For one of SPAC‘s final concerts of the 2019 season, the Outlaw Music Festival brought a full afternoon and evening of music and vendors to the park.
This year’s Outlaw Music Festival tour began in Maine back in June and has featured a rotating roster of performers throughout the summer with Willie Nelson & Family as the anchor for each show.
Joining Willie Nelson at SPAC were Pernikoff Brothers, Brothers Osborne, Alison Krauss, and Bonnie Raitt. Deadheads had been looking forward to Phil Lesh & Friends as part of the bill, but instead found themselves wishing Lesh a speedy recovery from a minor back surgery done earlier in the summer.
Check out a few photos from the Brothers Osborne and Alison Krauss sets below.
Marco Benevento has released “Send It On A Rocket,” his self-proclaimed “end of summer anthem” and third single ahead of new album Let It Slide, due out September 20th on Royal Potato Family. In between references to reefer and Topo Chico, deep pockets of bass and spaced-out synths, the cascading composition reveals that behind Marco the bandleader – who covers his piano strings in gaffers tape and enjoys walking his pet goats and peacocks through the Catskill woods – there are patches of sorrow he’s now ready to contemplate more seriously than ever.
The sounds of “Send It On A Rocket” preview the new territory charted between Benevento and Let It Slide producer Leon Michels, a partnership marking the first time Benevento relinquished studio control of his own music. As evident on the new single, that surrender led to his deepest inward exploration, and spontaneous impulses like taping those piano strings. Read Benevento’s introduction to the song via Talkhouse.
Introduced via dear friend Richard Swift (who was set to mix the LP before passing), Marco made Let It Slide with Michels (Sharon Jones, Adele, Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga) and an unexpected, Upstate NY bromance ensued, and Marco’s trust in Leon ultimately informed the album’s core: free yourself to be yourself. Citing influence in Can, ESG, Childish Gambino, and Mulatu Astatke, he dug deep into his lyrics, exploring acceptance, desire, and regret, while embracing the moment – an impulse to cover piano strings in gaffers tape created the LP’s main muted sound (along with the Binson Echorec, the tape machine behind 1970s Pink Floyd).
This fall, Marco Benevento and his band – including Karina Rykman (bass) and Andy Borger (drums) will make 30 stops from coast to coast, with 5 shows in New York over two weeks in October.
MARCO BENVENTO Tour Dates
10/10 – Buffalo, NY – Iron Works 10/11 – Ithaca, NY – The Haunt 10/12 – Albany, NY – Cohoes Music Hall ** 10/13 – Woodstock, NY – The Colony * 10/17 – Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall ^ 10/19 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground ^ 10/20 – Holyoke, MA – Gateway City Arts ^ 10/23 – Fairfield, CT – FTC StageOne ^ 10/24 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg ^ 10/25 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts ^ 10/26 – Washington, DC – Pearl Street Warehouse ^ 11/2 – Shizuoka, Japan – Frue Festival 11/6 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe ^ 11/7 – Grand Rapids, MI – Founders Brewing ^ 11/8 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall ^ 11/9 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club ^ 11/10 – Milwaukee, WI – The Back Room @ Colectivo ^ 11/11 – Davenport, IA – Raccoon Motel ^ 11/12 – Indianapolis, IN – HiFi ^ 11/13 – St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House ^ 11/14 – Nashville, TN – Basement East ^ 11/15 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar ^ 11/16 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern ^ 12/5 – San Diego, CA – Casbah San Diego 12/6 – Los Angeles, CA – The Teragram Ballroom ^ 12/7 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent ^ 12/8 – Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall 12/9 – Mill Valley, CA – Sweetwater Music Hall ^ 12/10 – Arcata, CA – Humbrews / Humboldt Brews ^ 12/11 – Eugene, OR – WildCraft Cider Works ^ 12/12 – Bend, OR – Volcanic Theatre Pub ^ 12/13 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge ^ 12/14 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile ^
This Fall, Goose flies West after a run of shows along the east coast, starting with a show at Parish Public House in Albany on Friday, October 18. The eight week run finds the band in New York City on Halloween and also makes return visits to familiar haunts in Buffalo and Boston, and will be supporting The Disco Biscuits in Pittsburgh and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong in New Haven, CT.
