The phrase ‘this darkness has got to give’ originates in the Robert Hunter penned Grateful Dead song “New Speedway Boogie,” a line that speaks of hope and aspirations of a brighter future ahead.
In June 2020, NYS Music started the series “This Darkness Has Got to Give,” amid uncertain times where we did not know what the next few weeks or months would provide for the musicians, venues, music industry staff and employees, as well as patrons across New York State. We hoped for the best, and while the era of streaming sufficed for a time and is permanently ingrained with bands and venus, live music has returned.
Sort of, at least. We have had some false starts, with tours cancelled shortly after they are announced, tours scaled back, and artists opting to require patrons to show proof of vaccination, as well as wear a mask inside venues. All of these are not major asks for patrons who have been deprived of live music, just as musicians have been deprived of audiences in the last year and a half. Given the tight COVID-19 protocols in place for touring musicians and at music venues, especially here in New York State, the result has been the return of live music to many venues, the arrival of crowds to outdoor and indoor events alike, and a feeling of normalcy, even if things don’t seem all the way normal just yet.
We are still not out of the woods yet. So long as mask policies are abided by and those eligible to be vaccinated do so, the full live music experience – at venues, music festivals, on cruise ships or in basements of college houses – can return in all parts of the state and country.
This edition of “This Darkness Has Got to Give” has a different angle to it. While we are looking at the music venues that dot the landscape all across the Empire State, we take a look this time not just at the venues, but at the crowds of fans who have flocked back to support their favorite artist and venue, and recharge ourselves through the power of live music. We begin where we started the series in June 2020, in Western New York, courtesy of Contributing Photographer Samantha Rychlicki.
Albany Symphony Music Director David Alan Miller will return to the Palace Theatre stage on Saturday, October 9 for the start of Miller’s 30th Anniversary Season. The program features Ludwig van Beethoven’s beloved Symphony No. 3, “Eroica,” as well as JeanSibelius’ Lemminkäinen Suite, and Coincident Dances, by composer Jessie Montgomery.
Patrons are welcomed back to Albany Symphony performances for the first time since Spring 2020, with extra precautions in place for everyone’s health and safety, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The concert, along with all Albany Symphony subscription concerts this season, is also being streamed live online to increase access for patrons who cannot attend in person or live too far away to come to the concert hall. Tickets, including live stream access, start at $20 and are available at albanysymphony.com.
We are so thrilled to gather again, and to be able to make beautiful music with and for our patrons and friends here in the Capital Region and beyond .This season is a special one for us. The musicians and I can’t wait to share this program celebrating heroism, community, and the healing power of great music with you.
David Alan Miller
The opening night program will include Beethoven’s “Eroica,” a symphony that launched the “heroic” middle period of the composer’s career and pushed the boundaries of the symphony form. Sibelius’ “Lemminkäinen Suite” brings Finnish folktales of the eponymous hero from the Kalevala to life in vivid musical vignettes. “CoincidentDances” by Jessie Montgomery, who is a frequent Albany Symphony collaborator, and draws from her life experiences in thoughtful and captivating ways.
Coincident Dances is inspired by the sounds found in New York’s various cultures, capturing the frenetic energy and multicultural aural palette one hears even in a short walk through a New York City neighborhood. The work is a fusion of several different sound-worlds: English consort, samba, mbira dance music from Ghana, swing, and techno.
Jessie Montgomery
Ahead of the Albany Symphony’s return this week, Conductor and Music Director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, David Alan Miller, spoke with NYS Music about the upcoming season, the story behind his musical selections, and what he loves about Upstate New York.
Pete Mason: You were music director for the New York Youth Symphony in the mid 1980s. How do you recall the transition from the LA Philharmonic to New York?
David Alan Miller: The transition to the Capital Region was easy; we’d always wanted to come “back east” after our 5 years in L.A. We felt a little trepidation because there were so many fabulous restaurants serving foods from around the world in L.A. But we discovered that there was at least one excellent restaurant serving each cuisine here, and that was all we needed.
PM: The program for the 30th season celebrates heroism, community and the healing power of music. Where did these themes arise from, and what music represents each of those themes?
