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 Northsidesound, Annie Scherer 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.
“Five” by Northsidesound out of Albany kicks off EQXposure on Sunday. Pearson says of the group, “The fastest and probably the worst comparison to make to describe their sound is to recall Sublime – however, that seems far too weak of a link to pin this band down. The vibe of tune “Five” is only similar, but the playing of all the musicians on the cut share a glimpse of things to to come. There seems to be nothing that these guys can’t achieve and this song is outstanding to say the least – fun, hip shaking, and some truly great guitar playing and melodies.”
Annie Scherer‘s “ You know” is up later in the show. Annie is celebrating the release of her album Garden Bed, and her latest single “You Know,” which debuted on 102.7 FM WEQX this past Thursday, is a gorgeous piece of music. A slow jam that is magnetic and infectious, peering directly into the soul of the listener. Annie’s melody and lyrics are so deeply personal and direct, it’s as if she is singing directly to and about the listener.
Throughout the past year, we’ve all had more time on our hands. Some of us made sourdough and/or banana bread, we’ve worked on our houses, worked out, and made the best of the circumstances. One art teacher from Long Island, Brian Baker, came across LEGOs that a friend was looking to get rid of, combined his love for moe. and new found skills in stop-motion animation. The result is “moe.rons on parade,” capturing the spirit of a moe. show in LEGO form.
Having taught art in K-12 in the Three Village School District in Stony Brook, NY, Baker, like every other art teacher across the country, was put in a tough position last spring – how to teach art online. With such a tactile and hands-on subject needing virtual or least socially distanced lessons, improvisation was needed. In the past year, Baker learned the art form of stop-motion animation, one that he will be bringing to his students after learning the basics at home.
A 2003 graduate of Hartwick College where he majored in Fine Arts and played lacrosse, he’s been coaching junior high football and JV lacrosse at various schools on Long Island since he graduated college, recently and at various other schools for nearly 20 years.
Baker first saw moe. at the Oneonta Fieldhouse on April 28, 2001, possibly the only time they’ve played the town. He had heard them a few years before and had a few albums. And having only seen a lot of Phish prior, it was time to diversify.
“moe.rons on parade” features “Four” and “32 Things” with Baker telling a short story of a young couple’s first experience at a moe. show through LEGO characters. The video shows quite the effort and love for the band on his part, one that will not only satisfy veteran moe. fans, but newcomers as well.
Pete Mason: What’s your teaching background and how did you start in on this moe. LEGO project?
Brain Baker: This is my 14th and by far craziest year of teaching, and I think that helped generate this project. I am currently teaching 7th-9th grade and have anywhere between 15-20 kids in class and 1-10 kids remote on a Google meet at the same time. Trying to make things equitable has been a challenge. We have to make sure everyone has the same materials. On a normal year, I would have kids, be making clay boxes, cutting stencils for acid etching, creating stained glass mosaics, cutting glass bottles, weaving baskets, making jewelry and other hands on stuff. A lot of these things aren’t practical or safe for kids to use unsupervised at home. So we have had to get creative with what we can do.
Last March when schools started closing and throughout the summer, I really challenged myself to learn some new skills so when we came back to school I had some fresh and fun projects for kids to do. They deserve it. Their whole universe got totally upended last spring and they need some fun social things to get it back to normal. Also, I am not allowed to collect artwork from kids, just photos. So how do we show off their work? I learned a lot about the iMovie program and other animation software by putting together some short clips of student work.
I learned a lot about the imovie program this year. They say kids are really resilient which is true, they adapt to things very well. It was a real challenge figuring out all the technical things (lighting, camera angles, focus, computer skills) and I had quite a few mishaps along the way. But it was an awesome way to spend some time and I am looking forward to seeing people’s reactions. I am having a few friends over for an outdoor viewing on the projector Saturday night. I am also looking forward to showing my students the edited version. I shared all the different steps and clips with them along the way and they want to see the end result.
PM: So it seems you’ve had some time on your hands. When did you start this project and what kickstarted the concept for you?
