NYS Music 20​19

Category: News Desk

  • John Mayer Announces Solo Tour, Kicks off in Albany

    Grammy Award winner, John Mayer, announced the dates for his upcoming North American tour Monday. The tour will begin once Mayer finishes his duties with Dead & Company this summer.

    John Mayer soloBeginning on July 19 at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY, Mayer will perform at 27 other venues, including Madison Square Garden, NY on July 25 and 26.

    Each North American concert will auction off two pairs of front row tickets that will allow fans to experience a meet and greet prior to the start of the show. The proceeds from the tickets will go towards the Back To You fund: an organization that donates money to causes such as healthcare, education, and charities related to talent development.

    Tickets to Mayer’s tour will be on sale through Ticketmaster beginning Feb. 1 at noon. Presale tickets are available Jan. 29 at 10 a.m.

    Furthermore, American Express card holders may begin purchasing tickets on Jan. 29 through Jan. 31.

    Tour Dates:

    July 19 – Times Union Center – Albany, NY
    July 29 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, RI
    July 22 – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
    July 23 – Capital One Arena – Washington D.C.
    July 25 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
    July 26 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
    July 28 – PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
    July 30 – Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON
    Aug. 2 – Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
    Aug. 3 – Schottenstein Center – Columbus, OH
    Aug. 5 – Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN
    Aug. 6 – Fiserv Forum – Milwaukee, WI
    Aug. 8 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
    Aug. 9 – Spectrum Center – Charlotte, NC
    Aug. 11 – State Farm Arena – Atlanta, GA
    Aug. 12 – Bankers Life Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN
    Aug. 14 – United Center – Chicago, IL
    Aug. 31 – Snomass Mountain – Snowmass Village, CO
    Sep. 2 – Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
    Sep. 3 – Engterprise Center – St. Louis, MO
    Sep. 5 – American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX
    Sep. 7 – AT&T Center – San Antonio, TX
    Sep. 8 – Toyota Center – Houston, TX
    Sep. 10 – Talking Stick Resort Arena – Phoenix, AZ
    Sep. 11 – Viejas Arena – San Diego, CA
    Sep. 13 – The Forum – Inglewood, CA
    Sep. 14 – The Forum – Inglewood, CA

  • Vulfpeck to make Madison Square Garden debut

    The popularity of Vulfpeck, a low-volume funk band is on the rise. Founded in 2011, the group started in venues holding only 3,000 people. Today, Vulfpeck has announced an upgrade to a one-night-only performance at the worlds’ most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.

    Vulfpeck will be headlining the New York City show on Saturday, Sept. 28, alongside The Fearless Flyers, a side project featuring bassist, Joe Dart. The debut will be the quartet’s second-ever live performance.

    Vulfpeck however, has released four EPs and albums. The band had an admission-free tour in 2014, funded by their album on Spotify called Sleepify. The band’s most recent collection is entitled Hill Climber and was released in December 2018.

    Tickets to see Vulfpeck at Madison Square Garden will be available Friday, February 1 at noon through Ticketmaster. They will also be available to purchase on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and the Beacon Theatre box offices.

  • Pixies Announce New Album, Podcast and Shows with Weezer

    Over the course of the past year, The Pixies recorded an upcoming record at Dreamland Recording Studios in Hurley, near Woodstock. Known for working with diverse and legendary artists including, The Band, Herbie Hancock, Fleet Foxes, and Sufjan Stevens, the studio is housed within the bones of the former St. John’s Church, built in 1896. Once used for hallowed prayer and song, the structure of the building now lends itself to create the ideal acoustic environment to support the Pixies’ experimentation with sound and dynamics.

    Due in September, the record is produced by Tom Dalgety (2016’s Head Carrier). Fans will be able to take a special journey into the history of the band and the making of the still untitled album through a 12-part podcast, titled “Past Is Prologue.” Hosted by New York Times best-selling author Tony Fletcher and produced by Signal Co. No1, the episodes will begin June 27, and will air weekly until the album drops.

