NYS Music 202​1

Category: Alternative/Indie

  • PVRIS Take Virtual Stage to Perform AWKOHAWNOH in its Entirety

    Many bands have found it difficult to find ways to connect with fans in new and interesting ways during the COVID-19 pandemic but the alt-rock band PVRIS has found a way to do with it’s live performances of it’s albums in their entirety. They took to the virtual stage to perform AWKOHAWNOH on January 9, 2021 in its entirety for the first time including performing two songs off the album that had never been performed live before broadcasting live from Arizona.

    PVRIS

    PVRIS is an alternative rock band from Lowell, Massachusetts. The band formed back in 2012 under the name to Paris and eventually changed it to PVRIS for legal reasons. They got their big start in Warped Tour’s battle of the bands finalists in 2013 and have since grown into the the band that’s known today.

    Before this virtual concert I personally have seen PVRIS perform twice in person and once virtually for their previous album White Noise. Every time they have killed it. As a big fan of listening to full albums in their entirety the bands decision to perform all of their albums in their live was extremely exciting and intriguing for me and the performances have lived up to the hype.

    AWKOHAWNOH, also known as ‘All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell’ is PVRIS second album and was originally released on August 25, 2017 and included 10 tracks. The live-stream series is being presented by Pillar which is the platform that is hosting the series. PVRIS is selling tickets either for $15 for a one time ticket or a monthly subscription for $10 a month which gives special insights and allows the viewer to re-watch the live-streams. They are also selling merchandise specialize for each album and meet and greets with the band for each show. A part of the proceeds from the AWKOHAWNOH live-stream went to The Ally Coalition to benefit mutual aid organizations in the US.

    The performance featured original members Lyndsey Gunnulfsen or more commonly known as Lynn Gunn and Brain McDonald and newcomer Denny Agosto Vega. Lynn Gunn is the powerhouse behind the band and is it’s lead singer, guitarist and is also known for playing keys, bass and being the main writer behind the bands discography. Brain McDonald is the bassist and is also known for his photography as well as his guitar and keys skills. Denny Agosto Vega has been standing in as the drummer and also performed with the band during their live version of their White Noise album back in November of 2020. The noticeably missing member was EX-guitarist Alex Babinski who parted ways with the band earlier this year after Sexual Misconduct Allegations were made against him and the band made a statement saying he would no longer be associated with the band. 

    The show was supposed to start at 8PM EST but as people waited on the stream to start as 8PM came and went. The anticipation grew in the group chat that accompanied the stream. Music videos from PVRIS’ newest album Use Me played and then eventually everything went dark. The stage appeared with a floor full of fog and iridescent lights. Lynn Gunn on Keys, Brain McDonald on Bass, and Denny Agosto Vega on drums opened with “Heaven, the first song on AWKOHAWNOH. It opened with Lynn’s Voice and keys for the first half of the first verse and then the rest of the band came in. Although it was just streaming onto my TV it felt just as strong of an entrance at any live show I have been to and brought the same adrenaline and excitement. 

    Throughout the album Lynn Gunn and Brain McDonald continually switched playing bass and guitar taking turns and highlighting their musical abilities. With Alex Babinski no longer playing lead Brian McDonald filled in that position for some of the songs which was different than the last stream. On the White Noise live stream Brian McDonald stuck to bass the entire time as well as playing on the keys occasionally with Lynn Gunn playing keys and guitar. Most of the lead guitar parts were pre recorded in the last live stream though so having a fuller live sound was great during this performance. 

    One of my favorite moments was when they performed “No Mercy” which is a fan favorite and Lynn Gunn introduced the song saying, “We got a one-way ticket to shred-ville, this is your captain speaking.” The band were really in their element with this song and just having a good time jumping around and playing and dancing together. Denny Agosto Vega was even standing while playing drums and Lynn Shredded on the guitar like her life depended on it. 

    Another one I really enjoyed was when Lynn Gunn performed “Separate” stripped with just her vocals and keys. Coming after all the hyper-ness of “No Mercy” it was the perfect way to follow up a song that would be hard to follow with another upbeat song. It slows everything down and brings the focus back to Lynn Gunn’s unique and powerful lyrics. 

