NYS Music 20​19

Category: Features

  • 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.

     

  • Panic! at the Times Union CenterC

    Panic! At The Disco made their fourth stop on the ‘Pray For The Wicked Tour’ at the Times Union Center Tuesday night. Shortly after openers Betty Who and Two Feet performed, all the lights in the arena went dark and a giant 10-minute timer was displayed; the sold out crowd eagerly waited as the clocked ticked down. During this time Weezer’s cover of “Africa” (Toto) was played over the speakers and the 12,000 in attendance shouted every word.  The clock hit 0:00 and the band rose from beneath the stage, followed by Brendon Urie himself, who was shot several feet into the air. Before landing he started the show with their single, “(F*** a) Silver Lining” from their 2018 record Pray For The Wicked.

    Panic! at the Times Union Center

    Brendon Urie is the only original member of Panic! At The Disco, who are entering their 15th year. With people coming and going, Urie has been able to keep his band unique and their sound ever changing:  from the Pop Punk album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (2005) to the Sinatra-esque sound of Death of a Bachelor (2016) and experimenting with electronic sounds in Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! (2013).  The one thing that has remained consistent has been the energy and powerful vocals that Urie has always brought.

    As the set rolled on, Urie continually amazed the awe-struck crowd from his smooth dance moves to his impressive falsetto. Around the midpoint of the show Urie made his way through the crowd interacting with fans, thanking them, giving handshakes and hugs as he sang “Death of a Bachelor.” Eventually he ended up at the far side of the arena, where a piano had been placed. He played a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” a song Urie said his mother used to play for him when he was a kid. The piano began to raise up off the ground. When the platform reached its peak, probably 50 feet above the crowd, it began to move back across the arena towards the stage. Urie then performed the soulful “Dying in LA,” from Pray For The Wicked, as he and his piano flew along the rafters of Times Union Center.  

    Panic! at the Times Union Center

    Shortly after the piano arrived back at the stage, Urie picked up the pace moving right into “The Greatest Show,” a cover form the 2017 film, The Greatest Showman. The group continued with their very theatrical performance and more upbeat songs, eventually moving into “Miss Jackson” from Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! During this piece a drum-set rose in the middle of the stage. Urie then played a 2 minute drum solo, finishing it with a backflip off the riser, then immediately moved into the outro of the song.

    A couple songs later a piano reemerged, this time on stage, and Panic! played their cover of the Queen mega-hit “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The crowd sang along with it as loud as the band was playing. Panic! At The Disco closed the night with a three-song encore that consisted of “Say Amen (Saturday Night),” “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” and lastly “Victorious”. Brendon Urie was determined to impress the crowd at every turn and he never disappointed. It was a night full of theatrical, energetic and powerful music leaving the sold-out crowd begging for more.

    • Panic! at the Times Union Center
    • Panic! at the Times Union Center
    • Panic! at the Times Union Center

  • Peace, Love and Posters: Bethel Center for the Arts holding poster contest to commemorate 50th Anniversary of Woodstock Festival

    Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is holding a poster contest in honor of Woodstock Festival’s 50th, Golden Anniversary. The press release describes this as not just another “festival poster” design.

    Woodstock 50th poster

    Bethel Woods is looking for students, amateurs, and professionals to design posters that not only celebrate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, but also captures their mission to inspire passion and purpose.

    The concept they are trying to capture is expressing progress in the world through creativity, self-actualization, love, and understanding for the next 50 years to come.

    Winners of the poster contest will be displayed throughout the Vibrations event series produced by Bethel Woods. Winners will also receive a cash prize of $2,500 but will also be given $1,500 in travel and lodging to visit Bethel Woods on June 5 to participate in the Power of the Poster event during Vibrations.

    The judges of the contest are two well known poster artists, with renowned Broadway poster artist Frank “Fraver” Verlizzo joining original Woodstock poster designer David Edward Byrd. Submissions can be entered starting Feb. 6 until March 14.

  • 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

  • Premiere: Caleb Churchill “Chuck Had Days Like This”

    Rochester-based musician Caleb Churchill is on the verge of launching his next album, the fourth in a span of a little over a year. “Chuck Had Days Like This” gives us a first glimpse at the upcoming release. Indie rock influences abound in this frantic percussion-driven song. And the stream-of-consciousness spoken word sections are reminiscent of the 90’s lo-fi avant-garde stylings of King Missile and The Mountain Goats.

