The Dirty Heads performed in Lafayette, NY at the Apple Festival grounds on Saturday, October 24. The Drive-In style show was brought by Creative Concerts, one of the only promoters currently booking shows in the Syracuse region.
The concert experience was certainly a unique one. Concert goers had assigned parking spots by color coded rows. Each row had a limited amount of parking spaces made out of string barriers to ensure proper distancing between vehicles. Each row had their own designated restroom to use as well. The venue was equipped with large projector screens on each side of the stage to broadcast the performance. It ensured a good view no matter the location. The sound quality was good and the stage constructed to give off a music festival vibe.
The Set: Dirty Heads Lafayette
The Dirty Heads came on around 8pm, allowing everyone to get in their designated parking areas before the show started. While the temperature was brisk, 40 degrees, that did not stop the high energy performance and excitement from the crowd. For many, if not most of the people in attendance this was their first concert in at least 7-8 months. People were in very good spirits: laughing and smiling, BBQ-ing at their vehicles,and just enjoying the moment of experiencing live music- something that has been missing from a lot of our lives this past year.
All the band members were dressed appropriately for the weather: jackets, gloves and hats. It is still a strange site to see an entire band performing all bundled up. However, it did not effect their performance at all as they flowed through a 21-song setlist. Dierits such as “Oxygen”, “Burn Slow”, Vacation”, and “Dance All night”.
Dirty Heads performance in Lafayette gives high hopes, at least for the near future of live music. The ability to successfully and most important, safely put on a show with a large draw of people while adhering to all guidelines in regards to the pandemic.
The next shows at Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds will be The Disco Buscuits performing for three nights, October 29, 30, and 31. More info can be found from Creative Concerts.
Today we celebrate the memory of one of New York’s true musical icons, Lou Reed. Seven years ago today, Reed died from liver disease, leaving behind an incredible library of music that’s been so influential to so many artists. His work with the Velvet Underground as well as his solo efforts continue to enthrall people even today, showing just how timeless his music can be.
Lewis Allan Reed was born on March 2, 1942 in Brooklyn in what is now known as Brookdale Hospital. He spent his youth and formative years growing up in Freeport Long Island in a Jewish household. Lou attended Freeport Junior High School, where his musical career truly began. His doo-wop band The Jades, where he played guitar and contributed backup vocals, was offered studio time for a recording in response to a talent show performance in 1958. This single, “So Blue,” didn’t quite make the charts but it would be Reed’s first ever radio airplay.
Lou would stay in state to further his education at Syracuse University, studying journalism, creating writing and film directing. However, during his first year there, he was brought back home after allegedly having a mental breakdown of sorts. According to his sister, he was “depressed, anxious, and socially unresponsive” for a while. This ultimately led to his parents consenting to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a treatment option after doctors’ recommendations.
After treatment and recovery, Reed resumed his studies at Syracuse University, even hosting a radio show on WAER called Excursions on a Wobbly Rail. At Syracuse, he would study under the poet Delmore Schwartz, who would be an early mentor for Reed. It was also here that he would meet Velvet Underground guitarist Sterling Morrison for the first time. Morrison was visiting the older brother of eventual Underground drummer Maureen “Moe” Tucker.
Lou Reed plays with his band LA and the Eldorados in front of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity house at Syracuse University
After graduating with a B.A. cum laude in English in 1964, Reed moved to New York City where his career would blossom. As an in-house songwriter for Pickwick Records, it was here that he would meet fellow musician John Cale and form a lifelong partnership of sorts. The two lived together on the Lower East Side and would eventually recruit Reed’s college acquaintance Morrison and Cale’s neighbor Angus MacLise who played drums to form the first iteration of The Velvet Underground. MacLise wound up quitting the band right before their first paid gig and was replaced by Tucker.
Although they never reached commercial stardom or widespread fame at the time, the Velvet Underground would go on to become one of the world’s most influential bands, providing a public image for the bustling New York City underground and alternative rock scene. They would eventually catch the attention of Andy Warhol who would serve as their early manager and quickly instituted them as the house band for his Explosive Plastic Inevitable multimedia events held at his Manhattan studio that was known as the “Factory.”