    Maybe one of the biggest high points of the show was when they performed “Walk Alone” and “Nola 1” for the first time ever. Both songs have been heavily anticipated by the PVRIS fandom known as the CVLT. Both songs lived up to the hype of being performed live for the first time. “Walk Alone” was one of my favorite’s off the album so hearing it live was a dream come true. “Nola 1” closing out the show was perfectly fitting somehow being one of the most widely anticipated songs to be performed live to wrap up a great night. After the show the band came and “sniffed” everyone watching in their goofy joking way of trying to connect to the audience and said to stay safe and that they loved them. It was a great way to spend a night during COVID-19. 

    The last album Use Me’s live stream performance is yet to be announced but when it is will also be available to stream on Pillar. For more information visit PVRIS website or their Pillar page.

  • Mommyheads announce Remastered 1992 Album ‘Coming Into Beauty’

    After being out-of-print and unavailable online for nearly three decades, the Mommyheads’ innovative and experimental 1992 sophomore release, Coming Into Beauty, has been remastered for physical and digital formats.

    mommyheads

    The remastered edition of Coming Into Beauty will be available digitally on February 12, 2021. On the album, the Mommyheads fused rich melodies with avant-garde techniques, making for a one-of-a-kind listening experience, covering uncharted indie pop territory.

    The album defies cohesion and plays more like an early Frank Zappa record in its playful photo-book sprawl.  Album opener “Wedding Day” melds breezy, gorgeous fingerpicking with harmonies both angular and angelic at once, all whilst Elk belts a surrealistic semi-story about the crushing weight of marriage and boyish passion. “I Started Breathing” is arguably the album’s focal point. The tune gently strides along the spare ukulele and rattling percussion, boasting chord changes that have more in common with Brazilian pop and bossanova records than anything indie.

    Pairing the druggy, melancholy Brooklynite romance (“and your friends they went to see the Dead / and they left you at home to work instead”) with frayed Bouzouki-laden choruses, the song is an understated achievement of pop invention. It’s both authentically strange and heartbreakingly sweet; unsettling and lulling.

    Coming Into Beauty remains the most potent document of the Mommyheads at their most unhinged and daring. Fans of both experimental records and melodically-rich pop alike will find the album’s enigmatic nature fascinating and infinitely rewarding. 


  • Julianne Mason sways organically with ‘Songs for the Bull’ to be Released Friday

    Julianne Mason is a Queens singer/songwriter on the brink of her forth album to be released Friday, January 15 on all streaming platforms. Songs for the Bull is and eight-track spearhead effort by Mason who acted as the albums sole writer, vocalist, and pianist, while also co-producing the release. The organic tenure of her keys passes you by like a spring breeze. It’s a heartfelt effort to harden.

    Songs for the Bull album art by Zoe Wickham.

    The pandemic only highlights a constant struggle for artist alike. Mason was nostalgic, with a mind full of a wanderlust that was not satisfied. As a result, Julianne found herself depressed, isolated and unemployed during quarantine. Musicians speak outwardly to avoid getting lost in these feelings. Simply put, she wrote songs to stay sane. Isn’t that what we all do. Firstly, Songs for the Bull acts as the antiseptic, washing our wounds.

    Songs for the Bull is a collection of songs about the regret and loneliness that result from living a series of relationships in your mind instead of having the courage to experience intimacy in real life.

    Julianne Mason took retreat in a safe haven to begin recording piano for this album, back home in Iowa. As things came together, she returned to NYC and over and intense couple of rehearsals and a ten hour recording session, Songs for the Bull bloomed. A throw back to 8-track exposes a warmth from the band, and home-like somber, recorded in her living room.

    Stream the full album HERE Friday, January 15

    The title track “Paradise Weather” rises in like a winter sun. An underlying hum makes way for a swaying-triplet percussion as the 8-track reels. Julianne piano is soft and syncopated. Constant dissonance in her voice and piano pair with he song’s dis-harmonious lyrics: “So you take me forward, much to my displeasure. So you take me forward, to paradise weather.”

    The album sways in its gloom and hopefulness. It is not a jaunting hunt for rebellion against sorrow, but rather a tip of your hat towards it. The album cast glimmer of light on a rather somber reality and forced isolation. With this intense recording session and 8-track ode, it will be even more wholesome to walk alongside this album from start to finish.

    Followup track, “I Wait For You,” is a melodic tip-toe with the utmost sentiment. Drummer Shannon Minor take to the brushes, while Colin Leads delicately companies alongside each key stroke. Sutble creeks of Mason’s piano bench creep in. The sounds are intoxicating and contrast the once busy streets of the City.