Goose’s fall will culminate with their sixth annual holiday celebration, Goosemas VI, on December 21. For the first time, Goosemas will be held at the historic Wall Street Theater in South Norwalk, CT. Surprises are always in store for Goosemas attendees, as the band regularly surprises attendees with a theme, special guests, and a healthy mix of new covers and well-known songs.
The quartet, based in Norwalk, CT, is comprised of Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Trevor Bass (bass), and Ben Atkind (drums).
The band returned to the studio in 2019 for the first time since the 2016 debut LP, Moon Cabin, releasing two singles, “All I Need” and “Time to Flee.” Mastered by Grammy Award winner, Emily Lazar, the singles exhibit a developed live band showcasing their studio voice.
In August, Goose played two nights at an intimate music festival in Kentucky, Birds of a Feather Music Festival. Goose premiered just this week the entire multi-cam 80 minute set from night two. Watch here, and check out their buzzworthy set from Peach Fest in July below.
Goose Fall 2019 Tour Dates
OCT 18 – Albany, NY, Parish Public House
OCT 19 – Cambridge, MA, Middle East Upstairs
OCT 25 – Wilkes-Barre, PA, River Street Jazz Cafe
OCT 31 – New York, NY, Mercury Lounge
NOV 02 – New Haven, CT, College Street (supporting Pigeons Playing Ping Pong)
NOV 07 – Harrisburg, PA, Club XL
NOV 08 – Washington, DC, 9:30 Club (supporting Sunsqabi)
NOV 10 – Richmond, VA, The Camel
NOV 14 – Pittsburgh, PA, The Roxian (supporting The Disco Biscuits)
NOV 15 – Columbus, OH, The Summit
NOV 16 – Buffalo, NY, Nietzche’s
DEC 05 – Fort Collins, CO, Aggie Theatre
DEC 06 – Denver, CO, Cervantes Other Side
DEC 07 – Steamboat Springs, CO, Old Town Pub
DEC 08 – Steamboat Springs, CO, Old Town Pub
DEC 11 – St. Louis, MO, The Bootleg
DEC 12 – Chicago, IL, Schubas
DEC 13 – Cincinnati, OH, Top Cats
DEC 14 – Indianapolis, IN, The Mousetrap
DEC 21 – Goosemas VI – South Norwalk, CT, Wall Street Theatre
Mungion and Magic Beans have announced a 15-date co-headlining tour kicking off November 6th in Kansas City, MO with stops bringing them to the Northeast and Southeast. The bands will trade off closing duties night to night, for a run that is full of energy and surprising shows.
“This tour will be something special,” says Scott Hachey from Magic Beans. “The two bands are matched in a way where the overall goal and outcome of our music is the same, however our means of achieving said response varies. Meaning we both set out to lift up the crowds spirits with high energy tunes, but our sounds and musical approach are different.
“However, both bands run the gamut of genres and songwriting. Anyone who is lucky enough to hit this tour will experience a very wide ranging scope of both familiar and unexpected music. Both bands should inspire each other to their upmost potential.”
Mungion’s Justin Reckamp adds, “We can’t wait to get out on the road with The Magic Beans! It’s been a little while since we got down to the south and east coast so we’re really looking forward to getting back there to show our fans what we’ve been working on. As far as pairing up with Magic Beans goes, there’s going to be some pretty wild stuff happening both on and off stage so be prepared to get weird. We’ve crossed paths with them for a while now so it’s nice to finally get a chance to tour with them and get to know each other better.”
Mungion, on the road in support of 2018’s Ferris Wheel’s Day Off, will also be performing a handful of midwest dates in September and October before celebrating Halloween with a show at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine, IL. They’ll also be ringing in New Years Eve with a three night run at Martyrs’ in Chicago, IL.
Magic Beans, fresh off the release of their new album Off Leash this past June will be heading into this run directly off a 3-Night Run of String Cheese Incident Halloween after shows in Austin, TX. The band will also be on the road for a run of dates with Cycles in late September, along with an appearance at Resonance Music & Arts Festival and culminates with a late night Magic Beans show to conclude Pigeons Playing Ping Pongs’ Flocktoberfest in Philadelphia on October 5th.
