In the 1920s, “Rent Parties” were a common place in Harlem. As the end of the month approached, with rent looming and no way to pay, tenants would host a musician and invite friends, raising money and having fun, dancing and listening to music with their community in a place safe from discrimination. In 2020, as the pandemic struck, esteemed jazz pianist Emmet Cohen started hosting Rent Parties in his own Harlem apartment. He played with his trio and live streamed the event, calling it “Live From Emmet’s.” This event isn’t where his inspiration from Harlem’s jazz scene ends, though; Emmet Cohen’s newest record was made in Harlem’s spirit as well — Uptown in Orbit was released on October 28.
Uptown in Orbit presents huge energy through bright and powerful chords while showcasing immense talent and control. When listening, you see the view of bustling Harlem like you’re looking down on the streets from an upstairs apartment window. It’s all perpendicular and over-excited, but still perfectly harmonious, timed absolutely naturally. It feels like the song’s subject is orbiting, either we’re all circling around it or it’s circling us, either way the album brings the listener straight into this orbit.
The highlight of this album is the title track, “Uptown in Orbit.” Use of hemiola gives the song veritable bounce, as the ¾ rhythm is coupled into rhythmic pulses of three against two beats. The timing is swinging, and though Cohen likes to call back to the jazz hay days of the early 1900s, this track still has a modern feel with its energy and brightness. A saxophone comes soaring in during the second half of “Uptown In Orbit” — wailing with so much passion and grace, before turning brassy and raspy, almost like the voice in Pink Floyd’s Great Gig In The Sky.
Cohen has said jazz boils down to connections; between the musicians performing and the audience, as well. This album exhibits that connection flawlessly, with brass that floats over Cohen’s dextrous, easy-going piano, drums that shake the background, adding fuzzy sparkles and backbone to the other instruments’ colorful musicality.
Since he was three, Cohen has been devoted to the piano. He earned a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music after graduating from University of Miami, and has since performed in international events, such as the Newport, Monterey, Detroit, North Sea, Bern, Edinburgh and Jerusalem jazz festivals, in addition to playing in some of the most storied jazz clubs across the world.
The pianist is currently touring Europe, but in December he will be back in NYC for five days at Dizzy’s Club with his trio and Mary Stallings, starting December 8. You can RSVP for tickets here.
In September and October 1980, the Grateful Dead did a brief concert tour of shows with three sets each, one acoustic set followed by two electric sets. The acoustic sets were the first ones the band had performed since the early ’70s aside from a few rare one-offs. The final shows of this legendary Dead tour, which yielded both an audio and video release, took place at New York City’s Radio Music Hall with the last one taking place on none other than Halloween. NYS Music, along with a strong lending hand from YouTube, now presents a look back at this holiday gig at one of America’s premier musical venues.
Bob Weir greets a raucous Radio City Music Hall to start things off and also says hello to all the “folks who are filtering in to the various theaters around the country.” This show was both simulcasted across the country, apparently, and released to the public the following year on video as Dead Ahead. Things get off to a rocky start with Phil Lesh’s amp producing some decidedly spooky feedback. So he is whisked away and the rest of the band opens with a bass-less instrumental in “Heaven Help The Fool.”
With Phil and his bass still on the sidelines, Jerry Garcia leads the ensemble through another rare instrumental. This time it’s “Sage and Spirit,” a song that appears on 1975’s Blues For Allah and was only ever played live twice, with this being the last one.
The Dead keep the rare acoustic hits coming at Radio City with the cover of “Little Sadie” that appears next, with Jerry Garcia on lead vocals. It’s a song that hadn’t appeared live since a show at San Francisco’s Family Dog in 1970 – a dark tale of murder befit for a Halloween show.
Weir then shifts the theme from “tragedy” to “tragedy narrowly averted” with “Monkey and the Engineer,” which finally sees Phil Lesh and his bass return to the fold.
“Boy we’re really having fun now,” notes Weir afterwards. Up next, the Dead grace Radio City with “It Must Have Been The Roses.” A staple of Jerry Garcia solo shows in the ’70s, it would go on to be played for the rest of the Dead’s touring career. Garcia seems to visibly enjoy this one coming to life in the Dead setting.
Up next are two Grateful Dead live staples, starting with a percussion-heavy and crisp “Cassidy.” WIth one small drum kit, Mickey Hart moves over to the congas, after previously utilizing the maracas on “Roses.” This “Cassidy,” which even elicits a bit of a jam, serves as an MTV’s Unplugged-type version of a Dead classic well before the program ever existed.
This is followed up by “Bird Song,” by far the longest and most experimental of all the first set songs. Garcia leads the way once more with a blistering guitar run and the rest of the band now firing on all cylinders.
