NYS Music 20​19

Category: Alternative/Indie

  • LOCKN’ Changes Dates, Moves to Three Days – 8th Annual Event to Celebrate Phil Lesh’s 80th

    LOCKN’ returns for its eighth year at Infinity Downs and Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, VA on June 19-21, a shift from it’s usual dates in late August. This year’s festival will be extra special as LOCKN’ has put together a star-studded celebration of Phil Lesh’s 80th birthday. Lesh is best known as a founding member and bass player for the Grateful Dead.

    “I am honored that Peter and the LOCKN’ family are throwing me the most special kind of birthday bash this year!” says Lesh. “It’s perfect because I’ve had so much fun there over the years — not just playing, but also getting to hang out and spend time with good friends and collaborators, some of whom I have just met and others whom I have been playing with since this all began. We are going to have a lot of fun.”

    Lesh at 2016’s LOCKN’

    Festival co-founder Peter Shapiro stated, “We’re going to celebrate Phil’s 80th the LOCKN’ way.” He continued, “He means so much to all of us, and we really are determined to give him the best party he’s ever had. We want to celebrate the man and his music in the best way possible. No better way than on our farm in that setting.”

    LOCKN’ 2020 has pulled out all the stops for the celebration. Attendees will be able to experience for the first time ever at the three-day event the option of adding the Thursday before. Dubbed as “Steal Your Thursday” attendees can start the party early with a “Jerry Dance Party” on June 18. Expect a psychedelic audio/visual experience that celebrates the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. If that is not enough LOCKN’ for you, there is an option to come on Wednesday that gives you early access to the farm.

    LOCKN’ LUMNI tickets will be available beginning Friday, Nov. 8 at 8:08 a.m. For complete ticket information and much more, please visit the LOCKN’ website here.

  • Hearing Aide: Full Body ‘Always There’

    Full Body is a Rochester-based rock band that has been making music that fits their name. The band’s deep brand of gangly rock is unique and rounded, tying in elements of shoegaze and post-rock to make something in the realm of noise rock. Their most recent release, Always There, cements their sound in a well produced record. The band is composed of Dylan Vaisey, Jack Chaffer, and Jacob Kotler. Full Body has been navigating the local scene with a sound that stands out, relentless in their writing of melancholy and bittersweet music. 

    The album has just eight songs, but is constantly engaging. Each song has a sweet melodious center, but the band fills out the rest with oblique instrumentals. “Hard Drive” is a great example of this, with its lurid opening slowly building out chorus-washed guitars into a vigorous guitar solo. The vocals carry the tune well, though they never really take the spotlight away from the mood the song is conveying. This is the case throughout the album as each song is more a product of its parts.

    The tunes are short and to the point; there’s no meandering and no ideas that feel unfinished. The third track, “Alias,” is a great look at the band’s ability to mesh together different ideas and grooves to create coherent and viable songs. Though each part compliments the others, it should be pointed out that the drumming on this album is stellar and warrants a close look on its own. The deft navigation of song structure in the rhythm section, including bass, adds a lot of thickness to each tune. “Sonic Boom” is another hard hitting song that shows this. 

    Overall, Always There is certainly worth a listen through. It is short, interesting, and very well written by a band that is making their own sound and owning it. Full Body has found a niche, but they are not afraid to break out of that to take creative risks that ultimately pay off. Be on the lookout for Full Body to come to your town, and make sure to support by streaming their music on services such as Spotify and Bandcamp.

     

  • Caravan of Thieves to perform 2019 Holiday Concert at FTC Stage One

    Folk troubadours Caravan of Thieves will return to stages across North America this winter after taking two years off from touring for personal and artistic growth and they’ll celebrate their return with a holiday concert performance at FTC Stage One on Saturday, November 16. Marking their only show for the remainder of 2019, Fuzz and Carrie Sangiovanni got their start in Bridgeport, CT in 2008 and have continued to expand their artistic vision and bring in a variety of new stringed instrument players into the Caravan of Thieves lineup.

