Connecticut jam band Goose came to Cleveland and played to a packed house at the Agora Theater on Thursday, March 9th. They wasted little time before venturing deep into improvisational territory as the opening “Tumble” stretched out to nearly 30 minutes. Three well placed covers kept the audience on their toes including Father John Misty’s “Writing a Novel.” While the second set featured “Use Me” by Bill Withers and finally they encored with Devo’s “Whip It,” which included Jon ‘Coach’ Lombardi on rainstick.
Electroacoustic duo Vessels to Motherland have recently released their debut album, Machine Lieder. The project transports listeners into the world of machines and engulfs them in a brand new environment.
Machine Lieder has an impressive, well thought out back story that allows listeners to truly sink into the project and visualize what they hear. Created by machines, this collection of songs combines human emotions with cold metal shells and expresses the complexity of the modern world.
Vessels to Motherland consists of composer, producer and pianist, Danica Borisavljevic and composer, producer and violinist Nikita Morozov. The experience gained from being classically trained has created the base from which their ideas blossom and evolve.
The NYC duo have recently collaborated with the NY Institute for the Humanities and Social Studies to found “NYC Keyboard Fest”, a one day festival focused on showcasing keyboard performances.
‘Rusty’ serves as the album’s transition between its more minimal beginning and the intensity of its later tracks. An almost sullen mundanity settles in the listeners mind as they are exposed to the inner toil of the machines. It passes as quickly as it comes.
‘Terminal Circuit’ brings you deeper into this new universe as the otherworldly sound continues to craft the story around you. It almost feels as though tension is building inside you as you get further into the song. Pressure builds and then suddenly vanishes as the song ends with one final synthetic wail.
‘Tghtr’ is the last song on the album and serves as the perfect ending to the strange journey Vessels to Motherland has taken you on. Lowkey synths intertwine with the hypnotizing beat until heavy distortion pushes you out near the very end of the track.
Machine Lieder is available now on all streaming platforms, as well as Bandcamp.
You may not know the name Lamont Dozier, but you certainly know his music.
Together with Brian and Eddie Holland, Dozier was the top songwriting and producing team at the almighty Motown Records – the craftsmen behind 15 #1 hits and more than 100 Tops 40s for The Supremes, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Martha and The Vandellas and more. This is a number that puts Dozier and the Hollands (aka HDH) behind only Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Barry Gibb as the writers of the most #1 singles in Billboard chart history. Even after splitting Motown in 1967, Dozier kept on creating smashes. These included Freda Payne’s “Band of Gold” and the Chairmen of the Board’s “Give Me Just A Little More Time” in the early 1970s through to the 1980s, when he penned hits for Brit soulsters Alison Moyet and Simply Red, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton and Phil Collins, who scored a #1 in with the Dozier co-write “Two Hearts.”
In How Sweet It Is: A Songwriter’s Reflection on Music, Motown and the Mystery of the Music (BMG Books), Dozier tells the fascinating story of his climb up from poverty in Detroit’s notorious “Black Bottom” neighborhood to the top of the Hit Parade. The heart of the book is Dozier’s inside scoop on the inspirations for and the production of his masterful and unmatched slew of Motown classics. Along the way, he lays out in bold type his two dozen or so principles of songwriting – insightful rules that are repeated again in the afterword. They are simply the most cogently laid out and useful tools that a songwriter could ever ask for – perhaps the best ever extrapolation on the mysterious art of making hits that also connect with our souls.
Dozier’s book begins at a “no tell motel” close to the Motown studio during the height of his frantic career. Here Dozier is trying to calm down a rightfully angry mistress. To stop the onslaught of shouting and debris throwing he finally shouts: “Stop! In the name of love!” He naturally files this away and it later becomes the inspiration for one of the 10 #1 hits he and the Hollands will write and produce for the “No Hit Supremes.” This was a name they earned around Motown for the six strike out singles they released between 1961 and 1964, when they began topping the charts with the help of HDH. The roster of HDH penned hits for The Supremes would include “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” “I Hear A Symphony,” “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” etc, etc…
https://youtu.be/g3KmZBgfEKY
Dozier then moves onto a bit of biographical backstory. He is the product of grandparents who moved from the Deep South to Detroit in pursuit of good jobs and a less racially oppressive way of life. He is given the name Lamont in honor of his father’s favorite radio play character, Lamont Cranston, “The Shadow.” Over time, his father becomes unemployed, alcoholic and largely absent from his life. Dozier is raised alone by his working mother then passed off, for a brief but important time, to his grandmother. it is in her home that he is exposed to two factors that will guide his creative life. The first is the piano and the J.S. Bach played by his aunt, whose counterpoint and harmonic motion will come to flavor his music. The second is insight into the perspective and attitudes of women, something he picks up from listening to the patrons at his grandmother’s home-based beauty salon.
