NYS Music 20​19

Category: Features

  • Mike Gordon Brings His Funk to Jersey City

    Phish bassist Mike Gordon brought his brand to Jersey City, NJ for a rocking St. Patrick’s Day’s show. The current lineup includes Gordon, guitarist Scott Murawski, drummer John Kimock, keyboardist Robert Walter (JJ Grey, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress) and percussionist Craig Myers.

    Gordon’s band is nearing the end of a March tour that started in Atlanta, GA and moved up the East Coast. Upcoming dates include Buffalo, NY and Cambridge, Mass. The band will also play at Jazz Fest in April.

    Jersey City’s White Eagle Hall was the venue for this rocking event. Originally built as a community center, this restored historic building is in the downtown area. On this night, White Eagle Hall was sold out and at capacity.

    Set 1 began with the band entering to a roaring packed crowd. Mike showed off his matching illuminated bass with Murawski’s guitar. His funky, slappy bass playing transcended these songs, creating a rocking dance party. A cool multi-colored light show accompanied the music. The set ended with the high energy “Crazy Sometimes.”
    Set 2 picked up where set 1 left off. “Sweet Emotion” was the notable cover from the set. Elizabeth Nestlerode sat in with the band during the encore for “If You Want Me.” Nestlerode is a Broadway star in The Other Josh Cohen. The show ended on a high note with Jersey City anxious for more of the Mike Gordon Band.

    SET 1: Whirlwind, Steps, Sleep to Dream, Got To Be More Careful, Tropical Rocket, Angatta, You Strike My Main Nerve, Crazy Sometimes

    SET 2: Tiny Little World, Stealing Jamaica, Put Down The Phone, Noon to Noon, When Your Mind’s Made Up [1], My Favorite Mistake, Jones, Sweet Emotion

    ENCORE: If You Want Me [2], I Am Random

    [1] Mike Gordon debut.

    [2] Mike Gordon debut; with Elizabeth Nestlerode on vocals.

  • In Focus: Antibalas Celebrates 20 Years at Brooklyn Bowl

    With lead singer Amayo preaching ‘deep unconditional love’ throughout the night, Antibalas performed to a sold out crowd on the second night of their 20th anniversary run at Brooklyn Bowl this past Saturday.

    The fusion of African and Cuban music that Antibalas has brought to audiences for two decades is one that is rich in history and message, bringing the influence and sounds of Fela Kuti to a new generation. For nearly two hours, the 12-piece band and special guests took to the stage, creating a rich, full sound that moved the captive and diverse audience. Here’s to at least two more decades of Antibalas!

  • Aqueous Goes Big in Rochester

    It was an unremarkable day on the calendar and a fairly unremarkable day outside, but inside the doors of Anthology in Rochester big things were happening. Buffalo’s Aqueous, who’ve called Rochester their second home since near their inception, were moving on from their frequent and beloved haunt Flour City Station. Like a hermit crab, they shed that shell and crawled the short distance down East Ave and nestled into the much larger Anthology. Remarkably, the band sold the venue out on their first visit.

    Everything about the move was big, The crowd, the stage, the lights, the sound. The crab had long outgrown its shell and was just yearning for this expansion. In other words, Aqueous wasn’t overwhelmed by the shift. On the contrary, it allowed for a huge release long in the making. To celebrate the occasion, the band planned to even make the show bigger, by adding a third set. And not just any set, plopped right in the middle of two regular-sized Aqueous sets was a fully improvised second set.

    It was a risky endeavor, but at worst a ho-hum jam set had the safety of being surrounded by two strong Aqueous sets. Ho-hum it wasn’t. The band found theme upon theme upon groove in five to ten minute segments pieced together seamlessly for a full 65 minutes. During that hour all in attendance were equals. No matter if this was someone’s first show or someone’s 100th, no one knew what was to come, band included.

