NYS Music 202​1

Category: The Northeast

  • Spring Jubilee Festival features Karl Denson, Dogs in a Pile, The New Motif and more

    Spring Jubilee Festival in East Durham, NY has announced the lineup for the inaugural festival, taking place on May 21 and May 22.

    Spring Jubilee flyer

    Spring Jubilee is a new music festival and will be a two day event this year hosted at the Blackthorne Resort. The first day is Friday, May 21 with performances from Capital Region based and tribute band The Wheel and The Deadbeats, and performances from  The Lousy Sloughters, Groovestick. Day 2, Saturday May 22, includes performances from Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, and two sets from both Dogs in A Pile and The New Motif. 

    Tickets are currently on sale for both one day and two day passes. The event has limited capacity due to the pandemic with only 200 tickets available for each day. While camping and lodging is available through Blackthorne Resort, it is not included with the ticket. Spring Jubilee will be following protocols such as mask wearing to reduce the spread of COVID-19. 

  • Joshua West, Jade Relics and more featured on this week’s EQXposure

    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 Joshua West, Jade Relics and many more!

    joshua west

    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.

    Songwriter and brilliant musician Joshua West will share his tune “Feel That Pulse” off his forthcoming release, Let Your Voice Be Heard which is planned for release over the summer. 

    “Feel That Pulse”  was written back in 2016 in response to the Pulse Nightclub tragedy in Orlando. The song’s message is one of love, equality and acceptance – urging us to let everyone “Sing the song they were born to sing.” It features Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle on lead guitar, along with a great list of Vermont and upstate NY musicians.

    Vermont independent group, Jade Relics, comprised of IamE, RicoJames, and Elder Orange latest single, “ISLAND” is a mind blowing tune that takes a serious groove adjustment mid-way through, as if it is the sonic equivalent of grabbing someone by the arm to pull them away from getting hit by a speeding train. The feel switch pulls the aritist in and figuratively forces their attention on where the song is taking them. 

    Athena Burke give us a powerful and positive anthem to remind us to stand strong in these off centered times. In her own words, “I will not fall “  is an emotional power anthem I wrote to help heal a past filled with trauma. A call to our inner strength in times of challenge. My sister, Lori had a life mantra. It came from our childhood. She had these dolls called Weebles. The slogan was ‘Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down.’ This song is dedicated to all of us who won’t fall down. And my sister Lori, who didn’t make it but inspired everyone around her. I hope this song will bring you love and power and strength on those days when you need it.” Produced by Devon Seegers of Bathrobe Robots.

  • This week’s EQXposure features The Bitter Stars, Modern Fools and 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 The Bitter Stars, Modern Fools and many more!

    modern fools

    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 featured artist on EQXposure is The Bitter Stars, from Charlton in Saratoga County. Their release Winters is a side project of the band doOojj, featuring Clarke Hingeford and Kyle Pemrick. The music is very clever, a unique take on what pop rock music can and perhaps should be. Excellent guitar tones, with powerful sonic treatments that rip across the aural spectrum providing a very cool repetitious base for the songs to be built on. 

    Greg Farley is a modern day renaissance man who also happens to write beautiful songs. While the phrase Alt-Country might be a little inappropriate to describe the music, these roots based songs are personal, suggestive, and enriching. The first cut off the record, “Hoosick Falls” has a hopeful sense while being deliberately truthful. The back up band on the session provides a subtle power to the tune that further leaves an impression on the listener, beckoning another spin or two. 

    Modern Fools from New Hampshire have some very cool music coming out of lockdown recording sessions. The forthcoming release of their work, Seer, is harmonically rich and steeped with heavy emotional content, aided by truly excellent performance of the songs by the band. While the lyrics and melody are haunting they soar right into the ear and stay awhile. 

