NYS Music 20​19

Category: Jam/Progressive

  • Photo Gallery: Umphrey’s McGee at Brooklyn Steel

    Umphrey’s McGee played the second night of a three night run at Brooklyn Steel Friday February, 15. The Jam Veterans moved in an out of their eclectic catalog with crowd favorite “Red Tape” and “Wife Soup.”  A highlight from the show was an amazing cover of the Little Feat classic, “Fat Man in The Bathtub” with a guest hot section of  Mike Maher (Snarky Puppy), Chris Ott & Dan White (Huntertones). Fans are looking forward to see what Umphrey’s brings for their final night of this Brooklyn Steel Run.

    umphrey's mcgee summer tour 2021

  • moe. Sends a Message via Setlist Friday Night

    moe. played the State Theatre in Portland, ME Friday night, the first of a two-night run there to kick off their quick February jaunt through the northeast. A glance at the Al Schnier-heavy setlist reveals a message for the Commander-in-Chief from moe. Each song title’s first letter makes up an acronym.

    “Ass” refers to the original working title for the song “Bullet,” which is referenced as “Assfinger” on setlists. Astute readers may also notice the mention of the word “ass” twice.

    moe. performs at the State again on Saturday before heading Concord, NH Thursday, Feb. 21. See the official setlist post from moe.’s Facebook page below.

    Also of note is a new Schnier song, “Screaming and Kicking,” which made its debut Friday.

    moe. State Theatre, Portland, Maine – February 15, 2019

    Set 1: Tailspin > Ricky Marten > Understand, meat., Waiting For The Punchline, It

    Set 2: Seat Of My Pants > Akimbo, Little Miss Cup Half Empty > Y.O.Y., I Can Never Remember, New Hope For The New Year, George > Bullet

    Encore: Screaming & Kicking#, Spaz Medicine

    {# First time played (original al. song)
    First and second sets acronym – using setlist nomenclature for Bullet

    Check out the show as uploaded to the Internet Archive here.

  • The Elements of Aqueous: Part One – David Loss

    Animas City Theater in Durango, CO, a venue nestled in La Plata County, is where Buffalo’s Aqueous kicked off their five night Colorado run. Co-headlining a 20-date tour with BIG Something, Aqueous has once again proven that they are a fundamental force in the Colorado music scene. The 270 capacity venue filled up quickly with Colorado residents and familiar faces, that made the trek from the East Coast in support of their favorite band.

    Aqueous opened the Durango set with “Second Sight,” a fan-favorite from the Element Pt. I (Live 2017) album. Next the band broke out “Mosquito Valley Pt. 1,” right into a high energy “Numbers and Facts.”  Aqueous then reached into their cover song archive and busted out The Band’s “Ophelia,” last time played 92 shows ago on 12/9/17. The set ended with some of the most loved songs in their catalog,  “Don’t Do It,” “Weight of the Word” and “Uncle Phil’s Parachute.”

    After the show I had the opportunity to chat with David Loss (Guitar/Keys/Vocals), discussing the Aqueous fan-base, band-mates, growth and gratitude. Excited to be back in Colorado, Loss expressed sincere appreciation for the support the band receives from their Colorado based fans. Aqueous is cultivating a steadfast group of supporters across the nation, noted for their familial vibe.  Upon my mention of the loyal fan-base otherwise known as AQuaintances, Dave lit up and stated, “I love them, they really are the best.” aqueous david loss

    Dave Loss is gaining notoriety as one of the most skilled, actively touring guitarists in the industry.  Technical and composed, Dave’s guitar tone is unmistakable, evoking sentiments that keep the crowds returning show after show. Recently sponsored by PRS Guitars, Loss and his guitar-wielding counterpart, Mike Gantzer, have an undeniable bond on stage and often come together as one. Balanced, intense and emotive, the partnership of Loss and Gantzer brings about a show experience that has catapulted Aqueous to the front lines in their genre.  When discussing what it’s like playing with Gantzer, Dave explained that the two are growing and maturing their sound with every show and that he really loves the non-competitiveness of their musical relationship.

    While Aqueous has often acknowledged the influence of jam-veterans moe., both musically, personally and in a business sense, Dave Loss talked with me a bit about some of his other favorite music to listen to.  Radiohead takes one of the top spots in his mind and the extreme differences in artistic styling from album to album is what he enjoys most about the band.

    At the conclusion of our chat, Dave again reiterated how lucky he feels to be a part of this band, having the incredible crew, the loyal fan-base and the brotherly bond with his band mates.  The future is bright for Aqueous and they are certainly poised for incredible success.