It was Warhol who would urge the band to hire the German former model and singer Nico. Their debut release, The Velvet Underground & Nico, would only peak at No. 171 on the US Billboard 200. However, Rolling Stone would much later dub it the “most prophetic rock album ever made.” The overall sound was propelled by Reed and Nico’s deadpan vocals, Cale’s droning viola, bass and keyboards, Reed’s experimental avant-garde guitar, Morrison’s often R&B– or country-influenced guitar, and Tucker’s simple but steady and tribal-sounding beat with sparse use of cymbals.
Nico and Warhol soon parted ways with the band with the former quitting and the latter fired by Reed, both against Cale’s wishes. The two co-founders were beginning to butt heads musically as well. Cale favored a more experimental, avant-garde style while Reed was trying to steer the band towards a more pop-driven style. It would result in Reed firing Cale from the Velvet Underground and replacing him with Doug Yule who played keyboards and bass guitar. This new version of the band would only record two more albums: The Velvet Underground in 1969 and Loaded in 1970. Shortly before Loaded‘s release, Reed would quit the band and by the end of 1971, the Velvet Underground was a thing of the past.
The Velvet Underground
Reed then set out on his solo career, signing a recording contract with RCA Records. His first release, Lou Reed, contained some unreleased material that never made it onto Loaded and didn’t receive much attention. This didn’t come until 1972’s incredibly successful Transformer release that was co-produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson. The album’s hit single “Walk on the Wild Side” introduced Reed to a much larger audience and worldwide acclaim. It would peak at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, by far his most commercially successful record. Transformer also features other Lou Reed classics like “Perfect Day” and “Satellite of Love.”
Berlin, his next solo release in 1973, is described as a concept album about two junkies in love in the city. Perhaps uncoincidentally, he also married his first wife Bettye Kronstad this year. Although it appears to be mislabeled as Velvet Underground, check out Lou singing “Berlin” below to a spellbound audience.
Some of his later solo projects would go in a completely different direction. 1975’s Metal Machine Music is an hour’s worth of modulated feedback and electric guitar effects. It was widely panned by critics and seen, by some, as an effort to get out of his contract with RCA. He would later sign on with Arista Records and his first release for them, Rock and Roll Heart in 1976, features “A Sheltered Life,” a song with roots going back to 1967 and the Velvet Underground era.
A live album recorded at The Bottom Line in Greenwich Village titled Live: Take No Prisoners also came out this year with Rolling Stone describing it as “one of the funniest live albums ever recorded,” comparing Reed’s monologues with those of Lenny Bruce. Lou was certainly never afraid to speak his mind and reveal his true feelings, a true New Yorker in that sense.
Throughout the 1980s, Reed would continue to pump out new music and maintain a public persona. He collaborated with guitarists Chuck Hammer and Robert Quine on Growing Up Public (1980) and The Blue Mask (1982), respectively. 1984’s New Sensations even saw Reed back on the charts for the first time in six years. He even played a solo set at the first Farm Aid concert held in Champaign, IL in 1985. The decade would end with another one of his more successful solo efforts, appropriately titled New York, released in 1989. It not only netted him a GRAMMY nomination for best male rock vocal performance, but also served as his public commentary on contemporary issues like AIDS, crime and civil rights.
The 1990s would feature even more solo releases from Reed as well as a brief Velvet Underground reunion. Andy Warhol’s funeral in 1987 would bring John Cale and Reed together for the first time in decades. It would ignite a new collaboration between the two, 1990’s Song For Drella, a song cycle about Warhol. This eventually led to a brief Velvet Underground with one benefit show in France that year and a brief tour of Europe in 1993 that featured a performance at the Glastonbury Festival. Sadly, plans for a North American tour were scrapped after another disagreement between Cale and Reed.
In 1996, the Velvet Underground finally entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with an induction speech given by another musical icon of New York City, Patti Smith. Unfortunately, original guitarist Sterling Morrison passed away the night before the ceremony. Reed, Cale and Smith would later sing “Last Night I Said Goodbye To My Friend” in tribute.
For the rest of his life, Lou Reed continued to find new ways to express himself and grow as an artist. In 2000, he collaborated with Robert Wilson on POEtry. This would lead to a CD release under the same name years later that featured songs written by Reed and spoken-word performances of reworked and rewritten texts of Edgar Allan Poe by actors, set to electronic music composed by Reed. In October of 2001, the New York Times even published a poem of Lou’s titled “Laurie Sadly Listening” that was written in response to the recent 9/11 attacks. He would also go on to release three books of photographs, the second one released in 2006 was titled Lou Reed’s New York.
