Category: Regions

  • On Late Rapper’s Birthday, Consequence releases New Recording Featuring Phife Dawg

    “No Place Like Home,” a new track from rapper Consequence, was released today to commemorate the birthday of the legendary A Tribe Called Quest Emcee – Phife Dawg.

    The 3-minute song was recorded around the same time as A Tribe Called Quest’s final posthumous album, We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service.

    Produced by Consequence and Mike Cash, the record sees Consequence rap about the nostalgia of missing his hometown of Queens, NY—something he shares with the departed rapper. In between Consequence’s verses, Phife comes in and recites some of the legendary figures that have come from Queens, while rattling off some of the more well known Queens neighborhoods, with looping vocals in the background serving as the chorus.

    Having passed away in 2016 due to complications from diabetes, the record was released on what would have been the late rapper’s 49th birthday.

  • More than a dozen Jam for Tots shows planned across New York State this holiday season

    NYS Music is proud to announce 15 Jam for Tots shows around the Empire State this holiday season. Kicking off on November 27, each show will have a Toys for Tots box set up for patrons to donate gifts to kids in need.

    With a wide variety of artists, including Consider the Source, Runaway Gin, Annie in the Water, Tim Herron Corporation, Strange Machines, and Swedish metal guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, this annual series will connect live music fans with those most in need in their local communities.

    jam for tots

    Support kids in need this holiday season by bringing an unwrapped toy to any of the following shows. Jam for Tots is brought to you by NYS Music.

    Regional shows include:

    Mid-Hudson Valley

    Nov 27 Open Jam – Main Street Public House, Philmont

    Dec 5 Open Jam – The Stewart House, Athens

    Dec 7 Yngwie Malmsteen – The Chance, Poughkeepsie

    Dec 14 IS – Hilltop Bar and Tavern, Tannersville

    Westchester

    Dec 4 The Spadtastics – Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester

    North Country

    Dec 6 Hunter – The Monopole, Plattsburgh

    Western New York

    Dec 14 Strange Machines w/s/g Haewa- Flour City Station, Rochester

    Dec 20 PA Line “Chrismukkah Show” w/ Special Guests – Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo

    Capital Region

    Dec 14 Annie In The Water, The Deadbeats – Putnam Place, Saratoga Springs

    Dec 14 Consider the Source w/s/g Swimmer – The Hollow, Albany

    Central New York

    Dec 8 The Old Main – Woods Valley, Rome

    Dec 19 The Action! – Copper City Brewing Company, Rome

    Dec 28 Tim Herron Corporation – Funk n Waffles, Syracuse

    New York City

    Dec 26 Runaway Gin – Knitting Factory, Brooklyn

    Massachusetts

    Nov 30 Fennario – Electric Haze, Worcester, MA

  • The Residents plan January live video concert of iconic “God in 3 Persons” album at Museum of Modern Art

    Legendary art rockers The Residents, in collaboration with celebrated video artist John Sanborn, will perform their epic 1988 album, God In 3 Persons, at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City on January 24 and 25, 2020. The performances will include eleven performers, featuring a live seven-piece music ensemble. Audiences will witness the terrifying gospel of Mr. X and The Holy Twins, brought to life by legendary SF-based art rockers.

    The story of God In 3 Persons will be told using lurid multi-layered video projections created by Sanborn while The Residents provide live accompaniment with vocalist Laurie Amat.

    God In 3 Persons will be directed for performance by Travis Chamberlain with musical direction by Joshua Raoul Brody and puppetry and background design by Leigh Barbier. Steve Saporito produces.

    In this propulsive and brooding rock oratorio, The Residents’ anonymous lead singer, performing as Mr. X, preaches of his encounters with a pair of ambiguously gendered conjoined twins (portrayed on video by noted genderqueer porn star Jiz Lee). Their physical union has magical healing powers…or so he claims! A confession of faith-mongering complicated by a crisis of desire, God in 3 Persons functions as a darkly twisted cautionary tale about the risk of losing yourself in the process of refusing to accept others in their entirety.

    God in 3 Persons is sung in rhythmic spoken word fashion, similar to the talking blues, and driven by a bombastic and dynamic score derived entirely from the first few bars of the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy,” along with the melodic hook from the Swinging Medallions 1966 hit “Double Shot of My Baby’s Love.” Despite being one of their most critically successful albums and a fan favorite, God in 3 Persons has never toured as a concert or live performance.