BB: Well, as a dad of a 2 year old girl (Althea) and a 4 year old boy (Frederick), time is something in short supply these days. They are “full speed ahead” kids. Even though Covid cancelled my coaching gigs for a while, it has still been a busy year for my wife Liz and I trying to keep them active and engaged. Last March when everything started shutting down, I kept my sanity by getting us outside and building stuff. We started with a small kids train made from my old deck wood. Then we built a 9-hole mini golf course in the backyard. My son helped me through the whole thing. And I did several other backyard recycling projects. But this project really was the perfect storm. I started teaching an animation class this year, and my friend’s kid really wanted a puppy. So his compromise was the play room was going to be the puppy room. The LEGOs have to go.
So I got a huge supply of LEGOs to play with. My son loves building things and mechanics, so he was instantly in love. And with the animation class we have already done a ton of drawing, so this will be a nice “mix it up” project for the fourth quarter. I mostly worked on this project at night after they were in bed or sometimes I would have them come down and play LEGOs with me during the day. With stop-motion, you generally use a remote shutter, so I was also able to include my 4 year old in some of the photo taking process. He helped build a few of the smaller pieces as well. I started putting the stage together in the beginning of February and then began shooting photos later in the month. Once it got rolling I pretty much worked on it everyday until I was done for anywhere between 15 minutes and 7 hours. After I saw the band post the pics on their page I practically lived in the basement that weekend.
PM: How many hours did it take to complete the construction, prior to filming?
BB: Building the stage and all the sets and characters took maybe 5 or 6 hours over the course of a week. The photos took a month and a half of many, many hours. I took somewhere around 30,000 photos.
PM: Is this your first foray into stop-motion animation?
BB: I did a short stop-motion a few years ago on powerpoint and my son and I made a police station getting smashed by the Incredible Hulk earlier in the winter, but this was my first real serious stop motion project. It was a huge learning experience.
PM: Any fun Easter Eggs or tips of the hat that you worked in?
BB: Yes. You’ll have to look. Lets just say there are some band references and funny characters.
PM: What is your favorite moe. song and moe. experience?
BB: Favorite song? That’s like picking a favorite kid! Let’s just say there are no moe. songs I don’t like. There are a few Grateful Dead ones I don’t enjoy, quite a few Phish songs I can’t stand, but I love moe. They play music exactly how I like music to be played. The diverse influences and song writing styles are awesome. The first time I listened to them was NYE ’99. A buddy put on “Rebubula” and I said to myself “Yes….this is what I’m looking for in my life.” I think we listened to the No Doy album three or four times that night. I went and picked up a few more albums and some shows on tape. The rest is history. I’ve only seen 60+ shows, but I listen to them more than anything else. I try to catch every live webcast or the old Facebook Live streams (remember those?). Big ups to the moe.stream team for setting up quality live show audio streams.
moe. fans are an awesome group of people. I have had some great conversations through the years, connected with cool people and shared tons of fun experiences. This is my 16 minute and 30 second thank you to them and the band.
Syracuse’s Vaporeyes has released the video for “Donye Wump,” off their recently released album Cantrips. Having premiered on Friday, March 19th, the video was shot in the Salt City, as well as in and around band practice spaces.
With a goal of creating a video that their fans and others used to their shenanigans wouldn’t expect, band member Jonas Reddy-Nicholson, shared insight on the video:
We had an idea of a conflict happening in this video. The lyrics I wrote very much came from a place of inner conflict, wanting change, and “killing the past,” so Shannon (bass) wanted to play with the conflict idea as much as possible. But we kept the fight between ourselves and our “other” selves, or inner demons in the video so people didn’t think it was some statement or something. It’s not. We just had fun with it. The name of the song actually has nothing to do with anything. Sometimes we just really try to blur the line between goofy and serious/heartfelt.
Jonas Reddy-Nicholson
“Donye Wump” was directed by Thomas Calandra of Synthesis Films (also a member of metal band Bleak), with Director of Photography Mark Kelley, both of whom entertained the band’s wacky ideas and kept Vaporeyes on track to finish the shoot in four days.