A very enjoyable opening acoustic set of Grateful Dead music then comes to a close with “Ripple,” much to the delight of the Radio City crowd, with special attention paid to the “let there be songs to fill the air” lyric.
With the acoustic setup gone and the traditional dual drum kits returned, the Dead then go on to play another two sets of electric music at Radio City Music Hall in their typical concert format. The second begins with a vibrant “Jack Straw” that sees Bob Weir bouncing up and down in earnest at one point.
This is followed by a fairly standard run through of “Cold Rain and Snow” that gets a very warm reception from the New York city crowd at first.
Bob Weir then takes lead once more and navigates the band through “Me And My Uncle.” With the drum beat never fully stopping, the Dead then slide seamlessly right into “Mexicali Blues,” completing a popular pairing of songs.
The “first set” vibe of this second set carries right along with “Ramble On Rose.” As expected, Radio City greets the “Just like New York City” line with a massive roar of approval. Garcia graces this version with a pedal steel-esque guitar solo that’s rife with emotion.
As is their custom, Bob Weir on slide guitar then tags in for lead on the next song, a cover of the blues song “Little Red Rooster.” Garcia is playing slide as well and drops another notable solo and Brent Mydland even gets into the action a little as well with some standout organ play.
Afterwards, the Dead rip through a pristine take of “Brown Eyed Women,” with Garcia back on lead vocals and Weir and Mydland ably tending to the harmonies.
From “Women” the music then shifts almost immediately into the ever poignant “Looks Like Rain.”
The Dead then close out the second set of Halloween at Radio City with a rousing “Deal” that’s carried by the strength of two more powerful Garcia guitar solos.
To start the third and final set at Radio City, the Dead kick things off with a short but sweet “Don’t Ease Me In.”
Next, it’s time for another signature pairing of songs, with the Bob Weir-helmed “Lost Sailor” that flows seamlessly right into “Saint Of Circumstance.”
With the third set energy peaking, Garcia initiates the familiar opening chords of “Franklin’s Tower” and the band is off and running once more. Playing his legendary “Tiger” guitar, Garcia obliterates another run up and down its fret board, spearheading a brief jam that reaches a quick peak before mellowing out and devolving into the “Drums” only portion of the evening.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be video of the “Drums” > “Space” sequence for this evening, but emerging from the psychedelic mist are the opening notes to “Fire On The Mountain.” While not necessarily jammed out, it’s a clean and pure take of a Dead classic, with Phil Lesh coming in loud and clear now, his bass issues a thing of the past.
The band takes a nice, relaxed approach to the introduction of the “Not Fade Away” that follows. The Grateful Dead deliver their own bluesy take of this Buddy Holly cover, with Radio City singing along in earnest.
Instead of keeping up the pace and stretching it out, however, the tempo slows to a crawl. This sets the stage for Garcia to take lead once more for “Stella Blue” and to unleash one last gorgeous guitar solo.
As the last notes of “Stella” drop, the Dead immediately steer back into the show’s closing sequence with a blistering cover of “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad.”
Instead of ending the set right then and there, the Dead throw in one last cover for the Radio City faithful. This time it’s The Young Rascals’ “Good Lovin’,” sung by a spirited Bob Weir in the only way he knows how. He even throws in some Pigpen-esque vocal riffing at the end for good measure as the crowd eats every bit of it up.
Weir then wishes both the audience at Radio City and everyone else around the country “good night” and the Grateful Dead encore with “Uncle John’s Band,” closing out quite a memorable three-set show in the heart of the city.
View this and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below
Grateful Dead – Radio City Music Hall – New York, NY 10/31/80
Set 1: Heaven Help The Fool, Sage And Spirit, Little Sadie, Monkey And The Engineer, It Must Have Been The Roses, Cassidy, Bird Song > Ripple
Set 2: Jack Straw , Cold Rain And Snow, Me And My Uncle > Mexicali Blues, Ramble On Rose > Little Red Rooster, Brown Eyed Women > Looks Like Rain > Deal
Set 3: Don’t Ease Me In > Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance > Franklin’s Tower > Drums > Space > Fire On The Mountain > Not Fade Away > Stella Blue > Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad > Good Lovin’
Produced by Brandon “Brick” Lohr and Jason “J” Hubert, the inaugural Ramble Festival held at Camp Ramblewood in Darlington, MD from October 7-9, transpired smoothly, as fans enjoyed nearly perfect fall weather near the Susquehanna, mere miles from Pennsylvania. Camp Ramblewood has held other music events, but Ramble Fest hosted a wide variety of bluegrass, brass, indie rock, blues, country, Americana and folk music from Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Indiana, Colorado, California, and many other states, with fans traveling from all over the US and internationally to enjoy fun in the sun with cool nights & campfire jams.
