NYS Music 202​1

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  • Evan McPhaden goes Lofi with new solo project Fluffy Fingers

    Evan McPhaden, bassist of Aqueous, spent 2020 staying productive amid limited live performances. He started early out in quarantine working on a solo side-project, Fluffy Fingers, and it’s one of the best albums you’ll hear in this nascent 2021.

    If you’re looking for an album of soothing tracks that fit neatly into a Lo-fi beats playlist, Fluffy Fingers is for you. Six tracks of instrumental goodness are found in the vein of Poolside and a consistent groove that does not slack on any given track.

    Fluffy Fingers

    Compared to energetic Aqueous performances, McPhaden contrasts his typical comfort zone, bringing mellow yet engaging sounds to the listen for just under a half-hour. Evan invited fellow Aqueous bandmate Mike Gantzer to play on “Summer Pool 104” as well as Turkuaz‘ Craig Brodhead to join in on “Chai,” making this collaborative effort even deeper despite the distance between them.

    McPhaden spoke to NYS Music about the album and revealed The Office connection to the project name.

    Pete Mason: When did you start on the EP? Was this a project in works prior to pandemic or something that generated from the shutdown?

    Evan McPhaden: I started working on this project about a month or two into the shutdown. I’ve always wanted to release my own personal music and it felt like it was a “now or never” moment. There’re so many memes about working on an EP and never putting it out, I had to do it. The shutdown was a unique time for everyone so it was nice to fill that time making music.

    PM: What artists influence the style found on the album? I hear some Poolhouse and Tycho influence.

    EM: That’s funny you mention Poolside because that was definitely an early influence on this project. The first song I wrote for this EP (coincidentally the first on the EP as well), which features Mike, totally has a Poolside influence. I also love Bonobo and was thinking of his vibe through this.  Over the pandemic, I binged on instrumentals as well. I can put on the “lo-fi beats” or “jazz vibes” playlists on Spotify and listen to those for hours. So a lot of this EP has that vibe of influence over it.

    PM: Where did the name Fluffy Fingers come from?

    EM: Originally, I was thinking I would use something from Buffalo. I had the name “hoyt” because I live right next to Hoyt Lake. But it wasn’t sticking and I began to think about other things I love. I’m a huge fan of “The Office” and watch it way too much. I thought if I could find something from the show I’d love that. Micheal Scott goes to Darryl for some advice for what to do if someone disses you. Darryl uses the term fluffy fingers which he says “That’s when someone really gets in your face, you know you just, start ticklin’ ’em.” Part of putting out this music and creating it was to have fun with it, not over think it and just enjoy creating it.  I thought the name and reference just reflected that and it felt right.

  • Flashback to January 25, 1990: Voivod join Soundgarden at The Chance in Poughkeepsie

    A killer double-bill of Soundgarden and Voivod took place 31 years ago today on January 25, 1990 at The Chance in Poughkeepsie. Actually, it was a triple-bill, a band called The Big F opened, but there was some pretty intense fog. We got there just in time for Soundgarden and missed the openers.

    In early 1990, Soundgarden was promoting their 1989 major-label debut, Louder Than Love; the one before it, Ultramega OK, had also been released that year. I’d first heard their single, “Flower,” when I was DJing at WCDB and it was awesome. I picked up anything I could find or taped the stuff.

    Soundgarden c. 1990

    This show was with Jason Everman on bass, who gave Soundgarden a more metal edge live. Everman had lots of headbanging, jumping around and flying hair, which you didn’t get with his mellow-predecessor Hiro, nor his (permanent) replacement, Ben Sheperd, who would come into the band in Summer 1990. Everman’s story is really interesting – he was the second guitarist in Nirvana around the time of Bleach, but only played live with them, and left long before Nevermind and widespread fame. He then joined his second legendary Seattle band, Soundgarden, in 1989 and played with them as bassist on most of the Louder Than Love tour [he’s also on the Louder Than Live video and promo CD, and some b-sides]. 

