It is now July 2020, the fifth month with minimal, if any, live music performances throughout New York State, let alone the country. Our venues are not yet open, but as the threat of COVID-19 decreases, parts of New York will enter Phase 4 and beyond, with the hope that live music will return, even if gradually.
While we may be stream weary, the prospect of live music is a motivator for many, and staying safe is the key given that New York and much of the Northeast are faring better than other areas of the country.
From viewing these photos taken during mid-late June, we can see the presence of the Black Lives Matter protests that spanned all 50 states. In all corners of New York there were protests, particularly in New York, protests that continue to push for defunding of the NYPD.
Working with 13 photographers to document more than 60 venues in 20 cities across New York State, NYS Music presents the second edition of our monthly series that looks at the current state of our beloved venues. When the venues reopen, we will share photo documentation recording the changes over time in all corners of the state.
Immense thanks goes out to all photographers and venues who are taking part in this monthly series. We’ll start this month in the Capital District, with a drone montage from Zach Culver, covering the venues we long to return to, sooner, rather than later.
OFC Creations have announced the 2020 line up for ROC Summer Theatre Experience will continue this summer with added precautions and safety measures for July and August.
From July 6 through August 22, 2020, campers ages 4 to 18 will participate in a variation of 15 musical theater productions across three venues with 25 directors. Most camps run two weeks from 9 AM to 3 PM with options for before-care and after-care hours. Each camp concludes with performances open to family, friends, and the public. Camps will take place at various locations throughout Rochester including the Kodak Center, the Lyric Theatre, Seton School, and OFC’s brand-new theatre, The OFC Creations Theatre Center in Winton Place Plaza.
Summer 2020 camps include the following productions:
Ages 4-7
Chicken Little, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella
Ages 7-11
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Aladdin Jr, Matilda Jr, Willy Wonka Jr, Peter Pan Jr, The Sound of Music, Law and Order: Fairy Tale Unit
Ages 11-17
Footloose the Musical, Sweeney Todd: School Edition, Chicago: School Edition, Rock of Ages: School Edition
New safety precautions will be added to all summer camps including spaced drop off and pick up times, keeping campers in groups of no more than 10, wearing masks especially while singing, as well as hand sanitizing stations and frequent hand washing. OFC’s health advisor, Erika Kozlowski, will be on hand at camp with a focus on health and safety and answering any parent questions. A full breakdown of safety precautions are now on OFC’s website.
OFC Creations Executive Director, Eric Vaughn Johnson, is no stranger to summer camp programming. From 2013 to 2018, Johnson had designed and spearheaded the Summer Stock program at RAPA, leading an upwards of 400 campers throughout the summer. Johnson also served as the artistic director of SNAP Musical Theater for four summers with casts of 80 kids performing shows including Hairspray and The Little Mermaid.
Johnson says why he wanted to continue the ROC Summer Theatre Experience:
We wanted to bring a one-of-a-kind theater opportunity for youth in Rochester during the summer months. Kids have been stuck inside without any social interactions for months, they need this summer now more than ever.
Here are some of the teaching artists and staff members at OFC Creations:
Emily Beseau is a frequent teaching artist for OFC Creations. Beseau graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Ithaca College. Currently, Beseau is teaching OFC’s Experiencing Broadway class.
Hunter Ekberg, originally from Minneapolis Minnesota, Ekberg frequents the Rochester stage as a performer in children’s theater productions. Ekberg is currently vocal directing OFC’s Frozen Jr and Mamma Mia productions.
Rebecca Kemp is the general music teacher for Park Road Elementary School and will be vocal directing several of the youth shows for summer. Kemp recently vocal directed Barker Road Middle School’s production of Spamalot.
Jason Rugg, Irondequoit NY, is a theater teacher for Irondequoit High School and will be directing several summer camps. Rugg serves on the board of Pittsford Musicals, performs in community productions, and directed The Frog Prince at the Kodak Center in summer 2018.
