NYS Music 202​0

Category: Regions

  • Caffe Lena Cancels Reopening

    Update: Based on the rise of new Covid-19 infections in the Saratoga Springs region, Caffe Lena have announced the halt of live audience concerts at their venue. This postponement comes just after the announcement of a series of live audience concerts that were to be held starting July 14. Programming will continue via livestreams. Once the infection has diminished Caffe Lena plans on reopening their doors to a live audience.

    See original announcement below.

    Saratoga’s Caffe Lena Set To Reopen During Phase 4

    Saratoga Springs‘ famous 60+ year old concert venue, Caffe Lena, begun preparations to reopen, as performance venues are given the green light during Phase 4 of New York’s reopening plan.

    In a press release Caffe Lena’s Executive Director Sarah Craig explains their plan:

    “We’re taking it in baby steps, starting with 25% capacity. Live performance venues were the first to shut down, and they’re the last to reopen. It’s essential for the future of music that we work out a way to open stages safely. Our goal is to meet and surpass the NYS Health Department guidelines.”

    The venue’s first regular concert would have taken place on July 14 with ensemble members from the New York City Ballet. Serving as an alternative opening night due to the cancellation of their Saratoga Performing Arts Center performance, the five musicians would have been able to play for 12 parties as well as hundreds that will be tuning in via an online stream. In compliance with social distancing, guidelines seating would have been in groups of two to four with no individual tickets being offered the time. The New York City Ballet will now be live-streamed event instead of being a live audience concert after the postponement.

    https://youtu.be/UCH4LeK8iY4

    When New York hit pause in March Caffe Lena was forced to close its doors to the public. Due to designation as an essential business for live broadcasting use, the seats remained empty but thousands watched via the venue’s Youtube channel, concerts taking place on Lena’s stage.

    “Recognizing that many of our patrons are not in a position to return to public gatherings, we’re becoming a kind of hybrid live-stream and live-audience venue,” explained Craig. “From now on, our headline concerts will be available in real time via Vimeo for a small fee, and our community programs and shows featuring local amateur talent will be streamed on YouTube for free.”

    Tickets and Information about Caffe Lena’s upcoming schedule are available on their website.

  • Michael Gregory Jackson releases “Change,” a sprawling live jazz suite for Nelson Mandela

    Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Vernon Reid, Marc Ribot and Mary Halvorsen. One look at the list of progressive jazz guitar all-stars who have named Michael Gregory Jackson as an influence demonstrates the continued resonance and relevance of his four-decades of exceptionally creative music-making.

    Jackson was barely out of his teens when he came to prominence in the adventurous New York City Loft Jazz scene of the 1970s, first with The Oliver Lake Quartet then his own edge-pushing solo albums like “Clarity” and “Gifts.” Over the years, he has crafted a continually evolving, uniquely genre-skipping discography, with a cliché-free musical architecture that is all his own. Jackson has explored everything from the furthest out in free jazz to the Stevie Wonder-inspired R&B popcraft of 80’s releases like the Nile Rodgers-produced “Situation X.” Then there’s the bare-bones singer-songwriter with guitar chops acousticity of his small label CDs of the 90s and early 00s like “The Way We Used to Do” and “Red,” two recent albums he played on and produced for acclaimed trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and a recent slate of recordings with his Clarity Quartet, cut with his European band during his frequent forays in Denmark.

    Michael Gregory Jackson

    Jackson’s latest release is something splendid from his archives, a 1994 live recording by a nine-piece unit of an emotional original work, “Change: A Suite for Nelson Mandela.”  It’s fuses knotty ensemble melodies and fiery soloing, with a sung poetry that celebrates the end of Apartheid and Mandela’s triumphant journey from political prisoner to President of South Africa.

    The peace unfolds quietly, with mournful string chording of keyboardist John Livermore serving as the backdrop for a four-minute solo by trumpeter Stephen Haynes. Here, Haynes travels from quiet loneliness to screaming wails to musically illustrate Mandela’s long struggle. His dramatic and narrative playing, with its many slurs and stabs, brings to mind the late great Lester Bowie of Art Ensemble of Chicago fame. 

    The main body of the song is a driving, up-tempo swing, with Jackson vocalizing a call for unity, a celebrating of the changes in South Africa and the need for similar movement here in the U.S, aided by a trio of female singers, Tamsen Fynn, Eva Fierstein and Sara Lazare.  It’s a heady mix of jazz, soul and sizzling rock reminiscent of some of the pieces from one of my favorite Jackson albums, 1979’s “Heart and Center.”

