The Painted Birds, a quartet out of Rochester is led by singer songwriter Alex Fortier (Juicy Connotation, i. am. tru. starr.), The band was created to surpass borders between influences, creating stories and sounds with both depth and clarity. The group features drummer/percussionist Chris Palace (Juicy Connotation. Dream Float, Funklopian Tubes, Siena Facciolo) guitarist Will Schantz (P.V Nunes Band, Archive Ravens, Red Hot & Blue Band) and bassist Robert McPartland (Charlie Hayley and the Band, Ryan Benthall).
In the spirit of diverse sound and personality, their influences come from a variety of disciplines and genres, including artists like Paul Simon, Billy Joel, and The Band; folk crossovers like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Bob Dylan; funk and soul artists like The Meters, TAUK, and Donny Hathaway and even contemporary jazz projects like The Bad Plus, Yussef Kamal and Weather report. All of which can be heard in their 10 track album titled Under The Wing released in November, 2020.
The four piece band stretch out on the entire album mixing in their influences with their own voice led by Fortier’s season changing lyrics. Sounds like it could have been recorded at “Big Pink” in West Saugerties, NY. There is even a stand out saxophone solo on “Square Cars” by saxophone player Sam Schachter. Peaches are deciduous fruit trees that enter into dormancy during the Winter. During dormancy trees are quite resistant to the deleterious effect of freezing temperatures. After this period of rest and temperatures begin to warm, peach trees become more physiologically active. This album does just that with its nod to the changing four season landscape in which it was written in. “Midnight by the Woodline” brings you outside an old camper on a quiet New York summer night. Fortier’s lyrics even cross the great divide in the track “(She’s Got) Colorado Whispers”
Overall the band helps create comfort music for the cold winter ahead. Keep an eye out in the Finger Lake region for a possible socially distant concert at one of the various wineries that the band live near to hopefully perform these tracks live for you!
Key Tracks: Square Cars, No Peaches:(Late Frost), Under The Wing
Western New York has always provided safe haven for the Grateful Dead and among their more popular stops in the region is Rochester, specifically the War Memorial. The band would play 15 known gigs in the Flower City during their historic touring career. Ten of them would be in this building. Unfortunately, the later part of this 1978 tour had to be cut short due to an ailing Jerry Garcia. But there were certainly heaters to be had before then, this show among them.
After an opening roar of electric guitars, the show begins in earnest with “Promised Land,” a popular Chuck Berry cover. Keith Godchaux plays some inspired keys on this one behind the guitar play and makes his presence felt early. Afterwards comes the first of three “Take A Step Back” announcements from Bob Weir, looking out for the “bug-eyed” folks in the front row. Once that’s accomplished, the instrumental into of “They Love Each Other” kicks in with Jerry Garcia manning the vocals. Unfortunately, some feedback issues mar this one a little bit early on. It’s salvaged though with a delightful Garcia solo and the continued strong play of Godchaux on keys.
Following an extended tuning break, the band bursts into “Cassidy,” with Donna Jean Godchaux now added to the vocal mix. It’s is a tidy yet superb version with the whole band in full synchronicity. This lays the foundation that’s topped with another poignant Garcia solo.
Choosing not to run with this momentum, another tuning break follows which seems to fuel the rabid audience even further. Out of this, “Dire Wolf” rears its head. Garcia’s vocals seem to improve a little on this one from earlier in the show before he infuses it with his traditional guitar licks.
Then comes round two of “Take A Step Back.” This time Weir’s pleas for the people on the floor to move back as much as they can is accompanied by a spattering of “Finiculi Finicula” from the band. Afterwards, Weir stays on the mic for lead vocals and leads the band through their Western classic, “Me And My Uncle.” They waste literally no time at its conclusion before launching into a raging “Big River,” thanks to an ultra-seamless transition they’ve perfected for these songs.
Things then slow down a bit with the relaxed pace of the “Row Jimmy” that follows. Jerry and Donna Jean’s vocals eventually merge nicely in this delicate yet fairly straight forward version. Afterwards, it’s Weir’s turn once again as he leads the Dead through “New Minglewood Blues.” Believe it or not, the five-show gap between its last performance was actually a fairly large one for this first set standard. Another opening set regular, “Loser,” follows before one last notable segue closes things out. A raucous “Jack Straw” that’s fueled by some blistering Garcia-supplied guitar licks towards the end. Before the last “wine” is even finished being sung, “Deal” starts up instantly. This concludes a first set that’s fairly standard in terms of song selection, but executed to near perfection.
The second set begins with one last plea from Weir to everyone on the floor to move back as much as possible. Then the Dead are off and running with “Bertha.” This longtime first set staple had now shifted to a regular spot in the second one in 1978. Starting with this tour and well into 1979, it was featured in the second set each time. And it was followed every time by a cover of The Rascals’ “Good Lovin’.” Tonight would be no different. While it may not have the same cachet as other traditional song pairings, “Bertha” > “Good Lovin’” was a verified couple from the middle of 1977 until late 1979, appearing next to each other every time played.
