Category: Syracuse

Live Music in 2022: Reelin with the Feeling, Don’t Stop Continue

As the spark from one tiny blaze affects various live music re-schedules and new formats to end this year, it becomes important to reflect on how far we’ve come in the past 12 months. As I picked up my matches and was closing the door I had one of those flashes I’d been there before, been there before. 2020 marked the first year of major live music cancellations since Phish’s Curveball Festival in 2018.

However, the show of life must go on. Music finds its way throughout history. We live in the same world where the Vatican once outlawed the saxophone because of its effects. Perhaps the most soulful instrument made its way into the best musicians’ hands across the world over time. In similar fashion, many artists around the state immediately went to the streaming options of performance to not skip a beat. Landscapes and climate also play a big part in what’s capable of music. The summer of 2020 in Upstate New York really showed that distanced live shows were easily doable in these spaces now turned venues.

The Sunshine State started things officially live in 2021. Artists like Dumpstaphunk and Oteil Burbridge resurrected Suwanee’s festival grounds in Northern Florida for a Mardi Gras celebration in February. The North Beach Bandshell in Miami hosted these artists in the spring as well. Both with an option to stream the show or attend it live as we took small steps in reopening this year. The new split screen viewing choice if you will, is something that has almost become the new norm. Do we drive to the show or should we just stay home and stream it?

Oteil Burbridge, Miami Beach, April 2021

The most important thing to come out of this year in live music has been the unexpected artist collaborations. Many of which occurred due to ever changing last minute safety protocol changes backstage. All of the road crew, managers, promoters, and all the people behind the scenes deserve praise handling these alterations so that the show will go on so you could buy a ticket again. A buyer beware mentality has taken on the ticket sales in 2021 with various pending circumstances till the day of the event it seems.

Artists however have been on their musical game at the highest level possible as of lately. Alan Evans told NYS Music in February:

For me it’s like a cleanse, to really look at my life, I can’t just do any old gig , I just take everything away and have time to step back and feel what’s really important. What do I want my life to be about? That’s been a positive for me and I hope it’s like that for a lot of people.
Alan Evans

New Orleans artist Tony Hall had not collaborated with Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds since their Some Devil Winter 2003 tour. While his band Dumpstaphunk was opening for Dave Matthews Band Labor Day weekend at the Gorge some last minute changes came up. A safety protocol factor had forced bassist Stefan Lessard and drummer Carter Beauford to sit out their first gig in over thirty years. DMB’s Keyboardist Buddy Hall moved to drums and Tony Hall, who was familiar with the catalog, picked up bass on the spot for all three nights so that the show went on. No cancellations, just an alternate format. Silver linings at their finest to bring artists like Dave, Tim, and Tony to play together again for the first time in 14 years. Dumpstaphunk even split the bill for DMB’s two sold out tour closing shows at Madison Square Garden.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band also assisted as part of the alternate format at the Gorge Amphitheater Labor Day weekend shows. His entire band took center stage alongside Dave Matthews and Friends. Robert kicked off New York State’s first free musical festival at the state fairgrounds in June. Randolph was part of the blues festival’s new home at the State Fairgrounds this year. Dumpstaphunk was the last to play its old home in downtown Syracuse’s Clinton Square in 2019. Tony Hall and drummer Devin Trescalir hit up Syracuse’s Funk n Waffles after the 2019 festival. Robert and his band took to Syracuse’s newest music club Jus sum Jazz lounge after the gig in 2021. Them changes. Roll with the funk and turn it around now.

Dumpstaphunk, Syracuse 2019

We should also honor the collaborations that the never ending uncertainties of life’s protocol throw at us as well. The Trey Anastasio Band lost founding bassist Tony Markellis this past Spring. Tony still had his final bow of performing on stage in 2020 with his band mates at the infamous Beacon Jams residency. The first of its kind that still showed how good music will find a way to the masses.

Tony Markellis told NYS Music last November regarding an empty Beacon Theater about his fond memories of playing TAB Fall Tour’s of the past to full theaters in Utica. So full that the balcony was “rocking to the beat of humanity.” His groove carries in “Long Lines” to all future cast members of TAB. The Trey Anastasio Band also took on a new saxophone player for their Fall 2021 tour due to saxophonist James Casey’s personal health challenge.

The freshly formed ensemble itself had another onstage audible due to safety protocol. The band had yet another alternate format the last two nights for the tour’s closing shows at Radio City Music Hall. For the first time outside of Phish, and Trey’s 2019 composition with Tony Markellis on Ghosts of the Forest, Syracuse native drummer Jon Fishman joined him at 30 Rock to finish the tour. Jon and Trey’s first time at Radio City since 2000.

The two night run in Rockefeller felt almost entirely composed by the improvisational material one seeks at any show. How fitting was it that James Casey special guested for the encore on the deep cut “A Life Beyond the Dream” off Ghosts of the Forest only album? It was also Trey’s last performance on his Manhattan island for 2021 after his lonely trip the year prior. Phish has moved their four night New Year’s eve shows at Madison Square Garden till 4/20/2022.

