On September 21, 1970, Vida Blue no-hit the Minnesota Twins in his eighth career major league start for the Oakland Athletics. 49 years later and fresh off the release of their new album Crossing Lines, Page McConnell’s All-Star band with the same namesake reunited at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester and knocked the ball out of the park.
Vida Blue
The band played every song from their new album and a few tasty “seasoned veteran” Vida Blue songs as well as covers from prior tours. The main set included heavy hitters “Jealous Guy” by John Lennon and “Sheep” by Pink Floyd. Gary Numan’s “Cars” was part of the encore, and really got the balcony shaking.
Page McConnell, Adam Zimmon, Russell Batise and Oteil Burbridge love playing together.
Vida Blue’s current batting order includes Page McConnell (keyboards), Russell Batiste (drums), Oteil Burbridge (bass), and newcomer Adam Zimmon (guitar). McConnell, best known for his work with the rock band Phish, was full of banter throughout the show and introduced his bandmates halfway through their marathon two and a half hour set. McConnell, Batiste, Burbridge and Zimmon were all smiles the entire time and clearly loved playing together. At one point, McConnell mentioned that they plan to play together again soon, causing the crowd to erupt with excitement. The fans sincerely loved the show and want more Vida Blue.
Oteil Burbrige
Setlist: Analog , Real Underground Soul Sound, Where Did It Go, CJ3, Jealous Guy, Phaidon, Dry Spell, Checking Out, Where’s Popeyes, Weepa, Maybe, Who’s Laughing Now?, If I Told You, Final Flight, Sheep, Most Events Aren’t Planned
Santa Cruz, California’s Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) touched down on September 20 at the Brooklyn Mirage for their Apo11o tour, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. STS9 celebrated a theme of space exploration in their setlist and gave New York City a much anticipated dose of their celebrated livetronica. They were joined by some of their favorite musical friends: Orchard Lounge, Cut Chemist and Mark Farina.
Hunter Brown of STS9
Orchard Lounge kicked off the festivities with a delicious set of eclectic dance mixes, downtempo and “bass-dropping efunk.” Hailing from Chicago, the band members include Spencer Lokken, Bethany Lokken and Ben Silver. Their melodic interwoven beats had the crowd moving and grooving immediately.
Orchard Lounge
Next up was Cut Chemist, also known as Lucas McFadden, a DJ from California who utilizes original 45 records along with his digital production. He specializes in hip-hop, funk and scratching, an art form that is dying in the current digital revolution. Drawing from artists like the Beastie Boys to Chali 2na, Cut Chemist delivered adventurous breakdance-worthy urban beats.
Cut Chemist
STS9 took the stage to a packed house and did not stop playing their space exploration-themed jams until the first set ended. The first set began with a new urban tune “Strange Games” that later turned into “When the Dust Settles Reprise,” a morphing of “When the Dust Settles” from the album of the same name. The jam sandwich continued with “Tooth” transitioning into “Golden Gate,” also from When the Dust Settles, as well as old school favorites “Golgi” > “Grow” > “Kamuy.” The band closed out the set with new song “Push The Sky” and then took a well deserved setbreak.
STS9
The second set continued to go where “no sectornaut has gone before,” as the band had landed on the Moon, metaphorically speaking of course. “Looking Back On Earth” opened the set, and transitioned into “Rabble” and “Open E,” transporting the crowd into the ethos. “Scheme” was up next, another tune from When the Dust Settles, followed by “Hubble”, the STS9 classic named after the famous satellite telescope. The crowd could not contain their excitement during this rarely played tune from Interplanetary Escape Vehicle. A transition from “Seed” into “Click Lang Echo” followed with more tasty intergalactic jams. The set wrapped up with “World Go Round” from The Universe Inside. STS9 finished the evening on a high note with the perennial favorite “Inspire Strikes Back”, named after the famous Star Wars sequel.