    Originally inspired by the big band swing era, the Quintette du Hot Club de France, and early American folk music, the acoustic guitar playing and singing duo Caravan of Thieves took local musicians Brian Anderson (upright bass) and Ben Dean (violin) out on the road with them to test drive their new concept. By the end of 2008, the Caravan began to gain recognition for their distinctive style, released their debut full-length album Bouquet (2009) and have shared stages with a wide variety of artists such as Emmylou Harris, Dan Hicks, The Decemberists, Keb Mo, Tom Tom Club, Punch Brothers, among others. Live performances cover a wide range of intimate acoustic duets to exciting junk-percussion jams to big audience stomp, clap and sing-alongs.

    According to Fuzz and Carrie, “We’re driven to consistently entertain our audience, in concert and on our studio recordings, which lends to building a community of listeners who can be involved in our show and our creative process in some way, as well as a variety of artists who we can share our vision with. These elements allow our band and our music to be alive and have a soul.”

    Fuzz and Carrie brought in some change for 2016 and went out for a few national tours with new members of the group, releasing a duo album Maple Hill Sessions, Vol 1 (2016), an intimate recording inspired by the recent duo moments in the Caravan of Thieves shows.

    The recharged Caravan will embark on a winter tour with select East Coast dates which have yet to be announced.

  • Senior Living release music video for “Heathers”

    Albany’s Senior Living has released the music video for “Heathers,” the closing track off their 35mm EP that was released over the summer.

    The video was shot and directed by Nadia Boye from SUNY Oneonta, and centers on water and the fluidity of nature, with a focus on the moods and emotions inspired by the ground beneath our feet and the world that we live in and are a part of each day.

    Senior Living are planning shows for January around the Northeast and Southeast. More details to come.

  • Sleeping With Sirens Announces 2020 ‘The Medicine Tour’ with Set It Off, Belmont and Point North

    Pop – punk group Sleeping With Sirens will set off on a 21 stop North American tour in 2020 to celebrate  the release of their new album “How It Feels To Be Lost.” Joining “The Medicine Tour” starting in Lincoln, Nebraska on Jan. 8 will be alternative rockers Set It Off, Belmont and Point North. Along the way, they will make a stop at Upstate Concert Hall near Albany on Febr. 4 before ending the tour a few days later in their current residence of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

    How It Feels To Be Lost is Sleeping With Sirens’ fifth full-length studio album since emerging onto the scene in 2010. Returning to a post-hardcore sound, the  record features tracks like “Leave It All Behind,” “Break Me Down,” and “Agree To Disagree,” as well as the track appropriately titled “Medicine (Devil in My Head).” Recorded at the MDDN Studios in Los Angeles, the album was produced by Zakk Cervini and Matt Good.

    The group’s daring ability to push the envelope in rock has pumped out music infused with different genres from pop, acoustic and some R&B. A loyal fan base known as “Strays” has helped them reach over 1.5 million in record sales, millions of streams and three gold singles. Tickets for “The Medicine Tour” go on sale Friday, Nov. 8, at the group’s website.


    Sleeping With Sirens, Set It Off, Belmont + Point North 2020 Tour Dates

    Jan. 8 – Bourbon Theatre – Lincoln, NB
    Jan. 10 – The Forge – Chicago, IL
    Jan. 11 – Skyway Theatre – Minneapolis, MN
    Jan. 12 – Granada Theatre – Lawrence, KS
    Jan. 14 – Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO
    Jan. 15 – The Depot – Salt Lake City, UT
    Jan. 17 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
    Jan. 18  – Regency – San Francisco, CA
    Jan. 20 – Encore – Tucson, AZ
    Jan. 22 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX
    Jan. 23 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX
    Jan. 25 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
    Jan. 26 – The Cowan – Nashville, TN
    Jan. 28 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
    Jan. 30 – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ

    Jan. 31 – Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
    Feb. 1 – Palladium – Worcester, MA
    Feb. 4 – Upstate Concert Hall – Albany, NY
    Feb. 5 – Phoenix Concert Theatre – Toronto, Ontario
    Feb. 7 – The Crofoot – Detroit,MI
    Feb. 8 – The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI

  • The Joy Formidable Celebrates 10 Years Since Debut EP

    In celebration of the 10 year anniversary since the band’s debut EP A Balloon Called Moaning, Welsh alternative rock group The Joy Formidable have announced ‘The Ten Years Floating Tour’ in North America for the upcoming winter. This comes just after the end of a fall acoustic tour with Devotchka, a four-piece instrumental and vocal ensemble from Denver, CO.