  • Phish Announces Fall 2010 show for next Dinner and a Movie

    For Phish’s next installment of their monthly Dinner And A Movie archival stream series, they’ll head back to Fall 2010 for a performance at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH. The October 26 performance featured, among other highlights, an “After Midnight” opener and the debut of “Night Nurse,” a reggae tune by Gregory Isaacs, who died the night before.

    dinner and a movie fall 2010

    The dinner part of the evening consists of Gnudi (light ricotta dumplings) on a Pomodoro Sauce with Pizzicati “Pinched” Cookies for dessert. Recipes can be found here.

    As always, each installment of Dinner And A Movie benefits a new charity. This month’s beneficiary is the Conservation Law Foundation, who for over 50 years has taken on powerful opponents who pollute the air and water and squander resources. CLF’s advocates use law, economics and science to create innovative strategies that conserve natural resources, protect public health and safeguard our local communities. For more information visit clf.org. All donations made via The WaterWheel Foundation will benefit CLF. Donate at any time at phish.com/waterwheel.

    dinner and a movie fall 2010
    Fall 2010 poster by Brian McGregor, via PhanArt.net

    This Dinner and a Movie trip back to Fall 2010 starts on Tuesday, April 27 at 8:30pm ET. Tune in at webcast.livephish.com.

    Setlist via Phish.net – 10/26/10 – Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH

    Soundcheck: Nothing, Let Me Lie, Friday, Walls of the Cave

    Set 1: After Midnight, The Sloth, Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues[1], Mellow Mood, Access Me, Llama, All of These Dreams, The Curtain With > Scent of a Mule, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, It’s Ice > Walls of the Cave

    Set 2: Possum > Light > Mike’s Song > Simple > Makisupa Policeman[2] -> Night Nurse[3] -> Makisupa Policeman > The Wedge, Ghost -> The Mango Song > Weekapaug Groove[4] -> Llama Reprise

    Encore: Show of Life

    [1] “From Goddard College” added to lyrics.
    [2] “Woke up this morning with a policeman at my door all I could do was shrug, and go back in my bedroom and smoke another nug” lyrics.
    [3] Phish debut.
    [4] Unfinished.

    Shirt design via SetlistTees

    Phish also released on Friday the latest in the Live Phish series, heading back to Summer 1995 and the band’s first appearance at Deer Creek Amphitheatre in Noblesville, IN. The official video featuring Deer Creek 1995 aired in June as an installment of Dinner And A Movie. Download the show here.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNdGRixq7ZQ

  • Grey Fox and Ziontific Music Festivals Move to 2022

    Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival and the Ziontific Music Festival are postponing their events until 2022.

    Grey Fox Ziontific
    Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Oak Hill, NY. Photo Credit: Alan Hamilton

    Both Grey Fox and Ziontific seek to prioritize the safety and well-being of everyone attending. Moving the festivals to next summer allows more time to counteract the negative consequences of the pandemic.

    Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival will take place July 14-17, 2022. The Grey Fox Staff is hoping to get beyond COVID-19 with extended vaccinations, social distancing, and standard health regulations. Updates for Grey Fox 2022 will be on their website as well as other social media pages.

    Last year, the team and artists joined together to create a virtual Spirit of Grey Fox 2020. Fans and musicians were able to come together to raise $25,000 for the IBMA Trust Fun for COVID-19 Relief. With this generosity and spirit of the community, the momentum pushes forward as live shows become a reality again.

    Similarly, the Ziontific 10th-year celebration is postponed to June 2022. All 2020 tickets and glamping packages automatically roll over to 2022. However, anyone looking for a refund can do so by contacting Ziontific by May 19, 2021.

    While fans eagerly wait for the festivities, a ZTFamily Facebook Group is open to help bring everyone together. Feel free to share Ziontific throwback photos, videos, or even write about memories there.

  • Discover the Grateful Dead-inspired Rose and Bolt line from Hiouchi Jewels

    With inspiration from the Grateful Dead, Hiouchi Jewels, in partnership with Warner Music Artist Services, has debuted the officially licensed, hand-made Rose and Bolt jewelry collection, giving life to Sarah Lewis’ dedication to her craft.