Instead Phish will play a live stream from the 9th cube with its Bat Cave like location to be unveiled on New Year’s Eve. TAB members Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski with guest Rob Compa of Dopapod are playing Phish headquarters Nectars in Burlington, Vermont on New Years Eve to live crowd. Trey treated a newly renovated SPAC to a socially distanced three night run of acoustic shows in June and even reunited with Oysterhead for the first time in 20 years on July 4. Mike Gordon’s December 2021 shows in New York were acoustic with Leo Kottke for their first tour in more than 16 years.

Everything feels right since Phish’s last 4/20 show was with the Dave Matthews Band in Virginia in 1994. DMB and Phish crushed “You Enjoy Myself” into “Somewhere over the Rainbow” during the holiday show. The first time Dave Matthews heard Leroi Moore’s saxophone he played Somewhere Over the Rainbow against the Charlottesville bars cash register that Dave was tending at. A week prior to that show coincidentally was Phish’s last New York City April performance on 4/13/1994. What New York venue? The Beacon Theater of course. Ghosts of the Forest closed their tour in the Bronx on 4/13/2019. This could feel like the turn of the dial from Sirius XM’s DMB channel 29 to Phish’s channel 30 on any given day this year. Devon Allman played his father Gregg’s birthday at the Beacon this past December that honored his spirit as well.

Leroi Moore

As we start 2022, we still need to keep rocking to the beat of humanity. Don’t forget about the shows that the cosmos hold above for all of us around the world. They’ve never stopped in all of their live performance history. Jimi Hendrix mentioned it under New York skies during his Woodstock 69 performance. “The Sky Church is still here as you can see.”

Last December Jupiter and Saturn formed “Christmas Star” the first visible “double planet” in 800 years. This December the longest lasting partial lunar eclipse in 580 years formed the Beaver Moon. Not to be confused with the comet in Leonardo Dicaprio’s new film Don’t Look Up. There is Comet Leonard that has been viewed above at the end of this year moving 150,000 mph through space. We need to keep the same momentum with the world’s love for art and music in the new year. Legendary Little Feat’s track “Skin it Back” said it best…

So it seems that the world keeps on turnin’ but so what I don’t doubt it, It just keeps on the move.
Little Feat

December 31, 2021
The Wooks are “Flyin’ High” and Coming to Syracuse and Brooklyn in April

Award-winning bluegrass band The Wooks embark on a tour in Spring 2022, bringing their traditional and unconventional form of bluegrass with them to New York. They’ll make stops at Funk n Waffles in downtown Syracuse, and the Jalopy Theater in Brooklyn this coming April.

The Wooks have established a distinctive sound through original songwriting, exceptional musicianship, and outside influences ranging from jam bands to Southern rock. Their third album, Flyin’ High, due out in February 2022, offers a refreshed lineup of the group, even though its members have been crossing paths with each other at music festivals for years.

Band member CJ Cain (guitar, vocals) started the duo in 2014 in Kentucky, with a lineup that now includes Harry Clark (mandolin, vocals), George Guthrie (banjo, vocals) and Allen Cooke (dobro), with the latter three musicians based in Nashville. Various bass players stay in rotation on the road, filling out the ensemble’s driving sound.

Love songs that stand-the-test-of-time tend to come from unlikely origin stories, and until The Wooks’ founder CJ Cain wrote the song “Flyin’ High,” not one of them has been inspired by the crash landing of a buddy’s World War I bi-plane. The resulting tune is a story of two different couples, real folks from the small town of West Liberty, Kentucky, where Cain’s father grew up, that falls somewhere perfectly between the sound of The Band, Van Morrison, and The Wooks’ ever-evolving signature style.

He had bought this plane at a good price and would soon find out why. He lost oil pressure and had to take her down in front of his family who had gathered in the yard to watch him buzz the farm. Luckily he made it out.
CJ Cain

Rather than repeating the formal studio experiences for past albums, The Wook recorded Flyin’ High over two sessions in Nashville in the home studio of bluegrass guitarist Jake Stargel. As a producer, he brought an easygoing vibe as well as acoustic expertise to the project, which is the band’s first full-length album since the fall of 2018. After Tony Rice’s death in December 2020, Cain wanted to honor his legacy in some way, so he cold-called Bill Wolf to see if he would master the album. Wolf wrote back, asking to hear it – and then elevated Flyin’ High to the next level.

While their origin stories are diverse, all four members of The Wooks have forged a common bond that honors individuality and innovation. But with minimal shows to road-test the material on Flyin’ High, Cooke speaks for the band when he says he’s eager for fans to discover these new songs—on the album as well as the stage. “This band is definitely not a band that is set on keeping things to the way they sounded on the record,” he says. “We’re all about keeping these songs fresh and new-sounding as shows go on.

