In mid-March 1992, Greg Bell and Dale Metzger set up the first of many shows at Victory Café in downtown Albany with a band that would soon name themselves MotherJudge and the Urban Holiness Society. No one remembers the exact date of that show, but a few weeks later Bell and Metzger, calling themselves “Two Fools Present,“ put on another show at the Masons Hall on lower Madison Ave. on April 2, 1992.
Greg Bell
The bands that performed that night were The Sharks, Hard Times, MotherJudge, and Brian Kenny and Friends. Those two shows kicked off a career in music promotion that has now entered its 30th year. In 1993, Bell joined forces with Jeff Guthrie and formed Guthrie/Bell Productions. Guthrie left the business after a few years but Bell continues to use the name today. As of January 2022, Bell took on Kim Neaton as his partner.
Three shows announced this week feature a range of acts that have been important to both Greg Bell and the local music scene over the last three decades.
Eastbound Jesus
March 25th
Three bands that encapsulate the greater Albany jam sound features ‘Northern Rock‘ group Eastbound Jesus, rising jam band Glass Pony, and jam rock band Wreckloose – The Cohoes Music Hall – Doors at 7pm, Music at 7:30pm
April 9th
For the first time in 33 years, The Sharks will reunite with 6 of the 7 original members (Tom D’Ambrose passed away in 2019) and the first time in 21 years since the remaining 5 members played together for a show. Johnny Rabb and The Jailhouse Rockers with special guests will open the show.
The Sharks w/ Johnny Rabb and the Jailhouse Rockers – The Hollow – Doors at 7pm, Music at 8pm .
Vinnie Amico, Rob Derhak, Al Schnier
April 23rd
On this night fans will be treated to a show they might have stumbled across at Valentine’s in the early-mid 90s. DAS Trio (featuring Rob Derhak, Vinnie Amico, and Al Schnier), The Seapods, Conehead Buddha, Dr. Jah and the Love Prophets – Empire Live – Doors at 6:30pm, Music at 7pm
Phish will head out on a massive 34-date 2022 Spring and Summer Tour, kicking off Memorial Day Weekend in Alabama, and including their first four-night run at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado over Labor Day. Phish will also play a pair of two-night runs in New York, with shows at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts over July 22-23, and at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on July 26-27.
Phish last performed at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in May of 2011, with three memorable shows including an incredible soundcheck of “Waves.”
Phish are no strangers to Jones Beach, having performed there 14 times since 1992, including opening up for Santana at the fabled Long Island venue. Read our look back at the two-night run at Jones Beach in 1995.
A ticket request period is currently underway at tickets.phish.com and will end on Friday, February 25th at Noon ET. Tickets go on sale to the public beginning Friday, March 4th (continuing Saturday). Specific ticketing information for each show is available at phish.com/tours.
Travel Packages will be offered in Bethel, Atlantic City, East Troy, and Commerce City. All packages include concert tickets and local hotel accommodations and go on sale Thursday, March 3rd beginning at 10AM ET. The Atlantic City shows will again offer a special Foundation Ticket that includes early admission, a dedicated viewing area, a Foundation lounge and bar, and early access to merchandise. A portion of proceeds from each Foundation Ticket will benefit the WaterWheel Foundation, celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2022. For full details and pricing click here.
Phish will take to the stage later this month with Phish: Riviera Maya set for February 24-27 and April will see Phish return to Madison Square Garden in New York City for their rescheduled four-night NYE run now taking place April 20-23, including a three-set show on April 22.
Phish Spring and Summer 2022 Tour Dates
5/27 The Wharf Amphitheater, Orange Beach, AL 5/28 The Wharf Amphitheater, Orange Beach, AL 5/29 The Wharf Amphitheater, Orange Beach, AL 5/31 Credit One Stadium, Charleston, SC 6/1 Credit One Stadium, Charleston, SC 6/3 Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, IN 6/4 Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, IN 6/5 Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, IN 7/14 Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA 7/15 Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA 7/16 Maine Savings Amphitheater, Bangor, ME 7/19 TD Pavilion at the Mann, Philadelphia, PA 7/20 TD Pavilion at the Mann, Philadelphia, PA 7/22 Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY 7/23 Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY 7/24 Xfinity Theatre, Hartford, CT 7/26 Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY 7/27 Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY 7/29 Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, Raleigh, NC 7/30 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD 7/31 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD 8/2 Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 8/3 Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI 8/5 Atlantic City Beach, Atlantic City, NJ 8/6 Atlantic City Beach, Atlantic City, NJ 8/7 Atlantic City Beach, Atlantic City, NJ 8/10 Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON 8/12 Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI 8/13 Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI 8/14 Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI 9/1 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO 9/2 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO 9/3 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO 9/4 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO
Each year, hundreds of local musicians and members of the Syracuse music community attend the SAMMYS, an annual celebration of the Syracuse music scene, celebrated since 1993. This week, the nominations for the 2022 SAMMY Awards in a variety of categories were announced, along with Hall of Fame nominees who make up the rich history of CNY.
