The Phryg, a four piece progressive funk band from Brooklyn, best known for tremendously original music featuring deep pockets of funk have found their talents bringing them across the country. Today, The Phryg release the video and single for “Bad Habit,” a song about being ‘addicted’ to funk and attempting to suppress the urge to dance when hearing music that makes you want to let loose.
The lyrics playfully describe the main character coming to terms with his problem and later succumbing to his primal urges stating, “If we could all come to see that the funk is a remedy.”
The tune opens with a thumping groove between the bass and drums that drops into an intoxicatingly catchy chorus. The verses bounce along as lyrics intertwine with Hammond organ before synth chords. The song climaxes with a fiery guitar solo that twists, turns and ascends upwards. The listener is brought back down to earth with a return to the chorus and the final lyrics, “It’s easier to give in then to refrain – I’ve got a funk bad habit.”
The video features Seth Schiesel, Terry Brennan (Cousin Earth) and Angelic Aguilera, with videography by Brandon McClasky and editing by Bryan Walters.
The Phryg most recently played an after party at Garcia’s for a sold out Vida Blue show at The Capitol Theatre, and 2018’s Shakori Hills Festival alongside NY artists like Lettuce and Consider the Source. They’ve shared the stage with Bob Lanzetti of Snarky Puppy, Organ Freeman, Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers, The Fritz, Cycles and many more. The Phryg released their self-titled full length album in July 2016 as a follow up to their debut EP Midnight Snack.
The Phryg Fall Tour dates
Nov. 2 – Official Umphrey’s McGee pre-party at Goose Island – Philadelphia, PA
Nov. 8 – Casa del Sol – Nyack, NY
Nov. 22 – Rock Harbor Pub & Brewery – Rockland, ME
Nov. 23 – Maine Craft Distilling – Portland, ME
Dec. 28 – Phish after party at Rockwood Music Hall – New York, NY
Terrorbyte performed an epic Halloween show at The Lost Horizon in Syracuse last night. Performing most of their catalog, fans were treated to an excellent set with high energy and some chaos.
They took the stage dressed in their usual masks as a taser got the crowd fired up into a frenzy, chanting “TERRORBYTE” as some of the members began climbing up on the wall. Their stage presence will just draw you in as there is so much going on at once. Whether it’s one of the members tasering another, or someone hanging from the ceiling – there is always something crazy happening at a Terrorbyte show.
Playing roughly an hour, their set was non-stop, high energy, “in your face” metal. There was little break in between songs as the band flowed so well, only stopping a couple of times to give some insight into their songs. “Gravitational” was dedicated to a late friend of the singer, and he took some time to speak on dealing with issues of depression and suicide.
Finishing up their set, the crowd demanded another song as everyone in the venue was chanting, “One more song!” Terrorbyte obliged and performed a crushing version of “Shooting Star” which had everyone going nuts.
Terrorbyte is a “must see” band based out of Syracuse that has made some huge waves in the metal word. During the performance of the show, Terrorbyte mentioned their upcoming album which has been highly anticipated, is currently being worked on, and expected to be released in the near future.
IDLES released their heavily acclaimed LP, Joy as an Act of Resistance, back in August 2018, and the band has been on a meteoric rise ever since. Before the official release, IDLES were playing the intimate Rough Trade NYC, and this past week saw the boys from Bristol playing their biggest headlining show to date at Terminal 5.
This leg of the tour wrapped up with four shows in the Northeast, all supported by Preoccupations, who also released an excellent album last year, New Material. Their moody post-punk was a perfect appetizer to the show. The nine-song set spanned all four of the band’s LP releases and included both New Material singles, “Espionage” and “Antidote.” The set finished on a heavy, psychedelic note with a lengthy rendition of “Select Your Drone.”
The moment Preoccupations left the stage, the buzz in the room skyrocketed. The anticipation was humming from the crowd as they shouted “We Want IDLES!” The crew was trying to ready the stage. From the moment the lights dimmed, until the last notes were played, the crowd was fully engaged, sending a steady stream of crowd surfers toward the stage. Several times guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan took their turns stage-diving and floating atop the crowd all without skipping a beat.
