NYS Music 202​2

Category: Alternative/Indie

  • Peach Fest Unviels Daily Lineup, Individual Ticket Sales

    The daily lineup for the 10th anniversary Peach Music Fest has been released, with a lineup that makes this installment head and shoulders above past years.

    The four-day live music and camping experience returns to Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA, from Thursday, June 30 through Sunday, July 3.

    peach fest lineup

    The Peach Music Festival began in 2012 as the first-ever Allman Brothers Band-inspired festival in the Northeast and quickly evolved into one of the most highly-anticipated summer musical events loved by music enthusiasts from across the nation.

    To celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Peach Music Festival, Trey Anastasio Band and The Black Crowes will headline The Festival, and be joined by Billy Strings, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Goose, the Revivalists, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and the reunion of The Word. 

    Additionally, Trouble No More, featuring Brandon “Taz” Niederaurer (Guitar, Vocals), Daniel Donato (Guitar, Vocals), Dylan Niederaurer (Bass Guitar), Jack Ryan (Drums), Lamar Williams Jr. (Vocals), Nikki Glaspie (Drums), Peter Levin (Keys) and Roosevelt Collier (Pedal Steel Guitar), will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Festival’s founders, the Allman Brothers Band’s seminal “Eat A Peach” album.

    The Peach Music Festival, which was inspired by the legendary music of the Allman Brothers Band, will feature founding member Jaimoe with Jaimoe and Friends, as well as Friends of the Brothers, and Brother & Sister (featuring Butch’s kids, Melody and Vaylor). 

    Thursday, June 30

    Billy Strings, Trouble No More: Performing Eat A Peach, Keller Williams, Samantha Fish, Midnight North, Yam Yam, Consider the Source, JD Simo, Miss Mojo, Carly Moffett, and Tand Band.

    Friday, July 1

    Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, Steel Pulse, Andy Frasco & the U.N., Eric Krasno & the Assembly, the Motet, Marco Benevento, the Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo, Lacuna featuring Tom Hamilton & Holly Bowling, Doom Flamingo, Kitchen Dwellers, The Nth Power featuring Jennfier Hartswick, Funk You, Eggy, Little Stranger, Brother & Sister, Snacktime, Wax Owls, Gabriel Kelly, Evanoff, and the Jauntee.

    Saturday, July 2

    Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, the Revivalists, Ripe, Rayland Baxter, Celisse, Karina Rykman, Jaimoe and Friends, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer and Friends, the Shady Recruits, Neighbor, Melt, Cordovas, Friends of the Brothers, Cycles, One Time Weekend, Pixie & the Partygrass Boys, Chalk Dinosaur, Dry Reef, JB Strauss, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, and Muskrat Lightning.

    Sunday, July 3

    The Black Crowes, the Word featuring Robert Randolph, John Medeski, Luther Dickinson, Cody Dickinson, and Ray Ray Holloman, G. Love & the Juice, the Wailers, Duane Betts, Star Kitchen, Spaga, Tauk, Dogs In A Pile, Maggie Rose, Daniel Donato &. Friends, Hannah Wicklund, the Wild Feathers, Bobby Lee Rodgers, Sicard Hollow, GA-20, and Great Time. 

    The VIP sets, performed exclusively to VIP ticket holders in the “Midland” above the water park with firepits, a bar, and concession stands, will feature Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast with special guests, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer with Kanika, the Cordovas performing an acoustic set, Daniel Donato, Dogs In A Pile, Duane Betts, Karina Rykman performing a DJ set, Kitchen Dwellers, and Maggie Rose.

    In addition to the four days of live music with over 50 artists, this one-of-a-kind experience features food and craft vendors on the grounds and access to the scenic Montage Mountain Ski Resort’s large water park, zip line and ski lift rides. 

    The 10th-anniversary celebration of The Peach Music Festival will conclude with a spectacular Independence Day Weekend fireworks display on Sunday, July 3.

    To purchase VIP tickets, ticket packages, reserve travel packages, camping, glamping tent, RV passes, and individual tickets, or for the most up-to-date information on the Peach Music Festival, including additional artist announcements, visit ThePeachMusicFestival.com.