Jerry Garcia then leads the group through “Stagger Lee,” a cover of a traditional folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons by “Stag” Lee Shelton in 1985. Lloyd Price would later find fame with it thanks to his 1959 recording that topped the charts. After this rather atypical beginning to the second set, things begin to take a more familiar turn. “Estimated Prophet” sees Weir’s wailing vocals paired with Donna Jean’s harmonies that give it a nice touch. But the highlight is the tail end that sees Garcia gradually escalate a mesmerizing sequence through his guitar’s signature tone for this song. Bassist Phil Lesh is also heavily involved as the jam progresses.
Then, somewhat suddenly, Garcia pivots and begins strumming the opening rhythms to “Eyes Of The World.” This version is vintage 1978, with Garcia again taking lead and navigating the rest of the band through this beautifully crisp and funky rendition.
As the “Eyes” jam slowly peters out, The Rhythm Devils then take things over. Drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart get their moment in the sun with an all out 10-minute percussive assault in the traditional “Drums” section. The ecstatic War Memorial crowd and their approval can be heard loudly throughout.
After a brief “Space” section, the beginning of “Not Fade Away” starts in almost comical fashion with Garcia coming in extremely late on the beginning vocal section. It gets cleaned up nicely though and eventually stretches out into a full-fledged jam that melodiously stretches well past the ten-minute mark. Weir’s frenetic rhythm guitar play back Garcia wonderfully before the jam devolves into a slower pace and “Black Peter” appears. This, too, extends nicely with a patient and deliberate pace that’s peppered with more brilliant Garcia guitar fills.
The show maintains its vague theme of some odd song placements with a “Truckin’” that closes out the second set. The Rochester crowd once again noticeably voices their approval after the “New York’s got the ways and means” line as well as the nod to Buffalo.
In true Chuck Berry “bookending” fashion, the show ends with another cover of his, a quick romp through “Johnny B. Goode.” This puts the finishing touches on the fourth of ten overall shows the Grateful Dead played at the Rochester War Memorial.
Grateful Dead – War Memorial, Rochester, NY 11/21/78
I: Promised Land, They Love Each Other, Cassidy, Dire Wolf, Me & My Uncle> Big River, Row Jimmy, Minglewood Blues, Loser, Jack Straw, Deal II: Bertha> Good Lovin’, Stagger Lee, Estimated Prophet> Eyes Of The World> Drums> Space> Not Fade Away> Black Peter> Truckin’ E: Johnny B. Goode
The members of Taking Meds are looking forward to taking a trip out to Chicago at the beginning of December to perform on Audiotree Live.
The NYC-based indie punk band had to cut a cross-country tour short this spring when COVID hit. Shows started getting cancelled while they were on the road. “On the fourth day we were in Georgia, and 50% of the shows had cancelled,” Taking Meds frontman Skylar Sarkis told NYS Music. “We decided to head home.”
Eight months, an EP, and a music video later, and they’re excited to finally be hitting the road again. While they’ve been actively working, they haven’t been able to play some of their new songs in front of an audience since March.
“Everyone’s missing live music,” continued Sarkis. Most venues have not reopened since the start of the pandemic, due to contagion risk at gatherings. “Audiotree has a COVID-friendly way of continuing to do what they’re doing, and I think being able to access high-quality studio sessions online is really key for everybody right now.”
This will be Taking Meds’ debut on Audiotree. What started as an artist discovery platform has continued this tradition by continuing to work with emerging independent artists and artists on indie labels. The recorded sessions are just one facet of Audiotree’s footprint in the music industry, but they have become a cornerstone in the international music scene over the past decade.
Tune into Audiotree on Friday, December 4 at 4PM CT (5PM EST) for the Taking Meds performance. Viewers will be treated to a few songs off the band’s new EP The Meds You Deserve, released in July on Smartpunk and Near Mint. Sarkis added that they plan on debuting a new song from their next LP, which they just finished recording with Kurt Ballou at GodCity in Massachusetts.
Taking Meds is comprised of Sarkis on vocals and guitar, Ben Kotin on guitar and vocals, Jon “Steel Wolf” Markson on bass and vocals, and Alex Salter on drums. They don’t all live in the same city. It’s an occasion when they are able to gather at the studio, or go out on the road together, or shoot a music video.
Earlier this year, they got to meet up with director Luke LeCount to make a video for one of the songs on The Meds You Deserve, “Sucks To Be Me.” It features Sarkis as his narcissistic alter-ego, firing band members as he tries to impress some sleazy A&R types. He can be seen playing out this persona in a series of off-the-cuff low-budget promotional videos on the Taking Meds YouTube channel.
Leading up to the tour, they released a series of humorous videos about packing for tour, filmed by their manager/agent Alex Martin and featuring Sarkis trying to pack merch, gear, his cat, and pictures of Michael Stipe of REM. While Sarkis cites REM, Fugazi, and other bands from that era as band influences, their angular sound is impossible to pigeon-hole as any one genre.
“We’re just trying to write whatever we want,” explained Sarkis. “Lately that’s coming out sounding like it’s pretty squarely influenced by early 90s stuff. I’m trying to make songs that I would want to listen to.”