    Fletcher, having written popular biographies on The Who’s Keith Moon and R.E.M., is inviting listeners inside the recording process. He says, “Thanks to the unprecedented access, we can all experience how their magic gets tracked, taped and transmitted.”

    Commenting on the scope of the podcast series, Signal Co. No1 co-founder Michael Simons shared, “While the emphasis of the podcast will be on the creation of the new album and looking forward, we were very interested, from a story perspective, in the way history has shaped who the Pixies are, and how and what they are creating now, how the past creates the present.”

    Watch the trailer, here.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk2Z270Xxcs

    As if it wasn’t enough, the band will be going on tour with Weezer as co-headliner. You can find them coming to New York on March 12 at Madison Square Garden in NYC, and March 14 at the Times Union Center in Albany.

  • Artist Profile: Girl Blue, as big as an Ocean


    Girl Blue has a passion for music, vocals and a stage presence to draw you in – listen. The stage name of Arielle O’Keefe, Girl Blue is one of the Capital District’s emerging singer-songwriters, alongside peers Sean Rowe, Sydney Worthley, Sawyer Fredericks, and Moriah Formica. On Thursday, January 24, she will open for Dar Williams at Cohoes Music Hall.

    O’Keefe’s drive for music goes back to her childhood in Bayshore, Long Island, where she started playing piano at age 5 and guitar at age 12. From this, she sees music adhered to her identity, throughout her life. “It’s sort of a raging ambition inside me, it feels like all I have is this thing to work on.” After a move to Dallas during high school, she headed north to New York City and finally to Albany, to move her career forward. She chose her stage name, Girl Blue, from two musical inspirations – the Nina Simone album, Little Girl Blue, which she listened to a great deal growing up, and the Stevie Wonder song “Girl Blue,” where the character described was much like Arielle.

    Girl Blue received broad exposure when her first single, “Fire Under Water,” was picked up by Spotify for New Music Friday, and was eventually placed in a Las Vegas tourism commercial. From there it went viral, racking up over 2.5 million plays. This led Spotify to pick up her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” a stripped down version of the original. “I would play with vocals and looped them along with one or two guitar lines. The song is so emotional and almost creepy. I wanted to do something that was really broken down and make it a little more epic, so I covered it with just vocals and guitars, then went in and produced the final version.”

    girl blue

    When O’Keefe is on stage, she commands attention to her performance. “When I was younger, I went to different types of venues, hip-hop showcases and singer-songwriter performances and saw singers that you have-to-listen-to, instead of being forced to listen. I do that for myself, making it so that people have to lean in.” After 14 years, this has developed into Girl Blue’s remarkable stage presence.

    A range of vocal inspirations – Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell, Roberta Flack, Ani DiFranco and Tori Amos – as well as comparisons to Carole King, Laura Marling, Bonnie Raitt and Jeff Buckley, give you an idea of the powerhouse-vocals and songwriting Girl Blue has in her skill set. She looks towards Frank Ocean as one of the defining voices of the current generation. “He has a voice with character and is a talented singer, who has that intangible quality to translate emotion through his voice. He makes people feel, and that will stand the test of time. His style has been copied over and over already; that says a lot if everyone wants to be Frank Ocean.”

    Last May at Proctor’s Theater in Schenectady, Girl Blue performed as part of Capitol Records Live, an event bringing together a half-dozen local artists to take on the songs of The Beatles’ – The White Album and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Singing “Glass Onion,” “Blackbird,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Getting Better,” her performance stood out among a lineup that included Wild Adriatic, Eastbound Jesus and Let’s Be Leonard.

    Currently, Girl Blue is recording with Dan Dekalb and Jimi Woodul from Dark Honey, with plans to release a stripped down album in May, and the full album slated for later this year.