Additional directors and staff members include:Lizzi Adams (Monroe Community College), Tammi Colombo (Rochester, NY) Andrea Gregoire (Rochester, NY) Mandi Gurell (Penfield, NY), Kendra Hacker (University of Kansas School of the Arts), Jane Huffer (University of Rochester), Misty Irwin (Spencerport, NY), Gregory Maddock (Rochester, NY), Jillian Oddo (Rochester, NY), Brianna Ross (SUNY Fredonia), Eric Schutt (Greece, NY), Courtney Weather (Brighton, NY), and Jamie Wisset (Brighton, NY).
Registration is now open for 2020 summer programs. Discounts are available for campers signing up for more than one camp. Registration information and details are available at www.ROCSummerTheatre.com and at www.OFCCreations.com.
One of WNY’s tightest and most eclectic rock groups is back with a new album release on July 3. Rochester based indie rock band, Animal Sounds, has a great discography already, with early material like “Ghosts” paving the way for their first full album, Ennui. It is important to take into context how the band’s music has matured over the past few years. Layers is a whole new beast, with intricately crafted structure and infinitely danceable tunes. Animal Sounds hasn’t compromised on what’s made them an indie staple in the area while continuing to grow.
The album’s opener, “Layers,” is a great exemplification of how the band can mend and bend the genre’s they write around. The core of the song is a dance-able, Young-the-Giant-type-groove complete with wobbly keys and deft guitar work. While the hook and the vocal performance are worthy of the spotlight, the guitar parts and drum feature early on showcase how technically sound their musicianship is. The song breaks out into a New Orleans style brass section before diversifying into a chill and bouncy bridge. The drop downs in the song really make the chorus hooks shine through. One track in, and the album already makes a strong impression.
“Rollin,” the second track, hits heavy with a bluesy, Steely-Dan-style guitar lick underneath reverb-soaked vocal ooh’s. Little hints of shoegazy, early Modest-Mouse-type guitar parts play beneath the verse lyrics. The bass thrusts the song onward into an energetic chorus. Again, the musicianship is stellar as the band navigates very tonally different verses and choruses without missing a beat.
The third track of the album is really a unique sound for the group, with a mix of their essential indie, along with a more twinkly guitar background- similar to some of the tones you’d expect to find on a math-rock album. Some of the guitar parts come off as math-inspired, but they never stray from being rhythmically accessible. The bass tone on this song hits heavy and offers more thickness while the drums provide a straightforward pulse.
“Blue on Burgundy” yields a nice, solid dream-pop feel that remains energetic but gives the album a great dynamic arc. The guitar compositions and their harmonies are so well written and performed here, hitting that perfect point where the guitars meld together and sound like one single instrument. The band’s foray into more jam-type music here (as well as at various other points in the album) pays off in a big way. The solo sections never hang on too long, and what’s being played never comes off as inarticulate or ‘noodly.’
Lastly, “The Feeling” brings the album out on a heavy note. The baritone guitar licks match the bass to create a really thick sound. A theme throughout this album has to be the thickness of the low end. It lends to bouncier drums and allows the guitar and vocals to sit well. The mixing holds up really well and offers plenty of easter eggs worthy of searching for indulging numerous listens. A true dance album with wonderfully designed tones and mixes, Layers is a perfect album for summer playlists and heavy listening. Animal Sounds will be doing a live-stream show on July 3rd, to benefit a local Rochester venue, Photo City. Check out the event here, and catch Animal Sounds live on release day!
Animal Sounds is comprised of Erick Gordon (vocals), Shawn Brogan (guitar), Alex Brophy (guitar), Zach Jonas (bass), and Angel Figueroa (drums).
In the midst of a global pandemic, as well as coping with trials and tribulations of being a twenty something, Rochester native, Garrett Eckl of Your Name Here has released a full length album that was written and produced by himself. Graduation of the Apocalypse is Eckl’s second full length concept album, which covers topics such as relationship troubles, self worth and mental health – topics that relate to Eckl on a more personal level that compared to his prior album.