    During the tour, the band will make three stops in New York. First performing back to back nights Dec. 5 and 6 at the Rough Trade in Brooklyn. They will then make their way to Albany for a show at The Hollow on Dec. 7.

    Additionally, The Joy Formidable has released a special double album edition of their debut album. In keeping with the band’s desire to pay homage to their Welsh heritage, they will also release an acoustic Welsh language version called ‘Y Falwn Drom’. Already available through Hassle Records, there will be a double CD and double colored vinyl. It is a limited edition with only 1000 copies and can be purchased here. Featuring the single “Whirring,” A Balloon Called Moaning was originally written and recorded in a bedroom by Ritzy Bryan (lead singer and guitarist) and Rhydian Davies (vocalist and bass) over 10 years ago in North Wales.

    On the new release, Ritzy explains; “We’ve been through such a lot as a band over the years, it’s been a really reflective studio session, returning to the old recordings and transforming them into these beautiful stripped back, intimate versions. It’s exciting hearing them in the Welsh language because now they have new life too and can be a celebration of language as well as memory.”

    The Joy Formidable – Tour Dates
    Nov. 29 – Rock & Roll Hotel – Washington, DC
    Nov. 30 & Dec.1 – Boot & Saddle – Philadelphia, PA
    Dec. 3 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA
    Dec. 5 & 6 – Rough Trade – Brooklyn, NY
    Dec. 7 – The Hollow – Albany, NY
    Dec. 10 – Velvet Underground – Toronto, ON
    Dec. 12 – Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL
    Dec. 13 – Colectivo – Milwaukee, WI
    Dec. 14 – Fine Line Music Cafe – Minneapolis, MN
    Dec. 17 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
    Dec. 18 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
    Dec. 20 – The Chapel – San Francisco, CA
    Dec. 21 – The Teragram – Los Angeles, CA

  • Brooklyn art-pop group San Fermin ‘Run Away’ with Carly Rae Jepsen Cover

    San Fermin, an art-pop project from Brooklyn, have shared an acoustic cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit single “Run Away with Me.” Reinterpreted by bandleader Ellis Ludwig-Leone, San Fermin’s cover finds vocalists Claire Wellin and Karlie Bruce harmonizing for a warmly emotive take on the Emotion classic. 

    Regarding the acoustic rendition, Ellis Ludwig-Leone says, “Carly Rae’s version is a perfect party song, with that synth lead and four on the floor bass drum, so we went the other way with it. The lyrics are actually pretty intimate and lend themselves well to a quieter version. It was fun for us, as a band with eight members, to do something truly stripped down.” 

    “Run Away with Me” follows the October release of the group’s newest album The Cormorant I. Currently in the midst of their North American tour, San Fermin will continue with headlining dates across the U.S. and Canada before concluding with a hometown finale at New York’s Brooklyn Steel on December 6. Get ticketing information and details here.

    San Fermin is the project of Brooklyn-based composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ellis Ludwig-Leone, who pairs lushly avant-garde arrangements with pop-minded melodies that are brought to life by his bandmates. Formed in 2012 – shortly after Ludwig-Leone completed a job assisting composer Nico Muhly – San Fermin made their debut with a self-titled 2013 release hailed by NPR as “one of the year’s most ambitious, evocative, and moving records.” With the 2015 release of Jackrabbit and 2017’s Belong, San Fermin garnered extensive critical acclaim, selling out shows worldwide and appearing at major festivals and opening for the likes St. Vincent, The National, Arctic Monkeys, alt-J and more. Having recently signing to Sony Music Masterworks, San Fermin usher in a new chapter with the release of The Cormorant I, the first of an eventual two-part project encompassing the scope of their new trajectory.

