Before moe. hit the Drive-In circuit this fall, they made a stop to the familiar confines of the Palace Theatre in Albany for a performance that was far from normal. Setting up in the lobby of the Palace, the band performed and recorded a ‘playthrough’ of their new album Not Normal, premiering Thursday, November 19 at 8:30pm on moe.’s YouTube Channel.
photo by Frankie Cavone
Not Normal is the second album to be released by moe. in 2020. The first This is Not, We Are, was shared with fans through weekly videos in May and June. There are no details yet on the five-track studio release, adding a shroud of mystery to the evening’s performance.
photo by Frankie Cavone
On Friday, November 20, Not Normal will be released digitally, and This is Not, We Are will have its long-awaited physical release.
Pre-order physical copies of Not Normal & enter to win a signed test pressing here.
This is Not, We Are:The latest track, “Dangerous Game,” written by Al Schnier, gives us two takes – one from the studio spliced with a live version from the song’s debut at the State Theatre in Portland, ME on February 16, 2019. Schnier explains about the song:
“This song came from me watching and reading a little bit too much news these days. I don’t want to say that this song is political in nature; it’s more about the personalities of the people in power and maybe the cult of personality and those things we all contend with. I don’t want it to come across as some leftist, liberal rant against the current people in power. It’s more a song about my personal concerns about anyone who would be in a position of power.”
Brooklyn based musical fusion, Shubh Saran, is Becoming a musical world map for genres. In a cell-phone driven society, you would open your GPS to navigate outward. Saran, 29, becomes a medium, channeling a multitude of genres inward and back out through his compositions. The Indian native fuses traditional music, with punk, blues, rock and his head-on studies in Jazz.
The Delhi high school student made Berklee dream come true, honed his passion amongst a “best-of-the-best” melting pot at the college. He has resided in multiple countries, grabbing musical influence at every turn, and it shows. Now calling New York home, Saran’s latest creation, Becoming, is a must explore.
The title track and lead single off the album was originally released Nov. 12, 2019.
The 5-track EP is an navigation to new color palettes that will re-texture the ears of the most seasoned listener. The goal is not a means to an end; It is an exposition of clashing sounds that provoke a journey of unforeseen turns.
Take The title track “Becoming” as example. Saran cresendos into a collapsing overture, filled with dual-drum-sets, arching strings and key pads. Everything peaks at once until Saran reels you back in with his ethereal guitar passage. It draws you into the basement of Berklee’s practice rooms and jam-sessions; the moment where you are sucked in reverse to the doorway, as an unknown musical fusion burst from its seams.
Pairs of drums, Saxophones and strings create a flam-like density. An illusion of the same track being overlapped in slight delay should sound abrasive yet this creates an ever-expanding feeling. The 5:09 track feels like one deep inhale. Its healing breath ends abruptly.
‘Becoming’ definitely wasn’t written as the single off the album, nor was the EP supposed to be named after the song, or vice versa. As I started writing it, though, I began to realize that this is the anthemic song that really sums up the whole message of the EP.”
Shubh Saran Becoming – Released February 10, 2020
Saran’s musical quests become physical as he travels across the globe with his work. Strength, musical and cultural growth bloom in the cyclical nature of Suran’s playing. Most recently he took this EP on tour to with performances and workshops across New Delhi, Goa, Gurgaon and Mumbai. “I compose in a modern jazz sort of idiom, but I decided to revisit the music I grew up with as a teenager… it was Blink-182, punk rock, Green Day, the kind of music you don”t associate with ”serious music”,” Saran told Outlook India. Saran is giving back, filling the music void he had as a high school student. He excites the musical realm and young artists alike.
“I’ve always liked artists who have long music careers, where their first album is really different from their last album, and you can see the evolution and influences over time. I’m just celebrating that by being who I am as a musician.”
Update: Twiddle’s Frendsgiving performance will now take place in Vermont this weekend. As reported by Relix, due to an abundance of caution for COVID-19, Twiddle have decided to switch locations for their annual Frendsgiving shows.
The crowdless livestreams performances were set to take place on Nov. 27 and 28 at Port Chester, N.Y.’s Capitol Theatre. They will now take place at an undisclosed location in Twiddle’s home state of Vermont. The shows will still be broadcast on FANS.
Original article follows below:
Every soul looking forward to Twiddle‘s annual Frendsgiving, which found a home at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester since 2017, bringing fans together for a celebration as the holiday season kicks off. Twiddle will continue the tradition over November 27 and 28, streaming a live performance from The Cap.