His vulnerability and advancement of his musical prowess has birthed the story of an immersive journey where two teens find themselves in the middle of an apocalyptic world that has been ravaged by an alien invasion/ virus. His use of music technologies, personal experiences and opinions on current world issues act as fuel to propel his story through highs and lows, like a true theatrical experience – something that Eckl said he really strived for on the album.
Eckl, who left his job at NASA to pursue music, recently moved to San Diego where he received bachelors in music recording technology. He has set his sights on a masters in computer music and intends to pursue academia. In an interview with NYS Music, he said recent life events pushed him to create a new album, namely his move to San Diego. His cross country move and relationship troubles have spilled onto the album, in the best way possible. He said the experience taught him that he needs to learn to let go of certain things in his life.
“The album is very cyclical in nature. The first song “Graduation Day” ends with me singing about not wanting to grow up and lose my youthfulness (“some kids live into their forties, some kids live until they’re married, some kids die on graduation day but I’m never gonna go that way”). That same verse is repeated at the end of the album in “Now I Know.” This signifies that despite everything the protagonist has been through, he still hasn’t become the jaded and boring person he feared he would become.”
The result of these revelations and life experiences is this: Sonically, this is what you get when you mix Ben Folds 5, Weezer and the play Dear Evan Hansen together. Listeners will feel an array of emotions, as one does in a play. There are tracks that are instrumentally uplifting and chipper, coupled with lyricism describing the complexity of love in relationships, like in “Graduation Day.” “Everyone Thinks You’re A Little Strange” is also a prime example of Eckl’s style – a huge sound consisting of string quartets, chanting choirs, dynamics and builds, highs and lows and stories that everyone can relate to.
But we’re also strung through songs that set the scene of how grim things are in this reality – i.e. “The Apocalypse.” This was a stand alone song that proves how Eckl is growing and learning. The song never speaks of the protagonists, says Eckl. “I wanted this album to be open to interpretation, but I wanted it to be very clear that this (song) was about the apocalypse.” In this track, Eckl is able to hold onto his style that sets him apart from others in the genre, but is able to create an intense tonal shift, all while using recognizable instrumentation and voicing that is seen throughout his other works. It’s an incredible feat and once again legitimizes this album as something that could easily be mistaken as an OST from a Broadway show.
Each song is unique and easily distinguishable. Everything sounds just as Your Name Here should sound, but each one feels like it’s own standalone story. String them together, and listeners will go on a personal, reflective journey as well as getting a taste of Eckl’s experience. It’s been exciting to run through each of the songs, and it’s been exciting to wait for each track, as Eckl has been releasing 1 song per week for the past few months. The last song of the album, set to be released July 5, is called “ Letter In A Locket”. We’ve made a playlist on Spotify of every released track, but listeners can find it on Apple Music and below via Youtube. Those who want to dive even deeper into the immersive world Eckl has created, can also look into the Alternate Reality Game (ARG) that he has made to coincide with the album. Find more information on his ARG, here.
Key Tracks: Graduation Day, Everyone Thinks You’re A Little Strange, The Apocalypse
Covid-19 has cancelled just about everything this year. Sporting events, graduations, and concerts have all been postponed or cancelled in some capacity. The Rochester Lilac 5k/10k is no exception to these cancellations. In the absence of the Lilac Fest, Rochester Events have established their first ever virtual run, the “Roc’n RUN.” This event will benefit MusiCares, a non-profit organization formed by the Recording Academy, who usually run the GRAMMYS, to raise money to provide a much needed safety net for out of work people in the entertainment industry.
Rochester Events owner Jeff Springut stated “Although we’ve probably lost the Festival season, we’re giving not only our local community but anyone in the world a chance to tie up the laces and turn up the tunes! The virtual run and walk has a distance for everyone- and can be run anywhere- whether you are an athlete, music fan, or both!” This event was made possible by The Springut Group, a Rochester-based company with greater than 35 years of experience in bringing events to the community. They produce the Rochester Lilac Festival, Five Star Bank Party in the Park Concert Series, Midtown Eats, and other special events.
