Author: Mickey Deneher

In Focus: Gary Clark Jr. at The Capitol Theatre
Hot off the heels of attending the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, where he paid tribute to Charley Patton, Gary Clark Jr. headed back out on the road with a stop at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on Wednesday, November 3.

Gary Clark Jr.

On night two of a three-night stand, Clark took the crowd on a musical journey traversing a soundscape from sojourns of simplicity through to explosions of sound. To support this pilgrimage, Gary enlisted King Zapata on guitar, Jon Deas on keyboards, Elijah Ford on bass, and J.J. Johnson on drums. Their prowess provided the infrastructure for Clark to explore the musical expanse.

The show opened with the potent “Bright Lights.” Clark is not afraid to update arrangements as “Fellin’ Like a Million” shifted to a beat-based groove while the falsettos in “I Walk Alone” articulated the emotional distress of the piece.

Gary Clark Jr.

Throughout the night the tall Texan would step forward and affix himself to a spot on the stage enabling the power and fury of his playing to radiate out to those in attendance. A well calibrated light show helped fine-tune the aura surrounding the stage which added an exponential element to the show.

Opening duties were delegated to hip hop rappers Blackillac. The duo, who had been taken under Clark’s wing years back, shared what they called “their version of the blues.” From the first beats you could sense the Austin musicians influence bestowed upon them. Moving from established tunes to freestyle and back, Blackillac achieved their goal to prepare everyone for the headliner.

Blackillac

To close out the two-hour show, Gary strapped on a Flying V guitar and launched into “Pearl Cadillac.” A lone spotlight illuminated the man and his guitar as the distinctive notes from the song extended to the rafters. Standing tall and proud, Clark thanked everyone and sent them off into the night as he faded into the darkness at the back of the stage.

Gary Clark Jr.
Blackillac
November 10, 2021
Spoon Stirs it up at The Capitol Theatre
Spoon orchestrated a six show, eight-day “min tour” to prepare for their “Back to Life” live stream from Los Angles at the end of October. The tour, isolated to the Northeast, included a stop at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY.

Spoon’s set began with the somewhat dark “The Beast and Dragon, Adored.” The song afforded the band the opportunity to pull the audience in close before engaging them in a full on rock offensive. Lead singer and founding member Britt Daniel took his position guiding the charge. But at times during the set, Daniel could be seen dropping to his knees or catapulting into full flight as if the songs were giving the commands.

Spoon

Stage right Alex Fischel was no shy puppy. Oscillating between guitar and keyboards (and occasional percussion), Fischel would at times be hidden away in the crux of his set up and then erupting into full on guitar assaults with a maladroit style all his own. Jim Eno, the other founding member of Spoon, set the pulse for the band with his drumming, enabling the band to take music in the direction it wanted to go in.

Since starting in 1993, Spoon has amassed a trove of songs in their gig bag. The set was comprised of fifteen songs including: “Don’t You Evah,” “Do You,” and “I Turn My Camera On.” The encore found Daniel and Fischel alone on stage isolated in spotlights as they harmonized on John Lennon’s “Isolation.” The band joined mid way and performed three additional songs, closing with “Rent I Pay.”

Spoon at The Capitol Theatre

Supporting Spoon on this whiplash of a tour is Nicole Atkins. Her brassy rock and roll swagger makes her a perfect opening act. Sporting a blond wig, Nicole strapped on a guitar for most of her time on stage. Rocking through her catalog she was backed by an ad hock band created for this tour. Currently living in Nashville, Atkins is Jersey born and bred. She cut her teeth in the Asbury music scene and her take no prisoner demeanor confirmed that. Giving acknowledgement to her rock and roll mentors, Nicole and band finished out with Led Zeppelin’s “What is and What Should Never Be.”

Nicole Atkins

Being such a short tour, those that had the opportunity to catch this combination of acts are much the richer. Better yet, being a precursor to the live stream from L.A., Spoon fans have much to look forward to.

Spoon
Nicole Atkins
October 25, 2021
Black Crowes Wrap up “Shake Your Money Maker” Tour at Bethel Woods
Proclaiming the longevity of Shake Your Money Maker, The Black Crowes took to the road this year to celebrate its 31^st anniversary. The Black Crowes tour, originally scheduled for 2020, included 37 dates across the U.S., culminating at Bethel Wo o ds in Upstate NY.

