NYS Music 20​19

Category: Regions

  • Hearing Aide: Mud Head ‘Black Blood, Black Tongue’

    We live in a world of singles and streaming, and it’s amazing to see bands boast over a series of releases they’ve contributed in a year’s time. For Rochester rock duo Mud Head, the work doesn’t stop after album one. Formalizing their group in January of this year, this industrial alternative outfit has delivered a self-titled album, exclusive single and follow-up EP, all by the end of September, growing their following with every release, rocking 2019 for sure. The group’s latest EP Black Blood, Black Tongue is by no means a wrench in this roaring machine.

    This EP is loaded with ruminating lyrical confessions to echo over wet drum slaps and rattling chimes, rising and falling in a progressive rock nebulous. The opening track “Sunshine Boy” has a Floyd-like overture, mimicking clocks with cymbal strikes as a brooding energy builds to the opening down beat.

    Considering their lack of bandmates, this duo makes a loud bang when they emphasize their most vulnerable moments. The lyrics are relatable and expressive, without pushing towards a particular source. They know the capacities of studio recording and how to alter them, suiting the EP in an industrial armor.

    Stripped clean is the final track of the EP “Hiding Beneath Ladders,” where we see the softest side of Mud Head. The meter is deceptively mixed, and the somber chord progressions lead us into an uneasy waltz. Bands with this versatility only come around once in a while, and performing their discography live would not only bring their music to new heights, but welcome them to develop their image, message and in due time, a massive following.

    Key Tracks: Sunshine Boy, Hiding Beneath Ladders.

  • Hayley Jane and Ryan Montbleau Project ‘Yes Darling’ Making Theatrical Debut

    The masterminds behind Yes Darling, songwriters Ryan Montbleau and Hayley Jane, have just announced that they will be taking their debut album to the theatrical stage on Dec. 7 at The Double E in Essex, VT. This announcement comes just one week after their first music video for “Call Your Mother.” Using exaggerated humor, this playful duo brings to stage the reality of what many couples experience in finding harmony in a relationship.  

    “I do think Hayley and I have a pretty special chemistry together,” shares Montbleau. Of the upcoming performance, Jane elaborates, “We try to pull on every string of the heart. Not just the loving, romantic ones. Our show usually starts meaningful discussions. We take you down with us then we make you laugh. It’s real and raw.”

    Attendees can expect to hear Yes Darling in its entirety with Montbleau and Jane being accompanied by a full band. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through Eventbrite.

    Jane is headlining the inaugural Harvestfest: Tribute to Mother Earth with special guest Rob Compa of Dopapod on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Woods Valley Ski Area in Central New York.

  • Songhoy Blues kick off United Nations Change Week, release ‘Meet me in the City’ EP

    Songhoy Blues are set to release their new EP, Meet Me in the City via Fat Possum on October 18 in support of a 5-week North American tour. The band also helped kick off the United Nations Climate Change Week in New York City with a breakout performance in support of the historic Great Green Wall initiative they are helping bring to life.

    songhoy blues

    The EP is their first collection of new music since the critically acclaimed album Résistance, which Rolling Stone called one of the best albums of 2017, and will be released on special edition yellow vinyl. 

    They recently shared two versions of the EP’s title track — one mixed by Blake Mills (Grammy-nominated producer of Alabama Shakes’ Sound & Color, John Legend’s Darkness and Light, and Perfume Genius’ No Shape) and the other by David Ferguson (known for his sound engineering work with “Cowboy” Jack Clement and on Johnny Cash’s American Recordings). The title track was written by Junior Kimbrough (with additional lyrics by Songhoy Blues and produced by Matt Sweeney).

    Steeped in the deep traditions of classic Malian music & desert blues fused with a youthful and super-charged sound of today, Songhoy Blues formed in 2012 in Bamako after its members had left Timbuktu, which was under siege by Islamist militants. The band released their debut album, Music In Exile, in early 2015 receiving across the board praise, including a 5/5 rating in The Guardian who claimed, “they have all the makings of African-rock crossover heroes.”