The ROC‘n RUN event will take place June 26th – 28th and will host 4 races. The Summer Madness 5K, Lovin’ Summer 10K and Cruel, Cruel Summer Half-Marathon, as well as a Schools Out for Summer 2-Miler for those under 14.
Registration for the ROC’n RUN opened on Wednesday, June 3rd and can be found at their website.
NYC’s Peak are off to a hot start in 2020 and in full gear during their winter tour. Following the release of full set video from their Brooklyn Bowl show in October, they recently released Hot Clips Volume 2, the second installment in our live series with selected tracks from fall and early winter tours, featuring new songs and some of their hand-picked favorite jams from the road.
Rochester is a strong music city, based mostly on its flourishing local scene. Touring acts aren’t as kind to this city between cities. But every once in a while a band comes through, latches on, and rides the tide to local hero-dom. The Wood Brothers are such a band.
First opening for the poster-child of Rochester hero bands, Tedeschi Trucks Band. Then breaking through as a club pass band at the Rochester International Jazz Fest. They quickly returned as a main stage headliner, and headlined at the Lilac Festival soon after that. Wednesday night they were back at the Kodak Center for a rare wintertime visit. Tedeschi Trucks, Jazz Fest, Lilac Fest, Kodak… hitting all the Rochester sweet spots, it’s no wonder they’ve found a place in the city’s hearts.
On top of that, they welcomed Rochester-native, Kat Wright, to open their whole tour. Excited to be back in her hometown, she recalled Rochester memories, got shout outs from friends, family and fans in the crowd, and dedicated a song to a friend celebrating her birthday. Her usual eight-strong Indomitable Soul Band was stripped down to her, Bob Wagner on guitar and Josh Weinstein on bass. They rearranged some older tunes for the occasion, threw in a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “Love Me Like a Man,” and introduced a few new ones, like the sultry slow burning “Let Me In” and the bluegrass-infused reggae of “Can’t Explain.”
The Wood Brothers had some new songs in their arsenal as well, coming with a stellar new album in tow. They opened with the first track, “Alabaster,” with “Little Bit Sweet” and the West-African inflected “Don’t Think About My Death” not too far behind. Though for the most part they stuck to the tried and true classics, digging through their songbook generously, presenting the full spectrum of their wares.
The seated crowd was soon on its feet, filling the aisles, dancing and singing along. The best dance moves as always though, belonged to bassist Chris Wood. His fancy footwork only outmatched by his fancy fretwork, both on display during a rumbling bass and drums segment during “Who the Devil.”
Midway through their set, during the old-school format portion of the evening with Jano Rix out front on his ‘shitar,’ the band injected the excellent Rochester local scene into their set. They invited Aaron Lipp on banjo and Wright on vocals for a rollicking rendition of the Wood Brothers oldie “One More Day.” The set peaked at the penultimate “Happiness Jones” with its funky grooving soul on full display.
Oliver Wood made sure to seal the deal on the mutual feelings between band and crowd before calling it a night, “We love Rochester!” One thing seems certain, it won’t be long before the two meet again.
Setlist: Alabaster, American Heartache, Atlas, Little Bit Sweet, Shoofly Pie, Don’t Think About My Death, Luckiest Man, Mary Anna, Little Bit Broken, Postcards from Hell, Pray Enough, Who the Devil, Loaded, One More Day*, I Got Loaded, Happiness Jones, Snake Eyes.
Encore: Chevrolet (Ed & Lonnie Young).
* with Aaron Lipp on Banjo and Kat Wright on vocals.
Annie in the Water has just completed the most successful year in their career and is now embarking on the most ambitious tour of their career beginning this week. This tour has the band teaming up with Hayley Jane to perform Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album in its entirety and will visit venues across the Northeast throughout the month of February.