    Everman was dismissed from Soundgarden a few months after this show, after that he played with a cool NJ band called Mind Funk, appearing on their 1992 Dropped record, again as guitarist. After that, he joined the service and I believe became a Navy SEAL or Special Forces and fought in Afghanistan and Iraq for many years. There’s a great New York Times magazine article about him which you can find online – the guy who was in Nirvana and Soundgarden before they became huge rock stars, and then became a Navy SEAL.

    Anyways, Soundgarden.  They were incredible. They played some older songs like opener “Flower” and closed with “Beyond The Wheel” from Ultramega OK. They played a whole bunch of Louder Than Love stuff in between, plus a cover of Spinal Tap’s “Big Bottom,” totally kicked ass. Chris Cornell was in a quiet mood, there was little talk to the crowd, just flying hair, big down-tuned riffs and crushing heaviness. Soundgarden was amazing in those days. I saw them three times on this tour; this was the first.

    It seems odd now that Quebec metallers Voivod headlined, but in early 1990 they were the bigger band – this was well before the Seattle explosion and alt-rock boom, long before “Black Hole Sun” and mainstream Soundgarden success. VV were promoting their Nothingface album at the time, easily my favorite Voivod record ever and one which has aged well. An incredible record, and they played most of it for today’s flashback, in 1990. I love their older, early Venom-ish stuff too, but they really didn’t play much of the older stuff at this gig – amazing show, amazing band. Soundgarden, as incredible as they were, did not blow Voivod away – a killer couple of bands, each as mighty as the other, a great diverse pairing.  All hail Voivod and Soundgarden.

    Soundgarden setlist: Flower, Hands All Over, Gun, Loud Love, Get on the Snake, Big Dumb Sex, Full on Kevin’s Mom, I Awake, Big Bottom, Beyond the Wheel

    Voivod setlist: The Unknown Knows, Nothingface, Tribal Convictions, X-Ray Mirror, Tornado, Pre-Ignition, Missing Sequences, Brain Scan, Into My Hypercube, Astronomy Domine, Inner Combustion, Ravenous Medicine

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKpt_HSa24w

    Original review by John Moore from BUZZ Magazine. Republished with permission.

  • Watch Brandon ‘Taz’ Niederauer play the Star Spangled Banner at the AFC Championship Game

    Dix Hills, Long Island native, Brandon ‘Taz’ Niederauer, took to the national stage on Sunday, January 24, performing the “Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of the AFC Championship game in Kansas City, Missouri.

    The 17-year old guitar phenom was invited to play before the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs duked it out on the field, for the chance to go to the Super Bowl.

    taz star spangled banner

    Taz took the moment to do what he does best – shred guitar. Jaws dropped as Taz took all of 102 seconds to perform the Francis Scott Key tune. Taz set the bar high for Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan, who will perform the “Star-Spangled Banner” together at Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay, FL on Sunday, February 7.

    Brandon still walks the halls of his Long Island high school, East Half Hollow Hills, which congratulated Taz on Facebook for his trip to the national stage. In 2015, Brandon notably starred on Broadway in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical “School of Rock.”

    taz star spangled banner
    photo by Brian Cole

    Acquiring the nickname “Taz” from a music teacher who said that Brandon’s fast guitar playing reminded him of the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes cartoons, Brandon has also appeared many times on television, include “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Good Morning America,” and “The View.”

    Brandon cites his father’s record collection as a major influence on his playing, particularly albums by Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, the Allman Brothers Band, Eric Clapton, and many more.

    Taz has also performed the National Anthem at Cubs games at Wrigley Field as recently as 2019.

  • Maxtreme Inc. and Yang 21 Come Together for “Shuda”

    Nigerian Afro-Pop singer, Yang 21, has released his latest single, “Shuda,” in collaboration with Talent Management & Music Distribution Company, Maxtreme Inc. 

    Yang 21

    The upbeat, Afrocentric tune is Yang’s latest effort on the heels of two EP’s, 2019’s Goose Bumps and Fall 2020’s What Do Girls Want. 

    “Shuda,” is a mellow tempo love-centric tune and is Maxtreme Inc.’s attempt to enlarge its coast and collaborate with recording artistes to serve its niche and fan base, as well as make exceptional music. Backed by a looping and rhythmic drum, the feel-good record (running just over 3 minutes), sees Yang 21 begin the song by declaring his affections for his newfound flame, amid his past struggles with love. 

