The Adirondacks are known for their mountains and beautiful scenic views, but soon they are going to be known for being from where singer-songwriter Ashley Sofia hails. Her new album Shades of Bluedropped on September 6 and is definitely something folk enthusiasts should look into. She not only holds the sole songwriting credit on every track, but also takes inspiration from her travels across America and her own family history to create this unique album in a time when uniqueness is becoming harder and harder to find. With 13 original tracks, the album builds off of Sofia’s Adirondack roots and Nashville sound where she is currently living, writing and recording music.
Album cover of Ashley Sofia’s new Album ‘Shades of Blue.’
The album starts with the track “Slowing Down” which has an eerie violin introduction which bleeds into a soft plucking guitar that builds into Sofia’s vocals stepping out from nowhere. It’s an unarguably folksy sound with Sofia’s ‘just so slight’ country twang that creates a beautiful, and slightly haunting, song that will stick with the listener as feeling familiar yet unknown at the same time just like its subject matter: love. It keeps with the folksy feel while also keeping a bare bones track with just vocals, guitar and violin occasionally dropping by that fits with the bittersweet lyrics.
The track that stuck out the most was “Tangerine and Blue” with the upbeat and full band accompanying the strikingly opposing colors in the song’s name and chorus. “Tangerine and Blue” mirrors the conflicted feelings about leaving that Sofia is singing about within it. There’s something about Sofia’s lyrics that keep her songs fresh even though they are revolving around cliche’ and typical topics. They don’t come off that way though because of her word choices that create vibrant visuals for the listener.
Some of Shades of Blue was hard to really connect with. She has a lot of songs with American tropes like freedom, and dreams, which paired with the country folk sound but wasn’t really my thing. But her song “Looking For America” redeems this aspect of her work for me. It’s not all “rah rah rah” America, it focuses on how America isn’t how it should be. This isn’t something I usually come across in country-influenced folk music. The song revolves around how the American dream isn’t something that’s realistic and how she’s looking for the America she wants to believe in which was refreshing to see within this genre.
Ashley Sofia wasn’t someone on my radar before but she definitely is now. Her take on folk country isn’t one that has been overplayed and has lyrical integrity and uniqueness with groovy tracks that build up perfectly which keeps the listener coming back to listen to Shades of Blue over and over again. For more information visit Ashley Sofia’s website.
Key Tracks: Tangerine and Blue, Looking for America
Willem takes the modern languid sounds of Post Malone, Mac Miller and combines it with the mellow tones of WIlco and Neutral Milk Hotel. He hails from Albany but is currently a musical engineering student at Purchase College. His debut EP uses the elements of his previous collaborations with NRV and SIMONEAR (Tomorrow, Mrs. Rebound) and blends them into a moment leaving you wanting more.
“Hit the Floor” was released as a teaser for the EP in the spring: it’s joyful, flirtatious lyrics are combined with a soft but driving beat that ends with the listener yearning for summer. “November” reminds you of rainy, bittersweet days in bed with a partner and recognizing that winter is coming just like the end of a relationship.
The interlude between the tracks provides the emotional space for one to consider the next song title.
“We Could Be Friends” brings about the renewal and inner maturity needed to release the listener from grappling with the previous tracks themes. With “Lately,” Willem’s voice reaches a place unexplored earlier; he takes it down a step and explores a level a loneliness that resonates with the rest of the EP but holds the potential for more to come.
What more is there to say? It’s short but not in a way that punk, grindcore, or any other genre priding itself in brevity could hope to muster. Willem achieves something that many young artists want but rarely earn: writing a debut worth listening to on repeat and being able to do so if you have more than 10 mins to spare–it’s like Reign in Blood for the digital era, but without the physical sensation of flipping a cassette to hear the same good time again.
