Mountain Jam has announced the festival will return to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in 2020. Dates for the festival are May 29-31, 2020 with lineup and more information coming in the new year.
Category: Genres
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Runaway Gin – a Tribute to Phish – adds 2020 Winter Tour Dates, perform at Knitting Factory on December 26
Runaway Gin – a Tribute to Phish – has announced their ‘Ophishal YEMSG pre-party’ in New York City on Thursday, December 26. Hosted by Facebook groups Phish Chicks, PHISH TOUR 2014, and GrooveSafe, the event will feature two sets of “Evil Phish” starting at 8:00 pm. Kicking off the night will be special guests Space Junk is Forever. Peak Builders Network will host a meet-up at 7:00pm and hold a raffle to benefit the non-profit GrooveSafe, who also receive a portion of each ticket sale.
The Charleston, SC based quartet Runaway Gin has also announced that they will now be extending to a 19-date 2020 Winter Tour. The tour begins Friday, January 10th at the Masquerade in Atlanta, GA and then returns the band to Nashville, TN for a debut at the Mercy Lounge the following night. The following weekend Gin will make their long awaited Colorado debut with a 2 night-run in Steamboat Springs Thursday and Friday nights followed by a Saturday show in Denver at Cervantes.
Saturday, February 8th returns the band to their home venue: the Charleston Pour House. At the end of February the band will return to the Orpheum in Tampa, FL as well as Revolution Live in Ft, Lauderdale, FL. The first weekend in March brings the Charleston based tribute up to Portland, ME for a debut show at PHOME, a Boston debut at Brighton Music Hall, and a Hartford, CT debut at Arch Street Tavern.
The end of March brings the band north again for a return to the Ardmore Music Hall just outside of Philadelphia, PA and a Pittsburgh debut at Thunderbird Music Hall. Returns to the Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh, NC and the Broadberry in Richmond, VA close out this tour.
The band has also just released full show soundboards from their Norva debut November 29th containing both a 30 plus minute “You Enjoy My Frankenstein” and a 24 minute “Runaway Jim” on the anniversary of Phish’s longest jam, the ‘Worcester Centrum Jim.’
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.
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.
Best of NYS 2019: Albums of the Year
NYS Music’s annual rundown of the best and brightest that 2019 had to offer musically rolls on with our selections of the best albums of the year. The staff has spoken and selected the best album release for both national recording acts and those who call New York home. The results ended up producing a well known name in the jam community whose latest release shines and a band well known and revered in the rock scene that just returned to touring after a long layoff. And if you missed our earlier selections for 2019’s best “under the radar” bands, go here and catch up.
Album of the year – NY edition
The one name that seemed to pop up more than any other in our NY poll belonged to a Mr. Marco Benevento. His new release Let it Slide has been received with much acclaim and highlights the keyboard extraordinaire’s signature sound. In a departure from his other solo album releases (this is his sixth one to date), Benevento handed the keys for this one over to an outside producer in Leon Michels and the two Hudson Valley residents collaborated to make a record that’s both complex and an easy listen, combining elements of rock, jazz and funk.
With a host of tracks that feature poignant piano fills and simple yet effective rhythms, Let it Slide has received its fair share of critical acclaim. Rolling Stone praised “the textures and colors available in his keyboards and arsenal of manipulated pedals and effects,” along with his “deceptively rich, catchy melodies and straight-ahead grooves.” The album, as a whole, does a superb job of putting the music first and foremost with vocals and effects that compliment it.
Some of the more interesting tracks on the album are the strictly instrumental ones dubbed “Graffiano” that are brief piano interludes placed between the more traditional three or four-minute tracks. Although they are short in length, it gives an insight to level of creativity Benevento brings to his music. “The piano sound at one point didn’t feel right, so when no one was looking, I put some gaff tape on the strings to mute it,” says Benevento. “Everybody loved it and started calling it the Gaffiano. They’d say, ‘Go play something that sounds like Sun Ra meets Keith Jarrett on the Gaffiano,’ and I’d make up these crazy pieces on the spot.”