    Performances are January 24 and January 25m with tickets $12 for the general public and free for museum members. Tickets will go on sale at MoMA’s website on January 10 at 9:30 am (for the Jan. 24 show) and January 11 at 9:30 am (for the Jan. 25 shows). 

    Special merchandise is available through an IndieGoGo set up by The Residents for the upcoming performance at MoMA.

    Since their first official release, Santa Dog, in 1972, The Residents have released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects, and ten DVDs. They have undertaken ten major tours and scored multiple films and are considered pioneers in exploring the potential of CD-ROM and similar technologies, having won several awards for their multimedia projects.

    Ralph Records, a record label focusing on avant-garde music, was started by the band. Throughout the group’s existence, the individual members have ostensibly attempted to operate under anonymity, preferring instead to have attention focused on their art output. In public, the group appears silent and costumed, often wearing eyeball helmets, top hats and tails — a long-lasting costume now recognized as its signature iconography.

    In addition to their groundbreaking work in the areas of trance, world fusion, electronica, punk, industrial and lounge music, the group has also been credited with being among the originators of performance art and music video. Two of their videos are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and their Freak Show CD- ROM has recently been featured in MoMA’s “Looking at Music 3.0” exhibition. The Theory of Obscurity, a documentary about The Residents, premiered at SXSW in 2015.

  • In Focus: Kip Moore Brings Room to Spare Tour to Kodak Center

    Kip Moore’s stop at the Kodak Center in Rochester, NY on October 25 was the second of two New York shows on the third leg of his Room to Spare Acoustic Tour.

    Moore is known for his energetic and electric shows. On this tour, he switched gears with an intimate and stripped-down set. For a number of his songs it was just Moore and his guitar which was refreshing to see – and one could clearly tell he was at home on stage with no frills or thrills. The commentary he had behind the meaning of the songs he sang was among the highlights of getting to see him perform in this acoustic setting.

    Moore performed for over two hours and sang fan favorites like “Hey Pretty Girl,” “Guitar Man,” “More Girls Like You,” “Something About a Truck” and “The Bull.” He also did songs from the Room to Spare acoustic EP including “Love You to the Moon” and “Plead the Fifth.”

    The Room to Spare Acoustic Tour continues this week in Durham, NC and runs through December.

    Moore’s new single “She’s Mine” can be heard here and will be featured on his upcoming fourth studio album. Details for the album’s release haven’t been announced but are due to be revealed in the coming weeks on kipmoore.net.

    View the gallery from the Kodak Center in Rochester, NY below:

  • Tommy Stinson Lines Up NY Mini-Tour for December

    Tommy Stinson is currently on a run of solo shows throughout Spain, leading up to a Montreal appearance at a 40th-anniversary celebration of The Clash’s seminal London Calling album called Montreal Calling on Dec. 6. Following that show, which also features Alejandro Escovedo, Jesse Malin, and the Asexuals, Stinson will embark on a brief tour of unique venues across New York.

    Stinson, perhaps best known as the snotty young bassist for the should-have-been-more-famous ne’er-do-wells known as The Replacements and as Duff McKagan’s replacement in Guns N’ Roses for 16 years, is currently working on several other projects, including a new solo album, the follow-up to his band Bash & Pop‘s 2017 album Anything Could Happen and an album with his other project Cowboys in the Campfire.

    While returning to his home in Hudson, he will run through a series of “living room” shows across New York, beginning in somebody’s actual living room in Hamburg, just outside of Buffalo on Dec. 10. Stinson then winds his way east, visiting the famous Bop Shop Records in Rochester on Dec. 11 and Wildflowers Armory, a unique art space in Armory Square in Syracuse on Dec. 12, and finishing up at Barry Family Cellars in the Finger Lakes town of Burdett. on Dec. 13. Tickets for all but the Hamburg show are available through Eventbrite and range from $25 for a general admission ticket to $100 for a limited “Drinks With Tommy” ticket.

    NYS Music recently sat down with Stinson to discuss this tour and many other subjects of his past, present, and future. That interview will be published in the next week. For more information on Stinson and his various projects, visit his website here.

  • Goose deliver late-night rager in Buffalo post-moe.