London-based trio The Comet is Coming present a dark and earthshaking sound with their blend of jazz, electronica and psychedelia. Shabaka Hutchings (also of Sons of Kemet and Shabaka and the Ancestors) plays a frenetic and chaotic saxophone over haunting and pulsing percussion from drummer Max Hallett. Swirling, psychedelic synths by Dan Leavers drown the mix, making the listener feel as if they are trapped in a jazz apocalypse dream.
Fresh off their new LP, The Afterlife, released in September on Impulse! Records, the band began a short October tour on Tuesday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. A simple stage set-up, with a lone, dim red light illuminating the drum kit center-stage awaited fans as the doors opened. With no opener, Comet quietly took the stage and began playing some lighter jazz progressions as the band was seemingly just loosening up. Then, with a loud crescendo, the band dove right into their heavy jazz rock.
The sound of The Comet is Coming stands distinctly apart from Shabaka’s other projects, and most of the modern jazz scene. The Afterlife can easily be the soundtrack for any number of cosmic apocalypse movies. It’s a raw mix of Sun Ra’s spacey sound with dance-floor ready techno percussions.
For roughly an hour and a half, the band flew in and out of tracks from all of their releases, but relying heavily on The Afterlife. There was no lull to speak of – as one song was coming to an end, one of the musicians was already looping the next track to keep a continuous flow. Each band member took their turn with a solo, which seamlessly integrated into the setlist. A simple back-lit stage cast the band in silhouette – giving the music that extra bit of ominous mystery.
Shabaka Hutchings of The Comet is Coming. Photo by Buscar Photo
The Comet is Coming have cemented their status as one of the more exciting and intriguing modern jazz bands out there. Their live show is a visceral, cathartic experience and each new release sees the band pushing their music further down the rabbit hole of underground jazz. They continue on a short run of dates in early October, ending with a stop at Austin City Limits on October 11 before heading over to Europe.
BHuman has crafted the soundtrack to your next intergalactic dance party. BMovie is a theatrical concept album of interstellar proportions, springing from a love of sci-fi and 1950’s horror flicks enjoyed by Londoner Billie Lloyd and New Yorker Harrison Scott, the members of this queer pop duo.
In dramatic fashion, BMovie offers an overture, intermission, and interlude-providing segues. These futuristic instrumental tracks use clips of dialog, including lines from old movies, serving as a fun way to weave their work with the existing framework of sci-fi pop culture. They also help to lend context to the songs and move the story line forward.
The first song on the album is a cover of Cher’s mega-hit “Believe.” BHuman has stripped back the song to emphasize the bittersweet sentiment of the lyrics, then contrasted it with light and airy percussion and synth. The song debuted earlier this year, just in time for NYC Pride.
As delightful as this opening is, it’s only the beginning. BHuman’s original songs interlace captivating synth pop melodies and fantastical vocal hooks to create soundscapes that are out of this world. The music maintains an ethereal levity as BHuman explores interpersonal relationships and learning how to be comfortable in one’s own body.
The album builds to an incredibly vulnerable and touching climax with “Teachmehowtobeyourgirl.” We’ve moved past believing in life after love, past using people in “Distraction,” through the web of lies that people weave in “Fiction.” Here we enter a space where it is safe accept one’s self, to love another person, and to discover what it really means to be human.
Key Tracks: Distraction, Fiction, The Other Way, Teachmehowtobeyourgirl
Ace Frehley and his band once again returned to the Hudson Valley on September 28 at The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie. Ace and his bandmates Ryan Cook, Jeremy Asbrock, Phillip Shouse and Matt Starr performed to a full house and the energy was electric.
The Rocket Man was consistently in top form and still blew the audience away. The night was a good mix of Ace’s originals from the opening song “Rip it Out” to a great cover of Eddie Money’s “I Wanna Go Back” along with many KISS classics like “Rocket Man,” “Cold Gin,” “Detroit Rock City,” a few sizzling guitar solos and, of course, the crowd favorite, “Back in the NY Groove.” The venue was packed and the band was on fire, combining with excellent sound and lighting from the historic Chance Theater. It was a show to remember.
