NYS Music 20​19

Category: Folk/Americana

  • Club Helsinki Hudson to rock out the New Year with the Felice Brothers

    Hudson Valley-based roots-rockers the Felice Brothers will close out 2019 with a rocking New Year’s Eve performance at Club Helsinki Hudson. With the show kicking off at 9pm on Tuesday, December 31, the Woodstock-bred fusion of rock, country, folk, soul and gospel will be centerstage, with a sound compared to that of formerly-Catskills-based The Band.

    Club Helsinki Felice Brothers

    Longtime Club Helsinki favorites, the Felice Brothers are a close-knit band of two brothers and three longtime friends. The group has garnered a loyal, dedicated following in these parts, as they continue to tour nationally and appear on festival bills including Bonnaroo, All Points, Outside and Newport.

    The group’s new album, Undress, was cut live to tape in late summer of 2018 in nearby Tivoli, N.Y. “Many of the songs on the new album are motivated by a shift from private to public concerns,” says songwriter Ian Felice. “It isn’t hard to find worthwhile things to write about these days, there are a lot of storms blooming on the horizon and a lot of chaos that permeates our lives. The hard part is finding simple and direct ways to address them.”

    Ian and James Felice grew up in the Hudson Valley, and were self-taught musicians, inspired by Hart Crane and Walt Whitman as well as by Woody Guthrie and Chuck Berry. In 2006, they began by playing subway platforms and sidewalks in New York City and have gone on to release nine albums of original songs and to tour extensively throughout the world. Following the release of Life in the Dark, the Felice Brothers served as the backing band for Conor Oberst’s 2017 release “Salutations” and the subsequent tour.

  • Annie in the Water and Hayley Jane Teaming Up for ‘Rumors’ Tour

    Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors is one of rock’s iconic albums. Annie in the Water and Hayley Jane will be joining forces this winter to pay tribute to this classic album.

    The Hayley in the Water Spread Rumors Tour begins Feb. 5 at the Waterhole in Saranac Lake and wraps in Burlington at Higher Ground. The tour will visit cities throughout the Northeast from Buffalo to Hartford, CT. Stops include Flour City Station in Rochester, the Buffalo Iron Works, Stone Church in Brattleboro, VT and the Disruption Network‘s third-anniversary party in Utica.

    The full-set tribute to Rumors will be sandwiched between sets of original music from both acts, beginning with an acoustic solo set from Burlington’s Hayley Jane. Annie in the Water closes each show with Hayley Jane sitting in.

    Hayley Jane has recently collaborated with Ryan Montbleau in the duo Yes Darling, a project that presents a whimsical take on relationships with a Vaudevillian vibe. Her solo set draws from folk, blues, musical theater, and ’60s and ’70s pop and rock. Her performance of “The Chain” with Montbleau and moe. at the 2017 moe.down was one of the highlights of that weekend.

    Annie in the Water released its latest album Time to Play in June of this year. This is the band’s second album overall and first since the 2011 debut Destination. They’re riding a wave of tremendous success in 2019 which saw them performing at several festivals, including headlining Woods Fest in Westernville, NY this past August and the Shakori Hills Festival of Music and Dance in Pittsboro, NC in October.

    Prior to the February Hayley in the Water tour, Annie in the Water will finish the year with a two-date New Year’s run that has them performing at the official moe. post-party, the Hometown Throwdown Dec. 30 at The Sanctuary in Utica with special guests. They’ll ring in the new year with Raisinhead at the High Peaks Resort Ballroom in Lake Placid. Tickets for both shows are available now.

