Deer Tick made their long awaited return to the Capital Region on Saturday December 10, playing a near sold out show at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs. The indie rockers last played the Capital Region in 2018.
Deer Tick, from Providence, Rhode Island was originally born as the solo project of singer John McCauley. McCauley secured the band’s line up early on, adding brothers Dennis (drums) and Christopher (bass). McCauley would later add Ian O’neil (guitar and vocals) and firmly establish the band’s line up that would continue today.
Izzy Heltai kicked off the evening, playing a 35 minute set to an already packed room. Heltai, from nearby Brookline, MA, boasted proudly of previously playing coffee shops in Saratoga Springs. He and his band captivated the audience, performing a blend of mellow indie pop. As the set wound to a close, Heltai’s bandmates left the stage, allowing for one final song, just Heltai and an acoustic guitar.
Izzy Heltai performs at Putnam Place on 12/10
After a brief intermission, Deer Tick took to the stage with a roar of approval from the crowd. From the opening guitar strums of the party anthem “The Bump,” the crowd was fully engaged, belting out lyrics and dancing along. The band dazzled with their Impressive harmonies, with McCauley yielding lead vocals to both O’neil and Dennis Ryan at times. The band’s musical prowess was never more on display then when they performed a cover of the Muddy Waters blues rock classic, “You Shook Me.” McCauley and O’neill traded guitar solos while the Ryan brothers kept pace.
In all, the band would deliver an impressive, nearly two-hour, career spanning set. “Next year will be twenty years of this,” McCauley proclaimed proudly. After exiting the stage briefly, the band would return for a three song encore, to the delight of the audience. The band would end the show with a performance of Ashamed, the opening track on their 2007 debut album War Elephant. “Sing along if you know it,” McCauley asked of the crowd, and he was not left disapointed.
This past Sunday, Dec. 11, Whitney performed at New York City’s Webster Hall, bringing songs off their third album, SPARK, and many others. Expanding their touring lineup from the original two-piece, lead singer and drummer, Julien Ehrlich, and guitarist, Max Kakacek, were joined by a keyboard player, brass section, bass player, and additional drummer, evolving their sound (much like SPARK) and filling the music hall with their resonant melodies and R&B backbeats.
Prior to the night’s headline act, the crowd was welcomed to Boston singer and songwriter Ella Williams, also known Squirrel Flower. She set the tone with songs off her debut album, I Was Born Swimming, and Sophomore album, Planet (i), which released last year.
Whitney began their set with the group’s very first single, “No Matter Where We Go”, followed by Forever Turned Around‘s opener, “Giving Up”. The group seamlessly weaved through both new and old material, providing some with new instrumentals, most notably, “Kansas”, the original version of Forever Turned Around‘s title track.
At one point, towards the end of the show, Julian exclaimed, “this has been the best New York show”, to much enthusiasm from the crowd, who had been singing along and raucously applauding after every song.
On December 10th, 2022 State Champs brought Frozen Fest back to Albany, NY with a packed lineup of pop-punk and alternative rock bands. For 5+ hours, Save Face, Between You & Me, Young Culture, Hunny, and headliner State Champs kept people on the feet and some surfing over the crowd at Empire Live.
State Champs dropped their album, Kings of the New Age, back in February 2022. With the resurgence of pop-punk, the demand to see them live kept many of their fans anxious. A highly anticipated return to the stage was met in back in June at Albany’s first show for their 2022 Alive at 5 series. Then in August, State Champs announced their tour for their album for late fall of this year.
The show opened with gothic rock band Save Face from New Jersey. Lead vocalist, Tyler Povanda, came out a stronger than expected. With the stage illuminated blood red, the entire band in red jump suits, and Povanda’s jerky movements, it gave the feeling more of a death metal concert… at a pop-punk show? Povanda did warm up the crowd eventually and they left with a warm cheer from the crowd.
Save Face, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022, – Photo by Jarron Childs
Between You & Me (BYAM) came all the way from Australia to join State Champs on their Kings of the New Age tour. No introduction was needed as they were an instant hit with the crowd. With a style similar to State Champs, the energy could easily be matched between the two. Their set was a rager from start to finish. Towards the end, vocalist Jake Wilson, and Tyler Povanda matched the energy of the crowd when they dragged their wired mics into the mosh pit seemingly against the advice of security.