Annie in the Water’s second album Time to Play was released last summer. It’s an album comprised of songs the band has been playing live for years but hasn’t received the studio treatment until now. It’s an album that gives a snapshot of a band on the rise and a band ready to take on the live music scene with a vengeance.
While they call the North Country home, Annie in the Water has roots all over the map. Their origin story stems from a chance meeting between singer/guitarists Michael Lashomb and Bradley Hester at Hobart College in Geneva in 2007. The two hit it off immediately and began jamming together. They would reconvene during summers off from college, jamming together and coaching at lacrosse camps. They recorded their first album Destination in 2011 while Hester was a graduate assistant coach at Jacksonville University.
Since forming, the band has undergone several lineup changes, with Hester and Lashomb the only constant over the years. The band is now a six-piece with the addition of former Formula 5 keyboardist Matt Richards last July. Brock Kuca (drums/percussion), Ryan Trumbull (drums) and Chris Meier (bass) complete the unit.
Annie in the Water and Hayley Jane have been rehearsing for this tour for the past several months and are set to kick it all off this Wednesday in Saranac Lake.
NYS Music recently sat down with the band to discuss their history, their influences and the upcoming Spread Rumours Tour with Hayley Jane.
NYS Music: First, I’d like to start by finding out more about each of you individually. Where is each of you from? What path brought you to where you are today?
Bradley Hester: I grew up all over the place, born in Colorado. I also lived in Ohio, Japan, Virginia, and I came to Upstate New York by way of Hobart College. Since college, I’ve been in Upstate doing the Annie in the Water thing but also coaching lacrosse. I will probably always coach lacrosse because it’s one of the ways I am bringing my value to life and I have learned so many things from the game that continue to impact the way I live my life.
Brad Hester (Photo: Brian Cornish)
Michael Lashomb: I was born and raised in Cleveland, OH. My parents were originally from Ogdensburg, New York. We would go visit Upstate and work on my grandfather’s land whenever we had time off from school, so I was able to become familiar with the North Country landscape and inner-city life throughout my childhood.
While I was in Cleveland, I was exposed to a lot of diverse styles of music. There was always new music coming through mainstream radio when I was a kid, also a lot of hip-hop and funk influence in the city. In the North Country, I was exposed to more roots style and country. So I had a good blend that influenced me. When I was about 11 years old, I heard blink-182’s song “Dammit” on the radio and I immediately thought of ways to learn the song. That motivated me and I just started diving into all sorts of musical styles. I specifically started basing my early style of play on John Frusciante’s (Red Hot Chili Peppers) fretboard work.
Throughout my late teens and early 20’s, I was always picking up different jobs to try to make it work. I moved down to Florida at one point and was recruited to be a lacrosse coach and teacher at a prep school in Jacksonville. After that, I went out to L.A. for a short time and worked on the TV show The Amazing Race. In my late 20’s, I decided to go full-time music. No Plan B for me. I couldn’t imagine not pursuing music as my life path.
Michael Lashomb (Photo: Brian Cornish)
Brock Kuca: I was born and raised in a little town called Morristown on the St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands). I started playing music at the age of 10, the saxophone. That didn’t really work out so well. I discovered the guitar at age 12. That’s when the sparks flew and music became the main priority in my life. Before joining Annie in the Water full-time, I cooked fancy food in a local restaurant. I was also a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and worked production at music festivals. Although I have a deep passion for cooking, it’s hard to really imagine my life without some kind of musical influence in it.
I met Mike and Brad some eight or nine years ago. Wow, that’s hard to believe. They would invite me out to play gigs in Potsdam, Alexandria Bay, Clayton and Watertown. I’ve shared the stage with various, very credible and outstanding musicians since then but the present combination of the six of us is a special thing. We are all writers/composers and are just starting to explore that realm with one another.
Brock Kuca
Chris Meier: I’m originally from Chatham, New York. My path to where I currently am heavily involved my time spent at SUNY Oneonta, where I met my bandmates from my first group, Space Carnival. We were lucky enough to have a great scene that eventually led to where I am now.
