NYS Music 20​19

Category: Albany

  • Mike Gantzer, Kris Myers and Ryan Stasik drop DOOKIE

    Albany was certainly the place to be Friday, February 1. The Palace Theater hosted Umphrey’s McGee for another always-astounding performance, and the Pearl Street Pub threw a legendary after-show. Once the UM show concluded at The Palace, drummer Kris Myers and bassist Ryan Stasik made their way down the block to meet up with Aqueous guitarist Mike Gantzer.  The three collaborated on an energetic, punk-rock tribute to Green Day‘s 1994 album Dookie that took the Pearl Street Pub’s crowd on a high-speed cruise down memory lane.

    The trio took the stage with attendees anxious to take it all in.  Set one blasted off with “Burnout,” “Having a Blast” and “Chump.” Stasik then dropped into the signature bass line of “Longview,” bringing about a crowd sing-a-long. One highlight of the night was a set of three Ween covers. In between Green Day hits “Longview” and “Welcome to Paradise,” the guys played Ween’s “The Grobe,” “It’s Gonna Be a Long Night,” and “Transdermal Celebration.” The set continued with Dookie tracks in sequential order, mixing in genre-relevant covers from Nirvana, The Ramones and Weezer.  Craftily weaving in a tease that was also featured at the UM show earlier, “Norwegian Wood” (The Beatles) was heard throughout “In The End.”  The end of the evening featured an epic trio of songs including “Brain Stew,” “Geek Stink Breath,” the first single from Green Day’s album Insomniac, and “Bad Mouth,” a Fugazi cover.

    This date marked the 25th Anniversary of the release of Dookie, making the performance a celebratory collaboration.  Mike Gantzer, Kris Myers and Ryan Stasik have performed full covers of the Green Day album on two other occasions: once as a late night tribute set at Summer Camp Music Festival 5/26/17 and again at Brooklyn Comes alive on 9/24/17.

    (Unofficial Setlist)

    Burnout, Having a Blast, Chump > Longview, The Grobe (1), It’s Gonna Be a Long Night (1), Transdermal Celebration (1), Welcome to Paradise, Pulling Teeth > Basket Case, She, Drain You (2), Sassafras Roots, When I Come Around, Coming Clean, I Wanna Be Sedated (3) > Blietzkreig Bop (3), Emenius Sleepus, In The End (4) > F. O. D. > All By Myself, My Name Is Jonas (5), Say It Ain’t So (5), Undone – The Sweater Song (5), Brain Stew

    Encore: Geek Stink Breath, Bad Mouth (6)

    1- Ween cover
    2- Nirvana cover
    3- The Ramones cover
    4- Norwegian Wood (The Beatles) tease
    5- Weezer cover
    6- Fugazi Cover

  • Umphrey’s McGee Heats Up Albany Fans Amidst Polar Vortex

    In the midst of a polar vortex, fans of Umphrey’s McGee fought through the frigid cold to see the band take to the historic Palace Theatre stage in Albany. This is the group’s fourth performance at the Palace over the past five years, seemingly solidifying it as a staple tour stop in the northeast. Opening up the night, they had Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, featuring John Kimock and Scott Metzger.

    umphreys mcgee albany
    photo by Dave Decrescente

    The first set kicked off with the heavy rocker “Domino Theory,” off 2011’s Death by Stereo, setting the mood for the night with its driving metal sound. Following a type 1 jam, the group played “Got Your Milk (Right Here),” another rocking tune that hadn’t been played since the group’s Red Rocks run. Robert Walter joined the group for “Whistle Kids” from Umphrey’s recent 2018 release it’s not us. Walter took over keyboardist Joel Cummins’ Fender Rhodes for the song and led the group through the ensuing jam with Cummins by his side on the Hammond organ, raising the somewhat downtempo feel of the song into a short, but sweet prog jam. “The Linear” followed, continuing that progginess and going into the first real jam of the set, heavily featuring guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger working with each other to create atmosphere and bring the song into “White Man’s Moccasins,” a jazzy tune that let Cinninger show off his chops a bit.

    umphreys mcgee albany
    photo by Dave Decrescente

    “Resolution” came next, raising the tempo immensely with its uplifting sound, and leading the group into a full band tease of The Beatles’ classic “Norwegian Wood.” The jam in “Resolution” was very spacey and electronic, creating a similar feel to what they did with “The Linear” earlier in the set but adding in the electronic drum kit from drummer Kris Meyers. Myers and percussionist Andy Farag took a mini drum jam before the group brought “Resolution” into “Upward,” a bluesy ballad by Bayliss that took the energy from “Resolution” and transformed it into the peak of the segment. To close out the set, Bayliss welcomed moe. drummer Vinnie Amico to the stage for a cover of ZZ Top’s “Cheap Sunglasses,” a classic by the Texas hard rock trio.