Ace’s tour continues with dates in Stuart, Orlando and Kruisefest in Florida in October; then Dallas and Houston in TX; Bakersfield, Big Bear Lake, Agoura Hills, Ramona, Santa Clarita and Pasadena in CA in November; and Rosemont, IL and Westland, MI in December.
A 3-D photo from the front row which is only viewable on Facebook as 3-D
Setlist: Rip It Out, Parasite, Hard Times, Watchin’ You, Rocket Ride, I Wanna Go Back, Mission to Mars, Strange Ways, 2000 Man, Rock Soldiers, New York Groove, Shock Me, Cold Gin, Detroit Rock City, Deuce
Yung Gravy brought the love to Terminal 5 on Saturday in the form of rotisserie chicken. A 23 year old rapper out of Minnesota, Yung Gravy’s music is inseparable from its humor, defined by its positive quality and littered with charismatic moments such as that of gassing up Mrs. Butterworth.
His live performance radiates the same spirit, hand delivering water and scraps of rotisserie chicken. All this while still maintaining an exceptional energy with moments like parting the crowd down the entire venue and backflipping out of crowd-surfs.
Later in the show, bbno$ joined the stage and closed the show performing “1 Thot 2 Thot Red Thot Blue Thot” along side SavageRealm in a giant thrifted doll mask.
On Saturday night at Industry City, Antibalas delivered their infectious Afrofunk, closing out the Summer Series presented by City Farm Presents. They were joined by the sassy High and Mighty Brass band, rooted in sounds from New Orleans funk to R&B and hip-hop. Both bands exceeded expectations, despite missing parts of their regular lineup, in this new and exciting venue within a redeveloped section of Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
High and Mighty Brass Band
The High and Mighty Brass band brought their energy and unique covers to Industry City. The bands stealthy line up included Charlie Kay (vocals), Evan Howard (drums), Tyler Tritt (trumpet), Nolan Tsang (trumpet), Dan Lehner (trombone), Corey Wilcox (trombone), Vija Brown (guitar), Chauncey Yearwood (percussion and vocals), and Steve Duffy (sousaphone). Two notable covers included TLC’s “Waterfalls” and Ginuwine’s “Pony.” The band recently released “Pony” on video, shot in their hometown of NYC.
Amayo from Antibalas
Antibalas took the stage and continued the high energy affair with their signature blend of Afrobeat, which incorporates elements of improvisation, jazz, funk and traditional drumming. Vocalist and original member Amayo engaged the crowd with his positive vibes and inspirational spirit throughout the night. The talented band members on stage included Jordan Mclean (trumpet), Marcos Garcia (guitar), Reinaldo De Jesus (percussion), Giancarlo Luiggi (shekere), Timothy J Allen (guitar), Kevin Rackza (drums), Raymon Mason (trumpet), Eric Biondo (trumpet), Michael Buckley (baritone sax), Lynn Ligammari (saxophone), and Vince Chiarito (bass). Notably missing from the lineup was the founder, saxophonist Martin Perna, however the replacements held their own, making for a memorable night of music in Brooklyn.
Madison Square Garden was given a heavy dose of uptempo funk on Saturday September 28 as the entire arena was surging with energy as Fearless Flyers and Vulfpeck brought their A-game to a sold out MSG.
Fearless Flyers, one of Vulfpeck’s many side projects, opened the night. Right out of the gate they came out swinging with heavy bass lines at an incredibly quick pace. All dressed in fighter pilot jumpers, the band was cool and clean as they ripped through each song.
Vulfpeck came out to a roaring arena, its members being announced one by one. They started the set with their incredibly upbeat “Animal Spirits” and went quickly into “Cory Wong.” After each song, the band moved seamlessly around the stage, changing instruments and showing off their incredible versatility.
