For two nights in early August, moe. played to a faithful crowd, much as they always do this time of year in Central New York. Whether at Saranac Brewery in Utica, Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin, or Apple Valley in Lafayette, moe. is a summer staple, and a perfect time to shake off the dust and get down with fellow moe.rons.
Saturday night was highlighted by an always stellar “Recreational Chemistry” to start Set 2, and a trio of “Big World” > “Ricky Marten” > “Mar De Ma” to follow. A cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” stole the show, and worked its way into “Opium” and “Plane Crash” to close the night.
Marco Benevento opened Sunday night with a rousing set, accompanied by Karina Rykman on bass and Andy Borger on drums. moe. came out for their first set at 6:30pm for an ideal set to watch the sun set behind the stage. A unique take on “St. Augustine” featured “Tubing the River Styx” and “The Pit” being sandwiched in between sections of “St. Augustine.” A nod to Jerry Garcia, who passed away 26 years ago this day, came in the form of “West L.A. Fadeaway,” which was accompanied by a rainbow in the distance.
Set 2 found moe. getting dark, starting out with “Meat” that moved into “Kyle’s Song” and smoothly into “Bearsong,” which gave birth to “Timmy Tucker.” A jazz bass breakdown from Rob Derhak was met with Chuck Garvey’s furious guitar work, leading to the jam of the night. Al Schnier took charge later in “Timmy”, leading the band unexpectedly into “Moth”, and again jumping back into “Meat” (on a dime) to lead to the end of a triumphant set. “Spine of a Dog” and a jam on “Franklin’s Tower” closed the night at Apple Valley.
moe. – Apple Valley Park, LaFayette, NY – Saturday, August 7, 2021
Set 1: Captain America > Bullet > Hector’s Pillow, Bring You Down, Where Does the Time Go?, LL3 Set 2: Recreational Chemistry, Bring it Back Home, Big World > Ricky Marten > Mar De Ma, Along for the Ride > Comfortably Numb > Opium, Plane Crash Encore: Wind It Up
moe. – Apple Valley Park, LaFayette, NY – Sunday, August 8, 2021
Set 1: Understand > St. Augustine > The Pit > St. Augustine, The Pines and the Apple Trees, Mexico* > West LA Fadeaway Set 2: Meat > Kyle’s Song > Bearsong > Timmy Tucker > Moth > Meat Encore: Spine of a Dog* Franklin’s Tower jam
Spencer Barnett, rising indie-pop genius from Brooklyn, has just released a new music video for his catchy single, “Dancing.” The video features groovy moves from Spencer and a unique color palette that makes it delightful to both the eyes and the ears.
“Dancing” is written and produced by Spencer Barnett alongside Jon Hill and Alessandro and Gianluca Buccellati [Arlo Parks, Tei Shi] and follows the release of Spencer’s dynamic Welcome To My Mind EP. Welcome To My Mind is the final part of Spencer’s three-part EP trilogy which came directly after debut EPs I’m Fine (“Waste My Time”) and Reckless (“17”). His first EPs gained him lots of attention from influential tastemakers such as Paper, V MAN, Ones to Watch, and Flaunt. They also led him to be included on the most coveted playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.
Welcome To My Mind blends soulful melodies, indie rock leads, and bedroom-inspired guitar riffs while keeping his youthful side through majestic lyrics. “Dancing” encapsulates the fun feeling of youth while incorporating mature musical and production skills. The video is a perfect next step for the up and coming indie artist that has an exciting future ahead of him.
Badflower have always spoken unapologetically through their lyrics about feelings, mental health, and relationship issues. Their latest single and video release “Don’t Hate Me” is no different.
“It’s a lot of self-awareness” Josh Katz (vocals) explains. “On the bridge, there’s a meta dialogue where I explain how I’ve changed my entire life and appearance to make somebody else like me more. I think I have experienced versions of trying to be something else for someone else throughout my life, I think everybody has.”
Badflower never drift into sappy territory, however. They address serious issues either with startling directness, or with a dose of lightness, mockery, and humor, which makes their music relatable to a broad audience. The music video for “Don’t Hate Me” is a spoof about morphing into others in order to belong. It is funny, creating caricatures of our weaknesses, and as all Badflower videos, entertaining and very well made. The band produce most of their videos “in house,” with cameo appearances from friends and family members. They forgo large manufactured productions, in favor of genuine hands-on creativity from everyone involved.