Other people are digging their sound, too. Most fans have discovered them through word of mouth or by catching a live show. “My experience with this band is that there’s not a lot of hype. We get fans when we’re on tour and they stick around. It’s cool to build a fanbase that’s loyal.”
Their recent EP The Meds You Deserve, and their full length albums My Life As A Bro and I Hate Me are available for purchase digitally. At the time of press, there are a handful of copies of The Meds You Deserve and I Hate Me on vinyl at Near Mint.
Rochester-based synth pop outfit Soviet Dolls have emerged from the cocoon of their retrofitted studio. Their third EP, Keep Sweet, swathes the listener in an ethereal neon sheen of electronica. It’s lighter fare than their previous releases, but then we could all use a little levity these days.
New vocalist Emily Brown made her debut with Soviet Dolls earlier this year on their cover of Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer.” She’s a natural fit for the band’s original work as well. Her subtly nuanced vocals temper the robust instrumental textures. She keeps the vessel on an even keel as the music careens between the distinct twinkle of keyboard runs and segments awash in fuzzy reverb. The digital sound is augmented by analogue processes and instruments, marrying the nostalgia for 80’s culture with the sophistication of modern techniques. All funds raised by album go directly to help Rochester Hope for Pets, an organization created to assist pets in the greater Rochester area whose owners are facing financial difficulty. Donate $5 or more via Play It Forward to get the Keep Sweet download code via email. Follow Soviet Dolls on Facebook for more information and updates.
A flyer for The Dirty Pennies show in March still hangs in the window of Rochester‘s Bug Jar. The venue has been a touchstone for this rust belt garage rock band. Shortly after venues like Bug Jar shut down, the band released a single “I’m Your Man.” Today, they premiere the lyric video for the song.
The gritty song features staple driving guitar riffs that the band is known and loved for. But it also showcases the skills of their drummer, who goes all out on the fills. It’s a more aggressive song than the rest of groups catalog, fueled by the times in which we are living.
The video gives fans an opportunity to follow along to the lyrics. Learn those words, because when live music resumes and The Dirty Pennies can play live, this is an anthem we’ll want to sing along to.
Formed in Rochester, the group includes Ryan Klem on vocals and guitar and Lucas Howe on drums. Bassist Joe Mungo joined the band in 2015. The trio self-released their debut album Kick Out The Rocks in 2018, and an EP entitled EP in 2019. “I’m Your Man” is one of three singles they have released this year. Learn more about the band in their interview with NYS Music.
Hold off on making your Album of The Year lists, alt rock fans, until you’ve taken the debut album from Carpool for a test drive. Erotic Nightmare Summer checks all the right boxes: electrifying riffs, crafty turns of phrase, and choruses you can’t help but sing along to. In short, it slaps. Hard.
Erotic Nightmare Summer is a follow-up to their 2018 EP I Think Everyone’s A Cop, a work that launched them on the East Coast touring circuit and a spot at Fest last year. They’ve already been named on the lineup when Fest resumes in 2021.
NYS Music caught up with band members Stoph Colasanto (lead vocals, guitar, synth), Tommy Eckerson (lead guitar, vocals), and Alec Westover (vocals, drums) to talk about the album, starting with the overall concept and inspiration.
“Lyrically, it’s about the realization that some close relationships had become toxic, and the need to move on,” said Stoph. The music follows suit, pushing the boundaries of what is expected from an emo band. With the help of their producer, RJ Demarco, they challenged themselves to leave their comfort zones instrumentally, incorporating unexpected touches like classic rock elements and instruments that are unconventional for the genre, like violin, sax, and glockenspiel.
The story of the album artwork is also intriguing. For most works, the visuals are an afterthought. But Erotic Nightmare Summer was actually inspired by the striking collage that now graces its cover. It was a print Stoph had bought off artist Aaron Gordon from Buffalo to hang up on his wall. “I was just sitting in my room staring at it, and I got some ideas for songs. It just went from there.”
That spark fueled the concept of the album, and the melodies and lyrics for a handful of songs. Stoph called Tommy over that day, and together they started crafting the majority of the songs that comprise Erotic Nightmare Summer. They’ve fielded a lot of questions since the release. We went track by track through the album because there’s a lot to unpack.
Cruel Intentions
The guitar progression on “Cruel Intentions” may seem slightly familiar to Carpool fans. There’s a reason for that. Tommy explained, “The main riff for Cruel Intentions is one that Stoph has been playing, in several variations. The way he played it for ‘Cruel Intentions,’ we built the song off that.”
In the story arc of this concept album, this starting point represents the dawning comprehension that some relationships are emotionally damaging, like the song’s 90’s namesake movie. Stoph recalled watching the movie as a kid with his siblings, and really being drawn in by the music on the soundtrack, including Counting Crows and The Verve.
The lyrics tell a heart-wrenching tale of trying to disentangle from a messy relationship. “And I’m drunk and waiting for your call / I reek like alcohol / When you finally pick up, this is my fault / And I won’t crawl back to you.”
