Author: Pete Mason

Andy Frasco announces new LP ‘Keep On Keepin On’, extensive Spring Tour

Whirling dervish Andy Frasco has announced his upcoming LP Keep On Keepin’ On will be due out in April on SideOneDummy Records. With a therapeutic helping of rock ‘n roll with pop and Americana roots influence, the album is a powerful musical snapshot of what’s going on with Andy, his band and his fans. A special “Wellness” video trailer for the album has been released, geared towards encouraging fans not to suppress feelings that may be uncomfortable to talk about, and share the good as well as bad things in life.

“We all have things that make us who we are. Some things are just uncomfortable to talk about, so we tend to suppress those feelings because we don’t want our friends and social media followers to look at us as weak. It’s time to speak up about not just the good things in our life but the bad as well. This is who I am.”

“We’re going through a mental health crisis right now,” says Andy Frasco. “Loneliness, depression, suicide, it’s all on the rise. When you’re struggling in the moment, it can feel like you’re the only one, but that’s just not the truth. I wanted to make a record to remind you that you’re not alone.”

The title track combines soul, funk and pop, and empowers the listener through a danceable and catchy track focusing on overcoming negative thoughts and embracing love. Honest, thought-provoking and rhythmically infectious, Frasco’s upcoming project has important conversations while showcasing his talent as a songwriter and performer.

Produced by Widespread Panic’s Dave Schools and by former AWOLNATION keyboardist Kenny Carkeet, the LP finds Frasco digging deeper than he’s ever dug before, fusing ecstatic rock and soul with infectious pop and funk as he grapples with the kind of demons he’s spent the better part of his adult life running from. The songs here are blunt in their honesty and unsparing in their self-examination, but they remain, at their core, works of great hope and promise. They’re the work of a man who’s been through the darkest part of the night and, now that dawn is finally breaking, is ready to share his story.

“Making this record helped me accept that I needed therapy in my life,” Frasco explains. “I always used to think I was too proud or too strong to have a therapist, but I realized that was all bullshit. I’m not always the fun, wild guy people see onstage, and it felt like time to talk about who I really am.”

Frasco is also in the midst of his Spring Tour, supporting Big Something, Umphrey’s McGee and Twiddle, as well as standalone shows. Catch him in Ithaca on February 11, Brooklyn February 15 and Buffalo February 18. Full tour dates are below.

Andy Frasco and the U.N. Spring Tour

2/05 – 1904 Music Hall – Jacksonville, FL (with Big Something)

2/06 – The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC (with Big Something)

2/07 – The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC (with Big Something)

2/08 – Neighborhood Theatre – Charlotte, NC (with Big Something)

2/09 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VA (with Big Something)

2/11 – The Haunt – Ithaca, NY (with Big Something)

2/12 – The Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA (with Big Something)

2/13 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC (with Big Something)

2/14 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA (with Big Something)

2/15 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY (with Big Something)

2/18 – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo, NY (with Big Something)

2/19 – The Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI (with Big Something)

2/20 – Woodlands Tavern – Columbus, OH (with Big Something)

2/21 – The Stache – Grand Rapids, MI (with Big Something)

2/22 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL

2/25 – Neurolux – Boise, ID

2/26 – Midtown Ballroom – Bend, OR (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)

2/27 – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)

2/28 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)

2/29 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)

3/03 – Humboldt Brews – Arcata, CA

3/04 – The Saint – Reno, NV

3/05 – Crazy Horse Saloon – Nevada City, CA

3/06 – Lost on Main – Chico, CA

3/07 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA (supporting Twiddle)

3/19 – Schmiggity’s – Steamboat Springs, CO

3/20 – Boogie at The Broadmoor – Colorado Springs, CO

3/21 – Agave – Avon, CO

4/18 – Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO

4/20 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO

4/24 – Sweetwater 420 Festival – Atlanta, GA

4/25 – Winstons – San Diego, CA

5/22 – Summer Camp Music Festival – Chillicothe, IL

5/23 – Summer Camp Music Festival – Chillicothe, IL

5/24 – Summer Camp Music Festival – Chillicothe, IL

6/07 – Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain – Ozark, AR

6/11 – Bonnaroo – Manchester, TN

7/04 – Peach Music Festival – Scranton, PA

July 2 – July 5 – High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA

July 22-26 – FloydFest – Floyd, VA

February 14, 2020
Storybook Rock Opera ‘The Green Emerald’ to feature members of more than a dozen NYC bands

After 10 years, bassist Corey J. Feldman (Cousin Earth, Mercury Landing) will revive his original storybook rock opera The Green Emerald. Held at DROM, the show kicks off at 7:30 pm and features 13 original songs and an accompanying illustrated book. Musically, the songs range in genre from rock and funk to Latin and prog, with a heavy improvisational centerpiece consistent throughout.

First performed in 2009, this epic is making its first showcase in over a decade with a variety of players. Instead of finding a single band, Feldman decided to recruit over 20 musicians from his recent musical endeavors, each song with a different lineup. You can expect to see players from Cousin Earth, Particle, Sophistafunk, ShwizZ, Teddy Midnight, Escaper, Bushicks, Sylvana Joyce and the Moment, Big Wake, Sprocket, Jam the Radar, Uncle Ebenezer, Castle Rat, and more.

The story of The Green Emerald is inscribed with the phrase: “Created by the Universe, just wish upon this stone. You must ask the question true. Its power stands alone.” This legendary jewel can grant one wish, but only when asked the right question. Yearned for by an ancient noble, coveted by an evil king, and understood only by a wise princess, the Green Emerald alone had the power to vanquish our ancestors’ one universal flaw… their inability to see color.

Tickets are $12 adv/ $15 doors. DROM is located at 85 Ave A, Manhattan.

February 13, 2020
Levon Helm 80th birthday to be celebrated by Midnight Ramble Band throughout May

The Band’s Levon Helm would celebrate his 80th birthday on May 26, and the late drummer will be remembered with four performances by the Midnight Ramble Band during May. With three shows on May 8, 9 and 15 taking place at the drummer’s Woodstock studio, a final performance on May 30 will take place at Mountain Jam Festival in Bethel.

Helm, who passed away in 2012 due to cancer at age 71, will be celebrated by an all-star cast, including Jackie Greene on May 8, Nicki Bluhm on May 9 and Daniel Norgren on May 15.

Tickets are on sale now at LevonHelm.com. For Mountain Jam tickets, visit MountainJam.com.

February 12, 2020
Caroga Arts to turn former Sherman’s Amusement Park into music venue

The former Sherman’s Amusement Park in Caroga Lake, NY will be donated to the non-profit Caroga Arts Council, with intentions to develop the site into a music venue.

Located 10 miles northwest of Gloversville, the Fulton County attraction opened in 1921 and closed in 1980, due in part to attractions such as The Great Escape and Storytown opening in Lake George, off the well-traveled Northway.

Kyle Price, founder of the Caroga Arts Collective had kept the region alive by bringing talented musicians to the area for a five-week festival in the summer. Where the bumper car ride used to be is now the main stage for Caroga Arts Music Festival, offering a series of free performances and community outreach programs. Thousands attend the events with the festival dedicated to increasing accessibility to chamber music, cultivating creative and interactive experiences and showcasing some of the world’s top professional artists from the U.S. and abroad.

George Abdella, who donated the land to the town of Caroga Lake in 2014, was always hoping for preservation of the grounds. But since the town didn’t make the effort to hold up the preservation of the venue, Abdella brought the town to court, reclaimed ownership, all so he could donate the land to Caroga Arts. “I’m hoping that someday people will come here to hear these musicians; they’re going to have all kinds of music,” he said.

Caroga Arts wants to transform Sherman’s Amusement Park into a world class arts venue while keeping the historical landmark intact.

As the best kept secret in Upstate NY, artists performing at Caroga Lake Arts Music Festival come from across the world, including those from premiere music conservatories including the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Yale School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, and Eastman School of Music, among many others.

February 12, 2020
Hayley in the Water ‘Spread Rumours’ Tour is a Must-See
When musicians collaborate, you can expect a few things – a merging of styles, unique covers, and the strengths of each to shine even brighter. With Hayley Jane joining up with Annie in the Water to kick off a 10 show Hayley in the Water February tour, there is a stellar degree of mutualism already on display throughout their first three shows in Saranac Lake, Schenectady and Utica over February 5-8.

An acoustic set from Hayley Jane, with Annie in the Water joining for a few songs, kicked off each night, setting the tone for a thorough night of music and a taste of what these artists are capable individually, as well as when they join together. The second set, a full performance of Fleetwood Mac’s seminal 1977 album Rumours, was simply magical. Not only is the album chock full of classic rock gems, to the point where you are taken back by how many great songs are on one album, but Hayley Jane’s vocals and the well rehearsed sound of Annie in the Water truly brought the album to life. Hit after hit, including the underrated opening track “Second Hand News,” found all musicians in lockstep with each other, adding genuine, organic energy to classics including “Dreams,” “Don’t Stop,” “Go Your Own Way,” “The Chain” and “I Don’t Want to Know.” Hayley Jane shone bright on “Gold Dust Woman” and “Songbird,” channeling Stevie Nicks in a way few can. Listen to their performance of “Dreams” from Saranac Lake’s Waterhole.

Annie in the Water continued the night with a set of originals, including the fan favorite “Hey I’m on my Way,” plus “Sativa,” “In the Sand” and “Crispy” (with a dose of 4 Non Blondes “What’s Going On?”), the latter of which brought Hayley Jane back to the stage. Add in Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” and Talking Heads “Burnin’ Down the House” (after a fire alarm went off briefly in Utica) and you’ve got an impressive range from a band that not only has the audience enjoying ever minute of it, but the band is clearly having a blast too.

This is a phenomenal series of shows and one with great potential, surely a ‘catch it while you can’ tour. Don’t sleep on Hayley Jane and Annie in the Water performing Rumours – two incredible forces in the Northeast music scene rarely join together to create a memorable performance such as this.

Feb. 12 – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo, NY

Feb. 13 – Flour City Station – Rochester, NY

Feb. 15 – Stowe Cider – Stowe, VT

Feb. 19 – Stone Church – Brattleboro, VT

Feb. 20 – Arch Street Tavern – Hartford, CT

Feb. 21 – Electric Haze – Worcester, MA

Feb. 22 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT

Annie in the Water Setlists:

Feb. 7 – Frog Alley Brewing – Schenectady, NY

Hey I’m on My Way, Pleasure in Sin, In the Sand/Freestyle, Crispy (w/Hayley Jane), Sativa (w/Hayley Jane), Time to Play—>Bulls on Parade

Feb. 8 – Jewish Community Center – Utica, NY

Change My Mind, Carry the Music, Burning Down the House, River, Crispy (w/Hayley Jane), Fire on the Mountain (w/Bill Foose), Sativa
- Chris Meier, Hayley Jane and Bradley Hester
- Hayley Jane, Bradley Hester & Michael Lashomb
- Ryan Trumbull & Brock Kuca of Annie in the Water
- Trampoline Jetstream
- Anthony “Zee” Donaldson of The Disruption NetworkR
- Bradley Hester & Michael Lashomb
- Bradley Hester
February 12, 2020
Vinyl Industry set for disruption due to major fire at Apollo Masters facility

If you’re a vinyl collector, you may want to sit down. Apollo Masters, the California facility that supplies lacquer used for master discs, which are then used to manufacture vinyl records, suffered a devastating fire on Thursday, February 6 in Banning, CA at a manufacturing and storage facility. The fire caused complete destruction of the facility, but thankfully no employees were injured.

A message from Apollo Masters on their website says: “To all of wonderful customers. It is with great sadness we report the Apollo Masters manufacturing and storage facility had a devastating fire and suffered catastrophic damage. The best news is all of our employees are safe. We are uncertain of our future at this point and are evaluating options as we try to work through this difficult time. Thank you for all of the support over the years and the notes of encouragement and support we have received from you all.”

As reported by Pitchfork, Ben Blackwell, co-founder of Third Man Records said “From my understanding, this fire will present a problem for the vinyl industry worldwide. There are only TWO companies that make lacquers in the world, and the other, MDC in Japan, already had trouble keeping up with demand BEFORE this development.” (emphasis is Blackwell’s)

Blackwell also noted that while there have been ‘whispers’ of other companies entering the lacquer marketplace, Apollo was the primary supplier of the styli used in the vinyl pressing process.

Duplication, a Toronto-based company offering vinyl, CD and DVD pressing and printing shared on Twitter, “Disaster for the vinyl pressing industry,” and “There will be a lacquer shortage and possibly plants having to close or scale back operations for a while.”

David Read of Duplication spoke with Smack Media about the potential loss, but offered a bit of hope for the path ahead, and how this crisis is not new for the industry either: “Everybody’s talking to each other and competitors are talking to each other. It’s in everybody’s best interest to get lacquer masters back up and running whether it be Apollo or someone else. When all of the plants closed in the ’90s, everybody was selling their records and then the vinyl resurgence happened and everyone (the last remaining manufacturers) got flooded.” Since then the vinyl industry has seen substantial annual growth with a renewed interest in record collecting.

For a more indepth look at the situation, check out the details here.

February 9, 2020
Garcia Peoples announce live release from October residency at Nublu NYC

Fresh from their October residency, Garcia Peoples have announced the release of Nublu 10-10-19, NYC, ahead of their performance at Freaks Ball XX. Slated for a March 6 release, the residency featured the release of One Step Behind, with with special guest Tom Malach on sax throughout the 50 exploratory, barnburning minutes of the title track.

Andy Cush, bassist in Garcia Peoples, shared his thoughts on the release: “Listening back to the recording of this show, I remember standing onstage, eyes closed, deep in concentration, hoping everything would hold together the way it’s supposed to. It was the first (and to date the only) time we’d ever played “One Step Behind” live as an ensemble with Tom’s dad, the great saxophonist Bob Malach, who’d overdubbed his contributions to the album version after the basic tracks were already in place. Naturally, and happily, hardly anything went quite the way we expected onstage. The music on this tape is at its most alive when you can hear us abandoning the plan and surrendering to the unknown.

“From the outset, we knew we wanted to push ourselves at this show to take “One Step Behind” as far out as possible, searching at its boundaries for previously undiscovered zones. I like to think we found a few. In particular, there’s a groove-oriented stretch in the middle that we played with more openness than ever before, which—for me, at least—has directly impacted the performances we’ve given since then. Perhaps by the time this tape comes out, we’ll be exploring territories of “One Step Behind” that we didn’t even realize existed back when it was recorded. A map only gets you so far. Sometimes you just have to follow the sound.”

Pre-order the album via Bandcamp and listen to Show Your Troubles Out here. Freaks Ball XX takes place on Saturday, February 15 at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY.
<a href="https://garciapeoplesbbib.bandcamp.com/album/10-10-2019-nublu-nyc">10-10-2019 Nublu, NYC by Garcia Peoples</a>

February 6, 2020
Queens has a new venue in Ridgewood with TV Eye

TV Eye, a new venue/gallery located in Queens on the Ridgewood/Bushwick border, opened its doors recently, aiming to attract an audience with an appeal as a ‘funhaus, party palace, venue, dance club, bar, cafe, art gallery, courtyard and social club’ all in one. With multiple rooms, a capacity of 250 and a kitchen by Barker & Sons, this area of Queens that is also home to Trans-Pecos will have even more life added to it from 4pm-4am daily.

As reported by Brooklyn Vegan, the new venue is owned by Caleb Braaten, owner of Sacred Bones Records; Todd Abramson, current buyer at Jersey City’s White Eagle Hall and Monty Hall; party-thrower Jonathan Toubin, owner of Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Ballroom; Michael Swier; Brian Swier, architect of Bowery, Mercury Lounge and Music Hall of Williamsburg among others; and Amanda Haase and Jasper McGandy of Home Sweet Home. Brandon Stosuy, a former Pitchfork/Stereogum editor and Creative Independent founder, as well as Caleb’s partner in managing bands, has mentioned he will be involved in the programming of TV Eye’s Zone 6 Art Gallery.

Doors opened on New Year’s Eve at TV Eye with Toubin’s NY Night Train 13th Annual New Years Ball, followed by Toubin’s New Year’s Day hangover party. Although the full calendar of events has not been announced yet, notable shows this month include a rare NYC show on Friday, February 7, featuring Kid Congo Powers (Cramps, Gun Club, Nick Cave & The BS), Mick Collins (Gories, Dirtbombs), & Bob Bert (Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore), new supergroup Wolfmanhattan Project and Skull Practioners.

Friday, February 14 is the 6th annual Panache/NY Night Train Valentines Day Village of Love show and dance to benefit Planned Parenthood, with a live review beginning at 8 pm. Join your favorite NYC vocalists singing their favorite love songs backed by an all-star band led by Dylan Fernandez, Acacia Fusco of The Advertisers and Alana Asha Amram of Hunx And His Punx. Then on February 19, join North Carolina garage punks Paint Fumes, The Advertisers and Cold Dice.

February 4, 2020
Jazz Is PHSH perform in Rochester and New York City during brief February tour

This February, Jazz is PHSH returns to New York with two stops in Rochester and NYC, bringing with them perform unique arrangements featuring the music of Phish and an all-star lineup. Alongside bandleader and drummer Adam Chase, musicians Felix Pastorious (Hipster Assassins), John Culbreth (Naughty Professor) and Yesseh Furaha-Ali join together for these coming shows, with Matthew Chase and Jonathan Huber joining for the first three shows, and Snarky Puppy’s Bob Lanzetti and Justin Stanton joining for the rest of the tour.

“Ultimately, it became my goal to create arrangements that would be fun for Phish fans to enjoy while presenting the music in a way that even the most pretentious jazz professor would be forced to respect,” says co-creator and music director Adam Chase, of the process.

To formulate their compositions, the Chase brothers do things like write original chord changes to support the existing melody or pull chord changes from jazz standards and add them to solo sections. The ensembles create their own unique interpretations and arrangements of songs by the beloved improvisational rock band and, at times, their unique interpretation of music from the Phish songbook are completely unrecognizable.

Jazz is PHSH Tour Dates:

1/30 – Baltimore, MD – Union Craft Brewing

1/31 – Toronto, Ontario – Velvet Underground

2/1 – Rochester, NY – Anthology

2/4 – Boston, MA – City Winery

2/5 – Philadelphia, PA – City Winery

2/6 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl

2/7 – Winchester, VA – Bright Box Theater

2/8 – Harrisburg, PA – The Abbey Bar

Watch a live version of “Stash” from City Winery in Atlanta

February 1, 2020
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra to celebrate Susan B. Anthony 200th birthday with ‘Women’s Suffrage: Past + Present’ and ‘The Mother of Us All’

Two centennial celebrations will be commemorated by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, tying music and history together in a unique and inspired way. On Thursday, January 30 and Saturday, February 1, Music Director Ward Stare and the orchestra will present “Women’s Suffrage: Past + Present” and on Thursday, February 6 and Saturday, February 8, Stare will lead a concert performance of Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein’s salute to Susan B. Anthony, “The Mother of Us All.” The events will be held at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music.

The two performances celebrate historical events that are rooted in Rochester and Western New York. 2020 marks suffragist Susan B. Anthony’s 200th birthday, as well as the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, which enshrined a women’s right to vote in the U.S. Constitution.

The first two concerts feature orchestral compositions by three women spanning three centuries: Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, from the 19th century; Julia Perry, from the 20th century; and Gemma Peacocke, a New Zealand-born composer from the 21st century.

Peacocke’s work “All on Fire” is a commission from Stare and the RPO, and was inspired by a quote from Susan B. Anthony: “How can you not be all on fire?…I really believe I shall explode if some of you young women don’t wake up — and raise your voice in protest against the impending crime of this nation upon the new islands it has clutched from other folks. Do come into the living present and work to save us from any more barbaric male governments.”

Stare has high hopes for the brand-new piece, as well as the first of two performance weekends. “I hope this first half demonstrates the huge variety of music by women composers,” Stare said. “Regardless of the composer’s gender, these are simply very good pieces.”

The second weekend of performances includes the Virgil Thomson opera “The Mother of Us All,” from Librettist Gertrude Stein, which has been produced occasionally since premiering at Columbia University in 1947. The opera is about Susan B. Anthony but also includes a large cast including Daniel Webster, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Supreme Court Chief Justice Thaddeus Stevens, among other minor historical figures.

Ward Stare notes that his preparation for these upcoming concerts included a private tour of the Susan B. Anthony House on Madison Street, which he found very moving. “To see the room where she met Frederick Douglass and other great figures — and the work room where she wrote so many amazing pamphlets — made me even more appreciative of everything Anthony went through in her life.”

h/t Rochester City Newspaper

January 30, 2020