    Yang 21

    Each subsequent verse then goes in detail about the kind of woman he wants in life, as he forges ahead with a new personal interest and moves on from past affections. Each verse sees Yang 21 characterize his ideal woman, while the chorus echoes the theme of the song, “coulda’ woulda’ shoulda’,” signifying the past-tense status of a previous lover.

  • Dopapod “Four Years Ended” Commemorates 1/20/21

    Palindromic jam scene veterans Dopapod noted the dual significance of January 20, 2021 with a video for a ‘new’ song, “Four Years Ended.” The video was timed for 1/20/21 to honor the palindrome date, as well as the Inauguration of President Biden.

    dopapod emit time four years ended

    Dopapod has used palindromes (words spelled the same backward and forwards) as titles of albums – Emit Time, Redivider, Radar, Megagem, among others, as well as the date for album releases, not to mention the band’s name.

    “Four Years Ended” is a reworking of the 2008 Dopapod track “Eight Years Ended,” the latter of which was inspired by the end of the Bush administration. This shorter, faster version of “Eight Years Ended” was crafted for the end of the Trump administration, which only lasted four years and ended on January 20, 2021.

    Watch “Four Years Ended” below.

  • Angélique Kidjo Records Song for Imprisoned Human Rights Activist Nasrin Sotoudeh

    Singer and activist Angélique Kidjo has contributed a song to the documentary NASRIN, titled “How Can I Tell You?” The documentary is directed and produced by Jeff Kaufman and serves as a portrait of human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh, currently imprisoned in Iran.

    Nasrin Sotoudeh
    Singer and activist Angélique Kidjo with a photo of human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh.

    When music and activism intersect, true poetry and force arise. Four-time Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo has often advocated for human rights as she has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2002. Her music is imbued with compassion, and throughout the years she has contributed songs for important causes, such as her contribution song “Leila” for the Enough Project which raised awareness for women’s rights in Raise Hope for Congo. 

    In 2020, Angélique recorded the song “How Can I Tell You?” by composers Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty who wrote “Ragtime,” “Once on This Island,” “Anastasia,” and many more notable works. This song was included in a documentary directed and produced by Jeff Kaufman titled Nasrin. Often referred to as the “Nelson Mandela of Iran,” Nasrin Sotoudeh fought for human rights in Iran, eventually leading to her arrest in June 2018 for defending women who publicly protested Iran’s mandatory hijab law. The government sentenced her to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes. Nasrin now has COVID-19 and a heart condition, but even from the confines of prison she has continued to challenge the authorities. 

    Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens in the recording studio

    By recording “How Can I Tell You?,” Kidjo is bringing awareness and protection to Nasrin in a powerful way, as well as other at-risk human rights activists. As of January 19th, Nasrin’s medical leave was canceled which leads to her return to Qarchak Prison, known as the most dangerous and unsanitary place for women in Iran. 

    Nasrin Sotoudeh
    Poster for NASRIN documentary.

    The music video for Angélique Kidjo’s song includes imagery of life in Iran, beautiful architecture and women in hijab, Angélique’s honeyed, compassionate voice, and Nasrin’s office sign which reads “Attorney at Law.” We follow Nasrin as she travels into her office, juxtaposed with older footage of her activism in courtrooms. The imagery is evocative, bringing the viewer close into women’s lives in Iran and the continued challenges they face together. Crowds with protest signs, rain, and peace signs overlay the lyrics “I could tell you to forget me / but the words would not be true / and I love you always even if you do.” From the point of Nasrin, she is a selfless, ever-present force of activism, and she knows her message is crucial to be spread for the women of Iran. 

    Listen and watch Angélique Kinjo’s tribute to Nasrin’s cause here. 

    The film NASRIN will be released on January 26th, 2021 with more details available at NASRINfilm.com.

  • Allyson Smith and Monica Uhm Featured on this week’s EQXposure

    Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from, Allyson Smith, Monica Uhm and many more!

    allyson smith

    WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.