When we came to them with the idea of a fight scene VS ourselves for the end of the song, we thought they would turn it down. But not only were they into it and knew how to make it work, they had some ideas of their own. Thomas asked how we felt about drawing inspiration from the goofy gang fight in Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange.”
We were into it, so we all sat on the couch and watched the fight together the day before the fight scene shoot. We are so glad they were into the fight, and they really did a great job. That’s even Thomas getting the glass broken on his head in the beginning, per his insistence. (Movie prop bottle, don’t worry).
Jonas Reddy-Nicholson
Vaporeyes recently made it to the Elite 8 of NYS Music’s March Madness. Check out more on them here and watch the video for “Donye Wump” below.
31 years ago today, the Grateful Dead were finally able to play a show in the city of Albany thanks to the brand new Knickerbocker Arena, aka The Knick. Somehow, they had gone all this time without ever paying a trip to New York’s capital. But now with a shiny new venue opened just months earlier that easily fits thousands, Albany became a logical destination for the Dead. This would mark the first of thirteen shows the band would play at this venue. But Spring of 1990 is a particularly special time of Dead, one of their most acclaimed and widely popular tours of all time. So it’s only fitting that these first Albany shows are captured in the band’s 1996 official live release Dozin’ At The Knick. Much of the album’s material is rightfully culled from this special, first ever Albany Dead show.
Local promoter Greg Bell of Guthrie/Bell Productions played a small but critical role in those March 1990 shows.
A friend of mine worked for Mayor Whalen and I was the only Deadhead she knew, so they asked me to come in snd speak to the Mayor’s people, the Police, Fire Department and several other various Albany officials.
I gave them advice on how to deal with the Deadheads. They listened to everything that I suggested and it was one of the most relaxed and cool scenes I had ever seen at an East Coast show.
This would be the first night of a three-night run in Albany and the Dead were quickly and comfortably settled in at the Knick. This sentiment comes across in the quasi-casual start to the “Let The Good Times Roll” that opens the show this evening. By the end though, the band is fully engaged, as is the rest of the building. Riding this early wave, the band then quickly jumps into the crowd favorite “Help On The Way.” Jerry Garcia digs into his guitar’s bag of tricks and comes up with some interesting effects on “Slipknot!” And despite some shaky early lyrics, there’s no issue with the dismount on “Franklin’s Tower” and the Knick crowd eagerly shows their love for this quintessential sequence of Grateful Dead.
Bob Weir then takes center stage and coolly leads the band through “Walkin’ Blues” which is featured on the album. But somehow, to the disbelief of Deadheads worldwide, the “Loser” that follows somehow did not make the final cut. A goosebump-inducing roar of approval from the Knick greets this one and the performance certainly lives up to it. Garcia’s singing is steady on this one and his poignant solos along with Brent Mydland’s blasting organ fills help fuel this instant classic.
The first set also features “Desolation Row,” one of the many Bob Dylan songs the band would cover and make their own. More delicate guitar licks from Garcia and intricate bass play from a “turned up” Phil Lesh dominate this one. The Dead’s first ever set at the Knick then closes up with a lively take on “Tennessee Jed,” with the crowd in full sing-along mode, and Bob Weir’s typically rowdy “One More Saturday Night.”
With their first set at the Knick now in the books, the Grateful Dead then proceed to rip through a second set that, justly, makes up a significant portion of the album. It fills up the entire second and some of the third of the three-disc release. “Playin’ In The Band” is the set opener choice and sets the tone nicely. Phil Lesh and his vibrant bass play continue to shine early on this one before the jam begins to stretch and digress. Mydland and his electric keys also add a spiritual element to this jam that gets heavy in a hurry. However, instead of truly going off the deep end, the jam calmly and steadily veers into the opening chords of “Uncle John’s Band.”
March 24, 1990 Knickerbocker Arena
This band rips through the composed section with ease, stretching it out nicely between verses with ease. This proficiency carries right over to another quick and rapid-fire type jam, one that seems to almost be a continuation of PITB. But instead of stretching it out again, Garcia quietly begins strumming the open to “Terrapin Station,” much to the crowd’s delight. This caps the set’s powerhouse opening trifecta of Dead classics.
