NYS Music 20​19

Category: Western NY

  • Listen to the Soulful “Holding Me Down” by Danielle Ponder

    Rochester native Danielle Ponder, former public defender and now full time musician, has released her latest single “Holding Me Down.” Rife with emotion, “Holding Me Down” shares the pain and struggle found in relationships, and is the lead track on her upcoming album, due in Spring 2020.

    Ponder says of the upcoming album:

    This album is probably my most vulnerable work. I wrote this song one night at 2 am sitting at my dining room table. This song describes the struggle many have in relationships, the struggle between a heart that want to stay and a mind that want to go.

    Danielle has spent the past few years rendering goose bumps by perfecting her style, with charismatic performance. The result of her focus and dedication is a tone that is both enchanting and seductive, along with a riveting, honest stage presence. Her voice has helped secure gigs opening for powerhouses such as George Clinton, Ledisi and The Roots.

    “Holding me Down” was produced by John Viviani, whom Danielle Ponder previously worked with in the band Filthy Funk, with additional production by Dave Drago at his 1809 Studios. The song also features Tony Gallicho from Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad on organ.

    Danielle Ponder has an upcoming show on January 31 in Rochester. This special acoustic show will be open to only 300 attendees and will be held in the oldest building in Rochester. More details will be shared through Ponder’s website.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • In Focus: moe. Comes Home To Buffalo

    30 years ago, moe. was born in Buffalo, and over the ensuing years the local home town fanbase has only grown. So it was no surprise when nights two and three of the three-day Town Ballroom run sold out weeks in advance. Check out some photos from the second day of the run, Friday November 15th.

    moe. ~ 11/15/19 ~ Town Ballroom ~ Buffalo, NY

    I: Prestige Worldwide > It > LL3 > Bearsong, ATL > Recreational Chemistry

    II: Hi & Lo > Breathe > Kids > Down Boy > Kids > Time > Breathe reprise > Farmer Ben > Timmy Tucker

    E: The Ghost Of Ralph’s Mom

  • Metalcore band Destroy//Create shed light on mental health and addiction through “Hang On” and “Let Go” videos

    Rochester five-piece metalcore band Destroy//Create have released “Let Go,” the companion video to the recently released “Hang On.” Taken together, the two-part single/video series focuses on mental health and addiction. Both tracks were produced by distinguished metalcore guitarist, Justin Deblieck (Ice Nine Kills).

    This visually captivating music video is directed by Josiahx (Ice Nine Kills, Sirens and Sailors, Like Moths To Flames) and shows the aftermath of part one’s story of two intimate individuals, both struggling with similar situations: coping with depression, anxiety and past trauma that has manifested itself into a psychosis. 

    One character uses art as an outlet to express and endure her pain, the other takes a more destructive path and turns to drugs and alcohol as a coping method.  This video is Destroy//Create’s way of using their art as an opportunity to shed light on the issues of addiction and mental health, which are clearly prevalent in today’s society.

    Destroy//Create was formed in 2016 by lead vocalist Adrian Blackwell, guitarist Jimmy Gardner, and drummer Jeff Cole. Shortly after their inception, the trio added Mike McCann on bass. After about a year of playing together, the 4-piece band added Dylan Borrelli for another layer of guitar and for songwriting abilities as well as on-stage performance. With the band’s energetic live performances and positive lyrics, Destroy//Create push to bridge together the old school and modern metalcore sound for everyone to enjoy.

  • Pink Talking Fish Announces Nationwide Winter Tour

    Hybrid Tribute Fusion Act; Pink Talking Fish, has announced a new tour that will span a total of two months and take them from coast-to-coast. The Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish, tribute band is currently touring throughout the country, with these new dates giving an opportunity to those who haven’t gotten a chance to enjoy a live show.

    After a two-week break from their last performance of 2019, the tour resumes at Pickle Barrel Nightclub in Killington, VT, and will see them perform throughout the West-coast, the South-west, and the Mid-west, with the tour ending on the East coast.

    Pink Talking Fish’s entire slate of tour dates for the remainder of 2019 and 2020’s winter tour can be found below and tickets can be purchased here.

