Category: Photo Gallery

This Darkness has got to Give: The State of Venues Across New York
Back in June, photographers working with NYS Music, with no live music to shoot, began looking at the venues we hold so dear. These independent music venues across New York State are in a battle for survival with the COVID-19 pandemic still not waning and relief held up in Congress.

Over the summer and fall we saw venues closed for the foreseeable future, including The Jazz Standard in Manhattan. Venues are rallying their supporters to help as best they can at this time, including The Palace Theatre in Albany offering up a stream of moe. on Friday, December 11.

Venues in New York and beyond are stuck in limbo, but they aren’t gone – not for good – so long as we can find resolution and relief at the state and national levels. The Heroes Act has passed in the House of Representatives, and there is still a chance for a relief bill to be passed before the end of December.

With the winter setting in, venues will continue to go virtual for live performances, waiting for the time that we can bid this great pause farewell and welcome crowds back.

We start this month’s photo gallery series in Central New York at The Stanley Theatre. 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.

Utica – photo courtesy of The Stanley Theatre
New York City – photos by Joseph Buscarello
Ithaca – photo by Casey Martin

In honor of one of The State Theatre’s favorite volunteer ushers of over 20 years, Penny Turco

Manhattan – photos by Steve Malinski
Saranac Lake – photo by Neil Sedlak

Buffalo – photos by Derek Hosken
Port Chester – photos by Chad Anderson
Plattsburgh – photos by Jerry Cadieux
Albany – photos by Zach Culver
The Hudson Valley – photos by Mickey Deneher
Long Island – photos by Rob Tellerman
December 9, 2020
Flashback: Billy Joel Plays 35th Consecutive MSG Show

On November 30, 2016, Billy Joel extended his MSG residency continued with his 35th consecutive show at the World’s Most Famous Arena. His first monthly show at the Garden was on January 27, 2014. Joel committed to playing one show a month at the Garden as long as there was a demand for tickets.

Billy broke his own 2006 record for the most consecutive sold-out shows at his thirteenth performance on January 9, 2015. On July 1, 2015, he played his 65th show breaking the record for the most shows at the Garden by a single artist.

Elton John and the Grateful Dead held the record previously. His 74th consecutive MSG monthly show was scheduled for March 2020, but had to be postponed due to COVID-19. The show was initially moved to September, but has now been moved back another year till 2021.

According to a statement on Joel’s website, “Tickets for the original show dates and initial rescheduled show dates will be valid for the corresponding new rescheduled dates in 2021 and 2022.”

Setlist: Billy Joel at MSG, November 30, 2016

Miami 2017, Pressure, Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song), Vienna, Downeaster Alexa (with Julian Rachlin), Zanzibar, Leningrad, Allentown, New York State of Mind, Root Beer Bag, The Longest Time, My Life, Don’t Ask Me Why, Sometimes a Fantasy, She’s Always a Woman, The River of Dreams, Take it Easy (Eagles Cover), Nessun Dorma, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, Piano Man

Encore: We Didn’t Start the Fire, Uptown Girl, It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me, Big Shot, Only the Good Die Young, You May be Right

November 30, 2020
Photo Gallery: Goose Celebrate a Delayed Halloween at South Farms
Indie-Jam darlings Goose returned to South Farms for their Halloween shows, held November 6 and 7. The week delay was due in part to the torrential rain that hit the Northeast in the last days of October, causing the ground to be too soft for vehicles to enter in Morris, CT. Fans didn’t seem to mind. Celebrating a week late, and turned out in costumes, they were ready for one final dose of Goose Drive-In shows.

The shows brought out fans, good jams and a couple debuts from Goose. In the first set of Friday night’s show, “It Burns Within” was busted out for the first time since 2014. The second set saw the debut of pre-Goose band Vasudo’s “Empress of Organos,” which segued into a cover of The Band’s “Don’t Do It,” a fan favorite. Later in the same set, the new “Earthling or Alien” debuted, with pro-shot footage released from the set.

Setlist: Goose at South Farms, Morris, CT – Friday, November 6, 2020

Set 1: Lily’s Tiger > Butter Rum, The Whales, It Burns Within, All I Need > Secret Agent Man, Into the Myst
Set 2: Empress of Organos* > Don’t Do It, Creatures > Honeybee, Your Ocean, Earthling or Alien?^, Yeti
Encore: Ghostbusters Rap
*First Time Played
^debut

Saturday was ‘Halloween’ for fans, with costumes galore and the final show for Goose this Drive-In season. A theme of ‘Donnie Darko at The Farms’ reflected on the 2001 cult-hit Donnie Darko, with band members wearing costumes related to the movie – Ric Mitarotonda in the title character’s skeleton costume and Trevor Weeks playing the role of Darko’s imaginary rabbit friend, Frank.