  • New York Guitar Festival Announces 2022 Lineup Featuring Bill Frisell, Vernon Reid, and More

    The New York Guitar Festival is back with in-person performances after two years of being streamed online. The shows will be held in The Greene Space, WNYC’s multimedia performance venue in Soho from June 14 to 17. Featured performers include Bill Frisell, Vernon Reid, and more.

    New York Guitar Festival

    The festival was founded in 1999 by  David Spelman, the Artistic Director of the festival, and WNYC’s John Schaefer, host of the “New Sounds” radio series. The main focus of the festival is the use of the guitar, and how it is in many different genres of music.

    New York Guitar Festival Lineup

    June 14 at 7:30 P.M.- Glenn Jones and Vieux Farka Toure

    Glenn Jones has a background in rock and experimental music but is best known for keeping the flame of “American Primitive” music alive, which is a folk-based style. Jones’s music is full of unexpected textures through his uses of capos, half-capos, and a variety of tunings. Vieux Farka Toure is known as “the Hendrix of the Sahara,” with roots in playing West African music. He has released five solo albums rooted in the sounds and rhythms of West African blues.

    New York Guitar Festival
    New York Guitar Festival

    June 15 at 7:30 P.M.- Gyan Riley, Bill Frisell, & Luke Bergman.

    Gyan Riley started his career playing with his father’s band Terry Riley and The All-Stars. Now, he works with Grammy-award-winning artists and plays different genres, from classical to spacey electric guitar excursions. Bill Frisell is regarded as one of the best guitarists of our time, and he is the subject of a new biography called Bill Frisell: Beautiful Dreamer. Luke Bergman is part of Bill Frisell’s Harmony Quartet and is a bassist, guitarist, and pedal steel player.

    New York Guitar Festival
    New York Guitar Festival

    June 16 at 7:30 P.M.- Badi Assad, Vernon Reid, & Laraaji

    Badi Assad is a guitarist, singer, and percussionist who also uses the guitar as a percussion instrument. She was the co-curator of the 2014 edition of the New York Guitar Festival. Badi is also the younger sister of the great Brazilian guitar duo of Sergio & Odair Assad. Vernon Reid is one of Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He gained fame as the main songwriter for the rock band Living Colour, and as a founder of the Black Rock Coalition. Laraaji has recently performed as a duo with Vernon Reid and is an ambient zither player,

    Vernon Reid

    June 17 at 7:30 P.M.- Marta Pereira da Costa and William Tyler

    Marta Pereira da Costa plays Portuguese fado music and writes her own music and collaborates with other musicians. She is among the few women playing this type of music, as it is mostly dominated by men. William Tyler is a folk, indie, country, and electronic music artist. His work offers a gothic, often celestial take on American roots music.

    For more information about the festival, go here.

  • Rachel Bard Releases New Single “The Buildings Are Fake”

    NYC-based singer-songwriter Rachel Bard has released a new track, “The Buildings Are Fake,” her third song to be put on streaming services.

    Having written it in 2018 after visiting Los Angeles as a first year film student, the track “is a heartbreak song about the City of Angels.”

    A greyscale image of a television featuring on screen a vague image of a beach with a palm tree.
    Cover art for “The Buildings Are Fake.”

    Produced by Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey, the song takes a stripped down garage rock approach. Almost Pixies-like it sets a nice quiet-loud contrast between its imagery-driven verses and disillusioned, anthemic choruses as the track builds towards a loud finish.

    As for Bard’s vocal performance, comparisons that ring strongly include Nico and Dan Bejar of Destroyer. Her gloomy, vibrato-laden delivery faithfully match the song’s cynicism and rise to meet the track’s energy during louder moments.

    In “The Buildings Are Fake,” Bard is quite visual in how she delivers her ideas. During the verses she muses about pushing “through crowds of teardrops and sunscreen” and “watching the stars all over the floor,” picturesquely reflecting the excited curiosity of a young film student.

    It’s all for nought however. “The buildings are fake, and so is your job,” Bard shouts on the hook, comparing the glamorous facade of Los Angeles and the artificial nature of movie sets to that of a dishonest romantic partner, enforcing the track’s general sense of disappointment.

