NYS Music 202​2

Author: Jarron Childs

  • Frozen Fest 2022: State Champs return to Empire Live

    On December 10th, 2022 State Champs brought Frozen Fest back to Albany, NY with a packed lineup of pop-punk and alternative rock bands. For 5+ hours, Save Face, Between You & Me, Young Culture, Hunny, and headliner State Champs kept people on the feet and some surfing over the crowd at Empire Live.

    State Champs dropped their album, Kings of the New Age, back in February 2022. With the resurgence of pop-punk, the demand to see them live kept many of their fans anxious. A highly anticipated return to the stage was met in back in June at Albany’s first show for their 2022 Alive at 5 series. Then in August, State Champs announced their tour for their album for late fall of this year.

    The show opened with gothic rock band Save Face from New Jersey. Lead vocalist, Tyler Povanda, came out a stronger than expected. With the stage illuminated blood red, the entire band in red jump suits, and Povanda’s jerky movements, it gave the feeling more of a death metal concert… at a pop-punk show? Povanda did warm up the crowd eventually and they left with a warm cheer from the crowd.

    Save Face, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022, – Photo by Jarron Childs

    Between You & Me (BYAM) came all the way from Australia to join State Champs on their Kings of the New Age tour. No introduction was needed as they were an instant hit with the crowd. With a style similar to State Champs, the energy could easily be matched between the two. Their set was a rager from start to finish. Towards the end, vocalist Jake Wilson, and Tyler Povanda matched the energy of the crowd when they dragged their wired mics into the mosh pit seemingly against the advice of security.

    Between You & Me Bassist, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs

    Young Culture opened for State champs for their first 7 shows on tour and had to come back home to end the tour. They brought peace, love, and positivity to every single person in the room. Vocalist, Alex Magan, greeted crowd surfers at the barricade with a warm and infectious smile. Though their set was a bit shorter than expected, the energy felt light enough to float on for long after.

    Hunny was the last opening act for the night. Along with BYAM, they went the whole tour with State Champs. Hailing from the suburbs just outside of LA, their somewhat mellow indie-rock style flattened out the crowd before the main event. They had turned off the lights for the first half of their set which made you really have to just vibe with the music. Things were turned up towards the end with vocalist Jason Yarger strumming his guitar with his foot and laying on the ground out of pure exhaustion.

    Young Culture Vocalist Alex Magan, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs

    State Champs came out strong and did not let up. The crowd kept up with their energy as they sent a heavy stream of crowd surfers to barricade, over hauling the security for the rest of the night. With special guest appearances from Jake Wilson and their tour manager Colin Lorne, they brought out all the stops for their final show of their tour.

    Their 22-song setlist was mostly songs from their new album, Kings of the New Age, but also had certified bangers for their real fans including “Secrets,” “Elevated,” and “All You Are is History.” Vocalist Derek “Steez” Discanio and Bassist Ryan Scott Graham interacted well with the crowd, having them dancing and head banging for the whole night.

    Ryan Scott Graham of State Champs, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs

    Things were brought pretty low halfway through to do a 3 song acoustic set; including a solo stunt with Discanio strumming “Our Time To Go.” Hearts were clenched, hands were held, and bodies were swaying along as Steez belted his heart out on stage.

    The music was turned right back up after, making the last three songs feel like a distant memory. Derek Discanio celebrated 13 years of State Champs by releasing balloons onto the crowd. They played their last 5 songs hard and left to the crowd screaming for one more. They came back out and granted Empire Live with a 2-song encore. First their Christmas song “Ordinary Christmas,” then closed the night with their hit off their album, “Everybody But You.”

    Derek Discanio of State Champs, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs

    Steez and State Champs showed so much love to his home crowd and promised to bring another Frozen Fest next year. State Champs has had themselves a year and it looks like they plan to take a break and enjoy Christmas and the New Year.