Putting stories of infighting between Chris and Rich Robinson in the rear-view mirror, the two could be seen grinning from ear to ear during this final night of the tour. The show opened with The Texas Gentleman. Dirty Honey had been supporting the Crowes during the run. A switch was made for the closing date. The Dallas based band proved satisfactory as a warmup. With a Jim Carrey styled lead singer/keyboard player at the helm. Paying homage to the Woodstock music scene, they closed out with The Band’s “The Shape I’m In.”

Chris and Rich Robinson

To begin their part of the evening at Bethel Woods, the Black Crowes assembled at a what appeared to be a dive bar situated in the back corner of the stage. Separately, Chris Robinson sat on a drum riser in the dark, hidden by a large umbrella with the Black Crowes logo on it. A woman stepped out from the shadows and headed to an old-fashioned juke box located mid stage. Dropping a coin in and selecting a song, Elmore James’s “Shake Your Money Maker” filled the house and the show was on.

On cue, the band stepped forward, plugged in, and started with “Twice as Hard,” the opening track from Shake Your Money Maker, following the sequence of the album (“Jealous Again”, “Sister Luck”, etc.). At the midway mark, Chris called out praise for “The Big O” (Otis Reading) before the opening beats of “Hard to Handle” was heard.

Chris Robinson had his dancing shoes kicking his heels up and twirling with every number…

You could feel the energy from the band exceeding its limits as if the governor had been ripped off this rock and roll engine. Chris Robinson had his dancing shoes kicking his heels up and twirling with every number leaving no part of the stage untouched. Rich Robinson, offering a somewhat a stoic stance through the night, let his powerful guitar chops show this was not a one-man band

Guitarist Isaiah Mitchell stood out with power solos confirming his supporting role. Backup singers Mackenzie Adams and Leslie Grant along with keyboard player Joel Robinow helped add that little extra something to acknowledge the Money Maker milestone. With the completion of side two of Shake Your Money Maker, the band continued on. Pulling out tunes from their long career including “Thorn In My Side” and “Remedy.”

To close the night out, the encore gave praise to The Velvet Underground with a cover of their song “Rock & Roll.” Was this night a fairy tale? A happy ending for the brothers Robinson? One thing is for sure, it was not grim.

The Black Crowes
The Texas Gentleman
October 10, 2021
In Focus: Chris Stapleton “All American Road Show” at Bethel Woods

While I was driving up Route 17 to attend the Chris Stapleton “All American Road Show” at Bethel Woods, the rain was coming down like cats and dogs and squirrels and rabbits. With my windshield wipers on high, I started thinking of August 1969. Back then the heavens had opened up on a little music event at this same location. Maybe this was a good sign.

Chris Stapleton

The “Road Show “, which started in July, has been fluid with its opening acts. On this night Kendal Marvel, a gray bearded Honky Tonker, greeted the early attendees. He and his band delivered a short and driving set. “Low Down and Lonesome” had you moving your feet while “Gypsy Woman” took it down a notch reflecting on a transient love.

Kendal Marvel

Grammy nominated Margo Price followed. Price reached out to all in the house and took control of the stage. As she moved seamlessly between vocals, guitar, and percussion, Margo maneuvered from one end of the stage to the other in her knee-high black suede boots. Price’s set included “Tennessee Song” from Midwest Farmer’s Daughter and a cover of Leslie Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me.” Backed by a full band, including a three-guitar army and pedal steel, her execution was top notch reinforcing her well-deserved musical status.

Margo Price

Stepping out from the wings with a flashlight directing his path, Chris Stapleton centered himself on a dark stage. A man and his guitar. Then, a single spotlight illuminated him from behind setting the tone for his set. This was not about him, but about the music.

Stapleton opened with “Whiskey and You,” a raw look at the struggles of the heart. His full band then joined him on an elaborately constructed stage, which was not pretentious but built to enhance the journey. To his left and lending vocals, was Stapleton’s wife, Morgane. Randomly through the show, she would snuggle up close to Chris and caress the tall Kentuckian’s beard bringing about a joyful glow.

No BS. No fireworks. Just Chris Stapleton and his songs.

The two-hour set maneuvered through Stapleton’s catalog, and included songs from his 2020 Starting Over album.There was not a lot of banter from the singer songwriter enabling each song to resonate fully before the next began. Throughout the night a continuous flow of guitar changes and band configurations afforded each song the opportunity to shine brightly.

You could feel the depth of Chris’s deep, raspy timbre as he shared the challenges of the common man. With Stapleton’s encouragement, the house joined in on “Starting Over” giving this audience of sixteen thousand the opportunity to be one with the artist. At one point, Chris teased the crowd with a snippet of Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” before breaking into “The Devil Named Music.” Taking creative license with the iconic “Tennessee Whiskey”, Stapleton melodically introduced his band and brought the set to a close.

