NYS Music 20​19

Category: Regions

  • Guest Contributor Exclusive: Mike Powell & Chris Merkley Wrap Up MicroTour at Local 315 in Warners

    Editor’s Note: Mike Powell is a singer-songwriter from Central New York. In addition to his work as a solo artist, he also leads the soulful rock band The Black River. Powell and fellow CNY singer-songwriter Chris Merkley have embarked on a four-show mini-tour of microbreweries across the state searching for the connection between songwriting and brewing. This stop brings us to Local 315 in Warners

    Powell will be returning to the studio soon to record another solo album and his band The Black River is releasing its second full-length album ‘Gypsy Winnebago’ on Nov. 1.

    Merkley is the owner of Old Boy Records and curator of the Seedstock Festival in Cortland each summer. He also performs with The Crooners and Digger Jones and has composed original music for television and film, including the acclaimed HBO series Generation Kill.

    This is the final installment of a four-part NYS Music series documenting the Original Gravity Tour and contributed by Powell. The first installment of Powell’s tour diary can be found here. Day two can be found here. Day three can be found here.

    This past Sunday was the final show of the Original Gravity MicroTour and before I share my final recap I would like to first say thank you to Mike Kohli and NYS Music for allowing me the opportunity to be a guest contributor over the course of the past week. I highly value, respect and appreciate the energy that your team puts into keeping music fans like me up to date on the happenings around this state and beyond. I don’t get to exercise my journalistic side of the brain very often so, needless to say, this experience truly scratched a long burning creative itch. 

    I brewed my first batch of beer roughly ten years ago and have been homebrewing sporadically ever since. As I told Mike Kohli on the phone last night when he was asking about the timing of this final piece, I’ve always lived my life like a starved trout swimming against the stream ready to chase anything shiny that catches my eye.  I guess you could say that I’m very curious by nature and I seemingly find a strong sense of comfort when I’m traveling down an unfamiliar road.  I’ve learned over the years why I choose to live this way.  When I learn a new skill it gives me a deeper understanding and a newfound appreciation for those that do it and those that do it well. 

    I knew that after I went through the process and experienced each step of brewing I would never taste a beer in the same way. After I wrote my very first song as a teenager I started to listen to music differently and on a deeper level. I started making furniture after college and since then I’ve never again sat in a chair without recognizing the craftsmanship and design. So I guess what I’m getting at is, diving headfirst into new things and venturing into new territory gives me a look under the hood on what makes it go. This approach has added color to my life’s wheel and simply fills me with deep admiration.

    Coming from a former professional athlete this may sound a bit odd but I’m not a very competitive person. Well, not in the expected sense anyway. I never set out to become better than anyone else, that’s not what drives me. My drive lives on the inside, its a challenge within myself. For example, I know I will never write songs better than Bob Dylan and I’m one hundred percent aware of that fact, but I know that there’s a song in me somewhere that’s better than my last one. That is what keeps me moving. After exploring and talking with brewmasters over the past several years I think we share a similar mentality.     

    Our last performance saw our biggest crowd of the tour at Local 315 Brewing Company in Warners. I’ve played at this establishment quite a few times and what strikes me most is the cult-like following this brewery has created over its short time in existence. Surrounded by nothing but hop poles, goats and donkeys, this farmstead brewery has put out top quality brews and supported live original music since its inception. The weather on Sunday was absolutely perfect with the sun shining over the cornfields and illuminating the laid back outdoor area that has become this joint’s centerpiece. 

    With dogs chasing frisbees and kids running after one another, this atmosphere feels like you’re at a family reunion in a relative’s back yard. So Chris and I approached it that way and treated the afternoon as loose as we possibly could. Having fun with the crowd and realizing that although everyone was listening to us, we weren’t the center of attention, we were simply just playing our part and fitting into where we should. I’m happy to report that we were able to continue our live poetry on-demand experiment throughout the duration of the tour and people really seemed to get a kick out of it, everyone except Chris and myself. We closed out the Original Gravity MicroTour with our twist on “Got My Mojo Working,” finished our final beers and headed our separate ways. 