Regardless of how animated and aggressive both the audience and band seemed (there was a ‘wall of death’), the central message from the band’s music was never lost: compassion for everyone and community. From frontman Joe Talbot thanking security for the job they were doing, to the various messages of inclusion and respect in many of their songs, this sentiment was prominent throughout the night.
IDLES seemed to be racing through their 16 song set, but that was just a testament to the enormous energy behind their performance. Forgoing an encore, Preoccupations joined IDLES on stage to take part in a chaotic rendition of “Rottweiler,” with the drum set slowly being torn apart and cymbals crashing all over the stage.
Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
The band has also just announced a new live album, A Beautiful Thing: IDLES Live at Le Bataclan, recorded in Paris in December 2018 and out officially December 6, 2019. The live album includes tracks from both of the bands studio LPs, and is a self-contained statement about unity and love. The band will be playing shows in the UK in December, with festival appearances scheduled for next Spring.
The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Bandstand will roll out a coast to coast tour starting October 25 in Oklahoma City, OK. This tour comes after this smash- hit spent 2017 on Broadway. During the residency it was nominated for three Tony Awards and snagged the Tony for Best Choreography.
“THE SHOW DEFIES YOU NOT TO BE MOVED”
Time Out New York
The vibrant musical, Bandstand, shows how one can heal through music and dance, written by Robert Taylor (book and lyrics), Richard Oberacker (music) and directed by three-time Tony winner Andy Blankkenbuelher (Hamilton choreography). The plot features World War II veteran Donny, fresh from the front lines, as he returns home to be a songwriter. When this proves difficult, he forms a group to compete in the NBC bandstand contest. Using a peppy outlook and upbeat music, Bandstand delves into the challenges faced by our service men and women upon returning. This is a story that stretches across many decades.
Photo by Michael Pool
Along the way Bandstand will make stops in various New York cities. Included is The Stanley Theater in Utica, Proctors in Schenectady and the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Greenvale. Tickets are on sale now through the musicals website. Check out the additional tour dates below.
BandStand Tour Dates: 2019-2020
Oct.25-26 – OCCC Visual and Performing
Arts Center Theater – Oklahoma City, OK
Oct.29-30 – Rudder Auditorium – College Station, TX
Nov.1 – Popejoy Hall – Albuquerque, NM
Nov.2-3 – Civic Center Auditorium –
Amarillo, TX
Nov.4 – Bicknell Center for the Arts –
Pittsburg, KS
Nov.5 – Chapman Music Hall – Tulsa, OK
Nov.6 – Abilene Convention Center –
Abilene, TX
Nov.7 – Cowan Center – Tyler, TX
Nov.8 – Lutcher Theater – Orange, TX
Nov.9 – The Grand 1894 Opera House –
Galveston, TX
Nov.11-12 – Washington Pavilion – Sioux
Falls, SD
Nov.13 – Civic Center – Bismarck, ND
Nov.16-17 – Hult Center for the
Performing Arts – Eugene, OR
Nov.19-20 – Granada Theater – Santa
Barbara, CA
Nov.21-24 – Fred Kavli Theatre –
Thousand Oaks, CA
Dec.3-4 – Pikes Peak Center – Colorado
Springs, CO
Dec.6-8 – Orpheum Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
Dec.11 – Orpheum Theatre – Sioux City,
IA
Dec.12 – Juanita K. Hammons Hall –
Springfield, MO
Dec.13-14 – Civic Center – Des Moines,
IA
Dec.15 – Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing
Arts Center – Cedar Falls, IA
Dec.16 – River Center Adler Theater –
Davenport, IA
Dec.17 – Yardley Hall – Overland Park,
KS
Jan.3-5 – Von Braun Center Concert Hall
– Huntsville, AL
Jan.7 – Paramount Arts Center – Ashland,
KY
Jan.8 – Honeywell Center – Wabash, IN
Jan.9-12 – Stranahan Theater – Toledo,
OH
Jan.14-16 – Century II Performing Arts
Center – Wichita, KS
Jan.17-19- Lied Center for Performing
Arts – Lincoln, NE
Jan.21 – Grand Theater – Wausau, WI
Jan.22 – Bloomington Center for the
Performing Arts – Bloomington, IL
Jan.23 – Niswonger Performing Arts Center
– Van Wert, OH
Jan.24-26 – Morris Performing Arts
Center – South Bend, IN
Jan.27 – Emens Auditorium – Muncie, IN
Jan.29 – Givens Performing Arts Center –
Pembroke, NC
Jan.30 – Clayton Center for the Arts –
Maryville, TN
Jan.31 – Charleston Gaillard Center –
Charleston, SC
Feb.1-2 – Oxford Performing Arts Center
– Oxford, AL
Feb.4-5 – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
– Sarasota, FL
Feb.6 – Alan Jay Wildstein Center for
the Performing Arts – Avon Park, FL
Feb.7-8 – The Sharon L. Morse Performing
Arts Center – The Villages, FL
Feb.9 – Mainstage Theater – Niceville,
FL
Feb.10 – Lafon Performing Arts Center –
Luling, LA
Post-rockers Explosions In The Sky embarked on a nationwide tour which brought them to Asbury Hall in Buffalo for only the second time in their career. After 20 years of making music, the band’s only other appearance in Buffalo was at the Tralf in 2008.