Chris Stapleton

The night concluded with a two-song encore. Beginning with the title cut from his debut album Traveler, citing “this was where it all began.” To close Stapleton chose “Outlaw State of Mind.” The song built up in intensity while performed. As it concluded, each musician with their instruments feeding back put them down on the stage floor and walked off. Sending the music into the ethos.

The deluge leading up to the show did not deter the sold-out audience. What they experienced was a well-constructed night of musical purpose. No BS. No fireworks. Just Chris Stapleton and his songs. Unadulterated for all to consume.

Kendal Marvel

Margo Price

Chris Stapleton

October 7, 2021
In Focus: Blackberry Smoke “Spirit of the South” Tour rolls into Stone Pony Summer Stage
For many bands it is a struggle to make it past a few years. However, when they do, it requires something special. To commemorate their 20^th anniversary, Georgia’s Blackberry Smoke spun up the “Spirit of the South Tour: A Celebration of Southern Rock N Roll.”

To help support this momentous adventure, Blackberry Smoke brought along The Allman Betts Band and The Wild Feathers, as well as having special guests sit in at various stops along the way. As luck would have it in the year 2021, midway through the tour a member of Blackberry Smoke tested positive for Covid. With proper protocols in place, the band isolated for enough time to enabled them to finish out the run and reschedule dates where possible. NYSMUSIC caught one of the rebooked shows at The Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park, N.J.

With a light breeze flowing in from the Atlantic Ocean, The Wild Feathers opened the late Sunday afternoon show. Fired up and raring to go, this five-piece from Nashville shared songs from their 2013 debut album, The Wild Feathers, and the soon to be released Alvarado. Per the band’s website, they “have been through the wringer” in the music biz, but you wouldn’t have known it as they strutted the stage, kicked up their heels, played their hearts out and found Ricky Young and Joel King climbing out on speakers to take in all the house had to offer.

The Wild Feathers

The Allman Betts Band faced logistic issues due to the rescheduled date and surprised the crowd with a three-piece acoustic version of ABB comprised of Devon Allman, Duane Betts, and R. Scott Bryon. Devon set the expectations for the afternoon calling it a BBQ backyard show, with the band writing the set list as they went along. Being in Jersey, the trio shared their take on Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire” to the delight of the Asbury crowd. Drew Smithers sat in mid set with his slide guitar prowess and later Jimmy Hall, founding member of Wet Willie, joined in contributing vocals and harmonica. In the spirit of paying homage to their musical forefathers, the collective finished with Sonny Boy Williamson’s “One Way Out.”

The Allman Betts Band

As the sun was setting, Blackberry Smoke launched into a 16-song set covering their multi-decade existence. Front man Charles Starr thanked those in attendance for their support over the years and attendance at the rescheduled show. The night featured songs from their latest, You Hear Georgia, in addition to “Good One Comin’ On”, “Medicate My Mind”, and “One Horse Town. The band closed with “Ain’t Much Left of Me.” BBS’s performance let everyone know they were not calling it quits at 20 years.

Blackberry Smoke

After these three acts finished, one could have gone home satisfied. But then the magic took over. After a short break, Blackberry Smoke hit the stage again bringing with them a variety of players to salute those who paved the musical way. Joined by The Wild Feathers, they started in with Charlie Daniel’s “Long Haired Country Boy” followed by Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone.”

Larkin Poe guested on Marshall Tuckers “Can’t You See” and Jimmy Hall fronted the jam with Wet Willies “Country Side of Life.” Not to remain on the side of the stage, The Allman Betts Band led a special tribute to Charlie Watts with “Honky Tonk Woman.” Throwing in a few more southern classics for good measure, Blackberry Smoke brought it all together as everyone joined in on “Midnight Rider.”

The New Jersey shore, known for its boardwalk, games of chance, and salty air was transformed this night by Blackberry Smoke and friends into simply “Southern” Jersey.

The Wild Feathers
The Allman Betts Band
Blackberry Smoke
September 14, 2021
In Focus: Zac Brown Band, “The Come Back Tour” at Bethel woods
Imagine if you will, the Zac Brown Band’s “The Come Back Tour” as a Phoenix rising from the depths of musical silence. The 2021 tour, running from August to October, incorporates a host of rotating special guests to help reinvigorate those who had fallen into the abyss of the last year. The stop at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Upstate New York featured Ashland Craft opening and Teddy Swims in the middle spot with Zac Brown Band headlining

Ashland, inducted into CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2021, took to the stage with an “it’s time to party and let’s get it going” demeanor. In shorts and knee-high boots, Craft and band reinforced the vibe with “I Smoke Weed” and the classic rocker “American Woman.”