    The Colorado run rolls on tonight with a Valentine’s Day show at Agave in the town of Avon.   The shows will be uploaded for streaming on Nugs.net with a subscription.  Tour dates for the rest of the Aqueous & BIG Something tour can be found here.

    aqueous david loss

    Official Setlist– Animas City Theater- Durango, CO 2/13/19

    Second Sight, Mosquito Valley One>Numbers and Facts, Ophelia* >Don’t Do It, Weight of the World, Uncle Phil’s Parachute

    * The Band cover (last time played): 12/9/17 (92 shows)

  • Hearing Aide: The New Motif ‘The Reciprocal Boogie’

    The Reciprocal Boogie, the debut album from Massachusetts four-piece The New Motif, is an impressive survey of the band’s eclectic sound. The roots are rock, but different tracks run jazzier or more psychedelic, funkier or more spacey. Produced by Soulive’s drummer, Alan Evans, the album showcases the band’s rich textures and compositional prowess.

    The album’s first track, “Manifest,” is microcosmic of the whole album: it features shifts in style and tempo, is at times led by a funky bass line from Dan Kelly, at other times with a catchy guitar riff from Dennis Christiano, sometimes the organ, sometimes the synthesizer, always high-octane drumming. There are vocals, but the song is undeniably led by the instruments. Checking in at nearly six and a half minutes, it’s a bold opening statement to a freshman album devoid of any filler tracks.

    While “Manifest” feels frenetic, The New Motif follows it up with a mellower “City Cituation.” Cory Schechtman swaps out the keyboards for a saxophone, a pleasant surprise as the track commences. Paired with the following song, “Crooooshtown,” the songs are a smooth, jazzy reprieve from the relative tumult of “Manifest.”

    In total, there are nine tracks, each between four and eight minutes long. About half are instrumentals and half feature vocals; Schechtman plays the saxophone for half the songs and spends the other half on keyboards. Unsurprisingly of an album produced by Alan Evans, drummer Terrence Kelleher is extremely active throughout.

    The heart of the titular track represents the album well. Guitarist Dennis Christiano trades licks with Schechtman on the saxophone while Ball and Kelly, even if not as prominent with the rhythms, are relentless, lending to the full sound.

    The sixth track, “Flown,” is the first where the vocals feel like the central component. The song has a reggae tone, unique to the album, and allows Christiano to show off with a high-soaring solo. The ensuing “Yasss!!” is dark and exploratory yet upbeat and features all band members finding their ways into dynamic grooves. At just over eight minutes long, the track is an instrumental odyssey. The following and penultimate song, “Whatever’s Clever,” features the catchiest vocals.

    Closing track “Late Cretaceous” once again puts The New Motif’s rich sound on full display; one needs to crank the volume dial to get the full flavor of all the layers. After multiple listens to The Reciprocal Boogie, something different has caught my ear each time: a guitar riff here or a bass line there. Each time after listening, I’ve found myself going back and listening straight through again

    The New Motif is currently touring to promote The Reciprocal Boogie and have multiple shows scheduled in New York. The full tour schedule can be found here.

    Key Tracks: Manifest, Yasss!!, Late Cretaceous

  • Hearing Aide: Kris Yunker ‘Biocoastal Waves’

    Kris Yunker has been around the scene for many years, coming to the Northeast with his good friend and fellow On the Spot Trio bandmate, Danny Mayer. His long road has brought him to Iron Wax Studios, the brain child of soul-man extraordinaire, Alan Evans. Here Kris, Al, and guest singer, Kelly Burr laid down an incredibly funky and upbeat new album, Bicoastal Waves.

    Bicoastal Waves blends surf funk, space rock, and organ jazz to create a unique sound driven by Yunker’s left-handed bass lines. The whaling Hammond organ is the beauty, while Evans’ beats are the soul. This album has a little bit of it all with fat and funky whalers to heavy rock bangers.

  • Galactic Brings the NOLA Funk to Brooklyn

    Galactic brought their deliciously funky Already Ready Already Tour of NOLA Funk to Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, February 9 to promote their new album with the same title. The New Orleans-based group is one of the original jam bands from the mid-nineties. Their style is often described as a fusion of rock, funk, jazz, hip hop, r&b and electronica, and has evolved over time.

    They often tour with a talented vocalist, and Erica Falls is no exception. The native New Orleans singer has a style that is rooted in vintage soul, channeling an earlier era. Erica reminders her fans that, “Vintage soul is not about bringing the listener back to a time of authentic music, it’s about reminding them that it never went anywhere.”

    In addition to Erica Falls, Galactic brought their funky NOLA friends The Motet to open the show. The Motet released an album last month titled Death or Devotion as well. Singer Lyle Divinsky raised the band’s energy even higher with his exceptional stage presence at Brooklyn Steel, and got the crowd ready for Galactic.

    At set break, the High and Mighty Brass Band entertained fans with marching band renditions of TLC favorites like “Waterfalls” and “Creep.” The High and Mighty Brass Band is still currently on tour opening for Galactic.