    Umphrey's McGee Albany
    photo by Dave Decrescente

    The second set was the highlight of the night, starting off with the prog metal masterpiece “Miss Tinkle’s Overture,” which really shows how all 6 members are a well oiled machine when they need to get down and technical. “Miss Tinkle’s” led the group into a dub reggae-esque jam once they had played through the composed sections before Cinninger brought the jam back into a metal sound for the “peak” of the jam. “Walletsworth” followed, continuing the heavy sound from “Miss Tinkle’s,” but not featuring any real jam besides Cummins taking a piano solo before the last chorus. “Waiting Room” kept the heaviness going, with its driving bassline and anthemic lyrics really getting the crowd raging for its brief performance.

    Umphrey's McGee Albany
    photo by Dave Decrescente

    To kick off the best segment of the set, the band started into the familiar opening chords of “1348,” which is always a welcome sound at an Umphrey’s show. The jam in “1348” was really interesting, the group mixed a dance sound with funky guitar riffing and really kept the groove driving until they suddenly broke into “Eat,” which was just heavy guitar riffage front to back. “Maybe Someday” came next, riding the wave of heaviness from “1348” > “Eat” and launching into a heavy metal jam that wove in and out of the composed sections of the song. Ending out the set was “The Floor” back into “1348,” completing the song from earlier in the set. “The Floor” is an incredible song to see live, it’s very dramatic and Middle Eastern-sounding at points, but also brings forth some of the group’s heaviest breakdowns.

    This version of the song didn’t feature any jamming, but was a super tight version of the song and provided the perfect launchpad for dropping back into “1348.” The second half of “1348” was a culmination of all the energy they’d been building up throughout the second set, exploding into one last super heavy runaround of the main riff before ending the set. For the encore, the group sandwiched “Soul Food I” between two halves of “Puppet String.” The group seamlessly dropped out of the composed section of “Puppet String” into “Soul Food I,” performed the song, and then bassist Ryan Stasik dropped back into the “Puppet String” bassline and the rest of the band followed suit.

    Umphrey’s McGee performed a heater of a show on Friday night in Albany, check out the photo gallery below for a taste of what the night looked like. Check back with NYS Music for coverage of the Dookie aftershow.

  • 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

  • Hearing Aide: Wavy Cunningham and DJ Mercy ‘The Art of War’

    Wavy Cunningham and DJ Mercy, hip hop artists from Albany teamed up for their second effort, The Art of War, a ten-track album launched on December 28, 2018.

    Wavy wrote most of the lyrics in one sitting, matching them to hooks and audio samples he had on deck; DJ Mercy composed the instrumentals and fused the beats together.

    Photo: Zach Hitt

    The duo raised up a chilled out, yet confident, beach vibe to sit at the core of the album’s sound. They included a lot of work in the percussion department – a welcomed and elemental foundation, since Mercy plays drums by trade. The beats and samples weave together with stitches by Wavy’s urgent vocal style. The opening track, “Ain’t About Me,” claims, no collusion, but the chemistry between the two is too reactive. It can’t be true.

    “Lose Control” has modern, robotically tuned vocals, similar to Atlanta artists Future and Migos. At the same time, the title track and “4 The Gang,” follow old school hip-hop traditions, featuring bouncy drums and turntable scratch tricks. “The Right Drugs,” reminisces on a romantic relationship, lost and highlights the album with its atmosphere and narrative.

    The Art of War is solid, short, and sweet. It runs experiments on its genre without going overboard. However, the mix and master deserve re-evaluation. Lyrical and instrumental subtleties get lost in limited production. Though the politics of how a project should sound are generally opinion based, one thing is for sure: the core writing and composition is an effort that will leave the listener with a smiling new impression.