    Save Face Setlist: Sharpen Your Teeth, Bad, Bury Me (Tonight!), Weak, A.M. Gothic, Glitter, Another Kill For The Highlight Reel

    Between You & Me Setlist: Butterflies, Supervillain, Overthinking, Goldfish, Go To Hell, Pleased to Meet You, Deadbeat, Dakota

    Young Culture Setlist: Not in Love, Hum, Kinda Over It, Party Girl, Whiskey, Drift, Different Now, Holiday in Vegas

    Hunny Setlist: JFK, Shy, Halloween, Saturday Night, A Slow Death In Pacific Standard Time, Loser, GHS, Vowels (And the Importance of Being Me), Everything Means Everything To Me, Homesick, Televised, Sports With Strangers, Lula, I’m Not Mad

    State Champs Setlist: Just Sound, Mine Is Gold, Eventually, Outta My Head, Criminal, Sundress, Frozen, Elevated, Half Empty, Crying Out Loud, If I’m Lucky, Our Time To Go, Fake it, All You Are Is History, Act Like That, Deadly Conversation, Hurry Up and Wait, Losing Myself, All or Nothing, Breaking Ground, Secrets

    State Champs Encore: Ordinary Christmas, Everybody But You

  • In Focus: ZZ Top at The Palace Theatre

    This past Friday, October 14 ZZ Top brought 50 years of Rock to Albany’s The Palace Theatre for the first time.

    Austin Meade from Austin, Texas opened for ZZ Top. Meade is an electric performer whose music has a very hard-rock feel. Known for his intensity on the drums and guitar, Meade currently has four rock albums. His latest effort — Abstract Art of an Unstable Mind — released on the day of the concert. Meade debuted a song off that album during his performance.

    Meade opened up to a warm reception at promptly 8 o’clock. His guitarists seemed to want to grab the crowd’s attention, playing with extra vigor whenever Meade approached center stage. Meade performed for about 30 minutes before ending with his hit single, “Happier Alone.” In this performance, he added in lyrics from Dua Lipa’s, “Don’t Start Now,” to end the song, and ending his set.

    An older crowd welcomed ZZ Top to Albany with a thunderous ovation. Everyone was on their feet as a new-look ZZ Top took the stage. Last year, lead bass player Dusty Hill died in his home in Houston at the age of 72. Before his passing, he wished for the band to go on. ZZ Top’s guitar tech, Elmwood Francis assumed the position. This was Albany’s first time seeing Francis rock out live on stage.

    There was not any mention of Dusty Hill during their hour and 15-minute set. The vibes were positive as Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top’s lead vocalist and guitarist, repeatedly asked “are y’all having a good time?” They played of their greatest hits from the last 5 decades including “Give Me All Your Lovin,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Brown Sugar,” and “Pearl Necklace.”

    ZZ Top had left the stage, but not a single person left the theatre. They returned quickly with sporting sparkling red jackets. They closed the show playing “La Grange” with fluffy white guitars and a barrage of bubbles.

    The ZZ Top tour continues in Port Chester, NY on October 18th at The Capitol Theatre. If you cannot catch them there, they have a strip of shows in Las Vegas from December 3rd-10th at The Venetian.

  • In Focus: Jimmy Eat World at Empire Live

    On Sept. 28 Jimmy Eat World came to Albany to say “Something Loud” to the people at Empire Live Albany.

    Jimmy Eat World is a rock band from Mesa, AZ that formed in 1993. Their most notable album, Bleed American, had jump-started them to fame with their most well-known song “The Middle.” Jimmy Eat World has been all over the alternative rock realm with songs that could be categorized as pop-punk, emo-pop, and punk-rock to just name a few. Their ability to continue to shift across rock has kept them relevant to fans young and old for the last 20+ years.

    The show opened with a last-minute addition rock band, Frankie and his Fingers from Kingston. They formed in 2004 when lead vocalist Frank McGinnis and guitarist Ryan Stoutenburgh found each other in college. Their latest album, Universal Hurt, dropped in March of 2021. They have an upcoming show in Woodstock on October 2nd.