    While Rachel Bard doesn’t stray from being artsy and metaphorical in “The Buildings Are Fake,” its message never fails to be clear. This air of let down and heartbreak is conveyed in full articulation over a solid slacker-rock backdrop, making for a fine new addition to Rachel Bard’s resume.

  • Jimkata Opens Ithaca Night Bazaar Summer Festival Series

    Ithaca Night Bazaar kicked off their summer festival series on Thursday evening, May 19, with hometown favorite, Jimkata. The captivating trio returned to the stage in Ithaca for the first time in six years. Jimkata fans were engaged and elevated as the 90 minute set of mesmerizing synths included fifteen years of hits plus “Wanna Go” and “Wait for You” from Bonfires, the bands most recent album.

    Jimkata performs at the Ithaca Night Bazaar. Photo by Allison Marie.

    Harmonizing their talents since grade school, Evan Friedell, Aaron Gorsch and Packy Lunn have developed a paradise for their fans to get lost in with a visual and lyrical approach like no other band out there. Their distinctive sound and catchy hooks will be sure to take you on a moving wild ride.

    Evan Friedell of Jimkata. Photo by Allison Marie.

    Learn more about Jimkata on their website.

    Jimkata – Thursday, May 19 – Ithaca

    Setlist: Die Digital, Wild Ride, Wait For You, Wanna Go, Writing On The Wall, Feel In Light, Jumping Out of Airplanes, Blessings in Disguise, Bonfires, Innocence, Ride the Wave, Weight of Paradise, Release. Encore: Won’t Let You Down, Nightshade.

    Packy Lunn of Jimkata. Photo by Allison Marie.

    Jimkata Tour Dates

    May 27 – Pueblo, CO – ARISE Festival 2022
    May 29 – Chillicothe, IL – Summer Camp Music Festival
    June 16 – Asbury Park, NJ – Wonder Bar
    June 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory
    June 18 – Beach Haven, NJ – HopSauce Fest 2022
    Aug 19 – Sherman, NY – Beyond The Blue 2022

  • Great Blue Play Goose Favorites, Cover RHCP in Saratoga Springs

    Pre-Goose Peter Anspach project, Great Blue, wrapped up a memorable five-show run of dates through the East Coast over May 14-19. Featuring their first festival appearance of the season, the short-lived mini-tour managed to create a significant buzz amongst the jam scene faithful and included stops in Philadelphia, Rhode Island, DomeFest in Ohio, and a pair of New York shows in Rochester and Saratoga Springs, respectively.

    Peter Anspach of Goose performing with Great Blue in Saratoga Springs 5/19/22

    While the fun-loving Anspach is mainly known for his work with breakthrough psychedelic improv rockers Goose, these shows shinned the spotlight on a different side of “Handini.”  Fully embracing the excessive “rock star” persona that’s partially been suppressed with his main band, it was in these more relaxed club-like environments where Anspach was truly able to get his “ya-ya’s” out. The result was nothing short of live music magic. 

    Couldn’t make it to any of the shows?  No worries!  NYS Music caught up with the band for their instant classic performance at Putnum Place on Thursday, May 19, and has all the sights (and some of the sounds) of the what many in attendance could be heard calling “one of the best show they’ve ever seen.”

    Kicking off the show with an outstanding opening set from genre bending electronic rockers Escaper, the NYC based band were also joined by special guest Luke Bemand of Lespsecial on bass for the evening.  With positive lyrics, danceable grooves and impressive compositions, even their seemingly simple jams morphed into straight-up heaters, particularly when the hard slapping hand of Bemand took the reins. After closing their set with a new, 9 minute sprawling epic called “Spaceship,” Escaper front man Will Hanza humbly took the opportunity to express his sincere gratitude to those in attendance, saying “Thank you guys so much. You know, after all we’ve been through, all of us, it means a lot that we can all gather for these things, so thank you and please keep doing it.”  