It is his first unrequited crush at age 10 with an Italian-American classmate named Bernadette that connects him to his romantic soul and the need to express his emotions in words. This inspires him to write a poem which wins a school contest, then to write his first song at age 12. His skill with words is appreciated by the boys at his school who will hire him to write love and/or apology letters to their girlfriends (50 cents apiece) and even to impersonate them in phone calls ($1 each). By high school, he is writing lyrics on his brown paper lunch bags. By 15, he has dropped out and begun to pursue a career in music, landing a small deal with Atlantic Records as a part of a vocal group called The Romeos. There are a few other singles as a solo artist Lamont Anthony and as a part of a group, The Voice Masters, with Temptation-to-be David Ruffin, before he lands at Motown.
The inner workings of the magical Motown are the most arresting part of this book. Motown’s genius founder Berry Gordy models the label on Detroit’s auto assembly lines. At a residential home at 2648 West Grand Boulevard, he creates “Hitsville” – a one-stop shop for writing, recording and promoting highly artistic yet very commercially successful music in a factory format. The execs, studio musicians, singers and the songwriters and producers like Dozier all punch a clock just like at Detroit’s auto plants.
Though he is also signed as a singer, Gordy puts Dozier together with his ace melody man Brian Holland to write and produce tunes for his other artists. Dozier is the “idea man,” the one who takes the lead with song titles and concepts, partial lyrics and also some music. Brian is largely the man behind the bulk of the music. To produce the tonnage of songs demanded by Gordy, they bring in Brian’s older brother Eddie as “song finisher.” He will sharpen these unfinished drafts and complete the all-important lyrics, refine arrangements, etc. This enables Lamont and Brian to move on to writing other songs, as well as to producing the backing tracks with Motown’s famed house band, The Funk Brothers, before deciding which artists will get to sing the songs. And just like Ford or GM, Gordy has quality control. This comes in the form of Friday meetings where they go over all the songs created in a week by all songwriters to see which will be released. If a song isn’t released, the writers have to foot the bill for the studio time! So HDH intends to score and they do, more often than any other Motown writing team.
Dozier’s book is also filled with trivia about the inspirations behind their hits and their recording sessions. Motown tracks are famous for their percussion, something which was often accomplished by banging snow tire chains (The Supremes’ “Nowhere to Run”) or stomping on plywood (the handclaps you hear in “Where Did Our Love Go.”). As Gordy was not a fan of political statements, Dozier turned the initial inspiration for the former song, a draftee about to head off to Vietnam, into a heartbreak song. The latter, which will become The Supremes’ breakthrough, was a song rejected by Martha and The Vandellas and almost not recorded by Diana Ross and her partners, Mary Wilson and Flo Ballard. Wilson and Ballard were so irritated that Ross, an inferior singer in their opinion, was given the lead vocal that they wouldn’t sing the elaborate background vocals arranged by Dozier. They only agreed to utter “Baby, Baby” in bored unison, a simple sonic hook that somehow helped make the song a #1 in Lamont’s view. Newsman Walter Winchell was also the unlikely inspiration for the intro for “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” In this much-covered tune, Dozier employed four guitarists to mimic beep-beep bulletin sound heard at the beginning of Winchell’s radiocasts.
Dozier also has some funny memories of working with the mercurial and uniquely splendid Marvin Gaye who, though unprepared and very late for his session to record “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You,” blazed through the vocal in a single take.
HDH would then do for The Four Tops what they did for The Supremes.
Unlike The Supremes, The Four Tops recording sessions were like a party, with plenty of laughs, drink and food, with Dozier crediting the success of the many singles they cut together to “the barbeque sauce.” The Four Tops run of HDH hits began in June 1965 with the #1 “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) and continued with tunes including “It’s The Same Old Song,” “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” another #1 whose phrasing was inspired by Bob Dylan according to Dozier. The songwriter finally tapped into the feeling of his first crush with the brilliantly lovelorn 1966 Top Ten, “Bernadette.”