Whiskey & Xanax
“That’s for sure the darkest song on the album. The first lyric is ‘Take two steps forward, take your 12 step back,’” explained Stoph, referring to 12-step self-help programs. “It’s like you’re doing well, then all of a sudden something happens and you lose something important to you like your sobriety.”
“A lot of people advocated for us to change the name before we put it out,” Tommy noted, “But it’s not like we wrote an edgy song just to write an edgy song.”
“The last thing it’s doing is promoting substance abuse,” added Alec.
Going against the grain can be hard in the music scene, where drugs and alcohol are pervasive. Bands who want to play live are often performing at bars and house shows, where there’s a lot of social drinking and casual drug use going on.
This song also points to how the unhealthy relationships and substance use become intertwined. Alec pointed out, “It’s easy to relate to people’s flaws, especially when it comes to addiction, or being attracted to people with similar flaws.”
The Salty Song (Erotic Nightmare Summer)
“I was mad, I was salty,” Stoph said about how he felt when he was conceptualizing the lyrics for the song. “But it’s okay to be mad.” “The Salty Song” was one of the first written for the album, and the seething intensity of the lines is counterbalanced with a mega-upbeat melody. The short, catchy pop song features a big chorus.
After writing it, Tommy knew this one was something special. “Stoph and I were texting each other, and I was like, I don’t care if the song or the album does well, I just want people to make a TikTok of one of our songs.” They put out a challenge on social media and it took off. They had responses from a lot of people, including an employee at a mall pretzel shop. “Shout out to everyone who did a TikTok to that song,”
Beauty School Dropout
Stoph refers to this song as Tommy’s baby. As a fan of the musical Grease, Tommy had been wanting to record the song he had been writing, inspired by his favorite character, Frenchie.
“Originally it was called Frenchie,” said Tommy. “We always have ideas for songs lying around, and finally I was like ‘I really want to do it.’ I liked the instrumental, and I wrote the lyrics in the studio under the gun.”
This song about low self-esteem was a natural fit for the storyline of Erotic Nightmare Summer. It also incorporates an audio clip from the television series Euphoria, pulling in a contemporary reference.
Driving Under the Skinfluence
“This was the first one we recorded for the album,” Stoph said. “This song is a sad one, and a slower one. At this point in the lineage of the album, you’re good, you’re kinda okay with yourself, but you wonder if that person still thinks about you at all.”
The chorus repeating “I lie, you lie, we both lie. We self-destruct every time,” really drives home the heart-wrenching pain and agony.
Come Thru Cool (Punk Ass)
Stoph admitted this is his least favorite to sing live. “I always feel like I’m going to throw up after.”
But Tommy loves playing it out. He recalled the day when they wrote the song. “We were literally rehearsing and Stoph started playing this riff. Meanwhile, I’m trying to show him ‘Beauty School Dropout,’ which I had written for like two years and I was dying to finally show them how to play it. And Stoph was like, this is a sick riff. That’s how we wrote ‘Come Thru Cool.’ I love the song now, but at the moment, I was like, seriously, you’re going to write a song in the middle of me trying to show you my song, with no other basis other than the riff sounded cool?”
Toronto
“That was our first studio song through and through,” Tommy said. They wrote it and recorded it in the studio with their producer, RJ Demarco. Demarco recorded all the bass lines on the album, and was in all of the group vocals. A man of many talents, he also plays saxophone.
“There’s a bridge, like a pre-chorus breakdown. I wanted a trumpet player to come in, and I had a specific melody,” Tommy said. “We were in crunch mode at this point, trying to finish it, so RJ played saxophone. It was something a little extra.”
Like the fan fave “Idaho” off their EP, “Toronto” is a destination song about getting away from it all. Based on the band name alone, Carpool fans can probably expect sing-along road trip songs like these to continue to be a staple in their discography.
Liquor Store Employee (Old Friend)
The band gets a lot of questions about this song in particular, regarding the lyrics and the complexity of the instrumentation. It’s a contrast from the shorter chorus-driven ditties like “The Salty Song (Erotic Nightmare Summer).”
“I just want to say about Liquor Store, first off, I’m the Liquor Store Employee. That’s me,” said Stoph. “It’s not about my friend Hayley at all – that part references a specific conversation that I had with my friend Hayley… it’s a little something I put in there because I had a conversation with my friend Hailey and it changed my point of view on things.”
This is Alec’s favorite song on the album. “There’s a super hot beat, and slow parts, and a part that bangs super hard with the lyric. It’s just great. That part in the middle with Tommy doing the lead is probably my favorite part in the album.”
“This is our band fave for sure,” Tommy agreed. “This and ‘Driving Under The Skinfluence’ are probably our strongest. There’s a good blend of instrumentation, lyrics, and structure.”
East Coast West Coast
This is the oldest song on the album, predating Carpool as a band. It’s one that Stoph’s been saving for the right time to record. “This is a song I wrote in 2014, when I was in my first year of college. I’d play it when I came home, at parties, and it was a thing that we did when we had a party. We’d sing ‘East Coast West Coast.’”
