Governors Ball may be moving to the Bronx in the future, relocating from Randall’s Island to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. While the festival has been denied a permit to move locations in 2020, the company behind the festival made a pitch to members of Bronx Communty Board 8 last week.
Concerns over the event’s size and duration were part of turning down the move in the past, but organizers are now appealing that decision. With 50,000 people expected to attend the June 5-7 festival each day, a relocation would need to factor in the strain on local infrastructure caused by the arrival of the GovBall crowd.
Recently, a new age policy was revealed, as well as an updated VIP experience. The festival says regarding raising the minimum age from 18 to 21, “In a change from previous years, for the 2020 festival all persons 18 and over are welcome at the festival, but a valid proof of ID is required for entry. All persons aged 17 and under MUST attend with an adult who is 21 or older. Each adult must have a valid form of ID and may accompany up to TWO ticket holders aged 17 or younger.”
Governor’s Ball also unveiled an updated VIP experience, offering access to special viewing areas, as well as air-conditioned, flushable bathrooms; a private wi-fi network; a separate lane at ferry docks and shuttle pick-up points; free water at VIP areas and more.
Welcome to New York State Music’s Best Of 2019, with a twist. Whether you are racing down the interstate, or planing your holiday travels, radar detectors can be extremely useful. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Chuck DeFilippo, Features Editor of NYS – and I am about to acid-bath you from the glam of national touring acts and replant you in the roots of NYS Music: Underground Bands.
We have been blessed with so much great music throughout the Best Of 2019. My edge stems from discovery. If a spark fires, it not only excites, but is guaranteed to captivate readers.
Combing through over 40 votes, only two-and-a-half bands had coupled votes. The Best Of 2019 podium is shared with Consider The Source, Hartley’s Encore, and Mike Powell (with his second vote for Mike Powell & The Black River).
Consider The Source, a fairly (too) well know group to be considered Under The Radar, breeds music where galaxies collide. The NYC Sci-fi trio combines the energy of progressive rock, Middle Eastern, Jazz-Improv. and psychedelic math topped with Indian spices. Good luck getting through their flavourful artist bio, let alone the first set. Hang on! The Best of 2019 is just getting off.
Albany’s apocalyptic dance party, Hartley’s Encore, is just one of those bands that cumulates the epitome of NYS Music. Under their own label, Hartley’s Encore, LLC, the band draws influence from a precise blend of new jam band’s and classics: Lettuce, The Rolling Stones, The Meters, Marvin Gaye, B.B. King and Stevie Wonder.
The weekend warriors mission: making music equal parts soundtrack to your Saturday night & bacon for your Sunday brunch, since their inception in 2016.
Hartley’s Encore Live – 12/13/19 in Albany.
Mike Powell snagged the last spot for top-three with votes for his solo act and with The Black River. NYS Music has dubbed him as “One of the premier singer/songwriters in music today,” and we continue to follow him, as he is no stranger to the big stage. From sharing bills with Martin Sexton, to crafting his own art studio, Rising Feather in Cazenovia, NY, Powell is a musician’s musician.
The most apparent difference between this record (Gypsy Winnebago, 2019) and their first is the vocal harmonies. “I had a long conversation with the band and emphasized how much I felt these songs needed more voices,” says Powell. “There’s something really powerful about human voices singing one message together. The guys obviously have great ears so they grabbed ahold of the harmonies right away and it really brought these songs to life.”
Stay tuned as Mike Powell has a slew of shows, exclusive to New York State booked out through May of 2020. See details HERE.
Connecticut Is Close Enough, Right?
New York State Music’s Connecticut duo, myself and photographer Chris Sidoruk, are proud to see bands blooming outside of NY State into the shoreline. From New York City down through Connecticut cities Bridgeport and New Haven, the underground music scene is running rapid. Connecticut’s capital, Hartford, is also a hot bed for Albany and Upstate natives. It’s beautiful how these neighbouring bands and scenes are truly one in the same.
One Time Weekend @ The Acoustic – Brigeport, CT – Photo By: Chris Sidoruk
One Time Weekend‘s self titled track (video below), is offsetting from the first full band entrance. You don’t expect it. And it’s so good – so rock, only to be backdropped by a mellow reggae grove – sending you into an internet-search-furry for what else these cats have to offer. Go ahead, explore.
Stay tuned throughout the next few days as we delve into some of the best music, entered around New York State – and beyond. These picks have been curated from our staff and contributing writers to expose you the vast talent of musicians that pass you on the streets and dwell in your neighbouring towns. Each day will introduce new music for you to listen to, but for now – The Best Under The Radar Bands, you’ve never heard of. And that’s a beautiful thing.