Teddy Swims opened his set strutting from one end of the stage to the other, deviating from a pure country sound to one with rap induce lyrics. He is a performer who can traverse many musical paths. At mid set, Karl Michael joined Swims on stage. The two performed their just released single “Liar.” From this point on, Swims’ vocal power became apparent. Closing with the powerful and emotional anthem “Bed on Fire,” Teddy solidified why he is part of the tour.

The Zac Brown Band

The Zac Brown Band offered the packed house a two-hour night of music that reached well beyond country. Throughout the night, Brown introduced tunes from his upcoming album release The Owl, most notably “Same Boat.” Classics such as “As She’s Walking Away” and “Whatever It Is” were standouts to his extensive catalog and not left by the wayside.

Zac appears like a warrior onstage: big, bold, and defiant with his guitar strapped to his barrel chest, ready to take on anyone who would challenge him. Mid-way through the night, he stripped down to a microphone for “Colder Weather.” That song found Brown opening himself up to the audience as if to expose his vulnerabilities. The sold-out crowd reciprocated back with big love for this genuine gesture that found Brown tapping his hand over his heart in humble appreciation.

To be clear, this is The Zac Brown Band and not Zac Brown supported by a group of musicians. Members of the band, affectionally called (musical) ninjas by Zac, stepped up front and center throughout the night sharing their musical abilities.

This was not a night devoted solely to country. Not at all. The set included the Beatles “Blackbird,” Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” (performed with Teddy Swims), Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” to name a few, offering something for everyone and acknowledging the bands apperception for good music, no matter the groove. The encore proved entertaining starting with an eight-song medley (Black Betty / I Want You to Want Me / Two Tickets to Paradise / La Bamba / Come Together/ Jump Around / Love in an Elevator / What’s Up), followed by Elton John’s “Rocket Man.” Of course, no Zac Brown Band show could end without “Chicken Fried” filling the hall to take everyone home. At the end of a hot night on the hollowed grounds of Bethel Woods, the musical horizon was once again ablaze with music, sweet music.

Zac Brown Band
Teddy Swims
Ashland Craft
August 17, 2021
In Focus: Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats at Belleayre Mountain
Over the last two years, the musical timbre in New York’s Catskill Mountain region has been one of tree frogs, crickets, and owls. Last Saturday, that changed. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats rode into Belleayre Mountain, a location declared by the NYS Forest Preserve as “Forever Wild”, on a triple bill that reconfirmed the mountain’s sobriquet.

Rateliff and band blazed through a twenty-one song set, including a three-song encore. Nathaniel opened with “Shoe Boot” from his 2018 release Tearing at the Seams, kicking up his heels, pulling in all who were ready for a night of rock and roll. As he maneuvered between guitars and keyboards, the stage took on its own persona: golden glows, somber blues, spotlights, and silhouettes reflecting the nuance each song had to offer. The Night Sweats shared their prowess constructing the musical foundation to allow Rateliff’s gritty voice the opportunity to exhibit its versatility going from the up-tempo “Look It Here” to the depth of “Redemption”.

Nathaniel Rateliff

The day already had a vibe from those tailgating that afternoon which blossomed into people dancing from early on and never stopping. From the stage, set at the base of the mountain, one could see how people filled the vertical rise of the ski slope. During the encore, “S.O.B” took on a life of its own by turning the mountainside into the church of Rateliff, with the preacher calling out to his flock who, without hesitation, responded back tenfold.

Earlier in the day, with dusk spreading its golden light across the ridgeline, The Marcus King Band put their musical adroitness on full display. King, along with his long-time band mates, took the crowd through a fiery hour of rock and blues. They jammed their way into the night and threw in occasional covers, including “Poppa was a Rollin’ Stone,” that had everyone singing along.

Marcus King

Allison Russell opened the night. Russell, who curated the prior week’s 2021 Newport Folk Festival’s “Once and Future Sounds” set, brought her soulful, introspective tunes to the pastoral landscape of the Hudson Valley. Allison shared songs from her solo album Outside Child, one that pulls from her personal tragedies of childhood abuse. It went deep mid-set but offered a light of hope as she closed out her set with “Nightflyer.”

Allison Russell

Local Hudson Valley radio station WDST 100.1 Radio Woodstock produced the show, conceived as a bridge to cover the void left from two years of not having Mountain Jam. For those in attendance, it could not have come at a better time. Let’s hope the music and the mountain stay forever wild.

Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats
The Marcus King Band
Allison Russell
August 5, 2021
Summerland Tour 2021 feat. Everclear, Living Colour, Hoobastank, stops at Orange County Fair Speedway
With COVID-19 restrictions abating and live music emerging from the shadows, Summerland Tour 2021 is out in full force. It’s a rock ’n roll road show merging alternative acts in a festival atmosphere. The annual tour, conceived in 2012 by Art Alexakis, front man for Everclear, varies the lineup year to year.

Everclear

The Summerland Tour 2021 assemblage consists of Living Colour, Hoobastank & Wheatus and headliners Everclear. Prior to this year’s excursion, Alexakis shared, “After personally fighting Covid—19 for two months and managing the lingering symptoms, I’m so grateful that the numbers are going down, the vaccines are going up, and that we’re getting the chance to tour the U.S. again. I couldn’t be more proud of this year’s lineup of legendary alternative bands.”

Wickham Falls

Opening at the Orange County Fair Speedway stop was Wickham Falls. A local Warwick N.Y. four-piece who shared songs from their debut album To Pluto. With the night’s appetizer served, Alexakis came out, welcomed everyone, and shared praise for the acts on this year’s tour.

Art Alexakis, Everclear

Stepping into Summerland 2021, Wheatus took over. Opening with “Break it Don’t Buy It,” the band flowed through a seven-song set this night. Featured was an AC/DC cover ( “Rock ‘n Roll Damnation”), and they closed with the HBO, Netflix and film -featured tune “Teenage Dirtbag.”

Wheatus

As the day transitioned from afternoon into evening, a storm started looming on the horizon. With no regard for the inevitable, Hoobastank kept things moving, performing tunes from their Hoobastank, The Reason, and Every Nan for Himself albums.

Hoobastank

Three acts in, the musical heat was being turned up. But the dark clouds in the west had other plans. As Corey Glover, Vernon Reid, Will Calhoun, and Doug Wimbish were stepping on stage, it started to rain. Without hesitation, the band tore into “Type.” Nature, not to be outdone, then engulfed the speedway in a deluge. As if meteorologically energized, Living Colour didn’t look back and played through, finishing up with “Cult of Personality.” Having left it all out there, both the band and the storm exited the stage.

Living Colour

The house quickly jumped into action to pump out, dry off and prep for headliner Everclear. With the band and crew plugging in for the start of their set, Alexakis took center stage and called out everyone: the audience, crews and house support teams, for their stoicism during the torrent of rain and shared how great it was to be playing out once again. Starting with the apropos “Summerland,” Everclear took the slightly waterlogged but enthusiastic crowd through a thirteen-song set that included “Heroin Girl” and “Father of Mine.”

Summerland Tour 2021 is scheduled through September. So if you can’t get to a festival this year, no worries, let the festival come to you.

Everclear
Living Colour
Hoobastank
Wheatus
Wickham Falls
July 15, 2021
Concerts in the Vineyard – Rhett Miller & The All Stars at City Winery Hudson Valley
Wine aficionado and music impresario Michael Dorf, has taken a defunct 207-year-old textile mill in Montgomery NY and transformed its 22 acres into a winery, restaurant, and event space: City Winery Hudson Valley. Add to that, tucked away amongst the sprawling grounds, an amphitheater; sculpted by nature and cradled by the Wallkill River. Seizing on the expanse, CWHV has started “Concerts in the Vineyard,” a summer series offering live music in a bucolic setting.

Rhett Miller

NYS Music took in the ambiance afforded by this new series at an afternoon performance by Rhett Miller & The All Stars. Miller, of the Old 97s, was joined by John N. Burdick on lead guitar, Jason Sarubbi on bass and Angela Iahn on drums. The foursome came together during the pandemic, playing in Rhett’s garage during the days of no live shows. Miller disclosed to the crowd that this setup granted him the opportunity to play cover songs after years of feeling he had to do originals constantly.

From the moment each player picked up their instrument, they were smiling from ear to ear. Relishing in the fact that they were playing in front of people! The band’s time together shown brightly as they maneuvered through the set like a long-lived act. Miller and company glided through Old 97s songs (“Designs on You,” “Turn on the TV,” and “19”), solo numbers (“Come Around,” “Total Disaster”), and a few covers (Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon,” REM’s “Driver Eight”) for good measure.

Rhett Miller & The All Stars

With City Winery Hudson Valley presenting vintage quality acts at Concerts in the Vineyard like Rhett Miller in a pastoral surrounding, the only thing left to say is the hills are alive with the sound of music. Where’s Julie Andrews when you need her?
June 23, 2021