STS9’s Zach Velmer addresses the audience
DJ Mark Farina kept the festivities going with his signature blend of house, jazz and downtempo. Known for his “Mushroom Jazz,” Farina wove well-known and obscure tracks into a dance tapestry that delighted the late night crowd well into the early morning hours.
DJ Mark Farina
The Brooklyn Mirage was successfully launched into outer-space by post-rock dance musicians Sound Tribe Sector 9, supported by their savvy DJ friends. NYC Fans were delighted by the space exploration theme well into the night, and excitedly await their next trip into the cosmos with this talented band.
The crowd loving STS9
Set One: Strange Games >> When the Dust Settles Reprise >> Tooth >> Golden Gate > Golgi > Grow >> Kamuy >> Push The Sky
Set Two: Looking Back On Earth >> Rabble >> Open E, Scheme, Hubble, Seed >> Click Lang Echo, World Go Round
Rooted Entertainment and Woods Valley Ski Area are joining forces to celebrate Mother Earth with the inaugural Harvestfest at the ski area located just north of Rome on Oct. 19.
The day-long, first-year festival is headlined by Hayley Jane with special guest Rob Compa of Dopapod and Syracuse’s Root Shock.
The festival kicks off at 2:00 p.m. and is designed as a celebration of Mother Earth and female musicians. Joining the headliners are Connecticut r&b/soul act Erica T. Bryan from West End Blend with her latest project the New Mosaic, Ithaca ska band ¡Viva Mayhem!, and Syracuse alt-blues punks Late Earth.
A portion of the proceeds from the festival will be donated to Groovesafe, a non-profit movement organized to stop unwanted touching and sexual assault at live music events.
Tickets for the family-friendly festival are $20 and available through the Woods Valley website here. For more information, visit the Facebook event page here.
On Saturday, Sept. 28, Riverboat Bar will host the first annual ‘Alex Bay Summer Send-Off,’ a full day of live music, with doors opening at 2:00 p.m., to close out the summer season. The headlining performance will be funky reggae-jam fusion band, Annie in the Water. Other scheduled acts throughout the day include Root Shock, Eggy, The Old Main, Big Sexy and the Scrambled Eggs, and Trampoline Jetstream. In between sets, there will be DJ sets provided by D.C. area’s Schwa and Proper Philth.
The night is capped off with an All-Star Super Jam featuring musicians from throughout the day. On top of all that, Ben Carrey of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will be the artist-at-large for the day.
Annie in the Water has played a significant role in shaping the original music scene in Upstate New York and their shows are always high energy and filled with positive vibes. A couple of bands will be making their Riverboat debut on Sept. 28 including Root Shock, a Syracuse-based soulful roots-reggae based act, and Eggy, a 4-piece improvisational rock band from New Haven, CT. Utica’s The Old Main returns to Riverboat with its original Americana folk jams. Commemorating the amazing summer season, Trampoline Jetstream and Big Sexy and the Scrambled Eggs will both return to the Riverboat after making their debuts earlier in the summer.
The music starts at 3:00 p.m. and continues all day long. Click here for more ticketing and event information.
Meet Witty Tarbox. The funky surf-rock jam band hailing from Buffalo, NY that just packed the Town Ballroom to celebrate the release of their debut album, Origins of Schmitty. Comprised of Cody Tarbox (bass), Bryan Williams (guitar/vocals), Alex Khoury (guitar/vocals), Seth Bykowski (saxophone) and Colin Gray (drums), this band has quickly made a name for themselves in the WNY music scene. This year they made their debut at Night Lights Music Festival, and have opened for notable bands such as Consider the Source and Litz.
Origins of Schmitty release party at the Town Ballroom – 9/6/2019 – Photo: Zachary Todtenhagen
How this band came to be is a perfect representation of Witty Tarbox – spontaneous and weird. One night, Bryan and Alex were at Nietzsche’s bar in Buffalo and after a drink or two, Bryan asked Alex if he wanted to start a band, and Alex said “Yeah!” After that Bryan got up for a few minutes and came back to say “Awesome, just booked us a show here, it’s in three weeks, we need a band.” They called up their friends from college, Cody and Colin and they opened up for a sold-out Delicate Steve show with a setlist composed of about 90% covers, including the Arthur theme song, and the first original song they played together, “Trevor.”