    Hayley in the Water Spreading Rumors Tour Dates:

    Feb. 5 – The Waterhole – Saranac Lake, NY

    Feb. 7 – Frog Alley Brewing Company – Schenectady, NY

    Feb. 8 – Disruption Network’s 3rd Anniversary – Jewish Community Center – Utica, NY

    Feb. 12 – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo, NY

    Feb. 13 – Flour City Station – Rochester, NY

    Feb. 15 – Stowe Cider – Stowe, VT

    Feb. 19 – Stone Church – Brattleboro, VT

    Feb. 20 – Arch Street Tavern – Hartford, CT

    Feb. 21 – Electric Haze – Worcester, MA

    Feb. 22 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT

    https://www.facebook.com/annieinthewater/videos/1384318288403727/

  • Eastbound Jesus Will Play Release Show at Cohoes Music Hall

    Greenwich, NY natives Eastbound Jesus is set to release a new studio album, Full Moon Over Salem, on February 1 in celebration of their new album, for a a one-night performance at The Cohoes Music Hall at 8 p.m.

    eastbound jesus cohoes

    Carl Anderson (drummer/vocals) said of the release, “Full Moon Over Salem will be our first album in close to five years. We spent four years writing and performing these tracks before spending the last year recording it. After releasing four albums in five years it was important for us to take our time with this one and continue to push ourselves musically. It’s always been a goal to elevate our songwriting while remaining true to our signature Eastbound Jesus sound. Over the past year we have picked away at the songs, playing around with pedals and amps to find new tones, and trying different recording styles to elevate the compositions. We gave ourselves the time to bring in a number of guest musicians, and to really work through each track sometimes changing and re-recording our parts to get them where we wanted them. Now it’s time to put the album out there and hopefully everyone will appreciate all the work that has gone into it.”

    Comprised of six friends the self-titled “Northern Rock” band has previously released four studio and one live album. Fans have seen them around the region at venues like The Palace Theatre and Alive at Five. For the past several years they have also partnered with Greg Bell of Guthrie/Bell Productions to host a two-day music and camping festival called Eastbound Throwdown on Irwin Farm in Salem, NY.

    Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.

  • Pete Seeger’s 2009 Dobbs Ferry concert “Think Globally, Sing Locally” released

    On the 10th anniversary of Pete Seeger‘s “Think Globally, Sing Locally” performance, the concert is now available to be heard by audiences everywhere. From December 10, 2009 in Dobby Ferry, NY, Seeger performed a special show at the South Prebyterian Church.

    Think Globally Sing Locally pete seeger

    Pete Seeger performed this concert presenting the best of American folk music and values. Pete encourages sing alongs with all, and has apriceless tapestry where school children, song leaders Jenny Murphy and Matt Turk, and the audience participate, weaving a special sound.

    Highlights include Seeger’s collaborations with the Take Me to the River Children’s Community Chorus for “There’s a Hole in the Bucket” and “She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain,” as well as civil rights anthems “Aint Gonna Let Nobody,” “We Shall Overcome” and “Take it from Dr. King.” Order the album now through Amazon.

  • Nick Piccininni Discusses Joining Yonder Mountain String Band as New Mandolinist

    Yonder Mountain String Band announced a lineup change this week. Mandolinist Jacob Jolliff will be leaving the band at the end of this year. His final show will be Yonder Mountain’s New Year’s Eve show at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, CO. Nick Piccininni

    In a statement, the band wrote, “As of January 1, 2020, we will be saying farewell to our brother and fellow musician, Jacob Jolliff. This comes to you as a deeply considered decision. We are grateful for the music, the memories and friendship we forged with Jake and are in full support of his future endeavors with The Jacob Jolliff Band. We hope to join forces with them down the road.“

    Joining the fold is multi-instrumentalist Nick Piccininni, who will be joining the band as its new mandolinist. Piccininni, a Central New York native, has been a part of several projects, one of them is Floodwood, which includes mandolinist Jason Barady, who also performed with Piccininni in Woodenspoon, moe. drummer Vinnie Amico and guitarist Chris Eves. Al Schnier of moe. is a former member of Floodwood. Piccininni also performs as a duo with Barady and in a recent project, Follow the Muse.

    Piccininni sat in with Yonder Mountain at a few shows this past year, paving the way for his joining the veteran string band. When reached for comment, he told NYS Music that the foundation of this new opportunity has its roots in the Summer Camp Festival, an annual event jointly hosted by moe. and Umphrey’s McGee in Chillicothe, IL each May.