    Songhoy Blues says, “We’re really happy to introduce this new EP and our English-language debut on the song ‘Time To Go Home.’ Please enjoy it and get ready for a heavy new album coming up very soon.”

    On PBS’ American Masters, Will Oldham spoke of working with Songhoy Blyes, saying, “They are a Malian band that’s really trying to make sense of what they’ve been witnessing, what they’ve been experiencing, and create or transmit a message to people about what they’re seeing and how they’re trying to understand it and make change…And to think, well I want them to know that I’m trying to listen and trying to understand, and if I can give voice to some of what they’re experiencing, that they might be emboldened by this musical connection.”

    Most recently, the band completed a sold out run of UK dates, recorded a live session for BBC 6 Music; filmed an episode of the new UK TV show Noughts & Crosses in South Africa; featured in a new photography exhibit called My Rockstars by Hassan Hajjaj at La Maison Europeenne de la Photographie in Paris; and collaborated with UK artist Andy Morgan on a multimedia exhibition called Music & Conflict at the Imperial War Museum, which debuted in June 2019. 

    Songhoy Blues are also proud spokespersons for the charity WaterAID, and have helped to raise money & awareness toward providing relief in their native Mali. They will be appearing in an upcoming documentary on climate change in the Sahel; and were featured in the award-winning documentary “They Will Have to Kill Us First”, about the plight of musicians in war-torn Mali.

    Songhoy Blues – remaining 2019 Tour Dates

    10.17 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club

    10.19 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall

    10.22 – Toronto, ON, Canada – Great Hall

    10.24 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right

    10.25 – Easthampton, MA – New City Brewery

    10.26 – Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall

    10.27 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall

    11.07 – Edinburgh, UK – Usher Hall (with Vampire Weekend)

    11.08 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse (with Vampire Weekend)

    11.09 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse (with Vampire Weekend)

    11.11 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Academy (with Vampire Weekend)

  • Premiere: Glass Pony’s”Stardust” Delivers Depth and Complexity with a Groove

    Indie-jam band Glass Pony has been performing throughout the Capital District over the last year, with a wave of fans in tow for each performance. On November 2, they’ll release their self-titled debut album with a release show at Parish Public House that night.

    Glass Pony Stardust

    “Stardust” features dense sonic elements from dreamy background vocals meshed with guitar effects and funky bass grooves. The lyrical depth offers just enough ambiguity for listeners to develop their own meaning against a backdrop of the other musical elements. When performed live, “Stardust” serves as a vehicle for standout jams with the solo section navigating to new territory before being led back into the composition by guitarist Greg Pittz.

    Lyrically, “Stardust” is meant to be open for personal interpretation with the underlying theme being the search for our place in the big picture of life – the questions, insecurities and realizations that are present in every stage of growth and development, with the goal of finding and settling into our place. Guitarist Eddie Hotaling says of “Stardust,” “Everyone is ultimately the king or queen of their cosmic experience, but the discovery of that concept manifests differently for everybody. That message can be found in the lyrics, “It takes a moment / let the stardust settle down / and all your thoughts could be delivered / everybody wears a crown.”

    Glass Pony’s debut album Stardust was recorded and mixed by Eddie Hotaling at The Stables in Albany, NY and was mastered by Scott Apicelli at Blue Sky Recording in Delmar, NY. Glass Pony is Chanda Dewey (drums, vocals), Eddie Hotaling (vocals, rhythm guitar) Jeff Picarazzi (bass, vocals) and Greg Pittz (lead guitar). Featured on “Stardust” and multiple tracks on the album is Matt Richards (keys, Formula 5, Annie in the Water).

  • Premiere: Juniper Lays down their foundation with “Concrete Ocean”

    Boston’s Juniper today premiere their latest single “Concrete Ocean,” a song that tackles a theme of ‘aloneness,’ inspired by bassist Scott Johnson’s transfer to Boston University. The constant sensation of being surrounded by thousands of young adults his age, Johnson was still feeling isolated due to a lack of new friends and connections.