Between this and tracks with insightful vocals like “Lorraine” that deals with loss and change and “Solid Gold” which explores tenets of friendship, Let it Slide flows beautifully from start to finish, never getting too high or too low in mood or tempo. And between the initial tracking done at Diamond Mine in Queens with mastering and overdubs being taken care of in Upstate NY, it’s an ideal selection for our NY Album of the Year.
Album of the Year – National
For the non-New York Album of the Year, one seemed to rise above all the others. And it’s from a band that just made their triumphant return to touring to support it. Released in August, Tool’s Fear Inoculum is the group’s fifth studio album and their first one in nearly thirteen years. It features the signature Tool sound of pulsating, driving rock grooves with ethereal vocals supplemented by front man Maynard James Keenan. The album is the product of many years of work with setbacks and injuries to band members laced in between. In retrospect, Keenan recounted that the band constantly second-guessing themselves was a reason for the album taking so long, and that he believes the version of the album the band had going eight years ago in 2011 would have been “fantastic” too. But it still gets the job done in terms of bringing the intense sounds and feelings of a Tool show to your living room.
Not your typical hard rock band, Tool features several tracks on this album that stretch past the 10-minute mark, showcasing the band’s ability to find a groove and explore from within. The album as a whole has a runtime of 80 minutes – the maximum length for any CD. The concept of seven is a recurring theme of the album both musically and conceptually; guitar riffs were written in unusual time signatures related to the number seven, while Keenan introduced ideas related to seven as well. This is highlighted with the song “7empest,” a 15-minute rock exodus that’s the longest on the album.
The album also explores the concept of growing “older and wiser”. Keenan explained that the album covers the idea of “embracing where we are right now, acknowledging where we’ve come from and some of the things we’ve gone through.” They must be doing something right because the album debuted atop the Billboard 200 in September and has reached almost 250,000 album sales. It seems to have been well worth the wait and a recent successful tour in North America helped solidify this. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Take a listen below to the entire and listen for yourself.
Swinging into SPAC for an Evening of Dance
It’s not every day you get an education and a show in one sitting, much less for free. But Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is full of surprises — that’s because they love their proud little city. That much was obvious on Thursday, December 12, when I set foot onto the glorious ballroom floor at the Hall of Springs for Winter of 2019’s Freihofer’s “Live at the Jazz Bar: Swing Night.”
Chris Shiley, SPAC’s Senior Director of Artistic Planning, said this is their third winter doing Live at the Jazz Bar nights. Winter’s evenings are seldom. In the summertime, however, Live at the Jazz Bar happens once a month, typically rotating themes from swing, Latin, and ballroom dances, all of which are preceded with a lesson. Winter Jazz Bar nights are geared toward getting the greater Saratoga community out to have a good time and raise awareness of SPAC’s upcoming activities.
The Hall of Springs boasts 38-foot ceilings, from which hung three
crystal chandeliers that twinkled from the gold and red lights shooting up the sides of the Tuscan columns from projectors. Annie and the Hedonists, a tight band of five specializing in swing and blues of the ’20s, ‘30s, and ‘40s, had a modest setup on the floor’s center. Around it, dancers young and old gathered for pre-performance dance lessons lead by Tango Fusion Dance Studio’s Johnny Martinez and Diane Lachtrupp.
Martinez began the session by teaching each individual the triple step. It was simple enough: 1-2-3 tiny steps to the right, 1-2-3 steps left, then a rock on your right foot, and repeat. It was time to grab a partner. I faded into the background, knowing I had come alone. But assistant Jennifer Emmons beckoned me to return to the floor and take her hand. I complied, but flushed red, convinced that I would literally be stepping on her toes.
I did not. Jen was a very good teacher. She had been training to instruct at the studio after having spent five years as a dedicated swing dancer. Apart from my occasional misstep, Jen taught me how to keep up with her. By the end of the lesson, we were effortlessly scuttling one direction, then another, then spinning apart and coming back together.
“Dancing is like a language,” she told me—a motto of the studio, I later learned from Diane Lachtrupp. “Once you learn, you can dance with anyone.” The follower, usually a woman, needs to listen to the leader (usually a man, though in this case, I was following Jen’s lead) so that the conversation can keep going.
