Playing classics like “Lettsanity,” “Fly,” and “Sounds Like a Party To Me,” they played well into Sunday morning, leaving the fans still craving more. You can catch them down the East Coast and then across the country on this tour. And expect new material later this year.

    Setlist: Blast off, N’Dugu, Kron Dutch, Lettsanity, Gang Ten, Remember the Children, Breakout, Shmink Dabby, Squad Live, Chief, Phyllis 

    Encore: Slap

  • Photo Gallery: Kung Fu at The Hollow

    Kung Fu returned to The Hollow Bar and Kitchen in Albany on Friday, January 11 for a funk filled show of originals and covers of Steely Dan (“King of the World”) and Weather Report (“Birdland”). They’ll be at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse on February 1 and Brooklyn Bowl on February 9. For complete tour dates, check out their website.

    Setlist: Prime Rib, Bopcorn, Speedbump, The Lurker, King Of The World, Dirty Power, Scrabb, S’all Good, Daddy D, Bringing Up The Rear

    Encore: Birdland

    kung fu hollow
    kung fu hollow
    kung fu hollow
    kung fu hollow
    kung fu hollow

     

     

  • Photo Gallery: Ghost Light at Sony Hall

    On December 30 at the brand new Sony Hall in Times Square, Ghost Light continued their New Years run with a sold out show, capping off an amazing 2018 for this brand new super group.

    Consisting of Tom Hamilton, Holly Bowling, Raina Mullen, Steve Lyons, and Scotty Zwang, these amazing musicians have a clear ambition to take their original songs as far as possible in the realm of improvisation, with each musician bringing their own style to the table. With a brand new album out and a full year of shows and festivals under their belt, Ghost Light is in for a bigger 2019.

  • Photo Gallery: Skerik, Nels Cline, Billy Martin, MonoNeon at Sony Hall

    For the past four years Phish has ended the year with a run of shows at the historic Madison Square Garden, and from these shows an impressive lineup of late night collaborations has kept the masses entertained into the early hours of the next day. On December 29, saxophonic pioneer Skerik was joined by the talented Billy Martin of Medeski Martin Wood, Ghost Note’s MonoNeon and Wilco’s Nels Cline at the brand new Times Square music venue Sony Hall.

    A two hour-plus set of improv showcased these talented musicians and their unique styles. Nels Cline’s Guitar worked beautifully with the sounds of Skerik’s Electronic Sax, and bassist MonoNeon settled in nicely with the style of the great Billy Martin.

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