Indie rock sensation Japanese Breakfast played four sold out shows at Brooklyn Steel last week (October 14-17, 2021), continuing their North American Fall 2021 Tour.
Japanese Breakfast at Brooklyn Steel, photography by David Reichmann
Luna Li opened for Japanese Breakfast the first three nights, her last involvement after having also opened for them throughout the first leg of the tour. Bringing a lot of warmth and enthusiasm, Li performed several of her biggest hits including “Alone But Not Lonely“, “Cherry Pit“, and a few energizing instrumentals from her Jams EP.
Luna Li remarked on how deeply thankful she was for the fans and for the huge opportunity to go on tour. She also mentioned how seeing Japanese Breakfast in concert several years ago had inspired her, stating,
as a Korean . . . seeing Michelle, another Korean, on stage meant so much to me.
Luna Li
Japanese Breakfast started their set with “Paprika,” the opening track from their latest album, Jubilee. Each time Michelle smashed the gong, the crowd screamed and cheered. They went immediately into the second track of the album “Be Sweet,” which lifted the crowd to an even louder chorus of cheers.
Apart from their successful run of performances, Japanese Breakfast front-woman and songwriter, Michelle Zauner, not only released an all-new soundtrack to accompany the video-game,Sable, last month, but had also launched her memoir Crying in H-Mart earlier this year as well.
You can listen to their music and follow the rest of their North American Tour here.
Pop duo BLVCKBOW released their first self-written and produced song Memorize U. BLVCKBOW quickly found out how electric their creative connection was, and easily wrote ten songs in less than a month. The pair’s charisma can be heard in their new single with effortless adlibs mixed with electro-synth groove and sentimental lyrics. The duo will be coming to Piano’s on October 20th with Yarn starting at 8 pm.
Memorize U draws in listeners with their eerie intro filled with shrieking violins and distortion to a headbanging chorus with Jasmine’s and Brittni’s effortless vocals. Hawaiian natives Jasmine Crowe and Brittni Paiva created Memorize U to draw attention to the unforgettable feeling and connection we feel with someone that we can’t help but be present in these moments. “The song is about realizing there is so much in life we can’t predict, so being present is sometimes all we really feel like we have to hold on to… The lyrics to ‘Memorize U’ are inspired by feeling physically and emotionally bonded with someone,” says Crowe.
The second verse and pre-chorus amplify the song’s energy as Paiva and Crowe riff together creating a symmetry that fuels the sleek production. Stunning high vocal riffs and harmonies from the duo stand out as unforgettable moments in the track. The sonic exploration concludes with a mesmerizing, complex solo, helping close the track on a high note.
After Brittni Paiva brilliant performance as a featured guest on Jasmine Crowe’s latest single, “LOVE IS LOVE” they soon realized the true amount of potential they held as a duo. Once the pair teamed up again as BLVCKBOW, they wrote ten songs in just over a month with ease.
Thanks to Crowe’s songwriting talent established in 2018 as the winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and Paiva’s three-time NA Hoku Hanohano Awards, we can be sure to hear more music very soon. To download on stream platforms, click here.
The fall concert series at The Dock in Ithaca is in full “Rocktober” mode. Kevin Black presented the AC/DC tribute band Bonfire on Friday, October 15, with a very fitting “Back In Black” vibe had by the all-ages crowd. What’s more fun than a band dressing up as a musical costume during a month of Halloween celebrations? Bonfire’s ensemble is a full attraction to casinos and festivals that fit nicely on The Dock’s stage.
Photo by Out Loud Pictures
Lead guitarist Donnie “Angus” Bottacio felt at home on the Cayuga Lake inlet venue. He is an audio-video specialist at Cornell University. This would explain the high quality production and sound levels the band put out at the Dock on Friday. Donnie made his way through the crowd while simultaneously shredding the red signature Gibson axe to make sure everyone could hear the Marshall amps like AC/DC did. Bottacio told Kat Walters on the I 100 radio station, “I do the riffs as close as humanly possible to Angus, I can’t be Angus but I try my best to celebrate his music with all the love the crowd has to come out and enjoy it.”
Photo by Out Loud Pictures
The infamous “Hell’s Bells” opened the show in a chilling fashion. They covered all eras of AC/DC’s catalog. The five-piece band crushed 30 songs in full character. The same bagpipes from AC/DC’s studio sound were brought to life on the Dock stage by Mexico, NY’s Kevin Dano. It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.