Chris Meier
Ryan Trumbull: Well, I grew up in the Adirondacks. I was born in Saranac Lake. All of my family members had some sort of musical talent, especially my uncle who had played drums for a long time.
Ryan Trumbull (Photo: Brian Cornish)
Matt Richards: I was born in Albany and reside just outside of the city in Delmar, NY. My life’s musical journey through multiple bands — my high school and SUNY New Paltz band, The Assortment of Crayons, followed by my three-plus years with Formula 5 immediately after college — is what brought me to Annie in the Water. If I weren’t making music, I’d likely be studying how birds make music.
Matt Richards, Brock Kuca and Michael Lashomb
NYSM: The group has evolved over the years, adding new members as recently as this past summer. Have the six of you started to gel as a unit yet?
BH: I feel we gelled the first time we played with each other in a rehearsal. The first show we played together felt like the right thing. The music and the feelings that go with it all get tighter as we continue to push ourselves into unknown territory. As long as we allow ourselves the freedom to explore at shows, we can uncover parts of our potential that would never have happened if we limited ourselves.
ML: The band finally became a full unit when Matt Richards joined in July of 2019. The first rehearsal we had, I personally felt that he was the glue of the entire unit and the gelling started then. Chris and Rippy (drummer Ryan Trumbull) had already been in the mix for six months and they were really sinking in with the backbeat and Brock has made considerable strides as a percussion player.
Everyone in the band is open to trying new things. They are constructive and they are professional. I am extremely lucky to have such great people in this band. I believe all of our collective experiences and knowledge have come together well. All of our individual skills have made the growth quick.
MR: We certainly have. I find our unity became most evident in what is now known as “The Church Set.” We were supposed to perform outside in Potsdam on Sept. 7 last year but due to poor weather conditions, we performed inside the local Methodist Church. We were effortlessly one cohesive unit this set, and have remained so since.
RT: I think we are just starting to mold our sound.
CM: Most definitely. We’ve really taken off as a unit and it feels like the sky’s the limit.
NYSM: How does the songwriting process work for you guys? Is there one person doing all the writing or is everyone given free rein to submit material?
BH: Songwriting works in a variety of ways. The album Time to Play is a collection of some of the songs Mike and I have been playing and performing for years, but I really enjoy opening up the floor for all ideas while we are creating. I feel like the best ideas can come into something with an open canvas, so even if one of us writes a song, everyone else can add ideas to it and add great elements. Everyone in the group is a creator, so I like to keep open the possibility of anyone bringing a song to the group and for the group to help develop.
ML: AITW music is a collective of material. Everyone in the band writes, which is terrific. Now that we have had some time to develop, we are more focused on writing as a unit. Sometimes a song can be written collectively but also one person may have a vision for a song, and as a group, it’s important for us to all do our best to help facilitate that creation. Songwriting will always be an evolutionary process for this band.
MR: We all have so many songs from our past that we want to work in this group. Perhaps everyone in this band is a terrific songwriter. There is a strong desire to work as one to create music in the future. Additionally, Bradley and I have performed a number of duo shos and write at least one song each time, live, in front of an audience. That is a process that is new to me but I love very much. Songwriting can be improvisation slowed down and improvisation can be songwriting sped up.
CM: This has been the most open format for writing I’ve ever been a part of. Everything is on the table.
Hayley in the Water Rehearsal at The Bank, Frankfort
NYSM: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
BH: When I was young, I grew up on Top 40 hits and was influenced by country music through my parents. Garth Brooks was a go-to of mine when I was in elementary school and, strangely enough, because of my older sister, the Backstreet Boys had an impact on me before I became a teenager. Throughout middle and high school I got into bands like Styx, 311, 30 Seconds to Mars, Finch, Our Lady Peace, blink-182. From the hip hop angle, Eminem is someone I paid a lot of attention to in terms of diction and delivery of language, Kid Cudi for breaking out of norms, B.O.B., Andre 3000, Sammy Adams for their unique approaches. Bob Marley is a huge influence on me as well. Mike introduced me to Phish back in 2008 and I had such an uplifting experience that I knew I was going to achieve similar things with our band with time and patience.