“This is more like a straight up indie rock song,” he continued, ”We’re a dirty emo DIY band at the end of the day, but if you listen to this album, you’re not just going to hear a lot of emo songs and open tunings. You’re going to hear Alec going off on the drums in ways you wouldn’t think. And then you’ll hear Tommy do a classic rock and roll solo that just fits better than anything you could imagine over a contemporary alternative song.”
They drew on some influences from the music they listened to in their formative years for this nostalgic song about long distance friendships. The sentiment of the song is underscored by the use of violin, played by CJ Westcott (who has now been dubbed CJ West Coast).
Stolen Self Help (I Like You)
This is a softer song, originally written for another musical project, but it made more sense to use it to complete the trajectory of the journey from self-loathing to self-love. And at the end there’s a clip of a little girl saying the band’s motto: Carpool is about sharing smiles with friends.
“That’s my sister’s best friend’s daughter. Her name is Lila,” Stoph said. “I sent it to my sister’s friend and said, would you be down to have Lila say this in a voice memo? She sent it to me. It’s so cool, especially on that song. It’s like a soft close.”
Tommy added: “Carpool is a band about sharing smiles with friends. Don’t get it twisted. It is what it is.”
The band cites numerous people who contributed to Erotic Nightmare Summer, including Taylor Kremis, Jake Amadon, Nick Jones, Trevor Balbierz, CJ Westcott, and artist Aaron Gordon. Also, John Naclerio at Nada Studios who did the mastering, and the crew at Acrobat Unstable Records. And they give a lot of credit to RJ Demarco at Skyway Studios, who also recorded their EP ‘I Think Everyone’s A Cop.’
“I really gotta shout out RJ,” said Stoph. “I feel like honestly if we didn’t go to him our first time, we wouldn’t know what our sound is. I feel like he understood us better than we understood ourselves. His guidance and structure throughout our time knowing him… especially this past year playing bass for us and being super integral… he made us grow.”
Erotic Nightmare Summer is out now for purchase on Acrobat Unstable Records, and can be heard on a variety of platforms, including Bandcamp and Spotify. The band has some material in the wings, including an music video and a cover song. Be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest content and announcements.
Shira, a fairy-folk singer-songwriter from Rochester, has released the first part of her new EP Birds of a Feather on Sept. 18. The four-song EP is the first part of a two-part release with the rest of her project, called Birds of a Feather Flock Together, coming in 2021. Shira’s radiant personality provides listeners with an infectious amount of hope on her latest project.
Courtesy of One in a Million Media
Shira released the music video for the song “Wait For Me” on Sept. 18 alongside her EP. The ukulele arrangement perfectly complements her journey from the US to reunite with her fiancé in Barcelona in the video. Shira’s nervousness for her international journey is also accompanied by a sense of hope as she sings, “One more breath before I go, there’s nothing left to hide.” While the lyrics reveal a level of vulnerability her graceful singing reveals optimism towards taking a risk as she did when she embarked on her journey.
“Usually” positively embraces anyone who is going through adversity, especially fitting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her lyrics: “Don’t let fear kick in, it’s just trying to make your bright light disappear” encourages listeners to hold to hope even during times of uncertainty. Shira’s self-described “fairy folk” sound resonates through the lively orchestral arrangement on this track.
By Iraia Olivas Etxaniz
On her title track “Birds of a Feather,” Shira successfully blends her voice with the ensemble of drums, piano, and guitar as she sings about the value of strength and unity in partnership. Even through life’s adversity, Shira’s reassuring lyrics: “We’ll brave this storm, birds of a feather” emphasize the strong partnership displayed in her video when she traveled to her fiancé across the world. Shira’s violin filled arrangement on “Go Uncharted” captures the decision to take a leap of faith into the uncharted unknown. In a mission to bring healing to the world through music, Shira’s Birds of a Feather delivers a needed sense of unity to listeners.
Birds of a Feather is about finding yourself first, exploring, not being afraid to ask for what you want, struggling with the fear of never being seen, listening to your inner voice over outside noise, letting go and trusting.
Ryan Guay of Street Pharmacy and Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad‘s James Searl have unveiled a passion project collaborative track titled “They Don’t Give A $$$$.” Released July 2, both artists spoke to NYS Music about the inspiration and writing process of “They Don’t Give A $$$$” as well as the experience of working together on the track.
Thomas Lent: What would you say was the inspiration behind “They Don’t Give a Fuck”?
Ryan Guay: I had written that chorus in the months before the pandemic and James and I had been in discussion on getting together and collaborating on a song that talked about how the corporate elite sort of use manipulation and tactics to make more money and fill their pockets, and it doesn’t really help anybody but themselves. I thought it would be a really unique chorus to say “they don’t give a fuck” but say it in a way that reflects more what they are actually doing. They don’t want to give up anything to anyone and they will do anything in order to make that happen. So that’s where the initial inspiration for that chorus came from and I sent it in an iPhone memo to James and James and I started writing back and forth with ideas over the phone and I think that’s where James,
James Searl: Yeah, that’s totally right and one of the cool things about collaborating with another artist on a song is that I think to start with, ya know if you go into the office at like 8:30 a.m. and like we put up a vision board or something and we’re gonna put out a perfect song but in my way. It’s conversational which is how music is, and Ryan and I, we met each other fairly recently. In the past couple of years. We’ve had some nice conversations just about all the things we relate to together and all the things we have in common especially growing up so close to each other but also divided by a national boundary. I feel like this chorus kept making its way into the conversation and what we were talking about things that like, Ryan, forgive me I think you studied history in school?