    The set had no lulls and little to no meandering. It was defined and refined jamming. It felt familiar, until it didn’t, until it did again, mixing and matching genres along the way. It was EDM, then, “Oh damn!” It got Dead-y, then deadly, Phishy then fizzy, went from metal to meta, Ska to “Gah!” PeAQ Aqueous. When the band revisits the recording of the set they could easily mine a few new songs from it.

    The middle set was the highlight of the night, but of course there was plenty to love about sets one and three. “The Median” opener blasted the evening open with a soaring fiery jam. “Origami” got disco funky before a slow building theme peaked and exploded. “Good Enough” contained one of the more beautiful segments of the night, with a progression reminiscent of Jerry Garcia Band’s version of “Dear Prudence.” And “All In” and Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” were a fun big rock combo to close out the third set in the wee hours of the morning.

    Anthology still has that new venue smell and is ripe for the taking. Friday night, Aqueous put a stake in the ground. All that’s left to do is raise the flag. Their new Rochester home is well underway to being claimed.

    Setlist:
    I: The Median, Kitty Chaser (Explosions) > Undone – The Sweater Song (Weezer) > Kitty Chaser (Explosions), Origami > Good Enough > Complex I, Warren in the Window
    II: Improv
    III: 20/20 > Aldehyde, Underlyer > Marty, All In > Run Like Hell (Pink Floyd) > All In
    E: Jam > Triangle

  • NYS Music’s March Madness: Round 1

    It’s that time of year again – sure there are a few dozen basketball games happening over the next few weeks, but its also time for NYS Music’s version of March Madness! In the past, we have looked at up and coming bands from around the state, for a friendly competition that introduces these rising artists to the NYS Music audience.

    This year, we look to the past and present for our field of 64 famous New York musicians and artists from all corners of the Empire State. Frank Sinatra, Jay-Z, Paul Simon, Arlo Guthrie, Cab Calloway, Billy Joel, KISS, Anthrax, Neil Diamond and Lou Reed are all included, as well as more recent artists breaking through such as Sean Rowe and Aqueous.

    This year’s field is also a great way to learn about some artists who hail from NY that you might not have known about. Yes, Lana Del Rey is from Lake Placid, Anthrax was formed in Queens, Rick James and Goo Goo Dolls call the Queen City of Buffalo home, Ra Ra Riot are Syracuse University graduates, and State Champs calls the Capital District home.

    Big thanks to this year’s sponsors, Buffalo Iron Works, Anthology, TIP the Band, and Funk n Waffles.

    Voting for Round 1 is open until midnight on Wednesday, March 20. You can also vote on each bracket on Twitter, and we will combine all votes together ahead of Round 2, which starts on Thursday, March 21 at Noon.

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  • Mike Gordon Sells Out Asbury Lanes

    On Saturday, March 16, Mike Gordon played to a capacity crowd at Asbury Lanes, a new Jersey Shore venue brought to you by The Bowery Presents. The Phish bassist’s solo outfit is not to be missed, with Craig Myers, Robert Walter, and John Kimock the band is fun and tight, exploring each song. But it’s the long time collaboration with Scott Murawski that makes these shows ebb and flow through a funky jammy sound that is a lot of fun. Mike Gordon will be out on his solo tour for the rest of the month of March and for any Phish fan it is a must see.

    SET 1: Different World, Victim, Infinite > Jumping > Meat, Black Tambourine, Let’s Go

    SET 2: Up And Down, Sughn Never Sets, Yarmouth Road, Marissa, Cities, Face

    ENCORE: Destiny Unbound, Gimme Some Lovin’

  • Los Blancos Bring Feeling To Historic Earlville Opera House

    On the first truly warm day in Central NY, Los Blancos, took the stage at a Historic Theater. The Earlville Opera House was built in 1890 and has survived many changes throughout its history, with the most recent phase beginning in 1970. Los Blancos keys/harp player Max Eyle’s father was actually in attendance and was the first Director of this beautiful theater.