By 1967 things began to sour at Motown as HDH felt overworked and underpaid, having signed 100% of their publishing over to Gordy in their initial contracts. Ultimately, they would go on strike at Motown, then strike gold with their own labels, Invictus and Hot Wax, scoring hits with Freda Payne, Chairmen of the Board and The Honeycomb to name a few. Dozier would split with these labels and the Hollands when they passed on two artists he was very hot on, ones who would go on to platinum status – Al Green and The Ohio Players. He would finally go on to enjoy some success in a signing career, making a number of well-received albums and charting singles for ABC/Dunhill and Warners.
In the 80s, Dozier would find more success working with English artists like Alison Moyet, Boy George and especially Phil Collins. Through Collins and his work producing Eric Clapton’s album “August,” Lamont would write songs for and become friendly with the guitarist. They would comfort each other when they both lost their sons around the same time, with Lamont’s son passing of a heart attack at age 24.
Dozier’s book also provides unvarnished discussions of his two failed marriages and his third happy one. He also talks about how the pressure to make hits at Motown and in the years beyond lead him to bouts of anxiety, depression and substance abuse, all of which he has overcome.
Remarkably, Dozier still sits down at the piano every morning and writes about 20 songs a month. This is the result of the principles of songwriting he discusses throughout the book and in the afterword. In essence, it’s about being emotionally honest and ego free – to be willing to follow your feeling and the muse to yield success, something Dozier has done more than any American songwriter of the 20th Century if you look at the charts.
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, Laveda, Architrave, We’re History, 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.
Laveda – “bb”
On their 2020 debut album What Happens After, Laveda draw a post-apocolyptic landscape through layers of colorful sound and ethereal melodies. The band fuses polished pop song clarity with a 90’s guitar driven sound reminiscent of groups like The Sundays or my bloody valentine. Founding members “Jacob Brooks and Ali Genevich explore the great yawning unknown. From the freedom and uncertainty that rests at your fingertips or the distant and possibly desolate future, they capture adolescent restlessness with big walls of sound and a dreamy melodious warble” writes Toronto based blog Ohestee. NYC’s Look At My Records! calls Laveda “a young band with a fully realized voice and perspective, and What Happens After couldn’t feel timelier.”
Architrave – “Twitch of the Wing”
Architrave have shared “Twitch of the Wing” which is part of compliation of music to support the Ukrainian people. Order here and listen below.
We’re History -”Punk Rock Roots”
Remember when your favorite punk rock songs were always stuck in your head? It seemed like those days were about to fade into history. But we’ve got some news for ya. We’re History is here to save the day.We’re History is a pop punk band bringing you tight, fast-paced, rage-dance your problems away rock music, rounded out with infectious vocal melodies that force you to sing along. Listen on repeat and you will not be disappointed. Add a song to your punk rock playlist and your friends will be impressed. Take a deep dive into the lyrical inspiration of Tim’s soul and you will end up depressed, but that’s just part of the punk experience
And here we are at Round 3 of NYS Music’s March Madness 2022. Below you’ll find 8 matchups between 16 bands and artists from across New York State, from numerous genres, all on the rise and ready to make a name for themselves.
Since 2015, New York State Music has crafted a March Madness competition that spans all the musical harbors of the Empire State. As fans and musicians, the NYS Music team aims to spotlight the great talent found across New York in a friendly contest, bringing broader attention to the next generation of artists and bands on the rise. March Madness 2022 highlights 64 bands and artists you might not know, but should know, as these homegrown talents are making waves through the New York State. Check out Round 2 here.
Enter your email address, meet the bands and artists below, and vote for your favorites!
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Bearsville Theater Region
Ampevenevs Thanks!
Ampevene from Albany are a fresh, experimental fusion of original Progressive Rock, Psychedelic, and other genres. Ampevene’s music represents an amalgam of the mayhem of Mars Volta, the psychedelic sounds of Pink Floyd, the hypnotic trance-like quality of Tool, and the funk of a Frusciante-Chili Pepper jam. Watch them perform “Valencia” at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs, below.
Thanks! is a six-piece rock outfit from Saratoga Springs, NY. Their style mixes influences of Blues, Alternative, Rock and Jazz together to create a unique and exciting sound. With melodic bass lines, jazz-infused drums, strong horn lines and roaring saxophone laced with deep, gritty vocals, Thanks! leaves audiences with a performance to remember each and every time they hit the stage. Check out their latest single, “I Choose You” and check out some of their other live performances on their website www.thebandthanks.com. You can also catch Thanks! live at Rockwood Music Hall on 3/24 and at Rare Form Brewing Co. in Troy on 3/26! Thanks! will also be hosting the Martin Family Benefit Concert on 4/3 at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs!