Setlist: A Song for Our Fathers, The Birth and Death of the Day, The Only Moment We Were Alone, Greet Death, Yasmin the Light, Have You Passed Through This Night?, Disintegration Anxiety, Your Hand in Mine, Magic Hours, Catastrophe and the Cure, Colors in Space.
Update 11/27/19: Per an email this week, this event is cancelled. The official statement reads:
Unfortunately, the Museum at Eldridge Street has cancelled the December 1 Greg Wall concert to benefit the Museum due to unforeseen circumstances. We will notify you when the event is rescheduled.
Saxophonist and composer Greg Wall, a staple on the downtown avant-garde jazz scene since the early 1990s, celebrates his 60th birthday with a benefit concert in the stunning historic sanctuary of the Museum at Eldridge Street on Sunday, December 1 at 3 p.m. Wall will perform with his longtime working bands including: Zion80, Hasidic New Wave, Portal, Klezmerfest, and Greg Wall’s Later Prophets, as well as the Ayn Sof Arkestra and Bigger Band which returns for this concert. Proceeds will benefit the Museum.
A leading figure in the Jewish music scene for over thirty years, Greg Wall is a pioneer in blending Jewish music with jazz. After early training under Archie Shepp and Max Roach in Amherst, MA, Wall finished his apprenticeship at New England Conservatory in Boston, studying and performing jazz with Jaki Byard, George Russell, and Jimmy Guiffre, and was part of the Klezmer revival scene at NEC.
After graduation he headed to New York and together with classmate Frank London, helped define the sound of “Jewish Jazz” with groups like Hasidic New Wave, Midrash Mishmash and later, the Ayn Sof Arkestra and Bigger Band, Shechina Big Band, Later Prophets and Zion80. He toured with the late Yosi Piamenta, the “Hasidic Hendrix,” and released several recordings playing original compositions alongside spoken word.
Wall played regularly at the original Knitting Factory locations, Tonic, the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe, and the Stone, as well as making frequent tours abroad to Europe and Israel, maintaining a parallel career performing classic and mainstream jazz. While on the road, Wall pursued Talmudic study and was ordained as a Rabbi in 2006.
Wall is no stranger to Eldridge Street. In the early- to mid-90s he frequented the venue at a time when the landmark was dilapidated and only beginning to establish itself as in important cultural hub for families, hipsters, artists and religious and secular Jews.
My relationship with the museum goes back almost 30 years, when the restoration of the Eldridge Street Synagogue was the dream of a few determined, hard-working individuals. They never forgot their roots, and simultaneously became an important national cultural icon, while continuing to serve the folks in the neighborhood – It’s my kind of place.
Greg Wall
In 2009, Wall was appointed rabbi at the Sixth Street Community Synagogue in the East Village and continued to exhibit his particular blend of spirituality and avant-garde music with regular performances in the temple’s sanctuary. He was the founding Artistic Director of the synagogue’s Center for Jewish Arts and Literacy, which was an incubator for cutting edge modern music with a Jewish flavor. That practice continued, in 2013, when Wall became rabbi at Beit Chaverim Synagogue, in Westport,CT, where he’s continued to perform regularly his eclectic mix of classical and experimental jazz, Eastern European and African American roots music with a rotating group of influential musicians.