Headlined by Leftover Salmon, Keller Williams, and The Traveling McCoury’s, along with many local and national bands, Ramble Festival had numerous activities, a busking competition, kids’ shows and play areas, yoga, charity auctions & raffles, live art painters, an on-site art gallery, and numerous clothing, food & art vendors. Art Director Lindsay Jamison and her staff of volunteers spent weeks getting the site and the art gallery in the Beer Hall ready for the event. Street Team lead Will Gibbons also ran the instrument raffle, where two fans won a guitar and banjo signed by the headliners, with proceeds donated to Backline and Rage Against Addiction.
Camping was superb. Ramblewood has 200 pristine acres on a rolling hillside, with a lake, fire pits, large cabins, and wide fields, with ample trees & grassy shade. Food & drink vending was plentiful, including local microbrews, and food trucks with typical festival fare such as pizza & burritos, as well as veggie and farm-to-table options. There was onsite parking for the thousand or so attendees (though the lot nearly filled up during the peak on Saturday night). There were a few RV spots (no power & water hook-ups), as well as car camping, but the best camping was near the stages.
Fri. Oct. 7: Abby Bryant & The Echoes, Caleb Stine Band, Kendall Street Company, Rufus Roundtree & Da B’More Brass Factory, Arkansauce, Bella’s Bartok, Big Something, Keller Williams Grateful Grass feat. The Hillbenders, Kendall Street Company & Dirty Grass Players – late-night in the barn.
Friday started off smooth and sunny, with Rufus Roundtreee and his band leading a second line march from the campsites down the hill, where Abby Bryant & The Echoes kicked off the weekend on the Main Stage. Abby is a vocalist & guitarist from Charlotte (since relocated to Asheville), who performed a mix of soul & Americana, with great instrumental work by her band & cohort in songwriting, guitarist Bailey Faulkner.
A quick jaunt up the hill and past the food trucks brought us to the Beer Hall, an indoor stage with standing room for a thousand. Caleb Stine & Band treated us to cool country with a tinge of bluegrass. Kendall Street Company from Charlottesville next played on the Main Stage, with thoughtful and often funny lyrics, great harmonies, and energetic, punk stylings, deft guitarwork, sax, and engaging vocals by lead singer Louis Smith.
Back at the Beer Hall, Rufus Roundtree, who is from Parliament Funkadelic, led his band Da B’More Brass Factory on vocals & trombone, with fiery NOLA-style, Go-go tinged funk, supported by trumpet, sax, tuba, guitar & drums. Arkansauce next tore up the Main Stage with speedy banjo riffing by Adam Collins, Ethan Bush on mando, Zac Archuleta on guitar, and Tom Andersen on upright bass.
The wildness of Bella’s Bartok engaged our feet as we returned to the Beer Hall, with fast, energetic fiendish horns, driven by lead singer Asher Putnam, with Alex Kogut on accordion, synth, and keyboards, Riley Goodemote on trombone, and Julia playing feisty washboard. Mixing sonic styles of Googol Bordello with punk, folk, and klezmer music, an amalgam of genres and theatrical sensibilities. They were a new discovery to me, and fan favorites by the end of their set.
Big Something, a hip hop pop rock fusion jam band from Burlington, NC, heated up the Main Stage at sunset, with Casey Cranford’s signature EWI and sax work driving the melodies along with dueling guitar monstrosities Jesse Hensley and Nick MacDaniels, with Josh Kagel on keys and trumpet, Doug Marshall on bass and Ben Vinograd on drums holding it down. Stylistically chameleons, they drift from tight riffs to expansive jams, sometimes evoking Lettuce, other times Lotus, and at times channeling Umphrey’s McGee, basically all over the place, with aplomb.
The incredible sound and lights apparently challenged the main stage power generator, which failed shortly thereafter, and was not resurrected until the next day. This only major glitch of the weekend was trouble, but thankfully, the production team planned generous stage switchover times, so crews had time to migrate Keller Williams over to the Beer Hall. Stage Manager George Barrick reactivated that stage, which had prepared to close for the night.
Keller and The Hillbenders treated us to his widely-popular Grateful Grass set. The Beer Hall was a bit crowded, so staff asked fans to help move tables and chairs out of the way, which quickly added enough space to get everyone inside – just in time, since the only few raindrops of the weekend fell outside and chilled the night air as temperatures fell into the low 40s. Keller & friends treated us to a fun-filled set of Dead classics, including a killer Scarlet > Stranger, and a trippy They Love Each Other back and forth into and out of Cumberland Blues, followed by a lovely Bird Song > Cassidy [24-bit SBD/Stage Matrix recording by George Barrick].