Fine Grain vs Frank Palangi
Red pill or blue pill? Fine Grain took both with a Genny and got banned from Trader Joe’s. The girthy tones of this gritty, shoegazy punk band from Albany will remind you of late nights on a stoop in September, your first beer after work, weird questions about your parents cephalopods, and of course, the crushing weight of capitalism. Listen to their 2021 album Missing Adult below.
Frank Palangi is an indie rock artist from Queensbury, with a fuel and passion that makes his deep and gritty rock a must listen. Combine his vibrato voice and charismatic charm, and you’ve got a rock legend in the making. Palangi’s mission statement is “I have no plan B in backing down on my dreams.” FRANK PALANGI EP V is out now out all major platforms.
Voting for Round 3 has closed. Stay tuned for Round 4 starting on Wednesday, March 16 at 10am!
Funk n Waffles Region
Glass Pony vs Sydney Irving and the Mojo
Glass Pony, a jam band out of Albany have developed a unique sound in the past few years, with a wide array of originals with danceable grooves, unique setlists and compelling improv. Check out their most recent single “Daydream” below.
Sydney Irving and the Mojo, based in Syracuse, features 18 year old Sydney Irving, who has been named the 2020 young adult artist of the year by the International Singer Songwriters Assocation, where she will perform this summer in Atlanta, GA. Her band ‘The Mojo’ includes Evan Tennant on drums, Luke Hart on Lead Guitar and Randy Tennant on Bass. They’ll be performing across New York and three other states this summer. Sydney received the Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist at the 2022 Syracuse Area Music Awards. Catch the band at Turning Stone Casino “The Gig” on March 26 and Turning Stone Casino “Turquoise Tiger” on April 1. Watch “Seasons Change” below.
Gooseberry vs Logan Whaley Band
Gooseberry is a 4-piece band from Brooklyn, born during the Fall of 2019. Their combination of blues, R&B, and indie rock is a recipe for a unique sound that Gooseberry delivers in each song. Listen to their recently released single “Sleep” below.
Logan Whaley Band from Long Island is a culmination of the best material & musicians Logan has written & met over the last 8 years since graduating from Music School. His music can be best described as having old-school sensibilities with a new-school vibe. He released his debut album “On The Cusp” in 2021. Watch the video for their latest single “Funky Tonight” below.
Voting for Round 3 has closed. Stay tuned for Round 4 starting on Wednesday, March 16 at 10am!
DSP Shows Region
Josh Casano vs. Seize Atlantis
Josh Casano is a local acoustic artist who has been performing in the Capital Region for almost 8 years. Along with covers, Josh incorporates his own writing into each performance. He holds a degree in Music Education from The College of Saint Rose focused on classical guitar, voice, and piano. Josh is currently fronting the group Josh Casano & the Fam. Catch him at The Strand Theatre in Hudson Falls on April 21 at 7pm. Listen to “You Said Hi” below.
Fueled by punchy bass, hard-driving percussion, melodic lead guitar, and pronounced moody vocals with meaningful lyrics, a truly dynamic range of soft to heavy Alternative Rock defines the unique, tight sound of Seize Atlantis. Formed in 2019 out of Glens Falls in upstate New York, Seize Atlantis is a four-piece band most closely influenced by bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam, providing their own spin on a variety of covers from classic rock to modern pop in addition to their own original music. Watch “The Unstoppable Groove” below.
Jess Novak vs All poets and heroes
Jess Novak takes no prisoners, performing with a fiddle on fire, powerful vocals and a fierce band behind her. The leader of a pop, rock, soul-pumped group from Syracuse brings passion to every performance, with energy, superb musicianship, engaging songwriting and ability to win any crowd. Coming up Jess Novak will be opening for The Aardvarks in Bethlehem, PA on Saturday, March 12 at the Steel Stacks and on Saturday, March 19 at ONCO Fermentations in Tully, NY. Watch her latest video “Shade” below.
In the summer of 2015, Rob McCall & Corey Jordan met and founded All Poets & Heroes out of their hometown of Syracuse. That summer, the duo began crafting a sound that explored resonating folk melodies with that of the sensible nostalgia that filled the 90s alternative music scene. Since then, the duo has grown into a full-fledged band developing towards an introspective project that aims to challenge listeners to feel, and to feel deeply. Listen to Occhiolism below.