Catch Badflower at one of the major festivals, or on their headlining tour starting in September. They will play at Webster Hall in New York City on September 23.
Wednesday, August 4 kicked off the Capital Concert Series at the Empire State Plaza in Albany and it did not disappoint with headlining act 90s favorite R&B singer, Ginuwine and opening act Freedom Stratton.
Gracing the Albany stage for the first time in 25 years, Ginuwine kept the crowd dancing and smiling with hits like “In Those Jeans” and “Pony.” While a large crowd was drawn to the Plaza with the chance to see an old school performance on a warm summer night, they had the perfect warm-up in the form of an opening act that came across as an artist with years in the business.
Setting off the night of dancing was a young local artist Freedom Stratton. Popping onto the stage with an energy that reached beyond his stature, his vocals and movements took up the massive staging area. Slated to do two 10-minute sets, Stratton focused on his newly released singles. During the first set, listeners got to hear Stratton’s singles ‘Ray Banz’ and ‘Prophecy’, which gave them a taste of Stratton’s clever lyrical power.
Born and raised in Albany, Freedom Stratton very recently celebrated his 21st birthday only days before the performance but is no stranger to the struggle and beauty of making music in the 518. At an early age, Stratton fell in love with musical theater, which led to his participation in high school plays, studying modern dance at Berkshire Ballet, and also a slew of performances in community productions across the Capital Region.
During the second set, he got the crowd dancing to more r&b/pop inspired singles ‘Tell Me What You Need’ and ‘New Things’. The audience bounced and grooved along all the way until Ginuwine took the stage. After Stratton’s second performance NYS Music had a chance to sit down with the budding artist.
NYS Music: What started your career in music?
Freedom: About three years ago I started working with BChaps. Then I had this idea to get a bunch of artists together for an album called “The Future” and it broke over 400,000 streams in less than a year. Then I knew.
NYS Music: What sets you apart from other artists?
Freedom: The drive. The drive to know that nothing is going to happen without you doing something to make it happen.
NYS Music: Do you have a dream collaborator and why?
Freedom: Anderson Paak. Oooh. He’s spicy. He’s spicy right there. I feel like that’s one of the most influential people to me in the music industry. It’s like that newer version of the old school.
NYS Music: Do you have any music that you often listen to these days? And who are the musicians that inspired you?
Freedom: Jason Derulo, gotta throw him in there. Ariana Grande. Justin Bieber, I ain’t gonna lie. I really mess with pop, like Dua Lipa. It’s the kind of music that I’m pushing for. More mainstream but at the same time they can make a heartbreak song, or a happy song, or a love song. I just love the diversity pop brings.
NYS Music: How would you like to see music help the community?
Freedom: Bringing people back together, you feel me? People are literally scared to be around each other. Music can bring us back together.
Things shifted in 2018 though once it became clear to Stratton that pop stardom would achieve his goal of leaving “a legacy. Something that will carry on forever and be able to touch people for generations”. Stratton began working with local music producer, Brian Chiappinelli(B.Chaps) to capture music that makes people happy. All the hard work has already begun to pay off. Just last year Stratton released his first full-length studio album dubbed “The Future”. With a loaded roster of other 518 artists, Stratton pushed himself out of his typical style comfort zone. Not only did the success of the album cause him to release a deluxe version that included a whopping thirty songs but “The Future” was also picked up for distribution by record label Rexius Records in Sweden.
Already back in the studio, Stratton has 2 singles set to be released this month. ‘First Love’ with Kortnee Simmons is dropping on Empire Media on August 13 and ‘For The Summer’ with B. Chaps and Money Montage is dropping on Foundation Media on August 20.
Freedom Stratton is available on all major streaming platforms (iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, and Google Play).
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Caity Gallagher, Joseph Beaty and many more!
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Caity Gallagher
With its calming piano and breezy vocals, singer-songwriter Caity Gallagher’s single “Give It All” would fit right in at the Lilith Fair. Equal parts Fiona Apple and Sarah McLachlan, the song is about hesitance in starting a new relationship: “What’s holding me down? What happened to the lightness I thought I’d found?” Gallagher and her band, collectively known as Caity and the Gallaghers, are playing at The Linda on Thursday, August 12.