    On March 2nd, Girl Blue will perform at The Linda in Albany with Belle Skinner and Zan Strumfield, but first, she opens for Dar Williams at Cohoes Music Hall on Thursday, January 24. Tickets are still on sale.

    Girl Blue posts monthly exclusive songs and behind the scenes content online on Patreon. Click here to subscribe and support her work.

  • JÄH DIVISION releases “Isolation Dub”

    Brooklyn collective Jäh Division has released “Isolation Dub,” a reggae-experimental interpretation of rock band Joy Division’s track from their album Closer. Bred in the shadows of the Brooklyn Bridge, 21st Century  DIY musicians merge, including members of the pop group Animal Collective, experimental Brooklyn rockers Oneida and Awesome Color (Brooklyn).

    This psychedelic twist comes from Dub Will Tear Us Apart… Again, a deluxe edition remake of their 2004 debut. The bonus release includes the reggae-dub version of “Isolation Dub” from Joy Division classics. Dub Will Tear Us Apart… Again  proves the sparse musicianship Jäh Divisionparty of the once on-call-Brooklyn party-band has not only resurfaced, but also evolved to greater heights. Their sound stretches from the north-city to Manchester (UK) with Barry London’s Space Echo tape loop.

    The reissue is a deluxe version of the original release, the band’s sole output. Initially a 4-track EP, the record has been expanded to include a fifth Joy Division track (“Isolation”), two unreleased originals from a scrapped album and a bonus 7″ with previously unreleased covers of Desmond Dekker and Jackie Mittoo tracks from the original sessions.

    The reissue was recorded on a reel-to-reel tape in a single-day session at the Free 103point9 residential melting pot: a performance space, loft and micro FM radio station with windows overlooking the Williamsburg Bridge. What started as ‘a good smoke and a joke,’ said their original 12 Inch Recording label, quickly opened a wormhole of unreleased music, psychedelic lost-voyages and vintage instruments: including a Radio Shack purchased Moog, trash electronic drums and, of course, lots of delay and reverb.

    Jäh Division will be celebrating the release with a performance at the Secret Project Robot in Brooklyn, NY, on January 26.

  • Warm up at the Waterhole during Saranac Lake Winter Carnival

    The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is a legendary two-week party in the middle of winter, in the most northern part of New York State. This year’s edition, the 122nd, takes place from Feb. 1 – 10. The sometimes blustery elements of this idyllic mountain town take a backseat to celebrate the warmth of music, friends,food and fireworks. The Waterhole Music Lounge is Northern New York’s central hub for the best in live music. The venue historically has played host to a dynamic range of bands, across several genres over ten days. This year’s line up carries that tradition onward.

    waterhole

    Over the past decade or so some of the best in hip hop, rock, and jam have played huge sets to rowdy crowds coming in off the streets after a day of parades. Some notable names include: The Ominous Seapods, Rubblebucket, Donna the Buffalo, Sophistafunk, Twiddle, Hot Day at the Zoo and so many more. This year’s lineup offers the return of Plattsburgh powerhouse and long standing Winter Carnival performers Lucid. Buffalo’s own and NYS Music 87/90 artist, Folkfaces open up the night on Feb. 2.

    The Waterhole in Saranac Lake has been a big part of what makes the music scene in Upstate New York amazing, a slice of rock and roll history nestled up the mountains. The venue is a three floor experience that has seen some big time names play the stage. Del McCoury, Colonel Bruce Hampton, Gov’t Mule, Bela Fleck, moe., Leftover Salmon, Soulive, and Turkauz have all performed memorable sets here. In continuing with the tradition of bringing quality acts, this year’s line up promises to offer up those “wish I were there” sets from the artists both established and on the rise.

    Other bands making the trip to grace the stage are West End Blend, Barika, Lady Moon and the Eclipse, The Gibson Brothers, The Melting Nomads, The Swampkids, Annie in the Water, Driftwood and Swampcandy. Look forward to special performances in the Downstairs bar of The Waterhole from Kevin Sabourin, Nina’s Brew and Dirty Blanket. There will be plenty of opportunities for entertainment after a day of snowshoe ultimate, skating or skiing. Grab a convenient week long pass for $65 for a discounted way to catch all the music. For more information about live music at The Waterhole check out their website.