    This run has been a short but adventurous ride and as the sun sets on the horizon I would like to reflect back on some memorable moments. 

    1. Chris Merkley is awesome. His performances are so dialed in and tight. What I find amazing is how his musical style seems to fit in just about any scenario. Mine isn’t like that so it really stood out to me. He could play the same set at a festival, a club, a theater or a house concert and it would work and work well. 
    2. Chris Merkley almost killed a kitten with his Prius. While we were loading out our gear at Abandon Brewing we heard some purring coming from the engine.  Which is normal but not when the car is off. Chris popped the hood and found a kitten sitting between the fuse box and the windshield washer fluid. Luckily he coerced it out without some old sheet pizza and carried it to safety.
    3. We saw photographer and good friend Brian Cornish at two of the stops and he told us two separate jokes. Both of which made us laugh and neither of which would be appropriate to publish here.
    4. I didn’t even take my camera out of my truck at Local 315, so the visual content of this post is brought to you courtesy of your very own Mike Kohli. Thank you, dude.
    5. Although there were many highlights and funny moments when it came to the live poetry challenge we were having, my favorite moment was Chris’ lovely work of art titled “Bloody Mary” when the audience gave him the words “Worcestershire” and “butt” to work with.
    6. Seeing familiar faces. We had several people come to every show and have fun touring with us. I think they were more into the beer component. 
    7. And finally tasting the amazing beer. Worth noting that if either of my grandfathers were alive and walked into a bar to find me smelling and swirling a flight of beer they would both kick my ass. But times have changed.  I loved the Woods Valley Witte and Pocket Change IPA from Copper City, the Session and Dunkel at Abandon, 20 East NEIPA at Heritage Hill and Soul Kissed IPA from Local 315.

    You haven’t see the last of Original Gravity MicroTour.  

    Over and Out,

    Mike

  • Trey Tour Kicks Off in Geneva

    Trey Anastasio began his solo acoustic tour last night at the historic Smith Opera House in Geneva, NY with an evening of songs encapsulating not only the entire Phish musical catalog, but its various side projects as well. In addition to acoustic takes on songs that span the prolific songwriter’s career, these smaller, intimate shows gives the Phish front man more of an opportunity to engage the audience with stories and anecdotes that makes the evening feel more like a performance in a friend’s living room.

    After a couple of Phish staples, “Back on the Train” and “Sample in a Jar,” Trey couldn’t help but mention the festival that never was, Curveball, which was to be held just down the road in Watkins Glen. He talked about how there were to be two ways into the concert field, one being a “mime” field you’d have to cross. And don’t be surprised if the next festival is called Momball and your mom is invited.

    Trey Anastasio, Smith Opera House, Geneva, NY, October 15, 2019

    Setlist: Back on the Train, Sample in a Jar, Snowflakes in the Sand, About to Run*, Heavy Things, Turtle in the Clouds, Wolfman’s Brother, Mountains in the Mist, Strange Design, Driver, Sleep, Water in the Sky, Brian and Robert, Theme From the Bottom, Shade, We Are Come to Outlive Our Brains, Sand > The Inlaw Josie Wales, Limb by Limb > Chalk Dust Torture > Harry Hood > Chalk Dust Torture > The Wedge > Bathtub Gin

    Encore: Waste, Lifeboy, Ghosts of the Forest*, Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S 

    * – debut acoustic performance

    • Trey Geneva
    • Trey Geneva
    • Trey Geneva
    • Trey Geneva

  • The Bardavon launches Hudson Valley Philharmonic 60th Anniversary Season

    The historic Bardavon 1869 opera house in Poughkeepsie will kick off the Hudson Valley Philharmonic 60th Anniversary Season with the opening concert, Moon Landing, on Saturday, October 26 at 8 p.m.