    There’s more hard drive following in a long tenor sax solo by Chuck Langford, in a call and response with Jackson singing the tune’s main refrain “change will grace us all.”  Things change up again in the fourth movement, where Jackson showcases his wonderfully avant/blues approach in a long expressionistic solo, over an almost offbeat reggae/funk pulse from drummer Joe Fitzpatrick and bassist Chris Murch.  As the solo climaxes, the horns join with stabs and long chords that propel Jackson to more fiery chromatic soloing and chording, before a roar of ensemble screams as Jackson sings out “change.”   The piece closes with a reprise of the intro synth chording and the applause of an appreciative audience that experienced this musical journey.  It’s something that is sorely needed by all music lovers in these Quarantine times, a reminder of what we miss most – the live music experience.

    This new release, and many of his remastered albums and other limited-edition singles and album outtakes (check out the bad-assed wah wah playing on “Miles OG”!) are available at his Bandcamp site and on Spotify.

  • 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.

  • Rock the Dock and Eastbound Throwdown festivals cancel for 2020

    Two beloved music festivals in the 518 will not return until 2021 due to COVID-19. Rock the Dock, held in Lake George, and Eastbound Throwdown, held in Salem, have each postponed their scheduled events until next year

    rock the dock eastbound throwdown

    Originally scheduled for July 17, then rescheduled for August 14, the festival was looking forward to their fourth year at Lake George Steamboat Company, but have made plans for July 23, 2021 to hold the annual event.

    Founded by Formula 5 in 2017 as a way to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Lake George Steamboat Company, the band played their final show on July 12, 2019 at Rock the Dock. The festival hosts regional and national acts with a stage on the pier of the Lake George Steamboat Company, with three steamboats framing the event.

    Keyboardist Matt Richards of Formula 5 was slated to return with Annie in the Water for this year’s installment, but that will have to wait another year. Other announced artists included Dogs in a Pile, Raisinhead, and Big Time Kitty.

    eastbound throwdown

    Eastbound Throwdown, hosted by beloved Northern rock outfit Eastbound Jesus, was scheduled to take place September 11-12, 2020. New dates have not been announced, and only Eastbound Jesus was announced for the lineup this year. Past lineups have included The Mallett Brothers Band, Girl Blue, Driftwood, Formula 5, The Ghost of Paul Revere, among many others.

  • Mongolian rock band The Hu raise much needed COVID-19 relief funds

    Mongolia’s highest praised rock band, The HU, have released a beautiful new acoustic video for their newest release, “Shireg Shireg.” The video offers insight of the bands recording process in the studio while also showing clips of live performances by the band. The video also showcases some of the traditional Mongolian folk instruments the band utilizes in their music.

    The video was dropped as a teaser for the deluxe version of the bands latest studio album The Greg set to drop July 10th. The album features performances from a star studded feature list including artists such as Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach, and Lzzy Hale of Halestorm. The original copy of the release has sold an impressive 130,000 copies thus far.

    Last weekend, The HU played their homecoming show after their recent sold out world tour, with a televised performance at White Rock Centre in Ulaanbaatar in aid of the Mongolian Covid-19 relief. The concert was aired on TV in Mongolia raising a total of 53 million MNT, approximately $19,000 USD. The concert was also made available to a global audience through streaming on Facebook and YouTube, raising $5,000 and counting.

    To find out more about The HU visit their website.

  • NYC Indie Outfit Longwave release video for “It’s Not Impossible,” share Bowery Ballroom concert footage

    Acclaimed NYC indie rock band Longwave have teamed up with filmmaker Bill Moldt to debut a music video for their song, “It’s Not Impossible,” from their latest album If We Ever Live Forever.

    The idea was to create a unique experience by presenting a choose-your-own-adventure style video for the song. “It’s Not Impossible” is the band’s first debut single off an album in 10 years making the release of If We Ever Live Forever a big deal.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEvH1Y7Ybdg&feature=youtu.be

    The music video was constructed through a series of bi-weekly Instagram story posts, each depicting a possible scene painted in watercolor. Each post contained a video of the scene being created, a caption, and a question prompting the band’s Instagram followers to determine the direction of the next scene. The video used the “poll” feature on Instagram Stories to tally the audiences choices. The process left director Moldt with 10 scenes that were ultimately created and assembled into what become Longwave’s official music video for “It’s Not Impossible.”

    Additionally this week, Longwave have shared full concert video of their November 2018 performance at The Bowery Ballroom. The performance was filmed by Erik Braund at Braund Studios.

    Connect with Longwave on Facebook, Instagram, and stream their music on Spotify.