MUNGION / MAGIC BEANS TOUR
11/06 • Knuckleheads • Kansas City, MO
11/07 • Stickyz • Little Rock, AR
11/08 • Martin’s • Jackson, MS
11/09 • Proud Larry’s • Oxford, MS
11/10 • Howling Wolf • New Orleans, LA
11/13 • Nowhere Bar • Athens, GA
11/14 • Salvage Station • Asheville, NC
11/15 • Pour House • Charleston, SC
11/16 • Precarious Beer Hall • Williamsburg, VA
11/17 • Tellus360 • Lancaster, PA
11/20 • Wonder Bar • Asbury Park, NJ
11/21 • Knitting Factory • Brooklyn, NY
11/22 • Sprout Music Collective • West Chester, PA
11/23 • Kings Rook • Erie, PA
11/24 • Beachland Ballroom • Cleveland, OH
MUNGION TOUR DATES
9/13 • Larrypalooza • Gibbon Glade, PA
9/19 • The Cabooze • Minneapolis, MN
9/20 • Mill Creek • Appleton, WI
9/21 • Gabe’s • Iowa City, IA
10/18 • Kenny’s Westside Pub • Peoria, IL
10/19 • Canopy Club • Urbana, IL
10/26 • HiFi • Indianapolis, IN w/ Tauk
10/27 • Bell’s Eccentric Cafe • Kalamazoo, MI w/ Tauk
11/01 • Durty Nellies • Palatine, IL
12/28 • Martyrs • Chicago, IL
12/29 • Martyrs • Chicago, IL
12/31 • Martyrs • Chicago, IL
MAGIC BEANS TOUR DATES
9/07 • Hightopps Backstage • Timonium, MD
9/19 • Bourbon on Division • Chicago, IL w/ Cycles
9/20-9/22 • Resonance Music & Arts Fest • Slippery Rock, PA
9/25 • The Jewel • Manchester, NH
9/26 • Nectars • Burlington, VT w/ Cycles
9/27 • Iron Works • Buffalo, NY w/ Cycles
10/02 • Port City Music Hall • Portland, ME w/ Cycles
10/03 • The Hollow • Albany, NY w/ Cycles
10/05 • Flocktoberfest After Show at The Foundry • Philadelphia. PA
10/26 • The Summit • Denver, CO w/ Tnertle & Frogleg
Rapper Cardi B brought her ” Femme It Forward” tour to Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Friday September 6th. The South Bronx native had originally been slated to perform on May 26, but rescheduled the show to September, but that didn’t keep the fans from packing SPAC.
Cardi gave fans a short 50 minute set, but fans didn’t mind as she churned through her hits, even though hits like “Money” and others were consensed from their album length. With multiple costume changes, plus Nicole Bus and Teyana Taylor leading the way, Cardi B gave Saratoga a night to remember.
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center together with The Philadelphia Orchestra have announced a celebration of the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven to take place in 2020. In a concentrated four-night event, August 12-15, 2020, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will present Beethoven’s Complete Cycle of Symphonies in dialogue with music by composers of today. The Philadelphia Orchestra has commissioned works that reflect on the relevance of Beethoven’s legacy today by its Composer-in-Residence, Gabriela Lena Frank, and a diverse group of composers from her Creative Academy of Music – including Jessica Hunt, Carlos Simon and Iman Habibi.
“Traversing the complete Symphonies of Beethoven is a profound and deeply moving musical experience. To hear them under the baton of the great Yannick Nézet-Séguin, in such a concentrated period, will be an artistic experience unlike anything we have ever presented at SPAC,” says Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “Though Yannick and the Orchestra will also be performing the cycle in Philadelphia and at Carnegie Hall, only at SPAC will audiences be able to experience the symphonies in this immersive and virtually unprecedented manner.”
“We are incredibly excited to share the majesty of Beethoven’s masterpieces in four consecutive nights with our beloved fans in Saratoga,” said Philadelphia Orchestra Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “By pairing his groundbreaking works with new companion pieces, we look forward to creating fresh perspectives on Beethoven’s legacy today. It will surely be an exhilarating and deeply moving experience unlike anything we’ve ever presented before at SPAC.”