DAM: We wanted to design a season to celebrate all the things live music can do, the things we’ve missed so much during the pandemic. So, we programmed lots of the most iconic works of the repertoire, from Beethoven’s “Eroica” on the first concert to Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Gershwin, etc. on our subsequent concerts. In addition, we included works by our favorite living composers, and lots of passionate, brilliant solo artists. Everyone is hungering for comfort and spiritual uplift after the difficult 18 months we’ve experienced, and we hope our concerts can give that.
PM: In addition to conducting the ASO, you are also Artistic Advisor for the Little Orchestra Society in NYC, as well as Artistic Director for the world music festival “New Paths in Music” from 2006-2012. How did you first begin working with these groups?
DAM: I was asked to conduct some of the Little Orchestra Society’s concert about 6 years ago, and have been doing so ever since. L.O.S. is an amazing institution which normally runs 900 in-class workshops each year, teaching elementary students how to compose music, as well as presenting marvelous family concerts throughout the season.
PM: The American Music Festival celebrates up and coming conductors. How do these conductors arrive on your radar, and how do you go about curating this event each year?
DAM: Composers. I have a wide network of composer friends, professors, industry professionals, etc, who are always keeping me updated on the most interesting composers coming out of graduate programs and working around the country. Each festival is curated around a theme. This year it’s “Trailblaze,” a festival celebrating our new 750-mile-long Empire State Trail connecting communities across New York State. I’ve commissioned a whole bunch of composers to create new works inspired by aspects of the trail, our history, communities, the natural world. It’s going to be amazing!
PM: You’ve live in Slingerlands, and presumably have lived in Upstate NY for many years. What are some of your favorite non-music getaways within New York State?
DAM: I love all aspects of Upstate NY. I’m an avid amateur cyclist, so I’ve been riding the Empire State Trail recently, discovering areas I’d neve known existed, beautiful places like the trail connecting Troy through Kinderhook to Hudson. I’ve done a little riding down around New Paltz and Hopewell Junction, and am eager to explore that part of the Trail more fully. My ambition is eventually to ride virtually the whole Trail, from Buffalo to NYC at least.
PM: Do you have any favorite music venues, state-wide or world-wide, that you have enjoyed conducting or seeing performances at?
DAM: Well, I always get goosebumps when we play at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, which is defintiely one of the greatest acoustical spaces for live music in the world. I’m also partial to the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall, the two venues where I essentially “grew up” musically. I conducted three concerts annually at Carnegie when I led the New York Youth Symphony, and conducted many, many concerts at the Hollywood Bowl when I was the Associate Conductor there. I also love all our spaces here in the Capital Region: EMPAC, the Palace, and all the others. We are so lucky to have so many great venues for live music!
The Albany Symphony has adopted health and safety protocols for the wellbeing of all patrons, musicians, and staff in accordance with local guidelines and in coordination with partner venues. From now until the end of November 2021, patrons are required to present proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and matching ID upon arrival, or, alternatively, proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken within 48 hours of the event. Patrons are required to wear masks while indoors, regardless of vaccination status. These measures are implemented for the safety of patrons and may be extended or amended at any time if guidance or regulations change.
For the first time in 16 years, guitarist Leo Kottke and bassist Mike Gordon will tour together, in an eagerly awaited series of dates in December.
Acoustic guitar legend Leo Kottke and Phish bassist Mike Gordon first linked up in 2002 for Clone, and followed by 2005’s Sixty Six Steps. The upcoming tour will celebrate last year’s release of the first new Kottke/Gordon album in 15 years, Noon, hailed by Rolling Stone as “full of lilting grooves that go on wild musical tangents.”
Read past interviews with Mike Gordon from 2013 and 2016.
The pair also today premiered a 4-song mini set, including performances of the Kottke song “Sheets” and “How Many People Are You,” which has found a spot in the rotation both with Phish and Mike Gordon Band. Both tracks are found on Noon, with Phish drummer Jon Fishman appearing on “How Many People Are You.” The set is rounded out with the Kottke classic “Rings,” and “Disco” from the duo’s 2002 release, Clone.
Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon December 2021 Tour Dates
December 8 – Munhall, PA – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall December 9 – Washington, DC – Sixth & I December 10 – Tarrytown, NY – Tarrytown Music Hall December 12 – Beverly, MA – The Cabot December 13 – Lebanon, NH – Lebanon Opera House * December 15 – Troy, NY – Troy Savings Bank Music Hall December 16 – Norwalk, CT – Wall Street Theater December 17 – York, PA – Appell Center for the Performing Arts December 19 – Plattsburgh, NY – Strand Center for the Arts
All Dates go on sale Friday, October 8 at 10 am ET, except for Lebanon Opera House, which goes on sale at 12pm on Friday. More info can be found here.
On October 5, 1990, Phish performed at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, an overlooked show that was part of the group’s formative years as they hit college markets across the Northeast. The Skidmore Gymnasium, today a part of the Williamson Sports Center, served as the venue for this all-ages show, which was part of Skidmore’s Oktoberfest Weekend.
The numbered tickets for the show read “Oktoberfest Weekend 1990 Continues!! The Class of 1991 Presents: Phish In Concert with Conjunction Junction,” and cost $10. For $15, you could also see NRBQ perform the next day, along with Projectile of Love, all part of the same week-long event. The fall Friday afternoon brought college students and their friends to Upstate New York for the show.
Phish was slowly making their way out of Vermont and into New York State, stopping in Saratoga Springs for the first time in March of 1990 to play at Aikos, then located on Caroline Street. For those in the know, and perhaps those who caught Phish at Pauly’s Hotel in May 1989, it was becoming obvious that Phish was a band whose reputation was building fast. By the fall, they had begun to play college gyms around the Northeast. And for the crowd of 300 or so fans, they had plenty of room to move around, but still had to deal with the gym getting warm due to to heaters in gym being on – you can hear calls for air conditioning that can be heard after “Stash.”
The door on the right was the main entrance to the show – photo by Mike Hoganphoto by Mike Hogan
While the show doesn’t spark much discussion or replay, there are a few notable aspects to the show. The opener “I Didn’t Know” jumps out as a random opener, but the song would open sets as early as 1988, sometims with Fishman on trombone instead of vacuum. If you were ever looking for the lyrics to “I Am Hydrogen”, the line “I walk awakening on the misty fields of forever” is included in the intro, while both “Ya Mar” and “Alumni Blues” each have extended guitar intros. One lucky fan who was calling the Phish hotline all summer, asking them to play “The Curtain” at Skidmore was rewarded for their persistence.
courtesy of Skidmore College archives courtesy of Skidmore College archives courtesy of Skidmore College archives courtesy of Skidmore College archives
Mike Hogan attended the show, and shares his recollections of the night:
It was a beautiful fall afternoon and some of my friends traveled from various parts of New England to come see the show with me in Saratoga at Skidmore college. The show opened with an oddly placed “I Didn’t Know,” followed by a lively “Mike’s Song/Weekapaug” with the additional lyrics as I always thought they were, ”I walk awakening in the misty fields of Rather,” although the show notes say otherwise. Other highlights included “Fee” and “The Asse Festival” and “Possum.”
Looking back on the setlist, a very solid show that I’ve always enjoyed listening to. A few years back, Kevin Shapiro (Phish archivist) had asked me about this show. He had Trey’s date book and all that was written in it was Saratoga. It had no sense of the venue or setlist. I was able to provide him a bootleg copy.
One final thought on the ticket stub above. They took everyone’s ticket upon entry. After the show they had simply dropped them on the floor next to the door and I reached down and grabbed one. I wish I had grabbed a handful.
Matt Hogan
Just three years later, Phish would be playing their first show at Red Rocks in Colorado.
Phish – Skidmore Gymnasium, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY – Friday, October 5, 1990
Set 1: I Didn’t Know, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen[1] > Weekapaug Groove, My Sweet One, The Landlady, Tela > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg, Stash, The Asse Festival, Bouncing Around the Room > Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Golgi Apparatus > The Curtain > Ya Mar, Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues, Uncle Pen, Split Open and Melt, Fee > Possum[2]
Encore: Good Times Bad Times
[1] “I walk awakening on the misty fields of forever” lyrics. [2] Charlie Chan and Popeye signals.
The beginning of Hydrogen included the lyrics “I walk awakening on the misty fields of forever.” Possum contained Charlie Chan and Popeye signals.