Bushicks are a REAL Rock and Roll band. There are many imitators out there, but these guys don’t need to fake it. Drawing upon inspiration from our heroes of yesterday, I had the pleasure of recording a band that is building for the future and continuing the spirit of great Rock and Roll music. For a young band, I am excited to hear them grow and I hope you do too.
Bushicks Engineer, Phil Duke at Continental Recording Studios, Long Island. Read more at NYS Music…
NYS Music’s own, Gabe Birkby, is not only a talented writer and contributor to the site, but his talents shine all alone, onstage, or in his bedroom. NYS writers and contributors wear many hats, to which many of us are musicians, like Gabe. This Best Of 2019 features a beam of light, to shine, and thank all of our staff who continue to follow their passion, while working so hard to bring our readers quality content. With Gabe, he’s totally stripped down as a solo artist with nothing but a microphone, his guitar and loop pedal. Enjoy.
Folk, Singer-Songwriter, looping guitar, with a captivating voice.
NYC’s freshest Afrobeat-Jazz-Funk Dance Party; The Brighton Beat is a positive musical force for all ages, aimed at getting the crowd dancing. This diverse group combines elements of classic Afrobeat, Modern Jazz, New Orleans Funk, and World Music into their own sound that gets booty’s shaking and the bar flowing, according to the band’s bio.
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.
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.
On Saturday, December 14, a healthy crowd of Santas, Deadheads and the Saratoga jam scene flocked to Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs for a evening of giving and fun. For the 14th year in a row, David Brayman held his annual Jam for Tots charity get together, which by all accounts was a huge success. The event had music featuring The Deadbeats, who played a flowing set of Grateful Dead classics, followed by Annie in the Water, whose high energy set kept the crowd wanting more. At least a hundred toys were donated, along with many specialty items that were generously given to be raffled off.
The hottest raffle of the night was a pair of VIP tickets to the 2020 Adirondack Independence Music Festival, which went for well above listed value. Other items included tickets donated by 102.7 WEQX for the Winter Wondergrass Festival in Vermont next April, as well as Grateful Dead merchandise such as finely crafted wooden pieces, tie dyes, hats, pins, and patches. All proceeds from the event benefitted Things of My Very Own, a non-profit charity in Schenectady, whose focus is on providing essential items for children and families in need.
The Putnam Place Jam for Tots show was just one of 15 held around New York State this holiday season. NYS Music proudly promotes these events to give back to local communities to those most in need. Special thanks to the Toys for Tots chapters across the state for their support, as well as the bands, promoters and fans who made these shows a huge success.
Saratoga Jam for Tots – Putnam Place
Don’t miss the final Jam for Tots shows of the season!
Dec 20 PA Line “Chrismukkah Show” w/ Special Guests – Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo
Dec26 Runaway Gin – Knitting Factory, Brooklyn
Dec 28 Tim Herron Corporation – Funk n Waffles, Syracuse
Funk season arrives in Hudson this weekend in the form of a holiday funk tacular at Club Helsinki, and on Saturday, December 21 and Sunday, December 22, New York’s Holidelic – part dance party, part funk concert, part comedy show – and show off influences including P-Funk, Sly Stone, and other diverse funk and soul bands. This is a show for all races, creeds and lifestyle, and even for all ages with a little parental guidance.
Holidelic features original holiday songs as well as loose, funk-infused adaptations of Tchaikovsky, “Frosty the Snowman,” “Little Drummer Boy” and the like. With Holidelic, Everett “Papadelic” Bradley puts a fresh spin on holiday cheer, through lively holiday party tunes, outrageous costumes, and a theatrical stage show worthy of George Clinton’s P-Funk. There’ll be no “Silent Night” when he reinvigorates the season, prompting concertgoers to shake their holiday booties to Sly Stone-style funk ‘n’ roll. Ho-ho-ho.
This Saturday night, at the Capitol Theatre, bluegrass diehards and fans of live music, in general, will come together to celebrate a true musical luminary, the one and only Del McCoury. The Port Chester rock palace will host the Del McCoury Band for an eightieth birthday celebration that will feature special guests like David Grisman, The Infamous Stringdusters, Andy Falco, Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman, and more.
A groundbreaking and genre-defining flatpicking guitar master with one of the most recognizable voices in the history of bluegrass, McCoury has done it all—left an impression on them all. From his many years fronting the Del McCoury Band, to his time sharing the stage with other bluegrass giants like Bill Monroe, John Hartford, and more, the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter has had quite the looming career. In our excitement for the show Saturday night, we’re revisiting some of our favorite live moments from the man’s career.