    Goose finished the first leg of their fall tour with a sold out show at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo on Saturday, November 16 after moe.’s hometown show. Coming off an opening set for the Disco Biscuits at the Roxian Theatre in Pittsburgh, and a sold out show at The Summit in Columbus, Ohio, the Connecticut based quartet rolled into Buffalo for a late-night moe. after party. The two-set show ran past 2:30 a.m. and highlighted the band’s ability to dig deep into their funk and folk inspired jams.

    goose buffalo moe
    photo by Zach Todtenhagen

    Guitarist and vocalist Rick Mitarotonda guided the band into the first song of the night, a cover of The Wood Brothers’ “Atlas,” before they segued to “Arcadia.” From their 2016 release Moon Cabin, the extensive jam emphasized many of Goose’s best qualities – ever-danceable rhythms, layered melodies, and a dramatic apex. Following a “Let’s Go Buffalo” chant led by Pete Anspach (guitar/keys/vocals), they launched into the reggae-inspired “Indian River.” A slow building rhythm section illuminated a vocal improv component and carried the band to the set closer.

    “Drive,” the fourth and final song of the first set was snappy and funk infused and took on a life of its own, clocking-in at well over 15 minutes.  An anchored pocket was dominated by bassist Trevor Bass and Ben Atkind behind the kit, while Pete’s rhythm guitar supported Rick’s soaring leads.

    Set two picked up where set one left off, with chants of “goose” blanketing the room. The crowd was immediately captivated by the trancey “Creatures.” Dark, echoing, and reverberating, “Creatures” produced a visceral movement within the crowd. A segue to “Shama Lama Ding Dong,” an elevating cover from 1978’s National Lampoon’s Animal House, clashed artistically with the darkness of “Creatures” and preceded “Slow Ready” – a slower synth-laden version of “So Ready.”

    goose buffalo moe
    photo by Zach Todtenhagen

    The segues continued with a rendition of A-ha’s “Take On Me,” before they closed their second set out with “Hot Tea.” Unable to leave the stage for an encore break, Pete took a moment to show his appreciation and gratitude for the fans. The encore started with a cover of “Short People,” off Randy Newman’s 1977 release Little Criminals, that came before their first ever Hot Tea Reprise – dubbed “Teaprise.”

    Goose will continue their fall tour on December 5 when they embark on a four-night Colorado run starting with the Aggie Theater in Fort Collins, followed by an already sold out show at Cervantes Other Side in Denver, and finally two nights in Steamboat at the Old Town Pub on December 7 and 8. They will then make their way through St. Louis, Chicago, Covington, and Indianapolis, before their sixth annual Goosemas show at the Wall Street Theater in Norwalk, Connecticut. For more information on tour dates and to purchase tickets, head here.

    And just announced this week, Goose will head to Tennessee in March when they tape an episode of Bluegrass Underground for PBS on March 27. The filming will take place at The Caverns of Pelham, TN. A very limited amount of single day and 3-Day Packages go on sale Friday, 11/22 at 11AM CST

    Setlist November 16, 2019

    Set 1: Atlas {1} > Arcadia {2}, Indian River, Drive

    Set 2: Creatures > Shama Lama Ding Dong {3} > Slow Ready > Take On Me {4}, Hot Tea

    Encore: Short People {5} > Teaprise {6}

    Notes:{1} The Wood Brothers. | {2} “Lets Go Buffalo” chant. |{3} Otis Day & The Knights. |{4} A-ha. |{5} Randy Newman. |{6} Hot Tea reprise, First time played

    Gallery by Matt Shotwell

  • David Grisman’s Dawg Trio Takes Manhattan

    Armed with a new album and a stellar bluegrass catalog to pull from, the all-star Dawg Trio made beautiful music at the storied Iridium Jazz Club in midtown Manhattan. The evening included plenty of intricate songs, a special guest on the “mouth trumpet,” and a cover last played with Jerry Garcia.

    Dawg Trio
    The Dawg Trio

    The band was led by legendary musician, composer, archivist and frequent Jerry Garcia collaborator, David Grisman on mandolin and vocals. Mr. Grisman was joined by a Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Award-winner Danny Barnes on banjo, guitar and vocals. Grisman’s son, Sam Grisman, completed the trifecta on the upright bass and vocals. 

    Dawg Trio
    David and Sam Grisman

    Grisman began the evening with light hearted humor, asking the crowd, “Does anyone own CD’s anymore?”  The band released a new album in October, appropriately titled Dawg Trio. He mentioned that they had CDs to sell, but wasn’t sure where they were.

    Dawg Trio
    Smiles were frequent at the Dawg Trio

    Grammy-nominated Robert Gurland joined the party during the set, playing one song with his “mouth trumpet.” This impressive skill requires no instruments and sounds very similar to an actual trumpet. His skill and adeptness are reminiscent of Keller Williams, who uses this technique in his solo shows. The entire band was all smiles while Gurland was on stage, and throughout the show.