SAMMY awards are given based on the judgement of submissions sent to the SAMMYS Board by musicians in Syracuse and the surrounding area. This year, 161 artists submitted 171 recordings, which were then reviewed by an independent panel of music industry professionals and educators from around the country, led by James Abbott.
The awards show will feature performances by Jon Rogalia & The Swamp Boys, Letizia, The Real RAW Breed, and Tom Kenny & The Hi-Seas. In addition to these performances, awards will be presented in 11 recording categories, as well as the People’s Choice awards for Best Artist or Band, Best Event or Music Series, Best Academic or Musical Organization, and Best Venue. The Brian Bourke award sponsored by CNYAlive.com for Best New Artist will also be announced. As in the past, this year’s Best New Artist will receive six hours of recording time from SubCat Studios.
Fans can join the SAMMYs action by participating in the annual People’s Choice vote, in each of four categories: Artist or Band, Event or Music Series, Academic or Musical Organization, and Venue. Voting is free, open to the public and continues through February 28 here.
The 2022 SAMMY Awards nominees are:
BEST JAZZ
• Bob Holz – Live in New York And L.A.
• Chuck Lamb & Peter Mack – Exit 33
• E.S.P. – Ready or Not
• The Pietra Group – People Chain
BEST AMERICANA
• The Dirty Doves – Pure & Simple
• Gegorge Mann – A World Like This
• Harmonic Dirt – Rhode Island Street
• Len Widdekind – Highway of Time
• Nashua Robb – Sunroom Sessions: About Time
• The Ripcords – Unmasked
BEST JAM BAND
• Count Blastula – Strange Mutations
• Ramshki Alley – Ramshki Alley
BEST POP
• AK Kastro – College Rd.
• Coral Blue – Paris is Burning
• The Jess Novak Band – A Thousand Lives
• River Westin – Candy Cigarettes
• Stoyan – Cancel Me
BEST HARD ROCK
• Gainer – Cold Case
• Less Than Hate – Less Than Hate
• Unwanted Ghosts – The End is a Gift
• Void Emperor – Void Emperor
BEST R&B • Anna Shelay – Unlinkable
• Diana Jacobs Band – Love Each Other, Love Our World
• Free Boody Institute – Myths, Legends & The Hard Truth
• Lamar Lamb – Love & Pain
BEST ROCK
• Anna Shelay – Unlinkable
• Diana Jacobs Band – Love Each Other, Love Our World
• Free Boody Institute – Myths, Legends & The Hard Truth
• Lamar Lamb – Love & Pain
BEST ALTERNATIVE
• The Leaps – Spinning the Wheels
• Mike Gibson – Feb6: Grief & Nonsense
• Outside Voices – Grind
• Trauma Cat – Prepare to Apologize
BEST OTHER STYLE
• Alex Seubert – Works from Space
• Asael – Moment
• Fritz’s Polka Band – The Hands of Time
• Jeff Tripoli – Rhythm Cadence for the New Renaissance
• Paul Davie – Half and Half
• Everneau – Revolution
• Jeff Gordon – Local Boy
• McWray – Thunderin
• Not Robots! – Not Robots
• Steve Romer – Slow Demise
• Tommy Gunn – Chulo
BEST HIP-HOP OR RAP
• Christenelle Diroc – In Our Crystal Castle
• Coughlin – Miles
• Exoticz – For the Love of Music
• VinnyVeg – 1104 Vol. 2 The Leader Of Real Shhh
BEST COUNTRY
• Jon Rogalia – Twenty Eight
• Whiskey Hollow Rush – Torn Up from the Corn Up
The SAMMY’s Awards Show will be held on Friday, March 4, 2022 at the Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater at 7:00pm. Tickets are $25 and will be available at ticketmaster.com. Online streaming of the event will also be available for $15.
The 2022 SAMMY Hall of Fame Inductees
The SAMMY Hall of Fame honors esteemed individuals with roots to the Syracuse Community, who have throughout their careers, advanced to the top of their fields.
RUSS TARBY
Russ Tarby has been covering entertainment, music and more in Central New York since the 1970s. Tarby was raised in Liverpool and graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in 1970. He wrote for college newspapers at both SUNY Oswego and at Indiana University. From 1969 to 1999 Tarby worked as a production assistant at WCNY, operating camera on productions such as the “Bluegrass Ramble Barn Dance,” “All-American Jazz” and the annual New York State Marching Band Competition. His reviews and features have appeared in publications such as The Syncopated Times, the Village Voice, Buffalo Beat, Metroland (Albany) and the Ithaca Times. In 2000, he was named music writer of the year for weeklies by the International Association of Alternative Newsweeklies.