Debuts were on tap throughout the night, with an apropos cover of Echo & The Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon” hitting on the Halloween and Donnie Darko theme to start the night. Two bands from the 80s and 90s were found at the end of Set one and start of Set two, with Tears for Fears “Head Over Heels” and Duran Duran’s “Notorious,” respectively. Original pairing “Seekers on the Ridge pt. 1” > “Seekers on the Ridge pt. 2” came in the middle of Set two, ahead of the ever popular “Hot Tea” and “Wysteria Lane.” A little more Tears for Fears came in the form of “Mad World” to wrap up the themed affair.

Setlist: Goose at South Farms, Morris, CT – Saturday, November 7, 2020

Set 1: The Killing Moon*, Arrow, Doobie Song, Slow Ready, Jive 1 > Jive Lee, Head Over Heels*

Set 2: Notorious*, Tumble, Seekers on the Ridge pt. 1* > Seekers on the Ridge pt. 2*, Hot Tea, Wysteria Lane> Head Over Heels Reprise

Encore: Mad World

* debut

photos by Chad Anderson
“Halloween” night
November 11, 2020
Twiddle Gets New Jersey Slippin Out The Kitchen Into the Mud at Sussex Drive-In
It was the night after Halloween in Sussex, NJ. All who dared to traverse the wind and rain were met with a field of mud and fans. Twiddle got New Jersey Slipping’ brought the heat to their last drive-in show, this past Sunday November 1 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. This show featured high energy and dynamic jams throughout both sets. Highlights included a monstrous Gatsby The Great > Slippin’ In The Kitchen > Gatsby The Great in the first set, an incredible Cabbage Face in the second set, and a roaring Juggernaut encore.

Twiddle at the Sussex Fairgrounds Drive In

The line of cars leading up to the show looked intimidating, but cars were being moved to their spots quickly and with ease. Social distancing was enforced and masks were widespread, minimal panic. Goes to show that live music events, even though reminiscent of a futuristic, dystopian, post apocalyptic scenario… can be done safely and successfully.

Lights by Herm Lights

It was raining all day and some at the show. After the sun went down it felt freezing. During a wet, cold night like this it’s vital that the band ‘bring the heat’ to get the crowd moving. In a situation like that, if the music is slow and not captivating people will leave because it’s uncomfortable to stand outside. But if it’s thumping and everyone’s dancing, you bet they’re going to stay.

Ryan Dempsey takes a rare keytar solo

Twiddle brought it. Dynamic, bass heavy, shredding, face melting goodness, no kumbaya sing songy b.s… Okay maybe one “When it Rains It Pours,” but that one’s so catchy and appropriate for the night that we’ll let it slide.

We’re not in Vermont anymore

The first set started out with Polluted Beauty, some positivity to lift the spirits and get the crowd going. Then the monstrous Gatsby The Great >Slippin’ In The Kitchen > Gatsby The Great which took up most of the first set, weaving in and out of intricate grooves. “Syncopated Healing” closed up the killer first set.

Mihali x3

Set two featured the popular “When It Rains It Pours,” a monstrous “Cabbage Face,” and “Frankenfoote” to close up the set. Set two featured a wider variety of songs and grooves. Ryan Dempsey took a key-tar solo, got up on his chair to play with his foot, and threw a pumpkin at the crowd which masterfully bounced on the rail and missed anyone around.

Brook Jordan shining

Twiddle put on an incredible show; their fans were screaming for more. They return with a hard rocking “Juggernaut” encore to close up the show.

Twiddle New Jersey “Juggernaut” encore

My car neighbors mentioned they’ve seen Twiddle twice before and it got me thinking: I’ve been spoiled to see and shoot this band all around the states for over five years now. And I must say that I’ve always like the band, but after this show I think I’m a true fan.

You gotta like apples, man

Twiddle at Sussex County Fairgrounds 11/1/20
- Set 1:
  - Polluted Beauty
  - Gatsby The Great >Slippin’ In The Kitchen > Gatsby The Great
  - Syncopated Healing
- Set 2:
  - Hattie’s Jam
  - When It Rains It Pours
  - Cabbage Face
  - Brown Chicken Brown Cow
  - River Drift
  - Blunderbuss
  - Frankenfoote
- Encore:
  - Juggernaut
- - 1- Harry Potter, Halloween theme teases
  - 2- Ghostbusters tease
  - 3- Canon in D
Twiddle New Jersey
November 5, 2020
Dirty Heads perform Drive In Concert at Lafayette
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.

