NYS Music 202​1

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  • Genesis Announce North American Tour Including MSG

    Genesis has announced highly anticipated return to North America for the first time in 14 years with The Last Domino?

    genesis

    Tour dates that will have Tony Banks, Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford, playing major cities across the U.S. and Canada this November and December 2021. Kicking off at Chicago’s United Center on November 15th, 2021, the group will be joined by Nic Collins on drums, and the band’s long-time lead guitar and bass player Daryl Stuermer. Stops along the tour include Madison Squire Garden which Genesis will be playing at on December 5th, 2021.

    Genesis The Last Domino? North American Tour will be one of the first concerts at the brand-new UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York with the Friday, December 10th , 2021, show. Opening this fall, UBS Arena is a $1.1 billion world-class multipurpose arena next to the Belmont Park racetrack. In addition to being the new home to the famed New York Islanders Hockey Club, UBS Arena is one of the few venues in the world designed with a sharp focus on music.

    The Last Domino? North American Tour marks the first time Genesis has performed stateside since 2007’s Turn It On Again: The Tour which went on to be one of the biggest grossing tours of that year playing sold-out arenas and stadiums around the world. One of the most successful and legendary rock bands of all-time, Genesis has sold more than 100 million albums with numerous top 20 hits.

    Beginning May 7, tickets will be available through a public on-sale. Visit www.genesis-music.com for tour, ticket, and official VIP package information.

    November 15, 2021Chicago, ILUnited Center
    November 18, 2021Washington, DCCapital One Arena
    November 20, 2021Charlotte, NCSpectrum Center
    November 22, 2021Montreal, QCCentre Bell
    November 25, 2021Toronto, ONScotiabank Arena
    November 27, 2021Buffalo, NYKeyBank Center
    November 29, 2021Detroit, MILittle Caesars Arena
    November 30, 2021Cleveland, OHRocket Mortgage FieldHouse
    December 2, 2021Philadelphia, PAWells Fargo Center
    December 5 & 6, 2021New York, NYMadison Square Garden
    December 8, 2021Columbus, OHNationwide Arena
    December 10, 2021Belmont Park, NYUBS Arena
    December 13, 2021Pittsburgh, PAPPG Paints Arena
    December 15, 2021Boston, MATD Garden

  • In Memoriam: Bassist Tony Markellis

    Tony Markellis, a Saratoga Springs resident for more than four decades, and co-founding member of Trey Anastasio Band, has died. Markellis’ death was noted in a Facebook post by his nephew Cory Markellis. The cause of death has not been shared.

    tony markellis
    Tony with Trey Anastasio Band, February 19, 2011, Palace Theatre, Albany

    Born in Helena, Montana, Tony began playing bass in third grade and never looked back. Living in Saratoga Springs for 45 years, as a bassist, he had a wide range. Over his 47-year career, he played blues, folk, jazz, rock, country and bluegrass with musicians including Anastasio, Paul Butterfield, The Mamas & the Papas, Johnny Shines, David Bromberg, David Amram, Paul Siebel, Rosalie Sorrels, Eric Von Schmidt, Ellen McIlwaine, Mary McCaslin, Railbird, Jo Henley, Russ Lawton, Ray Paczkowski, Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, James Casey, and Floodwood.

    Tony was a founding member of the groundbreaking Vermont-based jazz fusion group Kilimanjaro, as well as the Unknown Blues Band featuring Big Joe Burrell. At the 2017 Grand Point North Festival, Anastasio revealed that Tony was the reason he eventually decided to go to UVM.

    I went into this bar, I had just gotten off the plane, I was 18-years-old. Hunt’s, this used to be a great club and I went in and I saw this band that to this day I would say is my favorite band of all time. I was completely floored by the musicianship and the coolness and that was the moment that I wanted to move to Burlington was when I saw these guys. And of course, that band was Big Joe And The Unknown Blues Band.

    Trey Anastasio

    Tony was the first member brought on for Trey’s solo project, which began with 8 Foot Flourescent Tubes, evolved into a trio with drummer Russ Lawton, who Tony suggested to Trey, and eventually into a 7-10 piece band over the course of 2001 through today. He was part of Anastasio’s introspective 2019 album and band, Ghosts of the Forest. Markellis would also help develop songs with Anastasio for the Broadway musical, Hands on a Hardbody.