    Johnson wrote “Concrete Ocean,” with band members Cam Ayer (lead vocals), Ahren Shreeve (guitar), Alejandro Marin (drums, vocals) and Sebastian Themelis (keys, vocals) aiding in the process throughout, making the track a full team effort in various arrangement aspects. 

    “The line “Who the fuck talks to me anymore?” in the third verse highlights that even though I would engage in conversation, it wouldn’t be about how I was feeling, or of any profound nature—merely day to day topics.”

    “I look down on, the concrete ocean, with no notion, of where I’m going” refers to constantly looking out of my dorm window at the vast city and feeling overwhelmed as to whether I made the right decision to transfer, and further questioning what I was to do/what I want to do with my life now being in a completely new environment, and the calamity of both of those coming together. Feeling like I was drowning, “may it be in loneliness” identifies that this perpetual superficiality of my reality and the loneliness I felt was suffocating.

    The end of the track and how it repeats the first two lines was meant to allude to the cyclical nature of my experience in transferring, and how others deal with similar issues, and how it may not be my last time having to undergo a similar experience.

    A five piece band who began performing in the Spring of 2017, quickly garnered a small but strong fan base and that summer embarked on their first recording project. A 5 song EP was released in September of 2017, and the group have performed in Brooklyn, Burlington, and various venues around Boston MA in the past two years.

    Since formation, Juniper have crafted their sound, which takes on a unique and eclectic energy, while maintaining a strong fluidity and purpose. Juniper derives their influence from the notion that what they have to say matters, that what everybody has to say matters. One’s voice and identity and what they experience transcends time and space, and connecting with people on that level through the medium of music is what Juniper values most.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0ISq9Y37Z8

  • Syracuse’s Trench Announce Fall Tour

    Syracuse shoe-gazers Trench has announced a series of November dates that sees the band hitting up venues throughout the Northeast. The tour kicks off in the band’s hometown at the legendary Lost Horizon on Nov. 9.

    Joining Trench at the Lost Horizon show are Rochester’s The Joke’s on Us, Boston’s reprieve., and Syracuse’s Buggin’ Out and The Same Page. Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. show are available now through Ticketweb. Advanced sale tickets are $10. Tickets the day of the show are $12.

    Trench formed in 2015 when Chris Reilly (guitar/vocals) and Roberto Becerra (bass) got together. They were soon joined by Ron Ballweber (guitar) and Dan Sanborn (drums) to round out the band. They released their debut EP Sun Soaked on Flesh and Bone Records in 2016 and followed it up touring with Nothing, Thrice, Basement, and Silversun Pickups.

    Their second release, 2018’s genre-spanning Ritual Love has the band visiting spaces that include post-rock, shoegaze, post-hardcore and dream pop. Speaking about the album, Reilly states, “The most important thing when writing music is to be honest and genuine, and I think we accomplished that both musically and lyrically on this record.” Ballweber adds, “We never write a song and say that isn’t ‘us.’ When you write honestly and without a conscious influence or direction then everything you create is sincere.”

    Trench is part of a growing Syracuse alternative scene that includes artists such as Mattydale Music Collective, Late Earth, Lucky33, Atkins Riot, Major Player, Lily Grave and Outside Voices. Reilly, speaking to Rochester alternative culture magazine Floated recently said of the scene, “I feel like the community is stronger than it’s been in a long time…It doesn’t feel like a competition. Everyone’s moreso contributing in building a community.”

    Trench Fall Tour Dates:

    Nov. 9 – The Lost Horizon – Syracuse, NY

    Nov. 12 – Monkey House – Winooski, VT

    Nov. 13 – Jewel – Manchester, NH

    Nov. 14 – Muchmores – Brooklyn, NY

    Nov. 15 – Massapequa VFW – Massapequa, NY

    Nov. 16 – Flemington DIY – Flemington, NJ

    Nov. 17 – Cult Classic Brewing – Stevensville, MD

  • Yungblud & MISSIO Sell Out The Lost Horizon

    Yungblud and MISSIO recently made a stop on their Twisted Tales Of The Ritalin Club Tour at The Lost Horizon in Syracuse, NY. It was originally scheduled to take place at The Westcott Theater, but due to scheduling conflicts the show had to be rescheduled at The Lost Horizon and almost immediately sold out.

