NYS Music 20​19

Category: Ithaca

  • The Big Takeover Announces New Single, Tour Dates

    By Maddi Annunziata, Contributing Writer

    New York seven-piece band, The Big Takeover, perfectly fuses big band Motown with Jamaican pop roots, making it nearly impossible not to dance along. In their new single “Shy.” they offer an upbeat, retro tune that stays with you,  keeping you bopping around all day. This is the first single released from the band’s upcoming fourth album, and it’s filled with powerful horns, a foot-stomping beat, and soulful vocals.


    Despite its cheery, optimistic sound, the single has a rather somber story. Powerhouse singer/songwriter, Nee Nee Rushie, tells us about a love triangle, and everyone involved is too shy to communicate with each other and see their own truth. “I was trying to tell a very specific story, because I’ve written many stories that are left up to interpretation,” she elaborates, “feeling shy is an inexplicable and intriguing human behavior that most humans should be able to relate to.” “Shy” has an incredibly rich, boppy, and sweet sound that flows through you in a way that you can’t help but dance across the room. Listen to the single below or check it out through your favorite streaming platform here.

    The Big Takeover has been making a name for itself recently, sharing the stage with major acts such as The Wailers, Sister Sparrow, Jefferson Starship, and Pete Seeger. In 2018 they completed a 12-state tour and performed at Omaha’s Jazz on the Green festival.

    In addition to writing their new album, which is set to release later this year, The Big Takeover is set to appear at a number of notable music festivals this summer, including  Strangecreek in Greenfield, MA this weekend, Mountain Jam, and Musikfest. Check out the dates below to see when they’re playing near you.

    The Big Takeover Tour Dates:

    May 24 – Strangecreek Festival –  Greenfield, MA

    May 25 – Cisco Brewers – Portsmouth, NH

    May 30 – Lukin’s – Utica, NY

    May 31 – Red Square – Burlington, VT

    June 1 – Newburyport Brewing Co. – Newburyport, MA

    June 2 – Strawberry Jam – Turin, NY

    June 7 – Waterhole – Saranac Lake, NY

    June 8 – Burlington Discover Jazz – Burlington, VT

    June 9 – Earth Sky Time – Bennington, VT

    June 14 – Mountain Jam – Bethel, NY

    June 15 – Clearwater Festival – Croton On Hudson, NY  

    June 23 – Unifier Festival – Tolland, MA

    June 30 – Cisco Brewers – Nantucket, MA

    July 3 – The Promenade at Sagemore – Marlton, NJ

    July 5 – First Fee Friday Eve – Shelburne, VT

    July 6 – Dockside Park – Cold Spring, NY

    Aug. 1 – CFCU Summer Concert Series – Ithaca, NY

    Aug. 3 – Reggae Festival – Woodstock, NY

    Aug. 8 – Musikfest – Bethlehem, PA

    Sept. 7 – Drum Boogie Festival – Woodstock, NY

    Sept. 14 – Gloucester, MA @ Gloucester Harvest Fest

    Sept. 21 – B-Side Ballroom – Oneonta, NY

    Sept 28 – Canjam Festival – Pottstown, PA

  • Western Swing and Waltzes: Colter Wall at the Haunt

    Colter Wall travelled from Saskatchewan in southwestern Canada to grace the stage of The Haunt in Ithaca on Saturday night. Though he had no problems connecting with the sold out crowd. Songs centering around cattle branding, ranching and rodeos were cut with more universal themes like love, friendship, trains, cars and motorcycles.

    He arrived to the stage alone with his guitar and his cowboy hat, appropriately opening the set with the old cowboy song, “Old Paint.” He continued with a more modern tale of his own making, “John Beyers.” His voice, a resonant baritone, is rich like a finely aged whiskey (aged just 23 years in this case) and had a strong presence that echoed throughout the room. Though, possibly, the echo was from the audience, who exuberantly sang along, to each other, to the stage or to themselves.