Wall’s latest release is The Book Beri’ah with Zion80, on the Tzadik record label of legendary producer John Zorn. A live recording with jazz pianist Andy LaVerne is scheduled for January, 2020.
The Museum at Eldridge Street is housed in the Eldridge Street Synagogue, a magnificent National Historic Landmark that has been meticulously restored. Opened in 1887, the synagogue is the first great house of worship built in America by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Today, it is the only remaining marker of the great wave of Jewish migration to the Lower East Side that is open to a broad public who wish to visit Jewish New York. Exhibits, tours, cultural events and educational programs tell the story of Jewish immigrant life, explore architecture and historic preservation, inspire reflection on cultural continuity, and foster collaboration and exchange between people of all faiths, heritages and interests.
We live in a world of singles and streaming, and it’s amazing to see bands boast over a series of releases they’ve contributed in a year’s time. For Rochester rock duo Mud Head, the work doesn’t stop after album one. Formalizing their group in January of this year, this industrial alternative outfit has delivered a self-titled album, exclusive single and follow-up EP, all by the end of September, growing their following with every release, rocking 2019 for sure. The group’s latest EP Black Blood, Black Tongue is by no means a wrench in this roaring machine.
This EP is loaded with ruminating lyrical confessions to echo over wet drum slaps and rattling chimes, rising and falling in a progressive rock nebulous. The opening track “Sunshine Boy” has a Floyd-like overture, mimicking clocks with cymbal strikes as a brooding energy builds to the opening down beat.
Considering their lack of bandmates, this duo makes a loud bang when they emphasize their most vulnerable moments. The lyrics are relatable and expressive, without pushing towards a particular source. They know the capacities of studio recording and how to alter them, suiting the EP in an industrial armor.
Stripped clean is the final track of the EP “Hiding Beneath Ladders,” where we see the softest side of Mud Head. The meter is deceptively mixed, and the somber chord progressions lead us into an uneasy waltz. Bands with this versatility only come around once in a while, and performing their discography live would not only bring their music to new heights, but welcome them to develop their image, message and in due time, a massive following.
Songhoy Blues are set to release their new EP, Meet Me in the City via Fat Possum on October 18 in support of a 5-week North American tour. The band also helped kick off the United Nations Climate Change Week in New York City with a breakout performance in support of the historic Great Green Wall initiative they are helping bring to life.
The EP is their first collection of new music since the critically acclaimed album Résistance, which Rolling Stone called one of the best albums of 2017, and will be released on special edition yellow vinyl.
They recently shared two versions of the EP’s title track — one mixed by Blake Mills (Grammy-nominated producer of Alabama Shakes’ Sound & Color, John Legend’s Darkness and Light, and Perfume Genius’ No Shape) and the other by David Ferguson (known for his sound engineering work with “Cowboy” Jack Clement and on Johnny Cash’s American Recordings). The title track was written by Junior Kimbrough (with additional lyrics by Songhoy Blues and produced by Matt Sweeney).
Steeped in the deep traditions of classic Malian music & desert blues fused with a youthful and super-charged sound of today, Songhoy Blues formed in 2012 in Bamako after its members had left Timbuktu, which was under siege by Islamist militants. The band released their debut album, Music In Exile, in early 2015 receiving across the board praise, including a 5/5 rating in The Guardian who claimed, “they have all the makings of African-rock crossover heroes.”
Songhoy Blues says, “We’re really happy to introduce this new EP and our English-language debut on the song ‘Time To Go Home.’ Please enjoy it and get ready for a heavy new album coming up very soon.”
On PBS’ American Masters, Will Oldham spoke of working with Songhoy Blyes, saying, “They are a Malian band that’s really trying to make sense of what they’ve been witnessing, what they’ve been experiencing, and create or transmit a message to people about what they’re seeing and how they’re trying to understand it and make change…And to think, well I want them to know that I’m trying to listen and trying to understand, and if I can give voice to some of what they’re experiencing, that they might be emboldened by this musical connection.”