RG: Yes, I studied history
JS: I studied international relations and we have just like the same interests but different knowledge. We would be telling people different things and be like, “Ya they really don’t give a fuck”. Not only was it the chorus that Ryan had sent to me but it would always keep coming up in our conversations and I feel like that’s a really fun loop to get into creatively was like, it’s a natural, how they bring it all together, especially as musicians in this time, I think it can get a little bit cliché to say, “Oh we’re writing a song that’s relevant to this time”. I think as an artist, it’s our responsibility to kind of talk about what’s always been happening, and until that goes out of style its always going to be in style. It’s not that it’s like for this time or for that time but for all time and talking about the indigenous situation in both the United States and in Canada or Black Lives Matter, it’s just, the common denominator is always that theirs this very rich, mostly white, mostly male, very small population that’s kind of…I wouldn’t say pulling the strings necessarily, but taking advantage of the divisiveness especially. I think another thing that one particular circumstance Ryan had called me and said “hey they’re coming down the street and there’s all of these white supremacy signs being held and all of these alt-right people looking respectable; they don’t look like neo-Nazis like we’re used to seeing, they’re wearing nice shirts and kakis”
TL: Yeah, they changed their image after Charlottesville
JS: They did and Ryan was like “I’ve never seen this in Canada before” and it was just funny (it wasn’t funny) but he was earnestly, very concerned. He went and talked to the leader of the right-wing group that was talking about getting rid of immigrants and everything and it was just so wild to be seeing this happening in the States and in Canada. When we were growing up, the first song I wrote in a band was called “A Groove To Kick a Nazis Ass Too” and it was all about not being racist and it was cool to be against that when we were younger so it’s hard to believe that this is a trending thing with young men who would be in our similar positions now. It’s just, “How did this catch on?” I would say that it has a lot to do with how the song came together.
RG: That happened in January of 2019 in the dead of winter. These guys were putting up signs on the corner of the street in my hometown of 50,000 people, signs that were encouraging people to kick the immigrants out of Canada. “Not my Canada,” stuff like that. I’ve never seen anything like that before, ever, and the first person I messaged and sent a picture too of this occurrence was James. Because we talked about this boiling point in the United States and I never saw it, I never expected that. They had their polo shirts and they’re eating their double-doubles, just “smiling and waving” The next minute they were putting signs up near my rental property. I live in the basement of one. I rent housing to international students and they were putting signs up on these lawns marking where international students lived saying, “Kick them out”. I had never seen anything like it.
TL: With the ending of the visa program, they have basically done that at this point
RG: That’s exactly what they did.
JS: My wife is a professor and every professor is up in arms because it’s cruel to the students involved and it’s dumb, it just doesn’t make any sense. It’s clearly racist and it’s part of the xenophobic atmosphere that’s in politics right now. Another thing is that when you come across it now, these young men now are reading…oh, why can’t I think of anybody’s name?
TL: Evola? Marcus Aurelius is often interpreted as one of their heroes.
JS: Ben Shapiro! When they read Ben Shapiro or even just Jordan Peterson. Whatever powers that be that are trying to pit you against these immigrants, they don’t give a fuck about you. Like these young MAGA guys in their hats. I remember a couple of years ago these young white boys with their MAGA hats came to the front of the stage and know every word to every song so it’s kinda like they’re fans but they know that they’re trolling us and it’s just like, I don’t know why you guys are bringing this attention to yourself. The people that you are supporting, they don’t give a fuck about you. They’re not going to share when it comes time for that. All of the things that we heard before when it comes time for you to reach out to help, there is not gonna be anybody there. Ya know, you can’t eat money and the indigenous people have told us this my whole life. Be wary of these people that are trying to ruin the environment and turn a blind eye to it. In the end they’re trying to kill all of us and they’ll kill all of you too. They don’t care.
RG: Yeah, I’m metis and I’ve got family members that grew up on a reserve and, you know, colonial imperialism is….
TL: I’m sorry, can I interrupt? You said you were metis – can you explain what that is?
RG: Metis means I’m mixed blood, I have some indigenous background.
LT: Thank you for the clarification.
RG: Yeah, yeah no problem. So yeah, as you know, colonial imperialism is somewhat of a dirty word. The Christianization of indigenous people, you know, is really a disguise for the economic motive of imperialism of exploited resources. You know, that’s Canada’s terrible, dirty secret, really. This attempt to, quote-unquote, assimilate indigenous people openly has left a gaping wound in the culture and indigenous people are, you know, marginalized most in our country. The last residential school closed in 1996, it’s not that long ago. I think a lot of people have this perception that Canada is all hunky-dory, but it’s not, especially when it comes to the treatment of indigenous people and I know that from firsthand experience. We have the pipeline/railroad controversy clip in the first part of the music video, the Wet’suwet’en controversy. It’s a four hundred and sixteen-mile pipeline they protested going through their land for reasons and I’m not sure if you’re familiar with this, but in Canada, almost all the indigenous problems, almost all of the First Nations in Canada and its allies formed a massive national railroad blockade in protest. To stop the trade and they stopped, the C. N. for a month. Around when the coronavirus actually started to take shape. The RCMP, which is equivalent to U.S. federal police were created for the purpose of controlling the indigenous population in the eighteen hundreds. So they were sent in to do what they were apparently meant to do in stopping the blockade and if the coronavirus didn’t happen they would probably have gotten a lot more got international attention, but that’s what the significance of the whole clip is.