    A few songs in, Wall’s band joined him on stage. Together a quintet, pedal and lap steels, harmonicas, drums, and bass joined him and his guitar. Each brought their own character to the mix. There was an entire arsenal of harmonicas, and even a jaw harp, to match the mood of every tune. The pedal steel’s howls and whirls intermingled beautifully with the harps in an unexpected and somewhat unusual combination. The steady bopping red and gold paisley covered bass and swinging and tasteful drums held it all together perfectly.

    The set was filled with songs from last year’s release. Songs of the Plains, and 2017’s Colter Wall. The tried and true, the ones everyone knew, were tossed in with something new, like “Western Swing and Waltzes” and also some much older selections, like covers of Ramblin’ Jack Elliot’s “Railroad Bill” and Townes Van Zandt’s “White Freightliner Blues.” No matter their age, coming through the voice of Wall and with the skill of his backing band, it was all sounding great to the adoring crowd.

    Fellow Saskatchewans Kacy and Clayton warmed up the evening. The two cousins played a short set of lovely folk songs but were unfortunately competing with a rowdy crowd anxious to sing and dance to the main attraction. The subtle beauty of their voices and guitars was no match for the clanging of glasses and boisterous barroom conversations, but attentive ears were rewarded with another example of Canada’s increasing and ironic grip on the Americana genre.

  • Blackberry Smoke Bring Their “Break It Down” Acoustic Show To Ithaca, NY

    On Thursday April 4, 2019, the Atlanta, Georgia southern rock band Blackberry Smoke pulled into the historic State Theatre in the beautiful downtown Ithaca Commons area as a stop on their 2019 “Break It Down” spring acoustic tour.

    Blackberry Smoke is currently on tour promoting their newly released EP, The Southern Ground Sessions, during this spring 2019 tour. This is the band’s first ever acoustic run. Blackberry Smoke has been a staple in the rock and southern rock genre since the early 2000s, however, it has been quite difficult to accurately define their sound which has most definitely become their own, combining an eclectic mix of rock, blues, country and folk.

    Blackberry Smoke’s line up consists of Charlie Starr (lead vocals, guitar), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals), Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums), Brandon Still (keyboards, piano). Joining the band on stage was first call touring guitarist, session player and producer Benji Shanks.

    Benji Shanks and Charlie Starr

    With six studio albums under their belt, including Bad Luck Ain’t No Crime (2004), Little Piece of Dixie (2009), The Whippoorwill (2012), Holding All the Roses (2015), Like an Arrow (2016) and Find a Light (2018), Blackberry Smoke has two Billboard chart-topping country albums and an enormous catalog of songs to choose from. Hailing from Atlanta, these Southern boys are no stranger to the road, touring and performing throughout the United States. Blackberry Smoke have headlined as well as opened for major artists such as Zac Brown Band, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Church and more. For nearly two decades they continue to tear up the charts and the road with mega hits and touring, playing on average, 250 shows a year. They have developed quite the eclectic fan base as well, ranging from the classic Southern rock, country, rock and roll, grassroots and jam band fans. They have been known to frequently break into long jams, throwing covers into the mix of their music and play all night long.

    After a mesmerizing opening set from Ida Mae, a talented husband and wife duo from the UK, Blackberry Smoke casually strolled onto the stage around 9 p.m. and played a two hour set, featuring nineteen songs which included three encores. The stage was intimately set with four stools in the front along with the small acoustic drum set stage right and the vintage looking keyboard stand stage left surrounded by table lamps set atop draped curtains and throws most likely covering amps. There were dozens of dimly lit amber electric candles throughout the stage as well making for a relaxing and comforting atmosphere. As lead singer/guitarist Charlie Starr was taking his seat before kicking off the set, he greeted the State Theatre audience by saying “welcome to our living room”