Reed would also go on to revive his Berlin and Metal Machine Music projects in live settings. He also wound up collaborating with modern day acts like Metallica, Gorillaz and Metric. Unfortunately, health issues caught up to him in 2013 and after a transplant in May, he succumbed to liver disease on October 27. Almost instantly, the outpouring of respect from other musicians began. Bands like Pearl Jam, The Killers, My Morning Jacket and Phish all dedicated either original or cover songs played that evening to the late guitarist’s memory.
Although he may be gone, Lou Reed’s legacy lives on and then some. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this time as a solo artist, with another speech from Patti Smith. Lou Reed: A Life, a biography by Anthony DeCurtis was published in 2017. And an archive of his letters and other personal effects was donated to and can be viewed at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. More importantly, Lou Reed and his extensive musical catalog and stylings continue to influence and inspire new listeners and will continue to do so for the rest of time. Not too shabby for a kid from the city.
Brooklyn’s PEAK has announced the two-part “Live from the Studio” Sessions that will feature full sets from the band. The second and final session will air on December 5 at 8:15PM EST on their YouTube Channel and on Jamcast.
PEAK, a psychedelic indie funk outfit from Brooklyn features members of Turbine, Particle, Hayley Jane and The Primates, and Mick Taylor Band. The band has spent the majority of 2020 writing, rehearsing, and recording an album in their Brooklyn studio.
In October they invited videographer MKDevo and Lighting Designer Matt Calabrese to capture some of the magic that’s been going on.
Each performance will be a little over an hour in length and will feature familiar tunes, new originals and of course, some extremely healthy jams. Listen to the first session here or stream on YouTube below.
Fans are encourages to donate when possible, through Venmo @jeremy-hilliard1. Additionally, PEAK has just opened their online store, featuring a new t-shirt design, copies of Electric Bouquet, stickers and much more.
While waiting for PEAK “Live from the Studio” to arrive, check out PEAK’s performance at Opple Topple Festival from October 3, 2020.
By now the word has gotten out. Arlo Guthrie, renowned folk singer and music industry icon has hung up a “Gone Fishing” sign. A lengthy and heartfelt Facebook post marks a change so abrupt on the hearts and ears of fans across the nation. But don’t make wake, we’re off to the Inlet to cast a line.
It’s been a great 50+ years of being a working entertainer, but I reached the difficult decision that touring and stage shows are no longer possible. I’ve cancelled the upcoming shows, and am not accepting offers for new ones. That’s the short version. For the longer version continue reading…
Guthrie’s message was missed by other major sources. While this marks the end of touring and live performances, it is also dawns a new beginning. His life will continue to influence the industry, while he basks in his accomplishments.
The road weighs on the toughest acts, constantly touring and performing. Especially for Guthrie, as he battled mini strokes and checked out to make a gig the next day.
“Then, on Thanksgiving Day 2019 (of all freaking days) it happened again. This time I was on my way to The Church / The Guthrie Center to help out with our annual Thanksgiving Dinner that we hold every year. I had pulled over to fuel up and realized I couldn’t continue to drive safely, as everything was spinning around, sort of like the old days, but without the help of illegal substance… [the next day he] had an important gig at Carnegie Hall in New York – The end of an annual series I’d been doing for decades and it was Sold Out. I had to be there. It was imperative.”
Arlo Guthrie’s ‘Gone Fishing’
The Cooney Island-born singer had big shoes to fill in the likes of his father, and he did. Now it is time to kick them off using the six-plus months a year he would be on the road to enjoy the sand and sun. Likewise, Guthrie is a hallmark, being an original Woodstock performer and tipping his hat at recreations in 2015 and the 50th anniversary.
Guthrie recounts memories of his original Woodstock performance at 22.
Just months ago, Arlo Guthrie released a heartfelt rendition of Stephen Collins Foster’s “Hard Times Come Again No More” with pianist Jim Wilson.
A heartfelt voice among a world pandemic, released July 31, 2020.
Hats off and best wishes to Guthrie as music, culture and storytelling are in his blood. Despite no longer touring, this will not be the last of Guthrie’s legacy. For now, Arlo Guthrie has just gone fishing.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear music from The Parlor, Haley Moley, and many more!