After several songs, Antwaun Stanley joined the band on stage for “1612” which sent the fans into a frenzy, and appeared to be the climax of the night until the band got the crowd singing the chorus to “Back Pocket,” the intensity roared on for the rest of the night.
Vulfpeck Setlist: Intro, Animal Spirit, Cory Wong, My First Car; Daddy, He Got a Tesla; Smile Meditation, Running Away, Baby I Don’t Know Oh Oh, 1612, Funky Duck, Aunt Leslie, Wait For the Moment, Back Pocket, Beastly, Christmas in L.A.,Dean Town
“Have an epic party for me and play my favorite records and remember all the good times we had, the music, images, and waves we caught. That’s all.” These words from Neal Casal shown on The Capitol Theatre stage, began the tribute of his life after the lights went down and Exile on Main Street had stopped playing over the house speakers. His message, hope, and dream were put on display for the audience and it wasn’t until “Moonlight Mile” started to play that everyone realized that our friend was truly gone. The crowd was so eager for this show to start and visibly sad once it finally did. All eyes were on Neal’s jacket, draped over a lone chair on stage with his guitar resting silently next to it.
This musical wake consisted of numerous segments, each focusing on different chapters of Neal’s life. The first set highlighted Neal’s earlier work and had his friends and collaborators each share songs that Casal had written, while the second set highlighted his projects with friends over the last decade. Behind the stage was a screen showing pictures from Neal’s life as well as the photos Neal took himself. Gary Waldman led us through Neal’s life between songs, telling stories that highlighted their friendship and also his experiences as Neal’s manager. The emcee’s jokes and tales had the crowd engaged and excited for each new detail he’d share with in his stories.
The two hour first set was full of beautiful solo performances, touching respects and countless collaborations from Neal’s former band members. Hazy Malaze, one of Casal’s early bands, ended the set before Peter Shapiro came on stage to thank the crowd for coming out. He regaled the audience with a tale about needing “intermission music” for the Fare Thee Well shows and how that led to the creation of Circles Around The Sun. Before leaving the stage, he announced that the stage at the Garcia Forest at the Lockn’ Festival will now be known as the Neal Casal Stage.
After a very short intermission, the tribute continued with a more upbeat second set starting with Beachwood Sparks and then the premiere of the new Circles Around the Sun lineup featuring Eric Krasno on guitar. Joe Russo also popped in for a tune before coming out with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead with Adam MacDougall filling in for Marco Benevento. After a few songs, Chris Robinson came on stage and played with a few members of Chris Robinson Brotherhood to end the set. The late hour didn’t deter the crowd or the performers, and the entire lineup came out for an encore performance of “Farther Along” and a final prayer Robbi Robb to end the night. It was a memorable, emotional evening that left everyone both fulfilled and drained after five and a half hours of music.
You can watch the entire Tribute below on Relix’s YouTube channel.
Denver, Colorado psychedelic jam-trio Cycles are making their way through the northeast this week, performing a series of shows throughout New York state as part of an extensive 2019 fall tour. Last night, the band played at Buffalo Iron Works, with Colorado’s The Magic Beans and Connecticut’s Eggy, for a commemorative night celebrating the venue’s tenth anniversary. This past Wednesday, Cycles sat down for an interview with NYS Music in Brooklyn, NY, just before performing a set at famed music club The Knitting Factory.
This was a first time appearance for the trio’s drummer Collin O’Brien, not only at the venue, but in Manhattan altogether. “I haven’t been to New York in like fourteen years,” he told NYS Music. “I’ve been freaking out walking around all day.”
It was a return, however, for the band’s guitarist Patrick Harvey and bassist Tucker McClung, whom have performed as Cycles in NYC before. “We’ve played New York a few times,” said McClung. “There was Brooklyn Bowl, and then we played at American Beauty once, for a Phish after party. That was really fun.”
“There’s a really sick jam from that [Phish] show,” said Harvey.
