The annual Great Salt City Blues Concert makes its return to Syracuse on Friday, Dec. 27at 7:30 p.m. The event—being held at The Palace Theatre—is a yearly extravaganza that celebrates great blues artists. This year’s theme is to pay tribute to five legends of the genre, where current musicians will be honoring greats of the past. The honorees consist of, Albert Collins, Freddy King, Big Mama Thornton, Slim Harpo and Memphis Minnie.
The participating musicians include:
Austin John Doody, Mark Gibson, Tas Cru, Mike DeLaney, Bill Barry, Pete McMahon, Ross Moe, Jerry Neely, Mikal Serafim, Diana Jacobs, Curtis Waterman, Bob Purdy, Ron Spencer, Cathy LaManna, Dunham Hall, Jimmy Wolf, Jane Zell and Dawna Zahn.
Advance sale general admission tickets will be sold for $25 and can be purchased at Soundgarden in Armory Square & The Palace Commons, while tickets at the door on the night of the show will be $35.
Tickets for the Salt City Blues Concert can be purchased online through Brown Paper Tickets.
In celebration of the 10 year anniversary since the band’s debut EP A Balloon Called Moaning, Welsh alternative rock group The Joy Formidable have announced ‘The Ten Years Floating Tour’ in North America for the upcoming winter. This comes just after the end of a fall acoustic tour with Devotchka, a four-piece instrumental and vocal ensemble from Denver, CO.
During the tour, the band will make three stops in New York. First performing back to back nights Dec. 5 and 6 at the Rough Trade in Brooklyn. They will then make their way to Albany for a show at The Hollow on Dec. 7.
Additionally, The Joy Formidable has released a special double album edition of their debut album. In keeping with the band’s desire to pay homage to their Welsh heritage, they will also release an acoustic Welsh language version called ‘Y Falwn Drom’. Already available through Hassle Records, there will be a double CD and double colored vinyl. It is a limited edition with only 1000 copies and can be purchased here. Featuring the single “Whirring,” A Balloon Called Moaning was originally written and recorded in a bedroom by Ritzy Bryan (lead singer and guitarist) and Rhydian Davies (vocalist and bass) over 10 years ago in North Wales.
On the new release, Ritzy explains; “We’ve been through such a lot as a band over the years, it’s been a really reflective studio session, returning to the old recordings and transforming them into these beautiful stripped back, intimate versions. It’s exciting hearing them in the Welsh language because now they have new life too and can be a celebration of language as well as memory.”
The Joy Formidable – Tour Dates Nov. 29 – Rock & Roll Hotel – Washington, DC Nov. 30 & Dec.1 – Boot & Saddle – Philadelphia, PA Dec. 3 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA Dec. 5 & 6 – Rough Trade – Brooklyn, NY Dec. 7 – The Hollow – Albany, NY Dec. 10 – Velvet Underground – Toronto, ON Dec. 12 – Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL Dec. 13 – Colectivo – Milwaukee, WI Dec. 14 – Fine Line Music Cafe – Minneapolis, MN Dec. 17 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA Dec. 18 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR Dec. 20 – The Chapel – San Francisco, CA Dec. 21 – The Teragram – Los Angeles, CA
Ithaca, NY based progressive soul band, Noon Fifteen is set to release its epic prog-pop suite, At the Festival,Halloween weekend. Packing a punch in its 22 minute run-time, the album is a brilliantly-efficient storyteller.
The members here are key to its delivery, starting with Mandy Goldman on vocals, whose dynamic range and myriad styles power this piece. Rounding out Noon Fifteen are: Samuel B. Lupowitz (keyboards & vocals), Joe Massa (guitars), Harry Nichols (bass, percussion, & vocals), and Phil Shay (drums & vocals). Joining the band on this outing is Chris Ploss, not only on percussion and vocals, but he also recorded and mixed the album at Sunwood Recording in Trumansburg, NY.
At the Festival explores the mood of Hero, the protagonist of the piece, as he contemplates the state of his life – past and present. Wondering where the time has gone and trying to truly feel his emotions, Hero conversely numbs himself with liquor and pills. It is this internal struggle that underlies the entire mini-rock opera.