    Will Hanza of Escaper and Lespecial’s Luke Bemand performing at the Putnum Place in Saratoga Springs 5/19/22

    After a brief intermission, the Thursday night funk party resumed in full force as our evening’s headliners Great Blue set their controls for the sun and lifted off like a rocket ship from hell, opening up with the songs “Lily’s Tiger” quickly followed by “Willy” from their 2013 album Rewind.  While many Goose fans are only just discovering Great Blue, make no mistake, this is anything but a new band. Comprised of four longtime friends, their origins go all the way back to their high school days in the basement.  Along with Peter Anspach, Great Blue is also comprised of Ethan Michael on guitars and sometimes keyboards, Seth Suzker on bass, and presumably paying homage to the late Taylor Hawkins by wearing a Foo Fighters shirt, was Nick Hanna on drums.  

    Together, Great Blue has been performing for more than a decade now and have four studio albums to their credit.  With no shortage of songs in their back catalog to choose from, the band would amp things up even more with a high octane rendition of “Together Not The Same” that featured an insane guitar solo from Anspach whole completely lost himself in the music, smiling ear to ear while thrashing about the stage in a pure punk rock fury.  After working their way through “Banana Jam” and a cover of Vampire Weekend’s “Sunflower,” Goose fans in attendance became audibly excited as the bass-heavy reggae groove of “Doc Brown” swept over the room.  While the “Back to the Future” inspired jam was originally written by Great Blue, in recent years the song has been adopted by Goose and has become a regular staple of their live show, but the surprises wouldn’t end there as the quartet seamlessly sandwiched into another familiar Goose song in the form of “Whales” before eventually returning back to the reggae roots of “Doc Brown.”

    Watch fan shot footage of Great Blue performing “Doc Brown” live from the Putnum Place in Saratoga Springs 5/19/22

    Following that up with 2014’s “Crossfaded Mammoth,” Great Blue then unveiled their latest neo-psychedelic jam “Blue Marbles.” After “Pancakes,” someone in the audience yelled out “You guys are so fucking good!” to which Anspach enthusiastically replied from the stage, “It’s this band!” pointing over to his mates. “These guys are awesome, I love them.”  Shifting gears, Peter would take a moment to reflect on former beloved band mascot Leo, a golden retriever who was with them back in their earliest days in the basement, always sitting in no matter how loud the PA was turned up.

    “Lion in the Grass” was then played in memory of Leo and also featured one of the most memorable moments of the evening when Anspach and guitarist Ethan Michael ended up playing a portion of the song while both laying down on the stage. “Jeff Engborg,” both a real person and a real song came next while the main portion of the show wrapped up with an emphatic rendition of “Seeker.”  As the clock approached 1am on this Thursday night, Great Blue still had one more surprise up their sleeve. Like a spaceship returning from the great beyond, our fantastic voyage then touched down with a cover of the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s smash hit, “Around the Word.” Suddenly, in what appeared to be a spontaneous last second call, the band then busted into Goose fan favorite, “Yeti,” perhaps the most well-known song originally penned by Great Blue and later adopted by their high flying friends.

    Guitarist Ethan Michael performing with Great Blue in Saratoga Springs 5/19/22

    As the house lights came on and fans scurried to buy up any and all Great Blue merch, more than one person could be heard calling this “the best show they’ve seen in years” and “the best $15 they’ve ever spent.” Indeed, it was a good one. Full of unbridled energy, youthful exuberance, danceable funk-filled grooves, soaring sonic peaks and over-the-top charisma, Great Blue unleashed an instant classic performance on this night in the Spa City.  With their mini-run now in the rearview, all eyes are looking ahead to the Westville Music Bowl this weekend when Peter Anspach rejoins his “other” band, Goose, for their highly anticipated summer tour kick off.

    Watch fan shot footage of Great Blue covering RHCP and ‘Yeti” from Saratoga Springs 5/19/22

    Great Blue | Putnum Place | Saratoga Springs, NY | 5/19/22

    Setlist: Lily’s Tiger, Willy, Together Not The Same, Banana Jam > Sunflower (Vampire Weekend) > Rogue II, Butterflies, Doc Brown >The Whales<Doc Brown, Mammoths, Blue Marbles, Pancakes, Lion in the Grass, Jeff Engborg, Seeker

    Encore: Around The World (Red Hot Chili Peppers) > Yeti

    Escaper | Putnum Place | Saratoga Springs, NY | 5/19/22

    Setlist: Res Magna > No Stings > Breakaway, Cicada, Rare Form, Enjoy the Silence, Spaceship

    *This set featured Luke Bemand of Lespecial sitting in on Bass

    For more audience recorded video and images from the show, check out the full gallery by NYS Photojournalist Zak Radick below:

  • Alive at Five Lineup Features State Champs, Spafford, Lita Ford, Talib Kweli and more

    Albany’s Alive at Five Summer Concert Series has announced the 2022 summer lineup, with a wide variety of musicians playing at Jennings Landing.