  • Levitt AMP Utica to present TV special “AMP the House!”

    The Levitt AMP Utica Music Series is producing a two-hour TV special called “AMP the House!,” showcasing Utica’s diverse local music scene as well as some national acts. Focused on community and family, the show seeks to encourage viewers’ mental health and support musicians. Genres highlighted in the special include pop, soul, blues, Latin, instrumental, and country. The performers, 12 acts in total, consist of all different backgrounds, genders, languages, and ages.

    Not only will “AMP the House!” feature Utica’s unique range of talent shown above, but explore what else Levitt AMP Utica does behind the scenes. The special will include “Beyond the Music” segments about the AMP Utica internship program and more.

    Coordinator Michelle Truett says, “We chose to produce a television show because it will allow us to share great bands, singers and musicians with viewers throughout the Central New York region and hopefully entice them to come to downtown Utica next summer to see the concerts in person. Also, a TV show gives us a great opportunity to share what else we do at the park with our series – our internship program, fostering of youth performers, placemaking activities, art, inclusion and community-building. The show is going to be jam-packed with inspiration and talent.”

    In addition to local Utica acts, two national bands are participating. B2wins and Bassel & the Supernaturals were originally supposed to perform in person, but will instead appear in the special and rebook for 2021. B2wins, short for Brazilian twins, are Iowan brothers who bend genres with the help of a violin and ukulele. Recently, they’ve been keeping busy with community outreach for the COVID-19 crisis. As for Bassel & the Supernaturals, they’re a Chicagoan neo-soul and funk band that raises awareness for Syrian refugees both on and off the stage,

    Utica Monday Nite board president Alyssa Spina adds, “Utica Monday Nite is proud to be a part of a project that exemplifies the power art as a tool to bring community together, especially and most importantly during a time when connection is most needed.” Founded in 1997, Utica Monday Nite is a local arts initiative that has accepted the Levitt AMP [Your City] Music Awards grant for the last five years. Going to cities with underutilized public spaces, the Levitt AMP Utica Music Series previously took place at Kopernik Park in Oneida Square. Although they postponed live concerts, this TV special is still possible due to a bridge grant from the Levitt Foundation.

    The special will air Monday, July 20 on CBS-Utica 2 and again Thursday, July 23 on WFXV 33, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. both nights. Both channels are available throughout the greater Utica area. The show won’t be put online after, so these are the only opportunities to watch it.

  • 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


  • Miserable Chillers Release Newest Single “Saga’s Sword” from ‘Audience of Summer’

    Alternative rock band Miserable Chillers debuted their third single, “Saga’s Sword,” off their upcoming album, Audience of Summer, out Friday, August 7.

    “The song really captures the feel of a curious young child exploring and actively pursuing new experiences, as Gallego even adds some ribbiting frogs and glimmering forest sounds to complement the track’s shiny guitar riffs and marimba-sounding percussion.”

    Look At My Records

    Bandleader Miguel Gallego grew up in suburban New Jersey, where he found his passion for music. He now lives in Brooklyn. He recorded and produced his latest tracks with Baby Blue Records, in New York.

    Album art for Miserable Chillers’ Audience of Summer.

    Miguel’s creativity and intuition came from the world wide pandemic caused by COVID-19. “I think of myself as a late bloomer, a lot of things have only recently started to appear obvious to me,” said Gallego.

    As a result, Fifty percent of the proceeds from digital purchases on Bandcamp will be donated to Bed-Stuy Strong. This is a group of over 3,000 people helping in the aid of their community during the COVID-19 crisis.

    I believe that in times of economic and public health crisis, and amidst the violent failures of state policy to address the needs of vulnerable communities, the necessity of local, communal responses to communal needs is especially acute. I would like to support a local mutual aid group. Bed-Stuy Strong centers on solidarity, care, and an imaginative approach addressing the needs of the community and neighborhood that I live in.

    Miguel Gallego – Bandleader

    Along with Gallego, artists from other bands contributed to the making of this album. Megan Braaten from Your Sister and Kabir Kumar of Sun Kin both sang backing vocals. While others like Sarah Goldfarb (Red Widow and Ovaeasy) played the cello. Together, they created the baroque pop sounds of the new record, exactly how is described as.

    Audience of Summer is out Friday, August 7.

    Miserable Chiller’s newest single “Saga’s Sword”.

    Mutual aid provides an alternative model for addressing need; and we badly need to embrace and imagine alternatives to our preexisting methods—be it the police, punitive and carceral responses to harm, or how we as a society provide for the healthcare of our neighbors.

    Miguel Gallego – Bandleader