The Wooks are ambassadors for Can’d Aid, a nationally recognized nonprofit that rallies volunteers from all walks of life to build thriving communities; through their work with Can’d Aid, they’ve performed and donated instruments to schools and underserved youth.

The Wooks 2022 Tour Dates

2/24 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
2/25 – Huntington, WV – The Loud
2/26 – Lexington, KY – The Burl
3/1 – Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic
3/2 – Birmingham, AL – The Nick
3/4 – Asheville, NC – Isis Music Hall
3/5 – Nashville, TN – Station Inn
3/9 – Awendaw, SC – Awendaw Green
3/10 – Raleigh, NC – Pour House
3/12 – Roanoke, VA – Martin’s St Patty’s Street Fair
3/13 – Richmond, VA – The Camel
3/16 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
3/17 – Washington DC – Pearl Street Warehouse
3/18 – Farmville, VA – North Street Press Club
3/19 – Round Hill, VA – B Chord Brewing
3/30 – Ferndale, MI – Otus Supply
4/1 – Newport, KY – Southgate Revival House
4/2 – Morgantown, WV – 123 Pleasant
4/5 – Syracuse, NY – Funk n Waffles
4/7 – New Haven, CT – Cafe Nine
4/8 – Boston, MA – The Burren
4/9 – New York, NY – Jalopy Theater
4/10 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Saint
4/13 – Philadelphia, PA – City Winery
4/14 – Lancaster, PA – Zoetropolis
4/15 – Grove City, PA – Big Rail Brewing
4/16 – Thomas, WV – The Purple Fiddle

December 21, 2021
Bobby Weir and the Wolf Bros. Announce March Tour, Landmark Theatre Show

Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir will embark on a 13-city Spring tour as Bobby Weir and Wolf Bros. The tour kicks off at the Ryman Theatre in Nashville, and wraps up on March 30th at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse.

Weir will be joined by Don Was, Jay Lane and Jeff Chimenti, with special guests The Wolfpack, along with Barry Sless on pedal steel for this tour. Weir previously played the Landmark Theatre in 2014 and 2018 with the Wolf Bros., as well as performances with Ratdog. The group were scheduled to tour in 2020 but had the concert delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bobby Weir and Wolf Bros. are also gearing up to release their forthcoming album Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live In Colorado, which will be their first-ever vinyl collection of recorded material. The LP will be released on Feb. 18 via Third Man Records.

Pre-sale began on Wednesday, December 15 with general on-sale planned for Friday, December 19.

Bob Weir & Wolf Bros Spring Tour

Mar. 9 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, Tenn.
Mar. 10 – Orpheum Theatre – Memphis, Tenn.
Mar. 14 – Orpheum Theatre – Wichita, Kan.
Mar. 15 – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland – Kansas City, Mo.
Mar. 17 – Riverside Theater – Milwaukee, Wis.
Mar. 18 – Chicago Theatre – Chicago, Ill.
Mar.19 – Brown County Music Center – Nashville, Ind.
Mar. 21– Palace Theatre – Columbus, Ohio
Mar. 24 – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium– Asheville, N.C.
Mar. 25 – Tivoli Theatre – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Mar. 26 – Durham Performing Arts Center – Durham, N.C.
Mar. 29 – Roxian Theatre – Pittsburgh, Pa.
Mar. 30 – Landmark Theatre – Syracuse, N.Y.

December 17, 2021
Lil Cease performs at Alien Opera House, Reflects on the Moment

The Alien Opera House hosted a Sunday farmer’s market with live music throughout the day on Sunday, December 12. The holiday festive green Sunday on the north side featured performances by Lil Cease, Ryan Mackie, Ebb n Flow with Mozay Calloway, Joe Driscoll, and DJ R Hop. Sound beats by Scott Gagnon.

The Sunday matinee headliner was the Frank White Experience with special guest Lil’ Cease of the original Bad Boy Record label. The ensemble consisting of Deyquan Bowens, Thomas Carter, Danielle Mitchell, Jay Lock, Emanuel Washington and Skribe Da God laid down a live studio session vibe to the music of Notorious B.I.G. Skunk City’s Emmanuel Washington held down the neo-soul beats on drums for the holiday event. He even had Byron Cage carry the groove on the kit for the encore.

Lil Cease has been in the studio for countless legendary sessions with Brooklyn artist Notorious B.I.G. He took some time before his set at The Alien Opera House to speak with NYS Music about the surroundings:

Matthew Romano: There’s a lot of artists here today all inspired by having you in the building on this 12 21 Sunday. Do you remember a specific session that just came out of nowhere to form something significant?