Photo by Out Loud Pictures
The group’s name is attributed to the variety in AC/DC’s 1997 five CD bag set release “Bonfire”. Lead singer Steve Seniuk helped cover the Bon Scott and Brian Johnson era of AC/DC with the same bravado. Bassist Mike Del Olio and Drummer Tom Reeder were locked in like TNT Dynamite for the set. Guitarist Kenny Romer rocked an inferno-like tempo on the Dock stage for the entire performance. The audience and band came to full speed during the October classic “Highway to Hell.” Goin Down, Party time, my friends are gonna be there too, yeah, hey mama look at me…I’m on my way to the promised land… I’m on a highway to hell!
Photo by Out Loud Pictures
On October 5, 1980 AC/DC came to Central New York’s Onondaga County War Memorial as part of their Back In Black Tour. The same spirit made its way through the Dock on Friday as part of “Rocktober” 2021. Kevin Black presents similar musical costumes the rest of this month with tributes to Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, and naturally, Black Sabbath. For all other upcoming events at The Dock click here.
“Bonfire” AC/DC Tribute – The Dock, Ithaca, NY – October 15 2021 Setlist: Hell’s Bells, Shoot to Thrill, Dog a Bone, Dirty Deeds, Girls got Rhythm, Get it Hot, If You Want Blood, Money Talks, Sin City, Jailbreak, Demon Fire, Pollution, Long Way (with bag pipes), Thunderstruck, Back in Black, Shook Me, Have a Drink, Money Honey, Shake a Leg, TNT, Rosie, Bad Boy Boogie, The Jack, Big Balls, Highway to Hell, For Those About to Rock, Let There be Rock Encore: Night Prowler, Walk All Over You, High Voltage
Eccentricity can be an unsettling space to operate in. But, like most frantic states , when harnessed it can bring about thought-provoking, abstract art. Such is the case with Queens-based rapper, DJ, and producer, X.ILE (born, Xavier Maymi).
Having shared the stage with artists such as The Chainsmokers, Meek Mill, French Montana and more, the jack-of-all-trades emcee has begun his ascension into the world of recording artists. His own solo work has garnered attention from established tastemakers. His records, “Buffalo” and “Carnota” were both featured on Eminem’s Sirius XM station Shade 45 and its flagship program Sway in The Morning, while “JAM” featured on SiriusXM HipHop Nation’s Discovery Channel.
Beginning his career at the age of 14, he has placed himself in a position to grow as an artist with many years invested into his craft. But, in an era where all it takes is a large social media following to get a record contract, he hasn’t stagnated, taking the old-school route of self-improvement and variation to achieving his goals. His resourcefulness when it comes to his music videos (which aren’t high budget but remain action packed), is a testament to his dedication to the craft of being an entertainer. Many artists drop a record and hope for the best, X.ILE is looking to tell a story through his music and visuals are a big part of that process.
Unafraid to foster an environment where all genres can coexist throughout his music, X.ILE does not rely on flashiness, nor tall tales of grand living. Much like his diversified sound, X.ILE’s appeal comes from the many ways he can impact a listener. Even if you’re not a fan of his rapping, you’re sure to enjoy his well-thought out, over-the-top visuals, which tend to look like controlled chaos. If not, then his production might get you.
His latest record, “BLEACH,” perfectly encapsulates his artistry. The record itself feels oxymoronic, beginning with a simple acoustic guitar before all hell breaking loose. Featuring different voice inflections, various flows, drum patterns and instrumentation. It can feel like a lot is going on, until realizing the anarchy throughout the production reflects the record itself, as he ties it all in with a music video equally full of pandemonium.
The serenity at the beginning of the record can be interpreted as the calm before the storm that is life. Filmed in the woods, X.ILE is seen in a serene environment holding just an acoustic guitar and a bottle of bleach. He then goes into a solemn spiel about how his need to be liked consumes him, more so than money, fame and even his rent. After taking a swig of the bleach, utter musical and visual chaos ensues, before returning to the same woods bloodied with his guitar broken. X.ILE takes another chug of the germicide, insinuating that after all the heartache and chaos, all we want is for our troubles to evaporate, which is what the bleach seems to represent. Now, bleach can’t get rid of anyone’s troubles, but as a fatal chemical, to some, it may be one-in-the-same.
British punk outfit IDLES made an explosive return to Manhattan’s Terminal 5 this past weekend for two shows in support of their yet to be released fourth LP, Crawler. The band last played the venue two years ago in October as part of an extended touring cycle under their breakthrough record Joy As An Act Of Resistance. On night two of the run, front man Joe Talbot told the audience that playing at Terminal 5 “felt like playing at home” and they could not wait to make their return once the pandemic receded.