    Tony gained fans once again during the Beacon Jams in the Fall of 2020, where his presence, humor and bass playing anchored an incredible run of 8 weeks of musicianship. “You can spatchcock just about anything” went from a backstage comment by Tony to Trey, to an onstage banter and meme among fans.

    beacon jams
    photo by Jake Silco

    Tom Mitchell, whose first record was produced by Tony in 1976, said on Facebook, “He was the bass player that made everyone sound better.”

    Read a 2011 interview with Tony Markellis

    Markellis leaves behind a legacy that includes co-writing Phish staples “Sand,” “First Tube” and “Gotta Jibboo,” the latter of which he would join Phish for at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on June 20, 2010. At the final show of Trey Anastasio Band’s inaugural summer tour on August 5, 2001 at SPAC, Trey held up a sign that said “We’re on Tony Tour,” a photo of which Tony proudly displays on his website.

    More recently, Markellis published a book of short stories, titled Life…Real & Imagined, published by Vermont’s Shires Press. He very recently contributed to Marcus Rezak’s album Truth in Sound, released on April 30, 2021, on Color Red Music.

    Trey Anastasio shared his thoughts on his friends and bandmate on social media.

    Tony Markellis passed away yesterday. He was a truly remarkable human being. He was kind and had a sweetness to his personality, and he was the baddest bass player I’ve ever heard. I loved Tony, and I always will. I’m having a hard time processing this. Tony was the heartbeat to so much of my life, and to the lives of so many others. He played bass for my first dance with Sue at our wedding. We wrote First Tube and Sand together, and played so many years, so many memories.
    I was very lucky to have had a very long phone conversation with Tony only a few days ago. We talked for almost two hours. We caught up on family, friends, and funny pandemic thoughts. It wasn’t often that we talked on the phone like that. I had no idea it would be our last conversation. Now it feels like it happened for a reason.
    I’m so grateful today for those hours, and for all of the years together.
    Tony, we’ll all miss you. Thank you for the gifts you brought to all of us.
    RIP my friend.

    Trey Anastasio

  • The Chris Ruben Band Leaves the Funk with New Album

    Psychedelic funk-rock group, The Chris Ruben Band, released their new album Madness on Repeat on April 20.

    The Chris Ruben Band
    Cover Art Credit: Will Wood Visuals and Mark DiMattei

    This six-piece Long Island band is nothing short of their fiery and forceful reputation. What started off as Chris Ruben writing his own songs at 16 began to turn into something more in 2014. At this time, The Chris Ruben Band was initially formed, but players got interchanged until the ideal lineup was created.

    The band started off playing in basements, but they shortly made their way onto the local music circuit. The group consists of Chris Ruben on lead guitar/vocals, Brendan Allan on bass, Frank Iovine on synthesizers/saxophone, Eugene Iovine on keyboards/cello, Nick Marino on guitar, and Russell Miller on drums.

    The Chris Ruben Band
    Photo Credit: Mark DiMattei

    Madness on Repeat is the culmination of eight years of songwriting and use of numerous studios. The album is reminiscent of old-school rock while also layering a psychedelic tone. Ruben’s vocals drive each head-banging track alongside the dynamic guitar work. The group smoothly blends their sounds together to develop a modern funk.

    “Unsure” opens the album with a sense of groove and hard-hitting lyrics. It eases listeners into the liveliness of Madness on Repeat, and the high-octane energy developed. The Chris Ruben Band keeps the album upbeat throughout with an epic guitar solo in “Starfish” and driving drums in “Prayer for Sadness.” Madness on Repeat closes with a sensational saxophone on “Hernia” while not losing that driven passion they provide.

    The Chris Ruben Band has become a staple in the Long Island music scene. They have performed at various venues there in addition to their performances at SXSW, The Jones Beach Bandshell, and more. Until those events are back up and running, The Chris Ruben Band has a livestream performance on April 29. The group will be live-streaming Madness on Repeat, tickets available here.

    Madness on Repeat is available now on major platforms.

  • Jake Miller Announces Tour with stop at Le Poisson Rouge

    Los Angeles based artist, Jake Miller, announces his tour “hi, i missed you” and releases his new single, “I Hope I Die First” from his upcoming album.