    San Fermin

  • Hearing Aide: Noon Fifteen ‘At the Festival’

    Ithaca, NY based progressive soul band, Noon Fifteen is set to release its epic prog-pop suite, At the Festival, Halloween weekend. Packing a punch in its 22 minute run-time, the album is a brilliantly-efficient storyteller.

    The members here are key to its delivery, starting with Mandy Goldman on vocals, whose dynamic range and myriad styles power this piece. Rounding out Noon Fifteen are: Samuel B. Lupowitz (keyboards & vocals), Joe Massa (guitars), Harry Nichols (bass, percussion, & vocals), and Phil Shay (drums & vocals).  Joining the band on this outing is Chris Ploss, not only on percussion and vocals, but he also recorded and mixed the album at Sunwood Recording in Trumansburg, NY.

    At the Festival explores the mood of Hero, the protagonist of the piece, as he contemplates the state of his life – past and present. Wondering where the time has gone and trying to truly feel his emotions, Hero conversely numbs himself with liquor and pills. It is this internal struggle that underlies the entire mini-rock opera.

    The alternate musical styles of At the Festival drive the narrative through the album. The band shines here moving effortlessly between pop soul sounds, prog rock riffs and sonically soaring movements. The free, yet vocally stunning “Wandering” showcases the beautiful harmonies this group can deliver, and simultaneously offers a small respite to Hero. As the story works to conclusion, it is apparent that Hero’s struggle is not over as he is battered by mourning and lost love in “Rock Bottom” and he defiantly disavows everyone in “My Ghost.”

    Well-crafted and performed, At the Festival is a testament to Noon Fifteen’s willingness to explore and grow musically. This is an effort to be cheered.

    Key Tracks:  Time for Me, Rock Bottom, My Ghost

    Join Noon Fifteen for their album release party at The Range in Ithaca on Saturday, November 2.

  • Hearing Aide: Glass Pony ‘Glass Pony’

    Albany, NY based band Glass Pony is dropping their debut self titled album today, November 2, on all streaming platforms. The seven-track album has head-bopping beats that make you want to get up and move. The four piece band made up of guitar, bass, and drums gets inspiration from everything in between the 60s and 90s, with influence from rock, punk, indie, and jam band genres, according to their bio.

    The album starts with “Grover’s Mill 1938,” which is a groovy opener. With a runtime dropping in just under 9-minutes, it’s a long listen, but one worth listening to. Its usage of multi layered vocals has a somewhat ‘Pixies meets jam band’ feel to it, that keeps you entertained throughout. 

    Glass Pony

    If you aren’t into songs long songs, Glass Pony might not be the band for you; about half of their songs hit in the 8-10 minute mark and take their time to get in the groove with long intros and outros. Their second song on the album, “Swing That Maximus” has a full two-minute instrumental intro. With tempo changes up the wazoo throwing the listener from dance-y beats that make you want to get up and boogie, to slow sections you would barely move your body, they are definitely the type of band you can let loose to live or shamelessly-groove-to on your daily commute. Glass Pony brings you out of the mundane with some chaotic, yet systematic rhythms and beats that make Glass Pony one of a kind. 

    Shorter songs like, “Too Close To The Sun” (under 5 minutes), follow suit with their routine guitar riffs, solid beats and smooth tempo changes. Glass Pony is a band to keep an eye on, with this solid album in their arsenal.

    Key Tracks: Stardust, Grover’s Mill 1983, Too Close To The Sun.

    Listen to Glass Pony on CD Baby or Apple Music.

    Their album release party is on November 2nd at the Parish Public House 388 Broadway Albany, NY 12207.

    Doors are at 7 PM with the show starting at 8 PM.

    For more information visit Glass Pony’s website.

  • Anthony D’Amato Releases “Wrong Shade of Blue” Single

    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.

    UPCOMING TOUR DATES
    Nov 8 – Chesterfield, MO
    Nov 9 – Chesterfield, MO
    Nov 10 – Des Moines, IA
    Nov 13 – New York, NY (Full Band)

    Pre-Order bonus materials