As Witty Tarbox started to gain momentum, they met Seth, who was playing with another local Buffalo band at the time. They asked Seth to sit-in with them and after that Seth found himself sitting-in on almost every show for about a year, until he was asked to officially join the band.
From there, the band has become a staple in the WNY music scene. Their shows are always high-energy, fun and most importantly, weird. One thing you will hear walking through the crowd at any Witty Tarbox show is “Wow these guys are really good, but they’re weird!” As a band, they pride themselves in that. For their album release party they asked everyone to wear costumes and go all out weird, and all out weird it was. Their performances bring a fun new take to the jam band scene. See for yourself in this video of ‘Prepare To Launch’ from this past weekend at Riverboat Bar in Alexandria Bay, NY.
Witty Tarbox released their debut album, Origins of Schmitty, just over a week ago. Schmitty is a character that has been in the Witty-verse for some time now, as the band uses characters to tell stories with their music. The album tells a story of heartbreak, debauchery, and healing; the story of Schmitty. It starts off with a deep acoustic song, “Group Therapy,” which was never actually recorded in the studio. When they went to record it, the band felt that they couldn’t capture the same feeling they had when they recorded the video of Alex and his guitar one late-night in Cody’s living room. So, the audio on the album is actually ripped from that original iPhone video.
“Prepare to Launch is probably one of my favorites [to perform] because the monologue that Alex does and watching like the front row of people, who probably have mostly never seen us before, and just watching their faces and tapping their buddies like ‘What the … what is going on?’ ”
Cody Tarbox
If you have seen Witty Tarbox live before, you might recognize a few of the songs, such as “Fa Napoli” and “Goodbye, Jackie.” Both songs, which were debuted under different names, evolved as the band experimented with new jams and finding new elements to try in the songs. Cody makes his debut on vocals in “A Universal Feeling or Two,” which has also been in rotation for about a year and a half under a different name, without lyrics. When the lyrics were introduced, Colin hated them, but once he heard Cody record it (in one take no less), it quickly became one of his favorite songs off the album. Well, either that or “Norman,” which is a favorite among the Witty team. The album ends with “Kokiri,” named after Colin’s favorite place in his favorite video game, and features Mike Gantzer of Aqueous. You can give the whole album a listen below.
He’s a cool guy, cool attitude … and I think [Aqueous] likes to support Buffalo and the music scene here, and just in general, everyone is kind of really supportive of each other. I like how everyone works together in Buffalo, because it’s so small and there is this sense of comradery here that’s really nice and it helps everybody grow.
Alex Khoury, on working with Mike Gantzer and the Buffalo music scene.
Witty Tarbox had an extremely successful summer, and they owe a lot of it to their team. They are incredibly grateful to their management, Tim Merrill and Jes Tarbox, for keeping them on their toes and keeping them focused. Another big part of the Witty team is Brandon Kempisty, who collaborates on a lot of their costumes and props for shows that help keep it weird. Together they’ve created this wonderful Witty-verse that fans have fallen in love with.
We wouldn’t be where we are now without everyone else. It takes a village as they say.
Cody Tarbox
Witty Tarbox – Origins of Schmitty release party – 9/6/2019 – Photo: Zachary Todtenhagen
Check out their upcoming shows below, and visit their website or Facebook page for more information and even more exciting announcements for this fall/winter.
Upcoming Shows
October 6 – Folkface’s Fest – Darien Center, NY
October 26 – Brick Bar – Oswego, NY
November 2 – King’s Rook club – Erie, PA
November 15 – Unofficial moe. After Party – Nietzsche’s – Buffalo, NY
Their identities may be under wraps but Here Come the Mummies are the high power funk band you didn’t know you needed in your life. Playing to a crowd at Albany’s Skyloft, most didn’t know what to expect but found themselves moving to the consistently energizing funk.