    Photo Credit: Zack Caspary

    Miller is an independent artist who has gained a following over the years from his music and social media presence. He has over 200 million streams and headlined eight tours throughout the country. Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes and Fifth Harmony are some of the talents that Miller has shared the stage with.

    In 2019 he wrote and produced his six song EP Based on a True Story in his bedroom and received 15 million streams. His single “Wait for You” off the EP made it to Billboard Top 40. Miller became a hit on Tiktok with his viral series “Quarantunes”. Throughout 2020, he released eight singles displaying his craft with different sounds.

    Miller’s “hi, i missed you” tour comes after last year’s releases and is the beginning of his journey for 2021. The tour consists of 33 dates and will be stopping in major cities across the nation including New York, Toronto, Chicago and Los Angeles. The stop in New York City will be at Le Poisson Rouge on September 30. Indie pop duo, Fly By Midnight, and the triplet pop group, Just Seconds Apart, is joining Jake Miller on tour. Tickets for the “hi i missed you” tour are currently on sale on Miller’s website, with meet and greet packages included. 

    Along with the announcement of the tour, Miller also released his newest single titled “I Hope I Die First”. The song was written before the pandemic with the help of five of his best friends. It touches on the feeling of having someone that you love by your side and not wanting to live without them. For Miller, the ballad means that even when the world seems crazy, having someone special with you makes things better. The single is available on all streaming platforms through The Orchard.

     

  • Watch the “West Side Story” Trailer, directed by Steven Spielberg

    The highly anticipated upcoming remake of West Side Story gives a glimpse in its trailer of the classic musical with a brand new cast. The trailer aired during the 2021 Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, April 25.

    After sixty years, the love story of Tony and Maria returns to theaters. The clip is a minute-and-a-half long, giving a quick look at the beloved romantic musical drama.

    The trailer begins with a New York City morning, the dawn sky and quickly shifting vignettes of the city. The town, divided in its gangs, ramps up into action with a beautiful orchestral drone in the background.

    The Jets and the Sharks, the indelible rivaling gangs, collide in small action sequences. Within the tumultuous community, the two star-crossed lovers find each other, their tragic love story illuminating the screen.

    west side story
    20th Century Studios / Youtube

    The leads in Spielberg’s production are Rachel Zegler as Maria and Ansel Elgort of The Fault in Our Stars as Tony. The film also features talented actors such as David Alvarez as Bernardo, Ana Isabelle as Rosalía, and Mike Faist as Riff.

    The film, as well as the original, was heavily based off of Romeo and Juliet, written by Arthur Laurents in 1957 as a Broadway musical. An interesting fact about the 2021 remake is that Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the original 1961 movie, returns as a shop owner named Valentina, who employs Tony.

    West Side Story, directed by Steven Spielberg, is set to hit theaters in December 2021.

  • Zahyia Gets Deep on Her New Track, “Why Love”

    Episode 117 of the Rochester Groovecast Podcast highlights the new single from Zahyia, “Why Love.”

    Zahyia Rolle’s out of Rochester, NY, has a new solo project, ‘Zahyia‘. She is “an eclectic blend of everything. Musically reflecting the light and stories of all.” Episode 117 of The Rochester Groovecast podcast is an intimate chat and “Why Love” listening party.

    zahyia

     Listen To The Podcast:

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    At Rochester Groovecast, the mantra “We’re Fans First!” harnesses the belief that the best businesses are built by fans. The podcast is deeply dedicated to playing an active role in the culture of its local scene.

    The brainchild of Rochester native, Ben Albert, was created in 2016 to serve as a portfolio of the city, and nowadays, the entire region.

    The podcast believes in the artistic brilliance abundant in Rochester, NY, and the surrounding regions. Ben seeks to play a pivotal role in our community by helping give Rochester a well-earned voice. He has seen first hand the abundance of talent, character, creativity, innovation, and beauty the Flower City has continuously offered.

    Rochester Groovecast is powered by balbertmarketing.com

  • Premiere: Toshio Band Gets Led into Temptation with New Single

    Brooklyn-based rock group Toshio Band has released their new single “The Devil Is Chatting In My Ear,” leading their second EP Lock Your Doors.