    Fans of all different ages and backgrounds packed into the club like sardines waiting for MISSIO to take the stage. While mostly everyone was talking about Youngblud and how they couldn’t wait to see him, there were several fans in the front row going off on just how good MISSIO is.

    After a brief introduction by 95X’s Scott Dixon, MISSIO took to the stage in complete darkness as the crowd roared in anticipation. Opening with one of their better known songs, “Twisted,” lead singer Matthew Brue danced to the background electronic beat with a fierce and commanding presence. Immediately captivating the audience with his impressive vocal range and soft but deep tone. MISSIO is able to blend heavy EDM beats with a mix of Rap, Rock, and Alt Rock in a unique style that works so well.

    yungbludBetween songs, Matthew Brue continuously connected with the audience on a personal level. Before performing the song “Politics” he spoke to the audience saying, “How many people here like politics? Though I’m not talking about the politics that you’re probably thinking of. I’m talking about the politics with friends. This song is about some friendships that are worse than politics. Like you just suck out my soul, why are you still here?”

    Before performing “I See You” he reached out to the crowd once again. “We want to take our masks off, and what I mean by that is to be who you really are. Whether you’re dealing with addiction, depression, anxiety or any of the bullshit that comes with life struggles, we still see who you are.” Closing out their set with “Middle Fingers,” MISSIO thanked the crowd and left the audience buzzing as they awaited for Yungblud.

    yungbludThe hype waiting for Yungblud was unreal. Hearing every fan chanting “YUNGBLUD” as loud as they can was one of the loudest crowd noises I have heard at The Lost Horizon. The lights went dark and the crowd erupted into a frenzied scream as two figures dressed in body armor carrying dark flags walked onto the stage.

    yungbludAfter a brief intro to “21st Century Liability,” Yungblud sprinted out from the side stage to fans screaming in ecstasy. The energy Yungblud has on stage is rivaled only by Jonny Hawkins of Nothing More, constantly jumping around to the beat of the music and walking out onto the barricade to lean into his fans.

    Yungblud’s set overall was a very high-energy performance that didn’t slow down until he walked off the stage. Performing hits like “I Love You, Will You Marry Me,” “King Charles,” and “Parents” had the audience singing along to every word throughout the night.

    yungbludAnother highlight of the night was “Polygraph Eyes,” a song about the importance of consent. The way he connects with the audience is rare to see with live shows today, and his fans certainly showed their appreciation as much as Yungblud showed his to the fans.

    Yungblud is a whirlwind of energy onstage and lives up to all the hype surrounding him. His performance is definitely worth seeing live, and the very impressive roster of artists that he has been working with is sure to skyrocket his career.

    Setlist: 21st Century Liability, Psychotic Kids, I love you, Will You Marry Me?, King Charles, Anarchist, Polygraph Eyes, Parents, Medication, Loner, Kill Somebody, Live Interlude, I Think I’m OKAY, California, Die for the Hype, Hope for the Underrated Youth, Machine Gun

    Yungblud

    MISSIO

  • Greensky Bluegrass announce Winter Tour, with stops in Ithaca, NYC and Albany

    Greensky Bluegrass has announced an expansive Winter Tour to kick off 2020 with stops in Ithaca, NYC and Albany.

    With the first show in St. Louis, MO at The Pageant on January 15, the tour winds through the Midwest and East Coast, and finishing with a two-night stand at The Tabernacle in Atlanta. Ghost Light will joining Greensky as the opener for a majority of the dates, with another act being announced in the near future. General on-sale begins on Friday, October 18.

    greensky ithaca nyc

    Ahead for Greensky Bluegrass this fall include appearances at Hulaween & Hangtown festivals, then an epic Midwestern Halloween weekend run kicking off in Chicago at the Chicago Theatre on Halloween, then off to Kansas City and St. Paul. The band will appear at ‘What The Night Brings’ tribute to Jeff Austin on November 4 then a duo of shows in their hometown of Kalamazoo, MI Nov. 29 & 30. Greensky will debut at Denver’s new Mission Ballroom on Dec. 6 & 7 before heading to Mexico for Cloud 9 Adventure’s Strings & Sol. The band will ring in 2020 with a three-night stand at The Riverside in Milwaukee, WI – with support from Horseshoes & Hand Grenades on 12/29 and 12/30, and a three-set Greensky NYE event to close out the year.