No proper first day would be complete without a late night set, held in the Ramble Stage, aka “The Barn” (a nice, cozy place to warm up as temps dropped further at night). Kendall Street Company joined The Dirty Grass Players, which was the most musicians jammed onto that tiny stage. The Barn was well-appointed, with brass chandeliers, hanging flower arrangements and festive lighting. There were two late-night picking circles, one at the Hill Camp w/ Bella’s Bartok, and another down at the Lake Camp, with Deer Creek Sharpshooters & Fishing for Hippies to end the night.
Sat. Oct. 8 – Dogs in a Pile, Arkansauce, Armchair Boogie, Dirty Grass Players, Toothless (kids set), Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Underground Springhouse, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Leftover Salmon, Neighbor.
After much-needed rest, I arose Saturday morning to the distant sounds of another second line by Naptown Brass Band from Annapolis, MD. I ran up the hill to meet them as they marched down into the main field and kicked off the day for Charm City Junction, towing along recently-rousted dancing campers, led by the Vibe Tribe‘s Holly Reasner.
Arkansauce fired up the Beer Hall next. Saturday Bands played with some overlap, as there were 17 or more performance on Saturday. Dogs in a Pile was another great band that all my friends recommended. They had a great turnout, especially since they started around 1pm, and many campers partied quite late the night before.
Baltimore’s finest, the Dirty Grass Players kicked it up in the Beer Hall, with some overlap with Armchair Boogie on the main stage, another new band I really enjoyed. Toothless played a kids’ set on the small barn stage. Underground Springhouse continued in the Beer Hall, while Caleb Stine returned in the barn.
We kicked our socks off to Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band (a funny name, because it’s only 3 people). Hailing from Indiana, the “Big” is for Jayme Peyton, who is a ginormous human as well as guitarist. They’re a wild country blues band, with heavy guitar shredding and “reckless” washboard by Breezy Peyton. Breezy actually lit her washboard on fire in the middle of a song!!! The band and audience had a good laugh; neither eyebrows nor hair were burnt in the process.
AJ Lee & Blue Summit, a bluegrass/Americana band from Northern California, continued at the Beer Hall, playing towards dinnertime. Heading back to the Main Stage, I wolfed down some tasty mac & cheese from Cosmic Charlie’s Grateful Grill, one of my favorite food trucks conveniently located between the two biggest stages.
Maryland native Kyle Hollingsworth (from String Cheese Incident) and his Band lit up the main stage, with a mix of organ and keyboard-infused jammy rock, tight & funky drums, bass & guitar. They played a variety of originals and classics, rearranged with speed & intensity, sprinkled with riffs & quotes from various well-known songs. Kyle is a killer clavinet and synth player, playing with percussive rhythm, electric piano and effects, his talented band adding fuel to his fire.
Ramble’s resident emcee, Libby Eddy (plays fiddle in The Jakobs Ferry Stragglers), got up to announce Leftover Salmon dressed as a giant avocado. She wrote page-long summaries of each band. As she rattled off superlatives, Vince Herman (in a blue unicorn costume) laughed and told the audience, “first time our band has ever been introduced by an avocado“! Ramble Festival founders Brick and J dressed as a tiger and bumblebee, to fit the costume theme, “furry creatures”.
Another favorite band, Neighbor (founded by Pink Talking Fish’s keyboardist Richard James), capped off Saturday night in the barn, followed by late-night campfire jams by Fishing for Hippies, Caleb Stine, Annie Sellick, and Pat Bergeson.
Sun. Oct. 9 – Travers Brothership, Country Current, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Woody! kids set, Neighbor, Bella’s Bartok, Busking Competition, Empire Strikes Brass, Armchair Boogie, Pink Talking Fish, The Travelin’ McCourys, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Arkansauce, & Armchair Boogie – late-night in barn.
Travers Brothership, based near Asheville, started the last day off with searing blues guitar intensity by frontman Kyle Travers, who formed the band with his twin brother and drummer, Eric. They’ve played all over the US & Europe, and are widely praised. Their new album is slated to be released next year, so they played a song or two off their new album.
The bluegrass band, Country Current, is the US Navy’s official band, formed in 1973. They’ve played for Presidents Bush, Clinton, Obama, and have toured nationally as well as overseas. They are all Musician Petty Officers, wearing their uniforms proudly on stage in the Beer Hall, playing guitar, banjo, bass, drums, fiddle, mando, and pedal steel guitar.
AJ Lee and Blue Summit returned to play the main stage, followed by Muskrat Flats in the beer hall, and another special kids’ set by Woody!, who is Jon Wood of Dancing Bears, ELM, Psycho Killers, and other Baltimore-based bands. His 7-yr-old daughter Ella helped her dad set up his mic and danced with her friends and other kids in the barn.
