The Wu Tang Clan legacy is alive and well, and is being carried on through the children of some of the iconic group’s more charismatic members. 2nd Generation Wu is comprised of iNTeLL (son of U-God), PXWER(son of Method Man), SUN GOD(son of Ghostface Killah), and Young Dirty Bastard(son of the late Old Dirty Bastard).
While they each have their own respective solo careers and records, the second generation rappers have decided to come together to continue the legacy left by their fathers, and have taken the first step in doing so, with the release of “7.O.D.”
The Jojo Pellegrino and J. Glaze produced record sees the younger Wu’s put their own spin on the Wu-Tang Clan’s most recognizable song, C.R.E.A.M. The record, while an ode to the legends that preceded them, does not stop the young emcees from distinguishing themselves and making it their own.
Aside from delivering their own personal lyrical warfare throughout the song, the famous line that Method Man employs on the original record, “Cash rules everything around me C.R.E.A.M., get the money, dollar, dollar bill y’all,” has been changed to, “God made everything around me, forget about the money, none of it is real y’all.” Showing that the new Wu is quite aware of their different upbringing, proving the content won’t always be the same. One thing that seems to be everlasting though, is the grittiness of the beats and the rhymes.
NYC based singer songwriter Anthony D’Amato released the first single, “Wrong Shade of Blue,” from his upcoming EP, Five Songs From New Orleans, out on Velvet Elk Records.
Captured almost entirely in the living room of an historic 1860’s Garden District home, Five Songs From New Orleans feeds off the Crescent City’s irrepressible creative energy and draws inspiration both from its stately beauty and its haunted decay.
D’Amato engineered, produced, and mixed the whole EP himself, treating the songs as raw, unfiltered snapshots of his time in town, and the performances documented here are loose and improvisatory to match. The end result is a spare and organic collection, one that’s comprised exclusively of acoustic instruments and draws on an eclectic array of New Orleans sounds, from Cajun fiddle to blues guitar, from Dixieland clarinet to washboard shuffle, from classic country to fingerpicked folk.
“This whole experience really caught me by surprise,” said D’Amato, a New Jersey native who now calls New York City home. “I came to New Orleans for a housesitting gig in between tours, and I ended up writing and recording a whole new collection with a whole new band and a whole new sound.”
While each of the songs on the EP grew out of D’Amato’s
experiences in New Orleans, some tracks are more explicit in their lyrical
portraits than others. D’Amato spins an Ash Wednesday hangover into a metaphor
for post-honeymoon love on the playful “Party’s Over,” imagines life after
death in one of the city’s largest cemeteries on the bluesy “Metairie,” and
uses New Orleans as a lens through which to examine the widening economic,
racial, and political divides that have come to define modern America on the
twangy “Some Folks.”
I came to New Orleans for a housesitting gig in between tours, and I ended up writing and recording a whole new collection with a whole new band and a whole new sound.
Anthony D’Amato
Those who pre-order the EP ahead of its November 15th release on D’Amato’s web site, will get access to bonus materials (signed CDs, vintage New Orleans postcards, handwritten lyrics, t-shirts, fine art prints).
Anthony will be celebrating the EP’s release at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City on November 13th. He will be joined that night by very special guest John Gallagher Jr. (TONY Award winner ‘Spring Awakening’, HBO’s ‘The Newsroom’), Tickets can be purchased in advance of the show.
Ithaca’s progressive soul band, Noon Fifteen, today premieres “Time For Me,” off their upcoming album At the Festival. They’ll celebrate the album release at The Range in Ithaca on Friday, November 2.
“Time for Me” introduces the suite’s protagonist, sung by bassist Harry Nichols, and sets up musical ideas which are revisited, twisted, and elaborated on throughout the piece. The song serves as the jumping off point for the album and was the first part written, having been inspired by a trip to festival during where Nichols witnessed a grieving friend experience renewal.
A small town band with a big imagination, Noon Fifteen’s first release, Volume One, showcases the band’s vintage soul roots and hinted at its progressive tendencies. With At the Festival, the band dives head first into that prog propensity. The record is a seamless 22 minute suite, a mini rock opera that tells a tale of grief, and questions how far we should go to remember those we have lost.
Based in Ithaca, the five-piece is influenced by 1960s California and Liverpool, 1970s Memphis and New Orleans, and the DIY ethos of the internet-powered independent music scene. Fronted by Mandy Goldman (vocals), Noon Fifteen is Samuel B. Lupowitz (keyboards & vocals), Joe Massa (guitars), Harry Nichols (bass, percussion, & vocals), Phil Shay (drums & vocals), and are joined by Chris Ploss for the album (percussion & vocals).