    Just as the day, the room was warm with an excited audience, intent on hearing Los Blancos debut show at the famed Opera House. The sound in this space was perfect for the band’s very intimate performance.  One could almost compare a show here to a classic episode of VH1 Storytellers.  Colin Aberdeen, on guitar and lead vocals, seemed to sense this and kept the crowd laughing between songs with tales of the various incarnations of his band, playing bar rooms and theaters and everything in between, as well as shenanigans over 25 years of playing regionally and touring.

    [bs-quote quote=”Man it feels like we are playing at a campfire in here and I’m setting my drink on the back of a pickup…This is an incredible and legendary place, with so many icons having played here before. You can really feel it and it’s an honor to be here.” style=”style-2″ align=”center” color=”#dd3333″ author_name=”Colin Aberdeen” author_job=”Los Blancos, Guitar”][/bs-quote]

    The Syracuse based band used this show to play many original songs. Of the few covers, Los Blanks dug deep into blues/americana with Dan Penn and Earle King. With Aberdeen’s lead and Steve Winston’s solid bass playing, Eyle was allowed room to get the blues driven tunes in full gear. Lenny Milano held a steady backbeat on the vintage house drum kit from 1965 to complete this foursome with perfect fills, choosing his moments.

    Los Blancos as a whole, played the room astonishingly well, earning ovations for solos and commanding the attention of the room. Listening in this mostly wooden space, sounded like a live album that had already been mixed down. It is no wonder both the band and The Earlville Opera House have been at it so long.

    The band was able to fuze elements of swing, down home blues, and on some of the slower tunes, a campfire feel that set the tone. Aberdeen actually mentioned this in the second set addressing the audience: “Man it feels like we are playing at a campfire in here and I’m setting my drink on the back of a pickup.” During intermission he spoke about the history of the theater, which boasts many incredible performers over the years. “This is an incredible and legendary place, with so many icons having played here before. You can really feel it and it’s an honor to be here.” Los Blancos has over 200 songs in their repertoire and asked if they made a setlist Aberdeen said, “Sometimes we have an idea, but man we just play what feels right for the room.”

    Photo contributed by Sean Nevison

    Theater Director, Michelle Connelly, noted that “We are thrilled to have Los Blancos here tonight! They are a true burst of energy with heart and soul and they blew the roof of the place tonight!” The concert tonight was a testament to the theater’s great programming and care in every detail of the show.  The audience could see it in the smiles of the players, and the mutual respect could be felt as each song was enjoyed thoroughly be this very attentive crowd.

    If you are around the Syracuse area, make sure to look out for Los Blancos. They are true masters of their crafts and very humble musicians. The audience was won over from the very beginning with the band’s playing and charm. There is certainly something special about Earlville Opera House as well, that brings the best out of its performers – creating a positive and fun atmosphere, in one of the best listening rooms in New York State. This is a must see theater and one of the few Opera Houses left. The first floor is also an art gallery and there are many special events throughout the year as well.

  • Punch Brothers Entrust Ithaca with 2019 Kickoff

    Chris Thile, taking a break from his day job as host of the radio show “Live From Here,” got the band back together for a spring tour with the Punch Brothers with a tour that started with a return to the State Theatre in Ithaca. A place that banjoist, Noam Pikelny deemed to be too trusting due to the fact that on their last visit, a stranger on their flight offered them a place to stay just a few minutes after meeting them.

    The show was mostly a get-down-to-business affair, songs flowed effortlessly into each other and chatter was held to a minimum. Though some songs required further explanation, such as when they featured two different Tiki drink-themed instrumentals in the set. First the World War II drink “Three Dots and a Dash.” Later it was “Jungle Bird,” which Thile eloquently provided the recipe for. This then devolved into an argument with Pikelny over the meaning of “cheeky bit.” It was a comedy bit reminiscent of “Live From Here” and a welcome comedy break.