    Dawg Trio
    Robert Gurland on the mouth trumpet

    Sam Grisman took the helm during “Zadeh’s Waltz” from Dawg Trio. He also filled big shoes by singing Jerry Garcia’s part in “When First Unto This Country.” Prior to the song, Grisman announced that the last time he played this song was with Jerry Garcia. Sam’s vocals were a great tribute to the late Garcia, and showed that he looks forward to a promising musical career.

    Dawg Trio
    Sam Grisman on the upright bass

    Danny Barnes showed his wild talent throughout the evening, but particularly shined during “Super Grits,” from Dawg Trio. His unconventional and wild approach was refreshing and made for deliciously detailed jams. The show wrapped up with the intricate bluegrass standard “Things In Life,” proving that mandolin juggernaut Grisman still has still “got it” after all these years.

    Dawg Trio
    Sam Grisman and Danny Barnes sing their hearts out
  • Degenerates Crowd for A Day To Remember in Syracuse

    Fans braved frigid temperatures and snow at the Oncenter War Memorial Arena in Syracuse, NY on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 for A Day to Remember.

    A Day to Remember is headlining The Degenerates Tour, which began its
    2-month tour on September 6, 2019, spanning until November 23, 2019.
    The show had three opening acts. Can’t Swim, based out of Keansburg, NJ, Beartooth, hailing from Columbus, OH, leading up to I Prevail, from Southfield, MI, who all seemed to be eligible headliners on their own.

    Jeremy McKinnon – lead vocals- A Day To Remember

    The band is touring to support their new single “Degenerates” while preparing for the release of their seventh studio album; You’re Welcome,  on November 15, 2019. The album is their follow-up to their 2016 release of, Bad Vibrations.

    The show was non-stop energy from the moment Can’t Swim took the stage.
    Can’t Swim is: Chris LoPorto (lead vocals), Mike Sanchez (guitar), Danny Rico (guitar), Greg McDevitt (bass), Michael Sichel (drums). They are an EMO / Post-Punk group hailing from Keansburg, New Jersey. They certainly set the pace for the remaining show.

    Chris LoPorto-lead vocals-Can’t Swim

    When Can’t Swim left the stage, they were quickly replaced by Beartooth. The crowd started to expand, they shouted and jumped with intensity as Beartooth ripped the stage in true metalcore/punk rock style with heavy beats and strong riffs.

    The band was named after the Bear Tooth Court, where their original bassist Nick Reed grew up. Shomo has stated that Beartooth was supposed to be a mere distraction while he was still a member of Attack Attack! having no intentions to record or play live music; however, after his departure, he focused on Beartooth, which has surpassed his wildest expectations. He recruited guitarist Taylor Lumley, bassist Nick Reed, and drummer Brandon Mullins for live performances.

    Caleb Shomo -lead vocals- Beartooth

    After a long break to set up the stage for I-Prevail, the crowd had really loosened up. The security unit in front of the stage was heavily present, as the crowd surfing, mosh pit and wall of death activities began. At one point, someone dressed as a shark, crowd surfed into the guards.

    I-Prevail was strong enough to be the headliner. The band—Brian Burkheiser, Eric Vanlerberghe, Steve Menoian, and Dylan Bowman — easily toss and turn between heavy metal, alternative, hip-hop, and electronic moods without warning, boundaries, or rules. They were hard-driving and loud, and the fans took in every note with electricity.

    Brian Burkheiser -lead vocals- I Prevail

    Finally, after a long night of hard-hitting music, A Day To Remeber took the stage. The crowd got silent, as the curtain rose to reveal the headliners. Formed in 2003 and known for their fusion of pop-punk and metalcore, the band provided the soundtrack for millennial teen angst with their fourth album, Homesick, about a decade ago. Their fans — now adults —arrived to relive their emo days.

    The music got into your chest and became the heartbeat within you, pulsating through every nerve. The five-man band showcased some new material and pulled out all the stops to do so. Beach balls bounced off the stage and into the mosh pit below during the performance of “Rescue Me,”  A t-shirt gun fired into the audience while the band presented their newly released single “Degenerates,” which is the first single off their upcoming album You’re Welcome, released on November 15, 2019


    Setlists:

    Beartooth: The Lines, Hated, Aggressive, You Never Know, Bad Listener, Disease, In Between.