    Churchill’s solo work shows another side of the frontman from Antilock, a garage punk band that’s been making waves in the underground music scene in Rochester for the past few years. More details about the new album will be revealed via social media. Follow on Facebook for news and upcoming events.

    https://soundcloud.com/user-980104660/chuck-had-days-like-this/

  • Lettuce Reels in While Ghost-Note Unleashes at Anthology

    When my friend first played me a burned copy of Lettuce’s Crush, when I lived in South Florida a couple years ago, I was instantly swept up in the bright, triumphant horns and contagious grooves. It was a new band to me but the music perfectly illustrated a part of my spirit that couldn’t be put into words, something I’d felt for a long time before hearing it played out in song.

    After that initial introduction, my commutes to work for weeks on end involved flying north on 95 in my perpetually overheating 2001 Ford Focus, routinely passed by luxury cars with a death wish, yet feeling my own kind of rich. I might as well have been driving a souped up getaway car fleeing from the authorities after a successful bank heist with Lettuce as my soundtrack.

    Having never seen them live, the January 10 show at Anthology couldn’t be missed. Though I’d largely over-saturated my ears with their sound, as is often the tragic irony for music lovers, I’d hoped a live show would rekindle an old flame and help me appreciate the band in a new way.

    Lettuce played through a bunch of new material, their steady, conquering sound invoking a sense of power in the listener. They were incredibly tight and well-rehearsed, but almost to a fault. Their performance lacked expression, crowd interaction and all the things that separate listening to the album versus going to a live show for the experience. I never felt connected to them.

    While it was a bit of a let down for me, when I looked around the room, my eyes were met by a sea of bobbing heads and contemplative smiles. It certainly wasn’t a bad show, just not what I was hoping for. Being the first night of their Vibe Up tour, maybe they’re still finding their momentum. Who’s to say.

    While Lettuce’s set was polished and serious, the opener, Ghost-Note, danced with creativity, spewing offbeat, avant garde solos, keeping the crowd guessing through their set. Embellishing their songs with humor, drummer Nate Werth pointedly flipped off the crowd midway through “Funk You Muthafunka.”

    Ghost-Note was also playing the first night of their Smack ‘Em tour, supporting their 2018 album Swagism, which is awesome. Taking way more chances on stage, they did get a bit muddy at times, with so many musicians trying to fill pockets. But their set was a nice contrast from Lettuce.

    The Vibe Up tour will see Lettuce dance down the east coast before heading out west for the last few shows. Ghost-Note will follow a somewhat similar trajectory, opening for Lettuce for the first handful of shows before splitting off.

    Lettuce Setlist: 4th Dimension, Blaze, Your Royal Highness, Purple Cabbage, Ready to Live, Silverdome, N’Dugu, Sam Huff’s Flying Ragin’ Machine, Madison Square

    Encore: Sounds Like a Party to Me

    lettuce jesus coomes

  • 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

     

     

  • Hearing Aide: Uncle Stump ‘Panacea’

    Just a little over a year after their debut album Family Tree, The New Jersey-based psych/funk rock band Uncle Stump have released their second studio effort, Panacea. Although officially an EP, this five-song release is jam-packed with the depth and diversity of a full-length album. Avoiding a sophomore slump, the band was able to capture the texture and sound of their live shows while in the studio. Something that can be challenging to artists that improvise as much as Uncle Stump does on stage.

    After the gloomy psychedelia, the record brightens up a bit with “Body Talk”. A lighthearted track with both tropical and jazzy sections, that is sure to end up being a dance-floor favourite for fans to sing along to. The final track of the EP “Anita”, starts as an upbeat and playful romp that finds itself spinning around into a deep groove, complete with vocals parts influenced by the likes of Zappa or Claypool. A catchy little jam you may find yourself humming even after the album is over.

    Uncle Stump has been added to this year’s Sherman Winter Jam at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, PA on February 16th. Headlined by revered Grateful Dead tribute Splintered Sunlight, the line-up promises to be a party full of explorative rock n’ roll.

    Key Tracks: “Room”, “Anita”

  • Hearing Aide: Ryan Sutherland “Sleepwalker”

    Like top shelf whiskey, country music is best served straight up. This is what Ryan Sutherland serves up in Sleepwalker. Pure unadulterated country, without any neotraditional, pop, or indie-rock influences to water it down. If you listen to what passes for country these days, and wonder what happened to musicians like Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, give this album a spin.