TL: After finding your inspiration, how would you describe the writing process for “They don’t give a $$$$?”
RG: Okay, I’ll start with that one James. I pounded out the chorus on an acoustic guitar and just repeated it over and over and over again so I could remember it. I wasn’t near anywhere to recording and it became something. It has been an ongoing theme in our conversations. It always comes back to that. So. I think when music, sometimes theirs just something divine about it. You know, you are the vessel that music is coming through, and that lyric, melody, just came out and it didn’t change at all. I just sent it to James and said. “Hey, James what do you think of this?” And then James right away was sending me lyrics. He was inspired by it and I was inspired by what he was sending me. So then I got into a computer and started to produce it and send him some ideas with an electric guitar just some drum tracks on-we did it for the most part electronically. This was in 2019 in the winter/fall when we started to send these ideas back and forth. I remember standing in line somewhere in the mall and James sent me a great idea for what became the second half of that verse. The second half of the second verse. And I just felt that we had something of serious significance because he was able to take my hook and make it mean something. You can say they don’t give a fuck about you and you know it could be like. Who is it? What does that mean? But James is able to channel that marriage of lyrics and melody to put it together to support the thesis statement. To be fair James drove a very far distance to make this happen.
JS: Ya I drove up to Welland Ontario which is ya know a beautiful place. I wanted to go see where Ryan is from and where Street Pharmacy does their work because since we’ve gotten to know each other it’s like finding old friends that you knew were there but you didn’t know where. So Welland was like a very familiar feeling place. It is only 20-30 minutes over the border from Buffalo. So it’s almost exactly where I’m from. And ya I just went there and I brought my base with me and Ryan had the drums and some guitars went down. I sat down and I played the bass line. The drummer Ivan was also there so it was cool to feel the vibe of the drummer in the room with me while I was playing. It felt very electric to finally sit down. When I figured out what the baseline was going to be I was very excited. That’s not always the situation when you’re with your band. Maybe when you’re alone or just with the producer. This was like with we’re making something fresh, and it was the first time we’ve done that. Ryan, as we were getting on the phone- and it was like the middle of the conference call that I realized he was extremely talented and capable and was engineering everything. He has a special touch and I love the way he mixes these things and makes them sound good.
That was also very inspiring sonically alone. And then just working on the sonics of the tune. I actually wrote like a book with different verses for the song over time and then on that trip I think I was a little bit exhausted, traveling, just like living my life, which is like trying to balance a lot of things that one time and I didn’t end up getting to lay down the vocals on that trip. I really liked the verses that I had but we kinda delayed the track and then it came time to be like “Hey I think we should really put this together this is a message that people would really like us to sing” ya know were just artists putting music out there but WE want to say it. That’s another part of being an artist. It was the first time that I ever sat in my basement at night and wrote some lyrics, recorded it, and send it to Ryan and Adam to use that track, as a point of pride for myself, to say that “I’m good, we can do this” and I don’t have to leave my house during the quarantine. I can lay down my vocals for Ryan who is in Welland and we can make a song and we can put it out. Like this is using the tools that we have to our advantage. That’s like kind of how it all came together.
RG: Ya there was a lot of exchanging of material over the internet because the coronavirus made it almost impossible to meet and then the borders closed. So we just used it to the best of our ability. There were a lot of other people involved. My friend Mike who plays in a band called Silverstein was very helpful in getting some of the sounds. He was located here and I was sending the files to him in the latter stages. Our friend Adam was on the track and was really happy with the vocals. I think this is one of the first time James engineered his vocals.
JS: Ya it was my first time engineering something that normally someone else would do all the time. The thing that keeps me going is working with people who really know how to engineer their sound and be able to engineer my sound as well. For Adam to think that it was useable-
RG: He (Adam Tune) was really impressed. He’s got a good ear for being able to tell when things are right. And that’s really hard, a lot of people who attempt to engineer, they don’t use their ears. They more or less watch the meters as opposed to listening to the track. A lot of times that’s what people are just starting out do but James’s ear is fantastic. His ability in the studio to capture the moment and put it into a file and record it, especially with his bass tone and his vocal tonality, it was really inspiring for me as an engineer and a producer to be able to pull those takes out fo someone and it was like “WOW let’s try to do some other cool things”. I think at the end we tried some other, Tom Morello Esq, octave, whammy pedal type things with the base where James is going up and down a full octave. It’s almost like a bass solo at the end. That was the most fun part of the process for me, ya know this is something I forgot to mention too. The person who introduced us, who I think wants to remain nameless, came down from Buffalo to meet us and he hand introduced us. I think James has a story about that. It was really cool for him to see the idea that he something that he had sort of an idea, being a fan of Street Pharmacy and then approach me at a show and say “You really need to work with this band their great”. I said “Ok” and the same thing happened to James and it ended up working out.