Between You & Me Bassist, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs
Young Culture opened for State champs for their first 7 shows on tour and had to come back home to end the tour. They brought peace, love, and positivity to every single person in the room. Vocalist, Alex Magan, greeted crowd surfers at the barricade with a warm and infectious smile. Though their set was a bit shorter than expected, the energy felt light enough to float on for long after.
Hunny was the last opening act for the night. Along with BYAM, they went the whole tour with State Champs. Hailing from the suburbs just outside of LA, their somewhat mellow indie-rock style flattened out the crowd before the main event. They had turned off the lights for the first half of their set which made you really have to just vibe with the music. Things were turned up towards the end with vocalist Jason Yarger strumming his guitar with his foot and laying on the ground out of pure exhaustion.
Young Culture Vocalist Alex Magan, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs
State Champs came out strong and did not let up. The crowd kept up with their energy as they sent a heavy stream of crowd surfers to barricade, over hauling the security for the rest of the night. With special guest appearances from Jake Wilson and their tour manager Colin Lorne, they brought out all the stops for their final show of their tour.
Their 22-song setlist was mostly songs from their new album, Kings of the New Age, but also had certified bangers for their real fans including “Secrets,” “Elevated,” and “All You Are is History.” Vocalist Derek “Steez” Discanio and Bassist Ryan Scott Graham interacted well with the crowd, having them dancing and head banging for the whole night.
Ryan Scott Graham of State Champs, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs
Things were brought pretty low halfway through to do a 3 song acoustic set; including a solo stunt with Discanio strumming “Our Time To Go.” Hearts were clenched, hands were held, and bodies were swaying along as Steez belted his heart out on stage.
The music was turned right back up after, making the last three songs feel like a distant memory. Derek Discanio celebrated 13 years of State Champs by releasing balloons onto the crowd. They played their last 5 songs hard and left to the crowd screaming for one more. They came back out and granted Empire Live with a 2-song encore. First their Christmas song “Ordinary Christmas,” then closed the night with their hit off their album, “Everybody But You.”
Derek Discanio of State Champs, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs
Steez and State Champs showed so much love to his home crowd and promised to bring another Frozen Fest next year. State Champs has had themselves a year and it looks like they plan to take a break and enjoy Christmas and the New Year.
Save Face Setlist: Sharpen Your Teeth, Bad, Bury Me (Tonight!), Weak, A.M. Gothic, Glitter, Another Kill For The Highlight Reel
Between You & Me Setlist: Butterflies, Supervillain, Overthinking, Goldfish, Go To Hell, Pleased to Meet You, Deadbeat, Dakota
Young Culture Setlist: Not in Love, Hum, Kinda Over It, Party Girl, Whiskey, Drift, Different Now, Holiday in Vegas
Hunny Setlist: JFK, Shy, Halloween, Saturday Night, A Slow Death In Pacific Standard Time, Loser, GHS, Vowels (And the Importance of Being Me), Everything Means Everything To Me, Homesick, Televised, Sports With Strangers, Lula, I’m Not Mad
State Champs Setlist: Just Sound, Mine Is Gold, Eventually, Outta My Head, Criminal, Sundress, Frozen, Elevated, Half Empty, Crying Out Loud, If I’m Lucky, Our Time To Go, Fake it, All You Are Is History, Act Like That, Deadly Conversation, Hurry Up and Wait, Losing Myself, All or Nothing, Breaking Ground, Secrets
State ChampsEncore: Ordinary Christmas, Everybody But You
After twenty-five years of anticipation, NYC indie-cult fan favorites the Van Pelt return with a new album titled “Artisans & Merchants” in 2023. The Van Pelt has returned to explore what was left behind with a new collection of hit songs, including the latest track, “Grid.”
For lovers of The Van Pelt, listening to “Artisans & Merchants” is like hearing the voice of a dear friend you haven’t seen in years. This is a stand-alone album, incredible vital songwriting regardless of the long history this band has. Pitchfork even stated that, “The lines between post-hardcore, indie rock, and emo blurred on the two mid-’90s full-lengths from the Van Pelt.”
