NYS Music 20​19

Category: Metal/Hard Rock/Punk

  • Pink Talking Fish Announces Nationwide Winter Tour

    Hybrid Tribute Fusion Act; Pink Talking Fish, has announced a new tour that will span a total of two months and take them from coast-to-coast. The Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish, tribute band is currently touring throughout the country, with these new dates giving an opportunity to those who haven’t gotten a chance to enjoy a live show.

    After a two-week break from their last performance of 2019, the tour resumes at Pickle Barrel Nightclub in Killington, VT, and will see them perform throughout the West-coast, the South-west, and the Mid-west, with the tour ending on the East coast.

    Pink Talking Fish’s entire slate of tour dates for the remainder of 2019 and 2020’s winter tour can be found below and tickets can be purchased here.

    Remaining Pink Talking Fish 2019 Tour Dates: 

    Nov.13 – The Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC

    Nov.14 – Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC

    Nov.15 – The Orpheum – Tampa, FL

    Nov.16 – Revolution Live – Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Nov. 21 – Winstons – Ocean Beach, CA

    Nov. 22 – Winstons – Ocean Beach, CA

    Nov. 30 – The Strand Ballroom – Providence RI – Phish Afterparty

    Dec. 4 – The Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA – Phish Afterparty

    Dec. 5 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH

    Dec. 6 – Otis Supply – Detroit, MI

    Dec. 7 – The Ludlow Garage – Cincinnati, OH

    Dec. 13 – The Caribou Room – Nederland, CO

    Dec. 14 – Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO – PTF Are Beastie Boys w/s/g DJ Logic

    Dec. 27 – Sherman Theater – Stroudsburg, PA

    Dec. 28 – The Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY – Dark Side Of The Moon Phish Afterparty

    Dec. 29 – The Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY – PTF Are Beastie Boys Phish Afterparty w/s/g DJ Logic

    Dec. 31 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston MA

    PTF 2020 Tour Dates: 

    Jan. 16 – Pickle Barrel Nightclub – Killington, VT

    Jan. 17 – Nectars – Burlington, VT

    Jan. 18 – Nectars – Burlington, VT

    Jan. 30 – Terrapin Crossroads – San Rafael, CA

    Jan. 31 – Crystal Bay Casino – Crystal Bay, NV

    Feb. 1 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA

    Feb. 4 – Crazy Horse Saloon – Nevada City, CA

    Feb. 5 – Humbolt Brews – Arcata, CA

    Feb. 6 – Volcanic Theatre – Bend, OR

    Feb. 7 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR

    Feb. 8 – Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA

    Feb. 9 – Wild Buff House Of Music – Bellingham, WA

    Feb. 12 – The Depot – Salt Lake City, UT

    Feb. 14 – Last Concert Café – Houston, TX

    Feb.15 – ACL Live – Austin, TX

    Feb.16 – Deep Ellum Art Co – Dallas, TX

    March 5 – The Vogue Theatre – Indianapolis, IN

    March 6 – Park West – Chicago, IL

    March 7 – Woodlands Tavern – Columbus, OH

    March 13 – Flying Monkey – Plymouth, NH

    March 14 – Putnam Place – Saratoga Springs, NY

    March 15 – Infinity Music Hall – Norfolk, CT

  • Hearing Aide: Citris ‘Delusions of Glamour’

    Brooklyn’s Citris has an animated energy synonymous with an experienced on the L-Train, when some bare chested entrepreneurs decided to bust into a dance routine. It’s a flash of joy when the rest of the day remains unsurprising; it’s that sort of spontaneity and uncertainty that Delusions of Glamour inspires.

    Citris has grunge rock principles, but remind listeners of experimental metal. While they’ve been described as a ‘pop grunge act,’ “Hell is a Place on Earth” vibrated with metal nuances, instantly. It’s Gwar infused with System of a Down’s political and social angst.

    Cirtis’ Angelina Torreano experiments with vocal passages, vocoder layering, and finds a way to lyrically loop varying emotional moods within a single song.