    This week, EQXposure features the music of Allyson Smith, spanning her releases. Featured tracks include “Wane” and “Bound2Be” off her release All Good Things, “Vacancy” off the release Carter Creek Choir, and her latest, “The Waves (demo).”

    Also featured is the new release from Monica Uhm titled “Prelude.” Monica is a singer-songwriter based in New York known for her catchy tunes, intelligent lyrics and quirky live banter. Her lyrical style is self-dubbed “philoso-folk” given the push-pull in her writing of the big questions in life found in small everyday snapshots. Her musical style is self-dubbed “kitchen-sink twist on Americana” from the eclectic range of influences in her musical tastes and working with a wide spectrum of accomplished and creative musicians and artists.  

  • Phish Revisits Summer 2003 with next Dinner and a Movie Installment

    For the next installment of Phish’s Dinner and a Movie archival stream series, the band goes back to the ‘2.0’ era, revisiting a Phish Summer Tour stop on July 25, 2003 in Charlotte, NC. The next installment airs on Tuesday, January 26 at 8pm

    phish summer 2003 charlotte
    via GolgiProject.com

    Previously released on Live Phish, the Charlotte show found the band in the middle of their 2003 Summer Tour that started in California and headed to the northernmost reaches of Maine for their IT Festival. Part of a three-night southern run that included Atlanta, GA and Raleigh, NC, the Charlotte show featured a wide ranging setlist, covering the band’s then-nearly 20 year career. A few monster jams are found in the show, including an 18-minute “Bathtub Gin” and a nearly half-hour long “Harry Hood.”

    phish summer 2003
    Fan Poster from Summer 2003

    For the dinner portion of the night, the band intends to keep things easy and hearty with Betty Frost’s recipe for Chicken Pot Pies, including a veggie option. The full recipe can be found here.

    Meals On Wheels will be beneficiary for the webcast, with all donations made via The WaterWheel Foundation will be given to support vulnerable seniors who are at the greatest risk amid COVID-19. Local Meals on Wheels programs are on the front lines every day, focused on keeping older Americans safe and nourished in communities across the country.

    Charlotte 2003 poster by Ryan Kerrigan

    Phish – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Charlotte, NC – July 25, 2003

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Funky Bitch > Chalk Dust Torture, Two Versions of Me, Bathtub Gin, Limb By Limb, Back on the Train > Horn > Golgi Apparatus > Character Zero

    Set 2: Drowned -> Kung -> Twist -> Heavy Things, Harry Hood > David Bowie

    Encore: The Star Spangled Banner, Bug

    Kung (first since September 29, 1999, or 106 shows) was sung over the jam connecting Drowned and Twist. Bowie included a full-band Tweezer tease.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJB81aiJLJE

  • Venus Furs Share Video For Their Song “New Inspiration”

    Montreal band Venus Furs share visual for their song “New Inspiration,” a trippy video that taps into the core of the track. The track premiered on website Under the Radar to high praise from fans and critics alike. “New Inspiration” was directed by Justis Krar of IMMV Productions, who has previously worked with Zoon and Mundy’s Bay.

    venus furs

    Venus Furs is the brainchild of Paul Kasner, a multi-instrumentalist, writer, producer and self-described “perfectionist.” Kasner has gone under the banners of The Horrors and The Twilight Sad as he worked to discover exactly what Venus Furs was meant to be. After years meticulously crafting a standout product, Kasner is on the verge of releasing Venus Furs, a rigorously crafted set of songs that voyage heedlessly through sonic and mental terrain in a way that could only come from one singular vision. This speaks to his remarkable determination to create the album he long envisioned, and has now realized with the dazzling Venus Furs.

     I wanted to present the visuals as a relation to both the lyrical tone and musical tone of the song. Heavily affected visual effects layered onto night time footage created a lushness that I feel when listening to the song.

    Justis Krar, Director

    The record invites you to bare witness to a world of sound that sits at the nexus of psych rock and garage rock, shot through with grand melodic hooks that echo the British alternative scene that he’s always had an affinity for, all produced with a careful attention to detail.