    Remaining Pink Talking Fish 2019 Tour Dates: 

    Nov.13 – The Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC

    Nov.14 – Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC

    Nov.15 – The Orpheum – Tampa, FL

    Nov.16 – Revolution Live – Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Nov. 21 – Winstons – Ocean Beach, CA

    Nov. 22 – Winstons – Ocean Beach, CA

    Nov. 30 – The Strand Ballroom – Providence RI – Phish Afterparty

    Dec. 4 – The Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA – Phish Afterparty

    Dec. 5 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH

    Dec. 6 – Otis Supply – Detroit, MI

    Dec. 7 – The Ludlow Garage – Cincinnati, OH

    Dec. 13 – The Caribou Room – Nederland, CO

    Dec. 14 – Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO – PTF Are Beastie Boys w/s/g DJ Logic

    Dec. 27 – Sherman Theater – Stroudsburg, PA

    Dec. 28 – The Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY – Dark Side Of The Moon Phish Afterparty

    Dec. 29 – The Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY – PTF Are Beastie Boys Phish Afterparty w/s/g DJ Logic

    Dec. 31 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston MA

    PTF 2020 Tour Dates: 

    Jan. 16 – Pickle Barrel Nightclub – Killington, VT

    Jan. 17 – Nectars – Burlington, VT

    Jan. 18 – Nectars – Burlington, VT

    Jan. 30 – Terrapin Crossroads – San Rafael, CA

    Jan. 31 – Crystal Bay Casino – Crystal Bay, NV

    Feb. 1 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA

    Feb. 4 – Crazy Horse Saloon – Nevada City, CA

    Feb. 5 – Humbolt Brews – Arcata, CA

    Feb. 6 – Volcanic Theatre – Bend, OR

    Feb. 7 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR

    Feb. 8 – Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA

    Feb. 9 – Wild Buff House Of Music – Bellingham, WA

    Feb. 12 – The Depot – Salt Lake City, UT

    Feb. 14 – Last Concert Café – Houston, TX

    Feb.15 – ACL Live – Austin, TX

    Feb.16 – Deep Ellum Art Co – Dallas, TX

    March 5 – The Vogue Theatre – Indianapolis, IN

    March 6 – Park West – Chicago, IL

    March 7 – Woodlands Tavern – Columbus, OH

    March 13 – Flying Monkey – Plymouth, NH

    March 14 – Putnam Place – Saratoga Springs, NY

    March 15 – Infinity Music Hall – Norfolk, CT

  • Andrew Vannorstrand shares video for “Boy with the Gray Eyes,” performs in Syracuse and Auburn this week

    This September, Andrew VanNorstrand released his debut solo LP That We Could Find A Way To Be and this month premieres the video for “Boy with Gray Eyes” off the album. Americana Highways premiered the audio for “Boy With The Gray Eyes” and said of the track, “In a song about hope and hesitation, VanNorstrand constructs comforting, introspective guitar sounds, and the low vocals, clarinet and fiddle are the icing on the cake.”

    Andrew VanNorstrand, a musician, singer, songwriter and producer living in Upstate New York, has performed on festival stages, concert halls, dance floors and living rooms all over North America and beyond. For eighteen years, he toured and recorded with the popular dance band Great Bear which also featured his brother Noah VanNorstrand and mom Kim “Mama Bear” Yerton. Andrew and Noah continue to perform together in the bi-coastal folk quartet Wake Up Robin and acoustic power trio The Faux Paws.

    His debut solo album, That We Could Find A Way To Be, focuses on the complicated intersections of love, faith, loss and uncertainty, queerness and the search and struggle for understanding from the rust belt to the Blue Ridge, from a cold spring in New England to a summer’s night in Charlottesville. Andrew blends traditional folk, old-time and country music with indie-roots-Americana and a passion for shared connection and a song well sung.  

    On November 13, Andrew will make his solo, live television debut on Central New York’s ABC affiliate, WSYR Channel 9’s Bridge Street. He also performs a few shows around CNY over the next two months. Click for details below, or visit Andrew’s website for more details.

    Friday November 15
    Andrew VanNorstrand with Anna Patton and Dana Billings
    Auburn Public Theater, Auburn, NY  

    Saturday November 16
    Andrew VanNorstrand with Anna Patton and Dana Billings
    Rochester House Concert

    Thursday–Saturday December 5, 6 & 7
    Andrew & Noah VanNorstrand
    Annual Solstice at the Cathedral Concert, Syracuse, NY

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