Joseph Beaty
Joseph Beaty’s latest album Rust, You Can Leave Me Now is available for pre-order. The Adirondack musician and producer creates a gloomy atmosphere on its singles, the industrial “Thick of Things” and the grungy “Still Forming,” which he acknowledges in the Bandcamp notes:
[This album] is the embodiment of 2020. Things in my life (in all our lives) were put in perspective and it was time to remove the negative bits. This record was my catharsis, my therapy. It is gritty, unsafe, and dark. No sense in sugar-coating it. You will hear many lyrics talk about knocking the rust out. This therapy experiment helped me arrive as a new, more focused person for 2021.
El Modernist
Albany band El Modernist gives us a geometry lesson on new wave song “Lines.” Its talk-singing style hearkens back to the early 1980s, when Blondie and Talking Heads flirted with spoken word and early rap.
There was one overall concensus from Sunday’s show at Lark Hall on August 1st, and that is Sammy Rae is going to be big. The energy that this young woman brings to the stage is really unmatched at her level. Sammy’s voice and the band’s energetic soul would have been given a warm welcome at the Copacabana in the 50’s.
Lark Hall played host to one of its biggest crowds to date as hungry fans filled the great hall. Sammy Rae had them roaring on their feet from before she even came on stage and with every note and gesture they sang her praises. The band itself was exceptionally tight with a pair of backup singers who were actually front and center, and a duo of saxophones with a full band behind them. Sammy moved around the stage like a conductor, feeding off of the crowd and the band.
If you missed out then fret not as they have an extensive tour ahead of them and this was only show number three. After finishing up their summer tour and festival season at Green River Festival in Greenfield, MA, the band moves it’s way to a few shows in the southeast and then a massive run in the Northeast including stops in Brooklyn and Syracuse. Keep this young lady on your radar, because she is coming in hot.
2001 was a formative year for the relatively new Trey Anastasio Band (TAB). Since sprouting roots a few years earlier, the band had already grown from a three-piece to a six-piece ensemble. Co-founders Tony Markellis (bass) and Russ Lawton (drums), along with Trey, were supplemented with the addition of a horn section consisting of Dave Grippo (saxophone), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet) and Andy Moroz (trombone) for a short tour earlier in the year.
Come summer, the TAB outfit would add two more full-time members, rounding into an official octet. Another Giant Country Horn, Russel Remington (saxophone/flute) was added to the fray along with Ray Paczkowski, who still mans the keyboards for the band today. The addition of Paczkowski and a keyboard rig to the lineup was a clear game changer, bringing an extra layer of sound and funk that would seem irreplaceable today. Summer of 2001 would be the first time the TAB ‘Octet’ would hit the road, one that included a pair of choice NY gigs that helped close out the tour.
August 3, 2001 Jones Beach
Trey wastes no time getting this show up and running, with the wah pedal at the ready for a bouncy “Burlap Sack and Pumps” opener. It also features an extended saxophone solo from Dave “The Truth” Grippo that helps fuel the high intensity start. The crux of the first set is a 20-minute “Last Tube” that gets smoothed out nicely after some early feedback issues. Everyone gets a turn to solo on this one in a jam that slowly but steadily picks up steam throughout. Jennifer Hartswick’s enchanting harmonies shine through on “Flock of Words” before “Cayman Review,” a song that debuted only weeks ago, picks things back up. This early version is played a step or two slower than its contemporary one, but the funk is still very much evident, showing why it’s remained a staple of TAB setlists. A spirited “Moesha” later caps off a first set that, with the exception of “Words,” never comes to a full stop.
Much like “Last Tube” in the first, TAB’s second set at Jones Beach is heavily influenced by one song. “Money, Love and Change,” another new to TAB song only debuted a handful of shows ago, opens the set and doesn’t let up until well after 25 minutes later. The opening composed section sounds a little shaky as one would expect for a new song, but soon another Tony Markellis-led groove heaps fuel onto the improvisational fire and the jam is off and running. After a brief Trey/Ray duel on guitar and keys, the main theme re-emerges briefly but instead of coming to a close, the horn section leads a direct charge into “Plasma,” cementing a powerhouse start to this set. Newcomer Russ Remington shines when given the chance to lead the way on flute for a little while. Afterwards, Trey makes note of the venue’s new upper level of seats that wasn’t there the last time her played Jones Beach before launching into a scorching “Mr. Completely.”