Pre-sale discounted passes and limited edition screenprint bundles are on sale now, with a general on-sale beginning Wednesday, November 18, at 10a.m. ET.
In the true Twiddle spirit of loving relentlessly, the band plans to donate a portion of each Frendsgiving ticket sale to the White Light Foundation in support of forthcoming winter initiatives. Fans also have an opportunity to win one of seventy-five Paul Kreizenbeck Screen Prints, seen below.
To win one of these prints, go to Twiddle’s Frendsgiving Facebook Post, tag three “frends,” and share your favorite memory of Twiddle at The Cap – extra points for photos, sharing, and making people happy – three winners will be chosen at Noon on Thanksgiving Day!
Order stream passes (pre-sale code: FRENDS). For more information, visit TwiddleMusic.com
Pioneering hip hop producer, Pete Rock, is set to release the third installment of his PeteStrumentalsseries of beat albums. The Bronx native released the inaugural project in 2001, beginning a trend of beat albums for producers looking to share their un-versed work.
The second edition was released in 2015, with the latest version set to feature his live ensemble, The Soul Brothers.
With the album set to arrive on December 11 through his Tru Souls imprint, the legendary producer released the album’s first single and video “Say it Again” last week. Now he has decided to share the project’s second single, “Rejoice.” Amidst a strong Jazz and Funk influence, the record features looping guitar and drum set, with a strong 70’s feel. Running just over two-minutes, it resembles something of an Isaac Hayes composition, standing as the perfect cross between laid-back and up-tempo, action packed music.
In an interview with OkayPlayer, the fabled producer went into more depth on the song’s creation. “I created ‘Rejoice’ in my basement as just a simple idea of a beat I made in my head. I listened to some jazz that day and heard something interesting and remembered it and just gave the band a direction reference; and they took it from there.”
Known for some of the most iconic production in rap history, the Grammy-winner has taken a different approach to this upcoming album, this time assembling a full-on band. The outfit includes, two-time Grammy-winning drummer Daru Jones, later on recruiting guitarist Marcus Machado, bassists Mono Neon and Christopher McBride, keyboardist BigYuki (A Tribe Called Quest), and vocalist Jermaine Holmes (D’Angelo). “I want the best; I’m like James Brown and Kool & The Gang; I want precision,” Pete Rock alerts.
One of the better Grateful Dead shows at the Fillmore East was aided by its surprise attack. Allegedly, two nights before at the same venue, Grace Slick, on behalf of Bill Graham, announced an impromptu “pop-up” show with Jefferson Airplane and the Dead at the same venue that would take place just days later. Since Slick was still pregnant at the time, Jefferson Airplane wound up being replaced as the opener by Hot Tuna. The New Riders of the Purple Sage played an opening set as well as was customary for this tour.
There’s also some previous controversy surrounding this show. For years, it’s been misidentified as an 11/23/70 show at the Anderson Theater in New York City. After a Bill Graham introduction, the band is off and running immediately with a “Casey Jones” that ably motors down the tracks. Next, Bob Weir leads them through the traditional first set stalwart of “Me and My Uncle.”
Oddly, the house PA seems to cut in after this with a recording of Elton John’s take on “Honkey Tonk Women.” This leads into a a cut version “Friend of the Devil.” Despite this lapse, Garcia’s vocals sound pristine in the recording and the band is on point. Then, after essentially a “no huddle” transition, a short yet crisp version of “Cold Rain and Snow” takes place. Afterwards, Pigpen finally gets to take lead for a while as he leads the Dead through a cover of Slim Harpo’s blue standard “I’m A King Bee.” The opening harmonica solo and later interludes between that and guitar solos stretch this one out into a healthy, bluesy jam.
Another classic first set pairing ensues with “China Cat Sunflower,” eventually joined by its traditional partner, “I Know You Rider.” A seemingly quick transition jam later sees the band in full vocal harmony on this spirited take of yet another classic blues cover.
At this point, a special guest joins them on stage in the form of Traffic’s Steve Winwood. The blues sentiment that had been previously established seems to carry right over to the cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle” that follows. Once again, Pigpen lends his signature vocal prowess to this classic Dead cover. Winwood’s backing on Pigpen’s Hammond organ is immediately felt and can be heard throughout. This one gets into a serious jam with Pigpen taking a backseat and Winwood soloing on top of the groove. Then came the relatively new “Big Railroad Blues,” yet another cover, written by Noah Lewis of Cannon’s Jug Stompers that dates all the way back to 1928.