The alternate musical styles of At the Festival drive the narrative through the album. The band shines here moving effortlessly between pop soul sounds, prog rock riffs and sonically soaring movements. The free, yet vocally stunning “Wandering” showcases the beautiful harmonies this group can deliver, and simultaneously offers a small respite to Hero. As the story works to conclusion, it is apparent that Hero’s struggle is not over as he is battered by mourning and lost love in “Rock Bottom” and he defiantly disavows everyone in “My Ghost.”
Well-crafted and performed, At the Festival is a testament to Noon Fifteen’s willingness to explore and grow musically. This is an effort to be cheered.
Key Tracks: Time for Me, Rock Bottom, My Ghost
Join Noon Fifteen for their album release party at The Range in Ithaca on Saturday, November 2.
Legendary hip-hop artist Chuck D – born, Carlton Douglas Ridenhour – will be honored with the Woody Guthrie Prize, on November 16, at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Queens-bred emcee is known for his politically conscious lyrics, which he’s used to help spread awareness about the many injustice’s minorities face.
Ridenhour, an Adelphi University graduate, as well as the recipient of an honorary doctorate, began his rap career as a member of iconic hip-hop group, Public Enemy. Their 1988 sophomore album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, is not only considered a rap-classic, but standout records like “Rebel Without a Pause,” and “Night of the Living Basehead,” set the standard for politically conscious music.
Throughout his career, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has made it a point to address social-political issues facing the African American community, whether it be through his solo work, his contributions to Public Enemy and rap-rock supergroup, Prophets of Rage (alongside members of Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine and Cypress Hill emcee, B-real).
The Woody Guthrie Prize is awarded to artists who use their art to speak up for the less fortunate. It is presented in honor of American folk singer Woodrow Guthrie. Other recipients of the award include, gospel singer Mavis Staples, folk singer and activist Pete Seeger, and television producer, Norman Lear, who produced sitcoms such as, Sandford and Son, The Jeffersons, and Good Times.
“We are honored to recognize Chuck’s work as he shines a light on social and cultural issues through his words and encourages us all to take action for equality and justice. We know that Woody would be rapping right alongside him as he speaks truth to power,” said Deana McCloud, director of the Woody Guthrie Center, according to the official website of the Woody Guthrie center.
Tickets to see the presentation of the Woody Guthrie Prize and a discussion with Chuck D are available here.
Albany, NY based band Glass Pony is dropping their debut self titled album today, November 2, on all streaming platforms. The seven-track album has head-bopping beats that make you want to get up and move. The four piece band made up of guitar, bass, and drums gets inspiration from everything in between the 60s and 90s, with influence from rock, punk, indie, and jam band genres, according to their bio.
The album starts with “Grover’s Mill 1938,” which is a groovy opener. With a runtime dropping in just under 9-minutes, it’s a long listen, but one worth listening to. Its usage of multi layered vocals has a somewhat ‘Pixies meets jam band’ feel to it, that keeps you entertained throughout.
If you aren’t into songs long songs, Glass Pony might not be the band for you; about half of their songs hit in the 8-10 minute mark and take their time to get in the groove with long intros and outros. Their second song on the album, “Swing That Maximus” has a full two-minute instrumental intro. With tempo changes up the wazoo throwing the listener from dance-y beats that make you want to get up and boogie, to slow sections you would barely move your body, they are definitely the type of band you can let loose to live or shamelessly-groove-to on your daily commute. Glass Pony brings you out of the mundane with some chaotic, yet systematic rhythms and beats that make Glass Pony one of a kind.
Shorter songs like, “Too Close To The Sun” (under 5 minutes), follow suit with their routine guitar riffs, solid beats and smooth tempo changes. Glass Pony is a band to keep an eye on, with this solid album in their arsenal.
Key Tracks: Stardust, Grover’s Mill 1983, Too Close To The Sun.