The Van Pelt is an American indie rock band from New York City that were active from 1993 to 1997, but have reformed briefly several times since then including now. The band formed around 1993 at New York University, with Chris Leo on vocals and guitar, David Baum on guitar, Barry London on bass, and Neil O’Brien on drums. In a reunion show, soundchecks revealed that the band has a voice that was prematurely muted by their inability to see clearly in the thick of their rise.
“New York City’s The Van Pelt are an influential, but too often overlooked indie rock band — cult favorites for many an emo-inclined crate digger.”
– Consequence
The Van Pelt’s newer album can be viewed as “a friend you used to share countless beers with over banter that went nowhere other than delivering a solid night. Your friend is older, they’ve changed. In some ways you’re worried for them, looks like they might be teetering on the brink of something. In other ways it’s the same old them, a nugget of a soul too unique to ever be altered.”
The chores of the single “Image of Health” describes the beautiful desperation of the album best, “And you never felt more alive / Than when the priest came to read you your rites!”
Stream The Van Pelt and their newest album coming in Spring 2023 by clicking the link here.
Listen to the latest track from The Van Pelt, “Grid,” below.
Lovejoy made a stop on Wednesday on December 7th at the Mercury Lounge in New York City. Selling out every one of their shows within minutes of announcing their US tour, the upbeat indie-rock band put on an amazing performance, full of jumping, head-banging, and enthusiastic crowd interaction. The UK-based band played various songs from their first EP Are You Alright, and their latest release, Pebble Brain.
Lead singer Wilbur Soot and bassist Ash Kabosu
Lovejoy, consisting of lead singer Will Gold—better known by his Youtube name, Wilbur Soot—guitarist Joe Goldsmith, bassist Ash Kabosu, and drummer Mark Boardman, played their second ever show in New York this past week. The band formed in 2020 when Wilbur Soot, with his already large fanbase of 6.35 million followers on Youtube and Twitch for video game streaming, uploaded his comedic yet catchy song, “Your New Boyfriend.” The song pushed Soot to pursue music on a more serious level. Already friends with guitarist Joe, Soot met bassist Ash Kabosu at a burger shop and drummer Mark Boardman through the freelance company Fiverr. After Soot and Goldsmith’s first day of recording music with their newly found instrumentalists, the four decided to form their band.
Lovejoy first entered the stage by pushing through the crowd, generating screams of excitement from the crazed fans, many of whom brought their parents with them to the packed venue. Given that Lovejoy had only four scheduled tour dates in the US, many dedicated followers traveled hours from far away states like Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and even Florida to see their favorite band play.
A teenager from the crowd handed guitarist Joe Goldsmith a black-and-white striped beanie, which he wore during the entire show. Prior to playing their song “Model Buses,” the crowd collectively booed Boris Johnson and sang along to lyrics like “We can barely see your hair receding..” and “Sound as good with slurred speech as I do when I’m sober…” After facing some technical difficulties during their performance of “Concrete,” the band replayed the song with the whole crowd screaming the lyrics and jumping eagerly to the beat.
Before their encore, the band members pretended to leave the stage and re-enter from behind the curtains, prompting the crowd to scream in excitement once again. Lovejoy is continuing their US tour with two last shows in California on December 9th and December 11th.
Setlist: Tomorrow, You’ll Understand When You’re Older; Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry?; Taunt, Consequences, Model Buses, Cause for Concern, The Fall, It’s Golden Hour Somewhere (unreleased), One Day, Sex Sells
Encore: Perfume, It’s All Futile! It’s All Pointless!, Concrete
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.
Sydney Worthley –“How Soon Is Now”
Sydney Worthley is an alternative artist from Albany. In 2017, she released her debut 14-track album titled Strong, followed by performances at Mountain Jam Music Festival, First Night Saratoga, and all over the Capital Region. In 2019, she became an independent artist at the age of 17. Her newest track “How Soon Is Now” is a glittery pop single that will be played on EQXposure.
ShortWave RadioBand – “So long the Hopeful”
ShortWave RadioBand resides in Schuylerville. Starting out as a semi-acoustic duo in late 2019, Lonny Eaton and Andy Scullin performed cover songs for a little more than a year before meeting drummer John Woods. They started writing their own songs at the end of Summer 2021 and then added Abby Stone on trumpet and Ryan Shaw on guitar.