Voting for Round 3 has closed. Stay tuned for Round 4 starting on Wednesday, March 16 at 10am!
The Helping Friendly Hemp Company Region
Jennie Angel vs HANZOLO
Jennie Angel is an actress in the Hudson Valley who recently rediscovered her love for music. Started playing the guitar when she was 16 and has been singing she was born, now performing popular country hits! Jennie has most recently been added as a member of the Academy of Country Music and will be attending the awards show in March. She’ll perform on April 9 at Karl Hall in Wilkes-Barre, PA, on May 14 at a benefit for St. Jude’s in Montgomery, NY, and on June 3 at The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie. She also goes live in TikTok quite often. Listen to her new single “Move On” below.
HANZOLO is a 7-piece band from Upstate New York, toting an explosive and emotional sound that mixes soul, jazz, rock, and funk. Their songs are dance-ably fun with thoughtful lyrics, backed up by a bright horn section. The band’s website contains videos and upcoming tour dates. Watch the video for “Not Easy” below.
METASEQUOIA vsBig Time Kitty
METASEQUOIA sprouted in 2007, taking root in Ithaca and is getting set to release their new album In The Redwoods in April and partnered with their label, New Vine Records. Following the release, they will be trekking on an album tour, with dates set from April – August in CNY, Massachusetts, Connecticut and surrounding areas. Tour dates and cities to be announced soon! Listen to Trilling below.
Big Time Kitty (B.T.K.). Is a funky ass two man band based out of the Adirondacks. Their SoundCloud page gives you a taste of both their original hits and cover selections like “2001” and “Tubthumping.”
Voting for Round 3 has closed. Stay tuned for Round 4 starting on Wednesday, March 16 at 10am!
NYS Music has partnered with businesses across New York State to highlight these 64 up and coming bands. Regional sponsors include Funk n Waffles, a premiere music venue in Syracuse established in 2007 with a unique take on the culinary and entertainment industries, offering a wide variety of gourmet waffles and breakfast food, as well as offering live music every night! Bearsville Theater in Woodstock is where Americana was born – where Dylan took folk music and married it to Rock & Roll. where folk went electric, and where Janis took a breath and recuperated, before launching her hurricane energy and heart stopping songs out into the world. Renovated in 2019-2020, Bearsville Theater has an impressive calendar of shows for Hudson Valley music lovers.
DSP Showsbased in Ithaca, NY and Northampton, MA, is one of the leading independent concert promoters in America, with shows at venues including State Theatre of Ithaca, Hangar Theatre, The Haunt, Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, Brewery Ommegang, Asbury Hall, The 9th Ward at Babeville, and Daryl’s House among others. The Helping Friendly Hemp Companyoffers a wide variety of industry leading products including tinctures, soft chews, and hemp flower, using only USA grown hemp extract.
The winners of each region will be rewarded with a collection of prizes worth $3000. Partners for NYS Music’s March Madness 2022 include Mirth Filmsfrom Albany, a music news/entertainment outlet that specializes in original video content and live streaming, with news coverage ranging across the whole country, who will provide a professional multi-camera recording session at a prestigious venue in Albany for the winning band, premiering exclusively on Mirth Films.
The XPerience Monthly is the greater Capital Region’s alt-monthly newspaper, bringing independent music and thought provoking articles to the area. The XPerience Monthly will feature the winning band in a newspaper profile and interview this summer.
See Plus, an indie-pop band from Rutherford, NJ, shines through on their new release, “The Sun.” For some people, despite the warm days, sunny skies, and perfect beach days, summer can be a depressing time filled with heartache and desolation.
See Plus highlights this feeling with immaculate precision. Containing sunny vibrant chords, intimate lyrics on heartbreak, and charming percussion, the four-piece band shows that they can create indie bangers on the level of their contemporaries. “The Sun” is a must-have for any indie beach playlist this summer.
The band is no stranger to the New York scene. Before the pandemic, the band played in city venues like Arlene’s Grocery, The Bitter End, and The Knitting Factory. With live music returning, they will be playing two shows in New Jersey. The first of these shows will be Debonair Music Hall on March 13th and the second of which will be at Ramapo College of New Jersey on March 22nd.
With over 150,000 streams on Spotify, 2500 followers on Instagram, and a growing discography, See Plus is an indie quartet to keep an eye on. “The Sun” is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube. For more information on the band, visit the band’s website.