    The show concluded with an encore played unplugged and front of stage. The crowd was whisper quiet and the acoustically-sound room carried “The Hops of Guldenberg” to the furthest reach without issue. Without prompt the crowd joined in for some hearty “Oh Boys” for the show closer. The trust was warranted.

    Opener, Gabriel Kahane, played a short set of solo piano and guitar pieces. After the 2016 election, Kahane spent two weeks traveling by train with no phone or other modern technology, passing the time conversing with passengers in the dining cars, trying to understand and connect with people. He wrote an album’s worth of material about the experience and played some of it in his set, beautiful and meandering piano pieces. As about as stark a contrast as one could imagine, he sandwiched in a group of mini songs based on bizarre and comical tweets he read, with subjects like killer cats, Marie Kondo and Mr. Peanut.

    Setlist: Movement and Location, My Oh My, All Ashore, Flippen, Boll Weavil, Alex, Angel of Doubt, Three Dots and a Dash, Just Look at This Mess, Jumbo, Another New World, Passepied, New York City, Julep, Jungle Bird, Skeleton Key
    Encore: The Hops of Guldenberg, Oh Boy

  • Hozier transforms Palace Theatre into Church Wasteland, Baby

    Andrew Hozier-Byrne is having a great week. His sophomore album, Wasteland, Baby, hit #1 on the US Billboard charts. He played Good Morning America and the Colbert Show before selling out Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo and the Palace Theatre in Albany. And to top it off he’s getting ready to celebrate his 29th birthday on St. Patrick’s Day.

    From the moment Hozier came out onto the Palace stage, the crowd was clapping, singing and swooned into a mesmerized trance, hanging onto every word that came from Andrew’s lips. Great lighting added to the drama of the night and the long awaited debut of Hozier to the Capital region was well worth the wait.

    In November 2019, Hozier released a new song entitled “Jackboot Jump”, following live performances of it on tour. This song, besides being a direct reference to George Orwell’s 1984 alludes to social demonstrations in Hong Kong, Russia and in America.

    Alluding to upcoming songs, Hozier also performed a new song whilst on tour entitled “But the Wages” that refers to temperatures rising as well as riots all around the world, while wages remain the same.

    “I have a strong aversion to anyone in a scene-y way. In certain parts of the world where people are blowing smoke, I’ve an absolute allergy to it. I just f**king hate it. I have a strong aversion to people trying to ingratiate themselves. I don’t want to be ingratiated upon in any way, shape or form. Scenes are to be avoided, I think.”

    from an interview with the Irish Times

    Setlist: Would That I, Dinner & Diatribes, Nina Cried Power, Jackie and Wilson, Someone New, NFWMB, Wasteland, Baby!, Shrike, To Be Alone, Nobody, Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue), Almost (Sweet Music), Movement, Take Me to Church. Encore: Cherry Wine, Work Song

  • In Focus: Bob Weir and Wolf Bros Shine at Count Basie Theatre

    Completing a stellar two night run at the historic Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, Bob Weir and Wolf Bros continue to shine, expanding the Grateful Dead’s legacy to new heights. Bob Weir is in top form, and is supported by two amazing musicians; Don Was on bass and Jay Lane on drums, each bringing their own style to the performance. Highlights included “Blackbird,” “Deal” and “Eyes of The World,” but it was the extremely intimate and emotional rendition of “Standing On The Moon,” that didn’t leave a dry eye in the building and rounded out an amazing two nights for the band and deadheads alike.

    Set 1: Easy to Slip, Gonesville, Blackbird, K.C. Moan, Odessa, Hell in a Bucket, She Belongs to Me, Corrina, Deal

    Set 2: Me and My Uncle, Cassidy, Truckin’, Fever, Ashes and Glass, Don’t Let Go, Eyes of the World, Standing on the Moon, Going Down the Road Feelin’ BadEncore: U.S. Blues

  • Say it Ain’t So, Albany loves Cuomo? Weezer and Pixies take on Times Union Center

    Weezer and The Pixies arrived in Albany on Thursday, March 14 with a full tank of gas and a show that will make you remember why you sang along to all these songs in college. Of course, Weezer is still cranking out new material, with The Black Album released earlier this month, and an album of covers in The Teal Album. Combine this with all the classic Weezer you could possibly ask for and impressive stage production that traces the evolution of the band, from the early days in the garage to the arena rock they unleashed tonight, and you have the makings of a fantastic performance from Rivers Cuomo and company.