Check Out Photos From Dirty Heads
October 29, 2020
This Darkness Has Got to Give: A Look at Independent Music Venues Across NY
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.

Long Island – photos by Rob Tellerman
Brooklyn and Manhattan – photos by Amanda Siedner
Syracuse – photos by Josh Davis
Utica – photo courtesy of The Stanley Theatre

Manhattan – photos by Joseph Buscarello
Rochester – photos by Corinne Cummings
Ithaca – photo by Casey Martin

Tarrytown – photos by Steve Malinski
Geneva – photo by Joseph Booth
Saratoga Springs – photo by Sly Fox

Albany – photos by Zach Culver
Buffalo – photos by Derek Hosken
The Hudson Valley – photos by Mickey Deneher
Buffalo – photos by Zachary Todtenhagen
October 22, 2020
lespecial and Eggy bring the Heat at Le Getaway
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
October 20, 2020
Flashback: NIN Annihilates Radio City Music Hall Crowds for two nights

Flashback to October 13 and 14, 2018. Nine Inch Nails played two sold out shows at New York’s iconic Radio City Music Hall. It was apart of NIN Cold and Black and Infinite tour. Other major stops included Red Rock in Colorado, and the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.

The 26 date tour concluded in December 2018 with four nights at The Palladium in Los Angeles. The tour came in support of the new NIN album Bad Witch, which was the third and final instalment in a trilogy series that began in 2016.

The Jesus and Mary Chain opened the show. Back in the day, JAMC had taken NIN on the road as openers. This time Trent and co returned the favor. Their set was awesome. A killer lightshow, and great sound highlighted their career span on songs “Just Like Honey” and “Some Candy Talking.” It was cool to see them with NIN all those years later, especially at Radio City.

NIN switched up their Radio City set considerably from night one. The first four songs were from The Fragile. On October 13, no songs from the album were played. They also drew from The Downward Spiral including “Piggy,” “Closer,” and “The Becoming.” It was strange they didn’t play anything from their newest album “Bad Witch,” flashing back to their archives only.

Another highlight was “Burn,” a song from a great movie and soundtrack, Natural Born Killers. NIN did not disappoint with favorite “Help Me I’m in Hell” as part of the encore. The only similarities between night one and night two was – “Head Like A Hole” closed the pre-encore set and “Hurt” closed the entire show.

One of the first concerts I ever attended was NIN at Nassau Coliseum in 1994. It is amazing to see how much this band has evolved over the years, especially at Radio City Music Hall. Their music is still ahead of its time now as it was back then. Although industrial music started sometime in the 1970’s, bands like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry were credited for making the genre popular, bringing it into the mainstream.

Setlist: Somewhat Damaged, The Day The World Went Away, The Frail, The Wretched, The Beginning of the End, Survivalism, Piggy, Burn, La Mer, Closer, The Becoming, I Can’t Give Everything Away, The Lovers, The Great Destroyer, Burning Bright, Head Like A Hole.

Encore: Help Me I’m In Hell, Happiness In Slavery, Even Deeper, Hurt

October 14, 2020
Phil Collins Brings His 2019 ‘Not Dead Yet’ Tour to MSG
On October 7, 2019, Phil Collins brought his ‘Not Dead Yet’ Tour to Madison Square Garden for two nights. The tour was 97 shows total including legs in Europe, North America, South America and Australia. and named after his 2016 autobiography. Due to ongoing nerve damage with his hands, this is the first tour that Collins did not play drums. Instead he relied on his son, 18 year old Nicholas Collins to handle all the drum parts. He did an excellent job and I’m sure his father was proud.

Back surgery had also left Phil with a paralyzed right foot so he had to remain seated during this tour. His backup band included guitarist Daryl Stuermer, keyboardist Brad Cole, bassist Leland Sklar, percussionist Richie Garcia and featured Nicholas Collins on drums.

It was a bit awkward as Phil hobbled on stage assisted by a cane, but I don’t think he cared much and neither did the audience. You realize he is an absolute legend as he begins to play hit after hit spanning his 50 plus year career. He sounded fantastic. He even snuck in a few Genesis songs along the way and teased a Genesis reunion which is now supposed to take place sometime in 2021. They played for 2 and half hours, and still couldn’t possibly play every song everyone wanted to hear.