This 11-piece group is anonymous, supposedly cursed after deflowering a great Pharaohâs daughter, or perhaps they are reincarnated Grammy-Winning studio musicians. Either way, the performance from a Mummies show is second to none and more visits to the Empire State are in order.
Over the course of their two hour set full of originals, many with suggestive lyrics, had the audience cracking up while they’re getting down. “Pants,” “Shag Carpet” and “Freak Flag” all had their own elements of kink and double entendre, while “Bring that (Bootie) Down” and “Ra Ra Ra” filled in with big band funk that is a rare find these days.
The attentive ear could even catch riffs of Wreckx-N-Effect “Rump Shaker” that beckoned for the crowd to get down. An encore of “Dirty Minds” summed up the band’s style in both sound and lyrics, and kept the audience waiting for more. Here Come the Mummies will surely rise again in the Capital District.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe reconnects for a ‘Thick As Thieves’ fall tour. This 22 show tour in October and November comes just after Denson’s summer stretch as a saxophonist with The Rolling Stones. After shows in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, KDTU will be joined for the remainder of the tour by Thievery Corporation.
The tour will feature KDTU’s first album in the past five years, Gnomes and Badgers, which was released earlier this year by Seven Spheres Records. Blending rock, soul and classic funk, the album takes a dive into the many controversial topics of today. This includes the album’s first single ‘Change My Way’ which gives a moving statement about the issues going on at the US border.
KDTU will kick off their tour on Thursday, Oct. 3. Tickets are available now and can be purchased here on KDTU’s website. See the full list of dates below.
Oct.3 – The Pour House – Charleston, SC Oct.4 – Big House Museum – Macon, GA Oct.5 – Orange Peel – Asheville, NC Oct.6 – Elevation 27 – Virginia Beach, VA Oct.8 – The Hamilton Live – Washington, DC Oct.9 – The Neighborhood Theatre – Charlotte, NC Oct.10 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VA Oct.11 – Rex Theater – Pittsburg, PA Oct.12 – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA * Oct.13 – House of Blues – Boston, MA* Oct.15 – Aura – Portland, ME Oct.16 – Le Capitole – Quebec City, Canada* Oct.17 – Mtelus – Montreal, Canada * Oct.18 – Putnam Place – Saratoga, NY Oct.24 – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI * Oct.25 – The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN * Oct.27 – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN * Oct.28 – House of Blues – Chicago, IL* Nov.6 – The Fillmore – Miami, FL * Nov.7 – The Ritz – Tampa, FL* Nov.8 – Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA * Nov.9 – House of Blues – Orlando, FL *
The staff at the Historic Colgate Inn in Hamilton, NY have been working extra hard this summer in preparation for their new music venue. “The Library” speakeasy will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday each weekend featuring music, special events and opportunities for private parties. The venue is set to open September 14 with Colgate University Professor, Glen Cashman (saxophone/keys), with a three piece band visiting from the West Coast.
The Colgate Inn in Hamilton NY
This new venue is sparking interest among locals and more, as they put the finishing touches on the cocktail menu and small plates offered. The space in the basement of the Colgate Inn is also finishing a renovation with new lighting, seating including lounge furniture and bar stools as well as a stage for musicians. The Inn features 40 rooms and suites as well as several dining areas, a patio that overlooks downtown Hamilton and a cozy tavern room complete with a fire place.
The Tavern Room at The Colgate Inn
The music series is complete with jazz acts, folk singers, horn and rhythm pieces and much more. For the complete line up scroll to the bottom. The Library is billed as a sophisticated speakeasy serving a variety of bourbon, whiskey, wine and chef inspired plates to pair. This prohibition era style venue will offer music that compliments the dusky, intimate atmoshphere where you can settle into comfy seats or join patrons at the bar. It’s a great reason to visit Hamilton, NY and try this new space and see local, regional and national acts in a fun space.
List of Events:
GRAND OPENING: September 14, 8-10 PM.