With two tours of duty at MSG already in the books for The Grateful Dead, today marks the anniversary of the completion of their third one. It’s a quick two-night stint at The World’s Most Famous Arena after their first two previous runs here in 1979. Fueled by an electric first show from the night before, the Dead follow this up with a show chock full of classic original song pairings and a newly unleashed cover selection that serves as a memorable encore.
The Dead come out of the chutes red hot on this second night at MSG. So much so that a speaker absolutely blows up shortly after the beginning of the “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo” that starts the show. Despite sending shockwaves through an already raucous crowd, it doesn’t seem to faze the band much and they go on to deliver a splendid take on this familiar opener that stretches out nicely thanks to some vintage Garcia guitar play before rounding back into form.
Once finished, Garcia wastes no time at all in leading the charge into “Franklin’s Tower” which features more early improvisation and another notable jam, this one decidedly more funkified, that completes an impressive show-opening pairing. This is succeeded by a rapid run through of “Me And My Uncle” with Bob Weir merely trying to keep up on vocals before another first set and rather floral Grateful Dead classic slows things back down to a crawl, “It Must Have Been The Roses.” Some additional audio issues mar the early parts of the “Little Red Rooster” that comes next, but that doesn’t stop the band from laying down a short pair of blues-infused jams that sees keyboardist Brent Mydland now turned up a little higher in the mix.
He continues to shine on a flawless take of “Don’t Ease Me In” before the Dead unleash another formidable 1-2 punch at MSG. The first part consists of a rapid fire version of “Lazy Lightning” that yields a frenetic exploratory jam that continues to probe and accelerate until, in near effortless fashion, it passes the baton to its traditional running mate, a euphoric “Supplication” that crosses the finish line triumphantly. A late first set “Brown-Eyed Women” is a treat, one that’s notably aided by another few mesmerizing runs from Garcia up and down the fret board. Weir then takes the helm once more for the ever-poignant “Looks Like Rain” that the Garden crowd helps urge along before “Deal” puts the finishing touches on a strong opening set of music.
The Dead show no signs of letting up as the second set begins with another potent combination from their live show catalog. It starts off with an ebullient “Scarlet Begonias” that quickly sheds its skin and develops a deep, exploratory groove that doesn’t fully emerge until Phil Lesh rings out the iconic opening bass line to “Fire On The Mountain.” It’s another masterclass of collective patience as the band takes their time between each verse, stretching the “Fire” out to maximum capacity which culminates in a flurry of notes from Garcia. Things finally slow down a tad with the “Lost Sailor” that follows only to be revved back up again by the customary “Saint Of Circumstance” that’s attached to the back end in another vintage coupling of Dead classics. This caps off a mesmerizing 40-plus minutes of music to begin set two.
The jam at the tail end of “Saint” gets decidedly percussive as it dwindles down, setting the stage for Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart for the traditional “Drums” sequence that gets a nice round of applause from the Garden crowd once completed. The “Space” portion of the evening is taken care of by a near-ambient and blissed out mini-jam with heavy noodling from Garcia that paves the way for “The Wheel” that follows. Aside from the intro, it’s a pretty nondescript “Wheel.” Instead of exploring further, the Dead shift gears once more and drop into the ever-harrowing “China Doll” instead.
To liven things back up one last time, the Dead utilize a late show “Truckin’” that MSG eagerly laps up, with a clearly audible response to the “New York’s got the ways and means” lyric. It begets a short, bluesy jam that resembles the play from “Rooster” at one point but, ultimately, doesn’t really go anywhere. Instead, “Sugar Magnolia” pops up to close out the set in a much more fitting manner, replete with its “Sunshine Daydream” ending sequence that elicits yet another roar of approval from the Garden crowd.
For a show that’s primarily made up of Grateful Dead original tunes and traditional pairings, the band finally delves into their bag of covers for the encore. This time, it’s a newer addition to the flock in The Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, a cover song the band first debuted late last year, with Bob Weir playing the role of Mick Jagger this evening.
Not content to end here, the Dead then enter into “Brokedown Palace” to end the show, giving Garcia one last platform to unleash a spellbinding guitar solo and the band a final chance to harmonize. They would then ship up to the Boston Garden, continuing their early spring tour, before a return trip to New York and Utica’s Memorial Coliseum just days later.
The entire show is available on Live Music Archive as well as on YouTube below.