Beethoven 2020:The Philadelphia Orchestra Beethoven Cycle at Saratoga Performing Arts Center August 12-15, 2020
Wednesday, August 12th
Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Carlos Simon: Work in Dialogue with Beethoven – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA COMMISSION
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Buoyant and humorous, the Eighth Symphony belies none of the composer’s worsening health issues or what had to be the devastating end of a love affair, detailed in a famous letter written around the same time to his “Immortal Beloved.” Perhaps the least known, the Fourth was widely admired: Schumann compared it to “a slender Greek maiden” between the two “Norse giants” of the Third and Fifth; Berlioz insisted it was the work of an angel. And Tchaikovsky described the triumphant Seventh as “full of unrestrained joy, full of bliss and pleasure of life.” The exhilarating and familiar second movement is said to have been so inspiring at the premiere, an encore was demanded instantly.
Thursday, August 13th
Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Jessica Hunt: Work in Dialogue with Beethoven – Philadelphia Orchestra Commission
Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)
Beethoven was just beginning to go deaf when he wrote his Second Symphony and though he was losing his hearing, he was finding his voice. He could have composed a manifestation of despair, but instead gave the world one of his most ebullient and life-affirming works. The Third Symphony was groundbreaking, a turning point in the composer’s oeuvre and a watershed in musical history. A vast ode to heroism, revolution, and freedom, the “Eroica” is considered by many to be the greatest not just of Beethoven’s symphonies, but of all time.
Friday, August 14th
Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Iman Habibi: Work in Dialogue with Beethoven – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA COMMISSION
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”)
The indelible four-note opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony lays the foundation for a truly fateful symphonic journey. Written in 1804, and on the program when The Philadelphia Orchestra gave its first concert in 1900, it’s an epic tour de force that resonates in 2020. Following its rousing conclusion come the verdant valleys and sweet smells of the woods and the Austrian countryside, an exposition of Beethoven’s love of nature. Composed and premiered at the same time, the “Pastoral” offers a striking contrast to the assertive Fifth.
Saturday, August 15th
Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin Chorus: Albany Pro Musica Concert Chorus
Frank: Work in Dialogue with Beethoven – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA COMMISSION
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”)
Beethoven was just 25 when he wrote his First Symphony. Delightful and high-spirited, floating on strains of Mozart and Haydn, it’s a fascinating glimpse of the greatness and genius to come—all on full, glorious display in the climactic Ninth. Written just a few short years before his death, “Beethoven’s profound ode to brotherhood, salvation, and pure joy reminds us why we are here as an orchestra,” says Yannick, “and why we constantly try to make our world better by playing music.”
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe ‘Thick As Thieves Fall Tour 2019’ will roll through Saratoga Springs on October 18 for a hot night of funk at Putnam Place. On the heels of touring the U.S. this summer as the saxophonist in The Rolling Stones, Denson reconvenes KDTU for 22 dates this fall, mixing headline performances alongside several dates supporting Thievery Corporation.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe is supporting its latest studio album, Gnomes & Badgers, out now on Seven Spheres Records. Distilling the sweeping stylistic range of KDTU’s concert performances into their own authentic sound, the inimitable Denson and his long-standing seven piece unit that includes guitarist DJ Williams, drummer Zak Najor, bassist Chris Stillwell, keyboardist David Veith, trumpeter Chris Littlefield and slide/lap steel guitarist Seth Freeman have delivered what is undoubtedly their strongest work yet.
The album’s first video and single, “Change My Way,” makes a poignant statement about the current crisis at the U.S. border. The clip was directed by award-winning director, writer and producer TG Herrington, whose work includes ‘The Free State of Jones,’ a series of music videos for Paul McCartney and the new feature-length documentary ‘A Tuba To Cuba.’ Denson co-wrote “Change My Way” with New Orleans singer-songwriter Anders Osborne and co-produced the track with Adrian Quesada (Brownout, Spanish Gold).