Rhoseway – “Country Sunrise”
Rhoseway is the solo project of Albany-based songwriter Rob Fleming. All writing, arrangements, performances, and production are done by himself in a DIY fashion.
Established country group Drive-By Truckers has newly announced their full set of tour dates for the Spring 2023. The tour makes its way to the Northeast in May, with Drive-By Truckers performing at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, two nights at the Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan, and a show at The Egg in Albany.
Drive-By Truckers
The band with its roots stemming from Athens, Georgia starts the tour with an appearance in Indianapolis, Indiana on March 9 at The Vogue, followed by traveling from the end of March to the beginning of April for their annual four-day “Heathens Homecoming” celebration at their hometown’s own beloved 40 Watt Night Club.
Welcome 2 Club XIII
Following the four-day celebration, a four-part two-night stands series by the band opens at Saxapahaw, NC’s Haw River Ballroom from April 25-26, leading up to premiering at Washington DC’s 9:30 Club from April 29-30, then New York City’s Bowery Ballroom from May 4-5, and lastly The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. The recently-made announcement of the schedule of the Drive-By Trucker’s full tour is after the the release of the band’s 14th studio album, Welcome 2 Club XIII, which includes new singles like “The Driver”, “Every Single Storied Flameout”, along with the debut’s anthem, “Welcome 2 Club XIII”.
Drive-By Truckers Spring 2023 Tour
MARCH
9 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue #
10 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall #
11 – Milwaukee, WI – The Pabst Theater #
12 – Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre #
14 – Iowa City, IA – Englert Theatre #
15 – Urbana, IL – The Canopy Club #
17 – Louisville, KY – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall #
18 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant #
19 – Fayetteville, AR – JJ’s Live #
21 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Jones Assembly #
23 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater #
24 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre #
25 – New Orleans, LA – Joy Theater #
26 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City #
29 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt †
30 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt %
31 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt ^
APRIL
1 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt @
20 – St. Petersburg, FL – Floridian Social Club $
21 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room $
22 –Orlando, FL – Ace Café (Outdoors) $
23 – Columbia, SC – The Senate $
25 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom $
26 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom $
28 – Richmond, VA – Brown’s Island $
29 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club $
30 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club $
MAY
2 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios $
4 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom $
5– New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom $
8 – Albany, NY – The Egg Performing Arts Center
9 – Munhall, PA – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall $
Buffalo-based indie singer-songwriter Marina Laurendi has released a stunning music video for the track “Stay Mine,” off of her EP of the same name that came out in August.
Marina Laurendi is a singer/songwriter and musician, originally from the Western New York area. She started performing as an actress, singer, and dancer at a young age. Her career in musical theater led her to NYC, where she performed around the East Coast and Off-Broadway. Her music takes influence from the pulse of the NYC scene and the calmness of her Western NY upbringing.
Since the release of her EP, she has garnered over 10,000 streams on Spotify, and she was recently a quarter-finalist in this year’s competition to open at the Hollywood Bowl. When talking about the track and accompanying video, Laurendi said it is about the longing to have beautiful shared experiences with someone that matches your personality.
I had this sense of restlessness when I was writing it like I was just dying to start filling my life with these crazy adventures that make you feel like you can be forever young and I think that translated into the song. When we’re performing it, I always visualize it like a scrapbook of amazing memories so with the video, Luke Haag, our director/videographer, really helped me hone in on the best way to convey that. The whole thing is snapshots of this relationship where we really see the good, bad, and the ugly. It’s a healthy mix of reality and this pipe dream of what could be.
Marina Laurendi
The music video shows an intimate portrait of the highs and lows of a relationship. It matches the song’s build-up, as the passion between the couple is met with growing tension and a darker side of the love is revealed. The song focuses on these perfect imperfections as Laurendi sings the opening line, “you’re my favorite headache.” An interesting part of the video is that some of the scenes were shot at multiple locations around Buffalo and the Niagara Falls area. Laurendi also channels old Hollywood and the sounds of Lana Del Rey and Phoebe Bridgers throughout.