I’m always influenced a little by the other bands in our scene, especially the bands we have the pleasure of playing with. Michael Franti and Spearhead, Andy Frasco, Nahko and Medicine for the People, Swamp Kids, Wild Adriatic, John Brown’s Body, Goose, Turkuaz, Big Something, moe., Twiddle, Nina’s Brew, among others. There are too many to name but I am slightly influenced by everyone I am lucky enough to experience!
ML: When I was eight years old, I was obsessed with the Grateful Dead. Not so much their music, but their artwork. I had t-shirts and patches on my backpack and everything. What is interesting is how their music has been woven into my style almost naturally. But besides them as an overall musical influence, I grew up on folk music — Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. I’m also a big fan of The Band. I love Pink Floyd, Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem and Sigur Ros. Those are my ethereal outlets. I also loved punk in high school: Ten Foot Pole, MxPx, Pennywise, blink-182, Less Than Jake, 311, NoFX, but also heavy stuff like GWAR, Korn and Rammstein.
I got into jamband/bluegrass style stuff in high school. Stuff like String Cheese, Bela Fleck, Dispatch, moe., Umphrey’s McGee. Phish was a discovery that changed the whole game. But recently I have been getting more into traditional Celtic music like The Dubliners and different modern composition styles like Bon Iver and Hans Zimmer. Very grateful for all the music I have been exposed to.
MR: Steely Dan, Animal Collective, Ween, Yes, MGMT, Circa Survive, Phish, Vince Guaraldi, McCoy Tyner, The New Deal, RAQ, nature (like actual nature, not a band), Wilco, Dave Brubeck, Talking Heads. Okay, I gotta stop myself somewhere but I know I am missing at least 50 artists and will kick myself for not including them.
RT: Stewart Copeland, Brain (Primus), Anika Nilles, Benny Greb.
CM: Sly Stone, Beck, Motown, Steely Dan.
NYSM: When did you first develop a relationship with Hayley Jane? This tour sounds like it will be a fun collaboration. What was the genesis of the idea to do a Rumours tour together?
Hayley Jane
BH: I first developed a relationship with Hayley Jane back in 2016 when I posted myself doing a vocal exercise for the first time in eight months. She contacted me and was curious about what happened to me because she wanted to offer her experience going through vocal issues. We’ve been friends ever since, sitting in and co-creating whenever possible.
Sometimes it’s hard to remember how fragile our vocal cords can be if they do not get proper attention and strength training, but they are also very resilient and can come back from injury stronger than ever, which is how I feel now. I was able to dissolve the cyst that formed on my right vocal cord by taking many months of pure rest and also learning how to properly warm-up. Staying away from alcohol and drugs and remembering to stay healthy and hydrated is key to my intention to make my vocal cords last as long as I can stay alive.
ML: Brad and I first met Hayley Jane about four years ago in Vermont and that’s when a relationship started. The Vermont music scene has a tendency to bring like-minded people together. The project idea started when we were all at Grassroots in Shakori Hills, NC. Our band had been on a pretty solid Fleetwood Mac kick for a while so when we were in North Carolina, Chris was talking with Hayley about playing a Fleetwood Mac song. I’m not exactly sure how the conversation went because I wasn’t there, but now there’s a tour put together and I’m playing in it.
CM: I’ve been aware of Hayley for a number of years but we formally met last fall at Shakori Hills Grassroots Music Festival. The idea was developed there over the conversations we had in our RV on tour.
MR: I first met Hayley through Formula 5. She would perform with us in Burlington at Nectar’s when we would get up there. I think since we all love Rumours it just felt natural we reach out to Hayley and see if she would be interested in doing this with us. It all fell into place seemingly well.
NYSM: Thanks to all the members of Annie in the Water for your participation. Best of luck with this most ambitious tour.