    Frankie and his Fingers opened to a growing crowd of mid-20s-late 30-year-olds. They played their hearts out for about 30 minutes with warm applause from the crowd. Frank McGinnis’ energy on stage was very reflective of how excited the band was to be their opening for such a big name. After their set, the band waited by the merch station to greet fans and answer questions.

    By the time Jimmy Eat World took the stage, there was no standing room left. They opened strong with lead vocalists Jim Adkins taking hold of the mic and singing “Futures.” Throughout the set, the stage was consistently backlit with blinding lights that shined on beat with many of the intricate guitar strums. The crowd, who many probably have been following since 1995, sang the chorus of “Work” with Adkins and many other songs throughout their time on stage.

    Towards the end of an hour and half long set, Adkins prefaced their latest single and tour title “Something Loud” as a song about finding yourself in rock. An idea that has probably fueled Jimmy Eat World to continue to find new sounds in their music.

    They thanked their fans for coming and welcoming them back to New York. They closed with their hit, “The Middle.” The Something Loud tour continues in Ocean City, MD on Oct. 1, and a rescheduled show in Burlington, VT on Oct. 3.

    Jimmy Eat World Setlist: Intro/Futures, Pain, Bleed American, Big Casino, I Will Steal You Back, Praise, Congratulations, Let It Happen, Work, Blister, Sunday, Hear You Me, Sure and Certain, Rockstar, Something Loud, Denver, Sweetness, The Middle

  • In Focus: Josiah Johnson and The Sea The Sea at Takk House

    On Friday, September 23rd, 2022, Josiah Johnson gave a heart-felt performance at the Takk House in Troy.

    Josiah Johnson was originally part of the indie-folk band, The Head and The Heart band from 2009-2016. He left after his realization that his struggles with drug addiction needed to be put in check. After entering rehab and working on himself, Johnson came back to begin his solo career in 2020 with his album Every Feeling on a Loop. Today, he continues making indie-folk music with his most recently released song “You Had One Job.”

    This was not a typical show were guests showed up, saw their favorite artist perform, and then went home. Before the music, there was an all vegan, four course dinner catered by Meadow Lark. The artists and the guests shared a dinner between four tables in front of the stage. The dinner lasted two hours before the opening act.

    The Sea The Sea is an indie-folk pop duo out of Troy with Chuck E. Costa and Mira Costa have released three full-length albums. Their most recent album being Stumbling Home released in 2020. They are currently on tour with their next show being in New York City on September 27th.

    The Sea The Sea opened up the night to an audience of about 50 people. The local artists played an hour long set with a mix of released and unreleased songs. After a fan yelled asking were they could find ” I Recorded The Sound Of Rain For You,” Mira replied that most of their music could be found on Patreon. They were anecdotes before almost every song and lots of jokes about making their songs “25 years ago in 2020.” The anecdotes combined with their Indie-Folk style of music made it feel as though a story was being told. The duo ended the set be going to the middle of the room and singing their last two fans with members of the audience.

    The stories continued when Josiah Johnson came to the stage. He also gave the audience a brief history of how the preceding song came to be. He mentioned his struggles with rehab and relationships that gave his performance a different meaning. The audience was already mostly comprised of friends of the artists, but once it over, it felt as if everyone had known Josiah for 10 years. His intimate feeling set lasted for about an hour and also ended with him and violinist M’Gilvry Allen playing in the middle of the room. In this instance, The Sea The Sea joined them to close out the night.

    Josiah Johnson continues his tour with a show at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn on September 27.