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
This week’s EQXposure is a bit moody and is about exploring wide sonic spaces.
Named after a room in the 19th century farmhouse where they live, farm, and create, The Parlor is a project by husband and wife team Eric Krans and Jen O’Connor. The multi-instrumentalist, producer-composers create intimate art-pop intended to reflect some of the most powerful aspects of the human experience.
The Parlor’s music is the sonic corollary to what the couple is bringing to their land, an artisanal re-imagining of an antique dream. Jen O’Connor + Eric Krans make their home in Upstate New York. Their farmhouse is filled with jars of feathers + herbs, piles of broken guitars, trays of wings + claws, upright basses, a sampling synth, braided onions, polyester pants, Casio + Zenith, antique mirrors. Ghosts. They write and record music in a room called the parlor.
In early 2015, house music DJ and dance music producer Jennifer Maher Coleman (DJ Jennifer Haley) and indie rocker Paul Coleman (Mount Mole, Sinkcharmer, Beaked Whale, The Operators) combined their aliases and their musical sensibilities to form Haley Moley.
Moody synth and guitar rock over electronic beats ultimately blossomed into a full-on five-piece with the welcome addition of Andrea Kosek (aka DJ Goldeedust, keyboards) Pat Thorpe (of DJ duo Partyhorn, bass guitar) and Mike Broomhead (also of Partyhorn, drums.)
With a high concentration of electronic, funk, and disco dj’s on board as well as decades of rock experience steeped in atmospheric, dirty guitars, Haley Moley delivers a complex amalgam echoing these disparate roots and emerges refreshingly uncategorizable.
In June, NYS Music began to take a look at the state of New York’s independent music venues. In July, August and September, we saw venues closed for the foreseeable future, support for Black Lives Matter, some venues beginning to offer performances with social distancing in place, and many others stuck in limbo.
Like September, October kicked off with Red Alert RESTART, and venues across the country (and world) going red to encourage action to save independent music venues. With renewed hope of the Heroes Act passing through the House of Representatives, there is the possibility of relief before the election on November 3. With only ‘incidental music’ currently allowed, venues across New York remain mostly closed for live music, in growing anticipation of the day crowds can return.
photo by Mickey Deneher
Working with a dozen photographers to document more than 50 venues in 14 cities across New York State, NYS Music presents the fifth edition of our monthly series that looks at the current state of our beloved venues.
Immense thanks goes out to all photographers and venues who are taking part in this monthly series. We’ll start October off on Long Island, with Rob Tellerman’s look at the music venues small and large that dot the isle that is long. Visit NIVA to find out how you can help venues across New York, and the country. We need to #saveourstages and preserve live music for when this is over.
As lighting strikes, it is evident Sydney Irving belongs. Although, you’re just getting to know the high school senior, her name will hold a heavier weight as time moves on. She will fill your music library, as you come to realize Sydney Irving‘s on the rise.
Today’s “Rain” sheds New Light
The Syracuse songwriter released her music video “Rain” to back the single that debuted late last month.
The premise of “Rain,” is it’s usually a bad thing and you want to get away from it. But, the rain is purifying. It washes away. You step into the light and feel better than before.
Sydney Irving – On “Rain”
“Rain” marks a many first for Sydney. It is the first storyline video of her short career. “For Hanna, Emily and Justin, it’s a little love triangle kind of thing. We had to direct everything we wanted done.” Interestingly enough she remains out of the limelight, tastefully, hanging back with the band.
Rockstar On The Rise
Based on her websites bio, Irving drew from the likes of Taylor Swift, but her roots are much deeper. Infected with the classic rock bug. The Doors, Tom Petty, Ryan Adams and other greats influence her musicianship. Currently she is hooked on Raising Sand, a Plant/Krauss duo album that was ironically released October 23, when Irving was only four years old.
Why Sydney you ask? It’s her grasp on past and future music generations and bridging them together. Her sheer humbleness. It’s her retro take on the music industry, reeling us back to how things were done. She has a plan and she executes.
The 17-year-old is combining the above influence with modern hooks to develop a sound more fitting for her voice. Irving and her team have another single to release in November titled “What Have You Done.” All of which will be apart of a December EP release. “For the new record it’s an endavour into more rock and roll,” said Irving.