Most recently, the band completed a sold out run of UK dates, recorded a live session for BBC 6 Music; filmed an episode of the new UK TV show Noughts & Crosses in South Africa; featured in a new photography exhibit called My Rockstars by Hassan Hajjaj at La Maison Europeenne de la Photographie in Paris; and collaborated with UK artist Andy Morgan on a multimedia exhibition called Music & Conflict at the Imperial War Museum, which debuted in June 2019.
Songhoy Blues are also proud spokespersons for the charity WaterAID, and have helped to raise money & awareness toward providing relief in their native Mali. They will be appearing in an upcoming documentary on climate change in the Sahel; and were featured in the award-winning documentary “They Will Have to Kill Us First”, about the plight of musicians in war-torn Mali.
Indie-jam band Glass Pony has been performing throughout the Capital District over the last year, with a wave of fans in tow for each performance. On November 2, they’ll release their self-titled debut album with a release show at Parish Public House that night.
“Stardust” features dense sonic elements from dreamy background vocals meshed with guitar effects and funky bass grooves. The lyrical depth offers just enough ambiguity for listeners to develop their own meaning against a backdrop of the other musical elements. When performed live, “Stardust” serves as a vehicle for standout jams with the solo section navigating to new territory before being led back into the composition by guitarist Greg Pittz.
Lyrically, “Stardust” is meant to be open for personal interpretation with the underlying theme being the search for our place in the big picture of life – the questions, insecurities and realizations that are present in every stage of growth and development, with the goal of finding and settling into our place. Guitarist Eddie Hotaling says of “Stardust,” “Everyone is ultimately the king or queen of their cosmic experience, but the discovery of that concept manifests differently for everybody. That message can be found in the lyrics, “It takes a moment / let the stardust settle down / and all your thoughts could be delivered / everybody wears a crown.”
Glass Pony’s debut album Stardust was recorded and mixed by Eddie Hotaling at The Stables in Albany, NY and was mastered by Scott Apicelli at Blue Sky Recording in Delmar, NY. Glass Pony is Chanda Dewey (drums, vocals), Eddie Hotaling (vocals, rhythm guitar) Jeff Picarazzi (bass, vocals) and Greg Pittz (lead guitar). Featured on “Stardust” and multiple tracks on the album is Matt Richards (keys, Formula 5, Annie in the Water).
Boston’s Juniper today premiere their latest single “Concrete Ocean,” a song that tackles a theme of ‘aloneness,’ inspired by bassist Scott Johnson’s transfer to Boston University. The constant sensation of being surrounded by thousands of young adults his age, Johnson was still feeling isolated due to a lack of new friends and connections.
Johnson wrote “Concrete Ocean,” with band members Cam Ayer (lead vocals), Ahren Shreeve (guitar), Alejandro Marin (drums, vocals) and Sebastian Themelis (keys, vocals) aiding in the process throughout, making the track a full team effort in various arrangement aspects.
“The line “Who the fuck talks to me anymore?” in the third verse highlights that even though I would engage in conversation, it wouldn’t be about how I was feeling, or of any profound nature—merely day to day topics.”
“I look down on, the concrete ocean, with no notion, of where I’m going” refers to constantly looking out of my dorm window at the vast city and feeling overwhelmed as to whether I made the right decision to transfer, and further questioning what I was to do/what I want to do with my life now being in a completely new environment, and the calamity of both of those coming together. Feeling like I was drowning, “may it be in loneliness” identifies that this perpetual superficiality of my reality and the loneliness I felt was suffocating.
The end of the track and how it repeats the first two lines was meant to allude to the cyclical nature of my experience in transferring, and how others deal with similar issues, and how it may not be my last time having to undergo a similar experience.
A five piece band who began performing in the Spring of 2017, quickly garnered a small but strong fan base and that summer embarked on their first recording project. A 5 song EP was released in September of 2017, and the group have performed in Brooklyn, Burlington, and various venues around Boston MA in the past two years.
Since formation, Juniper have crafted their sound, which takes on a unique and eclectic energy, while maintaining a strong fluidity and purpose. Juniper derives their influence from the notion that what they have to say matters, that what everybody has to say matters. One’s voice and identity and what they experience transcends time and space, and connecting with people on that level through the medium of music is what Juniper values most.