    Hudson Valley Philharmonic 60th Anniversary

    More than 80 years ago, the Dutchess Philharmonic Community Orchestra was founded by four local amateur musicians, and 60 years ago conductor Claude Monteux elevated the orchestra to a fully-professional ensemble, renaming it the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. The 60th season also represents the HVP’s 21st year under Bardavon management and the 27th under the music direction of conductor Randall Craig Fleischer, who will conduct Moon Landing.

    The Hudson Valley Philharmonic 60th anniversary opening concert at Bardavon celebrates the 50th anniversary of the moon landing with Mozart’s “Jupiter,” Prokofiev’s violin concerto with an HVP String Competition winner and Ravel’s suite from Daphnis et Chloé with projected images from outer space. The program includes:

    Mozart: Symphony no.41, K.551, C major (Jupiter)
    Prokofiev: Violin Concerto no 2, op. 63, G Minor w/ 2018 HVP String Competition winner Cherry Choi Tung Yeung
    Ravel:      Daphnis et Chloé Suite no. 1 & 2 w/visuals from outer space by Dr. Jose Francisco Salgado

    Audience members are invited to a pre-concert talk with the conductor and soloists and/or members of the orchestra one hour prior to the performance.

    José Francisco Salgado is an Emmy-nominated astronomer (BS in Physics, Univ. of Puerto Rico; PhD in Astronomy, Univ. of Michigan), experimental photographer, visual artist, and public speaker who creates multimedia works that communicate science in engaging ways. As the Executive Director and co-founder of KV 265, a non-profit science and arts education organization, Dr. Salgado collaborates with orchestras, composers, and musicians to present films that provoke curiosity and a sense of wonder about the Earth and the Universe. His Science & Symphony films have been presented in more than 350 concerts and lectures reaching a combined audience of more than 400,000 people in 18 countries.

    Cherry Choi Tung Yeung was born in Hong Kong, 22 years ago. Cherry studies with Ms. Ida Kavafian at The Juilliard School and has been admitted to the highly selective accelerated program, where she will finish both Bachelor’s and Master’s Program in four years; she is currently a senior/ first year master student. Cherry was accepted to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) Junior Program as a scholarship student at the age of 6. Cherry skipped high school and later at the age of only 15, she was accepted as a full-time student at the HKAPA.

    Single tickets to all HVP concerts are $20 – $58 based on location. For more information visit the Bardovan website.

  • Ripe Rolls Down onto Pearl Street Pub

    Pearl Street Pub in downtown Albany is generally a home to college students, Albany natives, and ‘out of towners’ alike. On Friday, however, the patrons all had something in common. They all shared a love of funk, and they all loved Ripe.

    The night began with a set from the Australian-based group Castlecomer. The quartet got the collective blood flowing just as the packed room began to cut loose. A roar came over the crowd when the headliners later took the stage. Lead singer Robbie Wulfsohn welcomed the band and belted out the beginning to “Pretty Dirty.” “A Little Lighter” followed and the band went into a night-long serenade to the vibrant fans.

    The group is taking their tour south later this month as they head to Hulaween, and then head out to the midwest. They will return to the Northeast with shows in Burlington, VT; Syracuse, NY; Northampton, MA; and Norwalk CT in mid-November.

    Ripe Setlist: Pretty Dirty, Little Lighter, Talk to the Moon, Passerby, Cease Fire, Lola, Ladies Night, Caralee, Pedro, Young Tom Rose, Text You First, Goon Squad, Flipside, Downward.

    Encore: Follow Through

    Check out photos from the night below via Zatchmo Lives Media.

     

  • New exhibit at Morrison Hotel Gallery celebrates the Long, Strange Trip of Rock’s Legendary Jambands

    Morrison Hotel Gallery in Manhattan will pay homage to the world’s greatest jambands and the many talented photographers who have worked with these legendary performers with a new exhibition opeing on Thursday, October 17 at 7PM. From the Grateful Dead to Widespread Panic: Morrison Hotel Gallery Celebrates the Long, Strange Trip of Rock’s Legendary Jambands will take music lovers from Jerry Garcia and the gang backstage at the Fillmore East to Greg Allman posing next to a portrait of his brother as well as rehearsing with the band. The exhibit examines the forefathers of the jamband movement and takes visitors on an exploration of many of the like-minded bands that have followed, including The Band, Dave Matthews Band, Gov’t Mule, Grace Potter, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Tedeschi Trucks, and more. 