    We used to run into the fiddle player, Allie Kral, at Summer Camp in Illinois when we would go out there with Floodwood. She made the suggestion to try me for the few shows I filled in this summer. I guess it went well enough that they felt comfortable with asking me along with this change! I felt really comfortable with everyone in the band and crew. My first show is in Park City, UT on Jan. 6. I’ve never been to Utah so that’s cool.

    Nick Piccininni
    Photo courtesy Misse Thomas, AzureEyes Photography

    Piccininni has every intention of making this a permanent gig while still hoping to maintain time for his other projects.

    “I will say that on both sides, I think the idea is to get into this winter tour to make sure the fit is right. But they have expressed that their first choice would be to just move forward with me as their new mandolinist. Piccininni continues, “Barring any personality conflicts, which I don’t think any of us really see being an issue if this becomes my main gig it will be tough to maintain everything I already had going. But I do intend to do my best to keep up with it all. Yonder doesn’t play a super intense schedule, so that does leave room for other projects, which is awesome.”

    Piccininni’s next performance is with the Amico-Barady Quintet, moe. drummer Vinnie Amico’s annual jazz show at Tiny’s Grill in Utica on Dec. 29.

  • Great American Irish Fest Changes Dates, Moving to Utica for 2020

    The Great American Irish Festival has announced that it will be relocating and has changed the dates for next year’s festival. The festival has traditionally been held on the last weekend in July at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds in Frankfort. After 16 years in Frankfort, the festival will make its new home at the new Irish Cultural Center in the Brewery District of Utica on the weekend of Sept. 18-20.

    https://www.facebook.com/864413893600865/posts/3426342484074647/

    The festival’s original intent was to raise funds to establish a state of the art cultural center highlighting the rich Irish heritage in the Mohawk Valley. With the opening of the multi-use facility on Columbia Street in July of this year, that goal has been met and the decision was made to move the event from Frankfort to Utica as its permanent home.

    The new 23,500 square foot venue boasts an event center, an authentic 19th-century Irish pub, Five Points Public House and a museum dedicated to Irish culture.

    The move to the Brewery District means there will no longer be camping available to attendees nor will the popular Highland Games be held.

    “We recognize the fact that a change of venue may present some short-term challenges and adjustments for our guests and volunteer staff,” organizers stated, “but we encourage your support and good-natured Irish spirit as we make this monumental transition.”

    The festival has developed relationships with many of its new Varick Street neighbors, including the F.X. Matt Brewing Company, the Celtic Harp, Nail Creek Pub and Brewery and the Sanctuary, which will allow for more performance spaces.

    This year’s festival was headlined by Enter the Haggis, We Banjo 3, The High Kings and the Young Dubliners. Further information on the 2020 festival will be released in the coming months.

    We Banjo 3 spoke with NYS Music’s Kathy Stockbridge at the 2018 edition of the festival. View that interview below.

  • Benefit for Charley Orlando to Take Place Sunday at Syracuse’s Westcott Theater

    Charley Orlando may be best known to the jamband world as the former frontman for psychedelic ’90s road dogs Dexter Grove, who toured incessantly for the better part of ten years. The Syracuse area knows Orlando as not just a musician but also one of the area’s biggest music ambassadors. This Sunday, Dec. 22 the Syracuse community will come together at the Westcott Theater with a full day of music to celebrate his contributions while also raising money for a recent emergency spinal fusion surgery Orlando had performed.

    Photo: Ian LaRochelle

    Tickets for the all-ages benefit are $20 and can be purchased online, at Sound Garden in Armory Square, Syracuse, or Funk ‘n Waffles on Clinton Street. Doors open at noon. Artists scheduled to perform include Sophistafunk, Root Shock, Pearly Baker’s Best, The Old Main, Chris Merkley, Chris Eves, Bea, and Joe Driscoll. See the schedule below.