    The Sea The Sea setlist: Restless Heart, Rainstorm, I’ll Be Loving You, I Recorded The Sound Of Rain For You, A Thousand Years, Everybody, Let Our Kites Fly, The Story That They Gave To Us, Not The Same As Goodbye, Stumbling Home, LWAWL, This Is The Way

    Josiah Johnson setlist: False Alarms, Warm, Nobody Knows, Honey Come Home, Woman, Futile Devices, Josh, Hello Hello, I Wish I Had

    Chuck E. Costa (left) and Mira Costa (right) of The Sea The Sea
    Chuck E. Costa performing at Takk House
    The Sea The Sea performing at Takk House
    Mira Costa performing at Takk House
    The Sea The Sea performing at Takk House
    The Sea The Sea performing at Takk House
    The Sea The Sea performing in the middle of the audience at Takk House
    Josiah Johnson performing at Takk House
    M’Gilvry Allen performing at Takk House
    Josiah Johnson performing at Takk House
    M’Gilvry Allen (left) and Josiah Johnson (right) performing at Takk House
    Josiah Johnson performing at Takk House
    Josiah Johnson and M’Gilvry Allen performing at Takk House
    The Sea The Sea and Josiah Johnson closing out their performance at Takk House
    M”Gilvry Allen hugging Mira Costa

  • Afropunk 2022: Black Cultural Festival Returns to Brooklyn

    After a 2 year hiatus due to COVID, Afropunk made its return home to Brooklyn at Commodore Barry Park. The long-awaited festival took place the weekend of Sept. 10-11 and featured headliners The Roots and Burna Boy. Keeping up with the times, the entire festival was live-streamed on Twitch for the entire weekend.

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    Ebonee Davis at Afropunk 2022

    The festival originated in Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2005. It was a free festival aimed at making a safe space for young black punks to be properly represented. As the festival grew bigger, the focus shifted from youth interested in punk to a wider array of music genres to grow a bigger audience. Today Afropunk is more than just a music festival. It is considered a celebration of black culture and art.

    There is a common stigma that black culture is monolithic. It is often that black artists who do not make traditional rap or R&B are still categorized in these genres or they may not even get a chance to have work played on mainstream radio. Afropunk offers the opportunity for artists who do not fit the norm to have a platform to display their work for what it is to members of their own community.

    afropunk 2022

    But Afropunk is more than just music. When you entered the gates, you walked right into markets set up on either side of the park. Both markets featured local art, fashion, and beauty services, mostly from black-owned businesses. There were also food vendors that offered many vegan and vegetarian options to accommodate all types of diets. There were 2 stages; the red stage was set up in the corner of the park, and the green stage was towards the back of the park. Behind the green stage, in a separate part of the park, featured what was called a “Wellness Village.” Services such as massages, yoga, meditation sessions, and djembe drum lessons were offered to festival goers.

    A Hot Start for a Highly Anticipated Return

    Saturday started off hot, but the outfits were even hotter. Going with the theme of Afro-centrism, fans came in stunting with their best Afro-centric inspired outfits. Many were homemade or altered articles of clothing that made every look unique. Fans traveled from all over the country to experience the festival.

    afropunk 2022

    The Red Stage featured a fashion show from Lavntg and an energetic performance from Rodney Chrome. Rodney Chrome had his mother in attendance and gave her a shout-out while performing. Chrome discussed with fans his struggles growing up as LGBTQ in Little Rock, AR.

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    Freedie Gibbs at Afropunk 2022

    The Red Stage was headlined by Freedie Gibbs who started his set about an hour late. With the ongoing tension between police and the black community, he had fans release that frustration by screaming “f-ck the police.” Gibbs’ DJ also played memes from Dr. Umar during the set that helped to break the tension from the crowd.

    Doechii Lives up to the Hype

    Bodies were moving all day on the Green Stage. Doechii delivered a highly anticipated and widely energetic performance. As part of this year’s XXL Freshman class, Doechii has a lot to live up to as one of this year’s up-and-coming rappers.