The 19 song setlist barely scratched the surface of even just his greatest hits. One of the highlights of the show was when Collins, his son Nicholas and percussionist Richie Garcia had a wild synchronized percussionist duel which culminated with both of them coming out to sit with Phil and play amplifies cajons. It really brought the energy up and was the closest thing we got to see him playing drums. Another highlight was when he brought his son Nicholas to accompany him on piano on “You Know What I Mean” which Collins said his son requested to be included on the tour.

Nicholas returned to the drums as Phil stood for the only time to perform “In the Air Tonight.” He kept the energy up with “Can’t Hurry Love” and “Invisible Touch” ending the show with “Easy Lover,” Sussudio” and “Take Me Home.”

The crowd, including myself was definitely pleased with the performance and went home happy. Weather or not he will ever play again solo or with Genesis will remain to be seen.

Setlist: Against All Odds, Another Day in Paradise, Hang In Long Enough, Don’t Lose My Number, Throwing It All Away (Genesis), Follow You Follow Me (Genesis), I Missed Again, Who Said I Would, Separate Lives, Drum Trio, Something Happened On The Way To Heaven, You Know What I Mean, In The Air Tonight, You Can’t Hurry Love, Dance Into The Light, Invisible Touch (Genesis), Easy Lover, Sussudio, Take Me Home
October 7, 2020
Fans flock to Swanzey, NH for Goose at Drive-In Live
Goose has been loose across New England in the past few weeks, performing Drive-In shows in Yarmouth, MA, Morris, CT, Essex Junction, VT and soon they’ll head to Ohio, Maryland and North Carolina. Goose hit a fever pitch with fans in 2019 and have made the most of this new era of live music, between a successful Bingo Tour in June, and recent Drive-In stops across the Northeast.

So when Goose headed from Northern Vermont down to Southwestern New Hampshire on Saturday, October 3, they marked the closest shows to New York State, and beyond their just announced Halloween run at South Farms in Morris, CT, these shows stand to be the final chances to catch Goose in the Northeast, possibly until 2021.

Arriving at the Cheshire Fairgrounds in Swanzey, NH, cars were greeted by a friendly staff and it was incredibly easy for you to locate your car’s spot. Areas on either side of your car were marked off for social distancing, and your party could begin once you were parked.

No matter where you parked, the sound was incredibly good. Speaker stacks made it so the folks in the C section towards the back got the same quality as folks in the A section up front, allowing all to hear the new clavinet for guitarist/keyboardist Peter Anspach. Even the sloping hill allowed for good views even from the top of the venue.

Highlights from the evening included an early cover of The Band’s “Look Out Cleveland” and 20-minute versions of “Madhuvan” and the second set opening “Tumble.” Tom Waits’ dark “Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis” followed “Tumble,” and was repeated in the encore due to skipping a portion of the song the first time. The encore was polished off by the second ‘Jive’ tune of the night, “Jive Lee.” Listen to the show on Archive here.

Swanzey has succeeded in a state where live music is still embraced and allowed, and should be looked at as a template for how to pull off live music until the pandemic has subsided. On Saturday, October 31st, Pink Talking Fish will headline a at Drive-In Live in Swanzey, featuring Mihali from Twiddle and Neighbor, marking the grand finale for the Drive-In Live concert series.

The night before in Burlington, Goose welcomed Giant Country Horns member Dave ‘The Truth’ Grippo for most of the show, including “Time to Flee,” seen below.

Setlist – Goose at Drive-In Live, Swanzey, NH, October 2, 2020

Set 1:Yeti, Look Out Cleveland*, Honey Bee, Jive I, Madhuvan, 726
Set 2: Tumble, Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis^, All I Need, Echo Of A Rose, Flodown
Encore: Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis^, Jive Lee

* The Band ^Tom Waits

For Halloween, Goose will perform two shows on Friday, October 30th and Saturday, October 31st. South Farms has hosted numerous acts, using the multipurpose outdoor venue with a grid-like layout where the audience is situated in pairs, on 8’x8’ plots of grass.

Unlike drive-in shows, South Farms is equipped for the band to use live sound, as opposed to FM radio transmitters. Social distancing guidelines are in effect while attending the event.

Ticket presale begins on Wednesday, October 7 at 10 AM ET, followed by a general onsale on Friday. October 9 at 10 AM ET.

photos by Zach Culver
October 7, 2020