The whole band is locked in on the song and it’s customary outro jam never gets stale on this one, with each member adding a little “spice” of their own to keep it interesting – Mydland especially. But as the jam loses its “Terrapin” structure, an old friend emerges. A slow-building familiar four chord jam begins to develop, none other than the “Mind Left Body Jam.” Dead scholars maintain this is the first one in more than five years, if not longer. It’s believed by some to be related to the Paul Kanter song “Your Mind Has Left Your Body” and also shares the same chord progression as “You’re All I Need To Get By,” among other songs. To the Knick’s delight, the Dead dust off this simple, pyschedelic instrumental that’s labeled on the album as “Mud Love Buddy Jam” in a nod to a former taper’s description of it.
After lengthy “Drums” and “Space” sequences led by drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, “The Wheel” emerges in boisterous fashion. But this one is kept pretty short and simple. At its conclusion, another familiar Dylan cover immediately takes shape, this time it’s “All Along The Watchtower.” Garcia produces a bed of wailing guitar sounds that dominate this cover that’s been a part of the Dead’s live repertoire since 1987.
After the band is done toying around with the “Watchtower” jam, things slow down one last time for a typically poignant Garcia-sung “Stella Blue.” Brent Mydland leads the backup harmonizing vocals while Garcia delivers a pair of hauntingly beautiful guitar solos in a staggering, soulful juxtaposition to the raucous “Watchtower” from just minutes earlier.
The opening shuffle-beat of “Not Fade Away” then emerges, giving the Dead one last chance to jam. They rip through the Buddy Holly cover with no abandon, gladly declaring their love “will not fade away.” This then devolves into Weir singing by himself while the rest of the band phonetically sings the beat before it then turns into the full Knickerbocker Arena crown singing the chorus back to the band well after they’ve left the stage- a truly special Grateful Dead moment that Dozin’ captures beautifully.
Grateful Dead Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, NY 3/24/90
Set 1: Let The Good Times Roll, Help On The Way-> Slipknot!-> Franklin’s Tower, Walkin’ Blues, Loser, Desolation Row, Tennessee Jed, One More Saturday Night
Set 2: Playin’ In The Band-> Uncle John’s Band-> Terrapin Station-> Mind Left Body Jam-> Drums-> Space-> The Wheel-> All Along The Watchtower-> Stella Blue-> Not Fade Away
Noel Paul Stookey today releases a 15-song compilation paired with non-profit beneficiaries in the spirit of giving back, with each track bearing a theme of social concern.
Album art for “Just Causes”
The “Paul” in Peter, Paul & Mary, the seminal 1960s act, will be donating to a different cause for each track on the compilation. Curated and remixed by John Stuart, the compilation focuses on social issues. Stookey spoke on the project after taking part in over 50 albums:
Every songwriter eventually realizes that his art is meant for service: to entertain, inform and in a best-case scenario, to inspire.
As I look over the fifty plus years that I’ve attempted to capture ‘lightening in a bottle’ – a moment realized in a song that transcends time – I recognize that some musical creations seem to have a longer life because they address issues that still challenge us, no matter the generation.
The idea for a compilation that donates 100% of its proceeds to charity struck Stookey at a strange time. “I was literally picking up groceries at our local store when I noticed for the umpteenth time that Paul Newman’s brand of products from his Newman’s Own company advertise on the packaging that ‘100% of profits go to charity,’” he explains. “I thought what a great concept and what the term ‘profits’ means in my life. I’ve been very fortunate in my musical pursuits, and the idea of ‘giving back’ at this point in my life and career struck a chord with me.”
Some issues discussed in the songs on “Just Causes” include hunger, reproductive rights, immigration, missing children, safe energy, drug addiction and the environment. The songs strive for justice for all. One song, “Danny’s Downs” tells a moving story about a family who welcomes a son with Downs Syndrome. The song’s profits will be donated to the National Down Syndrome Congress.
“Just Causes” is Noel Paul Stookey’s first release since 2018, and will be available on March 22nd, 2020. you can find more information noelpaulstookey.com.