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    Doechii at Afropunk 2022

    There was no moment when Doechii was not moving during her performance. Her set started out by cleansing the stage of bad energy by burning sage. Only good vibes were shared from there on out between Doechii and her beloved fans. She evokes confidence from her fans and her audience. It was undeniable that Doechii and her dancers had full control of the crowd for those 45 minutes she was up there.

    afropunk 2022

    Her alternative rap style fused with a well-choreographed dance sequence made her one of the more memorable artists that took the stage on Saturday. Doechii also did take a moment to pay tribute to her mother by bringing her on stage. Doechii would come back later to perform a song with Isaiah Rashaad during his performance.

    The Roots Solidify a Strong End to Day 1

    The Roots closed out Saturday on the Green stage with an exhilarating performance. They played for at least an hour and a half and took no breaks. The band moved very fluently together and had smooth transitions between songs that made it feel as though you were listening to one song the whole time. The band’s unique rap style infused with jazz had the crowd grooving for the rest of the night.

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    The Roots lead vocalists, Black Thought, performing at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
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    The roots drummer, Quest Love, performing at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022

    Other notable acts on Saturday included Pawpaw Rod, Kah-Lo, BbyMutha, Tierra Whack, and Isaiah Rashad.

    An Alternative Start for Sunday

    Sunday was wet and muddy as it rained all day. The drastic weather change from the previous day did not stop people from showing up in droves. The theme shifted from mostly rap and R&B artists to alternative rock, rage rap, and afrobeat. On display were alternative forms of Afro-centric music that typically wouldn’t be heard on mainstream radio.

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    Bartees Strange at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022

    Notable acts for Sunday included Jany Green, Bartees Strange, Pink Sifu, Mick Jenkins, Adekunle Gold, Lucky Daye, and Earl Sweatshirt.

    Kaleta and Super Yamba Band bring Afro-funk to Afropunk

    The band centered around Afrobeat brought a little more than that to the Afropunk stage. Drawing inspiration from small bands in Nigeria and Ghana to large American music pioneers such as Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and The Who, the band offered listeners a unique version of Afrobeat all sung in the native language of Benin. Listening to their music, references to Afrofunk, American funk, and jazz could be heard.

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    Kaleta and Super Yamba Band at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022

    Kaleta has studied behind the pioneer behind Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, and toured with him throughout the 80s and 90s before coming over to America. In Brooklyn was where Kaleta united with the Super Yamba band. They released their debut album, Mèdaho, in 2019. They were playing their album across America and soon were going to start a European tour before the pandemic canceled everyone’s plans. They were not able to play together for 15 months.

    Sean Smith of the Yamba Band performing at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022

    Though Afropunk was not their first time playing together since quarantine, it was special playing on such a big stage in the place where they got their start. With such a unique blend of styles of music, Yamba Band Drummer, Daniel Yount, described their set as “bringing the Afrofunk to Afropunk.” From the James Brown-like grunts to the psychedelic guitar, to the Afrobeat of the drums, it is hard to really just put this band in just one category.

    They have a tour coming up starting in October that kicks off in Pittsboro, NC.

    Ambré Brings Light to a Dark Day

    The Grammy awarding winning artist Ambré took the Red stage on Sunday and showed the crowd that there was still fun to be had despite the rainy day. The New Orleans Native described her performance at Afropunk “as one of the best shows I’ve ever done.”

    “The energy in the crowd was amazing. Everyone still had fun despite the rain.”

    Ambré

    While on stage Ambré brought out her entourage who sprayed bubbles all over the stage. Her light and airy voice coupled with the bubbles floating around the stage lifted the spirits of her fans who probably were not expecting to be drenched all day. Ambré energy and charisma faired well in getting her fans to sing “I’m Baby” with her.

    Ambré at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022

    Ambré has a pretty impressive track record thus far in her career. Not only does she have a Grammy, but has had the chance to work with other artists including Khelani, 6LACK, and H.E.R. She continues to grow and learns from every show she does, offering something different at every show she performs. Ambré plans to release more music soon and put together her own tour.