After closing the second set with “Sand,” the tangible Phish vibe only grew stronger as bassist Mike Gordon came out and joined Trey for a three-song acoustic encore. With Phish still in the midst of their first self-imposed hiatus at this time, this helped to quell any unfounded rumors of the band’s early demise. The “internationally acclaimed movie director” (Gordon had recently releasedOutside Out) showed off his versatility and joined Trey on acoustic guitar for “Back on the Train” before switching back to bass and closing out the evening with a “Bathtub Gin” that had large swaths of the Jones Beach crown clapping and/or singing along at various points.
Trey Anastasio Band – Jones Beach Amphitheater – Wantagh, NY 8/3/01
Set 1: Burlap Sack and Pumps, Acting the Devil, Last Tube, Flock of Words, Cayman Review, Sidewalks of San Francisco, Moesha
Set 2: Money, Love and Change -> Plasma, Mr. Completely, At the Gazebo, Sand
Encore: Mountains in the Mist, Back on the Train, Bathtub Gin
Mike Gordon sat in for entire encore.
August 5, 2001 SPAC
After a quick dip into Massachusetts on August 4 for a gig at the Tweeter Center, TAB was back in NY two days later for the tour closer, this time Upstate and visiting another old friend, SPAC. With this still very much being the “early days,” a lot of the song pairings and sequences that were seen in Jones Beach would reappear here as the band’s musical repertoire was nowhere near where it is today. But much like snowflakes, no two TAB shows are completely alike.
The band drops “Last Tube” right away this evening as the opener. While it doesn’t quite reach the range of the Jones Beach version, it serves as more than an apt opener that has the band in peak form early and the Saratoga Springs crowd up and dancing immediately. Another sterling solo from Grippo and a rousing peak led by Anastasio again highlight this one. Then it’s right back into the still fledged “Cayman Review,” with Pazckowski moving nimbly between both the clav and organ. “Burlap Sack and Pumps” rounds out the opening trio, enabled by a pulsating Tony Markellis bass line that doesn’t quit. Although the order differed, the only new song in tonight’s first set from two nights prior is the calypso-infused “Alive Again” that appears later in the set, another (now) classic TAB song that was only first played earlier this summer.
Greg Haymes’ Times Union recap of TAB at SPAC
The second set at SPAC has a familiar start but does finally begin to offer a little variety. At this point of the tour, it’s evident that Trey knows which songs are the heavy hitters. Thus, the second stanza begins with a return to “Money, Love and Change.” Once more, it doesn’t quite reach the depths of the Jones Beach version, but Trey still uses the groove-filled jam that ensues as a vehicle to transition right into “Plasma” again.
The setlist then starts to offer a little variety, starting with an exquisite take on the TAB original “Drifting” where the harmony between Anastasio and Hartswick again reigns supreme. Another familiar tune to the Phish faithful emerges after this as the band doubles up on “tubes” for the evening and drops a pulsating mid-set “First Tube.” One of the gems of the entire show is TAB’s take on the soul classic “Ooh Child,” a rare polished cover that dates all the way back to the days of the original trio.
The show, and tour, is closed out in proper fashion with a set-ending “Push On ‘Til the Day” that follows along in the early TAB tradition of locking into an early groove supplied by the rhythm section of Markellis and Lawton and then expanding from there. With the entire horn section locked in as well, it’s a joyous sendoff and a fitting set closer. The instrumental “Mozambique” serves as as the encore, wrapping up a successful tour and two nights in NY for TAB.
The energy was high in Trumansburg for the final weekend of Grassroots Live. The shows were switched to the Grandstand Stage at the fairgrounds due to damage to the infield stage but that didn’t keep the people or performers present from having a great time. Friday night brought two Grassroots Festival veterans, Jimkata and Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Saturday 90s rock group The Spin Doctors graced the stage.