Lil Cease: Yea that happened to me while working with producer Harry Fraud and French Montana. It was the first time I started recording records on the spot. I would write my rhymes right there and they’d have the music ready to go. We cut a track in two hours tops. You got to take advantage of the moment, ya know? If I went home and messed with it I’d try to refurbish it and wouldn’t be the same. I did my best records like that. Sometimes you gotta take the energy of something around you and run with it. BIG used to do that with songs all the time, he would listen to people and conversations around him and bring it to the booth. We’d be in the studio smoking and he would just go record on the spot… Plans to leave, throw the keys to Little Cease (uh-huh) Pull the truck up front, and roll up the next blunt. It’s like yo we just did that… (laughter)

Writing about your surroundings is really powerful.
Lil Cease

MR: What kind of funk music is an influence on you?

LC: I mean I listen to a bunch of stuff. Is Earth Wind and Fire considered funk? I mean it’s all just music. I listen to music. Once I started learning to DJ I realized how music works. You want to say every rapper is a jazz artist? I have sampled jazz music before. It’s just beats that play, they run, Like Rain Dance.. that’s Crush on You! I didn’t know we sampled other people’s music, I was fifteen years old just thinking the producer made the beat. After I heard the original I said damn we should have left the horns in it.

Photo by Ryan Mackie

Lil Cease joined the experience on the spot for a live “Crush on You” at the Opera house in 12 21. The Frank White Experience also brought “Machine Gun Funk” and “Dead Wrong” among many other B.I.G record classics to the masses. Deep Cuts like “One More Chance” and “Sky is the Limit” really hit hard in the Sunday crowd. Whatever art you dabble in you can guarantee to have a meeting of the minds at this space on Syracuse’s north side. You never know what what will happen in the Alien opera house world. Stay Tuned.

We Love Ya”ll Syracuse. The Vibe here is great. RIP B.I.G. Life is short, lets try and bring some peace in this world. Love and appreciate Ya’ll
Lil Cease

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gIn9InatFY

Photo Gallery by Ryan Mackie

December 17, 2021
Dave Hanlon Trio at the 443: Cookbook Fish Recipe interview

Dave Hanlon brought his power jazz trio to the 443 Social Club & Lounge on Friday, December 3rd with Ron France on bass and Ed Vivenzio on keys in tow. The trio delivered a Blue Note style-esque performance of their take on classic funk jazz compositions. Twenty seven pieces were on the set list to be exact. All performed with the same on the spot fervor that all good jazz is created in.

The group put their spin on greats by Thelonius Monk, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Steely Dan and a rock block of Joe Sample cuts. The trio did a classic two set & encore performance for the candle lit table crowd at 443. Without a doubt the 443 is Syracuse’s most intimate room for those looking to really listen to the notes coming off the bandstand. Dave Hanlon shared the 2005 and 2015 SAMMY awards with Phish drummer and Syracuse native Jon Fishman.

Fishman was inducted as a lifetime achievement award recipient in 2015 and he naturally introduced Dave Hanlon into the Hall of Fame at The Dinosaur BBQ & Eastwood’s Palace Theater in 2005. A 13 year old Fishman once took lessons from Hanlon. Jon brought the sheet music Hanlon gave him at their first lesson to the induction ceremony. “Can you believe that? I flipped out.” Dave Hanlon still has various projects he dabbles with as we approach the end of this year. He took some time to talk with NYS music at Syracuse’s Blue Note style room, the 443, for a chat.

Matthew Romano: Steve Gadd spoke of the Ridgecrest Inn in Rochester where he could watch legendary drummers perform up close. With the same as my proximity to you on the bandstand at 443 tonight. What were some memories of live music you attended in New York State that you can remember as an influence that started to instill a groove in you?

Dave Hanlon: Mahavishnu Orchestra & Ravi Shankar at Syracuse University quad. Billy Cobham on drums absolutely blew me away in 1972. Wait not the quad… it was SkyTop field on SU Campus.

MR: What about on the gigging side and educationally?

DH: My first kit was from Stagnitta music and I used a trash can for the snare drum. I took a couple lessons at Stagnitta music but it was at Auburn Community College with Dick Howard were I took my first lessons. From there I went to Detroit to finish college and started playing out in bands. Not studying music, just gigging. Back to Syracuse I was part of a big regional band called DOVE. It was a great rock and roll experience. After that ended I went to New York City to study at the percussion center with Norman Grossman. There I met Jim Chapin for a few lessons. Chapin is notable for his independence jazz drumming book. So that combination was a huge influence. I’d take the train to New York for class during the day and then to Buddy Rich’s club at night. I’d sit and watch him play with his six piece band. Next I went to Los Angeles. It was big as I did a clinic with Louie Bellson who originated the double bass drums. At 28, I did a show at the Los Angeles Percussion school as a guest, not a student. I performed with him in front of 250 other drummers. It was the highest pressure situation I’ve ever found myself in but a dream come true.