One day prior to what would have been the 51st birthday Neal Casal, nine of the late artist‘s solo discography that were previously unavailable on digital music platforms have been released. These recordings, which can now be streamed and downloaded in their entirely, make complete Casal’s entire solo discography.
Recordings by Casal released today include Rain, Wind & Speed (1996), The Sun Rises Here (1997), Field Recordings (1997), Basement Dreams (1998), Black River Sides (w/ Kenny Roby, 1999), Anytime Tomorrow (2000), Ran On Pure Lightning (w/ Shannon McNally, 2002), No Wish To Reminisce (2006), and All Directions (2007). Listen on various platforms here.
Additionally, a rarely seen video for the song “Reason” from Casal’s 1998 album, The Sun Rises Here, has been made available, including a poignant ending segment with Neal and his father discussing his rock ‘n’ roll dreams.
Neal Casal—a guitarist, singer and songwriter—passed away on August 26. He was celebrated most recently for his work with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Circles Around the Sun. Prior to his involvement in those projects, however, he recorded and toured prolifically as a solo artist. Though never reaching the wider success he found in the later stages of his career, he left behind a critically acclaimed body of work under his own name, including nine solo albums, two duo albums and a handful of compilations and retrospectives that intertwined elements of vintage rock, country and soul.
Plans are currently in the works for a series of physical reissues of Casal’s solo work in 2020, while the finishing touches are being added to his final recording sessions with Circles Around The Sun a week before his passing.
Neal Casal would have turned 51 on Saturday, November 2.
Ghost Note, the acclaimed jazz, hip-hop, funk and world-fusion outfit will gather a few talented friends for a very special tribute to Prince at Sony Hall on Monday, December 30 for a late-night show following Phish’s performance at Madison Square Garden.
Former Prince collaborators MonoNeon (bass), saxophonist Sylvester Onyejiaka (saxophone) and Dominique Xavier Taplin (keys) have made sure the Purple One’s pedigree is always well-represented with Ghost-Note. For this guest-filled, late-night Ghost-Note & Friends Play Prince blowout, the insanely gifted outfit led by percussionists Nate Werth and Robert Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy) will dive headfirst into the beloved Prince catalog to help NYC party like it’s (almost) 2020.
Joining Ghost-Note as the “Friends” portion of the bill will be Trey Anastasio Band trumpeter/vocalist Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band), D’Angelo and The Vanguard singers Rojo “REDD” Lavoe and Ahrel Lumzy, and Cory Henry/Childish Gambino vocal collaborator STOUT. Hartswick will be pulling double-duty during the Phish run, as the TAB trumpeter and vocalist will also be playing with The Disco Biscuits bassist Marc Brownstein’s Star Kitchenthe night before, Sunday, December 29th, also at Sony Hall.
Tickets for Ghost-Note & Friends Play Prince go on-sale at 2 p.m. ET, and can be purchased here.
NYC based singer songwriter Anthony D’Amato released the first single, “Wrong Shade of Blue,” from his upcoming EP, Five Songs From New Orleans, out on Velvet Elk Records.
Captured almost entirely in the living room of an historic 1860’s Garden District home, Five Songs From New Orleans feeds off the Crescent City’s irrepressible creative energy and draws inspiration both from its stately beauty and its haunted decay.
D’Amato engineered, produced, and mixed the whole EP himself, treating the songs as raw, unfiltered snapshots of his time in town, and the performances documented here are loose and improvisatory to match. The end result is a spare and organic collection, one that’s comprised exclusively of acoustic instruments and draws on an eclectic array of New Orleans sounds, from Cajun fiddle to blues guitar, from Dixieland clarinet to washboard shuffle, from classic country to fingerpicked folk.
“This whole experience really caught me by surprise,” said D’Amato, a New Jersey native who now calls New York City home. “I came to New Orleans for a housesitting gig in between tours, and I ended up writing and recording a whole new collection with a whole new band and a whole new sound.”