    Delusions of Glamour will also appeal to fans of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors. It has solid, intricate drumming, lyrical themes of toxic relationships and societal disagreements, and incredible instrumentation throughout. They’re never scared to have intricate harmonies, with little bass lines like in the song “Genetic Makeup” that keep your ears glued to the track. Citris is a group to stream and enjoy during the remaining bitter sweet days of autumn.

    Key Tracks: Genetic Makeup, Hell is a Place on Earth

  • Voodoo Music And Arts Experience 2019

    This past weekend, October 25-27, saw the annual Voodoo Music and Arts Experience took place in the city of New Orleans. The festival, in its tenth edition, boasted a genre spanning lineup that included Guns N’ Roses, Beck, Post Malone, Brandi Carlile, The National, Interpol, Big Gigantic, and Young the Giant. The three-day weekend married the close of the 2019 festival season and featured some creepy crawly Halloween festivities.

    In what seemed to be a Voodoo tradition the first day was plagued by a great deal of rain, leaving the grounds of the beautiful City Park under water and a swampy mess. The dismal weather did not deter the voodoo faithful from kicking off the weekend festivities costumes and all. Sets from up and coming artist Hobo Johnson & The Love Makers, and the amazing Bishop Briggs paved the way for a rainy serenade from Brandi Carlile, and an absolute heater from Guns N’ Roses. The world-famous rockers treated a wet and rowdy crowd to a three-hour career spanning set culminating with a perfectly timed November Rain as the light mist turned back into a steady rain shower.

    As day two arrived so did the sunshine as if summer was peaking in one more time before the winter months took over, allowing festival attendees to dawn their best costumes. This was a full music day that included sets from Young the Giant, The National, and Bassnectar with the ever-talented Beck closing out day 2 with his unique dance party sound. He paid homage to hometown favorites The Meters with a soulful version of Cissy Strut showing just how much love so many musicians have for the city of New Orleans.

    The final day of the festival featured an array of new bands and artists that certainly should be on any music fan’s radar. Temples, a psych rock band from England, proved that British rock is still alive and thriving, blending multiple different styles to create a unique hard rock sound. Minnesota native Hippo Campus brought their billowy melodies and concisely written songs for an amazing afternoon performance on the main stage. The array of great music culminated with a powerful performance from Post Malone. The 24 year old rap star closed this amazing weekend with such stage presence and cockiness. Closing the festival with his hit song “Congratulations” exclaiming to the NOLA faithful “Live your life, live your dream, live your truth, be what you want to be, don’t ever let anyone fuckin’ stop you.” A perfect motto for the attitude that the gritty city of New Orleans exudes everyday.

  • Dr. Martens Music & Film Series Set to Take Place

    The first ever Dr. Martens Music & Film Series is set to take place on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at the Superchief Gallery, located on 1628 Jefferson Avenue in Queens. The event—set to begin at 7:00 p.m.—will consist of a group of performers and entertainers, sharing their stories of resilience and determination. They explore the trials and tribulations that come with a career in entertainment while realizing their own artistic vision in the music industry.

    Curated by New York-based filmmaker Vincent Martell and Los Angeles based filmmaker Erik Rojas, the series will consist of L.A. and NYC concert events as well as accompanying short documentary films that will provide an intimate look at the daily lives of working musicians.

    The confirmed artists for the Dr. Martens Music & Film Series include Brooklyn’s own JunglePussy—who is being promoted as the headline performer for the New York City portion of the event. Rapper De’wayne Jackson, female rock group L.A. Witch and labelmates Sad Girl, Los Angeles punk-rock quartet The Paranoyds, hip-hop soul duo OSHUN, Afro-Latinx group Combo Chimbita, New York-based R&B group Phony Ppl, punk band Death Valley Girls, singer-songwriter Samia and r&b songstress PJ.

    For those who wish to rsvp, it can be done so by emailing hello@primeprgroup.com.