In the 1980s, he worked as a freelance contributor for the Post-Standard reviewing concerts. The zenith of each year was covering the New York State Fair, for which he would write two reviews daily – one for the free afternoon show and another for that evening’s Grandstand headliner. He served as music and books editor for the Syracuse New Times for 12 years. While at the New Times, Tarby served on the steering committees that founded the Syracuse Area Music Awards. He also collaborated on the Horns-a-Plenty project, putting instruments into the hands of disadvantaged students, and inner-city music education projects.
Tarby has interviewed and profiled dozens of local and national artists including Benny Mardones, B.B. King, Roosevelt Dean and Joanne Shenandoah. Tarby has also been the recipient of several Syracuse Press Club awards for his reviews and profiles. More recently, Tarby has been writing a weekly column for the Star-Review, “Livin’ in Liverpool.” He has devoted time to booking and emceeing concerts in Liverpool and has acted as program director for the ‘Liverpool is the Place’ Summer Concert Series since 2002.
ROBERT TOUSIGNANT
Robert “Bobby T.” Tousignant, aka Bob Avery, started playing drums at the age of 10 years. He has now been playing for 65 years. As a performer, Bobby T. saw chart success as a member of The Music Explosion, who had a hit in 1967 with “Little Bit O Soul.” The song was originally released by the band The Little Darlings in the UK in 1965. The Music Explosion’s version reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967 and went on to sell 5.5 million copies. The song went on to be covered by The Ramones.
Following his tenure with The Music Explosion, Bobby T joined the New York-based Crazy Elephant in 1969, scoring at number 12 Billboard hit with the song, “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’.” Bobby T has toured with Gene Pitney, The Easy Beats, The Happenings, and The Buckinghams. He has also performed with Joe Walsh’s James Gang, Graham Nash with The Hollies, The 5th Dimension, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Deep Purple, and the Mysterians and the bubblegum pop groups, the 1910 Fruitgum Company and Ohio Express.
Most recently, Bobby has performed with the Nate Gross Band and has opened for Poppa Chubby, Samantha Fish, Amy Helm, Joe Louis Walker, Elvin Bishop and Walter Trout, Tommy Castro, and Grammy winners Jason Ricci and J.J. Appleton.
LOS BLANCOS
Los Blancos is a barnstorming, roots n blues band from Syracuse, spending the last 26 years creating miles of smiles while careening between genres and styles. The band formed organically in 1996 at an open mic night at The Inn Complete, the SU graduate student bar. Guitarist Colin Aberdeen, bassist Steven T. Winston, guitarist Jose Alvarez and drummer Paul Roehrig, musicians from different backgrounds convened as the first incarnation of Los Blancos.
The band picked up regular work based upon cool grooves, warm vocals and hot playing, culminating in the release of its first record, ‘For Sale By Owner,’ on Dr. K records. Subsequent personnel changes included the addition of keyboardist Mark Nanni; Roehrig’s departure; the addition of drummer Garnett Grimm and Alvarez’s return to Mexico after the band’s second release, ‘Special Blend.’ Los Blancos evolved in response to these changes, in roughly 2003, with the addition of top-tier drummer Mark Tiffault.
Winston is the anchor for the group. His gift for capturing the essence of a multitude of musical styles has been the lynch pin around which Los Blancos has explored. Aberdeen, the emcee since inception, fuels the party with ribald one-liners and a background in early acoustic delta and country blues, giving his electric ensemble playing its unique qualities. In 2017, the band became a three-piece of Aberdeen, Winston and Tiffault, featuring a floating fourth chair, which allowed for the inclusion of many musicians.
They have played every type of event, primarily as the soundtrack to people’s lives. Their music has been used as bumper music on The Tony Kornheiser show, as advertisement music, and on adult film soundtracks. Los Blancos played on two of Grammy-winner Alvarez’s releases, ‘Diggin In’ and ‘Tomorrow and the Next Day,’ which featured Terrence Simien, the bandleader with whom he received those Grammys.
JEFF STOCKHAM
Multi-instrumentalist Jeff Stockham is well known to Upstate New York music fans. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and a veteran of the renowned Eastman Jazz Ensemble. His performance credits read like a Who’s Who of the upstate music scene. He has performed with numerous Central New York musicians, including the Central New York Jazz Orchestra, Salt City Jazz Collective, the Stan Colella Orchestra, DeSantis Orchestra, The Fabulous Ripcords, Second Line Syracuse, The Blacklites, The Destination, Little Georgie & the Shufflin’ Hungarians, Larry Arlotta, the Syracuse University Brass Ensemble, and Syracuse Symphony.