    Rose and Bolt

    A native New Yorker from Schenectady, Lewis attended Furthur Festival at SPAC in 1997, which led her to catch Ratdog, Phil Lesh and Friends, and later on, Dead and Company, among the rest of the side projects. When Gathering of the Vibes was held in Mariaville, NY, you could find Sarah among the 1000’s of attendees.

    The Grateful Dead is so much more than music, it’s home. It’s always been a part of my life. My friends and the music have gotten me through some really tough time.

    Sarah Lewis, Hiouchi Jewels

    In the summer of 2015, Lewis moved from Philly to California, making a stop in Chicago for the three night of Fare Thee Well at Soldier Field. Now based in Evergreen, Colorado, Lewis is the heart & soul of Hiouchi Jewels. She’s been making jewelry all her life, and earned her BFA in Metals & Jewelry at the Savannah College of Art & Design.

    Sarah’s career began designing for boho-chic brand Free People, before she launched her own brand, in 2009.  Today, the collection is designed and curated by Sarah in her Colorado studio, and handcrafted by her, and by fair trade artisan partners.  

    Rose and Bolt

    The Rose & Bolt collection features handmade rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings, all featuring roses and the classic 13-point lightning bolt. Elegant, delicate styles come in sterling silver, rose gold, and 16k yellow gold. Bolder, statement styles feature turquoise stones and quartz crystals.

    Although Rose & Bolt carries similarities to Sarah’s classic Hiouchi Jewels Collection, many aspects are new. This marks her first time using rose gold, appropriate for the rose motifs in the collection. Sarah has typically made jewelry for women, and is excited to debut her first unisex/gender neutral collection.

    The Grateful Dead’s music has been an important part of my life and an inspiration for all of my creative work, so this collaboration is a dream project for me. I’ve carried my modern bohemian aesthetic from Hiouchi Jewels into this collection, adding the iconic Grateful Dead Roses & Bolts to each piece. The Grateful Dead is so much more than music- it’s a lifestyle, a community, a vibrant, unique culture. It’s truly an honor to have my jewelry join the rich lineage of licensed Grateful Dead artwork and merchandise.

    Sarah Lewis, designer

    Hiouchi (pronounced Hi-You-Chi) is the name of a wilderness area in Northern California, where Sarah lived and created for 3 years.  She re-named her business to Hiouchi in 2018, to honor the time that she spent in this special place in nature, and to carry the magic of the Redwoods with her.

    Both an artisan maker, and fashion jewelry lifestyle brand, Lewis sells her wares at HiouchiJewels.com, and through over 400 boutiques & companies internationally.

    It took years of persistent outreach to bring a Grateful Dead jewelry line together. Lewis’ drive and perseverence, and especially her passion, drove her to bring this to fruition. “You gotta send a bunch of emails sometimes and magic can happen.” This puts Sarah in good company – she is one of only two officially licensed Grateful Dead jewelry makers.

    Rose and Bolt

    For Rose and Bolt, Lewis uses rose gold. The reason for this she explained was that rose gold is trendy and new, and the same process in working with yellow gold. Rose gold is an alloy that has a little more copper. Thus, Rose and Bolt is made with rose and gold.

    Rose & Bolt Jewelry is sure to attract fans of all ages. Each piece comes in beautiful, collectors boxes and microsuede drawstring pouches. Classic styles can go from day to night, office to dance floor, from formal events to Zoom parties. Rose & Bolt jewelry will prove to be coveted pieces in any Deadhead’s collection.

    Watch a video of Sarah showing a few pieces from the collection, the packaging and free gifts that come with each order, as well as a tour of her studio in Evergreen, Colorado. She is currently running a promotion of 20% off at Hiouchi Jewels with code ‘spring.’

    Check out more photos on Instagram @HiouchiJewels and @RoseAndBolt.