An interview with Trey (Tray) and Mike from Phish in the Skidmore News, 10/10/90. Courtesy of Mike Greenhaus.
The Capital District welcomed Los Lobos once again, as the Southern California Chicano rock group performed at The Egg on Sunday, September 26, 2021.
The group, who recently released Native Sons, an album featuring a selection of covers that serve, as Pitchfork puts it, an autobiography told through other people’s words. The album is a tribute to their hometown of Los Angeles, with songs chosen to represent the soul of the city, and the different sounds and cultures that lie within its wide borders.
A tight show of only 80 minutes was all the band needed this evening. A cover of the Beach Boys’ “Sail On Sailor” highlighted the covers from Native Sons, with drummer Louie Pérez noting they hadn’t practiced that one in a while.
The jump/swing with sax of “I Got Loaded” had the audience engaged, singing “Tonight I might get loaded, on a bottle of wine.” To close the night, the band returned to the stage for “Mas Y Mas” and a jam on their classic, “La Bamba.”
Catch Los Lobos this December as they return to New York City for three nights at City Winery. More info and tickets can be found here.
Los Lobos at The Egg, September 26, 2021 – photos by Chris De Cotis
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Parker Millsap has started a new tour in support of his latest critically acclaimed album, Be Here Instead. Millsap will arrive in New York for a show at Bowery Ballroom on Saturday, October 9, and Lark Hall in Albany on Sunday, October 10.
Millsap’s fifth studio LP and first new album in close to three years, Be Here Instead marks a stylistic shift from the gritty and high-energy folk of the Oklahoma-bred, Nashville-based artist’s previous output. Mainly recorded live with Millsap’s full band, the album sees a departure from the guitar-and-notebook-based approach to songwriting that shaped his earlier work. Instead, Parker Millsap has followed his curiosity to countless other modes of expression, experimenting with everything from piano to effects pedals to old school drum machines (a fascination partly inspired by the early-’70s innovations of Sly Stone and J.J. Cale).
Be Here Insteadwas produced by the legendary John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Sonic Youth, Waxahatchee), and was heralded in January with the luminous “The Real Thing.” The song – which features guest vocals from Nashville singer Erin Rae – was also joined by a video, streaming now at YouTube. “The Real Thing” was met with a lot of excitement at radio, peaking at #1 on the Americana chart and sitting in the top 5 for 13 weeks, and making NPR’s Heavy Rotation list twice. In February, Millsap returned with the song “Vulnerable,” a lushly textured piece of psychedelic soul threaded with elegantly simple wisdom that Rolling Stone called “a shimmering dreamlike production that plays like an underwater orchestra.” The song was joined by a companion video directed by Casey Pierce.
He then released “Dammit,” one of the album’s most majestic moments as it unfolds as an unlikely epic that perfectly captures the nuances of existential frustration while working up a furious momentum that’s nothing less than exhilarating. It was also joined by an official music video.
Parker Millsap 2021 Fall Tour
9/16 – Indianapolis, IN at Hi-Fi w/ H.C. McEntire & Logan Halstead 9/17 – Chicago, IL at Schuba’s w/ H.C. McEntire 9/18 – Chicago, IL at Schuba’s w/ H.C. McEntire 9/19 – Milwaukee, WI at Backroom at Colectivo w/ H.C. McEntire 9/21 – St. Paul, MN at Turf Club w/ H.C. McEntire 9/22 – Iowa City, IA at Gabe’s w/ H.C. McEntire 9/23 – St Louis, MO at Off Broadway w/ H.C. McEntire 9/24 – Louisville, KY at Headliner’s w/ H.C. McEntire 9/29 – Cincinnati, OH at Memorial Hall w/ Molly Parden 9/30 – Columbus, OH at Rumba Cafe w/ Molly Parden 10/01 – Pittsburgh, PA at Thunderbird Cafe Music Hall w/ Molly Parden 10/02 – Cleveland, OH at Beachland Ballroom w/ Molly Parden 10/03 – Ferndale, MI at Magic Bag w/ Molly Parden 10/04 – Toronto, ON at Great Hall w/ Molly Parden 10/06 – Burlington, VT at Higher Ground w/ Molly Parden 10/07- Cambridge, MA at The Sinclair w/ Molly Parden 10/08 – Holyoke, MA at Gateway Arts Center w/ Molly Parden 10/09 – New York, NY at Bowery Ballroom w/ Molly Parden 10/10 – Albany, NY at Lark Hall w/ Molly Parden 10/12 – Philadelphia, PA at WXPN members-only show w/ Molly Parden 10/13 – Washington, DC at Union Stage w/ Molly Parden 10/14 – Carrboro, NC at Cat’s Cradle w/ Molly Parden 10/15 – Asheville, NC at The Masonic Temple w/ Molly Parden 10/16 – Nashville, TN at Basement East w/ Molly Parden 11/11 – Springfield, MO at Springfield Brewing Company’s The Cellar w/ molly. 