    I don’t trust any musician who works the bar venues and doesn’t have a decent drinking song. This 8-track long album’s got two. Sleepwalker kick starts with one of them, “Jimmy Tequilla.” Sutherland, with his guitar and slide, sings about the kind of guy everyone knows and shakes their head about. After the second chorus, the conclusion of song is told from Jimmy Tequilla’s perspective: You see, I can’t love nobody / as much as I love to hate me / She is like a deep dark well / A Better reflection of myself/ That’s enough to dull the pain. And in that moment, he becomes relatable as we realize that there’s a little bit of Jimmy in each of us.

    “Bar Weirdos,” the other drinking song, features harmonica interludes as Sutherland turns a phrase about the communal nature of local watering holes. Well, leave your politics and your worries behind / Drink your communion straight from the vine / Here at the bar we’re all the same. Although the song is set at a bar stool, it’s the kind of song that’ll make you want to dust off your old cowboy boots and kick up your heels.

    Sutherland continues to exhibit his ability to spin a yarn and set it to tune in “The Ballad of the Trap Man” and “Twisted Liz.” Interspersed are some songs that aren’t story-based: a contemplative medley called “Maybe Ya Can,” the longing reminiscence “Yuletide Regrets,” and the soul-searching “Two Bedroom Apartment.”

    Sleepwalker was recorded and engineered by Eric Pinales at Nothing to Lose Studios in Irondequoit, NY. The album art featuring a hiker in the mountains was designed by Adam Kujawski. Sutherland wrote and performed the entire album himself.

    Key tracks: Jimmy Tequilla, Bar Weirdos, Maybe Ya Can, Yuletide Regrets

  • Greensky Bluegrass shows fans the love at Winter Tour opener in Albany

    For their Winter Tour opener in support of the upcoming album All For Money, Greensky Bluegrass found an enthusiastic welcoming crowd at The Palace Theatre in Albany on Thursday, January 10. Fan familiarity has grown greatly throughout New York in the past few years with two memorable shows at The Egg (the latter of which sold out), and now, a tremendous show at The Palace in Albany.

    greensky bluegrass tour opener

    Circles Around the Sun performed a 45-minute opening set of instrumental Grateful-Dead-inspired compositions. The first few rows were packed-in with fans of Neal Casal’s Fare Thee Well project, which is finding tremendous response from fans in the live setting. The pairing with Greensky Bluegrass could not have been more perfect.

    Amid a sea of bobbing heads, who were rapt with attention throughout the night, Greensky kicked off their first set of the tour with a quick jumpstart in “A Letter to Seymour” and “In Control,” off 2014’s If Sorrows Swim. “All for Money,” the title track of their latest release was an early highlight, featuring instrumental consonance that was coupled with exquisite vocal harmonies, and had room to jam built in.

    greensky bluegrass tour opener

    “All 4” had an ebb and flow during the slow developing improv; one that grew to a remarkable peak before returning to a unified point. Greensky really shines when they unleash a jumble of jam inside their songs, always with an ear to bandmates and eventually finding their way home with applause to end the journey. It was followed by Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” to wrap up the first set.

    Dobro-extraordinaire Anders Beck said, as the band returned to the stage shortly after 10pm, “You can tell it’s Set 2 because it’s after the first,” and with that Yogi-ism it started with “Old Barns” and “Murder of Crows.” The lights on this evening towered over the band, and illuminated the audience in a minimalist design that fit the stage and sound aptly.

    Love was in the air on the back-to-back pairing of Jimmy Martin’s “Hit Parade of Love” and the ‘grassed up psychedelic reggae of Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved.” Happy Birthday wishes to Emily, from Beck, turned into Happy Birthday wishes to the entire audience over the course of the year. The show wrapped up with an encore of “Dustbowl Overtures” with a tip of the hat to NY in the vivid lyrics: “And the world’s whistle of a bullet going by / It’s a New York minute, New Mexico sky … It’s the volume of an image, it’s a vision in a song.” Closing the encore was the extended instrumental by the founder of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe, in “Wheel Hoss.”

    Greensky Bluegrass performs at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Saturday, January 12 and All For Money will be released on all platforms on Friday, January 18.

    Setlist:

    Set 1: A Letter to Seymour, In Control, All for Money, The Four > Bottle Dry, Into the Rafters, Like Reflections, Burn Them (1), Blood Sucking F(r)iends, All 4, Money for Nothing

    Set 2: Old Barns (2), Murder of Crows, What You Need (3), Hit Parade of Love, Could You be Love (4), Radio Blues, Broken Highways, Run or Die, Windshield

    Encore: Dustbowl Overtures > Wheel Hoss

    (1) – w/ Keith Kinnear (tambourine)
    (2) – New Barns arrangement 
    (3) – w/ Guido Batista (vibraslap)
    (4) – Moma Dance tease