Right after, the heavily percussive intro of “Not Fade Away” begins with. Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi of Traffic join the band on a half-hearted attempt at the vocals. This eventually evolves into a deep, drum-led jam. More splendid Winwood outbursts later lead into “Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad” with Garcia and Weir reassuming command. Surprisingly, at its conclusion, this shifts right back into one more quick take of “Not Fade Away,” albeit this time with Weir confidently taking the lead on vocals.
After more than three minutes of a break between songs, Weir once again takes lead on the “Mama Tried” that follows. This is followed by one of the better two-song sequences of the evening. The relatively fresh “Truckin’,” debuted only months earlier at the Fillmore West, follows. Hot Tuna’s Will Scarlet adds a touch of harmonica to this one. Another percussive laden jam follows that seamlessly steers itself into a mesmerizing version of “The Other One.”
The jam that ensues gets spacey midway through before settling back into its normal progression. This is followed with the unofficial encore of “Uncle John’s Band” with more early harmonica fills from Will Scarlet – a near acoustic version until the drums kick in. It’s still fairly new song at this time, but this version is flawless as it continues to build its reputation. This put the cap on the Dead’s “surprise” Fillmore East gig.
On Tuesday, November 17, the Rochmon Record Club will return to Saratoga’s Caffe Lena for a virtual listening party of The Beach Boys’ 1966 album Pet Sounds. The show begins at 7:00 p.m. EST on Zoom.
Hosted by Chuck Vosganian, Rochmon Record Club began meeting at Caffe Lena in 2017. Previous listening parties have included Janis Joplin’s Pearl, The Beatles’ Abbey Road, and Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run. Comprised of stories, photos, biographical and technical information on the albums, they’re some of the venue’s most popular events. “The show I love to do was developed at Caffe Lena. The family atmosphere and sense of history in that wonderful room feels like going home,” says Vosganian.
The Beach Boys’ 11th album, Pet Sounds was a departure from their early California sound. Frontman, Brian Wilson, produced the entire album by himself, and even refers to it as his true solo debut. While Pet Sounds was immediately acclaimed in the UK, it took longer for US music critics to warm up. In retrospect, critics and fans have come to appreciate it as the group’s best work. Rolling Stone christened it second-best album of all time on their 2003 list of 500 greatest albums, and it retained the number two spot in both 2012 and 2020 updates.
The most recognizable song on Pet Sounds is its opening track, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” Its socially conservative lyrics about a high school romance were a stark contrast to the more suggestive themes of rock and roll. While not on Pet Sounds, the Beach Boys released their signature song “Good Vibrations” as a standalone single the same year.
Registration is required to attend the listening party, and while free, Caffe Lena will have a virtual tip jar. Throughout the pandemic, Caffe Lena has continued to stream concerts, listening parties, music classes, and community conversations.
Trey Anastasio returned for another installment of The Beacon Jams last night and delivered another astounding show with a well-crafted setlist that showcased several TAB debuts.
Trey was joined by the usual suspects rounding out his band. This included Ray Paczkowski (keyboards), Tony Markellis (bass), Russ Lawton (drums) and Cyro Baptista (percussion). In addition to his backing band, Trey was also again joined by the Rescue Squad Stings. They were composed of Maxim Moston (violin), Katie Kresek (violin), Rachel Golub (viola), and Anja Wood (cello). Jeff Tanski (piano) also sat in sporadically as well. The band was rounded out by the Angels 3 backing vocalists: Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson and Jo Lampert.
Trey and company wasted absolutely no time opening up with the Phish staple “You Enjoy Myself,” a TAB debut. The opening sequence of the song featured The Rescue Squad strings adding an elegant touch of flair to the beloved number. After “The Silver Light,” Trey turned to his acoustic guitar for a beautiful version of “Winterqueen” before shifting gears to the heavy-hitter “The Moma Dance.”
One of the highlights of the evening came in the middle of the set. Trey opted for the classic Phish ballad “Billy Breathes,” another full TAB debut, where Trey delivered the song’s signature solo (even though he claimed he “messed up”). Before a percussion-heavy version of “Bouncing Around The Room,” Trey dedicated the song to his longtime friend/co-writer Tom Marshall – who recently celebrated his birthday.