IDLES at Terminal 5, 10/16/21. Photo by BuscarPhoto
Everything about an IDLES show is all about the fans and the appreciation the band has for them. Talbot explained during the show that the energy they feel from the crowd allows them to truly express themselves on stage, and they return that favor in full. Fans are brought onstage to sing and drum, and constant crowd surfing and singing from the barrier railing make the connection physical. A fan was invited onstage to sing along to “I’m Scum” during night two and “Love Song” was performed with a New York medley comprised of snippets of “Empire State of Mind” and Patti Smith’s “Because The Night.”
IDLES at Terminal 5, 10/16/21. Photo by BuscarPhoto
The setlist from each night contained three new songs, including lead single “The Beachland Ballroom” along with live debut’s of “The Wheel” and “Car Crash.” The new record, Crawler, is out on November 12, 2021 via Partisan Records. You can pre order the new record on the band’s website, and you can also see their full tour itinerary which runs across the US through November with a second UK/European leg from January – March 2022. More photos from night 2 at Terminal 5 below.
The Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards or more commonly known as the Eddies Music Awards announced their 2021 nominees and ceremony date. The awards ceremony will be held at 7PM on Sunday, November 14, 2021 at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs.
This is the second installment of the Eddies Music Awards in 2021. This group of nominees represents works done by musicians in 2020. The first installment represented works done by musicians done in 2019 and were recognized during a live broadcast from UPH this May after two postponements due to the pandemic made them unable to host the awards ceremony in 2020 as planned.
This year’s categories will be a little different than in previous years. Sal Prizio, Eddies co-founder and co-producer explained this saying, “About half of the categories we presented in previous years were scuttled when looking at 2020. We took a poll of judges and there was near unanimous agreement that the genre categories such as best folk artist and best hard rock artist didn’t make sense, as so much of the assessment in those categories was based on live performance.”
The categories this year are: Arts Publication of the Year, Arts Journalist of the Year, Radio DJ of the Year, Radio Station of the Year, Music Recording Studio of the Year, Label of the Year, Music Video of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Best Presenter of Virtual Live Music Shows, and Best Live Virtual Performance(s) by an Artist – Show or Series – Covers.
Tickets for the Eddies Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 27, 2021 and the Eddies Music Awards on November 14, 2021 are now on sale here.
For more information the 2021 Eddies Music Awards visit their website.
Full list of nominations listed bellow:
Arts Publication of the Year
NYS Music
Preview /Times Union
Spot 518
The Xperience Monthly
Ticket/Daily Gazette
Arts Journalist of the Year
Steve Barnes
Jim Gilbert
Michael Hallisey
Indiana Nash
Jim Shahen Jr.
Liam Sweeney
Radio DJ of the Year
Wanda Fisher
Art Fredette
Andy Gregory
Bill McCann
Jeff Morad
Sonny Speed
Chris Wienk
Radio Station of the Year
RadioRadioX
WCDB 90.9
WEQX 102.7
WEXT 97.7, 106.1
WSPN 91.1
WVCR 88.3
Music Recording Studio of the Year
Albany Audio Associates (AAA Recording Studio C)
Blue Sky Recording/Mixing Studio
Millstone Recording Studio
NRS Studios Catskill
The Recording Company
Starling Studios
Label of the Year
Albany Records
Cacophone Records
Equal Vision Records
Flipped Out Records
Magnetic Eye Records
Upstate Records
Music Video of the Year
“Everyone’s Gone Home” – Joel Brown
“Moon” – Novus Cantus
“Skin Disease” – Craig Hamilton
“Ain’t Going Anywhere” – Buggy Jive
“Modernist” – El Modernist
“Sellout” – Joe Mansman and The Midnight Revival Band
“415” – Sydney Worthley
“Alone” – Zan & The Winter Folk
Record of the Year
“Hold Me” – Julia Alsarraf
“Everyone’s Gone Home” – Joel Brown
“Moz Disco” – Coupons
“Better off Alone” – Moriah Formica
“Quentin” – Gordon St.