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad opened Friday night with powerful and unifying reggae vibes. The band’s traditional sound was layered with extra horns, percussion, and vocals from local Ithaca talent. A couple of dancers joined in for a majority of the show who mirrored and increased the joyful atmosphere. Lead singer, Chris O’Brian spoke about the power of reggae music in spreading from Jamaica to corners of the world like Rochester and Ithaca and bringing people together. The whole set contained originals and covers weaved together seamlessly. A highlight of the show was a bouncy rendition of Bob Marley’s “Soul Shakedown Party” that seemed to kick the crowd into high gear.
The anticipation and excitement for Jimkata’s return to the stage was palpable. The Ithaca born band went on hiatus in 2016 after treating audiences to dynamic sets at festivals and opening for bands like Papadosio. There were many people talking about the last time they saw Jimkata and many were decked out in band merch that they had clearly had for a while. Lead vocalist and guitarist Evan Friedell walked out to the stage to adjust his pedals and was greeted at the front of the stage by what seemed like old friends.
On the heels of their new album Bonfires the band launched into a set full of synth and vocal melodies and washed the crowd in light and sound. Weaving between new songs and recognizable classics, the audience never seemed to stop moving. One would have found it hard to not dance around a bit during the sequences of dreamy rhythmic jams. Jimkata always brought a cerebral experience kept lively by clean locked in musicianship and an emotionally fueled light show. This set was no different and felt like a triumphant return.
Bred in NYC, The Spin Doctors had an extremely successful run in the 90s and have continued to put on one hell of a show. Lead singer Chris Barron charismatically introduced each song with anecdotes and banter that kept the audience engaged. The humorous interplay between bassist Mark White and Chris during the banter kept things light. Mark would roll his eyes, shoot rubber bands at Chris, and even took a seat and pretended to make a phone call during a particularly long story.
Musically, the band still holds up after all these years. The vocals sound honed in and each member of the band excels at their craft. Chris’s voice carries the familiar tunes, guitarist Aaron Comess brings clean classic rock tone and licks to the stage, Mark’s funky and energetic style is nestled perfectly in with the rest of the sound, and drummer Eric Schenkman carries the band on his hard hitting beats. The band played their hits such as “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and “Two Princes” and even played some new material. The audience went nuts and sang along whenever the hits were played but both jammed out moments and new songs were equally as danceable and welcomed.
As the lights went down at the end of the show, the last attendees of the year at Grassroots left the fairgrounds smiling. It was clear in the smiles and stories of the past few weekends that Trumansburg was treated to some wonderful moments of light and sound in July.
Friends and family gathered at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts on Long Island on Monday, August 2 to bid farewell to music legend Biz Markie, with a funeral attended by hip hop icons including Busta Rhymes, Kid Capri, Treach (Naughty by Nature), Big Daddy Kane, EPMD, Ice-T and more. The eulogy was delivered by the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Markie was born in Harlem but raised on Long Island. He is best known for his 1989 single “Just A Friend.” His career took off after that. He acted, performed comedy, DJ’d and produced music for numerous artists. He also had a radio show on SiriusXm on LL Cool J’s Rock the Bells Radio.
In April 2020, Markie was hospitalized for complications of Type 2 diabetes. He died at a Baltimore hospital surrounded by family on July 16th at age 57. R.I.P. Biz!
Wednesday, July 28th brought the 2021 season of Albany’s Alive at Five to a close. The weather was perfect, and for the first time this season, the concert was held at its usual location, Jennings Landing. Albany’s own Joe Mansman and the Midnight Revival Band opened for 80s hair metal band Warrant who celebrated the 30th anniversary of their second and most successful studio album Cherry Pie. Check out the set list and photo gallery below.
Setlists
Warrant: Sure Feels Good To Me, Love in Stereo, Bed Of Roses, Your The Only Hell Your Mama Ever Raised, I saw Red, Song And Dance Man, Mr. Rainmaker, Blind Faith, Train, Train, Down Boys, D.R.F.S.R, Sometimes She Cries, Louder Harder Faster/Machine Gun, Heaven, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Cherry Pie
Joe Mansman & The Midnight Revival Band: Moon Vixen, Sellout, Live For Thrills, Renegade Love, Cut Out My Tongue, Below or Above, Wild Woman, Take It Easy, Lips On Fire, Dead As It Gets, Reap and Sow, Blood Grain Cocaine, Cheap Looks, Revels, Dagger