    Orlando’s recent projects include the Grateful Dead tribute band, Pearly Baker’s Best, who has a Monday residency at Funk ‘n Waffles. He also has done work as a solo artist and with his bands Ruha and the Charley Orlando Band. His work managing the Little Rock Music Group has helped bring many national, international and regional acts to Syracuse-area venues such as Funk ‘n Waffles, Ray Brothers BBQ, along with the Seedstock Festival in Cortland and the Middle Ages Brewing Company Brewfest in Syracuse. Little Rock Music Group also represents David Gans along with such up-and-comers as Root Shock, Big Sexy & the Scrambled Eggs, All Poets & Heroes, and Steven Cali.

    All proceeds from the event will go towards Orlando’s medical bills. Those who cannot attend the show can contribute funds through Facebook here.

    Scheduled performers:

    Bea: 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
    The Old Main: 1:45 p.m. – 2:45p.m.
    Chris Merkley: 3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
    Pearly Balers Best: 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
    Chris Eves: 5 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
    Joe Driscoll: 5:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
    Sophistafunk: 6:45 p.m. -7:45 p.m.
    Root Shock: 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.

    https://youtu.be/Fiel8ObUkHM

  • The Brother Brothers are Double the Fun at Arbor Loft

    Adam and David Moss are identical twins. But don’t talk to them about that, they’ve heard all the twin jokes and comments and they’re sick of it. Though since they commented in jest about the Rochester weather, a subject us locals have heard every angle on, they’ll have to forgive us for dabbling in some twin talk here.

    The brothers Moss make up the folk duo under the clever moniker The Brother Brothers. They were in town last week at the Arbor Loft as the latest artist brought in by Honest Folk. The two played a two-set, two-hour show that turned out to be both a night of folk songs and a bit of comedy too.

    The show was filled with characters, like the “Ocean’s Daughter,” the “Notary Public,” “The Gambler,” “Mary Ann,” and “Frankie,” as well as places like their hometown “Cairo, IL,” “Colorado,” and Peter Rowan’s “Angel Island.” Person, place or thing, it all came to life through Adam and David’s impossibly perfect harmonies. It was almost as if they were harmonizing as one person, no studio trickery required. Add in some exquisite playing on guitar, fiddle and cello and The Brother Brothers present a uniquely tight nugget of acoustic music mastery. The setlist drew from their debut EP (2017’s Tugboats) and LP (2018’s Some People I Know), and also included a few brand new tunes that should see a release some time next year.

    The inter-song banter was almost as entertaining as their playing and song craft. Playing off each other, and at times the crowd, some seemed more rehearsed while most were clearly off the cuff. Subjects ran the gamut from global warming, flat eartherism, the dearth of good Hanukah music, and running sound at concerts.

    For the encore, the pair came back for their brotherly take on Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” that was the perfect capstone to a lovely evening.

    Upon hearing the announcement of the next Honest Folk show, the brothers seemed outright jealous of Rochester’s opportunity to see JUNO award winner William Prince, a folk singer from Winnipeg. He’ll be taking the stage January 13 at Good Luck. Tickets are on sale now. Also just announced is the great Joe Pug who will be at Good Luck on February 17.

  • CAAMP Shave Off the Peach Fuzz at Brooklyn Steel

    This past July, CAAMP put out their latest LP, By & By, on Mom + Pop Music and are still touring strong behind the record. This past week, the group made their way to Brooklyn for two sold out shows at Brooklyn Steel on December 10 and 11.

    caam
    Taylor Meier of CAAMP at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    Support for these shows came from Savannah Conley; presenting a stripped back solo performance of breezy folk music. She was joined on stage for one song by the violinist from CAAMP’s band.

    caamp
    Savannah Conley at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
    caamp
    Savannah Conley at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    After blasting John Lennon’s “Mind Games” over the PA, CAAMP walked out to a massive ovation from the audience. The band has quite the following here in NYC, that was on clear display over the two nights in Brooklyn. Frontman Taylor Meier confessed to the crowd after the first song that he was very sick, joking “Why did this happen when the tour got to NYC? Couldn’t I have gotten sick in Omaha?” Despite the illness, Taylor performed seemingly unaffected and got a lot of help from the entire room singing along to each song. (Update: Taylor actually came down with the flu and subsequently cancelled the upcoming Philly and DC shows).