    The Jambands exhibition will feature images by photographer Jay Blakesberg, known for his iconic shots of the Grateful Dead captured over 41 years of working closely with the band. Blakesberg will also be the featured artist for Morrison Hotel Gallery’s November 3rd Close Up Artist Talk, co-hosted by the ACE Hotel New York. The Artist Talk will be in celebration of the release of Blakesberg’s new book, Jerry Garcia: Secret Space of Dreams, which was released on October 11. 

    In addition to Blakesberg, the Jambands exhibition will also feature extraordinary images by photographers Danny Clinch, C. Taylor Crothers, Sam Erickson, Herb Greene, Brantley Gutierrez, Lynn Goldsmith, Patrick Harbron, Rene Huemer, Elliot Landy, Gilbert Lee, Catherine McGann, Patricia O’Driscoll, Ken Regan, Amalie R. Rothschild, Norman Seeff, Allan Tannenbaum, Peter Tarnoff, Dave Vann, and Baron Wolman. This exhibition will show many of the musicians in this vibrant scene both on and off stage, over the course of the last 50 years. 

    The October 17 event is open to the public but an RSVP is required to attend. Email RSVPNYC@thepresshouse.com if interested. Morrison Hotel Gallery is located in Soho at 116 Prince Street.

  • Dopapod adds Cycles, Organ Freeman and more to Emit Time Tour

    Following their return to the music festival circuit this summer, Dopapod has announced additional dates on the Emit Time Tour, which kicked off in Denver at the Ogden Theatre, October 4-5.

    The tour picks up in Philadelphia just before Thanksgiving, then makes stops in the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast before heading to the West Coast. Dopapod is making the rounds late this fall, bringing with them impressive support acts, with Organ Freeman and Cycles joining already announced bands Ghost-Note, Jojo Mayer / NERVE, paris_monster, and DOMi & JD Beck.

    Dopapod Emit Time Tour dates

    Nov. 23 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts*
    Dec. 6 – Chicago, IL -Bottom Lounge^
    Dec. 7 – Covington, KY – Madison Theatre^
    Dec. 13 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club#
    Dec. 14 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club#
    Dec. 27 – Asheville, NC – Salvage Station&
    Dec. 28 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse&
    Jan. 17 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent@
    Jan. 18 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom@
    Jan. 24 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom%
    Jan. 25 – Seattle, WA – Nectar Lounge%

    * with Domi & JD Beck
    ^ with Paris_Monster
    % with JoJo Mayer/Nerve
    & with Ghost-Note
    @ with Organ Freeman
    % with Cycles

    dopapod emit time tour

  • JINJER, The Browning and Poison The Prophet Slay Montage Music Hall

    Ukrainian metal band JINJER brought their tour to The Montage Music Hall in Rochester for yet another sold out show. With support from The Browning and Rochester natives Poison The Prophet, this was an excellent night of metal music.

    Opening the show, Poison The Prophet launched into an aggressive, in-your-face, heavy set that you would expect on this kind of bill. While they didn’t have much room to move around the stage due to the other band’s kits, they made up for it with a pure metal performance.

    Poison The Prophet moved quickly through their 6-song set and left the crowd wanting more with loud cheers and applause after every song. Featuring two vocalists, Jason Acevedo and Justin Clay, the duo constantly leaned into the crowd with great interaction and stage presence.

    Being a “local” band on a national tour can seem intimidating and often one can tell which bands are the “local” ones of the night. However, Poison The Prophet fit right in, and performed a fantastic set that was the perfect introduction to the show.