View This Show And More Grateful Dead Shows From Across The Years In New York State With Our Interactive Map Below
Grateful Dead Madison Square Garden – New York, NY 3/10/81
Set 1: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo > Franklin’s Tower > Me And My Uncle, It Must Have Been The Roses > Little Red Rooster, Don’t Ease Me In, Lazy Lightnin’ > Supplication, Brown Eyed Women > Looks Like Rain > Deal
Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain > Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance > Drums > The Wheel > China Doll > Truckin’ > Sugar Magnolia
E: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction > Brokedown Palace
GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Becca Stevens and GRAMMY Award-winning Attacca Quartet announce their collaborate album, Becca Stevens | Attacca Quartet will drop April 22nd. The first song off the collaborative album, “45 Bucks” along with accompanying live performance video are out now.
The album’s track-list reflects Becca’s journey and growth as an artist. Ready for the challenge, Attacca joined Stevens decade’s worth of music that continues to prove her music capabilities. The tracklist consist of 14 songs with arrangements from Liam Robinson, Bill Stevens (Becca’s brother), Stephen Prutsman, Becca Stevens, William Stevens (Becca’s father), Michael Ippolito, and Nathan Schram.
The song started as an attempt to ‘take the high road’ by putting frustrations to music rather than escalating a no-win situation with a next-door neighbor, and evolved into an ode to several folks who have let me down throughout my life.
Becca Stevens
A Brooklyn-based artist, Stevens established a career back in 2013 with pianist, composer, and conductor Steven Prutsman who sparked the idea of initial string arrangement. The Attacca Quartet is filled with stylistic versatility that arranges perfectly with Becca who’s inspiration comes from pop, jazz, indie-rick, and Appalachian folk music.
Becca’s 2020 “Wonderbloom” album landed the artist her first GRAMMY-nomination and Attacca’s first GRAMMY Award-win in 2019 with their album “Orange.”
Brooklyn based alternative buzz band Acid Dad brought their “A” game to Troy on Frida, March 4th, mesmerizing fans at the collar city’s newest live music night spot, No Fun. Conveniently located along River Street, despite the club’s name good times were aplenty as the band dropped a heavy dose of their signature psychedelic shoegaze sound; a sonic assault of fuzz infused feedback, groove-heavy basslines, relevant and catchy lyrics complete with an atmospheric 60’s-style liquid drop lightshow that would have made even a young Syd Barret feel at home.
Acid Dad performs at No Fun in Troy, NY
Consisting of duel singer/guitarist duo Vaughn Hunt and Sean Fahey, drummer Trevor Mustoe, and on this night bassist Zoltán Sindhu, who was performing double duty after opening the show with NYC’s Programmique, Acid Dad have been riding a steady wave of growth since Vaughn first started recording the band’s debut EP in a Bushwick basement in 2016. During the pandemic, the guys made good use of their time by building a new recording space in Queens, while also continuing to independently produce all their own music, art and even build some of their own instruments. The end result was their latest LP, ‘Take It From The Dead,’ which “dropped” last summer on Brooklyn’s Greenway Records and psych powerhouse LEVITATION’s label, The Reverberation Appreciation Society.
Originally scheduled to play “No Fun” in early February, Acid Dad finally made their Troy debut this past Friday, March 4th. Playing to a diverse crowd ranging from college students, hipsters, plane jane’s, punks, drunks, die hards, posers, nerds, frat boys, Dead heads, lo-life’s, sell-outs, some cool dudes and a few people still somehow in between, the multi-generational appeal of Acid Dead was apparent from the start. In contrast to lyrics contained in their song “Searchin’” that claim the band is “still stuck in the 70’s” Acid Dad has clearly ingested a multitude of influences that span all eras of music. With a sound the brings to mind influential “do it yourself” indie bands of the late 90’s like The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols, Acid Dad have steadily built on those foundations and steadily developed their own unique, catchier spin on the timeless distorted guitar-based genre.
Sean Fahey & Zoltán Sindhu performing with Acid Dad
Just a block away from Troy’s Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Acid Dad opened their set Friday night with the single “BBQ.” Featuring an infectious bass-heavy groove matched by a searing twin guitar attack and an utterly hypnotic light show, fans dug it from the get-go. Following that were intoxicating renditions of “Brain Body,” “She Only Eats Organic,” and the aforementioned “Seachin’” By the time Acid Dad reached the opening chords of the thought provoking “Marine,” the band was firing on cylinders so hot, jackets in the once freezing room were no longer needed. Taking a moment to tune up, the slow burn closer of their self-titled debut album “Dissin’ was next, followed in contrast by the opening track of the same album, “Die Hard.”