Del McCoury + Bill Monroe: Two Days At Newport
Bill and Monroe and Del McCoury are like the Socrates and Plato of American bluegrass history— teacher and pupil contemporaries and often compared masters of the craft. In the formative days of his career, McCoury came up as a member of Monroe’s band along with other giants like Bill Keith, Kenny Baker, and more. Two years before Newport Folk Festival exploded in infamy after Bob Dylan’s electric set, the group recorded this still-lauded live album.
Del McCoury + David Grisman: FreshGrass Festival 2017
It wouldn’t be a proper tribute to Del if legendary mandolinist David Grisman weren’t on the scene. For the past several years, Grisman and McCoury have toured regularly as Del and Dawg, presenting an intimate style, anecdote-rich, two-man show that is just so special. Watch the two put the charm on FreshGrass Festival back in 2017.
Del McCoury + Preservation Hall Jazz Band: The David Letterman Show
Back in 2011, The Del McCoury Band and Preservation Hall Jazz Band linked up to record an entire album together and perform a great cross country tour in support of the album. Legends of different styles of American roots music came together in a beautiful, and musically hot, way. Watch the two amazing bands light up Letterman in this awesome video here.
Del McCoury + Friends: Winterhawk AllStar Jam 1996
While Colorado has always had Telluride, New York has had Winterhawk, a historic weekend event started in 1984 that continues to run every year and that has seen performances from just about every bluegrass player ever. McCoury has graced Winterhawk, which is now known as Grey Fox, with his presence many times. Check out this clip from 1996 which has McCoury picking alongside titans like John Hartford and Vassar Clements, but also some younger talent like Jerry Douglas and members of the Del McCoury Band.
Del + Trey Anastasio Band: DelFest 2017
We don’t have to say much about this one—the smiles between Del and Phish frontman Trey Anastasio say it all. This fan-shot clip shows the pair at McCoury’s self-hosted event DelFest in 2017, and it’s actually not the first time by any stretch that these guitar gods have performed together.
Del McCoury Band: NPR Tiny Desk Performance
The appeal of NPR’s TinyDesk video series comes in showcasing historically influential and generally mega-popular artists in their intimate, academic-like setting, and it’s no wonder that the Del McCoury Band got their time to shine there last year. The band’s three-song set opens up with a great take on “That Ol’ Train.”
Del McCoury Band + Chris Thile: Live From Here
Another great honor awarded to McCoury and his band over the past year was to be featured as guest performers on Chris Thile’s “Live From Here” events. Now, if you know bluegrass, you definitely know Del. But if you know bluegrass you probably also know Chris Thile, arguably one of the most masterful mandolin players in the world currently. Listen to these guys rip up “Baltimore Johnny” at the one and only Ryman Auditorium from last April.
Del McCoury Band + Billy Strings: GreyFox Bluegrass Festival 2019
In 2019, Del McCoury sounds as fresh as ever, not only continuing to tour and write new music but making sure to pass the torch on to the next generation of greats. That’s right, it was only a matter of time before Del and the young gun Billy Strings found themselves on stage next to one another, which is a number of times by now. Del and Billy crooning together in this clip from Grey Fox this past summer is a thing of honorable beauty.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Along the banks of the Hudson River, new music is flourishing. New York towns like Beacon, Kingston and Woodstock are emerging as musical meccas. Last weekend, Nyack joined this burgeoning trend when it served as the location for Manic Kat Records’ 5th anniversary festival. This two-day event, held at Olive’s, served as an opportunity for Manic Kat to showcase their stable of artists. With a mantra of “Real Punk. Real Attitude,” the music ran the gamut from Metal to Ska, Pop Punk to Rock and Roll.
Cult Classic
The spectrum of talent possessed by the label was on full display over the two days. Local favorites Cult Classic and Philly’s A Likely Story joined Bay Area pop punkers Neverlyn and Central California’s For the Record as part of a 15-act smorgasbord of music. Keeping things running smoothly, Suicide Girl, Paijee Suicide, presided as host of the festival lending her charm to the merriment.
Neverlyn
Rockland County-based, location hasn’t limited Manic Kat’s reach when searching for talent to fit their brand. Having acts now hitting Billboard Magazine’s Hard Rock Album Sales and Heatseekers Album charts, be looking for bigger and better things to come from this Pomona, NY label as their roster grows. The tide on the Hudson may ebb and flow, but one constant is that Manic Kat Records is Real Punk, Real Attitude and Real Music.
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.