    JINJER

    Next up were The Browning, the four-piece electronic metal band from Kansas City. Wasting no time opening with “Beyond Stone”, The Browning had the crowd going nuts with their unique fusion of rap, EDM, and heavy metal.

    Their 10-song set also went rather quickly as the band flowed through their setlist, with highlights being “Carnage,” “Pure Evil” and “Skybreaker.”

    JINJER

    Guitarist Brian Moore was the most notable part of the band’s stage presence as he spun around relentlessly covered in paint while wearing a hoodie that resembled a cross between a zombie and a clown.

    JINJER

    Closing out their set with “Geist,” the crowd responded with loud cheers and thundering applause. The Browning was a solid support act to be touring with JINJER and certainly gave it their all on stage. Finally, it was time for JINJER. The lights went dark and fog machines slowly began to fill the venue as the crowd screamed in anticipation. The moment Tatiana took to the stage, the band jumped right into the heavy number “Teacher, Teacher.”

    JINJER

    When you think of metal bands with female vocals you probably think of In This Moment, Otep, Butcher Babies, or Arch Enemy. JINJER is very quickly making huge waves in the metal world and, in my opinion, Tatiana has the best voice in metal. The way she can transition from her cleans to the guttural screams is incredible to see live.

    JINJER’s set was just pure raw energy. Playing fan favorites such as “Judgement (& Punishment),” “I Speak Astronomy,” “Perennial” and “Outlander,” the band commanded the audience’s attention and left them almost in a trance.

    Closing out the night with the encore performance of “Pisces,” JINJER showed exactly why they’re selling out many of their tour dates. Expect this band to be performing at much larger venues very soon. Being able to see them at a club-type venue is something all of these fans will certainly remember.

    Be sure to check out any of the remaining dates of this tour:

    Oct. 15 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Black Circle
    Oct. 16 – Angola, Ind. @ The Eclectic Room
    Oct. 18 – Columbus, Ohio @ Al Rosa Villa
    Oct. 19 – Flint, Mich. @ Machine Shop
    Oct. 20 – Grand Rapids, Mich. @ The Stache @ Interection
    Oct. 22 – Chicago, Ill. @ Bottom Lounge
    Oct. 23 – Belvedere, Ill. @ Apollo Theater
    Oct. 24 – Waterloo, Iowa @ Spicoli’s
    Oct. 25 – Iowa City, Iowa @ Wildwood Smokehouse
    Oct. 26 – Racine, Wis. @ Route 20
    Oct. 29 – Calgary, Alberta @ Dickens
    Oct. 30 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Starlite
    Oct. 31 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ The Rickshaw Theater
    Nov. 01 – Seattle, Wash. @ El Corazon
    Nov. 02 – Portland, Ore. @ Hawthorne Theater

    JINJER

    The Browning

    Poison The Prophet

  • Joyce Carol Oates and Tony Trischka to collaborate for intimate performance in Washington Heights

    Famed author and Syracuse University alumna Joyce Carol Oates will join banjo virtuoso, songwriter and educator Tony Trischka on October 29 for a unique collaboration in Washington Heights. The evening will be recorded for Ben Arthur’s podcast SongWriter, which brings authors and musicians together to collaborate on storytelling and song-making.

    joyce carol oates tony trischka

    The performance, hosted by the black-owned Ethiopian micro-roastery Cafe Buunni, will feature Joyce Carol Oates reading her short story, “A Brutal Murder in a Public Place,” and songwriters Tony Trischka and Jennifer Marks will perform songs written in response to her story. SongWriter is hosted by Ben Arthur, and is released as a podcast and excerpted on the syndicated radio program Acoustic Cafe for 2M listeners.

    Cafe Buunni is located at 4961 Broadway between 207th Street and Isham. Take the A Train to the last stop at 207th Street. The show begins at 8pm, with a suggested donation of $10. More information can be found here.

    Listen to the first season of SongWriter here.