11/12 – Wichita, KS at WAVE support TBA 11/13 – McAlester, OK at Dancing Rabbit Festival support TBA 11/15 – Tomball, TX at Main Street Crossing (outdoors) an Evening With (full band) 11/16 – San Antonio at Sam’s Burger Joint an Evening With (full band) 11/17 – Austin, TX at 3TEN Center w/ Remy Reilly 11/19 – Dallas, TX at Granada Theater w/ Remy Reilly 11/20 – Oklahoma City, OK at Douglass Auditorium w/ Remy Reilly
The upcoming Zac Brown Band shows on Saturday at St Joseph’s Health Amphitheater in Syracuse, and Sunday at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) have been cancelled. Frontman Zac Brown announced Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Brown said in a tweet, “I have made the difficult decision to pause Zac Brown Band’s ‘The Comeback Tour.’ Despite taking precautions, I’ve tested positive for COVID-19,” “I am deeply disappointed this has happened, as touring is our life and performing live for our fans is the best part of our job.”
“The bottom line is that I want to take every precaution to put the health and safety of our fans and crew first. We will resume the tour as soon as I have finished the CDC-mandated quarantine and it is safe for our band members and crew to do so,” Brown posted.
Four Zac Brown Band shows in total have been cancelled, including Clarkston, Michigan on September 30, Burgettstown, Pennsylvania on October 1, Syracuse on October 2 and Saratoga Springs on October 3. Refunds will be available for those canceled shows at the point of purchase.
The tour takes its name from Zac Brown Band’s upcoming album, The Comeback, slated for release on October 15, featuring the group’s current radio single, “Same Boat.”
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 Duke Western, Lucas Garrett, Blackcat Elliot 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.
The Duke Western
David Scott Rockower, also known as The Duke Western, wrote upwards of 50 songs for his album Artifiction Addiction. His single “Fences” coins multiple new verbs: “chameleonating” and “hypocripolating,” to name a few. Lyrically, the song speaks of realizing you’ve been going through the motions and promising to show up more authentically. For The Duke Western, this means choosing music as a career rather than merely a hobby. He’s taught private guitar lessons, composed scores for TV shows and worked as an audio engineer at Upstate Concert Hall. Fans of traditional pop will find the rhythm of “Fences” familiar—it’s lifted from the Andrews Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”
Lucas Garrett
Known for his distinctive baritone vocals, Queensbury musician Lucas Garrett has tackled numerous genres and influences. With progressive rock, folk, classic rock, and indie under his belt, the latest addition to his arsenal is new wave. On his newest single “So Many Times,” he combines his signature guitar with a nostalgic 80s feel. Over the past few months, Garrett has performed at numerous venues in the Capital District, such as Strand Theatre, the Shirt Factory and Putnam Place.
Blackcat Elliot
Albany trio Blackcat Elliot’s influences are split three ways: CBGB punk, 70s power pop and 90s grunge. Bassist Fast Eddie, drummer Marky Balboa and guitarist and vocalist Gus have been performing their brand of “go-for-the-throat” garage rock for over 20 years. They released their third studio album, There Is No Good In Us in 2019:
Eddies Music Hall of Fame announced their class of 2021 inductees and their Induction ceremony which will take Place on October 27, 2021. The ceremony will take place at the Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs and will feature live performances.