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 Fine Grain, Joe Mansmen 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.
This week’s EQXposure starts with Cameron Clark’s “Martha and her Tin Soldier.” This incredible tune is full of clever twists and glitches. Super creative, it is as if St. Vincent went even deeper and stretched beyond the catchy ear worms to make some true art.
Fine Grain are gearing up for the release of their brand new full length LP, Missing Adult on Thursday, March 25th. Mixed and recorded in Brunswick, NY, Fine Grain’s post-punk brilliance runs deep with exceptional songwriting and performances of every member of the band. Some musicians are simply meant to play together and it’s only that specific combination that makes the sound so pure and authentically them. Fine Grain is that band. “Missing Adult” is as exciting as it is cool.
Joe Mansmen and the Midnight Revival have a new single “Renegade Love” that hits the airwaves one day before the release of their brand new LP Renegadez. Glam rock may have taken a nap, but Joe Mansmen and the Midnight Revival band has unleashed the beast that laid dormant in all the tight paints cut up t-shirts to revive a style that was everyone’s favorite even though the feared admitting the raw visceral attraction to the pleasing distorted guitars and massive beats.
48 years ago today, The Grateful Dead wrapped up their first ever run at Nassau Coliseum. The venerable Long Island venue was almost completely new at the time, having only opened in February of 1972. In fact, the Dead were only the second band to ever play a concert in the building, surpassed only by their brethren in Chicago the year before. Today would wrap up the final show of their first three-day run here, planting the seeds for another 39 Grateful Dead shows at Nassau for years to come. This introduction ends in remarkable fashion with a show that’s got a little bit of everything: a first set that simply overpowers the second, unique costume wear from the band, and a powerful goodbye to a dear friend.
This show was a double bill of sorts with the Dead’s old friends New Riders of the Purple Sage performing an opening set to get thing started. So the Long Island crowd had already been given a taste of some West Coast psychedelic country and rock styling. Now it was the Dead’s turn. After a quick intro from promoter extraordinaire Bill Graham, they’re off and running with a feverish cover of Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land.”
Things then slow down and take an immediate emotional left turn courtesy of the “He’s Gone” that follows. This would be the song’s first live performance since the passing of the legendary Pigpen, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, just eleven days earlier. Jerry Garcia’s usually delicate vocals here are surpassed only by a supremely poignant guitar solo that simply oozes emotion. The declaration of “nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile” seems to hit a little harder on this one. And Donna Jean and the crowd both lend some audible support as well in a stirring version that’s more than a fitting tribute to the late Pigpen.
Ron “Pigpen” McKernan Sept 8, 1945 – March 8 , 1973
With the musical eulogy out of the way, the rest of the first set proceeds in a more familiar fashion. Bob Weir leads a quick jaunt through “Mexicali Blues.” And Garcia follows in fine fashion in a flawless, uptempo “They Love Each Other.” But the band doesn’t seem ready to say goodbye quite yet. This time Weir takes the helm on vocals and delivers a beautiful and inspired “Looks Like Rain” that’s comes off as one more nod to the somber circumstances of a friend’s recent death.
Deadheads will get a kick out of the first set’s “Wave That Flag,” a precursor to “U.S. Blues” that was played only 14 times and features vastly different lyrics. There’s also a decent bust-out as well. For the first time in almost three years and more than 270 show, “The Race Is On” is dusted off by the Grateful Dead and presented to the Nassau crowd.
No one would complain if tonight’s opening stanza ended with the flawless “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider” that later followed. But, no, this set goes to “11.” Perhaps fueled by some of the emotions from earlier, the band just keeps motoring on. One more Berry cover in “Around & Around” makes an appearance. And “Tennessee Jed” keeps the faithful in the new Long Island barn collectively swaying.