KARL DENSON’S TINY UNIVERSE Thick As Thieves Fall Tour 2019
10/3 – Charleston, SC – The Pour House 10/4 – Macon, GA – Big House Museum 10/5 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel 10/6 – Virginia Beach, VA – Elevation 27 10/8 – Washington, DC – The Hamilton Live 10/9 – Charlotte, NC – The Neighborhood Theatre 10/10 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry 10/11 – Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theater 10/12 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore * 10/13 – Boston, MA – House of Blues * 10/15 – Portland, ME – Aura 10/16 – Quebec City, Canada – Le Capitole * 10/17 – Montreal, Canada – Mtelus * 10/18 – Saratoga, NY – Putnam Place 10/24 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore * 10/25 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue * 10/27 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater * 10/28 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues * 11/6 – Miami, FL – The Fillmore * 11/7 – Tampa, FL – The Ritz * 11/8 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle * 11/9 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues *
Music is Medicine Festival, a one day music festival helping raise awareness for Pancreatitis, will be held on Saturday, September 14 at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs. Headlined by Bret Bollinger (of Pepper), the event is co-headlined by funkmasters Hartley’s Encore from Albany who will kick off the event.
The genesis of the festival comes from founder Jetta Intelisano’s wife Kate, who has been battling this disease and nearly lost her life three times in the past year. Countless trips to NYC to see a specialist to have dangerous, and life-threatening procedures performed to save her life. Out of this tragic situation, Jetta has endeavored to raise awareness of this disease through our common love of music. Join Music is Medicine in this celebration as the community embarks to find better treatment and ultimately, a cure.
Additional music performances at Music Is Medicine Festival include Resinated (St. Petersburg, FL), Audic Empire (Austin, TX), Joint Operation (Baltimore, MD), The Brothers Grim (Rome, NY), and The Lateshift (Albany, NY). For more information, visit the event page.
There is a subtle science behind making a good mixtape, and I’m not talking about a musician’s collection of work captured on a flimsy metal strip of magnetized particles of rust. Mixtapes were once ubiquitous to the teenaged way of life. If you survived puberty, it was because you made a mixtape. If Charles Shultz was a kid of the 80s, Linus would have had a Walkman. No doubt. So how does one go about creating a playist?
So, yes. Ask a kid of the 80s the importance of a good mixtape and you’ll start an hour’s conversation on his or her collection, or best yet, shared insight on the process involved on how to compose an intimate audio experience.
It takes more than compiling a group of songs. The fictional Rob Gordon warned us of this. It’s a delicate thing. There are a lot of rules. What rules may apply depends on what your intentions may be for the final product. Is this tape for your own consumption, or are you going to be sharing this masterpiece with someone else? If the latter, then who is your audience and what is your message?
Yeah. There are a lot of questions you need to ask yourself. But, perhaps the best way to understand the complexities behind a good mixtape is to speak to people who mix music professionally.
Kim Neaton knows this all too well.
“I’ve made playlists for everything from a baby shower to a six-hour cider festival,” said Neaton. Not to mention, she spent four years programming radio shows at WEQX. “I’ve made playlists for all sorts of occasions and love the topic of making the right playlist depending on what type of event or crowd.”
Auditory chaos
Neaton stands between the bar and the shuffleboards at Franklin Alley Social Club with a beer in hand. The arcade was an off-the-wall idea conceptualized by Frank and Heidi Sicari, owners of Takk House. The front door is in a Troy alleyway. It’s the basement of the old Knights of Columbus from nearly a century ago; a “retro boutique gathering space.” The bar features craft beers and there’s a few classic coin-operated games in the back.
It’s a Thursday night and Neaton is there to takeover the jukebox. It’s an event the Sicaris throw on occasion, allowing a guest to come in and arrange the night’s music. She downplays her responsibility. “We picked a music theme for the night, made a four-hour playlist … plug in and it plays. No real DJ skills required.”
WEQX has been the local authority on alternative music. Its radio signal has washed over the Capital District for more than 30 years. In four of those years, Neaton grew the reputation of throwing an occasional Beastie Boys track onto a show. Before leaving two years ago to join Guthrie/Bell Productions, she was one part of the station’s triumvirate who decided which bands received airtime and which bands did not.
The conversation within Neaton’s circle of friends stops as one song transitions to another. As Neaton said, she’s not chained to a booth. The music is playing straight off a digital playlist she pieced together on Spotify. A four-hour playlist on the popular streaming service can be haplessly curated within minutes, but not the order.