    The band’s third incarnation of its Camp Greensky Music Festival is the latest confirmed 2020 date, happening June 4 to 6 in Wellston, MI, tickets are available now. 

    Greensky Bluegrass Winter Tour dates

    1/15 – The Pageant, St. Louis, MO

    1/16 – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, KY

    1/17 – Agora Theatre, Cleveland, OH

    1/18 – The Met, Philadelphia, PA

    1/19 – Roxian Theatre, McKees Rock, PA

    1/22 – State Theater, Ithaca, NY*

    1/23 – State Theatre, Portland, ME*

    1/24 – Beacon Theatre, NYC

    1/25 – House of Blues, Boston, MA*

    1/28 – Flynn Center, Burlington, VT*

    1/29 – The Egg, Albany, NY*

    1/30 – Penn’s Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA*

    1/31-2/1 – The Anthem, Washington, D.C.*

    2/4 – Madison Theater, Covington, KY*

    2/5 – Mill and Mine, Knoxville, TN*

    2/6 – The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC*

    2/7-8 The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA*

  • Goose releases “Butter Rum” single, kick off Fall Tour in Albany on Friday

    Goose has let loose their third studio single of 2019, “Butter Rum,” ahead of the start of their Fall Tour which kicks off in Albany on Friday, October 18. The track is the band’s third consecutive song mastered by Grammy award winner Emily Lazar (Beck, Vampire Weekend).

    “Butter Rum” is a playful tale of holiday romance heartbreak. The song’s lively tropical momentum will carry you through butterflies, barbeques, and blue Hawaiians as a boy and a girl wander aimlessly hand-in-hand for days. The couple weave through sweat-soaked night clubs and piercing 6 AM sunshine until the vacation ends he’s left with “nothing but the rum.” Grab a drink and prepare to have your heart broken by the sweetheart you were never meant to have.

    As their fall tour kicks off, Goose has four sell out shows and surely more to follow given the buzz they’ve been gaining over the year. A stellar Peach Festival set is just one of the highlights of this Norwalk, CT based indie-groove outfit. At the tour opener in Albany at Parish Public House, Eggy will open the night, with music starting right at 9pm, followed by two sets of Goose.

    The rest of the 20+ date tour carries Goose to NYC on Halloween, Buffalo in mid November then out to with a year end show at Goosemas, the band’s annual holiday extravaganza, held at the Wall Street Theater in Norwalk.

    Goose Pelham May9 EmWalis goose butter rum

    Fall 2019 Tour Dates

    OCT 18 – Albany, NY, Parish Public House Sold Out

    OCT 19 – Cambridge, MA, Sonia Sold Out

    OCT 25 – Wilkes-Barre, PA, River Street Jazz Cafe

    OCT 31 – New York, NY, Mercury Lounge Sold Out

    NOV 02 – New Haven, CT, College Street

    NOV 07 – Harrisburg, PA, Club XL

    NOV 08 – Washington, DC, 9:30 Club

    NOV 10 – Richmond, VA, The Camel

    NOV 14 – Pittsburgh, PA, Roxian Theatre

    NOV 15 – Columbus, OH, The Summit

    NOV 16 – Buffalo, NY, Nietzche’s Sold Out

    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, Lincoln Hall

    DEC 13 – Cincinnati, OH, Top Cats

    DEC 14 – Indianapolis, IN, The Mousetrap

    DEC 21 – Goosemas VI – South Norwalk, CT, Wall Street Theatre

  • Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band announces Blues Revolution Tour featuring special guests

    The Big Damn Blues Revolution Tour will bring together three artists who are both master musicians and amazing showmen. With five stops across New York in November, The Reverend Peyton, Dom Flemons and J.D. Wilkes will take the blues-roots-folk music that they love and live on a unique tour. Each night will culminate with a special jam session featuring all three artists. 