When I came back to Syracuse I formed my first solo funky five piece jazz band. In 1976 we got a 13 month residency at the “Spirit of 35” on Carrier Circle where Joeys is now. It helped really give us time to hone our skills balls out ya know? All instrumental. We even had Edgar Winter come sit and play a whole set with us after a show he had in Syracuse. The promoters brought him to hear us. It was well before cell phones and the word still got out so it went to the standing room only in 15 minutes. It was definitely the most memorable moment there.

In 1977 I joined the band CRAC and their original album All For You was re released in 2020 by King Underground Record Company out of England on Vinyl. From there I recorded with Duke Jupiter out of Rochester on two of their albums on Mercury Records. Duke Jupiter made its way in to Rochester music hall of fame in 2014. In the 1980’s I formed the first cookbook band which was all instrumental that had a year long residency at the Lost Horizon. Ava Andrews joined me on vocals for the next version of the cook book and she remained an original member with me for 34 years. Funky Jazz Band formed in 2016 as fresh five instrumental. The trio out of it works well for a lot of other style rooms. Diana Jacobs Band out of Auburn I collaborated with in 2018 that has a full horn section, we just released “Love Each Other, Love Our World” the day after Thanksgiving this year. The CD just made its way to Soundgarden with streaming options available soon.

MR: What great studio sessions have you recorded on?

DH: I love being a part of Studio Jams with producer Tom Emmi in Philadelphia. The concept is to get different musicians together completely unprepared, roll the tape and see what they come up with. We might pick a song from another artist and put our own stamp on it. It’s educational and entertaining. I’ve done 15 of them. They do it all over the country. I was able to do Herbie Hancock’s Watermelon Man at Sub Cat Studios in Syracuse that got over 2 million views and counting. Everyone donates their time to simply give back to the music. It’s a really beautiful thing. He arranged a series for fallen artists titled “Lest We Forget” as well so that their musical groove can live on.

MR: What is your angle over time on dealing with the composition & improvisation world that we dabble in daily. Those moments that can’t be recreated concept ya know?

DH: The creative process is key especially for jazz musicians who are supposed to be free to create. The preparations for studio jams are like night and day. You just go for it and you don’t even know it’s coming. You’re in the moment. But Lest we forget that also takes a lot of preparation because you got to know that tune the best you can on behalf of that fallen artist. Always different, you know what I mean?

DH: The trio and five piece funky jazz band are also examples. There’s the head, bridge and the solo section of the tune. For the most part for consistency you want to stay in the groove for the song but when solo times open up your creative freedom kicks in. Staying in the context of the song can help you work on your creativity. One of things drummers have at their command, I’f they have that command… is dynamics. We don’t have that many notes to deal with. Dynamics give us a much greater vocabulary. My approach to music is to become the best as I can be in my sense of dynamics within the context of music and the song. It creates tremendous tension and release. When you go to a concert there’s dynamics that people don’t realize they respond to.

When there’s a solo section and the whole band just brings it down from this really loud piece to almost silence. Whats the response? The audience loves it. The effect musically is very powerful
Dave Hanlon

MR: It is powerful. That Jon Fishman Radio City show I sent you from October has a moment like that during “In Rounds”. You’ve got this five piece playing a song for the first time in their third ever live set in Rockefeller. Everyone’s bouncing off ideas. Ya know? 27 minutes into it the funky groove turns to air on Radio City’s great proscenium arch, before falling back to bring it home.

DH: Yea that was a beautiful concert. That’s the beauty of when musicians are listening really to each other and not themselves. That won’t happen otherwise. I wasn’t aware of that percussionist. He was excellent. That was my first time seeing Jon perform with a percussionist and they played off each other remarkably well.

MR: Steve Gadd played with Cyro Baptista on Paul Simon’s Rhythm of the Saints and was unfamiliar with Phish. I’ve seen Jon perform live with percussionist Gionavvi Hidalgo for a cover of Little Feats Waiting for Columbus album on Halloween in Atlantic City. He has a great live version of Surrender to Air from the Academy in New York City with Oteil Burbridge and Sun Ra Orkestra

DH: It was great to be able to reunite with him at Studio jams of all places after 37 years in August of 2015. We spent the afternoon while he had time in between shows in Philadelphia. We just did five songs off the cuff with three other guys. Its Your Thing (Isley Brothers), Hottentot (MMW with Scofield), Freeway Jam (Jeff Beck), Ode to Billy Joe (Bobby Gentry) and Cantaloupe Woman (Grant Green). Yea we had those lessons but this was our first time playing together. It was just like being with an old friend. It was really cool. Jon’s a down home guy, there’s no air to him. He’s just a cat that wants to play. He also happens to be in one of the most popular bands in the world.