    Fans Hold their Breath Before the End of Afropunk

    Afropunk closed out with headliner Burna Boy. He showed up half an hour late to his set, but fans waited patiently and anxiously in the rain for his performance. There was no announcement about him running late, but instead, his absence was filled by a word from Afropunk’s founder.

    Burna Boy did not disappoint as the crowd sang “Last Last” with him in the pouring rain. He played for about 10 mins past the scheduled set time. With the way the crowd was singing, it felt as if you were walking into a summertime block party.

    Afropunk’s long-awaited homecoming was worth the wait. It was built on the idea of highlighting artists who may not fit the norm for black music. This year continued the tradition of not only giving musical artists a platform but all kinds of black artists a chance to display to their community that black culture is not monolithic. Afropunk’s next installment moves to Bahia, Brasil for the weekend of Nov. 26 and 27.

    Adekunle Gold at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Ambré at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Ambré at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Bartees Strange at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    BbyMutha at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Doechii at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Doechii at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Doechii at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Earl Sweatshirt at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Freedie Gibbs at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Isaiah Rashad at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Jany Green at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Lavntg Fashion Show at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Ebonee Davis at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Kah Lo at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Lucky Daye at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Mick Jenkins at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Pawpaw Rod at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Rodney Chrome at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    The Roots Drummer, Quest Love, at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    The Roots lead vocals, Black Thought, at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    The Roots at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Tierra Whack at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Sean Smith of the Super Yamba Band performing at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
    Kaleta and the Super Yamba Band at Afropunk Brooklyn 2022

  • In Focus: Ballyhoo! at Alive at 5

    On Thursday, July 21, 2022, Albany’s 6th installment of Alive at 5 kicked off with The E-Block and Souly Had, opening up for headliners, Ballyhoo!. Facing an intense heat wave throughout the week in Albany, the show was moved to the Corning Boat Launch to shield guests from the sun.

    Souly Had at Alive at 5

    The E-Block is an upstate NY indie band composed of 5 musicians. They got their start around 2017 after playing in the garage of saxophonist, James Soren. The E-Block has been been popping up around the Capital Region the last few years; playing at local bars, SUNY Albany, and the Laundromat. They are a growing band that now can add Alive at 5 to their resumé.

    Souly Had is an r&b and hip hop artist also from the Capital Region. He went from doing covers of Amy Winehouse songs to signing a deal with Island Records in 2019. Souly Had’s single “Crush” did well on streaming platforms and “Maybe Not” took off on Tiktok. Both The E-Block and Souly Had have a collaborative performance at the Lost & Found on July 23rd.

    Left: Guitarist Sebastian Right: Bassist Nick Lucera

    The pop reggae rock group Ballyhoo! from Aberdeen, MD seemingly brought the heat with them on stage. With their beach-rock style, they made the middle aged crowd feel like they were on the boardwalk. With temperatures in the mid 90s, it was reasonable to see the crowd spaced out and enjoying the vibe. The vocals were not that great for most of the set, so all the audience had to go off of was the beat. Towards the end of their performance, the vibe shifted from chill beach-rock to pop-punk. There was lots of head banging, standing on amps, and hand waving that really brought excitement for the audience. They left pretty abruptly leaving the crowd confused. There were weak screams for an encore coming from the back that Ballyhoo! did answer.

    Ballyhoo! is preparing to go on tour with alternative hip-hop artist, Shwayze, starting August 2nd in Indianapolis. Before that show, they are preforming at Reggae Rise Up festival in Maryland on July 31st.