    Like a garden every time. This organism that invades my mind. Reminds my worry reminds my stubbornness. That the quiet night can caress.

    Taxi, building, rain and breeze. City sidewalk, city symphony Ocean of people, waves of activity. Speak right now consciously And I’m lucky, lucky yet To hear these sounds of gentleness. Lucky that I still have this sensitivity Sensitivity to infinity.

    The record was produced by Julianne Mason, Brendan Picone,
    and Daniel Crane. Songs for the Bull was mixed by Brendan Picone, mastered by Phil Petrie.

    Yesterday Julianne Mason performed a live pre-release highlighting Songs for the Bull‘s debut.

  • Best of 2020: Best Tours and Drive-In Shows

    NYS Music’s Best of 2020 series concludes with a look at the best Tours and Drive-In shows of a year we’d all like to forget. When the music industry shut down in mid-March, it was sudden and continues to last into 2021. Few bands got to go on a ‘real’ tour, given there were roughly 11 weeks in which to tour, and the coldest months of the year, at that. Still, a few bands went out on a Winter 2020 tour, making stops in New York State and surrounding areas. Be sure to check out the best Streams, Covers and Jams.

    moe best of 2020
    photo by JD Cohen

    Goose announced shows in Williamsburg for late January, 2020, and immediately added a second, and smaller third show, due to demand. Their shows at The Music Hall of Williamsburg were two of the best of their tour.

    One band, Twiddle, celebrated their 15th year as a band with a Roots Tour of their own, streaming the multi-week event that looked at the venues they got their start in across Vermont, wonderfully recalled by Ryan Dempsey. In addition to these shows, Twiddle performed at multiple Drive-In shows across the Northeast, including New Jersey and Essex Junction, VT.

    All that after a cross-country tour running from January through early March. The band had an impressive 2020, performing shows in Colorado to start 2020 with “Somewhere on the Mountain” in Frisco, CO and connecting with platform LiveXLive for their July Roots Tour.

    twiddle essex
    photo by Dave Decrescente

    When it came to Drive-Ins, there were quite a few across the Northeast – Drive-in-Live in Swanzey, NH, Jericho Drive-In in Glenmont, NY, South Farms in Morris Farms, CT, Fingerlakes Drive-In in Auburn, NY, Silver Lake Drive-In in Perry, NY and Radial Park in Astoria, Queens.

    Live at the Drive, featuring Buffalo’s Aqueous, was one of the first and the most successful series, with three weekends between Lockport’s Transit Drive-in and Perry Silver Lake Drive-In. Buffalo Iron Works produced the shows, with Josh Holtzman and Grace Vesneske’s new company Twenty6 Productions garnering credit for putting on shows that set a standard for socially distanced shows that were safe, well-run and comfortable for fans and staff alike.

    aqueous silver lake best of 2020
    photo by Paul Citone

    Goose also hosted numerous Drive-Ins across the Northeast and even ventured safely to Ohio, North Carolina and Maryland, as well as Swanzey and South Farms. Located in Morris, CT, South Farms was centrally located to the Hudson Valley from Albany to NYC, Western Massachusetts and Connecticut itself. As such, Goose, moe., Warren Haynes, Grace Potter, Allman Betts Band, Dark Star Orchestra, Citizen Cope and even comedian Bill Burr. Due to a recent Zoning Board ruling, South Farms won’t have live music for the time being, but they made some memorable moment in the time they were able to, in a key location in the Northeast.

    goose south farms best of 2020
    photo by Chad Anderson

    moe. and Disco Biscuits each hit the new Drive-In circuit, streaming online and giving fans thirsty for live music the remedy they sought. Shows in Yarmouth, MA became regular stops, with both bands heading to Cape Cod in October. Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds, just south of Syracuse, brought in Dirty Heads and Disco Biscuits, the latter of which performed three nights, culminating their Drive-In shows with a Halloween show and an audience well-prepared for the cold and mud but still got down to dance.