    Key tracks: Lose Control, The Right Drugs, 4 Tha Gang

    The Art of War is available on major streaming platforms.

  • 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.

  • Guster Kicks Off 2019 Tour With Show at Upstate Concert Hall – Photo Gallery

    Boston based alternative rock band, Guster launched their 2019 tour in support of their new release, Look Alive at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY on January 16. Supporting Guster was Burlington Vermont singer Henry Jamison who had a February 8 released album, Gloria Duplex.

    Guster
    Guster
    photo by E. Reid Coker
    Henry Jamison

    Guster set list: One Man Wrecking Machine, Terrified, Stay With Me Jesus, Diane, Hello Mr. Sun, Backyard, Architects and Engineers, Look Alive, Manifest Destiny, Doin It By Myself, Come Downstairs and Say Hello, Gangway, Overexcited, I Spy, Satellite, Long Night, Demons, Mind Control, Amsterdam, Barrel of a Gun, Hard Times (audience choice), Hang On, What You Call Love, Happier.

  • Panic! at the Times Union CenterC

    Panic! At The Disco made their fourth stop on the ‘Pray For The Wicked Tour’ at the Times Union Center Tuesday night. Shortly after openers Betty Who and Two Feet performed, all the lights in the arena went dark and a giant 10-minute timer was displayed; the sold out crowd eagerly waited as the clocked ticked down. During this time Weezer’s cover of “Africa” (Toto) was played over the speakers and the 12,000 in attendance shouted every word.  The clock hit 0:00 and the band rose from beneath the stage, followed by Brendon Urie himself, who was shot several feet into the air. Before landing he started the show with their single, “(F*** a) Silver Lining” from their 2018 record Pray For The Wicked.

    Panic! at the Times Union Center

    Brendon Urie is the only original member of Panic! At The Disco, who are entering their 15th year. With people coming and going, Urie has been able to keep his band unique and their sound ever changing:  from the Pop Punk album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (2005) to the Sinatra-esque sound of Death of a Bachelor (2016) and experimenting with electronic sounds in Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! (2013).  The one thing that has remained consistent has been the energy and powerful vocals that Urie has always brought.

    As the set rolled on, Urie continually amazed the awe-struck crowd from his smooth dance moves to his impressive falsetto. Around the midpoint of the show Urie made his way through the crowd interacting with fans, thanking them, giving handshakes and hugs as he sang “Death of a Bachelor.” Eventually he ended up at the far side of the arena, where a piano had been placed. He played a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” a song Urie said his mother used to play for him when he was a kid. The piano began to raise up off the ground. When the platform reached its peak, probably 50 feet above the crowd, it began to move back across the arena towards the stage. Urie then performed the soulful “Dying in LA,” from Pray For The Wicked, as he and his piano flew along the rafters of Times Union Center.  

    Panic! at the Times Union Center

    Shortly after the piano arrived back at the stage, Urie picked up the pace moving right into “The Greatest Show,” a cover form the 2017 film, The Greatest Showman. The group continued with their very theatrical performance and more upbeat songs, eventually moving into “Miss Jackson” from Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! During this piece a drum-set rose in the middle of the stage. Urie then played a 2 minute drum solo, finishing it with a backflip off the riser, then immediately moved into the outro of the song.

    A couple songs later a piano reemerged, this time on stage, and Panic! played their cover of the Queen mega-hit “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The crowd sang along with it as loud as the band was playing. Panic! At The Disco closed the night with a three-song encore that consisted of “Say Amen (Saturday Night),” “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” and lastly “Victorious”. Brendon Urie was determined to impress the crowd at every turn and he never disappointed. It was a night full of theatrical, energetic and powerful music leaving the sold-out crowd begging for more.

    • Panic! at the Times Union Center
    • Panic! at the Times Union Center
    • Panic! at the Times Union Center

  • Photo Gallery: Lettuce at Upstate Concert Hall

    Funk all-stars Lettuce continued their Vibe Up Tour at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY on Saturday January 12. Snarky Puppy side project, Ghost Note, opened the show with an incredibly energetic set.

    After nearly 27 years together, Lettuce still brings an amazing amount of energy and life to their shows. Playing classics like “Lettsanity,” “Fly,” and “Sounds Like a Party To Me,” they played well into Sunday morning, leaving the fans still craving more. You can catch them down the East Coast and then across the country on this tour. And expect new material later this year.