TL: It sounds like you guys really enjoy collaborating together. Can listeners expect more collaborations?
JS: That’s the hope, ya we certainty want to do that.
RG: Definitely. When you get together in a room with somebody and – I write commercial songs for a living under another name and another company- so I’ve done a lot of co-writing sessions and sessions for corporations and it can be difficult. But James and I have this instant, I think it comes from friendship so, we’re interested in the same things. I don’t think Rochester is too dissimilar from Welland. Because I’m so close to the border I grew up on a lot of American 90’s Alt-Rock, early 90’s late 80’s stuff, and American Punk. James had that background as well, with both of us playing in reggae-oriented bands now and ya know we listen to the same music. 90’s golden age hip-hop, Reggae, Dance hall, and also listening to 90’s alt-rock got us to this place where we can speak the same language. We can play something and be like, “Ya I know what that is it’s giving me a Helmet vibe” and James going “Wow you know Helmet I don’t know anybody who knows Helmet!”. We can talk like that without even really needing to speak. I’m really happy about that, that’s the best thing for me that’s come out of this experience other than having a song that’s very meaningful and I hope that it can help people open their eyes to the seriousness of the situation.
Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo team up to create “Look Around,” a meaningful single to focus the public’s attention towards BIPOC being oppressed and murdered throughout the world.
Danille Ponder, an artist and activist from Rochester, started out this year by laying down a track for “Look Around,” a song that responds to the literal fires eating away at the continent of Australia. When she returned home to the US, she was, unfortunately, given even more dark events to add to those described in the song. The killing of George Floyd and countless other African Americans has ignited a call to action in many, Danielle Ponder included. On July 24, Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo released the updated and finished version of “Look Around” as a way to remind everyone in the world of the deadly issues currently happening in America and across the globe.
Danielle Ponder spoke about the inspiration she had for “Look Around,” saying, “fires were raging through Australia and smoke covered the sky. It felt like all of our human sins had gotten the best of us and we were paying a price. I didn’t know that when I arrived back home in the U.S, the world would only get darker. I feel like my past self wrote this song for my future self knowing what was to come.” Danielle Ponder’s powerful soul vocals and visible writing talent make her voice memorable. This song was made in solidarity for all BIPOC.
Danielle Ponder Photo by Hannah Betts
Although they come from different continents, it was no problem for Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo to make a connection. Their chemistry is clear in the music, as it flows naturally like they have been collaborating for years. The vocals and instrumentals together pack a powerful punch that effectively delivers the song’s message of unity for global justice.
Although Black Lives Matter is a US-based movement, it has a presence in Australia where Indigenous people undergo similarly harsh treatment. In July and August, sales of “Look Around” will be donated to the Equal Justice Initiative in the USA and Warriors Of The Aboriginal Resistance in Australia. Stream or buy “Look Around” now to support those in need.
For more information visit Danielle Ponder’s website.
CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival announced it’s plans to postpone it’s 19th annual festival till 2021. The festival came to this conclusion in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic; it was not safe to be held this year. The jazz fest will take place on June 18 – 26, 2021.
Photo provided by CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival’s press release.
The festival was originally rescheduled from June 19 – June 27 of 2020 to October 2 – 10, 2020 in hopes the pandemic would subside. Marc Iacona and John Nugent are producers of the festival ended up making the decision like many festivals to ultimately postpone until 2021. “This is the decision we didn’t want to make,” said Iacona and Nugent. They explained their decision to cancel saying, “We held out hope for as long as possible even as most major festivals and concert events around the world were postponing. But as we have now arrived at a critical junction, needing to finalize artists and logistic arrangements, reality has prevailed.”
With more than 208,000 people attending the nine-day festival annually, coming from more than half of the United States and 20 countries around the world to see 325-plus shows, and 1750-plus artists performing there was no way to make the festival a safe environment in the light of the pandemic. They wouldn’t be able to adhere to the distancing guidelines set. The guidelines would severely reduce venue capacities, likely capped at 25%, if venues were even available. Access would be severely limited, making it impossible to accommodate all patrons.The festival also includes lots of free shows, comprising almost a third of the festival’s shows. These shows in particular would be extremely difficult if not impossible to manage for screening, distancing, and oversight.
The Good news is that the festival has been able to reschedule the headliner shows, originally scheduled for this year. Both Puss N Boots and Spyro Gyra from their postponed 19th Edition will be featured in the 2021 edition. Puss N Boots will perform on Friday, June 18, 2021. Spyro Gyra will play Tuesday, June 22, 2021. For those who hold tickets for those shows, tickets and selected seats are saved and are automatically valid for these rescheduled shows. Ticket holders do not need to do anything further. For those who wish to purchase tickets for those two shows, they are on sale now on their website.
For more information please visit CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival’s website.