The Eddies Music Hall of Fame was founded back in 2019. Recipients receive a plaque and a short video about their career playing at the Eddies Music Hall of Fame Wall at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs. The Hall of Fame is conducted in conjunction with the Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards, both of which are parts of the Proctors Collaborative. Universal Preservation Hall is also a part of the Proctors Collaborative.
This year’s inductees includes big band vocalists and brothers Bob Eberly and Ray Eberle; country musician Marty Wendell; the rock band the Figgs, radio disc jockey Jim Barrett, jazz band leader Skip Parsons, Cuban and African percussionist and educator Eddie Ade Knowles; Old Songs founders Kay (Andy) and Bill Spence.
To be considered eligible to be inducted into the Eddies Music Hall of Fame nominees must have been born in the Capital Region and / or have lived here and / or worked professionally in the Capital Region during their lifetime. As a general rule, nominees must have been active in the music industry for a minimum of 20 years. Exceptions are made in the case of a candidate’s premature death or due to outstanding service or special circumstances.
Both physical performers who are nominated for the Instrumental and / or vocal work and non-performers who are Songwriters, producers, conductors, engineers, disc jockeys, record company executives, journalists, promoters, and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on music, business, organization and institutional leaders, philanthropists, venue operators are eligible to be nominated for the Hall of Fame.
Jim Murphy who is the co-founder and co-producer of the Eddies Music Hall of Fame spoke on this year’s inductees saying, “This is our biggest class so far and it brings the total number of inductees to 15. Judges have nominated nearly 100 individuals and groups since we started the process so there is no end in sight to celebrating our local music scene as more bands and individuals enter eligibility.”
The Eddies Music Hall of Fame Induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on October 27, 2021 at 7 PM. The ceremony will feature performances from artists playing the inductees’ music: Dylan Perillo; Sean Wendell; BROWN LIQUOR SOCIAL CLUB featuring Chris Dollard and J Yager; and Peter Pashoukos and Greg Greene (of the band Perennial). Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the show.
For more information on Eddies Music Hall of Fame and their 2021 inductees visit their website.
This here was an eclectic, punky mix of music on a beautifully moonlit Sunday night at SPAC, with Flogging Molly, Violent Femmes, Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, and Thick. The venue had hosted hordes in their thousands for Dave Matthews earlier in the weekend, but this gig wasn’t that kind of shoulder-to-shoulder crowded – the theater was a good two-thirds or so full, with a smattering of people out on the lawn. Not empty by any stretch, but not packed either. Which was just fine for this writer, who is just easing back into live music in the plague-times.
Brooklyn punkers Thick opened the gig before the place had filled up much, with a few hundred people inside the theater and an enthusiastic group down the front. I’m new to this band, but they blasted out an energetic half-hour of raw, catchy punk, and I was left wanting to check out more. Cool band.
The place started to fill up for Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, who took the stage to an Eddie Money intro tape, and swaggered through a 45-minute set which damn near stole the show, kicking off with “Don’t You Worry About a Thing” and straight into Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” and roared through some Elton John (“Rocket Man”), Neil Diamond (“Sweet Caroline”), John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” and Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” preceded by an audience Q&A about weird public sex spots along with a whole bunch of other pop hits, retooled as blazing punk rock. You had to be there.
Swingin Utters’ Spike still leads the show and hits all the notes, but the band for this tour was bulletproof and ironclad: John “The Swami” Reis of Rocket from the Crypt and Jonny “2 Bags” Wickersham of Social Distortion on guitar, Andrew “Pinch” Pinching, sometime drummer for The Damned on the skins, and the guy with the bass, white hair and beard on the right was none other than CJ Ramone himself. CJ Ramone! They were great. All-star, hilarious, fast, heavy and and unstoppable.
Violent Femmes seemed the odd men out on a bill otherwise populated with fast punk rock, but a solid chunk of the crowd was here to see the alt-rock legends, who had a spare stage set, instrumental variety galore and got a great reaction. And if the Femmes touring with Flogging Molly seemed odd, it shouldn’t: the VF toured with The Pogues in the 80s, which should give them all the Celtic punk cred they need, as if they needed any. I’ve never owned a VF record, but openers “Add it Up” and “American Music” are familiar, ubiquitous alternative rock standards. They kept the crowd with them for the 15-song set, with one player from the Horns of Dilemma in the back mixing up the songs with some brass, a fiddle-player for a few songs, and drummer John Sparrow playing not only stand-up snare, but a wooden box and a charcoal grill. Bassist Brain Ritchie switched to xylophone for “Gone Daddy Gone” before “the hit” – “Blister in the Sun” and “Kiss Off” wrapped it up. A great set.