“Roll Over You” – Sean Rowe
“Andy Warhol” – Annie Scherer
“A Thousand Years” – The Sea The Sea
“415” – Sydney Worthley
Album of the Year
“Somethin’ Comes Along” – Bright Dog Red
“Ain’t Going Anywhere” – Buggy Jive
“Back Pocket” – Dominick Campana
“Going Places” – Dylan Canterbury
“Rougher Stuff” – Dark Honey
“Flowers for You” – Sawyer Fredericks
“What Happens After” – Laveda
“Northeast” – Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter
“Stumbling Home” – The Sea The Sea
Songwriter of the Year
Julia Alsarraf
Dan Berggren
Buggy Jive
Jim Gaudet
Girl Blue
Michael Jerling
Kate McDonnell
Kim Cirillio Wickham
Best Presenter of Virtual Live Music Shows
Caffe Lena – “Stay Home Sessions”
Frank Cavone / Mirth Films
Freedom Park Quarantune Series
Mark Gamsjager / The Lustre Kings weekly Saturday night virtual shows
High Peaks Event Productions
The Linda: Open for Take-Out Virtual Concert Series
Best Live Virtual Performance(s) by an Artist – Show or Series – Covers
Its not every day an 80 year old bassist stops in Albany to play a club show. Its not every 80 year old bassist who happens to be Phil Lesh, who, while in between shows at The Capitol Theatre, made some stops with his son Grahame’s band, Midnight North as they played in Burlington and Albany this past weekend.
photo by Frankie Cavone
Phil has been no stranger to Midnight North shows recently, having sat in for shows in Washington, D.C., Fairfield, CT and Woodstock, as noted by Jambands.com. Phil joined Midnight North at Nectar’s on Friday night for “I Know You Rider” and “Ripple,” with Twiddle members Mihali and Ryan Dempsey joining in.
On Saturday, as Midnight North made their way to Albany, Phil Lesh was along for the ride, and sat in with Midnight North for their original “Wine and Roses,” followed by the Grateful Dead classic, “New Speedway Boogie” with Elliot Peck taking lead on vocals. Watch the two songs below, with Video courtesy of Mirth Films
Phil Lesh returns to the Capitol Theatre this week, October 18 – 20 with Stuart Bogie and Amy Helm join Phil on the first and last night of the run, with Eric D. Johnson, Josh Kaufman, Elliot Peck and Phil’s son Grahame set to play on the 19th. This run will also feature Joe Russo on drums and Benmont Tench on keys.
Acclaimed soul-rock trio, The Nth Power has made some exciting additions to their already announced “Fall Back In Love Tour,” further exploring the Midwest with nine additional dates in November. The Nth Power will also be hitting the Northeast for four nights to ring in the New Year, including two night’s in Albany. The tour will be featuring the newly released studio albumReverence.
The full band is filled with musicians you may already know from elsewhere, guitarist and vocalist Nick Cassarino (Jennifer Hartswick Band), bassist Nate Edgar (John Brown’s Body) and drummer and vocalist Nikki Glaspie (Beyonce).
Their origin story started as an impromptu late-night jam during the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The energy that Nth Power taps into is something almost sensual, spiritual, and sexy. They prove that music can be a higher power which might just be relentlessly funky and soulful. While Nth Power does transcend genre audiences hear influences from American rock, soul, funk, rhythm and blues. The latest album, Reverence offers the utmost maturity of the trio’s sound conveying messages of hope, empathy, gratitude, self-forgiveness and, above all, the universal power of love. They tap into an energy that is simultaneously sexy and spiritual, with songs that will inspire audiences to dance, groove, make love or just stand there with goosebumps.
We’re going as far as you can go on planet Earth as musicians. We want to change the world through music – that’s the goal
Nikki Glaspie
Distributed by The Orchard, Reverence features guests like Kofi Burbridgeis who plays on keys and flute throughoutlike, the album itself has been dedicated to the memory of this Grammy-winning keyboardist. You may also hear renowned saxophonist Maceo Parker, vocalists Ivan Neville and Nick Daniels III of Dumpstaphunk, vocalist Cheryl Pepsii Riley and keyboardist Amy Bellamy.
The Nth Power return to the Northeast to ring in 2022 with a trio of shows in Waterbury, VT,; Albany, and Bridgeport, CT.
10.22 – Placerville, CA – Hangtown Festival
10.23 – Placerville, CA – Hangtown Festival
10.30 – Live Oak, FL – Suwannee Hulaween
11.4 – Ferndale, MI – Otus Supply
11.5 – Berwyn, IL – FitzGerald’s
11.6 – Cincinnati, OH – Fretboard Brewing Company
11.7 – Bloomington, IN – Stable Music Hall & Lounge
Show-stopping, astounding, and phenomenal are just a handful of words you can use to describe The Struts, whose ‘Strange Days Are Over’ tour hit Rochester at the Main Street Armory on October 15th and the glam rock band brought the house down.
Luke Spiller of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Lead singer, Luke Spiller, is an electrifying showman. Luke nailed every single note of every single song as the energy kept up. He ran back and forth and eventually had to remove his shirt, which naturally sent the fans into a frenzy. Accompanying Spiller was Adam Slack on the Jed Elliott on the bass, and Gethin Davies on the drums.