“Rain” is for sale on Irving’s website, on a 100-count limited edition, signed-CD run. It can be purchased on iTunes and Amazon music. Today it will be released alongside the video on major streaming platforms.
Hidden details amidst an over-exposed storyline hints at Irvings style. Her Ziggy Stardust alter-ego may be coming though with those lightning rod earrings. The Mojo, her band is refined, yet capable to unwind into a catchy rock bliss.
Sydney’s Standout Moments
Big standout moments are self fulfilling in their own right for Irving. When asked where she wanted be in a year or so down the line, Irving calmly had no shift from her current thought. She is grateful for the journey, happy to be balancing music and school, beyond humble and appreciative of her team behind her. “My management team, Grace Musicians Group, have helped me get to where I am today.” Irving seemingly stumbled upon Breedlove Guitars after her dad got her a second instrument
I’ve always love music, my dad will always have a record playing. I think the love came from a young age. I love the connection you can have with people and music. Theres been a couple times where I’ve been out playing and people say they came to the restaurant, or bar, just to see me.
Aside from high honor roll, Irving has been nominated for three SAMMY Awards and recently claimed the title of Young Adult Artist of the Year at the International Singer Songwriter Association Awards. She stood out last month against 1,300 talented nominations, in Atlanta, Ga.
Irving give Barns Courtney a run for his money on “You and I.”
If “Rain” doesn’t have you on the hook take it direct from the songwriter yourself: “I would say – come check it out, you might like it.”
Last Saturday was a special gathering in the midst of a strange year. Le Getaway was a sold-out, socially distanced event held by lespecial and Eggy which featured daytime activities, drum circles, basketball courts, ping-pong tables, and cabins that were rented for the night by attendees. It took place at Club Getaway, a beautiful lake resort nestled in between the mountains of Connecticut. Reminiscent of the good ol’ Catskill Chill days, there was a bonfire set and porch jams until the sun came up. It’s nice to know that a socially distanced live music event is possible if we can all be smart and responsible. If the right precautions are taken, it seems like we can get back to this live music thing soon.
So many activities.
This was a beautiful gathering, it was both much needed and very appreciated. But it was a bit chilly, so you know lespecial and Eggy had to bring the heat. Literally, Jon from lespecial had to turn up his personal heater it was so cold. Rory Dolan led a socially distanced drum circle early in the day, Luke joined in too.
Rory leads a socially distanced drum circle.
Eggy played a jam filled opening set, warming up the crowd as the sun went down. These guys are tight, I would not sleep on them. Soaring high on funky synth leads by Dani Battat and Jake Brownstein’s guitar shredding, Eggy proved to be an amazing opening act.
Eggy flying high.
lespecial then took the stage and opened up with “The Vessel.” Their set was everything you could every hope a lesepcial show to be: dark, bass heavy, and Primus-inspired goodness. Rory took a masterful drum solo. Mike Meyers even sat in on the Halloween Jam and Lee Ross sat in on the sax for a tune. There’s something spooky about this band that makes seeing them around Halloween feel so right. lespecial has a very unique, refusing sound that cuts through much of the jam band muck with many bands that sound similar. They stand out and stand behind their sound which definitely draws inspiration and honors Primus.
Rory’s drum solo.
After lespecial, the attendees with cabins were treated to a bonfire jam which featured, of course, a fire and music. Late night porch jams were held by the new “porch dwellers” with Escaper’s very own Will Hanza on mandolin. Nothing can substitute the space that live music creates.
lespecial put on a hell of a show.
This was exactly what we needed. Let us get back to this as soon as possible, in a safe and responsible way.
Can’t wait to be back.
lespecial at Le Getaway 10/17/20
The Vessel, Fruit Wolf Dance, Jackwise, Machine Elf, Harambe Zombie, Tommy the Cat (Primus cover) > The Awakening > Tommy The Cat, Onlookers, Sugaboi, Third Antler > Fourth Antler, Chocolate Chip Trip (Tool cover), Halloween Jam, Tonberry, Buggn>In the Air Tonight>Buggn
Bieber brought out Chance the Rapper as a surprise special guest for the night’s first song “Holy.” With a church-in-the-woods stage design, the more mature Bieber gives a nod to his relationship with wife Hailey Baldwin, and making references to their shared Christian beliefs. The lyrics stand out as a departure from Bieber’s past songs.