At The Festival was recorded & mixed by Chris Ploss at Sunwood Recording in Trumansburg, NY, with additional recording by Samuel B. Lupowitz, and was mastered by Matt Saccuccimorano at Scaramanga Industries.
SweetWater 420 Fest 2020 has announced that Oysterhead – the supergroup of Anastasio, Primus bassist Les Claypool and Police drummer Stewart Copeland – will be headlining the festival along with the Trey Anastasio Band.
Also part of the initial lineup are Gary Clark Jr., Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Lake Street Dive, The Floozies, Dr. Dog, The Marcus King Band, Larkin Poe, Delta Rae and Funk You. Thirty more artists will round out the diverse lineup set to be fully announced in January. The annual festival will take place April 24-26 once again on three stages in Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, GA.
Not only does the festival bring to the community local breweries and artists but also plans on maintaining its focus on the environment with priority put on waste diversion and compost creation. In the past the event has recycled more than 240,000 pounds keeping it from landfills and created 60,000 pounds of compost. There will also be the return of the 4:19 Got a Minute to Give charity auction which has seen a lot of artist involvement in the past.
SweetWater 420 Fest also hosts a 5k that is a USATF Certified race and is a Peachtree Qualifier. The 2020 race is set for April 25. Runners can purchase combo tickets. Early bird tickets are on sale via Eventbrite now.
Grammy-nominated band, The Wood Brothers, have a new full-length on the way. Honey Jar/Thirty Tigers is putting out the studio album, Kingdom In My Mind, on January 24, 2020. They’ve just debuted the first song, “Alabaster.”
Kingdom In My Mind is a follow-up to 2018’s One Drop of Truth, which hit #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and garnered the band their first GRAMMY Award-nomination for “Best Americana Album.” The material for the forthcoming album started as they were breaking in their new Nashville studio, as they were tracking instrumental jam sessions to get a feel for the facility.
“If we had known we were making a record, we probably would have been too self-conscious to play what we played,” reflects Chris. “At the time, we just thought we were jamming to break in our new studio, so we felt free to explore all these different ways of playing together without worrying about form or structure. It was liberating.” Preorders the album here.
The Wood Brothers are currently finishing out an extensive US tour. They’ll be in NYC on January 30 and 31, Rochester on February 5, and Albany on February 8. Some of the proceeds from ticket sales go to support Thistle Farms, a Nashville-based non-profit organization which helps women to rebuild their lives.
The Wood BrothersTour Dates
11/15 – Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre ^ (Sold Out) 11/16 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue ^ (Sold Out) 11/18 – Old Saybrook, CT – Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center 12/3 – Baton Rouge, LA – Manship Theatre ^^ (Sold Out) 12/4 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater ^^ 12/5 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre ^^ 12/6 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler Theater ^^ (Sold Out) 12/7 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom ^^ 12/9 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown ^^ 12/11 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen ^^ (Sold Out) 12/12 – Steamboat Springs, CO – Strings Music Festival 12/13 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater ^^ 12/14 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater ^^ 12/15 – Breckenridge, CO – Riverwalk Center ^^ 1/29 – Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head Live 1/30 – New York, NY – Webster Hall 1/31 – New York, NY – Webster Hall 2/1 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore 2/3 – Toronto, Canada – Mod Club Theatre 2/5 – Rochester, NY – Kodak Center 2/6 – Burlington, VT – Flynn Center for the Performing Arts 2/7 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall 2/8 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre 2/9 – State College, PA – The State Theatre 2/11 – McKees Rocks, PA – Roxian Theatre 2/12 – Richmond, VA – The National 2/13 – Chattanooga, TN – Walker Theatre 2/14 – Nashville, TN – The Ryman 2/27 – 3/1 – Punta Cana, DR – Avett Brothers at the Beach (Sold Out) 3/4 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom 3/5 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent 3/6 – Santa Barbara, CA – Campbell Hall 3/7 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater 3/8 – Eureka, CA – Arkley Center for the Performing Arts 3/10 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theater 3/11 – Kirkland, WA – Kirkland Performance Center 3/12 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom 3/13 – Vancouver, BC – Imperial 4/2 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre 4/3 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre 4/4 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre 4/5 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre 4/7 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre 4/8 – Columbus, OH – Southern Theatre 4/9 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel 4/10 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel 4/11 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
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
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.
Editor’s Note:Mike Powell is a singer-songwriter from Central New York. In addition to his work as a solo artist, he also leads the soulful rock band The Black River. Powell and fellow CNY singer-songwriter Chris Merkley have embarked on a four-show mini-tour of microbreweries across the state searching for the connection between songwriting and brewing. This stop brings us to Local 315 in Warners
Powell will be returning to the studio soon to record another solo album and his band The Black River is releasing its second full-length album ‘Gypsy Winnebago’ on Nov. 1.