It was great to see Fish at a Charlie Bertini’s Apple Jazz Band gig. I played at Little York Pavilion in Preble, New York. That ensemble played the Southern tier for thirty years.
Dave Hanlon

Dave Hanlon Trio (Ron France-bass & Ed Vivenzio- keys) The 443 Social Club and Lounge, December 3 2021

Set 1: Cold Duck (Eddie Harris & Les McCann), Ruby (Ray Charles), Chain Reaction (Diana Ross), Fe Fi Fo (Wayne Shorter), 7 Steps/ Song Father ( Miles Davis), Carmel (Joe Sample), Randy Uptown, Round Midnite (Thelonius Monk), Sermonized (Joe Sample), Blue Bossa (Joe Henderson), Human Nature (Micheal Jackson), A Child is Born (Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Orchestra), Spain (Chick Corea)

Set 2: Maputo (Bob James & David Sanborn), Ricky Don’t Lose that Number (Steely Dan), Hippies on the corner (Joe Sample), Bottswanna Bossa (David Benoit), Aja (Steely Dan with Steve Gadd), Watermelon Man (Herbie Hancock), Christmastime is here (Vince Guaraldi), Spellbound (Joe Sample), Girl From Ipanema (Stan Getz and Joeao GIlberto), Jellybeans & Chocolate (David Benoit), Pointciena (Ahmad Jamal), If you want me to stay (Sly Stone), Sudden Samba (Neil Larsen)

Encore: Freedom @ Midnite (David Benoit)

Dave Hanlon Drum Kit

December 13, 2021
Vanessa Collier Storytellers Gig at the 443 Social Club

Vanessa Collier was an absolute stand out at the 2021 New York State Blues Festival grand return to the State fairgrounds this past June. She treated Syracuse’s most intimate venue, the 443 Social Club & Lounge to a blue note-esque performance on Thursday December 2nd. Club owner Julie B Leone told NYS music that it was their fastest show to sell out in under 24 hours.

Photo by Steve Moore

Vanessa Collier gave a two set and encore performance to match everyone’s delight at the 443. Vanessa serves up three courses of art as she is a saxophonist, vocalist, and songwriter. She whipped up table side sax solos at the 443 while taking a stroll through the crowd. The 443 social club creates an ambience much like the “storytellers” series that many artists have been a part of. Vanessa told the crowd about her various family influences on certain numbers. She had Syracuse’s Byron Cage on drums and William Gorman on keys. Andrew Cane from San Diego on bass and Shemekia Copeland’s guitarist Arthur Neilson from Brooklyn.

Photo by Steve Moore

Her four album names should help give some insight on the kind of grooves they laid down at 443, Heart Soul & Saxophone, Meeting my Shadow, Honey Up, and Heart on the Line. She kept the spontaneity in the show vibrant by switching to steel guitar for a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “Blender Blues”.

Vanessa credited stories like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Greek Myth of Icarus to the crowd as an inspiration before performing her original “Icarus” off her Honey Up Album…

It’s a song about little Icarus when he is just dreaming of taking that flight and its sort of a song to everybody to chase your dreams and never let anybody tell you that you can’t do something
Vanessa Collier

Vanessa took some time after the gig to post up at one of the 443 social club tables for a talk with NYS Music about music & her history,

Matthew Romano: Is there a memory of a show you’ve played or attended in New York state that sticks out as a meaningful experience? J.V Collier told me he used to go to where Jaco Pastorius slept in Central Park for inspiration.

Vanessa Collier: For sure, that’s a great question. I remember it being special because it was my very first gig opening for Bruce Katz at The Falcon in Marlboro, New York. Things come full circle. It was my first time seeing his guitar player Chris Vitarello and now I’ve played with him a bunch in my band. So we keep it going, it’s connected.

MR: It is connected. Bruce Katz used to play with Gregg Allman at our Blues Festivals like you did this year. I couldn’t help but notice a song you played tonight titled “If Only” The sentiment seemed very familiar with the “when I get this..then that will bring happiness” concept that a lot of people fall to. The sax solo at the end had a Leroi Moore like tone too. Would you mind talking about that tune?

VC: Sure, my whole thought process behind the new record was to try and write story songs. Some of them are based on true things, some are not. This one is close to me. I’ve had a person in my life who’s constantly unhappy and nothing is ever enough ya know what i mean? It was inspired by this person and just a reminder to always live life to the fullest and to live with what you got to find a way to be happy.

MR: I know exactly what you mean. With this on the go lifestyle all you have is the moment. Hard to sacrifice that time to be unhappy.

VC: Amen.

MR: My third and final question here at 443 is about two books that we have in common, Questlove’s Creative Quest and The Devil’s Horn: The Story of the Saxophone from noisy novelty to king of cool. What’s cool that sticks out to you from those two great reads?

VC: That’s killer. I respect Quest’s love and knowledge for the music. It’s not a surface level thing with him. It’s all life. He knows every groove from every single song he’s heard. From a DJ perspective and then a drummer angle is great. I know I was gonna re read it again when i get into a new record.
The thing I love about the devil’s horn is that I didn’t know Adolphe Sax’s story as much. Ya know that he almost died so many times and they murdered his assistant thinking it was him. To me what I loved is that the saxophone has this history of challenge and yet it still brings out something beautiful. I love that the inventor of the sax was that way too . He went through a lot of struggle to create this beautiful instrument.