    What will come in 2021? Drive-In concerts will surely be a regular feature starting in the Spring, until the pandemic is under control, the population is inoculated with the vaccine, and venues are able to manage crowds of slowly increasing size. Will Drive-In concerts be here to stay? The collective effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 this year and into 2022 will determine the speed at which we can return to having live music back to where it was in early March of 2020.

    https://youtu.be/1uz8BpvENlg?t=4541

  • Goose to release 2019 Buffalo show to benefit Nietzsche’s

    Goose has announced the release of their latest live album, 2019.11.16 Buffalo, NY, from the Connecticut group’s show at Nietzsche’s, Buffalo’s longest-serving music venue. The release is a newly remastered soundboard recording that is now available on all streaming platforms.

    goose buffalo

    Buffalo was a sure highlight for us in 2019. Like a lot of our Fall 2019 shows, it was our first time headlining in town and the show sold out way in advance, so the energy was through the roof. One of my favorite things to do on that tour was survey the crowd, and that night we had people from all over the place, it was really humbling to see that people had traveled just to see us at this small bar in Buffalo, and it turned out to be an absolutely magical night. 

    Peter Anspach

    In addition to the streaming release, the band plans to press select tracks to vinyl, with a 2-LP, eight-track package available for sale through Bandcamp. Collectors will have an opportunity to purchase regular (vinyl only), deluxe (signed postcard + poster), or test pressings at varying price points.

    A portion of proceeds will be donated to Nietzsche’s, as the independent venue continues to weather the multitude of challenges presented by the current pandemic. 

    Without spots like Nietzsche’s, we wouldn’t have gotten our feet off the ground. You need small venues and local scenes to get started as a band. Even if you’re not making much money per gig (which you aren’t), playing shows keeps the momentum up, the enthusiasm high, and allows you to grow musically as a band so you’ll know what you’re doing when and if you make it to larger venues. Let’s go Buffalo!

    Peter Anspach

    The heavy improv of Set 1 features a 14-minute cover of The Wood Brothers‘ “Atlas,” followed by a 20-minute “Arcadia” anbd closed with a 30-minute “Drive.” Set 2 kicks off with “Creatures” and includes covers of Otis Day and the Knights’ “ShamaLamma Ding Dong” and a-ha’s “Take On Me.”

    Vinyl is now on sale as of Noon ET, Friday, January 8. For more information, visit goose.es/buffalo-vinyl.

  • Palace Sessions return with Moriah Formica, Sawyer Fredericks & Madison Vandenburg

    The Palace Sessions return with a trio of young talent that have each found a national audience. Moriah Formica, Sawyer Fredericks and Madison Vandenburg will be stream performances from Albany’s Palace Theatre on January 13 at 7pm on the Palace Theatre’s

    Formica, Fredericks and Vandenburg have each found fame through nationally broadcast music competition shows The Voice (Formica and Fredericks) and American Idol (Vandenburg). Through their performances and runs into the finals of their respective shows, they have each amassed a large following, bringing a focus to the Capital Region of New York.

    The Palace Sessions is a monthly live music series featuring some of our favorite regional acts performing in unique spaces within the historic performing arts center. Watch previous episodes of The Palace Sessions below.

    During the stream, donations can be made to benefit the Palace Performing Arts Center, Inc. – the 501(c)3 non-profit organization that owns and operates the historic Palace Theatre. Donations can be made or directly through the Palace Theatre’s Text To Give program, by texting Palace2020 to 44321.

    The Palace has been Albany’s iconic downtown landmark for the past eight decades, bringing  the biggest names in entertainment to the Capital Region. The history and programming of the  Palace is a unique and often untold story with roots dating back to the period of the Great  Depression. The Palace Theatre, built in 1931, originally presented vaudeville acts, feature films  and became a civic auditorium before closing its doors in 1969. The theatre maintains its original  beauty and design and is a historical landmark in the City of Albany.

    The Palace Performing Arts  Center was established in 1984 and incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1989, created to  operate the Palace Theatre. The mission of the Palace is to bring world-class arts and  entertainment to New York’s Capital Region, greatly enhancing the area’s cultural and economic  development. Our mission is carried out through core programming and community initiatives  that include performing arts entertainment, free arts education, family-friendly performances,  free summer movies and a classic movie program series. The Palace has a significant economic  footprint with over $3.5 million in ticket sales and 180,000 patrons. 

    Palace Sessions is presented by the Palace Theatre, the City of Albany and Mirth Films.

  • The first EQXposure of 2021 features Dryer, Laveda and many more

    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 Dryer and many more!

    dryer

    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.