He has backed up numerous national artists and has been a member of the orchestra for the national touring company of “Les Miserables.” He has toured Europe and Africa with blues guitarist Jimmy Johnson. Jeff is also one of the few musicians worldwide to play jazz on the French horn. He was a Featured Artist at the 2016 International Horn Symposium at Ithaca College. He is a trumpeter and French hornist in Thelonius Monk Jr.’s “Monk on Monk” big band, which has toured Europe, Israel, and the United States several times.
He is the leader and solo E-flat cornetist of the SAMMY-award-winning the recreated Civil War Excelsior Cornet Band, and is solo E-flat cornetist of the 47th PA Regimental Band, President Lincoln’s Own Band (appearing in the Steven Spielberg film “Lincoln”), the Federal City Brass Band (appearing in the Emmy-winning Netflix series “House of Cards”), and was a historical consultant and performer in several other films. He was formerly Instructor of Jazz Trumpet at Hamilton College, LeMoyne College, and Colgate University, Visiting Lecturer of Trumpet at Cornell University, and was Instructor of French Horn and Jazz Trumpet at Syracuse University. He is an avid collector of antique brass instruments, with over two hundred in his collection.
J. AVERY HEAD – MUSIC EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR
J. Avery Head was introduced to bagpiping while in 10th grade. He had already played piano and French horn. His best friend in band, Ron Smallman, also played bagpipes. Ron taught Avery and he joined the Balmoral Highlanders of Syracuse. Ron and the band’s Pipe Major, Tom Hinchey were both excellent and demanding players and taught Avery to play quite well. After graduation, he attended the College of Wooster, in Wooster, OH, where pipers often led the band. There, under the auspices of band director, Stuart Ling, Avery led the group and established a program to teach pipes to students. The band grew from five pipers to 12 by the time he graduated. During one of his summer breaks, Avery joined Tom Hinchey and played with the Clan MacFarlane Pipe Band of St. Catherines, ON, one of Canada’s most prestigious bands.
Avery attended the University of Cincinnati where he earned a Master’s of Science in Chemistry, eventually landing a job with Dow Chemicals in Midland, MI. It was there where he met his wife Beth while playing for a community theater production of “Brigadoon.” After three years of teaching high school chemistry in Cleveland, Avery sought a new position, landing him here at Liverpool High School where he taught for 30 years. Upon arrival, he became involved with the Syracuse Scottish Pipe Band and elected Pipe Major within six weeks. He has been directing the band ever since (1974). Over the years, he has taught a number of noteworthy players and has competed in solo competitions, earning a number of medals.
Avery has always strived for his bands to be competitive. They compete each year in locations throughout the Northeast and Canada, performing in many different venues, including a Rod Stewart concert, hockey games, baseball games, the Empire State Games, the Lockerbie Memorial, graduations, and many parades.
TOM KENNY – LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Tom Kenny & The Hi-Seas are a Los Angeles-based Rock n Roll/ Soul /R&B band that “brings the party” wherever and whenever they perform. They are the embodiment of no-holds-barred, all-in rocknroll. Simply put, their mission statement can be summed up as follows: “Hey, let’s have as much fun as humanly possible!” Drawing on influences ranging from Sam Cooke to The Shangri-Las to The Righteous Brothers, their rockers cause dance floor mayhem and their soulful ballads induce swooning. There’s no doubt that you and your socks will part company once you experience Tom Kenny & The Hi-Seas.
The band’s manic frontman is Tom Kenny. Tom is the highly regarded voice actor behind the immortal “SpongeBob SquarePants”, The Ice King from “Adventure Time”, many voices on “Rick and Morty”, and literally hundreds of other animated characters. He won an Emmy in 2018 for outstanding contributions to an animated program. Tom Kenny began as a standup comedian and on-camera actor where he quickly started to notch up appearances from Late Night with David Letterman to Conan O’Brien, and the Drew Carey Show. He played the evil Binky the Clown in the cult classic Shakes the Clown.
Tom’s has hundreds of voice credits his first VO role was Heffer on the classic Nicktoon Rocko’s Modern Life. A sample of his credits include: Powerpuff girls, Adventure Time, Dexter laboratory, Ultimate Spiderman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and Catdog.
Kenny is probably most well known as the voice of an icurably optimistic sea sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea SpongeBob SquarePants. He has been the recipient of two Annie awards for his voice work on SpongeBob Square Pants and as the Ice King in Adventure Time. Also receiving an Emmy for SpongeBob in 2018.