    After the serendipitous first set and set break music, Galactic and Erica Falls took the stage with a bayou-flavored vigor that only Louisiana natives can possess. They played several tunes off of their new album, including “Ready Already,” “Clap Your Hands,” “Going Straight Crazy,” “Touch Get Cut,” and “Everlasting Light.” Ms. Falls lit up the stage with her dynamic and authentic vocals. Galactic showed their incredible improvisational skill with everything from saucy sax solos to funky guitar solos.

    The High and Mighty Brass Band joined Galactic on stage again during the encore for “Buckit Like a Horse,” raising the level of funk just one more time.

    Setlist

    Ready Already*
    Higher and Higher*
    Heart Of Steel*
    Clap Your Hands*
    Fabuloso
    Going Straight Crazy*
    Hey Na Na*
    You Don’t Know*
    Doomed>Tiger Roll>Touch Get Cut*
    Coolin Off Medley
    Everlasting Light*
    Right On*
    Big Whiskers
    Tuff Love
    Dolla Diva*

    Buckit Like A Horse**
    Never Called You Crazy*

    *  with Erica Falls

    ** with High and Mighty Brass Band

  • Photo Gallery: Lotus Doubles up on the Fun in Buffalo

    In support of Frames Per Second, the most recent album from Philadelphia instrumental rockers Lotus, the band came to Buffalo for two celebratory nights at the Town Ballroom.

    With four sets spread out over two days there was plenty of time to explore tracks both old and new much to the delight of the capacity crowd. Getting things started each night was the Portland, Maine collective Jaw Gems.

  • Photo Gallery: Spafford Brings the Jams to Buffalo

    Arizona rockers Spafford‘s winter tour has them heading east and found them playing to a packed house at Buffalo Iron Works on Wednesday, February 6th. See our photo gallery below.

    spafford fall tour buffalo

  • Mountain Jam Announces Lineup and Venue Change

    After 14 years at Hunter Mountain, Mountain Jam announced its lineup Thursday and that it will be relocating to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, site of the original Woodstock festival. Mountain Jam will be held June 13-16.

    More than 40 artists were announced as the festival looks to get back to its roots of being more jam-friendly. Headliners for the 15th edition of Mountain Jam include Gov’t Mule, Willie Nelson and Family, and the Avett Brothers. An additional headliner will be announced later in the spring.

    The fest will have a decidedly New York flair with the inclusion of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Amy Helm, Marco Benevento, Consider the Source, Wild Adriatic, and the Big Takeover.

    Early Bird tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 8 at 10:00 a.m. and are available through Monday, Feb. 11 at 11:59 p.m. for $159 through the Mountain Jam website.

  • Hilltop set to release debut album this weekend

    Hilltop, a 5-piece band from Albany that features a blend of rock with funk, jazz, blues and bluegrass mixed in, is set to release their self-titled debut album on Friday, February 8. 

    The band combines original music, diverse covers, and improvisation to create a unique listening experience. The band includes Aris Nieuwkerk (guitar, vocals), George Scherck (keyboards, vocals), David Klang (bass, guitar, vocals), Stephen Perry (drums, percussion, vocals), and Reid Perry (drums, percussion, vocals) who have collective influences of The Grateful Dead, Phish and Miles Davis. All these artists feature many different styles over the span of their careers, and this is what has shaped Hilltop’s sound and how to incorporate various styles into their songs – there is not just one sound or style that defines Hilltop.

    hilltop debut album

    Hilltop was tracked at recording studios at the two colleges band members attend – Schenectady County Community College and Mercy College in Westchester. Mixing was completed at Mercy College and the album was mastered on Long Island at MEI Studios, where David is an engineer. The songs on the album had already been performed live numerous times, with David noting, “This made it easy to get a natural feel for our songs in the studio, giving the listener an accurate representation of what the band sounds like live.”

    This summer, Hilltop plans to hit the festival circuit in New York and the Northeast, and looks forward to building their following so they can spread out beyond the confines of the Northeast. The band knows this is a long journey and is dialed in for just that. “We know it often takes decades for a band to become seriously established outside of a small niche, and I think we’re all preparing ourselves to keep moving forward with Hilltop on a long term basis. We’ll see where it can take us if we can keep it going for a while!” said Klang.  

    The band’s single off Hilltop, “Driftwood” was released on January 18 and a multi-cam studio video of the single was recently released on YouTube. 

    Hilltop’s self-titled debut album drops on Friday, February 8 and will be available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Bandcamp and Google Play.

    To celebrate the release of Hilltop, a release party will be held on Saturday, February 9 at Parish Public House in Albany. Doors open at 8pm with Glass Pony opening the night at 9pm. Cover charge is $10.

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