You’d think that the variety between the two headliners would see some of the VF crowd head for the doors on a work night, but not so – the audience hung in for Flogging Molly. The Femmes were by far the most veteran band here, but FM singer Dave King has probably been playing the Albany-Saratoga region longer, having first appeared in this region in the early 80s as a skinny Irish teenager with long red hair, fronting the British metal band Fastway when they opened for Iron Maiden in 1983, and Rush in 1984 at Glens Falls Civic Center just up the road from SPAC. Not that Flogging Molly are newcomers any more – their indie debut live record Alive Behind the Green Door was released way back in 1997, and the recently reissued, roaring debut studio record Swagger has passed the 20-year mark. Dave King’s red hair has given way to spiky white locks and spectacles. Flogging Molly are now veteran rockers. But the Celtic punk sound is still hefty, fast, rowdy Irish drinking music – even if SPAC’s inflated $17-per-can beer prices made it hard to afford to get in the spirit, and a lack of any Guinness on sale didn’t help either.
The Mollys hit the stage hard, with a hammering “Devil’s Dance Floor” from the Swagger debut getting the pit crowd up front bouncing, which continued for the whole hour-ish long gig. A pummeling of “The Hand of John L. Sullivan,” from their most recent record Life is Good was next, but most of the songs played weren’t the recent ones – nine of the 14 songs played were from the first two studio records, including a blazing “Drunken Lullabies,” “The Worst Day Since Yesterday,” which let off the gas a bit, King’s autobiographical “Black Friday Rule,” and an his ode to his dad – “The Likes of You Again.” The lineup has shifted – only four remain from the seven-member lineup that recorded those first two records: King, his wife/fiddler/whistle player Bridget Regan, bassist Nathan Maxwell, and Rochester, NY native Dennis Casey on guitar, who were joined by more recent members Spencer Swain on mandolin/banjo, and drummer Mike Alonso. Where accordion player Matt Hensley was is unknown, but he wasn’t in Saratoga. And there was some new music, the band playing one new jangly and Celtic song, “Croppy Boy,” which joined the hit single “Float” and the wistful “If I Ever Leave This World Alive” as the mellower points of the evening.
Other than that, it was all carousing, headbanging Irish music: instrumental neck-snapper “Swagger,” the pounding “Crushed (Hostile Nations)” and, of course, “Salty Dog,” that speed-demon Celt-punk classic which has not lost a thing in the 21 years since it opened the studio debut. The band finished up with two more full-on blasts of rollicking paddy-punk: “What’s Left of the Flag” and “The Seven Deadly Sins,” even if there were only six Flogging Mollys up there to commit them. A fine Celtic end to a four-pack of cool, varied, alt-punk musical acts.
Setlists:
ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES: Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing (Stevie Wonder cover), Jolene (Dolly Parton cover), Danny’s Song (Loggins & Messina cover), Straight Up (Paula Abdul cover), Sloop John B (The Beach Boys cover), Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard (Paul Simon cover), Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond cover), Rocket Man (Elton John cover), Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen cover), Leaving on a Jet Plane (John Denver cover), Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp) (Barry Mann cover), Summertime (George Gershwin cover), End of the Road (Boyz II Men cover)
VIOLENT FEMMES: Add It Up, American Music, I’m Nothing, Breakin’ Up, Prove My Love, Promise, Country Death Song, Jesus Walking on the Water, Good Feeling, Gimme the Car, I Held Her in My Arms, Color Me Once, Gone Daddy Gone, Blister in the Sun, Kiss Off
FLOGGING MOLLY: Devil’s Dance Floor, The Hand of John L. Sullivan, Drunken Lullabies, The Worst Day Since Yesterday, Black Friday Rule, Croppy Boy, The Likes of You Again, Swagger, Float, Crushed (Hostile Nations), Salty Dog, If I Ever Leave This World Alive, What’s Left of the Flag, The Seven Deadly Sins.