  • In Focus: Ghost Spooks “Death” In Syracuse

    Sweden’s enigmatic hard rock band, Ghost, and Texas based, Nothing More brought The Ultimate Tour Named Death to The Oncenter War Memorial Arena in Syracuse, NY as part of their North American Tour.

    Nothing More always puts on a fantastic show whether you’ve seen them once or ten times. Every performance is extremely high energy that seems like organized chaos, and this event proved no different. Frontman Jonny Hawkins took to the stage in his hoodie and began scaling up the iconic Scorpion Tale. With deep red stage lighting the remaining band members took to the stage before opening up with the explosive track “Let ’em Burn.”

    While only having a nine-song set, Nothing More played some of their major heavy hitters. “Don’t Stop,” “Go To War” and “This Is The Time” were all performed with an incredible amount of energy alongside more emotive numbers like “Jenny,” which is a song about Hawkins sister and the struggle with addiction. “Fade In/Fade Out,” one of Nothing More’s most powerful songs was performed beautifully, which had many members of the audience tearing up.

    Highlights from their set was a cover of the Skrillex track “Equinox,” mashed up with Queen’s “We Will Rock You” making for a pleasantly surprising and epic performance. Jonny Hawkins went absolutely nuts rocking back and forth on top of the Scorpion Tale drenched in sweat.

    Ending their set with “Burn The Witch,” was the most memorable part of their performance, having all members of the band play an epic drum solo in sync together. Hawkins went absolutely nuts again on the drums, which was the perfect finish for Nothing More’s performance.

    Nothing More set list: Let ’em Burn, Don’t Stop, Go To War, Jenny, Fadein/Fadeout, Ocean Floor, This Is The Time (Ballast), First Of The Year ‘Equinox (Skrillex)<We Will Rock You (Queen),’ Salem (Burn The Witch).

    A Ghost show is kind of like a satanic mass. They started the set with a large black curtain draped in front of the stage while church hymns played. It made you feel like you at a traditional Sunday Mass. That was until the curtain dropped and the bands beautifully designed cathedral set was displayed. White stairs leading up to the drummer and keyboardist were positioned, with a large backdrop of stained glass cathedral style windows with pictures of different era “Papas” displayed.

    As the introduction, “Ashes” began to play the Nameless Ghouls took place on-stage dressed in form fitting black outfits and silver masks as the music transitioned to the beginning of “Rats.” Cardinal Copia made his entrance dressed in his crimson suit.

    Cardinal Copia is one of the most charismatic frontmen in the rock/metal genre, and this was on full display in Syracuse. Six of the 20 songs performed were from the bands latest album, Prequelle, including the singles, “Faith” and “Dance Macabre.” Seven songs were performed from the band’s 2015 album, Meliora. Among those were the hits: “From The Pinnacle To The Pit,” “Cirice,” “Devil Church,” the Grammy winning track “He Is,” and the ‘super heavy, heaviest song we have‘ according to Cardinal Copia, “Mummy Dust.”

    Ghost recently released a two track EP, Seven Inches of Satanic Panic – and performed both tracks “Kiss the Go-Goat” and “Mary on a Cross.”

    From a guest appearance by Papa Nihil on the Saxophone for “Miasma,” to Cardinal Copia riding out a tricycle, the show was filled with dry humor and jokes that flowed so well with the bands performance. Watching Ghost perform is almost like watching a musical.

    Ending the night with “Square Hammer,” Ghost proved once again why they are one of the fastest rising hard rock bands in the world. The stage presence and interactions with the crowd connect on a personal level regardless if they’re playing in a small theater or a massive arena. Ghost is able to combine their stage lighting, fog machines, and the band’s incredible synergy for one fantastic show.

    Ghost Set list: Ashes, Rats, Absolution, Faith, Mary on a Cross, Devil Church, Cirice, Miasma, Ghuleh/Zombie Queen, Helvetesfönster, Spirit, From the Pinnacle to the Pit, Ritual, Satan Prayer, Year Zero, Spöksonat, He Is, Mummy Dust, Kiss the Go-Goat, Dance Macabre, Square Hammer.