    Check out the full schedule below:

    Feb. 1 – Driftwood w/s/g Swampcandy- 8:00 p.m. doors, 9:00 p.m. show; $10.00 advance / $12.00 door 

    Feb. 2 – Lucid wsg. Folkfaces – 8:00 p.m. doors, 9:00 p.m. show; $17.00 advance / $20.00 door  

    Feb. 3 – Kevin Sabourin (Of Lucid) – 2:00 p.m. Downstairs – free show

    Feb. 5 – Nina’s Brew – 9:00 p.m. Downstairs – free show

    Feb. 6 – Annie in the Water – 8 p.m. doors, 9:00 p.m. show – $10.00 

    Feb. 7 – The Gibson Brothers w/s/g Old Sky – 7:30 p.m. doors, 8:30 p.m. show; $18.00 advance / $22.00 door

    February 8th – Lady Moon & The Eclipse, Melting Nomads & Swamp Kids (Feat Members of Big Mean Sound Machine & Chris English) – 8:00 p.m. doors, 9:00 p.m. show; $10.00

    Feb. 9 – Post-Parade Party with The Big Takeover – 2:00 p.m. – Free Show

    Feb.9 – West End Blend w/s/g Barika – 8:00 p.m. doors, 9:00 p.m. show – $10.00 

    Feb. 10 – Dirty Blanket – 2:00 p.m. Downstairs – Free Show

    waterhole

    written by Derick Borst

  • Peace, Love and Posters: Bethel Center for the Arts holding poster contest to commemorate 50th Anniversary of Woodstock Festival

    Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is holding a poster contest in honor of Woodstock Festival’s 50th, Golden Anniversary. The press release describes this as not just another “festival poster” design.

    Woodstock 50th poster

    Bethel Woods is looking for students, amateurs, and professionals to design posters that not only celebrate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, but also captures their mission to inspire passion and purpose.

    The concept they are trying to capture is expressing progress in the world through creativity, self-actualization, love, and understanding for the next 50 years to come.

    Winners of the poster contest will be displayed throughout the Vibrations event series produced by Bethel Woods. Winners will also receive a cash prize of $2,500 but will also be given $1,500 in travel and lodging to visit Bethel Woods on June 5 to participate in the Power of the Poster event during Vibrations.

    The judges of the contest are two well known poster artists, with renowned Broadway poster artist Frank “Fraver” Verlizzo joining original Woodstock poster designer David Edward Byrd. Submissions can be entered starting Feb. 6 until March 14.

  • The Who is Back on the Road for the ‘Movin’ On’ Tour

    The Who has announced a 2019 Tour including three New York dates.  Key Bank Center in Buffalo, Madison Square Garden in  New York City and Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh.  The Movin’ On Tour spans across 29 cities and is in support of the first new album from The Who in 13 years.

    Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend will be accompanied by a symphony along with guitarist/backup singer Simon Townshend, keyboardist Loren Gold, bassist Jon Button, and drummer Zak Starkey.

    Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, Jan. 18 through Live Nation.  Full Tour listing below.