Fans of The Struts packed the Main Street Armory. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Each musician brought their own personality. This mixed with a killer performance and the die-hard fans that knew every word created an atmosphere that was intoxicating in the best way possible.
If you ever have the chance to see this band, don’t walk, strut.
Setlist: Primadonna Like Me, Body Talks, Kiss This, I Hate How Much I Love You, Fire, One Night Only, Dirty Sexy Money, Low Key In Love, Mary Go Round, Medley, Am I Talking To The Champagne (Or Am I Talking To You), Wild Child, I Do It So Well.
Encore: Strange Days, It Could’ve Been Me
Luke Spiller of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Adam Slack of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Jed Elliott of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Gethin Davies of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Luke Spiller of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Adam Slack of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Jed Elliott of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Luke Spiller of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Adam Slack of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Luke Spiller of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Play it Leo! Kottke that is. Leo Kottke returned to Homer Center for the Arts on Saturday, October 16. This solo acoustic performance, his last Upstate New York show since April 2018 at The Clayton Opera House comes ahead of the three dates scheduled with Mike Gordon of Phish in the Empire State this December. During 2020 the duo released their first record Noon in over fifteen years. So it was fitting for Leo to open the show with “From Pizza Towers to Defeat” at Homer Center for the Arts, a song written by the duo from their 2002 album Clone.
John McConnell , Leo Kottke, Clayton Opera House April 2018
You wouldn’t have seen a tour bus outside the Homer Center for the Arts on Saturday night. Leo Kottke’s solo tour traveling rig is simple, and very reminiscent of Chuck Berry when he showed up at the venue driving himself with two guitars and a steel slide in tow. Leo deals with venue staff directly and settles up on his own with no tour manager. Mike Gordon of Phish told Rolling Stone “Hes like this American treasure living in his own bubble. He’ll travel the country listening to Lone Ranger series from the 1950’s in its entirety in the car.”
Leo Kottke, Center for the Arts Homer , October 2021
Leo’s stories from traveling this great country were weaved in to his ninety minute set on the intimate Homer stage. Outside the venue was a local haunted attraction in its 39th year that gave the performance a vibe of Phish’s interpretation of Disney’s Chilling, Thrilling, Sounds of the Haunted House.
Although Leo didn’t tell the crowd about his most recent studio release with Phish’s bassist, instead he told them about the first drummer he has ever collaborated with in 60 years:
I’m having a ball doing this with David King of the band Bad Plus. It’s a nice cocktail kit, he doesn’t come in with this Keith Moon suicide drowning thing. We go in the studio and start making shit up, the only thing Dave doesn’t like is when I stop. It’s a great attitude to be around, a little dangerous as I will demonstrate now.
Leo Kottke
He told the crowd of American modernist composer Charles Ives and his struggles to get his work out. Overtime he hired Burlesque dancers to enhance attention on his Concord Sinata 2. After becoming acknowledged for his work someone told Ives over time, “I can tell its good music but it doesn’t sound very good” to which Ives replied “What,s sound got to do with music?”
Leo’s point on it was that its a privilege to be able to play and if you have a chance to play. You don’t get to pick where you play and if you want people to hear what your doing and can’t find a crowd hire a burlesque orchestra to get some clout. “I mean its a privilege all around that it ever even happens in any faint way for you…but if there are people that want to listen your stuck with a privilege beyond luck, it becomes a thing itself”
The audience chuckled as Kottke told them that he has played prisons, hospitals, schools and claimed they are all the same. For Kottke, The Center for the Arts in Homer counts as a 150 year old church gig. Leo admitted to playing a library opening in the past five years to a fellow musician friend due to his complaining that he has been subject to pizza parlor gigs. Defeat the pizza towers, “Play Anywhere,” Kottke told the crowd.
You also won’t find a setlist after Leo’s performance either. The same fashion in which he entered he chose to exit and play through the encore “So we could all leave at the same time.” He finished the show with the classic piece “Corrina,” walking off the stage with both guitars in hand. New York’s legendary Pete Seeger called Kottke “The Best 12 string player in the world.”
In December when Kottke returns to New York State with jamband giant Mike Gordon, expect the same kind of sharpness at the performance. Even though Leo has seen Phish on New Years Eve at Madison Square Garden, Mike Gordon recalled a tale from the road during their last tour when he put on a Grateful Dead jam to listen to in which Leo replied “OK, that’ll be enough of that.”
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