    Blues Revolution Tour

    The tour begins November 6 in Asheville, N.C., then heads north for a date in Brooklyn at Knitting Factory on November 13. From there, shows in Saratoga Springs (Nov 16), Syracuse (Nov. 19), Buffalo (Nov. 20) and Corning (Nov. 21) will bring blues-driven folk across the Empire State.

    The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, a 2019 Blues Music Award nominee, includes the Reverend’s wife, “Washboard” Breezy Peyton, drummer Max Senteney and is led by the Reverend Peyton, considered to be the premier fingerpickers playing today. A singularly compelling performer and persuasive evangelist, the rootsy, country-blues styles that captured his imagination early in life led him to Clarksdale, Mississippi to study under such blues masters as T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour, and David “Honeyboy” Edwards. The recently released album Poor Until Payday debuted at #1 on the iTunes Blues Chart and #4 on the Billboard Blues Chart.

    Joining Reverend Peyton is Don Flemons, who draws from a repertoire of more than 100 years of American folklore, ballads, and tunes. A Grammy Award winner and two-time Emmy nominee, Dom Flemons is known as “The American Songster” and is a music scholar, historian, and multi-instrumentalist – an expert player on the banjo, fife, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, and rhythm bones. His 2018 Smithsonian Folkways release Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys received a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. Flemons co-founded the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who won a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album in 2010 and were nominated for Best Folk Album in 2012.

    J.D. Wilkes is a true Renaissance man — musician, visual artist, author, filmmaker, and self-proclaimed “Southern surrealist.”  Also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist (notably on harmonica and banjo), Wilkes has recorded with Merle Haggard, John Carter Cash, Mike Patton, and Hank Williams III. Wilkes is perhaps best known as the founder of the Legendary Shack Shakers, a Southern Gothic rock and blues band whose fans include Stephen King, Robert Plant, and former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra. Rolling Stone named Wilkes “best frontman” at the 2015 Americana Music Association Festival for his performance with the band.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wItG_D3Vuvc

    Big Damn Blues Revolution Tour Dates:

    Wed., Nov. 6  ASHEVILLE, NC  The Grey Eagle

    Thurs., Nov. 7 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. The Ramkat

    Fri., Nov. 8  RALEIGH, NC The Pour House Music Hall

    Sat., Nov. 9   LEESBURG, VA  Third Annual Chad Dukes Veterans Day Jamboree @ Tally Ho Theater; without Dom Flemons

    Sun., Nov. 10  ANNAPOLIS, MD  Rams Head On Stage

    Tues., Nov. 12 BOSTON, MA  City Winery  

    Wed., Nov. 13  BROOKLYN, NY  Knitting Factory

    Thurs., Nov. 14  SELLERSVILLE, PA   Sellersville Theater 1894; without Dom Flemons

    Fri., Nov. 15  TUCKERTON, NJ   Lizzie Rose Music Room; without Dom Flemons

    Sat., Nov. 16  SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY   Cafe Lena; without Dom Flemons

    Sun., Nov. 17  HAMDEN, CT Space Ballroom

    Tues., Nov. 19  SYRACUSE, NY   Westcott Theatre; without Dom Flemons

    Wed., Nov. 20  BUFFALO, NY The Tralf

    Thurs., Nov. 21  CORNING, NY Corning Museum of Glass

    Fri., Nov. 22  MORGANTOWN, WV 123 Pleasant Street

    Sat., Nov. 23  COLUMBUS, OH Woodlands Tavern

    Fri., Nov 29  INDIANAPOLIS, IN  The Vogue; without Dom Flemons

    Sat., Nov 30  NEWPORT, KY  The Southgate House Revival; without Dom Flemons

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