Until finally, the first set is capped in grandiose fashion with a mad dash of a “Playin’ In The Band.” All the energy and emotions from earlier seem to get collected here and let loose in a near 16-minute gem that serves as a fitting cap to an exhilarating first set that stretches out past an hour and 40 minutes. The footage of it that follows is reported to be some of the only video of live 1973 Grateful Dead music. Members of the band can be seen in their “Nudie Suits,” bedazzled and sequined suits that were worn a handful of times at shows in late ’72 and early ’73. This psychedelic Country-Western garb is named after the designer Nudie Cohn and were popularized by the Flying Burrito Brothers at the time. This is supposedly the last show at which they were ever worn.
A whirlwind opening set like that would be nearly impossible to top. The second set has nice intentions, but the opening stretch is played somewhat close to the belt. The relatively new-at-the-time “Loose Lucy” kicks things off, with a more pronounced Keith Godchaux on piano coming through in the mix. “Lucy” made its concert debut only earlier last month. Then there’s a a string of “first set”-sounding songs like “Me And My Uncle” and “Big River” that follow. Bill Kreutzmann’s work behind the drum kit really shines on the Johnny Cash cover. And “Mississippi Half-Step” continues this trend of well played live Dead staples that just lack some of the improvisation normally found at this part of the program.
“Jack Straw” picks up the energy considerably in the second set and seems to fuel the band towards the finish line. “Truckin’” follows, paying tribute to New York, a state that’s “got the ways and means.” This yields the first significant jam of the second set, a bluesy little excursion spearheaded by Garcia. It even includes a distinct “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” instrumental nod as the jam begins to progress.
Jerry and Bob in their Nudie Suits, February 1973
A short and sweet “Drums” section then transitions seamlessly into “The Other One,” with Phil Lesh’s thunderous bass notes triggering the opening sequence. Along with Garcia-supplied guitar licks, the two lead an impressively patient and vibrant musical introduction before the first words of the song are even sung.
This and the near 17-minute “Eyes Of The World” that follows really serve as the foundation for this second set. This version of “Eyes” is fairly incredible in that it’s another new-at-the-time, this being only the tenth one ever played. The Dead move effortlessly through the composed section, sounding like they’ve been playing this song for years, before settling into another patient and intricate exploratory jam.
The “Johnny B. Goode” set closer completes the Berry Trifecta for this evening before a “Casey Jones” encore sends the Nassau faithful merrily on their way. Afterwards, the train would be getting on the tracks on heading upstate for two shows at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. It’s a well played set that has a few standout moments but, overall, just doesn’t compare to the emotional powerhouse the opening stanza delivered.
Listen to this great show track by track below, or all at once here.
Grateful Dead – Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Uniondale, NY 3/19/73
Set 1: Promised Land, He’s Gone, Mexicali Blues, They Love Each Other, Looks Like Rain, Wave That Flag, Box Of Rain, The Race is On, Row Jimmy, El Paso, China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider, Around & Around, Tennessee Jed, Playin’ In The Band
Set 2: Loose Lucy, Me & My Uncle, Brown Eyed Women, Big River, Mississippi Half Step, Stella Blue, Jack Straw, Truckin’-> The Other One-> Eyes Of The World-> China Doll, Johnny B. Goode
Forward People. It can mean a direction, or it can describe a group of people. With room for interpretation built into the title, Trey Anastasio shared his latest pandemic production, “Forward People,” on March 18. The release coincides with his first pandemic release on March 18, 2020, “Lost in the Pack.”
With a full Ghosts of the Forest vibe, Anastasio utilizes the Rescue Squad Strings, as well as a horn section, creating a full sound that is reminiscent of GOTF’s “Drift While You’re Sleeping.” For more than 14 minutes, horns and strings accent Anastasio’s uplifting and emotional surprise release.
The opening lyrics to the ballad have a positive, uplifting vibe, something that has been Anastasio’s trademark in the past decade – “Light,” “More,” “Everything’s Right,” “The Greater Good,” “A Wave of Hope” – among others.
We are one, you are not alone, all things are connected, and we are reaping what we’ve sown. But even out there on your own, We cannot be divided, You are not alone, You’re never really alone.
“Forward People” lyrics – Trey Anastasio
The song continues to touch on themes of self-reliance, hope and perseverance, Anastasio sings “Sway in the light… an invisible hand is conducting the melody. We think that we are composing, but the music is pointing beyond me now,” a broader universal theme that has been seen in his pandemic recordings.