Neighbor treated us again to another tasty set on the main stage in the mid afternoon, followed by another wild dance party by Bella’s Bartok in the Beer Hall. The horn-heavy Empire Strikes Brass hit the main stage in the afternoon, and Armchair Boogie returned to the Beer Hall to close out the afternoon.
Pink Talking Fish brought resounding thunder and intermingling of songs by Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish to the main stage, as a massive flurry of bubbles filled the air and caught the brilliant light trackers scanning over the field, filling it with geometric patterns and a spectrum of color.
Emcee Libby Eddy introduced The Traveling McCourys as “the best band on the planet!!!” – the final headliner set of the weekend. This long, wonderful weekend of music ended with a joint collaboration between AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Arkansauce, and Armchair Boogie, packed into the barn with as many fans as could still stand or dance, with a couple more campfire jams that lasted until 3 or 4 am.
Few festivals are successful upon inception, but through great planning, Ramble Festival attracted over a thousand people to its first annual event. They sold a hundred tickets at the “steepest discount” to fans on site.
“It takes a village”. I met dozens of staff, volunteers, artists, campers, production crew from Harford Sound, lighting engineers, photographers & videographers, vendors, artists, medical personnel (Bear Care), and vendors. There were zero injuries or problems, nobody got stuck in the mud, the weather was absolutely perfect, and the camping is the best of any music event I’ve attended. Everyone was friendly, helpful, fun, and smiling all weekend.
Brick and J are music lovers first and foremost. They hired a skilled team, adept at multiple roles. They asked their friend Phil Chorney (Charm City Bluegrass) to recruit a wide cast of musicians from all over. Skilled directors & coordinators were carefully chosen for Volunteers, Artists, Hospitality (Sandee Taylor), Marketing (Kelsey Riegger) and Media Coordination (Zach Ubaldini), as well as staff photographers Chris Gamber among many other pros.
Some of these bands I’d heard about, and saw them for the first time at Ramble Festival, a sentiment shared by many fans. I’ve seen all the headliners multiple times, which got me interested when J told me about Ramble at B Chord. I did some research on only a few of the bands I hadn’t seen, which left the rest as pleasant surprises.
Ramble Festival was quite smooth, even though it’s only in its first year. Everyone felt like family, with an atmosphere reminiscent of Catskill Chill, Bear Creek, and High Sierra Music Festival. Brick, J, Phil, and their wonderful cast & crew deserve accolades for making Ramble the best music and art experience of the year.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9 p.m. 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 Ian Nichols, mrhs, and Northern Faces.
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.
Ian Nichols – “Killer Corpse”
Ian Nichols is a singer-songwriter from Albany who is an indie rock/ Lo-fi composer. His fourth full-length album is scheduled to be released in November. He has worked on various other projects and produced the score and music for the 2014 horror film Lake Nowhere. His single “Killer Corpse” will be played on EQXposure.
mrhs – “Old Fashioned Hurgusburgus”
mrhs are a synth-punk group from Albany. They recently released a new album, Poo Brain. The song “Old Fashioned Hurgusburgus” from that record will be played on EQXposure.
Northern Faces – “Feelings”
Northern Faces are a rock band formed in 2012. The band features Bryan Shortell and Marco Testa on vocals and guitars, and Matt Ippolito on bass.
Yes, it’s only October, and yes the high in Syracuse today was in the 60s, but some might say it’s never too early for Christmas music. On October 21, NYC-based Grammy winner Joanie Leeds and Grammy-nominated Fyütch released their first original song, “Every Day’s a Holiday.” The two released the song with an accompanying music video in advance of their holiday music project, Oy Vey! Another Christmas Album, releasing on November 4.
When Joanie Leeds discovered that most of our most-loved Christmas songs were written by Jewish people, it was particularly inspiring to her as a Jewish singer much lauded for her songwriting prowess — in addition to her Grammy, Leeds claimed first in the USA Songwriting competition and International Songwriting Competition as well as finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting competition.
Leeds was moved by the dichotomous spirit behind those Christmas tunes and thought the perfect way to honor the work of their original Jewish songwriters was through continuing their practice; so she started writing her own holiday music. The upcoming album will feature four covers of classic Christmas songs written by Jewish songwriters and two originals, co-written with Fyütch.
Though it feels early for Christmas, this new angle on the holiday season couldn’t come sooner, with Ye’s recent interviews and tweets that spread anti-semitic rhetoric to an avid audience of music devotees.
“I love our contribution to the holiday season and was excited to share my passion project with the world and write some new ones too, especially as anti-Semitism is on the rise,” Reeds said.