    caamp
    CAAMP at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The band adorned matching denim jackets with their names embroidered on the chest, band logos on the back (Taylor was also sporting a Courtney Barnett pin). There was a full drum kit on stage, which was only used for a few of the songs. One band member primarily playing banjo had a separate kick drum which provided the beat for most songs.

    caamp
    CAAMP at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The band continues their winter tour through December, concluding with three hometown shows (the last on New Year’s Eve) in Columbus, Ohio at Newport Music Hall. They hit the road again in the spring/summer for a lengthy tour with several festival stops along the way.

  • We Banjo 3 Start 2020 Tour in New York State

    Celtic Bluegrass pioneers We Banjo 3 will commence their 2020 Rise & Shine tour in New York State. Night one takes place January 11 at The Stanley in Utica. The following day they’ll be at the Landmark Theater in Port Washington. They circle back to New York later in the month to play Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs on January 23. Ticket information is available on We Banjo 3’s website.

    We Banjo 3 is comprised of two sets of brothers – Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley – two of which still reside in Galaway, Ireland, and two of which have relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. Their sixth release, Roots to Rise Live, debuted at the beginning of August at number one on Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums Chart spending four weeks in the peak position. Their 2018 album Haven re-entered the charts at the number five position in August as well, making them the first Irish band to hold two top-five chart positions simultaneously.  

    We Banjo 3 Tour Dates

    Sat, 1/11–Utica, NY–The Stanley Theatre
    Sun, 1/12–Port Washington, NY–Landmark on Mainstreet
    Tues, 1/14–Sellersville, PA–Sellersville Theater 
    Wed, 1/15–Erie, PA–Walker Recital Hall
    Fri, 1/17–Cincinnati, OH–Memorial Hall
    Sat, 1/18–Columbus, OH–Newport Music Hall
    Sun, 1/19–Grand Rapids, MI–Listening Room 
    Wed, 1/22–Old Saybrook, CT–Katharine Hepburn Cult Art Ctr
    Thurs, 1/23–Saratoga Springs, NY–Café Lena
    Fri, 1/24–Portland, ME–Aura
    Sat, 1/25–Somerville, MA–Somerville Theatre
    Fri, 2/21–Bellevue, WA—Wintergrass
    Sat, 2/22–Bellevue, WA–Wintergrass
    Sun, 2/23–Portland, OR–Aladdin Theater
    Tues, 2/25–Loveland, CO–Rialto Theater 
    Thurs, 2/27–South Orange, NJ–South Orange PAC
    Fri, 2/28–State College, PA–The State Theatre 
    Sat, 2/29–Frederick, MD–Weinberg Center for the Arts
    Sun, 3/1–Richmond, VA–Tin Pan Listening Room
    Wed, 3/4–Kent, OH–Kent Stage
    Thurs, 3/5–Ann Arbor, MI–The Ark
    Fri, 3/6–Ann Arbor, MI–The Ark
    Sat, 3/7–Lafayette, IN–Long Center for the Performing Arts
    Sun, 3/8–Chicago, IL–City Winery
    Wed, 3/11–Mineral Point, WI–The Mineral Point Opera House
    Thurs, 3/12–Viroqua, WI–Historic Temple Theatre
    Fri, 3/13–Green Bay, WI–Meyer Theatre
    Sat, 3/14–Milwaukee, WI–Pabst Theatre
    Sun, 3/15–Minneapolis, MN–The Cedar Cultural Center
    Tues, 3/17–Hailey, ID–Liberty Theatre
    Wed, 3/18–Hailey, ID–Liberty Theatre
    Fri, 3/20–Kansas City, MO–The Truman
    Sat, 3/21–St Louis, MO–Delmar Hall