MR: I love how the saxophone survived the Vatican when they tried to outlaw it because of its effects. What’s the oldest room you’ve ever played in?

VC: We’ve played a lot of converted churches that are now venues. So those are always awesome with just the acoustics in the room alone.

MR: There is two floor opera house near here that is an old theater church now used for music & art in Syracuse’s Little Italy you should play next.

VC: Yes, please.(laughter)

Gallery by 443 Patron Steve Moore:

December 9, 2021
New York State Blues Festival Announces 2022 Dates, Celebrating 30 Years

The New York State Blues Festival will celebrate its 30th Anniversary over June 16-18, 2022 at Chevy Court inside the New York State Fairgrounds. Once again, the three-day event will be packed with local, regional, and national acts on stage, with plenty of room for dancing throughout the grounds. As always, admission is free.

The festival first began in mid-summer 1992 as the Central New York Blues Festival featuring talented local musicians in downtown Syracuse’s Armory Square, as well as live music inside the historic Hotel Syracuse. Looking ahead to 2022, this popular festival will acknowledge its history while looking ahead to future growth at its new location.

The New York State Blues Festival is one of the largest free blues events in the Northeast. This annual three-day musical celebration, showcases a collection of regional and national artists from multiple genres, all with roots steeped in tradition and vision, and arranges them for a continuous river of music.

The mission of the NYS Blues Festival is to preserve, protect and promote blues music and culture. The Syracuse festival entertains while educating on the role of the blues in the development of popular music in the US and around the world.

Visit the New York state Blues Festival’s website at nysbluesfest.com and stay tuned for updates!

December 2, 2021
Jam for Tots Shows Announced for 12 Cities Across New York

Across New York State, 13 venues will play host to Jam for Tots shows, bringing music venues and patrons together in an effort to support those most in need across the Empire State during the 2021 Holiday Season.

Patrons are encouraged to see live music at any of the shows below, and bring with them a new, unwrapped toy for a child. Each venue will have a box for toys to be dropped off in, All toys will be donated to local charities to each venue, keeping the community effort benefitting those in the immediate area.

Thursday 12/2 – The Deadbeats, Nanola, Malta
Thursday 12/2 – Open Mic hosted by Jon Pinder, Stewart House, Athens
Thursday 12/9- Tato and Friends, Funk n Waffles, Syracuse
Saturday 12/11 – Mihali, Bearsville Theater, Woodstock
Saturday 12/11 – Mikaela Davis with Girl Blue, The Hollow, Albany
Friday 12/17 – The Samples with Rich Ortiz, Putnam Place, Saratoga Springs
Saturday 12/18 – Hollis Brown, The Falcon, Marlboro
Saturday 12/18 – Sydney Worthley, El Modernist and Josh Morris, Lark Hall, Albany
Saturday 12/18 – El Nac: A Christmas Special, The Waterhole, Saranac Lake
Sunday 12/19 – The Nutcracker, The State Theatre, Ithaca
Sunday 12/19 – 11th Anniversary Party, The Strand Theater, Hudson Falls
Saturday 12/25 – Televisionaries & Awful Kanawful, The Bug Jar, Rochester
Friday 12/31 – Pasadena w/Joint Operation, Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo

We thank the venues, artists and fans who support Jam for Tots each year, and make the holidays a little brighter for those most in need.

November 30, 2021
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram Takes The Delta Back Roads to Homer

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram brought his 662: Juke Joint Live (XXIX) tour to the Homer Center for the Arts on Tuesday, November 2. The 62nd annual Grammy awards just nominated the 662 from Alligator Records for Best Traditional Blues Album. Kingfish was in the Southern Tier over the summer with Robert Randolph who spoke with NYS Music at Jus Sum Jazz Lounge in Syracuse. Robert Randolph, who played the New York State Blues fest and Chenango Blues Fest with Kingfish, called the lounge a “Modern Day Juke Joint.”

Kingfish, Niagara Falls

The 22 year old natural blues man from Mississippi reminded everyone in the Empire State what his name is with “She Calls me Kingfish.” He then played his cut that has been dominating the B.B King’s blues satellite radio channel with “Fresh Out.” The studio track features Buddy Guy who has played The Experience Hendrix Tour at the Landmark Theater and the New York State Blues Fest. Kingfish has been interviewed by Sir Elton John during his Rocket Hour podcast. His music even got caught creeping with legendary funkadelic artist Bootsy Collins.