    Alive At Five

    Alive at Five is Albany’s signature free concert series, with eight weeks showcasing various artists, from big names to up-and-coming acts, and artists from the area. The summer concert series started in 1990 with a performance by legendary folk artist Richie Havens and has since grown into a staple of the Capital Region. The shows will be every Thursday from 4:30-8 P.M.

    Alive at Five Lineup

    June 9- State Champs w/ Young Culture

    State Champs is an American Rock band from Albany, New York. Young Culture is also from Albany and is a three-piece alternative rock band. State Champs have been a band since 2010, and have released three EPs and four full-length albums. They have been nominated for many awards at the Alternative Press Music Awards. Young Culture is friends with State Champs and has toured together and worked on music together as well.

    Alive At Five


    State Champs
    Alive At Five
    Young Culture

    June 16- Spafford w/ Annie in the Water

    Spafford is a four-piece act from Phoenix, Arizona, and their sound can be described as electrofunk therapy, which combines deep sonic exploration and jam-heavy improvisation. Their songs range from 10-30 minutes, taking an interesting view of funk-dance music. Annie in the Water’s music is a groovy combination of Reggae, Funk, Rock, Blues, and Jamstyle. The band is a six-piece and was created out of chance as founding members Michael Lashomb and Bradley Hester met at Hobart College in Geneva in 2007.

    Spafford
    Annie in the Water

    June 23- Lita Ford w/ Candy Ambulance

    Known as heavy metal’s original blonde rocker, Lita Ford is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s and had a successful glam metal solo career in the 80s. Her 1989 single “Close My Eyes Forever” with Ozzy Osbourne is her most successful song, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard 100 charts. Candy Ambulance is an Albany-based grunge-punk trio who are known for its poppy melodies and dynamic vocal changes.

    Alive At Five
    Lita Ford
    Alive At Five
    Candy Ambulance

    July 7- Talib Kweli w/ DJ TGIF, DJ SIROC, and JB!! aka Dirty Moses

    Talib Kweli stands as one of the world’s most talented and most accomplished hip-hop artists after nearly 20 years of recordings and performances. He has worked with Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and more. He will be joined by DJ TGIF, DJ SIROC, and JB!! aka Dirty Moses.

    Alive At Five

    July 14- Cassadee Pope w/ Sydney Worthley

    Cassadee Pope is a Grammy award-nominated pop-punk singer and a country artist, songwriter, & musician. She was the lead singer of the rock band Hey Monday before becoming the winner of the third season of The Voice and the first female winner. Sydney Worthley is an alternative artist from Albany, New York who became an independent artist at 17 and has released a few albums with regular air time on the radio.

    Cassadee Pope
    Sydney Worthley

    July 21- Ballyhoo! w/ Souly Had & The E-Block

    Ballyhoo! is an American reggae rock and punk band. The group has sold over 30,000 copies of its five albums and more than 200,000 digital tracks. Souly Had is an artist from Duanesburg, New York, who creates hip-hop and R&B music, with over one million streams on Spotify. The E-Block are an indie band from Albany, New York, named after the street they all grew up on.

    Ballyhoo!
    Souly Had
    The E-Block

    July 28- Donavon Frankenreiter w/ Sean Rowe

    Donavon Frankenreiter is a musican and surfer, who for nearly four decades has been traveling the world as a surfer and musican. His sound is a unique blend of laid-back grooves, philosophical lyrics and soulful delivery. Sean Rowe is an alternative folk singer-songwriter and musician. He has a recognizable deep and husky voice that brings the sound of country and Americana together.