Marina Laurendi showcases that she is here to make a splash in the industry and become the next star. She recently has performed at places like The Bitter End in NYC, Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls, Nietzsche’s and Ironworks Buffalo, just to name a few. To stay up to date on new show announcements, go to her website.
Infamous alt-J has just announced a tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Mercury Prize-winning debut album, An Awesome Wave. The tour will be starting in March 2023 at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, and each show on the tour will feature a full performance of the album for the first time ever in the US.
“It’s been such a great year promoting both The Dream and An Awesome Wave’s 10th anniversary that we have decided to extend the party into 2023. We are delighted to announce a run of AAW anniversary shows in the US in March where we will play the album in full for the first time in America. We hope you can join us,” the band said in a statement.
The award-winning debut was followed two years later by their GRAMMY and BRIT Award-nominated number one album, This Is All Yours. Then in 2017, “RELAXER” flew straight into the top 10 of the UK album charts and garnered the band their second Mercury Prize nomination.
Alt-J also celebrated the 10th anniversary of An Awesome Wave with a new podcast series presented by music journalist and radio host Jenny Eliscu. Things Will Get Better – An alt-J Podcast. The podcast sees the critically acclaimed, chart-topping British band discussing their early days as university students, delving into how they came together and more.
“We were asked so often how we felt about the ten year anniversary of An Awesome Wave,” say alt-J, “and how we planned to celebrate it, that we realized we didn’t exactly know. So we made a podcast to find out. ‘Things Will Get Better’ is a journey from the formation of the band to the release of our debut album, and features us exploring our old haunts in Leeds, listening to long-lost demos and chatting to Gwil Sainsbury and our producer Charlie Andrew. We loved reminiscing about those days, sharing our individual memories and taking some time to reflect with gratitude on the album that changed our lives more than any other.”
Presale for tickets begins next Wednesday, December 7th at 10am and is concluding on Thursday, December 8th with general on-sale beginning Friday. December 9th at 10am local time.
To sign up for early access to tickets, click the link here.
The holiday season delivered an early gift for music fans on Saturday, December 3, as radio station 95X hosted its annual 95X-Mas Pajama Jam at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse. The event, headlined by the indie folk-rock band Wilderado, also featured a solo performance by Andrew McMahon and a set by Almost Monday.
Wilderado performs at the 95x-Mas Pajama Jam in Syracuse, NY
Wilderado, hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, are led by Max Rainer (vocals and guitar), also include Tyler Wimpee (guitar), Justin Kila (drums), David Stimson (bass guitar) and Jack Malonis (keyboards). They continue to tour in support of their 2021 self-titled album, and were making their first appearance in Central NY.
Wilderado performs at the 95x-Mas Pajama Jam in Syracuse, NY
The event opened with a set by Almost Monday. The San Diego indie-rockers hit the stage promptly at 8pm and delighted fans with a set of groovy rock tracks.
Almost Monday performs at the 95x-Mas Pajama Jam in Syracuse, NY
Up next was Andrew McMahon. McMahon is most known for his years fronting the bands Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin. His recent set at Beak & Skiff in August 2022 was a summer favorite of many. On this evening, however, fans were treated to a rare, solo performance. Flanked by just a piano, McMahon took fans through a journey highlighting many of his past musical projects. From the moment McMahon took the stage, fans sang along to every word. A set filled with many highlights, perhaps the most special moment was when McMahon closed his set by honoring a fan’s request by playing the emotional “Hammers and Strings.”
Andrew McMahon performs at the 95x-Mas Pajama Jam in Syracuse, NY
After a brief intermission, it was time for Wilderado. The band opened with a dreamy musical intro before launching into “Stranger,” the opening track on their 2021 self-titled album. The band weaved through several folk-rock styled tracks, much to the enjoyment of the crowd who jumped, danced, and sang along.
Wilderado performs at the 95x-Mas Pajama Jam in Syracuse, NY
As the set wound to a close, Rainer summoned the crowd. “Are you guys going to help me sing Surefire?” The band began their stand out track and the crowd did not dissapoint, belting out the lyrics to the catchy chorus. As the song concluded, the band members shed their instruments and joined Rainer at the front of the stage. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, the band closed their set with “Rubble to Rubble”, a beautiful ode becoming a new parent.