The lesson was over and the band began to play. The songs performed by Annie and the Hedonists were a perfect compliment to what the room just learned. Dancers in pairs bounded about the floor, swinging in and out and back and forth. The band kept the crowd guessing as they jumped from classics like “Blue Light Boogie” to “Walk Right In, Walk Right Out;” then to “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm,” each tune matched the energy in the room.
Lead vocalist Annie Rosen was complimented by guitarist Jonny Rosen, bassist Don Young, and Peter Davis on keyboard and saxophone. No feet hid underneath tablecloths. Even those who weren’t dancing stood and bobbed their heads to the catchy tunes. A favorite of Annie and the Hedonists is to interpret the music of early female jazz vocalists such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, both of whom were represented beautifully by the passion in Annie Rosen’s voice during the performance.
The next Freihofer’s Night at the Jazz Bar has yet to be scheduled. But Mr.
Shiley has assured that SPAC will be scheduling it once they finish out 2019. For more information on events at SPAC, please join their mailing list. For more information on Tango Fusion Dance Studio events, email stepdl@aol.com. To learn more about Annie and the Hedonists visit their website.
Review and photos by Jenn March
Skeeter Creek Draws Crowd for Madison Theater Reopening
Many braved frigid temperatures Thursday night for the grand reopening of Madison Theater to see Skeeter Creek. Some were in attendance to support the neighborhood landmark, while others were excited to see the new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. What was really the hot ticket for the night was the much anticipated performance of Capital Region’s favorite country band, Skeeter Creek.
Taking the stage at 5:30 PM, Skeeter Creek drew in a large crowd and rocked the house despite the freezing temperatures. Starting with a Brooks & Dunn classic “Brand New Man,” for the next hour and a half the popular cover band tackled songs from Toby Keith, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker and threw in a few classic rock songs including a crowd favorite “Jack and Diane” from 80s rocker John Mellencamp.
Fans consumed hot dogs, burgers and drinks provided by Mike’s on a Roll food truck while huddled around the several large space heaters outside. Inside the theater one could grab variety of alcoholic beverages at the theater’s new bar.
A ribbon cutting ceremony led by Honorable Owusu Anane – Councilman for the 10th Ward, had several including John Clarkson the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association President and Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan reminiscing on their experiences at the Madison Theater.
“The Madison Theater was a gathering place for the Pine Hills Neighborhood even back when it was a one screen theater. It is great to see everyone who has come together to revive the local landmark” said Sheehan.
Albany native Kevin Parisi of Trinity Realty Group, the building’s new owners. and the theater’s general manager Kris Kiesling were presented with plaques from Sheehan and Albany County Legislature Representative Raymond Joyce (D), deeming December 19 Madison Theater Day not only for the city of Albany but also for the county.
Kris Kiesling told NYS Music of the changes slated for the theater. Movie goers will be able to order food, take their seats and the food will be delivered by waiting staff while they are watching a movie. There will also be a lounge area with a bar, along with a full-service restaurant called The Box Office, Keisling said.
Future plans of the theater also include a space for comedy shows and a performance stage for bands slated to be able to accommodate up to 500 people. This is conjunction to the four screens that will also be playing the newest movies.
Never before has the theater served as a performance venue and there is nothing like it that exists in the Capital Region.
“Parisi, the entire team and I are excited to bring the Madison Theater back to not only it’s same but a better glory. We are all on the same page with the Neighborhood Association and are going to be establishing the Madison Theater as more than a venue to watch movies at. This is going to be a entertainment space. We want people to be able to come here and hang out, feel part of the neighborhood.”
Kris Kiesling, Madison Theatre GM
Kiesling also said that they will be taking over and re branding the Cosmic Theater in Hudson, NY as a Madison Theater.
The Madison Theater has been open since the 1920s making it Albany’s oldest theater still in operation. It has experienced periods of darkness before. About 15 years ago the theater was shuttered for some time according to Anne Savage, City of Albany’s School Board President, “a few hundred people braved a blizzard then to meet in attempts to reopen the theater”.
During it’s most recent two year closure the Madison Theater went through many hands including Cosmic Cinemas before they went out of business the Times Union reported last month.