    Setlist: Blast off, N’Dugu, Kron Dutch, Lettsanity, Gang Ten, Remember the Children, Breakout, Shmink Dabby, Squad Live, Chief, Phyllis 

    Encore: Slap

  • Photo Gallery: Kung Fu at The Hollow

    Kung Fu returned to The Hollow Bar and Kitchen in Albany on Friday, January 11 for a funk filled show of originals and covers of Steely Dan (“King of the World”) and Weather Report (“Birdland”). They’ll be at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse on February 1 and Brooklyn Bowl on February 9. For complete tour dates, check out their website.

    Setlist: Prime Rib, Bopcorn, Speedbump, The Lurker, King Of The World, Dirty Power, Scrabb, S’all Good, Daddy D, Bringing Up The Rear

    Encore: Birdland

    kung fu hollow
    kung fu hollow
    kung fu hollow
    kung fu hollow
    kung fu hollow

     

     

  • Greensky Bluegrass shows fans the love at Winter Tour opener in Albany

    For their Winter Tour opener in support of the upcoming album All For Money, Greensky Bluegrass found an enthusiastic welcoming crowd at The Palace Theatre in Albany on Thursday, January 10. Fan familiarity has grown greatly throughout New York in the past few years with two memorable shows at The Egg (the latter of which sold out), and now, a tremendous show at The Palace in Albany.

    greensky bluegrass tour opener

    Circles Around the Sun performed a 45-minute opening set of instrumental Grateful-Dead-inspired compositions. The first few rows were packed-in with fans of Neal Casal’s Fare Thee Well project, which is finding tremendous response from fans in the live setting. The pairing with Greensky Bluegrass could not have been more perfect.

    Amid a sea of bobbing heads, who were rapt with attention throughout the night, Greensky kicked off their first set of the tour with a quick jumpstart in “A Letter to Seymour” and “In Control,” off 2014’s If Sorrows Swim. “All for Money,” the title track of their latest release was an early highlight, featuring instrumental consonance that was coupled with exquisite vocal harmonies, and had room to jam built in.

    greensky bluegrass tour opener

    “All 4” had an ebb and flow during the slow developing improv; one that grew to a remarkable peak before returning to a unified point. Greensky really shines when they unleash a jumble of jam inside their songs, always with an ear to bandmates and eventually finding their way home with applause to end the journey. It was followed by Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” to wrap up the first set.

    Dobro-extraordinaire Anders Beck said, as the band returned to the stage shortly after 10pm, “You can tell it’s Set 2 because it’s after the first,” and with that Yogi-ism it started with “Old Barns” and “Murder of Crows.” The lights on this evening towered over the band, and illuminated the audience in a minimalist design that fit the stage and sound aptly.

    Love was in the air on the back-to-back pairing of Jimmy Martin’s “Hit Parade of Love” and the ‘grassed up psychedelic reggae of Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved.” Happy Birthday wishes to Emily, from Beck, turned into Happy Birthday wishes to the entire audience over the course of the year. The show wrapped up with an encore of “Dustbowl Overtures” with a tip of the hat to NY in the vivid lyrics: “And the world’s whistle of a bullet going by / It’s a New York minute, New Mexico sky … It’s the volume of an image, it’s a vision in a song.” Closing the encore was the extended instrumental by the founder of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe, in “Wheel Hoss.”

    Greensky Bluegrass performs at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Saturday, January 12 and All For Money will be released on all platforms on Friday, January 18.

    Setlist:

    Set 1: A Letter to Seymour, In Control, All for Money, The Four > Bottle Dry, Into the Rafters, Like Reflections, Burn Them (1), Blood Sucking F(r)iends, All 4, Money for Nothing

    Set 2: Old Barns (2), Murder of Crows, What You Need (3), Hit Parade of Love, Could You be Love (4), Radio Blues, Broken Highways, Run or Die, Windshield

    Encore: Dustbowl Overtures > Wheel Hoss

    (1) – w/ Keith Kinnear (tambourine)
    (2) – New Barns arrangement 
    (3) – w/ Guido Batista (vibraslap)
    (4) – Moma Dance tease

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