The upcoming tour will have Hayley Jane opening each show with a set of original material, followed by a complete run-through of Fleetwood Mac’s storied Rumours album featuring Hayley Jane alongside Annie in the Water and concluding with a full Annie in the Water set.
Tickets are available now for all shows on the Spread Rumours Tour. For more information on the tour and where to purchase tickets check out the Annie in the Water website here. Check out the band’s latest album Time to Play below.
This February, Jazz is PHSH returns to New York with two stops in Rochester and NYC, bringing with them perform unique arrangements featuring the music of Phish and an all-star lineup. Alongside bandleader and drummer Adam Chase, musicians Felix Pastorious (Hipster Assassins), John Culbreth (Naughty Professor) and Yesseh Furaha-Ali join together for these coming shows, with Matthew Chase and Jonathan Huber joining for the first three shows, and Snarky Puppy’s Bob Lanzetti and Justin Stanton joining for the rest of the tour.
“Ultimately, it became my goal to create arrangements that would be fun for Phish fans to enjoy while presenting the music in a way that even the most pretentious jazz professor would be forced to respect,” says co-creator and music director Adam Chase, of the process.
To formulate their compositions, the Chase brothers do things like write original chord changes to support the existing melody or pull chord changes from jazz standards and add them to solo sections. The ensembles create their own unique interpretations and arrangements of songs by the beloved improvisational rock band and, at times, their unique interpretation of music from the Phish songbook are completely unrecognizable.
Jazz is PHSH Tour Dates:
1/30 – Baltimore, MD – Union Craft Brewing
1/31 – Toronto, Ontario – Velvet Underground
2/1 – Rochester, NY – Anthology
2/4 – Boston, MA – City Winery
2/5 – Philadelphia, PA – City Winery
2/6 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
2/7 – Winchester, VA – Bright Box Theater
2/8 – Harrisburg, PA – The Abbey Bar
Watch a live version of “Stash” from City Winery in Atlanta
Two centennial celebrations will be commemorated by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, tying music and history together in a unique and inspired way. On Thursday, January 30 and Saturday, February 1, Music Director Ward Stare and the orchestra will present “Women’s Suffrage: Past + Present” and on Thursday, February 6 and Saturday, February 8, Stare will lead a concert performance of Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein’s salute to Susan B. Anthony, “The Mother of Us All.” The events will be held at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music.
The two performances celebrate historical events that are rooted in Rochester and Western New York. 2020 marks suffragist Susan B. Anthony’s 200th birthday, as well as the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, which enshrined a women’s right to vote in the U.S. Constitution.
The first two concerts feature orchestral compositions by three women spanning three centuries: Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, from the 19th century; Julia Perry, from the 20th century; and Gemma Peacocke, a New Zealand-born composer from the 21st century.
Peacocke’s work “All on Fire” is a commission from Stare and the RPO, and was inspired by a quote from Susan B. Anthony: “How can you not be all on fire?…I really believe I shall explode if some of you young women don’t wake up — and raise your voice in protest against the impending crime of this nation upon the new islands it has clutched from other folks. Do come into the living present and work to save us from any more barbaric male governments.”
Stare has high hopes for the brand-new piece, as well as the first of two performance weekends. “I hope this first half demonstrates the huge variety of music by women composers,” Stare said. “Regardless of the composer’s gender, these are simply very good pieces.”
The second weekend of performances includes the Virgil Thomson opera “The Mother of Us All,” from Librettist Gertrude Stein, which has been produced occasionally since premiering at Columbia University in 1947. The opera is about Susan B. Anthony but also includes a large cast including Daniel Webster, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Supreme Court Chief Justice Thaddeus Stevens, among other minor historical figures.
Ward Stare notes that his preparation for these upcoming concerts included a private tour of the Susan B. Anthony House on Madison Street, which he found very moving. “To see the room where she met Frederick Douglass and other great figures — and the work room where she wrote so many amazing pamphlets — made me even more appreciative of everything Anthony went through in her life.”