    Ghost

    • Ghost
    • Ghost

    Nothing More

  • Terrorbyte Brings Ghosts To The Lost Horizon

    Terrorbyte performed an epic Halloween show at The Lost Horizon in Syracuse last night. Performing  most of their catalog, fans were treated to an excellent set with high energy and some chaos.

    They took the stage dressed in their usual masks as a taser got the crowd fired up into a frenzy, chanting “TERRORBYTE” as some of the members began climbing up on the wall. Their stage presence will just draw you in as there is so much going on at once. Whether it’s one of the members tasering another, or someone hanging from the ceiling – there is always something crazy happening at a Terrorbyte show.

    Terrorbyte

    Playing roughly an hour, their set was non-stop, high energy, “in your face” metal. There was little break in between songs as the band flowed so well, only stopping a couple of times to give some insight into their songs. “Gravitational” was dedicated to a late friend of the singer, and he took some time to speak on dealing with issues of depression and suicide.

    Finishing up their set, the crowd demanded another song as everyone in the venue was chanting, “One more song!” Terrorbyte obliged and performed a crushing version of “Shooting Star” which had everyone going nuts.

    Terrorbyte is a “must see” band based out of Syracuse that has made some huge waves in the metal word. During the performance of the show, Terrorbyte mentioned their upcoming album which has been highly anticipated, is currently being worked on, and expected to be released in the near future.

  • In Focus: We Want IDLES – Dominating Terminal 5

    IDLES released their heavily acclaimed LP, Joy as an Act of Resistance, back in August 2018, and the band has been on a meteoric rise ever since. Before the official release, IDLES were playing the intimate Rough Trade NYC, and this past week saw the boys from Bristol playing their biggest headlining show to date at Terminal 5.

    idles
    IDLES at Terminal 5 – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    This leg of the tour wrapped up with four shows in the Northeast, all supported by Preoccupations, who also released an excellent album last year, New Material. Their moody post-punk was a perfect appetizer to the show. The nine-song set spanned all four of the band’s LP releases and included both New Material singles, “Espionage” and “Antidote.” The set finished on a heavy, psychedelic note with a lengthy rendition of “Select Your Drone.”

    idles
    Preoccupations at Terminal 5 – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The moment Preoccupations left the stage, the buzz in the room skyrocketed. The anticipation was humming from the crowd as they shouted “We Want IDLES!” The crew was trying to ready the stage. From the moment the lights dimmed, until the last notes were played, the crowd was fully engaged, sending a steady stream of crowd surfers toward the stage. Several times guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan took their turns stage-diving and floating atop the crowd all without skipping a beat.

    idles
    Preoccupations at Terminal 5 – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    Regardless of how animated and aggressive both the audience and band seemed (there was a ‘wall of death’), the central message from the band’s music was never lost: compassion for everyone and community. From frontman Joe Talbot thanking security for the job they were doing, to the various messages of inclusion and respect in many of their songs, this sentiment was prominent throughout the night.

    idles
    IDLES at Terminal 5 – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    IDLES seemed to be racing through their 16 song set, but that was just a testament to the enormous energy behind their performance. Forgoing an encore, Preoccupations joined IDLES on stage to take part in a chaotic rendition of “Rottweiler,” with the drum set slowly being torn apart and cymbals crashing all over the stage.

    idles
    Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

    The band has also just announced a new live album, A Beautiful Thing: IDLES Live at Le Bataclan, recorded in Paris in December 2018 and out officially December 6, 2019. The live album includes tracks from both of the bands studio LPs, and is a self-contained statement about unity and love. The band will be playing shows in the UK in December, with festival appearances scheduled for next Spring.

  • Framing Hanley Headlining SMACK Fest In Syracuse Next Week

    Framing Hanley will be headlining SMACK Fest 2019 – Halloween Edition on October 26th at the S.I. Hall at the NYS Fairgrounds.