    Photo Credit: Sivan Miller

    Consisting of frontman Tim Lavigne on the vocals and bass, Daniel Imana on drums, Nick Valle on guitar, Ben Deixler on keyboards and Brandon Garcia on percussion, all members of Toshio Band contribute vocally with a style reminiscent of alt-rock from the 90s and early 2000s. Their central themes come from ominous and dream-like films and literature. The band is influenced by legendary rock artists David Bowie, Tom Waits, Charles Mingus and Roy Orbison.

    The new track “The Devil Is Chatting In My Ear” is the lead single from their second and forthcoming EP, Lock Your Doors. The EP has a neo-noir concept exploring a hero’s journey through hysteria and gloom in an unforgiving world.  It presents themes of an anti-hero, prevalent in cinematic works from Quentin Tarantino, Jim Jarmusch and William Blake and with musical influences coming from The Pixies and Tom Waits. Lock Your Doors was mostly written and recorded during the pandemic and is a continuation of their debut EP A Splash of Blood that was released in 2019.  

    Toshio Band dives into temptation and dwells in devilish places in “The Devil Is Chatting In My Ear.” The song starts with distorted guitar sounds, immediately creating a feeling of chaos and getting into trouble. The line “The devil is chatting in my ear” is anaphoric and straight-forward, every time you hear it, you can imagine reaching a point of giving into doing something you shouldn’t. The guitars settle and the beat becomes whimsical as Lavigne sings the line “What hath the night to do with sleep?” from the poem Comus by John Milton, which he added in to get a quote from the devil himself and to keep consistent the theme of mixing literature into the music. Then returning to chaos, the track leads you further into disturbance until it ironically ends back on the whimsical sound.

    “The Devil Is Chatting In My Ear” will be self-released by the band on Friday, April 30. This is the first of many forthcoming releases for the band this year. Their second single “Cassandra” releases on June 4 by the label Spirit Charity. Lock Your Doors will be another self-release, coming out on June 25.

  • Hearing Aide: Grosh ‘Not Down for Long’

    Buffalo based four-piece rock group, Grosh, is locked and loaded for their release of Not Down for Long. The group, consisting of Grace Lougen (guitar), Josh English (drums), Megan Brown (vocals), and Dylan Hund (bass) are some of the area’s most talented musicians.

    grosh

    Grosh is a high energy rock band that regularly sells out shows in Buffalo, showcasing their heavy-hitting style of hard rock. Recorded and mastered at GCR studio in Buffalo, Not Down for Long is Grosh’s second full-length album. The album offers tunes reminiscent of bands like Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam. But overall, it has a clear Grosh stamp on it.

    The band never abandons their fast-paced energy throughout the album, with hard hitters like “The Fight” offering a great idea of what Grosh brings to the table. The band isn’t afraid to break out of the hard rock element, and sprinkle in some dirty funk in the second track, “Not Down for Long”. Lougen’s guitar riffage is absolutely spot on, chugging the song along and breaking into face-melting solos that soar over Hund’s thick bass line and the ever-climaxing drum beat.

    Relentless, this album grabs the listener and holds them throughout the long jams, and even pop melodies in songs like “Mr. Rogers.” Brown’s vocals hold their place among a luscious instrumentation, with the lyrics featuring a trade-off between her vocals and male vocals. The conversation-like feeling of the song yields a nice story as well. The horn section shows an alternate side of the band’s heavier sound earlier in the album.

    The band has a soft side too, as they show their ability to create a beautiful dynamic arc in “Don’t Forget Me.” The acoustic track feels like a musical number, with yearning vocals and a wonderful transition to the final song, “Tread the Wave.” Here, the band rounds out the release by offering another harder song with some prog-rock influence. English’s work on the hi-hat is stuff of gold, and a master-class in how drums, when played this well, can give a song rhythmic layering.

    Lucky for listeners and supporters, Not Down for Long is set to be released on May 1. You can find the album streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. You can keep up with the band on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The group also has a YouTube page with official videos and quarantine recordings. Keep a look out for the group to be playing live as things continue to clear up and venues open at some capacity.