Sick jams were definitely in full supply for their The Knitting Factory show, which saw the band deliver a full range of musical styles, from jazz to funky-metal to soulful rock, across a dizzying set of songs that were all linked together via impeccable technical abilities.
While new to the city, O’Brien is also a relatively new addition to Cycles, at least as a full time member. The Chicago-born drummer moved to the band’s home base of Denver earlier this year and jumped on board with the band just in time for huge gigs like Arise Music Festival, Peach Music Festival, and Resonance Music Festival just last weekend. “I love it,” he said. “This has been the best summer of my life.”
He certainly fits into Cycles’ live musical experiment, with constantly shifting drumbeats and tempos thrown up against barrages of shrieking guitar solos from Harvey and slap-happy bass rips from McClung. As a unit, the band navigates an amazing balance between improvisational spontaneity and technical precision, and the results fuse together unique, often even quirky, song material with a sustained sense of freewheeling whimsy. A sense that, musically, anything could happen at any moment.
In their Knitting Factory show, they showed this resolutely. Some songs bled out into super spacey, affecting moments of trippy space rock. Other moments saw battles for highest intensity between chromatic guitar picking and dramatic drums fills—sometimes while McClung was balancing his bass on one finger like a vaudeville performer. At one awesome point in the set, Harvey broke from a melodic guitar solo to incorporate audio samples of an eighties’ sounding, glam rock tune into a hard-driving metal-funk jam from bass and drums. Does that sound odd? Absolutely. It is exhilarating and actually pretty groovy.
“I think when we first started, it used to be challenging to make it sound really full,” commenting on the three-piece driving force behind such heavily improvisational shows night after night. “But now, it just feels like I get to do whatever I want all the time. We’ve been playing together so much over the past three years, I feel like we all know where to get in and fill space, or where to leave space.”
Tucker McClung, Bass.
“Yeah, there is a lot of freedom in not having a lot of people on stage,” said O’Brien. “It’s easier to communicate ideas more instantaneously.” This sense of freedom is what gives the band the inspiration to perform a live musical game show next month, at Denver’s Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom (where they will actually have many people on stage).
Tucker broke the concept down to NYS: “It’ll be one set of us performing as Cycles, but we’ll open up the night with a set of this game show. It’s going to be a super interactive experience. We might have as many as 30 to 40 people coming up intermittently and participating in the show, and we’ll be the host band for this Johnny Carson mixed with Wheel of Fortune kind of experience.”
“And,” added Harvey, “we have a game show host who is the freakin’ man! Dennis Craig. Definitely the best host any game show could ask for.”
“It’ll be a healthy amount of uncertainty,” said O’Brien. “Stuff will go wrong in the best possible way.”
Cycles Guitarist Patrick Harvey. Photo: Miles Hurley
The rest of Cycles’ schedule coming ahead has them linking up with jam scene contemporaries like The Magic Beans, Sunsquabi, and others. The trio looks forward to a huge hometown show in December: a debut at Denver’s The Fillmore Auditorium opening up for Umphrey’s McGee.
“I used to see them all over the place when I lived in Chicago,” said O’Brien. “They’re so nice. They’re just some normal guys that are like really, really freaking talented.” McClung, meanwhile, talked about seeing the six-piece staple act for the first time at this year’s Resonance Music Fest. “Yeah, they did an acoustic set which was pretty awesome. I was getting really pumped watching it.”
This week, catch Cycles as they finish their New York stretch with a show tonight at Syracuse’s The Westcott Theatre, followed by shows next week at Olive’s in Nyack and at The Hollow in Albany. While this season of touring seems to continue a road-tested sense of hardcore gigging for the band, they show no sign of slowing down, an instead an invigorated and grateful attitude for the experience.
When you’re as blessed to be doing what we’re doing, it’s foolish to be agitated at the world. Because you have this awesome opportunity to rock out. There’s nothing better than this. If there was something better than this, I’d be doing it.
Patrick Harvey, Guitar.
For more information about the band, their music, and their upcoming shows, head to their website.