    Ballyhoo! Set List: Cerveza, Destroy Me, Girls, MD Summer, Middle Finger, This Chick is Wack, Social Drinker, Cali King, Front Porch, Message, I Don’t Wanna Go, Dark Sunglasses, The Fool, Cali Girl, Burrito, Struggle, Blaze This Weed, Scarlet Blue, Walk Away, Mind Over Matter, Jameson, Mixtape; Encore: Panama

  • In Focus: Talib Kweli at Alive at 5

    Real hip-hop was on display at the latest Alive at 5 in Albany on Thursday, July 7. Talib Kweli, one-half of hip-hop duo Black Star, was greeted to a warm reception on Thursday. Kweli’s large audience consisted of many who probably grew up listening to 90s styled hip-hop/rap. Backed by the band, The Whiskey Boys, many were brought to the feet with the versatile range of music on stage.

    Talib Kweli

    Not only was hip-hop on the menu this evening, there was also a fair amount of R&B and jazz performed. Kweli made time to demonstrate the complexity of each instrument on stage with solo performances. He also interacted with the crowd by not only playing some of his hits, but in paying tribute to Biz Markie, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and DMX. The show brought a lot of nostalgia and history to a multi-generational audience.

    Talib Kweli was preceded by DJ Siroc and DJ TGIF. DJ Siroc played a nice set of songs, ranging with many hits from the 90s and early 2000’s. DJ TGIF was introduced by Mayor Kathy Sheehan, as he is one of Albany’s own. He kept to the unofficial theme with a set consisting of hits from Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest, and DMX. A dance battle broke out during the end of DJ TGIF’s set that lead well into the excitement for Talib Kweli.

    If you were not able to catch Talib Kweli, his next performance will be at the Blue Note in Manhattan on July 12th.

    Alive at Five returns on July 14 with Cassadee Pope featuring Sydney Worthley opening the show.

    Talib Kweli
    Talib Kweli
    Talib Kweli
    Talib Kweli
    Talib Kweli
    Talib Kweli
    Talib Kweli
    Talib Kweli

  • In Focus: Black Sabbitch at Empire Live

    On Friday, June 24th, a rock themed night kicked off with Battleaxxx and closed out with cover band Black Sabbitch at Empire Live.

    Battleaxxx is an all female rock band originally from the Capital Region. They are a fairly new band emerging from the Capital Region. They have played a few shows in and around Albany, including at The Lost & Found on August 28th, 20221. This show, however, was their first time performing at Empire Live. They released their debut album Adequate in March of 2021. Battleaxxx has upcoming show at Rare Form Brewing Company in Troy on July 5th.

    Keeping on theme with women-lead rock, Black Sabbitch is an all female cover band from Los Angeles. They have been doing covers of Black Sabbith songs since 2011. To validate this band position as the Black Sabbith cover band, they were hand picked by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne to open Ozzfest. Black Sabbitch was originally supposed to perform at Empire Live back in January 2022. Due to COVID surge, that show was postponed; and their next show in May was postponed due to a band member getting COVID ironically. The road to get to Albany was long, but they made it. Their summer tour ends in NYC on June 25th at the Iridium.

    Battleaxxx kicked off the show with a growing crowd of about 30-40 people. Their opening song did not grab the attention of the audience, but their song “Slut,” did bring smiles and laughter. If the song was meant to be funny, it was, as people of varying ages applauded the band for calling their mom a slut. The lights did go out during their last song, but it did not stop the music. Battleaxxx’s set lasted for about 30 minutes and they received a warm applause as they left the stage.

    The crowd did fill up to maybe about 100 or so people by the time Black Sabbitch took the stage. The audience was filled with a lot of seemingly empty nesters who were probably trying to relive the songs of their youth. A mosh pit of about 3 people did break out at a point, but did not last very long. During the guitar solos, you could see many people in the crowd reach up and out; banging their fist to the beat, resignating which each cord that was struck. A fire alarm did interrupt the set for about 20 mins, as well as a flood both in the dressing room and in the pit to stage left. They came back on stage, brought the crowd down low with Changes, and left on high with the Black Sabbith hit, “Sabbra Cadabra.”