One of the most restless musicians during the pandemic, Anastasio had recently spoken with WCAX, hinting at Phish’s plans for this year, and if something was in the works. Trey slyly said “I’ve got a secret.” It’s safe to say Anastasio has more than one secret, with a composition like this up his sleeve and the potential for a return to the stage, with audiences, possible as soon as the fall.
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 Under the Den, Jade Relics, 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.
This week’s EQXposure starts with a four-song feature from Under the Den, a group that hopes to capture the positive essence and momentum of the progress which has become symbolic of the Upstate NY area.
Under The Den formed in the autumn of 2017 as a collaborative effort in Upstate New York of four people trying to make good music. Madison Lewis, the group’s lead vocalist from Orange County, CA, pours her soul into live performances, understanding the need for connection and reciprocation with an audience large or small. Benjamin “Ideas” Zoleski, a music major from Berklee, brings a great range to the guitar following a recent outing as the Musical Director for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “School of Rock” (2018-2019) theatre production, as well as the guitarist for the European hologram tour of Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison (2019). The rhythm section is comprised of identical twin brothers John Nowak (on bass) and drummer Jason “J NO” Nowak. Both have a long musical history in the 518 and abroad, with bands on indie and major labels.
They are performing on March 27 at Albany’s oldest bar, Pauly’s Hotel. The show is supported by Kid Vicious with live sound by Lyons Den Productions. Doors open at 7pm and shows start at 8pm.
Jade Relics from Vermont is a trio of IamE, Rico James, and Elder Orange. The music floats along a hip hop feel with emo heartfelt singing, excellent production and instrumentation creating a head bobbing yet smart piece of music.
Jade Relics recently released “Start Over” a massive sounding intoxicating grooed out jam about pushing the rest button or at least being forced to do so.
After preparing a massive arsenal of puns in preparation for a ten year tour of stand-up punning in pun-friendly venues worldwide, Troy, NY’s DayBloom packed a van and set out, only to get a flat tire in the driveway. Plans dashed and bored, they started playing music.
‘Till the Sky” is a deep roots style track with enriching harmony and clever twists and turns. The acoustic instrumentation which implies a laid back sense does not cover up the rumbling intensity and dark turns of this rather well put together piece of music.
Record Heat, formerly known as Spirit Animal, is back with a new 3-song EP titled 1 out on March 12. “Nathan” and “Just Hits” are previously released tracks, with brand-new closer “Networks.” Produced by Nolan Lambroza, 1 has an industrial, ground-shattering, alternative-rock sound.
Record Heat’s NST Album Art
The opening track “Nathan” booms into headphones with a huge grimey bass sound and commanding, catchy vocals. The beats are redolent of “Believer” by Imagine Dragons and “Black Skinhead” by Kanye West, delivering a powerful energy that is cinematic and danceable. One could imagine a live show with pyrotechnics and a zealous crowd. “Couldn’t really say that I’m the patient type,” lyrically encompasses the strength of this song.
“Just Hits” opens with a mysterious synth line and a techno beat that kicks in with a groove. Steve’s vocals are confident, almost rapped, giving the song a quick, invigorating aura. There is a spoken-word prechorus that induces reflection about nature: “We came from the sky / We came from the trees.” The song morphs into a bravado-filled chorus, with idiosyncratic production. The manipulated vocals, sirens blaring, and synth motif coat the song in a bold color palette. Record Heat knows that they are hot stuff.
The newest track on the EP is the closer “Networks.” It opens with a jangly percussive bar and instantly adds groovy guitars. The energy is infectious immediately. The song criticizes networking and its inherent artifice; Record Heat are not in search of fortune and fame – even stating “The music industry sucks” as an ad-lib – they are artists, here for music, not commerciality. “Networks” is an anger-tinged indie dance track. It’s a powerful track in less that 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Record Heat’s new EP “1” is a whirlwind of confident, experimental, industrial rock. Their sound is refreshing, and you can listen to it on March 12th on all streaming services. You can find more about Record Heat on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