    The Who 2019 Tour Dates:
    May 7 – Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, MI
    May 9 – KeyBank Center – Buffalo, NY
    May 11 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA
    May 13 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
    May 16 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
    May 18 – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center – Noblesville, IN
    May 21 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL
    May 23 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre St. Louis – St. Louis, MO
    May 25 – Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, PA
    May 28 – Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
    May 30 – PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
    June 1 – Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON
    Sept. 6 – Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN
    Sept. 8 – Alpine Valley Music Theatre – Alpine Valley, WI
    Sept. 10 – Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH
    Sept. 13 – Fenway Park – Boston, MA
    Sept. 15 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY
    Sept. 18 – State Farm Arena – Atlanta, GA
    Sept. 20 – BB&T Center – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
    Sept. 22 – Amalie Arena – Tampa, FL
    Sept. 25 – Toyota Center – Houston, TX
    Sept. 27 – American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX
    Sept. 29 – Pepsi Center – Denver, CO
    Oct. 11 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA
    Oct. 13 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA
    Oct. 16 – Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl – San Diego, CA
    Oct. 19 – T-Mobile Park – Seattle, WA
    Oct. 21 – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC
    Oct. 23 – Rogers Place – Edmonton, AB

  • Punk’s not dead: Spark to host Groundhog Day punk spectacular headlined by Inhalants

    A punk show headlined by St. Catherine’s, Ontario’s Inhalants will take place Feb. 2 at Spark Contemporary Art Space on East Fayette Street in Syracuse. The show will also feature a litany of New York State punk and hardcore bands, including Troy’s Your Brain on Drugs, Syracuse oi/street punks, the War Lovers, Syracuse old school punks, Lucky 33, Syracuse skate punks, the Shuvits and another touring band to be announced.

    Inhalants

    The $5 show starts at 8:00. Tickets will be available at the door. Proceeds are for the touring band. There will also be an array of out of print hardcore and punk t-shirts available for $5.

    Lucky 33, a veteran of two Vans Warped Tours, is currently working on new material. This show will be the band’s first with new guitarist/vocalist Zac Birdslow and last show until their second annual Punk Rock BBQ on Memorial Day weekend.

    Check out the official video for their song “Paycheck” below. The song is a solid mix of high energy, late ’80s-mid ’90s era punk with shades of pop-punk thrown in. The band has found a second home in Rochester of late and is looking to further their success in their hometown of Syracuse and beyond.

    This low-cost show is the perfect opportunity to check out what’s happening in the Syracuse punk scene. For more information, follow the event page here.

    Inhalants

  • Syracuse label, L.R.S. set to release album by Baldwinsville HS pep band

    Plan Bee, the Baldwinsville HS Pep Band, is celebrating its 10th anniversary Saturday Jan. 19 at the Palace Theater in Syracuse with a performance and release of its first full-length LP, Bee Sides.The album is being released by Syracuse label L.R.S. Records.

    Record sales and the performance, which also includes appearances by ’90s tribute act My So-Called Band and Matthew Blake & the Blues Dragons, will help defray costs for the Baldwinsville Marching Band’s trip to the 2020 Rose Bowl Parade.

    The pep band’s origins are owed to band director, Casey Vanderstow. Describing the creation of the band, Vanderstow stated, “A lot of these students are in our field band program. When that ends in the fall, there is indoor drum line, and winter guard, but there wasn’t anything for brass and woodwind players who wanted to keep playing. So this band was formed for students to continue playing, and it has grown over the past decade.”

    The band also acts as the Carrier Dome’s house band when the Syracuse University pep band is off for the semester break. Below is some video of their performance of “Land of 1000 Dances” at Syracuse’s game versus Old Dominion on Dec. 15 of last year.

    Vanderstow modeled the band on his alma mater, Syracuse’s popular pep band, the Sour Citrus Society, and they now boast a repertoire of more than 60 songs ranging from classic rock to top 40 music.

    Plan Bee’s partnership with L.R.S. Records began three years ago, with an idea to record a vinyl LP with digital download. Over that time, L.R.S. recorded the band at various venues, including basketball games, at the Onondaga County War Memorial and at the band’s annual summer appearances at Baldwinsville’s Paper Mill Island Amphitheater.

    The album will feature arrangements of songs by the White Stripes, Daft Punk, the Beastie Boys, Elton John, Aerosmith and others.

    Tickets for the show are still available through the Baldwinsville band website and range from $15 to $50.

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    Editor’s note: This article was corrected to reflect Saturday as the proper day of the event.

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