NYS Music 202​1

Tag: folk-rock

  • Mt. Joy Blend Folk and Psychedelic Rock at Asbury Hall in Buffalo

    Rolling Stone’s “new folk-rock heroes” Mt Joy stopped in Buffalo for their Fall 2021 tour on December 6. 

    Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty

    Amy Allen opened up the show at Asbury Hall with eloquent vocals paired with her emo song writing skills. Her past work writing alongside Harry Styles, Halsey, and more has built her reputation, but her additional ability to captivate the crowd stood out greatly. She performed a couple of her hits such as “Tom Brady,” and “A Woman’s World.” Allen and her guitarist Griffin were the perfect duo for creating the appropriate ambience before Mt. Joy took the stage. 

    Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty

    From the back of the pit to the sides of the balcony had so many people pumped for Mt. Joy. Even Buffalo Bills fans came out during game day to see the folklore legends. The energy for the Bills transcended across the band members and the crowd while chants spread through the venue. Mt. Joy consists of members Matt Quinn (singer/guitarist), Sam Cooper (guitarist), Michael Byrnes (bassist), Sotiris Eliopoulos (drummer), and Jackie Miclau (keyboardist). 

    The group got together for their iconic sophomore album Rearrange Us which gave them major breakthroughs and achieved new records. Their new work had high expectations following their 2018 masterpiece, but it did not disappoint. Crowd favorites proved to be “Acrobats,” “Let Loose,” and “Strangers.” These newer works brought a sense of psychedelic reflection to Quinn’s poetic words. 

    Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty

    Mt. Joy still goes back to their folk-stomp roots though with singles “Sheep,” and “Jenny Jenkins.” These classics create an atmosphere that is particularly resonate with the youth in an age of chasing one’s dreams while simultaneously adjusting to the turbulence of getting older. Of course, this group finished off the night with their #1 hit on the AAA Radio Charts, “Silver Lining.”   

    Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty

    Make sure to check out upcoming shows at Asbury Hall at Babeville Buffalo. Tig Notaro takes over the venue on January 15 and Brian Fallon performs on January 16. 

    Setlist: Acrobats, Strangers, I’m Your Wreck, Let Loose, Phenomenon, Sheep, Jenny Jenkins, Lemon Tree, Cardinal, Astrovan, Mt. Joy, Every Holiday, Evergreen, Julia 

    Encore: Bug Eyes, Silver Lining

    Photos by Maddie McCafferty

  • Esquela Releases Fully Remote Produced New Album “A Sign From God”

    Based in Bovina, NY, Esquela released their fifth studio album A Sign From God on June 25th. The album features 10 tracks, produced by Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, and was recorded entirely remotely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic which prevented members from getting together to record during the Spring and Summer of 2020.

    Esquela
    Esquela, via bandsintown.com

    Over the course of several months, Finn wrote all the songs on the record, except the final track, “Wait For Me” which utilized a poem by Konstantin Simonov and was arranged musically by Becca Frame and Brian Shafer. He then sent bits of songs to Roscoe, involving Keith Christopher on bass, Brian Shafer on guitar, Becca Frame on vocals and Matt Woodin on guitars and mandolin, and Mike Ricciardi on drums with the audio engineering accompaniment of Jeff Stachyra. Their individual parts were woven together by their brilliant engineer, spinning a 70’s style overdub in a completely remote 2020 world.

    Once the reality of COVID 19 hit us, nobody knew what was going to happen and for how long our normal routines would be disrupted. Since I was homebound for the duration – I decided that I should get my home recording studio up and running again. After weeks of technical frustration– I was finally able to get my home setup cobbled together with a Universal Audio Apollo interface and my MacBook, using Protools recording software.

    Bandleader John “Chico” Finn

    Amidst a race war and global pandemic, the album captures the cultural conversation surrounding the time, including addressing sensitive topics that unfolded during the year like racism, sexual assault and climate change. The first track on the album, which premiered ahead of the others, addresses climate change and humanity’s impact on Earth. “Not In My Backyard” was inspired by a conversation that transpired between Finn and a friend about fracking in West Virginia. Between the rhythmic guitar riffs and pulsing drum beat, a larger message lies at the core of the song.

    The bottom line is that energy is cheap right now…in order for the climate to improve will mean people will have to pay more for their energy source, and I am afraid it won’t happen anytime soon, sad to say.

    John “Chico” Finn

    Premiering as Esquela’s first album since 2017, the band chose to tackle pressing issues about the world, spreading a message while telling a narrative throughout each song. The last song, “Wait For Me,” has a more stripped sonic atmosphere with soft acoustic guitar and less processed vocals. The song tells the story of Konstantin Simonov and a poem he wrote as a homesick Russian soldier during World War II. Esquela uses the poem as a vessel to acknowledge racism in the deep South, much like the French village of Oradour Sur Glane destroyed by Nazis within the poem.

    Esquela

    With Esquela, challenge brings creativity. The album is a true testament that challenge breeds creativity amidst the pandemic. Even prevented from taking a band photo all together for the cover art, they crafted a creative solution to replicate images of them in a fun illustration pictured below. While COVID-19 forced the members to send over the tracks individually, the cohesiveness of these tracks expands beyond Roscoe’s phenomenal work as a producer. These songs tell a narrative about what we need to change as a society in 2020 (and now, its roots have spread into 2021).

    The album is now available on Bandcamp or Spotify, with a music video for “Not In My Backyard” on Youtube.