    I Prevail: Bow Down, Gasoline, Rise Above, Scars, Paranoid, Hurricane, Breaking Down, Deadweight, Come and Get It.

    A Day To Remember (ADTR): The Downfall of us All, All I want, Mr. Highway’s Thinking About the End, Paranoid, Sticks & Bricks, My Own Worst Enemy (Lit Cover), Better Off Ths Way, Right Back at it Again, Rescue Me, Have Faith in Me, Degenerates, Bullfight, Sometimes You;re the Hammer, Sometimes, You’re the Nail, End of Me, 2nd Sucks, I’m Made of Wax, What are You Made of?


    ADTR Encore: If It Means A Lot To you, All Signs Point to Lauderdale, The Plot to Bomb, the Panhandle.

  • Joe Russo’s Almost Dead announce 2020 tour dates, including Artpark performance in June

    including a three-night run at The Capitol Theatre in February and Artpark in June, Almost Dead fans around the country will be treated to the supergroup performing the music of the Grateful Dead with their own signature style.

    almost dead artpark

    Tickets are available via Facebook presale for these newly announced shows starting Wednesday, November 20 in three groups, beginning at 11 AM and continues at 12PM and 1PM. Passwords for these on sales will be announced via the JRAD Facebook page. General onsale will start Friday, Nov. 22 in three groups at 11am, 12pm and 1pm.

    More dates will be announced in coming weeks.

    Joe Russo’s Almost Dead 2020 Tour

    Nov. 25 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl (Headcount benefit)
    Feb. 21 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
    Feb. 22 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
    Feb. 23 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre

    Mar. 12 – Grand Rapids, MI – 20 Monroe Live
    Mar. 13 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
    Mar. 14 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
    Mar. 15 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
    Apr. 25 – Asheville, NC – Salvage Station
    Apr. 26 – Atlanta, GA – SweetWater 420 Fest
    May 1 – New Orleans, LA – Mardi Gras World Ballroom
    May 2 – New Orleans, LA – Mardi Gras World Ballroom
    June 5 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
    June 18 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion
    June 19 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark almost dead
    June 20 – Boston, MA – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
    July 9 – Eugene, OR – Cuthbert Amphitheater
    July 10 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
    July 11 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater
    Sept. 25 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater
    Sept. 26 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater

  • Return to Roots: Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton and Jontavious Willis take listeners back in time

    Blues music legend Willie Dixon liked to say, “Blues is the roots, the rest is the fruits,” to explain the influence of that genre on other forms of music. But as the music progresses, the roots of blues music itself are sometimes heard less often, lost in the cacophony of over-amplified electric guitarists with pedalboards the size of dinner tables. Fortunately, two young bluesmen, neither of them more than 33 years old, are preserving and promoting the roots.

    Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton and Jontavious Willis have paired together for a brief tour that found its way to the Auburn Public Theater on Sunday, November 17. Playing to an intimate, attentive audience of perhaps 60 people.

    Jontavious Willis and Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton

    Paxton opened the evening, displaying comfortable ease in switching from guitar, to banjo, to harmonica, and then fiddle throughout his set. He covered a range of jazz, ragtime, train songs, and acoustic blues. Incorporating finger-picking, flat-picking, and slide playing styles. Paxton also utilized particularly bawdy humor that was often a staple of both minstrel shows and blues songs that hark back to the ’20s and ’30s. A skilled storyteller, Paxton explained how songs came to influence him, through his family and personal experiences, or through their historical significance. His music can be found here.

    Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton

    Jontavious Willis followed with more of the same styles of roots and blues music, though many were more contemporary in origin, including original songs of his. A popular performer in Central New York, Willis has also performed in Norwich and Syracuse, and was returning to Auburn after a very well-received show just last year. Willis released his highly acclaimed recording Spectacular Class, in April of this year, produced by Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’. It is available here.

    The duo paired for an impromptu song at the back of the audience, before returning to the stage for one final song together. The setting, and smaller crowd, made for a distinct connection between the musicians and the audience, and shaped the evening into an enjoyable journey back to times, places, and songs that impacted what is heard today in blues, roots, Americana music, and more.

    Jerron Paxton and Jontavious Willis ask the audience for one more song.

    NYSMusic.com fans can hear Paxton and Willis at City Vineyard in New York City on Tuesday, November 19, tickets available here, and Thursday, November 21, at the historic Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, tickets available here.

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