    Rose and Bolt

  • Page McConnell shares ambient single off new solo album “Maybe We’re the Visitors”

    Phish keyboardist Page McConnell today announced the release of his new solo album, Maybe We’re the Visitors, arriving Friday, April 9 via Keyed Records. Written and recorded in Reykjavik, Iceland and Burlington, VT, the album’s first song “Radio Silence,” was released today with a visualizer. Rolling Stone writer David Fricke called in his album notes “an overture of slowly dawning arpeggios that dot the void like hopeful transmissions.”

    page mcconnell

    David Fricke’s liner notes include the following details on the album:

    In January 2020, shortly before the coronavirus shut down modern life, including travel, McConnell took a road trip that had nothing to do with his normal touring itinerary as the keyboard player in Phish: a holiday in Iceland. Inevitably, music got made there. But it was unlike anything McConnell had recorded before as a solo artist, for side projects or within the collaborative energies of Phish: fully electronic pieces created on location, in response to the epic landscapes, dramatic weather, and geologic fury that he experienced in Iceland. He also came back energized and determined to keep going amid, indeed despite, lockdown. MAYBE WE’RE THE VISITORS is the result: an imaginary voyage charged with eyewitness awe and intense, solitary reflection; expressed without lyrics, vocals or any sign of piano, organ or clavinet, McConnell’s signature armory with Phish.

    The album is his third solo outing – following 2007’s song-based Page McConnell and a 2013 instrumental release, Unsung Cities and Movies Never Made – and a genuine breakthrough: the first McConnell has conceived and performed entirely with synthesizers. Maybe We’re the Visitors is also the most personal record he has ever made because it is an album that has been on his mind for a long time. 

    The narrative flow of MAYBE WE’RE THE VISITORS – exploration, colony and, finally warning; that, as Icelanders already know, we are only stewards here and nature always has the last word – did not present itself “until I was close to the end,” McConnell confesses. “But I always knew there was something alien about these pieces…”

    McConnell’s side-project Vida Blue released Analog Delay in late 2019. Read an interview with McConnell with Relix.

  • Sunday’s EQXposure features Fine Grain, Sarah King and 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 for EQXposure to hear new music from Fine Grain, Sarah King, and many more!

    fine grain eqxposure

    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.

    Fine Grain is tonight’s featured band for EQXposure.  Pearson will be playing a collection of songs from their latest release, Missing Adult, now streaming all over the world and available for purchase on Bandcamp.
    Tune in to hear the tunes and join the discussion of this awesome bands incredibly creative and unique full length release, that is a genre bending and deeply interesting work of art to listen to.

    Other artists featured tonight include Sarah King, who celebrates the release of her latest EP The Hour. Read our review of her new album here.

    And stayed tuned for Jade Relics, a Vermont-based production group made up of Rico James, Elder Orange, and IAME and their latest tunes “Start Over” and “With You.” Plus check out Laveda, a genre blending dream pop/rock outfit who set nostalgic and cinematic moods with a 90’s-esque sound reminiscent of The Sundays and My Bloody Valentine. 

  • Cuomo Annexes Vermont

    In a move sending shockwaves through the Empire State, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has annexed the entire state of Vermont. The move makes Vermont’s maple syrup industry, ski towns, and the entirety of Lake Champlain, all a part of New York. 

    cuomo vermont
    A map showing the borders of New York with the addition of Vermont. Source: Gov. Andrew Cuomo

    Despite the recent accusations and calls to step down, the Governor seems emboldened, ordering National Guard Troops to stand back and stand by, hinting that more than the Green Mountain State may become part of New York.

    Cuomo said in a brief statement on the takeover of Vermont, “I just felt that we needed to get All the great music scenes together, and since New York has so many, we should add in Burlington. So All the great music scenes are here now. Then I thought we have great skiing, so let’s get All the great skiing in the Northeast here in New York. So now we have All the best ski areas here. 

    Vermonters can deal with it. Go enjoy your Twiddling or whatever it is you do there. Welcome to New York.”