    Donavon Frankenreiter
    Sean Rowe

    August 4- Doug E. Fresh w/ Ohzhe & DJ TGIF and DJ Hollyw8d

    Doug E. Fresh is a Barbados-born American rapper, record producer, and beatboxer, also known as the “Human Beat Box”.  Fresh is able to accurately imitate drum machines and various special effects and is a pioneer of 20th-century American beatboxing. He will be joined by Ohzhe & DJ TGIF and DJ Hollyw8d.

    Alive At Five
    Doug E. Fresh.

    All Alive at Five performances are free and begin at 4:30pm each Thursday this summer, beginning June 9

  • Hearing Aide: Harry Styles ‘Harry’s House’

    Welcome to the fuzzy synth, wet bass and glittery guitar that is Harry’s House. Superstar Harry Styles‘ third album release has some old formulas, new movement, and as always, a lot of falsetto. It shouldn’t surprise any fans that this record is also packed with mushy moments, breakup stories, and rather scandalous dirty talk, as this is Harry’s first record since landing his new lady Olivia Wilde.

    Even in the throes of a public relationship, Harry does not fail to bring a variety of influences and ideas into his music to create something that feels truly like home. 

    Harry's House

    Straight away, it is jarring to hear a brass band mixed into Harry’s energetic first track “Music For a Sushi Restaurant”. The masterful blend of disco rhythms and 80s influenced electronic elements creates the whipped cream that tops many songs on the album, including the pop marvel “Daydreaming”. This masterpiece of a track has an engaging hook that samples the Brothers Johnson and earns Quincy Jones a spot on the album’s writing credits. It’s clear that Harry Styles is doing his research into soul music, and songs like the sultry r&b number “Daylight” and the rhythmic “Grapejuice” have a modern, funky foundation to tie the album together seamlessly.

    It’s satisfying to see Harry take so many new directions, but what needs trimming are the formulaic songs that round out this album. The acoustic love songs surrounded by waves of harmony or the ambient breakup anthems are very familiar, and it seems the rock and roll energy we’ve seen in Harry’s 2017 title album is missing in Harry’s House. His live shows are a huge affair, and harder rock songs like “Kiwi” and “Only Angel” are the perfect choice for these live performances. As he rightfully progresses into funk, he shouldn’t retire his rock frontman persona just yet. This is a chain of many great albums to come, but let’s hope he dives deeper into the realm of brass funk, leaves behind the old successes, and gives us more of the modern rock and roll we need right now.

    Key Tracks: Music For a Sushi Restaurant, Daylight, Daydreaming

  • This Week’s EQXposure Features Shane Guerrette, That Girl w/One Free Don

    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, Shane Guerrette, That Girl w/One Free Don 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.

    That Girl featuring One Free Don – “Cherish”

    Shane Guerrette – “Here’s Hoping” & “How was I to know” 

  • Smashing Pumpkins Announce North American Arena Tour including stop at Madison Square Garden

    Grammy-winning alternative rock group, The Smashing Pumpkins, have announced their “Spirit on Fire” North American Tour that will see them make 32 stops and perform throughout all major Arenas. Featuring alternative rock cult heroes — Jane’s Addiction — and Poppy/Meg Myers (on select dates) The Live Nation produced expedition begins on October 2, in Dallas, Texas and concludes on November, 19 in Los Angeles a the Hollywood Bowl.

    Among the stops, The Smashing Pumpkins will be making their way to New York. On October, 14 they will be performing at the UBS arena at Belmont Park in Elmont, while they hit Madison Square Garden on October, 19.

    The Smashing Pumpkins first emerged out of Chicago in 1988, spinning together rock, pop, shoe-gaze, metal, goth, psychedelia, and electronic as part of the time’s invigorated alternative rock scene. As a result, they’ve sold over 30 million albums worldwide and collected two Grammy awards, two MTV VMAs, and an American Music Award. Their catalog is highlighted by the diamond-certified Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness(released in 1995), and is one of multiple platinum and gold efforts. Their 11th studio album, 2020’s CYR, saw them continue their run of prolific outputs, with no plans of stopping anytime soon.

    General on-sale tickets for the Spirit on Fire Tour can be purchased here, while the group’s touring schedule can be found below.

    NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

    10/02 – American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX**

    10/03 – Toyota Center – Houston, TX**

    10/05 – Moody Center – Austin, TX**

    10/07 – Amalie Arena – Tampa, FL**

    10/08 – Hard Rock Casino – Hollywood, FL**

    10/10 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN**

    10/11 – State Farm Arena – Atlanta, GA**

    10/13 – Mohegan Sun – Uncasville, CT**

    10/14 – UBS Arena – Belmont Park, NY**

    10/16 – TD Garden – Boston, MA**

    10/18 – Capital One Arena – Washington, DC**

    10/19 – Madison Square Garden – New York City, NY**

    10/21 – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA**

    10/22 – PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA*^

    10/24 – Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON**

    10/26 – Bell Centre – Montreal, QC**

    10/27 – Centre Videotron – Quebec City, QC**

    10/29 – Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse – Cleveland, OH*^

    10/30 – Fiserv Forum – Milwaukee, WI**

    11/01 – Enterprise Center – St. Louis, MO**

    11/02 – Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI**

    11/04 – Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN**

    11/05 – United Center – Chicago, IL**

    11/07 – Ball Arena – Denver, CO**

    11/09 – Spokane Arena – Spokane, WA**

    11/11 – Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC**

    11/12 – Climate Pledge Arena – Seattle, WA**

    11/13 – Moda Center – Portland, OR**

    11/15 – Chase Center – San Francisco, CA**

    11/16 – Honda Center – Anaheim, CA**

    11/18 – Footprint Center – Phoenix, AZ**

    11/19 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA**

    ** with guests Jane’s Addiction + opener Poppy

    *^ with guests Jane’s Addiction + opener Meg Myers

  • Creature & The Butterflies Serve Up Melodic Bombast at Berlin

    If you like the soft/loud approach of The Pixies and the noise pop perfectionism of Nirvana, there’s a new trio on the NYC scene that’s sure to delight –  Creature & The Butterflies. 

    Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Chris Seifert debuted the band as a solo project in 2019 with the release of two singles, “Sweet Tooth” and “Turnaround.” The latter is a delightfully noisy and demented reinvention of the DEVO classic, one also covered by Nirvana on their Incesticide compilation.  In 2021, Seifert released his tenth and perhaps most commercially appealing song, “Murder Machine.” This is a suitably mad, mid-tempo Ramones/Nirvana stomp with a cutting, single-note guitar solo straight out of the Neil Young “Cinnamon Girl” school.

    Creature & The Butterflies

    While the multi-instrumentalist Seifert comported himself well on guitars, keys, bass and drums on his slew of singles, the band is even tighter now with the recent addition of a new killer rhythm section.  The band’s newbies are pigtailed drummer Timmy Emmerich and bassist Bettina C.  Emmerich has a sledgehammer, four-on-floor approach and a never flagging energy that brings a new level of vitality to Seifert’s prior recordings.  Like Talking Head Tina and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Bettina C is a cool presence on stage. She’s also the sonic glue that holds (or maybe herds?) together Chris and Timmy’s poppy cacophony, one that could easily go off the rails her rock steady riffage.

    This new lineup showcased their stuff at their second-ever gig together Wednesday night at Berlin Under 2A in Manhattan.

    Creature & The Butterflies

    Like his idol Cobain, the eight Seifert originals played were grungy, noisy, feedback-laced pop perfection. They each boast killer riffs, crunchy chord sequences and smart, hook-leaden middle-eights – a compositional maturity that shows the band could be real contenders in the altrock marketplace.

    On stage, Seifert has the dry sardonic presence of another of his idols, Lou Reed. At the performance, he cast off self-depreciating introductions to songs that amused the packed house. 

    The band ran through several of the singles you can find on their Spotify page like “THEM,” “Boy with Guns” and “Murder Machine.”  But perhaps my favorites were two new tunes. “Viper Dog Fish” is a dropped-D tuned smasher driven by a riff Black Sabbath would love to have penned while “Friends” is, again, Seattle grunge more than a pinch of Lower East Side punk nihilism.  It’s lyrical hook, one repeated again and again in the chorus – “I Don’t Have No Friends.”   That certainly wasn’t the case at this performance.

    Creature & The Butterflies have several area gigs upcoming, and will be at The Delancey June 4 at 10 pm. Visit them on Instagram.