Neaton puts careful thought into what song follows another. Once, she said, a friend asked her to compile a list for a gathering. Neaton couldn’t attend, but gifted her friend a link to the playlist. The following day, she asked how it all worked out. She was met with a hesitant okay. Neaton asked if she had kept to the order. Her friend had not. Instead, she had hit shuffle.
“It’s about understanding the vibe of the audience,” said Neaton. When her friend strayed from her order of songs, she tossed away the segue from one song to another; it introduced an auditory chaos.
Sounds are important
Music is the manipulation of sound. Listen to Adrian Lewis, John Drabik or Chris Arndt play guitar, and you’re fascinated by the dancing of chords. Stripped down, it’s sound produced by vibrating strings. Since the first instrument was created, time has nurtured an appreciation of such sounds orchestrated into composition.
“I’ve learned this from teaching music production and engineering — I’m trying to teach them ear training,” said Josh Mirsky. On top of fronting Mirk, he owns Foster House Studios and teaches Hip Hop Academy. “We work tirelessly on ear training.
For me, that’s one of the most important skills to have when they leave: to be able to hear what’s happening in the song.”
Mirsky has a critical ear for sound. He has produced for Jay-Z. He’s also worked for major record labels and licensed tracks for national television networks, including NBC, VH1 and ESPN.
“I’ll hear something and I’ll get so flabbergasted,” Mirsky said. The producer is able to pinpoint when the marriage of sounds fail. In the studio, the bridgework to a song is laid out into separate tracks. Open GarageBand on a Mac. Each instrument has a unique track. When mixing sounds, he’s listening for how each track complements the others. “Sounds are the most important thing… I spend an hour per sound.
“Either I know the sound I’m going to —because I’ve used it and it’s a favorite of mine — and I know the depth that it’s going to add to the piece, or if I don’t know the sound, but hearing the sound in my head and finding one that sounds similar and manipulate that. It might take me an hour to find that sound.”
The Vibe
Moonshine Records earned meteoric popularity with the emergence of the rave scene in the mid to late 90s. The Los Angeles-based record label owned a stable of popular DJs that included DJ Keoki, Ferry Corsten and Carol Cox. Paul Oakenfold, twice-voted as DJ Magazine’s Best DJ in the World, had his first release in the U.S. under the Moonshine label. In 1997, Moonshine ran its first electronic-music tour through the United States. In each of its four tours, Denver was a stop.
Tim Pittz left the Capital District and stumbled into Colorado’s drum and bass scene. He was spinning records as DJ Canon. It was the height of rave’s popularity, and Denver was the right place to be. But, there was a lot of competition.
“A hundred DJs will have the same f–king records,” said Pittz. “But those are usually the anthems and bangers that get played to death. I would scour record shops looking for something different.”
Europe drove the market. Oakenfold, Tiësto, Corsten, Armin Van Burren were all household names by 2000; all of them developed their names in Europe. Pittz landed a connection that supplied him promotional tunes weeks before the official release stateside.
“So when everyone else was playing record xyz, I had moved on to something else,” he said.
Pittz ran with a crew that consisted of stage names like Fury, Ecco and MC Dino. At their height, they shared the stage with De La Soul, and played the Moonshine Over America Tour when it rolled through Denver in 2000. They played in front of several thousand ravers going “bonkers” insider the Denver Colosseum. He’s now retired and living with his wife in Philadelphia.
Preparing for your audience is key to recognizing the vibe of the room. Each venue was unique. Your time slot, and who you were playing before or afterwards, offered a particular responsibility to how the night was to flow.
“DJ Hype, for instance — I know he’s going to be blowing the speakers out of the room and killing the dance floor with people losing their minds,” said Pittz, “so I viewed it as my job to get heads bobbing by laying the groundwork for that.” That involved playing groovy, catchy tunes, he said. His MC helped engage the crowd. Avoiding the popular anthems was important in order for his crew to stand out, he said. He helped the MC by feeding into his flow with the right tunes. “You just know when something is going to kill, but you can’t just go straight for that,” he said.
“It’s a build-up.”
Understand the vibe.
Sounds are important.
It’s a build up.
Think about all of this when you next compose a playlist.