    From L-R – Richard Turner, Benji Shanks, Charlie Starr

    Blackberry Smoke kicked off their set with the 1927 Thomas Darby and Jimmie Tarlton classic “Columbia Stockade Blues,” followed by “Believe You Me” from their 2016 album Like an Arrow and “Too High” from the 2015 album Holding all the Roses. The band continued to play many of their well known hits as well as some lesser know songs from their immense catalog throughout the two hour performance. Nevertheless, all the songs lended favorably to the acoustic arrangements that these seasoned musicians performed for the exhilarated crowd at the State Theatre. The band kept their performance light and fun, interacting with the crowd and telling some interesting stories behind many of the songs or from their road escapades. At one point Charlie talked about touring the city of Ithaca, from visiting a vintage music store, yet forgoing a purchase during this trip, to visiting Cornell University’s Barton Hall and commenting about the diverse musical history at this famed field house. He commented that he learned that the Grateful Dead’s performance here in 1977 is considered one of the best shows of their career and that they were indeed in good company as fellow Georgian rap artist Ludacris too roamed the Big Red Campus at one point. Charlie and the rest of the band seemed to connect well with the crowd in Ithaca during this stripped down, personal feeling “Break It Down” acoustic show.

    Benji Shanks and Charlie Starr

    Blackberry Smoke Setlist – State Theatre Ithaca, NY 4/4/2019.

    1.Columbia Stockade Blues 2. Believe You Me 3. Too High 4. Sure Was Good 5. Crimson Moon 6. Old Shoes 7. Best Seat In The House 8. Medicate My Mind 9. Lay It All On Me 10. Ain’t Wastin’ Time 11. Run Away 12. Like An Arrow 13. Ain’t Gonna Wait 14. Free On The Wing 15. Ain’t Got The Blues 16. Up The Road . ENCORE: 17. Loser 18. One Horse Town 19. Ain’t Much Left

    Blackberry Smoke perform at the State Theatre in Ithaca, NY

  • Punch Brothers Entrust Ithaca with 2019 Kickoff

    Chris Thile, taking a break from his day job as host of the radio show “Live From Here,” got the band back together for a spring tour with the Punch Brothers with a tour that started with a return to the State Theatre in Ithaca. A place that banjoist, Noam Pikelny deemed to be too trusting due to the fact that on their last visit, a stranger on their flight offered them a place to stay just a few minutes after meeting them.

    The show was mostly a get-down-to-business affair, songs flowed effortlessly into each other and chatter was held to a minimum. Though some songs required further explanation, such as when they featured two different Tiki drink-themed instrumentals in the set. First the World War II drink “Three Dots and a Dash.” Later it was “Jungle Bird,” which Thile eloquently provided the recipe for. This then devolved into an argument with Pikelny over the meaning of “cheeky bit.” It was a comedy bit reminiscent of “Live From Here” and a welcome comedy break.

    The show concluded with an encore played unplugged and front of stage. The crowd was whisper quiet and the acoustically-sound room carried “The Hops of Guldenberg” to the furthest reach without issue. Without prompt the crowd joined in for some hearty “Oh Boys” for the show closer. The trust was warranted.

    Opener, Gabriel Kahane, played a short set of solo piano and guitar pieces. After the 2016 election, Kahane spent two weeks traveling by train with no phone or other modern technology, passing the time conversing with passengers in the dining cars, trying to understand and connect with people. He wrote an album’s worth of material about the experience and played some of it in his set, beautiful and meandering piano pieces. As about as stark a contrast as one could imagine, he sandwiched in a group of mini songs based on bizarre and comical tweets he read, with subjects like killer cats, Marie Kondo and Mr. Peanut.

    Setlist: Movement and Location, My Oh My, All Ashore, Flippen, Boll Weavil, Alex, Angel of Doubt, Three Dots and a Dash, Just Look at This Mess, Jumbo, Another New World, Passepied, New York City, Julep, Jungle Bird, Skeleton Key
    Encore: The Hops of Guldenberg, Oh Boy

  • “Massive Tuesday in Ithaca”: Rayland Baxter Captivates the Haunt

    On a snowy night in Ithaca on the precipice of the deep freeze, known as the Polar Vortex, a young college town crowd braved the elements to warm up to folk-rock breakout, Rayland Baxter and his 5-piece band. In the midst of a lengthy tour promoting his critically-acclaimed new release, Wide Awake, the set expectedly concentrated heavily on the new stuff, but sprinkled in songs from his entire catalog for a dynamic show.