  • Hearing Aide: The Drunken Hearts ‘Wheels of the City’

    I can imagine it is sometimes difficult to be called an Americana band. I’ve heard a number of music fans hear that description and respond, “You mean they sound like Mumford and Sons, or The Avett Brothers?” That response is not only limiting, it’s unfair. Listening to The Drunken Hearts pending release, Wheels of the City, dispels the notion that they are a one dimensional entity. There is country, with pedal steel and banjo, as well as elements of soul, some of the classic Laurel Canyon sound, touches of rock comparable to Drive-By Truckers, and alt-country stylings reminiscent of Son Volt.

    The Drunken Hearts

    The album, recorded at Denver’s Silo Sound Studios, starts out with “Fire in a House,” slowly building an intro, leading to a verse, a piano melody, and continuing with layers of other instrumentation and backing vocals. The tune eventually deconstructs to some degree toward the end, sonically arriving back where it began. “Alive ‘n Free” reflects the overall upbeat feel of Wheels of the City, as evidenced by the lyrics

    “Sometimes in life, you get to where you want to / Sometimes in love, you fall just where you’re meant to / Sometimes this world shows you how to be free / Alive ‘n free.”

    The addition of strings and a female accompanying vocal on “Passchendaele” lend a sense of sad elegance to a song about one of the most prolonged battles of World War I, and a soldier discovering lost love after returning home from war. “In the Middle” is an uptempo tune that can easily have the listener singing along, tapping their toes and swaying to the music.

    “Two Hearts (On a Limb)” perhaps best fits the “Americana” genre, although The Drunken Hearts display a much broader range than any one single style. That range is displayed on “Wheels of the City.” The title tune begins with a country music feel, and as horns come in midway through the song, it morphs a bit into a soul sound. That subtle transition reflects the chameleon-like qualities of the songs, and the band as a whole. By virtue of the way the songs take advantage of multiple band members’ instrumental skills, this may well be a group that hits its stride in live performances more so than in a recording studio. That’s not to say Wheels of the City is lacking in any way, it’s simply that some bands build their chops over the course of hundreds of live gigs, and the band took a decidedly different approach to this release – writing and recording eleven new songs in eleven days, rather than recording familiar pieces that had been road tested.

    The album closes with “The Cave,” which begins with a spoken word intro and leads into an instrumental section which is markedly different than the rest of the album. As noted, the band’s novel approach to this recording was a rather daring roll of the dice, with unknown possibilities.

    Wheels of the City will be released on multiple platforms as well as the band’s website on Friday, October 18. For more about the band, click here.

    Key Tracks: Alive ‘n Free, Two Hearts (On a Limb), Wheels of the City

    The Drunken Hearts current tour will provide opportunities to see them throughout New York State. All five of those shows are in support of Yonder Mountain String Band. The Saturday, October 19 show will be a homecoming of sorts for bassist and vocalist Jon Macartan, a native of nearby Guilderland, New York, in the capital region. The New York State days are listed below.

    Wednesday, October 16, at Buffalo’s Tralf Music Hall Tickets here.

    Thursday, October 17, at Center for the Arts of Homer Tickets here.

    Saturday, October 19, at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs Tickets here.

    Thursday, November 11 at Brooklyn Bowl Tickets here.

    Sunday, November 17 at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock Tickets here.

  • Phil Lesh postpones Halloween run at Capitol Theatre, Dark Star Orchestra to fill in

    Phil Lesh announced on Monday that due to his recovery from recent back surgery and postpones his upcoming “Phil-O-Ween” run at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, planned for October 31, November 1 and 2.

    Filling in for Phil and Friends will be Dark Star Orchestra, who plan to perform their own three-night Halloween run, where they will recreate classic Dead shows from The Capitol Theatre. Tickets will go on sale tomorrow, Oct. 15, at 10 a.m.

    phil lesh postpones

    The Capitol Theatre said in a Facebook post, “Phil’s surgery was a success and we are working with Phil to reschedule the shows and will announce new dates as soon as we can.”

    Lesh said in a video explaining the postponement “I’m feeling really good, but the doctors recommend that I take more time to recover from the surgery.”

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