The two-day music and arts event, Adirondack Music Festival, returned to Lake George this past weekend for its fifth year in a row. Held once again on the serene LG section that is Charles R. Park, this year’s ADK Fest felt like the most well-received and celebrated yet, as many attendees seemed to vocally attest. If you were in attendance this weekend, you most likely at some point overheard someone discovering the festival for its special charm. Something along the lines of: “I can’t believe how nice this festival this is” and “Well, I am definitely coming back next year.”
As with every year since its start, ADK Fest opted for a classic setup with two main stages of music, set side by side—the style adopted by big-time events like Gathering of the Vibes and the first few years of LOCKN’. This format, which has bands perform back to back without delays, kept the energy on the field, and white hot, from early morning through sunset, as well as kept collective excitement packed into one shifting, intimate crowd.
A number of recently highly popular musical acts made their debut at ADK Fest. Midnight North, for starters, features members of The Terrapin Family Band and have been a hot ticket over the last year or so. Dead-relation aisde, Midnight North is its own beautiful creation, an americana powerhouse of band that displays a strong breadth of songwriting through dynamic, soulful musicianship. Members of this band were well connected within this music scene from the west coast and sat-in with many other artists as well.
Other buzz-generating artists performing at ADK for the first time ever were artists like The People’s Blues of Richmond, Marco Benevento, and G. Love and Special Sauce. People’s Blues, PBR for short, surely must have unexpectedly knocked a number of ADK patrons out of their musical comfort zone with their fearlessly-intense style of garage-punk blues. But the trio’s ceaseless, air-tight musicianship won many fans over as well. Marco Benevento’s own power-trio took the main stage just a few hours after them and wielded their own no-holds-barred mash of indie-pop, funk, and glam rock.
It felt strange to see G. Love perform a midday set at three in the afternoon -here was an artist, after all, that surfed high through the 2000’s on a number of big hits, but he was a highly received set nonetheless. In addition to a solo acoustic intro, the guitarist and hip-hop-inspired vocalist careened the edge of the stage above a swath of outward hands and starry-eyed expressions. G. Love’s collaboration with Twiddle frontman, Mihali Savoulidis, saw the two trading vocals for guitar riffs on a version of Hall and Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That,” which was much better than the “What I Got” that happened between the two in Twiddle’s headlining show later.
ADK Fest Day 1: G. Love and Mihali cover Hall and Oates. Photo: James Sullivan
Yet the four man dance-ready jamband, Twiddle, still performed a huge couple of sets to close out Saturday evening, to an elated audience that swamped the park’s concert area all the way to the vendors in the back. Highlights of their two closing sets were a guitar-shredding collaboration with Midnight North frontman, Graham Lesh, on their original “Subconcious Prelude” and then the foursome’s searing finish on “The Box.”
Another artist who met the crowd with a freewheeling sense of stage presence was the northeast jam scene’s golden girl, Hayley Jane. Fronting her band, The Primates, for a midday Sunday set, Jane sang face-to-face with a rail-climbing mass of highly excited young women. Hayley and The Primates as a unit announced their decision earlier this year to go on hiatus. This set at ADK Fest was undoubtedly an emotional one for many, despite the fact that Hayley, in her true style, beamed with smiles and soul through her own set. The joy transcended others that she guested on stage such as with polyrhythmic dub-rock band, Bartika, and then Jane sat in with Everyone Orchestra’s set a bit, after her own.
In a very special move, Adirondack Music Festival booked an Everyone Orchestra set for its day two second-to-headlining spot. EO shows are, of course, completely improvisational from start to finish and are always performed by a mix of artists from different bands. Lake George’s set was pretty substantially stacked for its members. Solo artists Haley Jane and Ryan Montbleau handled lead vocals (with the latter also offering some nice guitar solos here and there), while Deep Banana Blackout’s, Fuzz Giovanni, handled lead guitar work.
Saxaphone legend Sam Kinninger was a secret weapon here, shining up the band’s various types of funk and rock jams with amazing melodic work. Kinniger and the rest played beside a hefty rhythm section that included moe.’s Vinnie Amico on drums, TAB’s Tony Markelis on bass and Steve Moltiz on keys. Highlights here were a belly-laugh inducing, reggae-tinged sing-along about golf pirates. Super creative vocals led by Ryan Montbleau followed with an extremely moving, soul inspired jam which Everyone Orchestra impresario, Matt Butler, built a vocal tribute to the recently passed Neal Casal.