“Every Day’s A Holiday” is a fresh and fun take on a traditional Christmas song. It retains the classic choral sounds of the classics, but with a twist: it’s not just a Christmas song, it’s a song dedicated to all holidays. In “Every Day’s A Holiday,” Christmas trees, dreidels, thanksgiving turkeys, fireworks, easter eggs all exist in musical harmony. The video itself is campy and engaging, with Leeds and Fyütch dancing around each other, with props and instruments as cartoon holiday animations flash over the green screen behind them.
The album will be out November 4, and you can stream the single here and watch the video below.
Bands largely based in Chautauqua and Erie County show up on a bi-weekly basis to take the stage at the Main Street Studios venue in Fredonia. Initially making cassettes for local bands, Foxhead Record Company rented out the building.
Foxhead record company logo
Follow the closure of the North Pole Strip Club (NPSC) house venue on Main Street, Felix Kellogg, Jake King and Liam Powers, the founders of the Foxhead label, talked with the owner of the space about their idea of launching DIY-shows. “Since we got to Fredonia, there was always live music going on”, explained King, “and it was always upperclassmen running it”.
(Credit: foxheadrecordco Instagram)
He pointed out there being a need for people to organize shows and Liam Powers also added in a prior lack of places for shows to happen, following the the North Pole Strip Club closing. The recognition of a need for performance outlets in town led to the transition of the company from focusing on making cassettes for bands to extending their business, bringing live concerts at one of the most popular venues in Fredonia.
Listen to Jake, Liam and Felix discuss more about the formation of their record company, the Fredonia music scene, and more in an exclusive interview below.
Interview with founders of Foxhead Record Company:
https://youtu.be/EG0mNXaG9Hw
A Fredonia-based artist, under the moniker Soup Kale and lead singer of the alternative band Karrot Kake, who performed at Main Street Studios on Saturday, 10/15, commented on the shift in the Fredonia music scene. In an interview below, he described a lot of jam bands being active in the area, along with reggae sounds being notable several years ago, before pop-punk more recently turned into the predominant element integrated in the scene.
Interview with Karrot Kake band musician Soup Kale:
https://youtu.be/t0kZki2MBDI
Interview with musician Soup Kale of Karrot Kake band
SAINT BLIND, real name Aaron, is another artist part of the line-up who performed at Main Street on the night of 10/15. He described working with many people involved in the Fredonia music scene, having joined multiple bands, including one with Jake King of Foxhead when he was in his teenage years, as well as composing a group known as the Blind Orchestra. The alternative/indie rock and synth-pop artist details more of his musical involvement and both upcoming and released works of his in an interview below.
Interview with musical artist SAINT BLIND:
https://youtu.be/RBNFz06i5TI
Interview with artist SAINT BLIND
Make sure to follow Foxhead on Instagram at @foxheadrecordco for updates on when shows are happening at Main Street Studios and original cassette releases. Also, follow Karrot Kake on Instagram @karrotkakemusic and on Spotify @Karrot Kake, and Kaleh @soupkale, as well as SAINT BLIND @saint_blind on Instagram to keep up with the latest news on their musical releases and performances.
The Eaves Band, based in Buffalo, is comprised of Adam Clukey, Chris Couche, and Maurice Halliday. They’ve been friends since childhood and reconnected after a couple of years after, following going to different colleges, according to Couche.
The Eaves Band (Credit: Brett Pallachino Photography)
In late 2018, The Eaves debut record Learning to Live in the Dark was produced by GRAMMY Award-winner, Ted Hunt, whose worked with other bands including The Gaslight Anthem, Lucero, and Dropkick Murphys. Fast forward to 2022, their upcoming album Lately, I Don’t Have a God…and Other Obvious Epiphanies was recorded in collaboration with artist Jay Zubricky and features a production from bassist and vocalist of the Goo Goo Dolls, Robby Takac.
Cover Art for ‘Lately I Don’t Have A God…And Other Obvious Epiphanies’
“‘It’ll Be Okay’ was the last song we wrote for the record”, the band’s Chris Couche said. He explained that the track “is meant to be earnest, reassuring catharsis – direct, unashamed, and unadulterated.” The new video for the track is available for streaming on New Noise and DSPs.
Read more of NYS Music’s interview with The Eaves’ Chris Couche.
Heather Occhino: What made you guys decide to form a band?
Chris Couche: The three of us (Mo, Adam, and I) grew up together. We all had similar musical interests and played in bands together. We sort of went our separate ways during college and reconnected a couple years after. We caught up quick and realized that our shared music taste had evolved similarly, so we decided to start writing together and see if anything came of it.
HO: Are there any artists or bands who inspired you to pursue a career in music?