    Framing Hanley, who shot to fame with their cover of Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” will be joined by some of the best metal bands CNY has to offer.

    The full lineup for SMACK Fest is as follows:

    – Framing Hanley
    – Skinbound
    – Murder In Rue Morgue
    – Less Than Hate
    – Obdura
    – Damon Larus
    – Kilter
    – Level VII
    – The Burned Out Suns
    – Northwoods Wendigo

    Doors open at 3pm – Show starts at 4pm
    All ages show. Under 18 must be accompanied by an adult
    $5.00 additional fee at door for Under 21

    Tickets can be purchased HERE. PreSale Tickets are $15.00 ($20 day of show). Costume Contests with prizes will be awarded.

    Framing Hanley

     

  • Hearing Aide: Mud Head ‘Black Blood, Black Tongue’

    We live in a world of singles and streaming, and it’s amazing to see bands boast over a series of releases they’ve contributed in a year’s time. For Rochester rock duo Mud Head, the work doesn’t stop after album one. Formalizing their group in January of this year, this industrial alternative outfit has delivered a self-titled album, exclusive single and follow-up EP, all by the end of September, growing their following with every release, rocking 2019 for sure. The group’s latest EP Black Blood, Black Tongue is by no means a wrench in this roaring machine.

    This EP is loaded with ruminating lyrical confessions to echo over wet drum slaps and rattling chimes, rising and falling in a progressive rock nebulous. The opening track “Sunshine Boy” has a Floyd-like overture, mimicking clocks with cymbal strikes as a brooding energy builds to the opening down beat.

    Considering their lack of bandmates, this duo makes a loud bang when they emphasize their most vulnerable moments. The lyrics are relatable and expressive, without pushing towards a particular source. They know the capacities of studio recording and how to alter them, suiting the EP in an industrial armor.

    Stripped clean is the final track of the EP “Hiding Beneath Ladders,” where we see the softest side of Mud Head. The meter is deceptively mixed, and the somber chord progressions lead us into an uneasy waltz. Bands with this versatility only come around once in a while, and performing their discography live would not only bring their music to new heights, but welcome them to develop their image, message and in due time, a massive following.

    Key Tracks: Sunshine Boy, Hiding Beneath Ladders.

  • Whitney Houston & The Notorious B.I.G Nominated for Rock Hall of Fame

    While in the midst of a change of leadership, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has nominated 20 new possible inductees for 2020. These latest nominees—which include posthumous nominations for legendary rapper, The Notorious B.I.G, as well as R&B and soul songstress Whitney Houston—are bridging a gap between genres, genders and race. Something departing Rock Hall chairman Jann Wenner has been criticized for in the past. A claim which he has refuted. “Musical achievements have got to be race-neutral and gender-neutral,” said Wenner, according to the New York Times.

    Nonetheless, incoming chairman John Sykes—the president of Entertainment Enterprises for the radio conglomerate iHeartMedia—has made it a point to embrace the new direction that music is heading into. “The important goal is to diversify the New York foundation board, with more women, more people of color and [become] a board that reflects the artists that are now being inducted,” said Sykes, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

    While new agendas are being set forward, traditional rock bands are still a mainstay of the Rock Hall of Fame. This year’s nominations include rock acts Motörhead, Judas Priest, Dave Matthews Band, Nine Inch Nails, the MC5, Thin Lizzy and T Rex, among others.

    After nominations, the committee in charge of electing inductees—made up of more than 1,000 historians, members of the music history and every living Rock Hall inductee—fill out ballots with the five highest vote getters making up that year’s class. Beginning in 2012, fans have been allowed to vote who they think belongs in the Rock Hall, with the top five fan vote-getters making up one ballot. Artists become eligible to be nominated 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording, according to the Rock Hall’s official website.

    The official inductees will be announced in January, with the ceremony to take place in May. The show will air at a later date on HBO.

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