The Hall of Fame Induction dinner will be Thursday, March 3, Upstairs at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que from 7-10pm. The list of inductees and bios are available on pages 5-11 of this packet. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at syracuseareamusic.com/tickets. Free online streaming of the event will also be available.
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, Thom Powers and Friends, Sly Fox & the Hustlers, Thanks!, and many more!
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.
Sly Fox and The Hustlers – “ Find Someone”
John Popper of Blues Traveler called Sly Fox and the Hustlers, “one of the best bands I’ve seen in a long time!” The band has shared stages with Popper’s Blues Traveler, SmashMouth, Robin Trower and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, among others. The Hustlers have also been a mainstay at festivals and music events across the Northeast, including Alive @ 5, the Americade Bike Fest, Movefest and the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, to name a few. The band will be releasing their third full-length album on 2-2-22.
Thom Powers & Friends – “RollerCoaster Show”
Thom Powers and Friends was established in the Summer of 2021 and consists of Thom Powers as lead vocals, rhythm guitar, Andy Doonan on bass, Andy Mollica on lead guitar, Tony Califano on keys, and Darryl Kniffen on Drums. These guys love rock and roll and love to play music – original music and their take on cover tunes.
Thanks! – “I choose You”
Thanks! has released “I Choose You,” their second single off their upcoming album, You’re Welcome on February 11th. The upcoming album that will be released in the summer of 2022 is the band’s first full-length album.
“I Choose You” was inspired by the special people in our lives. The ones we want to laugh with, cry with and most importantly, dance with. This is a celebration of how those people make us feel and how in a sea of a billion fish, we would choose them over and over again.
Club d’Elf will release their third studio full-length album, You Never Know, on April 1. They’ll team up with John Medeski that night at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock to celebrate the release of You Never Know, and perform with the band the next night at DROM in the East Village on April 2.
You Never Know is a double album with 10 tracks with the sound of musicians in full improvisational flight. For Mike Rivard, head Elf and sole constant member over the collective’s 24 year run, the meaning of You Never Know runs deeper than just the chase of an alchemic group-mind.
A few years back, while tracking spiritual insight in the deep-Amazon, Rivard began experiencing terrifying heart palpitations, breathing difficulties and paralyzing anxiety. Initially, he assumed the symptoms were part of his awakening process, but it quickly became clear something else was at work. Back home in Boston, Rivard was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, likely caused by a blood clot which developed during one of his long flights to Peru. A lifelong devotee of Eastern and holistic medicine, Rivard found himself mired in the sterility and sluggishness of the American healthcare system, struggling with PTSD and cloaked in a severe depression. His life skidded to a halt.
A lot of people find out about having a pulmonary embolism by dying. After the trauma in the jungle as I slipped further and further into the darkness, one of the scariest parts was how things I loved lost all meaning, the pleasure just drained away. It was this sense of sliding into an alternate universe of shadow.
Mike Rivard
As the depression parted, Rivard (playing bass and sintir) gathered fellow Club d’Elf collaborators Dean Johnston (drums), DJ Mister Rourke (turntables), Paul Schultheis and John Medeski (vintage analog keyboards), Casablanca-native Brahim Fribgane (oud, vocals and percussion) and guitarists Duke Levine, David Fiuczynski and Kevin Barry, and began recording the album to analog tape with minimal overdubs.
Half of the album consists of originals inspired by Rivard’s experience and the sounds that saved him, and half covers of influences which have shaped the band’s musical universe: Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, Joe Zawinul, Nass El Ghiwane, as well as gnawa, a North African trance music known for causing time to melt as players and listeners enter into a liminal space of eternity and possibility, and Sufi folk songs.
It’s kind of like driving a tour bus and stopping at various interesting destinations, pulling the bus over and letting everyone off, and then it’s up to them, the musicians, to find their way into the experience, to create the music together, in the moment. Every voice is heard, is equally important, and can drive the music into places that I never would have envisioned of on my own. That’s what really excites me—when I let go of the reins and the collective energy of the ensemble reaches a sort of hive mind state, and the spirits guide us.
Mike Rivard
In the studio, Rivard ceded the spotlight to the collective, allowing for free-play and improvisational dexterity. Through it all rides the trance, pulsing, calming, poking open the mystic truths which may just offer us all the hope of brighter days ahead. A Sufi traditional “Dervish Dance” features pools of deep bass and psychedelic crackle beneath Fribgane’s oud soloing, and is the first single from the album, the video of which can be seen below.
Club d’Elf have tour dates this April with keyboardist John Medeski, in support of You Never Know, set for release on April 1 via Face Pelt Records. After two stops in New York State, the band makes stops in Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, with a finale at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke, Massachusetts on April 15.