CC: We’re inspired by a ton of artists, but honestly, the first band that ever inspired to me to pick up a guitar and write was Blink-182. I was 11 or 12. I could barely play (still can’t), but the true power of blink is their accessibility and lack of pretense. As a 12 year old, those three power chords were ACCESSIBLE. They were the way in.
It would take a little longer, but the real revelation I needed to push me over the edge was seeing Bruce Springsteen live for the first time. Totally changed everything for me. My entire perception of music and what it could do was instantly upended. It was a surreal and borderline religious experience on a personal level. I know lately even Bruce himself has been trying to dismantle his mythic stature a little bit, or at least trying to temper unrealistic expectations and create some separation between persona and actual, fallible human being. The persona may be fictitious, but the euphoric result of that group sharing their talent and passion with a crowd of equally passionate participants is very, very real. It was after seeing Bruce that I realized I needed to make music a priority in my life.
HO: After reading an article on your music that was released by Earshot Media on Mad Mimi, I saw that your debut single, “It’ll Be Okay” is part of your upcoming album, Lately, I Don’t Have a God… and Other Obvious Epiphanies. What makes this track stand out from the other songs part of the debut album, despite it being the last song?
CC: “It’ll Be Okay” may be the only truly reassuring song we have. It only talks about the sun exploding ONCE. But really, we were at a point where it was kind of bothering me that even when I would try to write lyrics that were reassuring or positive, I would almost inevitably gravitate toward negative feelings, mostly because I’ve found it’s difficult to write something reassuring that feels like it has any genuine sentiment behind it. That likely says more about me than it does anything else, and uncoincidentally, is sort of thematic through-line that most of the album wrestles with. But “It’ll Be Okay” is our earnest attempt at surrendering to sincerity and opening up to catharsis. Sometimes cheesy is cool, clichés are cliché for a reason, and it’s okay to feel good.
From an instrumental perspective, Kyle Resnick lent his celestial horns for the chorus, which are maybe the most identifiable trait of the song overall, and really set the track aside sonically from some of the other songs on the record. We’re all big fans of The National, so working with Kyle was a surreal experience. He’s also the nicest, most down to earth person you’ll meet, and of course generous with his talent. If I was that good at something, you’d need a draw bridge to get to me.
HO: The recording and production of the album was assisted by established people in the music industry, like Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls and Kyle Resnick, who worked with the band, The National, and also featured on Taylor Swift’s album Folklore. Are you planning on working with these people again for future debut projects?
CC: If they’ll have us after reading this! We’re very fortunate and grateful to have had the opportunity to work with all the people who helped make this record. Jay Zubricky mixed and engineered the album at GCR Audio and helped introduce us to Robby Takac. Having grown up in Buffalo, getting a chance to work with Robby was a pinch me moment. The project started in 2019 with Robby and a couple songs and ended with an album in 2022, with Jay there every step of the way (with the pandemic, logistics prevented us from working with Robby on more of the record). Finally, I have to mention Stu McKillop who mastered the record at Rain City Mastering. He really flipped the switch and brought the creature to life.
HO: I also saw that you guys have shared the stage with other rock bands, such as The Joy Formidable and The Lawrence Arms. Would you be able to share when your group is planning on performing next with other musicians?
Brooklyn alt-pop duo Fake Dad have just announced their newest aesthetic release “New Machines” out on November 10th. The single is dreamy yet electrifying, overall capturing the nostalgic experience of younger generations who have grown up in a world characterized by tragedy and fear.
This particular single reflects on global stressors like climate crisis, “New Machines” channels a care-free sound reflective of the consistent lack of seriousness society seems to meet very real issues with. “New Machines” is also a powerful follow-up to their most recent single, “Painkiller,” that caught the attention of esteemed indie music tastemakers like Ones to Watch and A1234, whopremiered the single.
“We hope that the upbeat sound on New Machines is motivating and empowering to anyone feeling dejected, anxious, and emotionally burdened. Most of all, we hope this makes every listener feel a little less alone in this scary mess of a world.”
– Fake Dad
Fake dad fans still obsess over their anthemic June single“How Do I Cry?,” which landed itself on eight major Spotify editorial playlists like All New Indie and Indie Arrivals. Fake dad release some of the most aesthetic songs and share their conceptual ideas with their listeners. Thus, their newest single “New Machines,” which is dreamy yet electrifying with a nostalgic taste, will surely do that.
Fake dad, also known as Andrea de Varona and Josh Ford, have made music together in their studio apartment since 2018. The duo had designated their roles within the band and have worked with a variety of up and coming artists. Both artists come from different musical backgrounds, but they do share one common goal. And that goal is to create something that understands the listener. Both Andrea and Josh wanted to create music that comforted people, especially if the listener had a rough day in life, stated in a previous article from NYS Music.
To listen to Fake dad’s newest release “New Machines,” click the link to Soundcloud here.