GLENN CASHMAN TRIO: Seattle based trumpeter Jay Thomas and former Ithaca College Jazz Director/guitarist Steve Brown join jazz organist/Colgate Associate Professor of Music, Cashman.
STOCK MARKET SWING ORCHESTRA TRIO: September 27, 8-10 PM.
They will take you back to those swinging days of flappers, speakeasies, and doing the Charleston til dawn. Playing the best popular music of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, the band’s library consists of several hundred arrangements from the Great American Songbook, including well-known tunes of the era. Greats such as Glenn Miller, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Rudy Vallee, Fletcher Henderson, Harry James, Bunny Berigan, Fred Astaire, and Bing Crosby form the backbone of the group’s repertoire. “Party Like It’s 1929!”
MARK SHINER’S STRUGGLEBUS: October 5, 8-10 PM.
Part jazz, part funk, and a whole lot of fun! Mark has played with musicians all over the world and as a Hamiltonian knows how to make any space better with his presence alone. With Dave Solazzo riffing on keys these guys will have you moving and grooving and you never know you might pop in and sing along!
THE DOVETONES: October 12th 8-10PM.
The Dovetones! Classic hits of the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond! Popular Swing, Blues, and Rock-n-Roll Classics; Ska & Rocksteady hits, Americana & more.
CHRISUNITED: October 19th 8-10 PM.
Left handed 17 year-old guitar prodigy ChrisUnited has been playing guitar for 17 years. Chris’ passion arose from within when he was two years old. His influences range from such artists as Bob Dylan, classic rock and even the classics. At a young age, Chris is becoming quite a name on the scene and we are so happy to have him in our series.
THE JES SHELDON DUO: October 26th 8-10 PM
Jes has been on the circuits her whole life, music being her passion since she could walk and talk. She is the lead singer of Syracuse, NY favorites, The Lightkeepers, and can transition from a rocking original or cover into a smooth jazz sing along. It will be a delight to hear her pipes soaring at this intimate show!
J. METTLER: November 1st 8-10 PM
Poetic, profound, folk-rooted and often blues oriented acoustic epics. Melodies that plod along on an R.S. Muth parlor guitar. An occasional pause for breath, perhaps a story, an account of his childhood or of a lingering sentiment. Frontman of the forthcoming band “Rabbit in the Rye,” his contrasting peaceful presence and soulful intensity during his performances rouse the faintest of hearts and instil a sleepy fondness for the romanticism of our everyday lives. Joseph lives in Sherburne, New York with his rabbit.
JJ MURPHY TRIO: November 9th 8-10 PM
JJ Hamilton, born and bred musician, will delve into all areas funk and jazz with his bandmates from Nashville, TN. This intsrumental three piece can regale you, and hear a pin drop on a Bill Frissell cover, then throw some country-jazz twang on a Hank Williams tune. They move in and out of jazz, funk and cover many standards as well.
THE DOVETONES: November 16th 8-10 PM
The Dovetones! Classic hits of the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond!; Popular Swing, Blues, and Rock-n-Roll Classics; Ska & Rocksteady hits, Americana & more.
MASON MCDOWELL: November 22 8-10 PM
Mason McDowell is equal parts storyteller and songwriter. He creates intricate stories from a theatrical perspective, and delivers them with a powerful voice and piano rock edge.
CHRIS “ISTO” WHITE: November 23 8-10PM
Hamilton favorite and native Chris White returns from Brooklyn for a special one night only, live and in person rendition of his favorite and covers and amazing originals.
JESS NOVAK (SOLO): November 29th 8-10 PM
She got a fiddle on fire and a pen on the page. Jess writes songs and writes stories. She plays shows all over this great country and is happy to call Syracuse home. With a passion for music, she was just voted The Best Female Vocalist of 2018 by the Syracuse New Times!
MARK SHINER’S STRUGGLEBUS: December 6th 8-10 PM
Part jazz, part funk and a whole lot of fun! Mark has played with musicians all over the world and as a Hamiltonian, knows how to make any space better with his presence alone. With Dave Solazzo riffing on keys these guys will have you moving and grooving. You never know, you might pop in and sing along!