That the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me. Feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. On God, runnin’ to the altar like a track star. Can’t wait another second.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlQY-MBWHik
For the second performance of the night, Bieber was joined by benny blanco on piano for “Lonely,” a song referencing his early rise to fame in the past decade. This performance began from Bieber’s SNL dressing room, singing in the mirror, then walking towards the stage through the halls of Studio 8-H. This intro is similar to the music video for “Lonely” that was released this past week, starring Jacob Tremblay as a young Bieber.
Maybe when I’m older it’ll all calm down, but it’s killing me now. What if you had it all but nobody to call, maybe then you’d know me. Cause I’ve had everything, but no one’s listening, and that’s just oh so lonely. Everybody knows my past now, like my house was always made of glass. Maybe that’s the price you pay for the money and fame at an early age.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rml0FwAL8H0
Bieber does not hold back on “Lonely,” with a single spotlight on him for the song on a barren stage, save for Blanco. The two songs present Bieber in a different spotlight than the tabloid view of recent years. Justin Bieber appears focused and stepping into a new phase of his career with “Holy” and “Lonely.”
Watch last week’s musical performance from Jack White, where he paid tribute to Eddie Van Halen, and Megan Thee Stallion from the season premiere.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear music from El Modernist, E.R.I.E.and many more!
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
El Modernist delivers a new take on the world of indie rock. With pulsating hooks and lush melodic waves of psychedelia, the band combines upbeat, catchy garage-rock with a modern alternative hip-hop sound.
“Evolution” is an anthem for queer artists who have been contributing and pushing the boundaries of art since the beginning of time, while more often than not having to hide their true selves while doing so. Artists like Freddie Mercury and Elton John were often thought of as eccentric rather than LGTBQ+ (occasionally thought of as womanizers), but laid the groundwork for today’s LGBTQ+ artists and pioneers. “Evolution” is a fight song. A fight for equality. A fight against hatred. The future is gay as hell.
When asked by WEQX’s Pearson on what they are currently working on and how they are coping during this time, they shared:
What we’re working on/how we’re coping… Well, now that the bustle of the record release and the release party is over, we suspect performance opportunities will unfortunately be few and far between as the weather gets colder. We have a nice collection of songs just waiting to be properly demoed for what will eventually be LP2. So, the plan will be to hunker down and focus on that, which will be the first time the four of us write together. We’re definitely looking forward to letting some pent up creativity bounce off the walls, albeit mostly from separate houses/studios. The pandemic has certainly taken a toll on us all, personally speaking. The opportunities we get to play together in a room have been incredibly therapeutic, and we’re certainly grateful we can still do that responsibly. But ahead of the pandemic, we were all gearing up to play out a lot – it’s something all four of us really needed in our lives for a variety of reasons – so the fact that it all came screeching to a halt is tough to cope with, especially with no real end in sight. Like everyone else, I think we’re just pivoting the best we can and diving into the next record maybe a little sooner than we otherwise would have. I write a lot of songs, so I’m always ready and willing to jump behind the board and make some magic happen.
All BandCamp proceeds for the track will be donated to The Trevor Project.
Hailing from New York’s vibrant Capital Region, rock outfit E.R.I.E. debuted on Mint 400 Records with Don’t Wanna Live, Don’t Wanna Die in September. Combining addictive progressions with alternative undertones, the record boasts an anthemic pop-rock aesthetic, with the integrity of an early 2000’s basement or VFW hall.
E.R.I.E. has brought me back to my roots, in a way. Growing up, I played in scrappy punk bands and as I got through college and beyond, my interests and writing style began broadening. I started taking myself more seriously, arguably to a fault. While creating this record, my main goal was to have a positive and fun studio experience. I paid a lot more attention to content rather than mechanics. Ultimately, creating Don’t Wanna Live, Don’t Wanna Die was a natural process, without most of the stresses recording can bring.
TJ Foster, E.R.I.E.
Upon listening, it’s not hard to hear that sense of lightness and clarity songwriter TJ Foster was striving for. The record exudes a sense of urgency that has drawn comparisons to the likes of Frank Turner and The Gaslight Anthem, while also embodying an intimacy one would expect from Death Cab For Cutie or Frightened Rabbit.