The highlight of the evening’s live performance occurred when Kingfish took his solo during “Too Young to Remember” from the stage into the center’s aisles up through the 2nd floor balcony and back to the bandstand for a 20-minute spectacle. He also quieted the room down with his acoustic play. “I don’t know where I came from or how i got this way, Well I can still hear Grandma saying child you’ve been here…here before.“

The songs off 662 are an homage to where Kingfish grew up. The area code in Northern Mississippi is 662 and Kingfish tells you that there is a church on every corner. Let’s prey that 662 makes its way into the 62nd Grammy awards. The 150 year old Baptist church turned music venue really was a perfect fit for his ensemble to play in rural Homer, New York.

He honored the room’s Jimi Hendrix “Electric Church” energy during the encore with an extended version of “Hey Joe.” Kingfish fell in line with blues disciples Robert Cray, Eric Gales. Ana Popovic , and Samantha Fish who have all rocked the electric church this season.

The Hendrix tune appeared out of thin air during the encore of “Long Distance Woman” from the Grammy-nominated 662 album. Fish sang about life’s distance on the road from the lady that’s always too far apart. “My job keeps me rolling. I never stay in one city too long, being apart and missing your touch, it’s hard to keep a good thing strong.” Kingfish crosses the pond to Europe in 2022.

November 28, 2021
Steely Dan Close “Completely Normal Tour” at Syracuse’s Landmark Theater

Steely Dan Closed their 2021 Absolutely Normal American Tour at the Syracuse Landmark Theater on Tuesday November 23. The fully renovated Landmark has reached its peak performance potential after this year’s final renovations of the seats and the legendary marquee that has been on Salina St since 1928.

Walter Becker and Donald Fagen’s musical concepts they first drafted up together in Brooklyn in 1968 still hits in today’s music world. Donald and Walter received honorary Berklee Degrees, four Grammy Awards and inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001

Steely Dan always brought the highest quality caliber of musicians to work on their catalog in the studio throughout the years. The musicians on the Landmark Theater stage were part of the unbroken chain of greats to contribute their voice on this music. Ana Popovic covered Steely Dan’s Night by Night at Homer Center for the Arts last month.

The band now boasts another all-star lineup: it includes Keith Carlock on drums; “Ready” Freddie Washington on bass; Jim Beard, keyboards; Jon Herington, guitar; Walt Weiskopf and Roger Rosenberg, saxes; Michael Leonhart, trumpet; Jim Pugh, trombone; and vocalists Carolyn Leonhart, Catherine Russell, LaTanya Hall and Cindy Mizelle.

The group just released Northeast Corridor celebrating their first live album since 1995. From the comfortable corridor of Rochester, NY drummer Steve Gadd was able to contribute on the iconic studio recording for the title track off “Aja” in 1977.

Fagen revealed that the song was inspired by a relative of someone he knew, who married a Korean woman by the name of Aja. He explained that the song was about the “tranquillity that can come of a quiet relationship with a beautiful woman.” When asked to play drums on this song Gadd was instructed “to play like hell”. He certainly did set the tone for any Drummer to take it on a live stage over the years. The song is a jazz fusion masterpiece and completely killed on the Landmark stage.

The Syracuse crowd got a funk composition tale about an old San Francisco audio artist and LSD chemist named Owsley Stanley. Becker and Fagen named him and the track “Kid Charlemagne” off their heavily illustrated Royal Scam Album. The life of Owsley was worth noting musically as he created the Grateful Dead’s infamous “Wall of Sound” for a tour of the world and supplied the Beatles with LSD during their Magical Mystery Tour recording. Nicknamed “Bear” you can still see his art spirit as the legendary “Dancing Bear” of The Grateful Dead brand. Peg…it will come back to you. you see it all in 3-D, its your favorite foreign movie

Reeling in all the years of this musics catalog was celebrated during the encore. Before playing the classic Fagen dedicated the song to the Landmarks newest legend. Not the Ghost of Clarissa who is said to be seen in the balcony but of a naked man who was found living inside the theater’s walls last month. “Did you hear about that? this song goes out to that guy” He thanked all of their legendary crew and stagehand that were part of the tour closing show in Syracuse. How appropriate for Donald to sing ahead of the holiday week… When Black Friday comes I’m gonna dig myself a hole, gonna lay down in it , Til I satisfy my soul.

Walter Becker, Donald Fagen

Donald Fagen has taken on a Ray Charles glow behind his shades in front of the piano still playing off this musical concept he founded in Brooklyn with Becker. Music to be played improvisational and in the moment on any given night. Donald told Variety magazine this year about his old band mate Walter Becker and their work…When Walter and I were together, I think there was something more journalistic.

Steely Dan – Landmark Theater, Syracuse New York – November 23, 2021 (Tour Finale)

Setlist: Phantom Riders, Night by Night, Hey Nineteen, Black Friday, Aja, Kid Charlemagne, FM, Time Out of My Mind, The Goodbye Look, Home at last, Dirty Work, Crusaders, Josie, Peg, Bodhisivattah,
Encore: Reelin in the Years, A Man Aint supposed to Cry

November 26, 2021