Merkley is the owner of Old Boy Records and curator of the Seedstock Festival in Cortland each summer.He also performs with The Crooners and Digger Jones and has composed original music for television and film, including the acclaimed HBO series Generation Kill.
This is the final installment of a four-part NYS Music series documenting the Original Gravity Tour and contributed by Powell. The first installment of Powell’s tour diary can be found here. Day two can be found here. Day three can be found here.
This past Sunday was the final show of the Original Gravity MicroTour and before I share my final recap I would like to first say thank you to Mike Kohli and NYS Music for allowing me the opportunity to be a guest contributor over the course of the past week. I highly value, respect and appreciate the energy that your team puts into keeping music fans like me up to date on the happenings around this state and beyond. I don’t get to exercise my journalistic side of the brain very often so, needless to say, this experience truly scratched a long burning creative itch.
I brewed my first batch of beer roughly ten years ago and have been homebrewing sporadically ever since. As I told Mike Kohli on the phone last night when he was asking about the timing of this final piece, I’ve always lived my life like a starved trout swimming against the stream ready to chase anything shiny that catches my eye. I guess you could say that I’m very curious by nature and I seemingly find a strong sense of comfort when I’m traveling down an unfamiliar road. I’ve learned over the years why I choose to live this way. When I learn a new skill it gives me a deeper understanding and a newfound appreciation for those that do it and those that do it well.
I knew that after I went through the process and experienced each step of brewing I would never taste a beer in the same way. After I wrote my very first song as a teenager I started to listen to music differently and on a deeper level. I started making furniture after college and since then I’ve never again sat in a chair without recognizing the craftsmanship and design. So I guess what I’m getting at is, diving headfirst into new things and venturing into new territory gives me a look under the hood on what makes it go. This approach has added color to my life’s wheel and simply fills me with deep admiration.
Coming from a former professional athlete this may sound a bit odd but I’m not a very competitive person. Well, not in the expected sense anyway. I never set out to become better than anyone else, that’s not what drives me. My drive lives on the inside, its a challenge within myself. For example, I know I will never write songs better than Bob Dylan and I’m one hundred percent aware of that fact, but I know that there’s a song in me somewhere that’s better than my last one. That is what keeps me moving. After exploring and talking with brewmasters over the past several years I think we share a similar mentality.
Our last performance saw our biggest crowd of the tour at Local 315 Brewing Company in Warners. I’ve played at this establishment quite a few times and what strikes me most is the cult-like following this brewery has created over its short time in existence. Surrounded by nothing but hop poles, goats and donkeys, this farmstead brewery has put out top quality brews and supported live original music since its inception. The weather on Sunday was absolutely perfect with the sun shining over the cornfields and illuminating the laid back outdoor area that has become this joint’s centerpiece.
With dogs chasing frisbees and kids running after one another, this atmosphere feels like you’re at a family reunion in a relative’s back yard. So Chris and I approached it that way and treated the afternoon as loose as we possibly could. Having fun with the crowd and realizing that although everyone was listening to us, we weren’t the center of attention, we were simply just playing our part and fitting into where we should. I’m happy to report that we were able to continue our live poetry on-demand experiment throughout the duration of the tour and people really seemed to get a kick out of it, everyone except Chris and myself. We closed out the Original Gravity MicroTour with our twist on “Got My Mojo Working,” finished our final beers and headed our separate ways.
This run has been a short but adventurous ride and as the sun sets on the horizon I would like to reflect back on some memorable moments.
Chris Merkley is awesome. His performances are so dialed in and tight. What I find amazing is how his musical style seems to fit in just about any scenario. Mine isn’t like that so it really stood out to me. He could play the same set at a festival, a club, a theater or a house concert and it would work and work well.
Chris Merkley almost killed a kitten with his Prius. While we were loading out our gear at Abandon Brewing we heard some purring coming from the engine. Which is normal but not when the car is off. Chris popped the hood and found a kitten sitting between the fuse box and the windshield washer fluid. Luckily he coerced it out without some old sheet pizza and carried it to safety.
We saw photographer and good friend Brian Cornish at two of the stops and he told us two separate jokes. Both of which made us laugh and neither of which would be appropriate to publish here.
I didn’t even take my camera out of my truck at Local 315, so the visual content of this post is brought to you courtesy of your very own Mike Kohli. Thank you, dude.
Although there were many highlights and funny moments when it came to the live poetry challenge we were having, my favorite moment was Chris’ lovely work of art titled “Bloody Mary” when the audience gave him the words “Worcestershire” and “butt” to work with.