The evening wrapped up with a fitting message of hope and optimism in “Rise/Come Together” which fully embraces the overarching theme of The Beacon Jams as a whole. This week’s show also raised over $100,000 for The Divided Sky Fund which provides quality care and compassionate treatment for those struggling with substance abuse issues. If fans are able to donate they can head over to trey.com/donate. The Beacon Jams will resume next Friday at 8 p.m. on Trey’s personal Twitch channel.
Set: You Enjoy Myself [1], The Silver Light, Winterqueen [2], The Moma Dance [3], Kill Devil Falls[3], Twenty Years Later[3], Mercy [4], Light [5], Summer of ’89 [6], Joy [7], A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing[3], Farmhouse, Tube[3], Billy Breathes[3], Every Story Ends in Stone, Bouncing Around the Room[3], Wading in the Velvet Sea[3], Are You There Colleen? [8], Rise/Come Together
[1] Full TAB debut. Began with just Trey with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano with the rest of the band and Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, Jo Lampert joining in on vocals later. Lyrics changed to “boy, woman, god, shit.”
[2] Trey on acoustic guitar with the full band and singers.
[3] Full TAB debut.
[4] Debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano.
[5] With The Rescue Squad Strings.
[6] With just Trey on acoustic guitar and The Rescue Squad Strings.
[7] Full TAB debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings.
[8] Debut.
This performance was part of The Beacon Jams series and featured the debuts of Mercy and Are You There Colleen? and the full TAB debuts of You Enjoy Myself, Moma Dance, Kill Devil Falls, Twenty Years Later, Joy, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Tube, Billy Breathes, Bouncing Around the Room, and Wading in the Velvet Sea. You Enjoy Myself began with just Trey with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano with the rest of the band and Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, Jo Lampert joining in on vocals later. The lyrics in You Enjoy Myself were changed to “boy, woman, god, shit.” Winterqueen featured Trey on acoustic guitar with the full band and singers. Trey teased No Men In No Man’s Land in Moma Dance. Mercy through Joy featured The Rescue Squad Strings. Mercy also featured Jeff Tanski on piano. Summer of ’89 featured just Trey on acoustic guitar with the Strings. Trey quoted On the Road Again after Summer of ’89. Trey quoted She Blinded Me with Science in Tube.
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 the latest EP from Albany’s Son of a Gun 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.
Son of a Gun – “Call of Days Past,” “Wind of Change,” and more!
In Fall 2018 Ben Sokol (vocals/guitar), Tyler Treacy (bass) and Rob Piccola (drums) started jamming through a mutual friend who worked at a music store. Rob had a place to jam and Ben and Tyler had been playing together in another band that had gone through some lineup changes. It was time for something new. It was clear pretty quickly that the chemistry was good. Work began immediately on some songs Ben had written and as Tyler and Rob contributed their pieces to them an overall sound took shape. From there, Son of a Gun was born.
Ben would often (and still does) record rudimentary versions of his original songs with the basic structures and lyrics on an acoustic guitar, and Tyler and Rob would come up with parts. Those parts would almost always get tossed at the next rehearsal, the band preferring the material they would come up with on the fly when improvising off each other.
The songs still stay between the lines of the basic structure that was written, but they end up with a more custom paint job, and that can be true at live shows too. They wouldn’t consider themselves a jam band, but the hunt for new sonic territory is always there, and each show has moments of spontaneity. The band started to make the rounds locally, and sold out their first show at Albany’s Jupiter Hall. It was a kickoff to winning over audiences all over Upstate New York.
Crowds overwhelmingly responded positively wherever the band played, and their connection with the original songs was especially apparent, Lyrically the songs deal with subject matter that sometimes comes from Ben’s personal life, but other times the narrator of the song may be a character. Regardless, Ben doesn’t mince words. Whether he’s writing about something he’s been through, something he’s seen from others, or something else entirely, if you listen to the songs, you’re going to know how he feels about it.
The simple beauty that makes it work is that you’ve felt like that too. The band self-recorded their eponymous debut album at Rob’s studio (Sundog Sound) in Voorheesville, NY, and released it in January 2020, just in time to begin cancelling touring opportunities that had begun to materialize. The band did what the band does, and hit the rehearsal room again with a new batch of songs. As of this writing an EP has been recorded and the guys are working to get it mixed, mastered, and digitally released in the early part of 2021. The plan is to get back to torching stages as soon as possible, hopefully to support the EP that’s coming your way!