    Kicking off the set with a barbershop quartet version of “Buddy Holly” in front of the draped stage, “My Name is Jonas” started the set proper with a Happy Days themed high school stage setup revealed. Pinkerton’s  “Pink Triangle” followed for a taste of early Weezer to please the eager crowd of Gen-X-ers. The first of five covers, Weezer’s take on “Africa” by Toto, might be the only time you sing this 80s hit with thousands of others, without a hint of shame. During the intro for “The Sweater Song,” the stage morphed into a garage setup, which served well for the next sequence of songs:  “Pork and Beans” (featuring a VHS tape recording of early Weezer antics), The Turtles “Happy Together” with a segment of Green Day’s “Longview” seamlessly worked in, the apropos “In the Garage,” “Buddy Holly” and the debut of The Black Album’s “High as a Kite.”

    As the stage underwent its final transformation, Rivers Cuomo hopped in a boat-on-wheels that brought him to the opposite end of the arena, where he serenaded the crowd with acoustic versions of “El Scorcho” and “No Scrubs.” As he was wheeled back around the arena towards the stage, a darkened stage welcomed Cuomo back for Jane’s Addiction’s “Up the Beach” and sing-alongs of “Beverly Hills” and “Island in the Sun.” To close the set, a-ha’s “Take on Me,” “Perfect Situation” and “Hash Pipe” closed the set, the latter with flames shooting up around the stage. For the encore, Weezer gave a sampling of songs from mid 00’s ((“If You’re Wondering if I Want you to) I Want you to”), and the 90’s (“Surf Wax America” and “Say it Ain’t So”) for a career spanning performance of nearly two dozen songs over 90 minutes.

    Weezer setlist: Buddy Holly*, My Name is Jonas, Pink Triangle, Africa, You Give Your Love to me Softly, Undone – The Sweater Song, Pork and Beans, Happy Together->Longview->Happy Together, In the Garage, Buddy Holly, High as a Kite, El Scorcho^, No Scrubs^, Up the Beach, Beverly Hills, Island in the Sun, Take on Me, Perfect Situation, Hash Pipe

    Encore: (If You’re Wondering if I want you to) I want you to, Surf Wax America, Say it Ain’t So

    *Barbershop quartet version ^Rivers solo acoustic

    UK rockers Basement kicked off the night with a short set of generic rock anthems with a stark 90s influence. The band, particularly animated lead singer Andrew Fisher, all had great energy to start the night but the sound fell flat on a limited crowd, still making their way into the Times Union Center.

    Pixies followed with Paz Lenchantin subbing for Kim Deal and her voice and presence were well suited for a band well into their fourth decade. Guitarist Joey Santiago nailed riffs throughout the 22 song set with Black Francis leading the way. The Pixies brought out deep cuts as well as familiar songs (thanks in part to ad placements) including “Gigantic,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven” and the classic “Where is my Mind?” At times it felt like Pixies would be better suited to a setting like The Palace, or even The Egg. They made a great pairing with Weezer, but an intimate evening with Pixies would be a true treat for fans who grew up on this incredibly influential group.

    Pixies setlist: Gouge Away, Vamos, Crackity Jones, Gigantic, Wave of Mutilation, Death Horizon, Here Comes Your Man, Tame, Rock Music, Monkey Gone to Heaven, Classic Masher, No. 13 Baby, Caribou, Planet of Sound, Hey, Broken Face, Bone Machine, Cactus, Debaser, In the Witching Hour, Something Against You, Where is My Mind?

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