From there came perhaps the most well received song on the evening, the lead single from their latest release, “RC Driver.” Keeping the energy high with the relentless driving rhythm of “Living with a Creature” here the young guitar slingers really cut loose, letting their hair fly while thrashing about the stage and indulging in their effects pedals. Another highlight on the night followed that in the form of “Djembe,” where the Brian Jonestown Massacre’s influence, circa “Give it Back!” era, could really be heard.
“We lie, We all lie Because mother Russia does not suffer We run, We all run I can’t run, I can’t run Because mother Russia does not suffer Mother Russia will not suffer”
But just wait mister, Mr. Major Well I question your precedence Mister, Mr. Major Well I question your precedence”
lyrics from Mr. Major
Taking a moment to address the audience before the start of the next song, Vaughn Hunt openly talked about the escalating situation in the Ukraine and that despite writing “Mr. Major” five years ago, it’s taken on a whole new relevance in recent weeks. While fans soon realized this might be a moment worth capturing on their phones, the band then launched into a particularly heartfelt version of it, giving it everything they had left in the tank and bringing the set to a close. Despite the diversity within the mixed collar city crowd, the they were unified in their overwhelming approval and in their pleas for one more song. Happy to oblige, the exciting young band came back out for a fitting encore of “Don’t Get Taken.” Afterwards the hardworking and down to earth guys could be seen mingling with fans, both new and old, while selling their wares at the merch table.
Acid Dad’s Vaughn Hunt wrote ‘Mr. Major’ five year ago.
Singing songs about everything from drug addiction and dead friends, explicit sex and failed relationships to corporate greed and communism, don’t be fooled by their bunk name. Acid Dad are for real. Young, passionate, authentic, and believable. With a catchy recipe of heavy garage riffs mixed with a little punk, some post-rock vibes, a dose of new wave and plenty of sprawling sonic distortion, the only thing testing higher than their potential pH levels is their potential to become one of New York’s most relevant bands. With a huge spring on the horizon that includes a national tour with Australia’s Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and a confirmed slot on the ridiculously stacked Shakey Knee’s Music Festival in Atlanta, it would seem the best is yet to come and that Acid Dad is still far from peaking.
Acid Dad | 3-4-2022 Troy, New York | No Fun
Setlist: BBQ, Brain Body, She only Eats Organic, Seachcin’, Marine, High, Dissin’, Die Hard, RC Driver, Living with a Creature, Djembre, Mr. Major
Encore: Don’t Get Taken
Sean Fahey & Zoltán Sindhu performing with Acid DadAcid Dad’s Vaughn Hunt wrote ‘Mr. Major’ five year ago. Acid Dad performs at No Fun in Troy, NYProgrammique opening for Acid Dad in Troy, NYProgrammique opening for Acid Dad in Troy, NYProgrammique opening for Acid Dad in Troy, NYProgrammique opening for Acid Dad in Troy, NYProgrammique opening for Acid Dad in Troy, NYProgrammique opening for Acid Dad in Troy, NYProgrammique opening for Acid Dad in Troy, NYProgrammique opening for Acid Dad in Troy, NYProgrammique opening for Acid Dad in Troy, NY
The 2022 SAMMY Awards ceremony took place on March 4, 2022 at the Crouse Hinds Theater in Syracuse, with a red carpet treatment for nominees.
SAMMY AWARDS 2022 RED CARPET
Notable highlights included a performance by Lifetime Achievement Award winner Tom Kenny, who played with his band The High Seas. John Rogalia & The Swamp Boys played “A Little Too Country”, with Letizia and the Z Band following. The REal RAW BReed, who opened for Lil Tjay at The Westcott Theater this past October, served as the final performer of the night.
The Jack O Bocchino Award was given to the late Brian Cornish, a writer for NYS Music and 315 Music before his passing in January 2021, and was accepted by his brother.
Community Spirit Award – Raymond (Ray Ray) Darby Jr.
Founders Award – The Blacklites
SAMMYs Hall of Fame inductees: J. Avery Head – Music Educator, Los Blancos, Russ Tarby, Jeff Stockham, Robert “Bobby T” Tousignant, Lifetime Achievement – Tom Kenny