    Key Tracks: Mr. Rogers, The Fight, Don’t Forget Me

  • State Theatre of Ithaca Announces 10th Annual “Benefit My State” Free Virtual Concert

    The State Theatre of Ithaca announced its 10th annual “Benefit My State” free virtual concert which will take place on May 8, 2021. The benefit concert will feature tribute band Pink Talking Fish who will also be playing some Grateful Dead tunes in honor of the Cornell ’77 performance.

    The performance is dubbed “PINK TALKING FISH play DEAD”, and is being performed and streamed live from the historic State Theatre of Ithaca. The tribute jam band will perform the music of Pink Floyd, The Talking Head, Phish, and Grateful Dead tunes inspired by the treasured concert on Cornell’s campus, exactly 44 years to the day of the original show. 

    Pink Talking Fish formed back in 2013 and has performed over 500 shows including headlining numerous historic music venues throughout the country. Additionally, Pink Talking Fish has appeared at many prominent festivals including The Peach Music Festival, Jerry Jam, StrangeCreek Campout and The Buffalove Music Festival. They are known for creating a fusion of some of the most beloved and well known bands in the jamband scene. 

    On Mothers’ Day back in 1977, The Grateful Dead performed one of the most significant concerts of their extensive career at Barton Hall in Ithaca, New York. The Grateful Dead are known for playing more than 2,000 concerts in their time but the performance at Cornell University’s Barton Hall on May 8, 1977 has continued to spark interest and provoke discussion quite like any of the other of the bands performances. A lot of the Deadheads know it as simply “5/8/77” and this performance is one of the most collected, circulated, and debated concerts by any band ever, and has topped numerous fan polls through the years. 

    The annual “Benefit My State” concert is the State Theatre of Ithaca’s biggest fundraiser of the year. This event will also feature an online silent auction with over 25 unique, one-of-a-kind items offered to all viewers and is particularly needed this year in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

    Doug Levine, the Executive Director of The State Theatre, spoke on this benefit saying, “We are still in need of additional support to help us get through this very challenging year. The lack of shows due to COVID resulted in huge hurdles to overcome and we are not out of the clear yet. We hope that the folks that are able to tune in and enjoy this show will consider making a donation to help sustain us until we are allowed to safely reopen.”  

    Although the concert is free, donations will be accepted with all proceeds for the 10th Annual “Benefit My State” concert directly supporting The State Theatre of Ithaca. The Pink Talking Fish Play Dead benefit will be streamed LIVE from The State Theatre of Ithaca for free at The Relix Twich Channel on Saturday, May 8th at 7PM EST.

    For more information of the benefit concert visit the State Theatre Of Ithaca’s website.

  • The Second Eddies Awards Airs on May 2

    After being postponed twice, the second annual Eddies Awards is airing on Sunday May 2, highlighting the way members of the music industry adapted to the challenges the pandemic caused. 

    Founded in 2019, The Eddies Awards, empowers, honors and celebrates musicians from the Capital Region. Originally, it was supposed to air in April 2020 but was rescheduled to December 2020 because of the pandemic. It was rescheduled again because of a rise in infection rates. This third attempt at broadcasting the second annual show is finally coming to fruition. 

    The Eddies is going to air from the Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga with 45 cast and crew members. The agenda consists of four performances and four panels discussing local music and the transitions artists, technicians, venue owners and more faced during the pandemic. Each panel will discuss different topics to express various challenges that were experienced during this time. Approximately 100 local music professionals judged the nominees of 34 award categories and the winners will be announced between segments. NYS Music is proud to be nominated for Best Arts Publication.

    Jeff Morad from WEQX and Andy Gregory from WEXT are hosting. The lineup consists of performances from nominees of the 2019 and 2020 awards. First there is Marty Wendell, who was nominated for the 2020 Country/Bluegrass Artist of the Year. Blues/Rock artists Jocelyn and Chris are performing and lead with four 2020 nominations. Garland Nelson, instrumentalist and singer-songwriter,  won two Eddies Music Awards in 2019 is performing and will be the emcee. Finally, Hip Hop/Rap Artist of the Year nominee in 2019, Promise the Unbreakable™, is hitting the stage as well. 

    This year the Eddies is going to be filmed by Chromoscope Pictures based in Troy. Collaborative Studios’ will broadcast from their Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV apps, public access channels in Albany and Schenectady and Youtube and Facebook on May 2 at 7 p.m.