Seeing familiar faces. We had several people come to every show and have fun touring with us. I think they were more into the beer component.
And finally tasting the amazing beer. Worth noting that if either of my grandfathers were alive and walked into a bar to find me smelling and swirling a flight of beer they would both kick my ass. But times have changed. I loved the Woods Valley Witte and Pocket Change IPA from Copper City, the Session and Dunkel at Abandon, 20 East NEIPA at Heritage Hill and Soul Kissed IPA from Local 315.
You haven’t see the last of Original Gravity MicroTour.
Editor’s Note:Mike Powell is a singer-songwriter from Central New York. In addition to his work as a solo artist, he also leads the soulful rock band The Black River. Powell and fellow CNY singer-songwriter Chris Merkley are embarking on a four-show mini-tour of microbreweries across the state searching for the connection between songwriting and brewing. This feature looks at their stop at the Barn in Pompey
This is the third of a four-part NYS Music series documenting the Original Gravity Tour and contributed by Powell. The first installment of Powell’s tour diary can be found here.Day two can be found here.
Music is a traditional art form that’s continually evolving, adapting and building with each generation. No matter how progressive or unique the sound, if you listen close enough you will hear the influence of a predecessor. I really think that’s the beauty of it all, it’s the connection. It was this emotion that led the Original Gravity MicroTour to a third-generation beef and crop farm in the rolling hills of Central New York. Family farms are steeped in rich history and are forced to evolve alongside the ever-changing economic landscape.
Brothers Nick and Dan Palladino of Heritage Hill Brewhouse took the wheel of their expansive family farm in 2011 with a rough idea of what they wanted to do with it. The one thing they knew for certain was that it had to stay in the family and the tradition needed to carry on. The farm has seen many changes over the years and has countless stories to tell. One conversation with co-owner Dan Palladino and you will feel his strong passion for bearing the torch.
When Chris and I booked this MicroTour we were well aware that we might run into some fall time weather issues. Heritage Hill Brewery, like most microbreweries, highly values live music and has built infrastructure that supports this mission. Besides their large rustic tasting room and restaurant, they built a large outdoor stage complete with seating and fire pits. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t really cooperate and we decided to move the show inside their massive old hay barn. As a kid that grew up on a dairy farm, I was pumped about this idea. This decision turned out to work in our favor and we found the sound to be really magical in this big space.
Five minutes before our show was slated to start there were only three people in the barn including Chris, myself and Dan. I was seriously worried that we were about to play a show for absolutely no one. I said to Dan, “Do you think anyone is going to come to this thing?” He laughed and replied, “Oh, they will be here.” And just as he said that he pulled open the big garage door and people started flooding in and by the time Chris hit his first chord there were well over 100 people. That number just grew and grew as the day went along. So I felt much better, filled a glass with their number one seller, 20 East, a hazy New England style IPA and watched Chris kill it as only he can.
You could hear the goats calling out in the distance and the birds singing along in the rafters. Just like every craft beer and every song, each stop on the Original Gravity MicroTour has been unique and quite different. This was a magical day and everyone in the barn was smiling and having a great time. To make it even more special, we learned that this particular day marked the one year anniversary of the brewery.
I would like to thank Len Widdekind, the entertainment director, for allowing us to play. Len is a fellow musician with great taste so we were honored that he fit us into the schedule. After the show, Dan invited us into the tasting room and laid out a spread of delicious farm-raised food that Chris and I devoured while he told us passionate stories of the family’s origin. You could feel his sincerity and pride with each story he told.
Many thanks to the Palladino family and all of those involved at Heritage Hill for carrying on a tradition and creating such a wonderful space for the community to enjoy. The only thing more abundant than the beer were the smiles. Happy anniversary Heritage Hill Brewhouse and here’s to many more years of music, beer, crops & beef.
Two things that I have come to realize during this short run:
1. Playing the shows, contributing the written pieces, filming and editing the videos, writing poetry on demand and taking the photographs all while drinking craft beer is exhausting. So when I pulled into the parking lot and saw Brian Cornish with his camera it really helped take the pressure off. Thank you to Brian for capturing these wonderful photos.
2. I’ve have discovered a common thread throughout this tour. I understand that this is a general statement but from my experience, brewmasters don’t like to be recognized. They like to just do their thing and make their beer. I’ve had a really hard time getting these guys to open up and take credit for the amazing brews they are making but they are too humble. It almost adds more mystic to the art of brewing.
Below is fan-recorded audio of Powell’s Saturday set courtesy of Chris Fisher.
The Original Gravity Tour concluded Sunday with an outdoor performance at Local 315 Brewing Company in Warners. Powell’s thoughts on the final day of the tour will publish here on Tuesday.