MELISSA GARDINER (feat. ANDREW CARROLL):December 14th 8-10 PM
Emerging jazz trombonist, Melissa Gardiner, has been described by Curtis Fuller as ‘technically creative and emotionally powerful.’ Her improvisation is inspiring and motivating for the listener, and she draws you in with a raw expression that directly relates to life experience. Gardiner has shared the stage with several legendary musicians including: Aretha Franklin, Geri Allen, Wycliffe Gordon, Steve Turre, Gerald Wilson, Patti Austin, The Temptations, and Vulfpeck. As a bandleader, she performs regularly with her jazz organ trio, MG3, and Second Line Syracuse.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe ‘Thick As Thieves Fall Tour 2019’ will roll through Saratoga Springs on October 18 for a hot night of funk at Putnam Place. On the heels of touring the U.S. this summer as the saxophonist in The Rolling Stones, Denson reconvenes KDTU for 22 dates this fall, mixing headline performances alongside several dates supporting Thievery Corporation.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe is supporting its latest studio album, Gnomes & Badgers, out now on Seven Spheres Records. Distilling the sweeping stylistic range of KDTU’s concert performances into their own authentic sound, the inimitable Denson and his long-standing seven piece unit that includes guitarist DJ Williams, drummer Zak Najor, bassist Chris Stillwell, keyboardist David Veith, trumpeter Chris Littlefield and slide/lap steel guitarist Seth Freeman have delivered what is undoubtedly their strongest work yet.
The album’s first video and single, “Change My Way,” makes a poignant statement about the current crisis at the U.S. border. The clip was directed by award-winning director, writer and producer TG Herrington, whose work includes ‘The Free State of Jones,’ a series of music videos for Paul McCartney and the new feature-length documentary ‘A Tuba To Cuba.’ Denson co-wrote “Change My Way” with New Orleans singer-songwriter Anders Osborne and co-produced the track with Adrian Quesada (Brownout, Spanish Gold).
KARL DENSON’S TINY UNIVERSE Thick As Thieves Fall Tour 2019
10/3 – Charleston, SC – The Pour House 10/4 – Macon, GA – Big House Museum 10/5 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel 10/6 – Virginia Beach, VA – Elevation 27 10/8 – Washington, DC – The Hamilton Live 10/9 – Charlotte, NC – The Neighborhood Theatre 10/10 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry 10/11 – Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theater 10/12 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore * 10/13 – Boston, MA – House of Blues * 10/15 – Portland, ME – Aura 10/16 – Quebec City, Canada – Le Capitole * 10/17 – Montreal, Canada – Mtelus * 10/18 – Saratoga, NY – Putnam Place 10/24 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore * 10/25 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue * 10/27 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater * 10/28 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues * 11/6 – Miami, FL – The Fillmore * 11/7 – Tampa, FL – The Ritz * 11/8 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle * 11/9 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues *
Music is Medicine Festival, a one day music festival helping raise awareness for Pancreatitis, will be held on Saturday, September 14 at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs. Headlined by Bret Bollinger (of Pepper), the event is co-headlined by funkmasters Hartley’s Encore from Albany who will kick off the event.
The genesis of the festival comes from founder Jetta Intelisano’s wife Kate, who has been battling this disease and nearly lost her life three times in the past year. Countless trips to NYC to see a specialist to have dangerous, and life-threatening procedures performed to save her life. Out of this tragic situation, Jetta has endeavored to raise awareness of this disease through our common love of music. Join Music is Medicine in this celebration as the community embarks to find better treatment and ultimately, a cure.
Additional music performances at Music Is Medicine Festival include Resinated (St. Petersburg, FL), Audic Empire (Austin, TX), Joint Operation (Baltimore, MD), The Brothers Grim (Rome, NY), and The Lateshift (Albany, NY). For more information, visit the event page.