    The set list looked a bit like a roll call. Present was “Mr. Rodriguez,” “Angeline,” Willy, “Sandra Monica,” “Olivia,” Larocco and “Amelia Baker.” But all eyes, ears and minds were set on Baxter himself.

    The frontman commanded the stage and audience like an old pro. The crowd was amped and excited; Baxter was game for a little friendly banter, going so far as to join in on a FaceTime with someone’s father. The obligatory “How’s it going?” query was answered, “It’s a massive Tuesday in Ithaca.” Baxter agreed, then took it and ran, describing his day flying in from Nashville. Later he would introduce “Olivia” as a Massive Tuesday for sensitivity dot com. When asked about his shoes, Baxter promptly took one off and put in a pitch for All Birds, followed by a pitch for his toothbrush brand of choice, of all things.

    Even more, he controlled the crowd through music. At the powerful highs of “Everything to Me” and the extended jam of “Amelia Baker” they followed along in full rock out mode. They sang and danced together to the catchy hooks of “Hey Larocco” and “Casanova.” When Baxter broke it down in a mid set solo excursion, exploring some of his older, folksier material like “Dreamin’” and “Willy’s Song,” the ambient noise in the bar was dropped to an almost indistinguishable murmur. Respectfully and incredibly quiet to enjoy Baxter alone with his guitar, voice and an airy whisper of a whistle blown through his teeth.

    Illiterate Light, a guitar and drum duo out of Harrisonburg, VA, warmed up the night with selections from their just-released EP, Sweet Beast. Bombastic drumming played from a standing position, fiery guitar leads and quality vocals, reminiscent of Jim James, put the stamp on an opening set that checked all the boxes. The venue had a room full of patrons from the get-go: the headliner had a crowd thoroughly ready for their set, the audience had an introduction to a great young band, and Illiterate Light had themselves a bevy of new fans.

    Setlist: Strange American Dream, Mr. Rodriguez, Freakin’ Me Out, Everything to Me, Angeline, Sandra Monica, Young Man, Dreamin, Willy’s Song, Olivia, Hey Larocco, Casanova, Amelia Baker, Yellow Eyes, Let It All Go Man

  • Hearing Aide: The Blind Spots ‘Talk’

    Ithaca is a hotbed of creativity. The Blind Spots are its shining example of the caliber of musical talent emerging from the city. The five-piece, female-fronted band has spent a decade wowing audiences with their punchy pop rock performances. With Maddy Walsh at the helm, on vocals, The Blind Spots have reached new heights with their latest album Talk. 

    Catchy melodies and driving rhythms create a scaffold which can support Walsh’s powerhouse vocals. Her soulful voice is at times sweet and other times sultry as she delivers catchy lyrics and choruses that make you want to sing along. The range of her voice is as wide as the subject matter of the songs on the album. She could be your confidante. She could be your lover. She could be your big sister. She could be your partner-in-crime on adventurous sprees. And the music sweeps you up into the storyline. “Trampoline” is a twinkly ear-worm that I catch myself humming: morning, noon, and night. The “Bliss Seeker” stands out, showcasing the band’s zany fun-loving side. The lyrics highlight the ability to put a positive spin on anything: How did I get here? I might have a problem. You could say I have a problem, but I don’t. That’s not what I call it. I’m a bliss seeker, bliss seeker.

    Even the saddest song on the album, “Song for Leyla,” is oozing with heartfelt messages and optimism: You’ll always have one foot in this world wherever it is you land. Believe that little girl, she’ll help you understand. They’ve saved the best for last with the title track “Talk.” It’s the perfect late night last-call-at-the-bar slow dance with the one you’re taking home after the show. They may call themselves The Blind Spots, but they’re strutting into the limelight with Talk.

    Key tracks: Trampoline, Bliss Seeker, Song For Leyla, Talk

    http://youtu.be/z6Hao5de9yo