Club d’Elf Spring 2022 Tour Dates
4/1 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios 4/2 – New York, NY – Drom 4/8 – Portland, ME – Bayside Bowl 4/9 – Providence, RI – Columbus Theater 4/10 – Portsmouth, NH – The Music Hall 4/14 – Northampton, MA – Bombyx 4/15 – Pembroke, MA – Soundcheck Studios
The Who, one of the greatest rock bands in music history, will embark on a 2022 North American Tour this spring and fall. The two final tour stops in May will be at Madison Square Garden and Bethel Woods, while the October leg of the tour brings Townshend and Daltry to UBS Arena in Belmont.
The music of The Who spans generations, with Roger Daltrey’s soaring vocal prowess building off the sparks of Pete Townshend’s songwriting. These two remaining members of the original lineup join together in a shared legacy while time is passing, one found in the pages of their recent autobiographies -Townshend’s Who I Am (2012) and Daltrey’s Thanks A Lot Mr. Kibblewhite; My Story (2018) – and among their regular touring schedule.
Some shows on The Who’s 2022 tour were originally planned for 2019 but delayed due to a vocal ailment Daltrey was suffering from, while some others on the tour are a substitute for those canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commenting on The Who Hits Back! 2022 tour, Roger Daltrey said:
Pete and I said we’d be back, but we didn’t think we’d have to wait for two years for the privilege. This is making the chance to perform feel even more special this time around. So many livelihoods have been impacted due to Covid, so we are thrilled to get everyone back together – the band, the crew and the fans. We’re gearing up for a great show that hits back in the only way The Who know how. By giving it everything we got.
Roger Daltrey
The Who Hits Back! Tour features a pure and easy lineup including guitarist and backup singer Simon Townshend (Pete’s brother), keyboardist Loren Gold, second keyboardist Emily Marshall, bassist Jon Button, drummer Zak Starkey and backing vocals by Billy Nicholls. Lead violinist Katie Jacoby and lead cellist Audrey Snyder will be getting in tune with orchestra conductor Keith Levenson, delivering many of The Who’s classics, as well as songs from their most recent album, WHO.
Regarding the inclusion of local orchestras and strings for each show, Townshend spoke to Rolling Stone, saying:
It gives me a chance to make sure what I play, what I do, where I look, how I behave on the stage, is more connected with the people around me, and with the audience, and with, to get prosaic about it, an inner sense. In other words, I don’t lose myself the way I did when I used to jump around, have a big adrenaline rush, and then come off the stage and someone would say, ‘Great show,’ or someone would say, ‘Terrible show,’ and I wouldn’t really know what I had done, to be honest, since I was like someone running a marathon. So the orchestra gives me space.
Pete Townshend
The Who’s show at Bethel Woods also marks their return to the site of the original Woodstock Festival, where the group performed a memorable set that began at 5 AM on Sunday, August 17, 1969.
American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets in select markets before the general public beginning today, Monday, February 7 at 10 am through Thursday, February 10 at 10 pm. The Who’s fan club presale starts Wednesday, February 9 at 10 am and runs through Thursday, February 10 at 10 pm.
As the XXIV Olympic Winter Games take place in Beijing, China, we look back 42 years to the XIII Olympic Winter Games held in Lake Placid from February 13, 1980 to February 24, 1980. Home of the Miracle on Ice and speedskater Eric Heiden winning five gold medals, the Lake Placid Winter Olympics brought together 1,072 athletes from 37 countries to take part in 38 official events in February 1980.
Opening ceremony photo courtesy Lake Placid Olympic Sites
The games also featured a theme song, in the form of Rochester Jazz legend Chuck Mangione’s “Give it All You Got,” a tune released a week before the games, that would chart as high as #1 on the Adult Contemporary, #18 on the Billboard 100 and #32 on the R&B chart, and recently named by Billboard as the #1 Olympics theme song of all time. ”Give it All You Got” was Mangione’s second single to reach #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, after “Feels So Good” achieved that feat in 1978.
Mangione was asked by Roone Arledge, then ABC Sports president, to craft a song for the Winter Olympiad. ABC had used Mangione’s recordings, including “Chase The Clouds Away,” four years earlier during their coverage of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Featuring a lineup of Charles Meks (bass), James Bradley Jr. (drums), Grant Geissman (guitar), and Chris Vadalla (saxophone), Mangione, America’s most famous flugelhorn player wrote the Grammy-nominated song for his 1979 album Fun and Games.