ADK Fest Day 2: Everyone Orchestra Pays Tribute to the late Neal Casal. PC: Miles Hurley
While some roll their eyes at cover bands, Pink Talking Fish works extra hard and thinks creatively to stand out from the ever-growing pack. The quartet began their set with a great surprise in The Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” which Phish has covered on rare occasion. In a climax to their set, PTF reprised a bit of the magic from their Junta album extravaganza at The Capitol Theatre earlier this year, which had Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s Greg Ormont act as Master of Ceremonies. Here at ADK Fest, PTF began with a beautiful segue-sandwich from “You Enjoy Myself” to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and back. Upon returning to the Phish hit, Ormont joined the band mid-song, to first engage in some trampoline-style jumping with bassist, Eric Gould, and new guitarist Cal Kehoe. They finished with a very kooky vocal jam.
It was another strong move to have Pigeons Playing Ping Pong return to close the festival Sunday evening, just as they did last year. These four jam-funk players having seen a truly meteoric rise recently (they will be headlining Explore Asheville this coming December). A few highlights for their near-explosive set included an electronically charged collaboration with Steve Moltiz on their own tune, “Live it Up,” and a very colorful jam on Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In The Heart.”
Major music events in Lake George, NY like Adirondack Music Fest often share in a little community-favorited crown jewel—a post festivities top-off at local music hub, King Neptune’s Pub. Being a time-tested spot for upstate bands to play, King Neptune’s always sees great crowds, but then really turns out when late night performances go down.
For Saturday night’s musical extend, nearby favorites, Funktional Flow from Buffalo, and New Haven, CT’s, Eggy, offered a proper finish to a full first day of music. Eggy, coming from the fertile music scene in New Haven, made a grand introduction for themselves in this venue, and they rocked the opportunity big time. The groove rock four-piece blasted their way through intense versions of originals like “Shadow” and “One More Dance,” along with improvisationally-heavy takes on covers like Traffic’s “Low-Spark of High-Heeled Boys.” For a set-topper, Eggy invited Midnight North keyboardist, Alex Jordan, for a blissful and high-powered take on the band’s “Buying Time.”
ADK Fest Day 1: Eggy rocks late night w/ Special Guest Alex Jordan. PC: Miles Hurley
While night one’s crowd was impressive, festival buzz Sunday afternoon must have spread like wildfire to make late night two’s crowd even more massive and energetic, for Neptune’s at the tail end of the weekend was nearly flooding out the door. After Sunday night’s originally scheduled openers, psychedelic funk outfit The New Motif, had to cancel their slot and the evening switched around to second act, Annie In The Water, opening before a festival-family superjam close out.
Annie in The Water thus kicked off with a very uplifting display of original music, with some cover hits thrown in for good measure. A presentation of styles ranging all the way from folk rock to reggae to even some hip-hop was connected via strong, confident solos and endearing vocals. Members of Lucid, Magic Beans, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong coalesced into one family-type super jam set, for a final set at Adirondack Music Festival, that seemed to represent everything this dynamic music scene is about. At one point in this performance free-for-all, three keyboardists—Magic Beans’ Scott Hatchey, former Formula 5’s Matt Richards, and PTF’s Richard James—hammered away on one rig at the same time, for a spectacle that was also technically impressive.
As with any festival, there’s more musical experiences than can be reported on. From piano wizard Marco Benevento and his trio debuting material from their new record (Let it Slide), to upstate jam favorites Lucid commanding the main stage mid-Saturday as they do with fervor every year, ADK Fest’s fifth year was artistically overflowing. All of this top-notch live music was met resolutely throughout the weekend with a positive and welcoming vibe, upheld via a sense of strong community and creativity. For mid-size festivals Adirondack Music Festival is one of the best you can experience in the ever-musically-fertile land of upstate NY—yet here’s to a steady growth from mid-size to who knows how big.
Check out a gallery of images of Adirondack Music Festival 2019 below, courtesy of photographer James Sullivan.