    On Sunday, January 3, 2021 EQXPosure will explore the music of Dryer. The Saratoga based band has been making music together for as long as EQXposure has been on the air, nearly 28 years. Tune in and listen to an eight song career spanning selection of tunes that shows just how incredibly consistent and relevant these four musicians are. 

    Writing songs and making records that stand the test of time is the goal of all artists. Dryer was working out their sound well before global online streaming, when to hear new music people had to go out and see bands playing live, no email lists, download codes, Spotify playlists, it was up to the live show to grow your audience. That work, the real work of putting on a great show, and being remembered is still part of the puzzle today but when this band started it was all there was. That scene, that history, is evident in the records we’re playing. 

    Punk rock, straight rock, up tempo head bobbing jams, this band has been compared to The Pixies but their music is all their own bombastic blast of fun. From their 2016 release, Bright Moon, Bright Sun we will hear “Green Paper,” “Book of Maps” and “Summer of 87.”


    Off their 1996 release Saturday in Vein we will hear the title cut, “Saturday in Vein“, from their 2001 release Everything in Static, “Desperate Annies,”  from their latest release Prognerd, “Operation Suicide,” “Stupid for You,” and from Out of the Loop (1998) we will hear “Red Light.“

    Also on Sunday we will hear” Better Now” the new single from Laveda off their debut album What Happens After. Laveda features dreampop and shoegaze sounds, mixed with a bright hopeful grit and passionate singing of the male female combination of Jacob Brooks and Ali Genevich, who’s balance of pop melodic sounds and broad psyched out soundscapes make for an enjoyable listening indulgence.

  • Hearing Aide: William Lawrence “Fool For You”

    The infamous year 2020, although there have been a lot of restrictions preventing live music there is a silver lining to be had for those still responsible to spawn it. William Lawrence is an example of those who refuse to let these new set rules restrict his creativity. He started the year like many others in the studio with a suitcase full of new material ready to devise and debut on the road.

    “We decided to continue working on the songs together from our own home studios, bedrooms, living rooms, attic spaces…we all recorded where we could” Ten months later, Lawrence’s third full-length studio album, Fool For You was released on Christmas Eve of this year. The eight song collection oscillates gracefully between dreamy folk rock and twangy country waltzes.

    william lawrence

    In a state like New York where Neil Young’s Canadian northern words blow across Lake Ontario and The Band’s grooves move you out of the Hudson Valley in Woodstock it can be helpful to use these influences to create your own voice. “Everybody seems to wonder what it’s like down here, i gotta get away from this day to day running around, everybody knows this is nowhere”.

    The album mixed by Ian McGuire features a terrific cast of mixolydian musicians with James Felice, Keven Lareau, Rachel Meirs, Brian Kantor, Donny Amidon, Phil Nicolazzo, Allison Olender, Jonathan Talbott and Greg Marino. William Lawrence is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has been the drummer and vocalist for the folk rock band “The Felice Brothers” A song by the brothers “Whiskey in My Whiskey” is playing on the jukebox in “Merlotte’s Bar” in the first season of the HBO show “True Blood”. His collaborations have even taken him internationally with artists like “Conor Oberst”, “Mail the Horse”, and “Gun Outfit”.

    The music is that matter of a fact over your in-home speakers. His lyrics reflect all of the love had by an outlaw in this life each day spinning around the sun. If you listen to the wind outside your back porch it will softly carry the words and music with it. Until the moonlight dawn you can let this album shine on you. When there’s just one more before you go needed at a roadside diner like Merlottes click the track “Jukebox” that has saxophone player Greg Marino bring it home for you. Is the recognizable penny whistle on Paul McCartney’s “Fool on the Hill” the same as “Fool for You”? No wonder it is “the most collaborative record i’ve ever made” says Lawrence.

    What does silver lining mean? A silver lining is a sign of hope or positive aspect in an otherwise negative situation. The phrase is often seen as part of the proverb “ Every Cloud has a Silver Lining” meaning that there’s hope or something good to be found in every bad situation. Let’s be glad William Lawrence and company embraced this concept early this year to help bring this eminent music to all of us on the way to Christmas Eve. Let the title tracks lyrics help you celebrate this New Years Eve, “Got the champagne open in my hotel room, spent my last good dollar on a dream come true” Hopefully we’ll see them on the road in 2021.

    Key Tracks: Fool For You, Jukebox, Wedding Song