And to read more about Fake dad from NYS Music, click the link here.
Formed in 2017 by Hamilton and Mullen, Ghost Light performed at festivals and lightly toured throughout 2018 and 2019 before their momentum was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Healing was recorded at Hamilton’s studio The Ballroom in Philadelphia.
The album opens with title track “The Healing,” where Hamilton and Mullen’s harmonies are immediately put on display in the song’s emotional and folk-tinged vibe. The track ends with a rocking and heavily distorted guitar solo that fades into feedback.
Bowling’s keyboards really shine on “Faces in the Moon” and “Take Some Time” – both Mellotron and synthesizers contributing to a gorgeous textural backdrop to the high-quality lyrics and guitar fireworks from Hamilton and Mullen.
“Up Here Forever” has one of Mullen’s strongest vocal performances in an almost Broadway-like song full of raw emotion.
“Opening Credits”, unusually placed in the middle of the album, begins with a mellow guitar soundscape that is slowly joined by piano and then an arpeggiating bass line from Shell. The repeating motifs gradually grow more dissonant as the bass is augmented by a distortion effect. Sweeping waves of Mellotron bring the music to a crescendo before Zwang introduces a slow, pounding and cymbal-heavy groove as each member of the band contributes their piece to the massive wave of sound. Crashing into the shore, we are left with guitar, piano, and Mellotron as the track fades out.
Picking up where the previous track left off, “Sweet Unlimited” and “Dig a Hole” both are built upon the incredible chemistry of rhythm section Zwang and Shell as Bowling continues to excel on Wurlitzer. Dialing up a wide palette of guitar tones from compressed and distorted to ethereal and reverb-drenched, Hamilton really shines on these tracks.
The final track, “Don’t Say Goodnight Just Yet”, opens with a strong bassline from Shell as Bowling plays with synths. Zwang holds down a steady beat throughout the upbeat closing song as it acts as sort of an emotional climax to the album – many of the previous tracks having a darker and more melancholy tone to them. We are left the same way we began the song, with Shell’s strong bass.
The Healing is a fantastic addition to Ghost Light’s catalogue, capturing the band’s studio sound – layers of acoustic and electric guitar atop a solid foundation of keyboards, drums, and bass. One drawback that Best Kept Secret had was a “kitchen sink” approach, with overdubs of percussion and extra instruments almost to the point of extreme – The Healing is a breath of fresh air in comparison, a recording where you can clearly pick out each of the members’ contributions without getting muddled.
Ghost Light return to the road in December for a series of dates on the West Coast.
There are song covers, and then there’s what DM Stith did to R.E.M.’s “Man on the Moon.” Stith’s remake is transformative, turning the hazy guitar pop tune into an ethereal 13-minute drone piece.
Having dropped on October 14th, this remake is the upstate NY-based graphic artist and musician’s first release since his 2020 EP Waving 1-4. It’s also the first release on new NYC label Historical Fiction Records.
DM Stith.
In terms of soundscape, this cover is oriented around a fluttering piano melody and an ambient assembly of synths in the background with ghastly vocals which enter and exit throughout the track. Stith slows down the tempo to a crawl, allowing each lyric plenty of time to sink in. His whisper-like vocal performance doesn’t stray far from Michael Stipe’s original take, emphasizing the subtlety which Stith aims for.
Reinforcing this approach, he eschews R.E.M.’s upbeat chorus and zones in on its wistful verses. He adds lyrics of his own, complementing lines such as “Mr. Andy Kaufman’s gone wrestling” with other abstract musings such as “D’Angelo’s Voodoo over first person shooters” and “Mom is sinking deeper into CNN.”
Stith’s atmospheric take on the song also gives new power to lines from Stipe such as “Newton got beaned by the apple, good” and “Mr. Charles Darwin had the gall to ask” which admire two people who changed the boundaries of conventional thought.
While drawn out, this cover’s sound is powerful, getting louder and slowly adding layers as it progresses. Eight minutes of buildup is rewarded in the song’s instrumental outro, which for several minutes repeats the same idea found throughout the track but with waves of distorted, torrential noise.
Stith repeats the lyric “let’s play Twister, let’s play risk” numerous times in his cover, and fittingly so, because he most surely took risks. He abandoned a revered R.E.M. track’s song structure, instrumentation, and didn’t remotely adhere to its pacing, but still made a powerful and successful cover that earned the acclaim of Michael Stipe himself, who said “DM Stith whispers with hypnotic, bone-deep authenticity, somewhere between Nina Simone, Perfume Genius, PJ Harvey and Leonard Cohen.”
DM Stith’s remake of “Man on the Moon” is a shocking and moving rendition that masters the art of the cover track.