Despite anxiety and unease in the air all around the globe, Ithaca’s soul/rock/pop/prog ensemble Noon Fifteen returns to Finish What You Started, their series of thematic releases with a focus of confronting your fears. Three new songs from the collection — “Dinosaurs,” “Easy,” and “Scared To” — will be released via the band’s podcast and YouTube channel between Halloween and Thanksgiving, coinciding with the 2020 U.S. Presidential election and the waning of this frightening year.
The first release of the three, “Easy,” tackles internal and external conflicts that keep us standing still, pairing with the soon to be released “Scared To.” Watch the video from vocalist/guitarist Mandy Goldman.
Additionally, keyboardist Samuel B. Lupowitz’s composition “Dinosaurs” examines the danger and violence wrought by outmoded political philosophies.
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has kept Noon Fifteen apart for most of 2020, the band members have remained productive. Goldman, Lupowitz, Harry Nichols (bass/vocals), Joe Massa (guitar), and Phil Shay (drums/vocals have released two standalone singles this year, “Thaw” in March and the found-sounds creation “Outside” in August. Pre-quarantine, on Halloween 2019, the band released their 22-minute rock opera,At the Festival.
The initial installments in the Finish What You Started song cycle, “The Cell,” “The Tick,” and the title track, were released in the summer of 2019 during Noon Fifteen’s “Julyfecta” run of shows. While those tracks were recorded in a tiny studio at Cornell University, the new releases continue the band’s collaboration with Chris Ploss at Sunwood Recording in Trumansburg, NY, with mid-pandemic finishing touches recorded at Lupowitz and Goldman’s new home studio in Ithaca.
Each of the Finish What You Started track is accompanied by an interactive 360* video, allowing the viewer to observe the band’s performance from the center of the recording studio. A behind-the-scenes podcast, hosted by Dan Cole, founder and longtime host of WVBR-FM’s “Tuesdays with the Band,” will reveal details about the writing and recording of the songs, as well as the band’s influences, inspirations, and offbeat sense of humor.
Since their 2017 debut,Volume 1, Noon Fifteen has leveraged a why-not, can-do attitude and a proudly DIY aesthetic to present their music to the world. As we said of their debut, Noon Fifteen is “a small town band with a big imagination,” with five friends aiming to deliver fun, forward-thinking songs bathed in layered vocals and old school instrumentation.
The final installments of Finish What You Started will be released in 2021.
Syracuse quartet, Vaporeyes, is set to release its sophomore album Cantrips this Friday the 13th. This comes on the heels of Vaporeyes’ eponymous first album, a Syracuse Area Music Award winner just last year. Both albums were beautifully produced by More Sound Recording Studio and are quite the sonic achievement.
“Cantrips is an old Scot word that basically means a magical spell of any kind” says Jonas Reddy-Nicholson (keyboards, vocals) when asked about the meaning of the name. He goes on to say, “Cantrips is also what they call the type of spells one can cast at any time in the game Dungeons & Dragons.” The band ended up tying the new album thematically to a D&D campaign that they played together.
And play together, they do. Stylistically they fit snugly into the jam genre. Pat Tierney (guitar) is such a versatile player. He can solo and do the heavy jam riffing so familiar to fans of the jam scene. But he also steps back and lets the other players in the band shine in their roles. “Juice” opens the new album and has a psychedelic, escapist vibe to it. The ethereal vocals and keyboards from Reddy-Nicholson lay the foundation. And the rhythm section members, Shannon Zory (bass) and Sean Cadley (drums) only accentuate the flow.
But before you close your eyes and float away, the band changes things up, shaking the listener from the dream state. One of my favorite examples of this on the new album is “Donye Wump.” Cadley on the drums turns the tempo up and brings everyone along with him. Zory’s bass lines are a joy here, too – thumping, moving and bumping. Hearing this song live is an absolute blast.
The members of Vaporeyes all live together, which made all band activities (band meetings, practices, livestream performances and working on new music) all that much easier to schedule and follow through on. Moving into the Covid-19 lockdowns of this past Spring, the band was in a unique position. They had an abundance of time together and really were able to do even more work on the music and new album. When their gig money dried up, they launched what turned out to be an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign to fund Cantrips. It wasn’t just a win for Vaporeyes. Give this album a listen. This is a win for all of us!
Key Tracks: Juice, Donye Wump, Peregrine
For more Vaporeyes information, as well as recordings of their excellent “Quarantine Jams” can be found on Vaporeyes’ Facebook page.