    Governor Cuomo, arriving to see Twiddle in their new homestate of New York

    With this statement, the Governor continues to give no indication he will resign, despite numerous allegations of bullying, sexual harassment and unwanted touching. See the whole list of accusers here.

  • Sarah King Dishes Out Five Wonderfully Uneasy Pieces with The Hour

    Singer-songwriter Sarah King has released her debut EP, The Hour, a splendid, soulful voyage to the darkest corners of Americana.  It’s the perfect showcase for her show-stopping vocals and gothic bluesy story songs, something made all the better by the smartly minimalist arrangements conjured by co-producers, Simone Felice and David Baron (The Lumineers, Bat for Lashes, Jade Bird, Felice Brothers).

    sarah king
    photo by Arielle Thomas

    The tune that will likely command the most attention is her reinvention of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”  This take is as slow and minimal and softly acoustic as its gets – a thumb strummed solo guitar riding an E minor drone (sorry, Spinal Tap, this and not the D minor, is the saddest of keys/chords).  Even though this guitar and voice spotlight is swaddled in a cathedral’s worth of cavernous reverb, it retains a crispness and clarity, like all the tracks on this impeccably engineered collection.  This cover is further distinguished by the ghostly alternative melodies King conjures, she’s like a bebopper of acid folk.  There’s shades of Nick Drake, Alexi Murdoch and Blue-era Joni Mitchell in the quietude and Dolly Parton, one of her inspirations along with Adele and White Stripes, in the controlled country crack in King’s voice.

    The track “Poison” has a churchy gospel vibe.  Here Sarah King responds justifiably likewise to a cruel lover who can’t take what he dishes out (“I’m not bent, I’m not broken by your crimes. I gave you a taste of your medicine and you say I poisoned you”). Like many tunes on the album, there’s great texture here – tiny sonic delights barely audible in the mix like the ghostly roto-speaker electric guitar in this tune. 

    My personal favorite, “Nightstand,” hammers home the spooky soulful vibe. It’s a murder ballad driven by a swirly Rhodes piano, guitar crunch, Hammond organ wail, rich background vocals and gut-punch lyrics.  Case in point, the chorus:

    I was born with the cord wrapped around my neck
    It’s not something I could ever forget
    The world’s been trying to take me out since the day I first arrived
    There’s a darkness a-reaching for my hand
    I keep a gun in my nightstand
    Waiting for music to bury a body by

    The funereal shuffle of “Cold Hard Ground” brings to mind the artsy country blues of Wrecking Ball-era Emma Lou Harris.  It’s a minor blues articulated with a slurry snare-brushed beat, honey toned organ and minimalist piano. Co-producer David Baron, proprietor of Sun Mountain Studios in the Hudson Valley where the EP was recorded, is an analog synth collector.  He adds some very outta-space keyboard swirl and ambience here, along with (possibly) a mellotron-treated vocal chorus.  He’s a master of the less is more approach.

    sarah king
    photo by Christian James

    “Not Worthy the Whiskey” is a swaggering stomp-and-holler about making peace with your dark past.  The tune is propelled by percussive handclaps and stomps and boasts a whistling-down-the-alley intro ala Billy Joel’s “The Stranger.” It’s another deep blue lament, ones that floats in and out like a dream.

    Like much great music, King’s debut EP was born of loss.  In the press notes she says: “My dog died, my ex-husband died and my mama died too.  Life is too fucking short,  I’d just spent almost a year traveling in a tent away from my instruments and facing so much loss, I realized I never wanted to be away from music again.”

    King’s partnership with Felice came about when she sent him a shot-in-the-dark email containing a performance video of “Nightstand,” which to an invitation to record that tune and four more.  We are lucky that King found the strength to put her loss into such fresh, emotionally revealing, brave music.  And she’s lucky to have found, in Felice and Baron, producers who could bring her art to life is such a beautifully restrained and achingly gorgeous way.

    Key Tracks: Nightstand, War Pigs, Not Worth the Whiskey