    This album, for all intents and purposes, is just a huge experiment in dealing with minutia,

    Paul Kasner

    This collection of songs came to fruition after a year long process. At first, Kasner just sat with his guitar or piano and organically let the music form a rough outline, he then meticulously layered, carved and contoured them into songs, eventually reaching a harmonious balance between edge and polish. While Venus Furs is filled with furiously-pitched guitars, walls of sound and driving rhythms, the intricate instrumental aspects are not lost; each can be picked out wall of sound, but in unison they enhance each other, creating a polychromatic and passionate whole.

  • Hearing Aide: Inspector 34 ‘Love My Life’

    Everyone knows Boston is a mecca for musicians, but few have heard of the nearby city of Lowell, just to the northwest. The place is a bastion for independent artists. Fans of The Pixies know it as the place where Live From The Fallout Shelter was recorded back in ‘86. Bibliophiles would recognize it as the birthplace of Jack Kerouac. Throughout the years, it’s remained a haven for people who thrive in the fringe. People like the members of Inspector 34. 

    I met them a few years ago when they were passing through New York on tour. Frontman Jimm Warren and his band of merry misfits shook things up at our funky little community space. They gave off a hippy indie folk vibe, but their music was tight. This wasn’t some shtick. These guys could play. 

    inspector 34

    Fast forward to the present day. While everyone has been finding their own ways to cope with current events, the members of Inspector 34 were funneling their creative energy into a full-length album. Lest you think Love My Life is full of romantic ballads, one glance at the cartoon engulfed in flames on the cover would immediately disavow you of that notion. 

    On first listen, the experimental nature of the music can be a little overwhelming. It’s a roller coaster of a journey. There are wild cacophonies that make the more ambient segments seem almost nihilistic in comparison. Think Joy Division meets Weird Al on the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour. It’s crazy, but somehow it works. 

    On second and third listen, it’s easier to pick out the lyrical themes and musical motifs that weave through this work. The tracks tracks “Love,” “My,” and “Life” present interludes between acts. The repeating mantra “I love my life, everything is wonderful” cleanses the palate and preps the listener for the next course. There is indeed method in the madness. 

    I didn’t expect to find one album that so encapsulates the past year, but Love My Life fits the bill. I’m still peeling back the layers. There’s a lot to unpack here.

    “Everybody” is a stream-of-consciousness commentary on social interaction these days, when everyone’s live-streaming play-by-play narratives of the banalities of their lives:

    “I know all the people in the world each and every single person in the whole entire world and me and them are all hanging out at the same time and you can see what we’re doing we all can see exactly what each other’s doing and sit and wonder what we’re gonna do next what are you doing?”

    Probably the most mainstream song on the album is “The Gray House.” If you like indie punk, this one’s right up your alley. With driving guitar riffs and gang vocals along with super catchy la da da da’s, I’m betting this will be the fan favorite when they get to take these songs on the road. Never mind that it’s a song about existential dread while the world is crumbling all around, and grasping for a reason to hold onto hope. It’s fun to sing along to.

    Another song on this album that really spoke to me was “Thick Bologna.” In a recent interview, the members of Inspector 34 reveal that it is simply a song about running out of cheap bologna from the local chain store. Even Freud said that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But I think there is license for the listener to interpret this as a song about longing for any enjoyable thing they are missing. The day my Keurig broke during quarantine, I probably could have written prose in such detail and description as to rival Nabokov’s meditation on a pencil stub in Transparent Things. Inspector 34 turned running out of bologna into a fat-riffed lament. 

    Overall, I find the album a cathartic experience. It’s both a poignant social commentary and an experiment in amalgamations of sound. It’s something you can zone out to in the psychedelic parts, and howl along with in the noisy dissonant parts. It’s dark, but in a satirical way. It’s a road map for getting through these chaotic times. And when all is said and done, and the crisis is over, Lowell is the #1 place I’d like to travel. Seeing Inspector 34 play live in their hometown is the newest addition to my bucket list. 

    You can find Love My Life at select record shops across the country. It’s also available for purchase digitally or on vinyl at Bandcamp. Or stream on Spotify. Follow Inspector 34 for updates and news.