This is fusion jazz at its most peppy and pristine, the network TV version of “gritty.” Mangione and saxophonist Chris Vadala volley the theme back and forth for nearly half the track’s six-minute runtime, content to let that breezy melody do most of the work. There’s some inspired composition going on beneath the surface: the way the chord structure keeps dancing between major and minor, the spots where flugelhorn and sax each converge in twin harmony. Throw in Charles Meeks’ slippery bassline and some Nile-Rodgers-style rhythm work from Geissman, and you’ve got the perfect soundtrack for cruising L.A. in a ’74 Stingray convertible.
Mangione told Wesley Hyatt for his 1999 book The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits about the process of composing the music for the instrumental, saying:
(my) vision was to think about the athletes and their efforts to do their best now. They’re giving it all they’ve got. And we almost got to be like the athletes because we also got to perform the song at the ceremonies.
“Give It All You Got” was nominated for best instrumental composition at the 1981 Grammy Awards, losing out to John Williams’ score for The Empire Strikes Back.
Mangione would perform “Give it All You Got” live at the Winter Olympics closing ceremony (as well as the song “Pina Colada”) on Sunday, February 24, 1980, just hours after the conclusion of the gold medal hockey victory for Team USA over Finland along with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra from Ontario, Canada.
In addition to Mangione, the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam contributed to the Lake Placid Winter Olympics as well. A 600-member Olympic chorus and orchestra, a 50 member wind ensemble and three Olympic bands of 50 members each, who were bused in daily and wore weather appropriate parkas and boots, instead of the typical tuxedos and gowns. Brass performers tested their instruments in the meat freezer of the local supermarket in Potsdam as they prepared for the Games.
photo by Christopher Lenney
Feb. 9, 1980 featured the Collegiate Singers, directed by Brock McElheran, as they performed for the International Olympic Committee, along with visiting dignitaries from participating nations.
photo via the Crane School of Music
Four Crane School of Music faculty members composed original works for the Olympic Games, including Elliot Del Borgo, Arthur Frackenpohl, William Maul and Robert Washburn. When American gold medal winners, including speedskater Eric Heiden, received their medals, they were accompanied by an arrangement of the “Star Spangled Banner” by Frackenpohl, who also arranged the Greek and Yugoslavian national anthems. Washburn composed “Parade of Nations” for the opening ceremonies, while Del Borgo wrote the piece played during the closing, “When Dreams Are Dreamed and Dreams Are Won,” and Maul composed “March of the Athletes,” used for the closing ceremonies.
photo via the Crane School of Music
Crane School bands would provide music for the award ceremonies each evening, with Professor Emerita Rebekah Covell leading the Crane Symphonic Band for 14 performances over 14 days. With an added degree of difficulty, Covell and the musicians would often have less than an hour to rehearse national anthems needed for the medal award ceremonies, prior to playing the songs outdoors, often in freezing temperatures. Notably, Robert Mero, a former technical assistant at Crane, came out of retirement to assist musicians with technical services during the Games, per Robert Gibbs, a professor and emeritus member of the Crane School alumni board.
Between Chuck Mangione and students and faculty at the Crane School of Music, all music for the 1980 Winter Olympics can be credited to talented born and/or raised New Yorkers. Here’s to the Winter Olympics returning to Lake Placid in the coming years, perhaps split with Montreal.
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 Glass Pony, Victory Soul Orchestra,W.Y. Huang and many more!
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.
Glass Pony from Albany released “Day Dream” this past fall. Don’t miss their show with Organ Fairchild at Lark Hall on February 19.
Watch “Northbound” from Glass Pony at Cohoes Music Hall in December, 2021.
Victory Soul Orchestra “Shoot Your Shot” can be heard on EQXposure. The band along with JB threw a party in Foster House Studios and recorded some songs, “Shoot Your Shot” being the first in a series of live recordings.
From Singaporean singer-songwriter W. Y. Huang is his latest, ‘Living With Ghosts.” Writing on Instagram, Huang said “It’s about growing older, dealing with pain, regret and letting go of the past, of fear. “I’ve not written something so personal in a long time… maybe ever. When I wasn’t in a good place, writing this song helped me [through] it.”
Saranac Lake Winter Carnival 2022 kicks off on Friday, February 4 for the 125th anniversary event. With events outdoors, the Ice Castle and Parade on Saturday, February 12, the event bounces back with a theme of Totally 80s.
Poster by Saranac Lake native, Garry Trudeau
Saranac Lake Winter Carnival dates back to 1897, when the logging community in the Adirondacks, established already as a healing and rejuvenation location for sufferers of tuberculosis, sought to snap the winter chill and promote outdoor games and activities. The Pontiac Club initially sponsored a one day fancy dress carnival in the inaugural year, and has been held on and off until 1947-48 when the event was resurrected and been held annually ever since.