    Black Sabbitch did come back out for a one song encore after pump faking an exit with the dressing room door. If you are not able to catch Black Sabbitch in NYC, you can see them at the Psycho Las Vegas Festival on August 20th before they leave the states for their UK tour.

    Battleaxxx Set List: Aqua, Eyes, Sex Boys, Biz, Slut, Holy, Oh Yeah, SWTB, Head, Discharge, Top Shelf

    Black Sabbitch Set List: War, The Wizard, N.I.B., Sweet Leaf, Tomorrow’s Dream, Lord of the World, Solitude, Supernaut, Into the Void, Cornucopia, Wheels of Confusion, Changes, Snowblind, Sabbra Cadabra; Encore Song: Children of the Grave

  • In Focus: Young Culture and State Champs at Alive at 5

    On Thursday, June 9th, 2022, Albany’s first Alive at 5 show of the year opened with Alternative/Indie rock band Young Culture and closed out with Pop-punk band State Champs. The show was moved to the rain location at Corning Perserve Boat Launch after rain was in the forecast. The sun was shining bright, however, for a high energy performance with crowd surfers just as high.

    Both bands are originally from the Capital Region whose music might bring out feelings that a typical high schooler would have from their crush. Both bands share an alternative rock style that a teenager going through a break up could bop their head to. After many years of success, they decided to come back home to open the Alive at 5 series.

    Young Culture started in Albany in 2016, and quickly blew up after the release of their EP “(This is) Heaven.” Young Culture performed at Empire Live back in November of 2021 for Grayscale’s Umbra Tour. Young Culture is gearing up for a summer tour titled, Into the Raging Sea with Broadside. State Champs also performed at Empire Live as the head liners for Frozen Fest. This was the release show for State Champs’ new album, Kings of a New Age.

    Alive at 5 could not chose two better bands to open the series. Young Culture’s lead vocalist, Alex Magan connected with the young crowd with “Kinda Over You,” a song he said was about his ex-girlfriend in high school. That song, along with “Laylo,” helped the young crowd to mellow out for a short bit and connect with the band on a more personal level. Both songs where about a love that did not last, a theme that resonated well with the audience.

    They left on a high note with “Party Girl” and “Holiday in Vegas.” Alex stood on equipment boxes in the pit to grab the hands of those crowd surfing. There was a long of head banging from other members of the band along with the crowd. They thanked Albany for inviting them back home.

    Representatives from In Our Own Voices and the Capital Pride Center came out with Kathy Sheehan, the Mayor of Albany and Sam Mills, Albany’s 2022 Tulip Queen. They all gave a brief speeches about upcoming pride events in the Capital Region.

    State Champs brought energy back up when they opened with “Here to Stay.” The band tried to remind everyone that Alive at 5 was supposed to be a family fun event, but then performed “Everybody But You,” one of their hit songs with the F-word emphasized in the chorus. Members of the band stood on the equipment boxes to greet crowd surfers during the set. The crowd surfing was constant by mostly young people. It was evident that the crowd may have been getting tired of the surfing as many surfers were being thrown to the barricade towards the end. The most pit opened twice, first for a circle mosh ad the second time for a traditional mosh.

    It was a great performance from State Champs, that lasted over an hour. They answered cheers for an encore with two songs. They have a tour lined up for Sad Summer Fest starting in July. The festival comes to New York on July 22nd at Pier 17.

    Young Culture Setlist: Bloodthin, Better Off as Friends, Hum, Godspeed, Kinda Over it, HB16, Fantasy, Laylo, Shiver, 21 Days, Drift, Party Girl, Holiday in Vegas

    State Champs Setlist: Here to Stay, Eventually, Frozen, Outta My Head, Hard to Please, Mine is Gold, Act Like That, Simple Existence, Remedy, Easy Enough, Criminal, Just Sound, Losing Myself, Slow Burn, History, Everybody But You, Dead and Gone, Elevated, Secrets