While each of the songs on the EP grew out of D’Amato’s
experiences in New Orleans, some tracks are more explicit in their lyrical
portraits than others. D’Amato spins an Ash Wednesday hangover into a metaphor
for post-honeymoon love on the playful “Party’s Over,” imagines life after
death in one of the city’s largest cemeteries on the bluesy “Metairie,” and
uses New Orleans as a lens through which to examine the widening economic,
racial, and political divides that have come to define modern America on the
twangy “Some Folks.”
I came to New Orleans for a housesitting gig in between tours, and I ended up writing and recording a whole new collection with a whole new band and a whole new sound.
Anthony D’Amato
Those who pre-order the EP ahead of its November 15th release on D’Amato’s web site, will get access to bonus materials (signed CDs, vintage New Orleans postcards, handwritten lyrics, t-shirts, fine art prints).
Anthony will be celebrating the EP’s release at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City on November 13th. He will be joined that night by very special guest John Gallagher Jr. (TONY Award winner ‘Spring Awakening’, HBO’s ‘The Newsroom’), Tickets can be purchased in advance of the show.
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 Nâ Roses, Beck, Post Malone, BrandiCarlile, The National, Interpol, Big Gigantic, and Young theGiant. 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 Nâ 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 âLive your life, live your dream, live your truth, be what you want to be, donât ever let anyone fuckinâ stop you.â A perfect motto for the attitude that the gritty city of New Orleans exudes everyday.
The ‘Roy Orbison & Buddy Holly: The Rock ‘N’ Roll Dream Tour’ will be coming to New York in November. This once in a lifetime tour began in September and has made several stops along the way throughout North America. Now fans from New York will have a turn to see this duo in concert. First up will be at The Egg in Albany on Nov. 15 before moving to Rochester’s Auditorium Theatre on Nov. 17.
Developed and produced by BASE Hologram, the audience will be treated to a high tech holographic performance with the accompaniment of a live band and back-up singers, all coming together to bring to life many of Orbison and Holly’s best hits. Eric Shaeffer (Million Dollar Quartet) will return as the director. In 2018 Shaeffer led the extremely successful ‘In Dreams: Roy Orbison in Concert’ tour across the world breaking many records.
“When you look at the architects of the Rock and Roll era, the names that come to mind are Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly,” said Brian Becker, Chairman and CEO of BASE Hologram, the leading content developer, producer and distributor of concerts, theatricals and spectacles that combine holographic cinema and mixed reality with live entertainment. “Both of these men weren’t just gifted musicians, but skillful innovators who helped influence others in game-changing ways.”
“These men weren’t just one thing – they were artists in every sense of the word,” said BASE Hologram CEO of Production Marty Tudor. “Like Roy, Buddy has a truly impressive songbook and in many cases, audiences may not have realized he was the one behind so many hits. Part of the beauty of these productions is we get to share the legacy of these performers and remind people of the full range of their talent.”
Despite several jam and recording sessions, these two rock and roll trailblazers have never toured together. Combined they have earned 16 platinum and 19 gold records, dozens of hits and 10 GRAMMY Awards combined. Being of a different era has not stopped these two from having three million Facebook followers and five million streams monthly on Spotify. To this day their musical capabilities captivate millions.
Information is available here for the tour that continues throughout the month of November.
North America Tour Dates
Nov.1 – Au-Rene at Broward Center – Fort Lauderdale, FL Nov.2 – Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts – Melbourne, FL Nov.3 – Ruth Eckerd Hall – Clearwater, FL Nov.4 – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall – Sarasota, FL Nov.6 – Florida Theatre – Jacksonville, FL Nov.8 – Atlanta Symphony Hall – Atlanta, GA Nov.9 – Memorial Auditorium – Raleigh, NC Nov.10 – Scottish Rite Auditorium – Collingswood, NJ Nov.12 – State Theatre – New Brunswick, NJ Nov.13 – AMP by Strathmore – North Bethesda, MD Nov.15 – The Egg – Albany, NY Nov.16 – Boch Center Shubert Theatre – Boston, MA Nov.17 – Auditorium Theatre – Rochester, NY Nov.19 – FirstOntario Concert Hall – Hamilton, ON Nov.20 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON
