NYS Music 202​0

Category: Audio

  • Jerry Sundays: The Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan Team Up to Play Giants Stadium

    On a steaming hot midsummer night in 1987, two legendary names in the music world combined forces to deliver three sets of music to a ravenous crowd in the swamps of New Jersey, locally known as the Meadowlands. The Grateful Dead’s 1987 Summer Tour included six shows that would see Bob Dylan accompany them for an extra set of music each night. Later immortalized through the live release Dylan & The Dead, these shows featured some Dylan-penned songs that would remain on the Grateful Dead’s live playlist for years to come.

    Dylan and The Dead

    Those who survived this unseasonably warm and muggy day were treated to three sets of music from some of the best in the business. The temperature and conditions were such a concern that concertgoers near the front of the stage were literally hosed down in an effort to cool off both before the show and during sets. So on a day where shade was at a premium, the festivities fittingly kicked off with “Hell in a Bucket,” and the show was off and running.

    The rest of the first set resembled a fairly common one for this era of the band. Classics like “Loser” and “Greatest Story Ever Told” mixed with contemporary tunes like the Brent Mydland-helmed “Tons of Steel,” which would only be played five more times after this. There’s an incredibly jazzy version of everyone’s favorite Dead crowd PSA, “Take a Step Back.” And an atypical placement of “Bertha” in the first set closer’s spot seemed to energize the whole stadium and created a palpable buzz between sets.

    Dylan and The Dead
    Giants Stadium 7/12/87

    The second set picks up right where its predecessor left off with another interesting placement thanks to an opening “Morning Dew” that was preceded by a little “Addam’s Family”-themed tuning. The rest of the set continued to serve as a traditionalist’s dream with an electric “Playin’ in the Band” and a thunderous “The Other One” before the crowd serenaded the band off the stage with the traditional lyrics from Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.”

    But instead of an encore to follow, there was an entire third set to be had first and this one would see Bob Dylan play in front of, arguably, one of the greatest backing bands in rock. While it may not have evoked the same widespread energy levels of the earlier sets, this one would serve as foresight to some degree for the Dead and give a glimpse of what was to come.

    Dylan and The Dead

    While they had been debuted earlier in the tour, this collaborative set of music would only be the third time that the band would attempt live performances of “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” and “Queen Jane Approximately.” Both of these songs would continue to be played for the rest of the Dead’s touring career, with “Queen Jane” even making an appearance at the band’s last show in July of 1995.

    Fans were also treated to Jerry Garcia jumping on the pedal steel and showing off his chops on “Tomorrow Is A Long Time.” Songs were kept mostly straightforward in this set, absent of the long, psychedelic journeys which typically accentuate a Dead show. But it surely must have been a treat to see the band backup the legendary Dylan on numbers like “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” (a song the Dead used to actually cover in the late ’60s) and “All Along the Watchtower.” The encore was a double bill as well as renditions of Touch of Grey, the Dead’s latest “hit” single, and “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” sent a packed Giants Stadium crowd back to reality and into the hot summer night.

    Watch the entire third set and encore with Dylan:

    The Grateful Dead with Bob Dylan 7/12/87 Giants Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ

    Set 1: Hell In A Bucket, West L.A. Fadeaway, Greatest Story Ever Told, Loser, Tons Of Steel, Ramble On Rose, When I Paint My Masterpiece, When Push Comes To Shove, Promised Land-> Bertha

    Set 2: Morning Dew, Playin’ In The Band-> Drums-> Jam-> The Other One-> Stella Blue-> Throwing Stones-> Not Fade Away

    Set 3: Slow Train, Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Tomorrow Is A Long Time*, Highway 61 Revisited, It’s All Over Now Baby Blue, Ballad Of A Thin Man, John Brown, The Wicked Messenger, Queen Jane Approximately, Chimes Of Freedom, Joey, All Along The Watchtower, Times They Are A Changin’

    E: Touch Of Grey-> Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

    *Jerry Garcia on pedal steel

  • Discover up and coming bands with EQXposure Featured Artists of the week

    WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to a ever-expanding listening audience. Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm on 102.7 FM, you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. NYS Music will bring you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.

    Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear music from Asa Morris, Olsen Brothers Band, Dylan Giambatista, Zam Smarkey, Brian Kaplan Band and many more!

    Asa Morris – You’re Always Home

    Asa has been a part of the Upstate NY music scene for more than a decade and is currently living in Burlington, VT. On Tuesday, July 14th he will be releasing his 35th solo EP in six years. Seriously. Go check him out at Bandcamp and count them for yourself. The new EP, God Has Entered My Body. My Perfect Body, My Same Size was recorded this past spring and features many of his former band mates who all recorded their parts remotely and will be available at all major digital retailers with proceeds being donated to organizations in support of both Black Lives Matter and Police abolition.  

    Olson Brothers Band – Candle in A Storm

    These brothers from Bennington, Vermont say “This is a song about having the strength to say NO to Violence, to say NO to ALL forms of discrimination,” It’s “about equality and the journey to obtain it. Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself, even if it gets you into trouble.”

    Dylan Giambatista – Run For It & Vote For Me

    Essex County (VT) House Rep. Dylan Giambatsta recorded and released a two track album about the experience of running for office. He says he grew up in the southern Route 7 corridor of Vermont and he has announced plans to run for one of the six Chittenden County Senate seats in January. He is giving away 7” records of his two songs “Run For It” and “Vote For Me” which you can get by visiting vtdylan.com and clicking on the “Music for 2020” tab.

    Zam Smarkey – Helado

    Zam Smarkey is a band from Saratoga Springs who just released an album called The Ice Cream Album. The idea came about when the band members were discussing what they would like to do for a summer job and they kicked around some ideas like a shaved ice business and buying an ice cream truck. Ice cream truck was the winning idea but they don’t like ice cream truck music. So what are a bunch of musician friends to do? Make an entire album of songs about ice cream. That’s what. They have yet to procure an ice cream truck but I can imagine by the sound of their stuff that they have the passion to get it done. 

    Brian Kaplan Band – Only For Tonight

    This song is from Brian Kaplan’s new album Make No Mistake. EQX’s Jason Keller says “With Brian’s latest album, you’ll find an experienced musician, writer, and storyteller who is comfortable with showing you that one album doesn’t have to be one style. You’ll find some crunchy guitar riffs, like on “Break From the Weight,” but you can also find songs like “You Can Have It” that slow things down a bit and capture a slightly more sentimental vibe. Brian’s clear, strong, voice really brings this production together.” Listen to the track on the band’s website.

  • Roan Yellowthorn Covers Chris Cornell’s “Can’t Change Me”

    Indie pop rock duo Roan Yellowthorn have released a cover of Chris Cornell’s “Can’t Change Me” to benefit the Chris and Vicky Cornell foundation. 

    Roan Yellowthorn Chris Cornell
    Photo courtesy of roanyellowthorn.com

    This single is the second in the Blue Élan’s ‘We Are The Highway’ project series, which features Chris Cornell covers to benefit children across the globe who struggle with issues like homelessness, neglect, abuse, and poverty. The project seeks to uphold Chris Cornell’s legacy and show that music can create positive change. Blue Élan stresses that now it is more important than ever to help children in need, and co-founder of Blue Élan and friend of Cornell Kirk Pasich states that “We cannot think of a better musical way to do that than sharing the music of Chris Cornell, in his memory, and to help children.”

    Roan Yellowthorn is made up of Shawn Strack and Jackie McLean, daughter of Don McLean. Jackie McLean comments on covering “Cant Change Me,” saying: “When I hear [Cornell’s] words, I am struck by his depth of feeling. I am struck by the intensity of his emotion. I am struck by the strength of his presence.” 

    Much like Chris Cornell, Jackie McLean is an artist who is also known for putting deep feeling in her music. Their latest album Indigo “is an extremely sincere album” and was written as a way for McLean to process her feelings. All of Roan Yellowthorn’s music comes from the heart. 

    Roan Yellowthorn

    There are more songs to come in Blue Élan’s We Are The Highway project. The songs inspire people in difficult situations to survive and persevere despite their struggles, embodying the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation’s mission to help children who cannot help themselves. You can follow the official “We Are The Highway” playlist here.

  • Flashback: Phish headline for the first time at SPAC

    On July 10, 1994, Phish headlined for the first time at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Two years prior, the Vermont group had opened for Santana at SPAC, one of the few opening slots Phish would perform in their career.

    via Brendan McKenna, as published in PhanArt: The Art of the Fans of Phish

    The summer of 1994 would feature The Eagles, Peter Gabriel, James Taylor, The Beastie Boys and the debut of Dave Matthews at the classic Upstate amphitheater, in addition to Phish, whose performance was at the tail end of their summer tour.

    Of note from the first set is the “Stash,” which appears on Live Bait 10, and fun with the lyrics of “Julius,” adding “I haven’t decided, no no no’ during the chorus, and “Ya Mar” where the band gave shout-outs to Trey’s dog Marley, including “Who is she?” (also their record label’s name) and “Who’s the Mar Mar?”

    Tickets were only $18.50 for reserved seats

    The middle of the second set held the heat with a strong “Mike’s Groove”, adding in “Low Rider” to the typical three song sequence inside of “Mike’s Song.” At the end of the second set, The Dude of Life came to the stage and sang his composition “Crimes of the Mind” with the band.

    Listen to the show below or tune in via Phishtracks.com.

    Phish.net/Rec.Music.Phish shirt from 1994, via PhanArt

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Phish – SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY – July 10, 1994

    Soundcheck: Jive Talkin’, The Old Home Place, Nellie Kane, work on Jive Talkin’

    Set 1: Chalkdust Torture, Horn > Peaches en Regalia > Rift, Stash, If I Could, My Friend, My Friend > Julius, Cavern

    Set 2: Sample in a Jar, David Bowie, Glide, Ya Mar, Mike’s Song -> Low Rider -> Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Bouncing Around the Room, The Squirming Coil, Crimes of the Mind

    Encore: Golgi Apparatus, Rocky Top

    Notes: My Friend included a Purple Haze tease and Julius contained a Buried Alive tease from Trey. The Dude of Life sang vocals on Crimes of the Mind


  • Card Reader releases emotional single about life and death

    Long Island based pop-punk band, Card Reader, released their newest single, “Sore Eyes,” in honor of the loss of a close friend to lead vocalist Tom Petito.

    (From left to right) Guitarist Marc Lambert. guitarist/vocalist Tom Petito and drummer Rob Cigliano.

    “I wrote this song after I lost a close friend. The message is resounding: life is short, any day could be your last so don’t settle for less. Go after your dreams unapologetically,” said Petito.

    Card Reader made their first appearance to the music scene earlier this year with their debut single and music video, “Familiar Voices.”

    Petito, drummer Rob Cigliano and guitarist Marc Lambert worked with other bands for 10 years until Petito wanted to start his own project and formed the trio. Petito said the creation of the band was to put passion at the forefront.

    Card Reader has struggled since live music has been put on halt, but are determined to get their EP released by fall.

    The band’s motto states, “believe in yourself unapologetically. Don’t settle for anything less than what makes you happy in life and in music. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and put your own stamp on what being in a band means.”

  • Wu Tang Wednesday: Nas, Raekwon and Ghostface deliver “Verbal Intercourse”

    Being part of a team is great; when you’re part of a successful one – like Wu Tang Clan – even better. Yet, there may always be that inkling of wonder of what could be accomplished by oneself. For musical acts whose contributions to the world are dissected and compared to one another, that one little thought may be enough to isolate said artist from the group, not to mention the monetary differences between a solo artist and being part of a group.

    Ego has played a part in the demise of many great factions — the likes of New Edition, NWA, The Fugees – they’ve all fallen victim to the individualistic desires of man. Yet, when tamed, this possibly destructive force can be channeled into producing some of the greatest albums in history. Bobby Brown’s Don’t Be Cruel fits in that mold, so does Ice Cube’s Amerikkas Most Wanted. This was also the case for one of the greatest Hip Hop albums ever. Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Lynx set the tone for a genre of mafioso themed albums that took the 90’s by storm.  

    Failing to distinguish himself from some of the other charismatic members of the Wu Tang Clan, the man known as “The Chef” was motivated to go out and make himself a classic body of work. And on August 1, 1995, Only Built 4 Cuban Lynx set a new standard for rap. The album received a 4.5 mic rating from The Source magazine (at the time, hip hop’s Bible). While the Method Man and Ghostface Killah assisted “Ice Cream,” was the LP’s most successful record, album cuts like “Verbal Intercourse” are what set the tone for the project. The twelfth track features a young Nas on the heels of his own soon-to-be classic, Illmatic, as well as Wu Tang mate Ghostface Killah – who plays a supporting role in the mafia movie themed album. Considered one of Nas’ best verses (which is saying something), it also stands as one of the greatest opening verses in history. 

    Wu Tang Wednesday: Nas, Raekwon
    Wu Tang Clan – a tough act to follow

    Nas sets the tone for the record early, rapping:

    Through the lights cameras and action, glamour glitters and gold I unfold the scroll, plant seeds to stampede the globe.

    When I’m deceased, by then the beast arise like yeast to conquer peace leaving savages to roam the streets.

    With his newfound fame and fortune from his individual success, his principles haven’t changed, as he still plans to take over the world. And after he has long passed, he hopes to have planted enough seeds in the minds of the youth to bring about a revolution. A Queensbridge legend long before platinum albums, Nas’ lyrical aptitude was as shocking as his youth, as he was barely 21 at the time of this recording.

    With ‘God’s Son’ written across his stomach, Nas looks to accomplish everything he prophesized.

    On the second verse, Raekwon deliver’s a high-quality opening bar of his own.

    Perhaps bullets bust, n**** discuss mad money true lies and white guys, we can see it through the eyes. Catch the most on tape, kilos disintegrate Pyrex pots, we break, fiends licking plates.

    While Nas’ verse pertained to his yearning for a mental uprising, Raekwon keeps with the album’s theme. Describing the dangers that come with operating on the wrong side of the law.

    On the song’s last verse, Ghostface Killah – maybe the most charismatic of the three – adds to the story, Further detailing the greed, jealousy, envy that comes with monetary success, with hopes of a light at the end of the tunnel.

    With the green leathers, hundred-pound snakes and cakes. Fiends found in lakes, jealously jakes we shake. What I strive for is what I live for. Infatuated by material things in this wild life of war like somewhere over the rainbow, I see a big pot of gold.

    “Verbal Intercourse” is defined as “conversation between more than one person.” But in this case, you could say they went a step further and f***ed the beat. The album featured every rapper in the Wu Tang Clan besides ODB, so Raekwon didn’t completely deviate from the already winning formula. Still, as the creative mastermind behind the LP, it helped Raekwon continue to establish himself as his own entity, outside of his groupmates. Debuting at number four on the Billboard charts, Only Built 4 Cuban Lynx sold 130,000 copies its first week, and while not a single, “Verbal Intercourse” saw each respective rapper plant seeds towards their now legendary status.

    with Maxwell Amankwah contributing

  • Indie-Rockers Gooseberry release catchy summer anthem “The Protagonist”

    Brooklyn-based indie rock band Gooseberry has released their new single “The Protagonist.” The four-piece band met through mutual friends in the Brooklyn music and comedy scenes. After months of intermittent jam sessions in a makeshift apartment studio the Gooseberry Band became official in Fall 2019. The band consists of Asa Daniels (guitar/vocals), Colin Ashen (drums), Sam Rappaport (keys, vocals), and Will Hammond (bass). 

    Their mix of indie rock, blues, and R&B captures each member’s interests. Sam Rappaport brings the R&B flavor, inspired by the greats like Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, and D’Angelo. Will Hammond leans more towards the indie scene, rock and folk. Asa Daniels bridges the gap in-between, having grown up playing jazz and blues and learning licks from heroes like Thelonious Monk, Eric Krasno, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He has been pursuing music for nearly a decade, having had some early success with his band, Baked Goods. 

    Their first single “Berkshires” (listen below) goes back to major influences like D’Angelo, Donny Hathaway, and Stevie Wonder, while their newest “The Protagonist” showcases a more alternative/indie sound in the styles of the Foo Fighters, Courtney Barnett, Arctic Monkeys, and Spoon. Before the pandemic, Gooseberry had a biweekly residency at Harefield Road in Brooklyn, where they were steadily growing a devoted audience around their live shows. They had been gigging fairly regularly in and around New York City, running the full gamut of venues from The Cobra Club to DROM to house shows across the boroughs. 

    Asa Daniels shares his story on how he came up with “The Protagonist”:

    This song started out as a little earworm that I couldn’t quite shake. I’d sit in my apartment in my little makeshift studio and play for hours and end up back on this tiny melody, and each time it would grow. A little more power here, a little distortion there. Before I knew it, there was this thing, this song, and the lyrics just fell into place. The Protagonist is a little about how we are all the lead actors of our own movies, and a lot about smiling as you lose control. The song’s title is tongue-in-cheek, but I’ve always been fascinated by points of view, the idea that we really are all the centers of our own universes, and so on. There’s a joke that those close to me know I always make. It usually comes after an impassioned speech from a friend, a major cultural event, or just a story told by someone else. It’s most effective after there’s a lull of awkward silence. I’ll usually think pensively for a moment, then look at someone and say, ‘Right, but how does this affect me, the protagonist?’ While I’m generally looking for laughs when I say that, underneath the statement is a question that I think a lot of folks are grappling with right now as the country is rife with pandemic, civil unrest, and political rancor. We may each be our own protagonist, but the story is empty if it involves no other characters. It’s important to care for one another, speak out for one another, help one another. Especially as things spiral, often beyond our control.

  • Ben Folds Sums Up this Year with Single “2020”

    In response to the first six months of this “rollercoaster year,” Ben Folds has written a new single “2020.”

    The song expresses Folds’ take on 2020. “We seem to be currently reliving and cramming a number of historically tumultuous years into one,” he says. “For a moment it was all about the 1918 pandemic. Then we began seeing hints of the Great Depression before flipping the calendar forward to the Civil Rights protests of the 1960’s. Running beneath this is the feeling that we’re in the Cold War, while seeing elements that brought us to the Civil War rearing their head, making us wonder if we’ve learned a damn thing at all.”

    At the start of this year, Folds was on an orchestral tour of Australia. However, it was cancelled due to the pandemic, and is set to continue in 2021 along with his US tour. Since quarantine, Folds has been working on his next album, the sequel to his 2019 New York Times best selling memoir A Dream About Lightning Bugs, and other new creative projects.

    Folds notes that the current sense of accelerated time is not only “personally disorienting,” but “also artistically disorienting.” The single is about that, how so much seems to happen each day that topics can be “out of date or even inappropriate by noon.” “2020” touches on the fact that this year seems like several past years crammed into one.

    Despite today’s stress, Folds optimistically hopes for a better 2021 to come. “2020” is available for streaming now.

  • Discover Local Music With EQXposure Featured Artists Of The Week

    WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to a ever-expanding listening audience. Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm on 102.7 FM, you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. NYS Music will bring you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.

    Warden & Company – I Know You Know

    Warden & Company is a three piece band from Saratoga made up of Seth Warden, Doug Moody, and Brian Melick. They have been playing together since 2011, having started off as the backing band for local Irish music legend Kevin McKrell. The trio have also performed together as Seth and the Moody Melix, playing children’s songs written by Warden who is also a teacher. Warden & Company showcases the trio’s more ‘adult’ sound.

    Jay Birdface – Grow Again

    Jay was born and raised in Vermont and currently lives in Burlington. He says he’s been a fan of EQX since he was a teenager. “Grow Again” is his latest single, find him on Facebook and listen to more of his songs on Soundcloud.This is his latest.

  • Paul Loren Releases New Single “We’ll Be Together Again”

    New York singer-songwriter Paul Loren has released his new single “We’ll Be Together Again.” Loren was raised on the rich legacy of soul, classic pop, and the Great American Songbook and in those musical idioms he feels most at home. 

    Loren has been keeping himself busy writing new music and entertaining fans via his weekly live stream, “The Leisure Lounge featuring Paul Loren” which can be found on his Facebook and Instagram pages. He is thrilled to share one of his ‘quarantunes’ written with his dearest family, friends and fans in mind. “We’ll Be Together Again” offers hope and solace in the difficult times that we are now living in.

    The Huffington Post described him as: “The dashing and retro-chic crooner whose songs bring a modern edge to lounge-era pop.” 

    The song was written during the first week of the New York City COVID-19 lockdown, unsure of when I’d get to see my loved ones again. I love those old WWII-era songs like “We’ll Meet Again” and “I’ll Be Seeing You,” and thought the referential nod to another difficult time in our history felt right. It’s a mission statement of sorts. We WILL be together again, even though circumstances are unpredictable—it’s about creating something sure in a very unstable climate. Amid times of uncertainty and separation, it is a song of hope and optimism.

    Paul Loren

    Check out this stream and more through our series NY Stream and Support, where you’ll discover artists around the Empire State streaming nightly, and ways to support musicians and charitable groups close to home!