For full details, visit the Winter Carnival website, and check out the schedule of events below.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2022
5:30 pm 21th Annual Past Royalty Mixer and Dinner – Open to Past Royalty Only (Red Fox Restaurant, 5034 Route 3, contact Marilyn Bigelow, 518-891-1286, $)
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm NEW Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
7:30 pm *Women’s Civic Chamber Coronation of Winter Carnival Royalty–By Invitation Only this Year (Harrietstown Town Hall, 39 Main St)
8:30 pm *Waterhole Presents Annie in the Water wsg Chestnut Grove (48 Main St, $, Doors open at 7:30pm)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2022
10:00 am – 6:00 pm NEW Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
1:00 pmNEW *Women’s Civic “Corn-A-Ment” Cornhole Tournament, registration forms found here (On the ice in front of Saranac Waterfront Lodge, $40 registration fee per 2-Player team, contact Deb Reilly at debreilly6@gmail.com for information)
** NO Annual Winter Carnival Spaghetti Dinner presented by Catholic Daughters of America — check back next year **
8:30 pm *Waterhole Presents High & Mighty Brass wsg The Reflexions (48 Main St, $, Doors open at 7:30pm)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2022
10:00 am – 6:00 pm NEW Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
5:00 pm *80’s Trivia at the Elk’s Lodge – Relive the decade of big hair and Ferris Bueller, Kids welcome (Elk’s Lodge #1508, 30 Bloomingdale Ave, Food available, Donation requested)
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2022
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm NEW Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
7:00 pm *Community Celebration Service (St. Luke’s Church, 136 Main St)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2022
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm NEW Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
3:30 pm *Scavenger Hunt for Middle School Students (Saranac Lake Youth Center, 29 Woodruff St)
5:00 pm Winter Carnival Grand Marshall Reception (Saranac Waterfront Lodge, 250 Lake Flower Ave, Cash Bar)
6:00 pm Winter Carnival Royalty Dinner (Saranac Waterfront Lodge, 250 Lake Flower Ave, $, RSVP required by 2/1, call 518-891-4367)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
11:00 am – 5:00 pm *”Totally 80s” Art Exhibit–Featuring Artwork Produced in the 80s plus More (Adirondack Artists’ Guild, 52 Main St.)
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm NEW Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
8:00 pm *Waterhole Presents Kat Wright wsg Giovanina Bucci (48 Main St, $, Doors open at 7:00pm)
THURSDAY, February 10, 2022
11:00 am – 5:00 pm *”Totally 80s” Art Exhibit–Featuring Artwork Produced in the 80s plus More (Adirondack Artists’ Guild, 52 Main St.)
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm NEW Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm NEW Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm NEW Coakley Home and Hardware Open Skate with Free Hot Chocolate (Right after the Skating Races, Saranac Lake Civic Center, 213 Ampersand Ave)
TBD Firefighter’s Broom Ball (Saranac Lake Civic Center, 213 Ampersand Ave)
6:00 pm NEW Saranac Waterfront Lodge Snow Ball — Return of the classic formal dinner and dance (Saranac Waterfront Lodge, 250 Lake Flower Ave, $, Details to come)
8:30 pm *Waterhole Presents The Mallett Brothers Band wsg Folkfaces (48 Main St, $, Doors open at 7:30pm)
SATURDAY, February 12, 2022
10:00 am – 6:00 pm NEW Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
10:00 am *CanAm Snow Rugby (Saranac Lake High School Track Field, 79 Canaras Ave, Call 518-524-5841)
11:00 am – 5:00 pm *”Totally 80s” Art Exhibit–Featuring Artwork Produced in the 80s plus More (Adirondack Artists’ Guild, 52 Main St.)
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm NEW Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
1:00 pm *The Village Mercantile Winter Carnival Shoebox Float Judging and Prizes (The Village Mercantile, 97 Main St, drop off your Shoebox Floats anytime February 4-12, call 518-354-7183 for more information)
Buffalo’s Organ Fairchild, winner of NYS Music’s March Madness in 2021, will head out on tour this winter for 10 stops over February and March, 9 of which are in New York. They’ll kick off their tour on Thursday, February 3rd at Hickey Tavern in St. Bonaventure, then perform at Duende at Silo City on Friday, February 4.
One year ago, the band marked the release of single, “Seepin’,” from the long-time Buffalo jam band veterans, whose members have a history on the jam scene dating back 40 years. Joe Bellanti (organ and keyboards), Corey Kertzie (drums and percussion) and Dave Ruch (guitar) make for a mean trio that has been years in the making.
They’ll also link up with Syracuse’s Sophistafunk for a pair of shows in early March. With additional shows in Rochester, Ithaca, Albany, the Adirondacks and Southern Tier, there’s no shortage of shows for New Yorkers to get down with Organ Fairchild’s tasty Buffalo funk and grooves.
