Now that things seem to have gotten back to normal, longtime Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre resumed his tour celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the legendary Aqualung album, with a stop at The Madison Theater at Molloy College on Wednesday, March 16. Barre recorded and toured with Tull from 1968 until 2011 when they disbanded. He played on all Jethro Tull‘s studio albums except for their 1968 debut album This Was.
Marin Barre performing at Madison Theatre at Molloy College 3.16.22
His live show is touring worldwide throughout Europe, America and Canada and will be playing the Aqualung album in full as well as other Tull classics. His band includes Dan Crisp on vocals, Alan Thomson on bass and Darby Todd on drums. For select shows original Tull member Clive Bunker will be joining as a special guest. You can see all of the remaining tour dates here.
And then there were four…. Welcome to the Final Four of NYS Music’s March Madness 2022, featuring up and coming bands from around New York State, all coming to a local music venue near you.
Since 2015, New York State Music has crafted a March Madness friendly 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 4 here.
Enter your email address, get to know the bands, and vote for your favorites below!
Fine Grain, a shoegazy punk band from Albany took both the red and blue pills with a Genny and got banned from Trader Joe’s. The girthy tones of this gritty group 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.
Fine Grain is currently in the studio at Brunswick Recording, working on new music, and have been incorporating visual projections that sync up to their music, intensifying the experience for fans.
Gooseberry is a 4-piece band from Brooklyn, born during the Fall of 2019. Their combination of indie rock and soul is a recipe for a unique sound that Gooseberry delivers in each song. The band consists of Asa Daniels (formerly of Baked Goods) on guitar/vocals, Evin Rossington (drums), Sam Rappaport (keys, vocals), and Will Hammond (bass). The band is a genre-bending alchemy of many disparate elements. They are often referred to as having “two bands in one.” This phenomenon can be attributed to the distinctly different approaches of their two chief songwriters—Asa and Sam.
New on the block, Gooseberry has already begun developing a devoted following in and around New York City, running the full gamut of venues from The Bowery Electric to DROM to house shows across the boroughs, quickly staking their claim in the ever-lively Brooklyn music scene. Fans know they’ll be kept on their toes, as the band moves in and out of genres and styles, always keeping the crowd engaged. Upcoming shows include Thursday, March 24 with Grady Spencer & The Work at Hill Country in NYC, then at Bowery Electric on April 14 and at The Knitting Factory on May 21.
Seize Atlantis has a unique, tight sound 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. Formed in 2019 out of Glens Falls, 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.
Catch them on Friday, March 18 at Mean Max Brew Works in Glens Falls, April 10 at Fitzgerald’s in Fort Edward, and on April 22 at Empire Underground with Under the Den, Bad Mothers, and Sydney Worthley. Watch “The Unstoppable Groove” below.
The Helping Friendly Hemp Company Region Winner HANZOLO
HANZOLO won the EQX Battle of the Bands and opened Albany’s annual Pearlpalooza music festival in 2021. They have opened for bands like Lawrence, Wild Belle, and *repeat repeat. The boys released their first album Table Butter in 2019 and followed it up with their second, HANZOLO, in the fall of 2021. Hanzolo’s music has been compared to Table Butter: soft enough to spread yet hard enough to keep its shape.
Upcoming HANZOLO shows include April 8 at Madison Theater in Albany, April 14 at Pauly’s Hotel, April 24 at The Range in Ithaca and April 27 at Lark Hall.
Voting for the Final 4 has closed. Stay tuned for Championship Round starting on Saturday March 26 at 10am, ending Sunday, March 27 at 11:59pm!
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 The Palace Theatre 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.
Two artists in the wide-reaching jam scene will come together at Lark Hall on Wednesday, March 23 when Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band) and Nick Cassarino (The Nth Power) take the stage. This live duo have a rich sound, having worked together as early as 2018 on Hartswick’s solo album Nexus.
Jennifer and Nicholas have been playing, writing, laughing, and storytelling for almost two decades. Born and raised in Vermont, their bond is ever present in this intimate acoustic duo. Hartswick and Cassarino have each made names for themselves, touring tirelessly. Their passion, dedication and sophistication are evident in their joyous, soulful performances, providing audiences with a truly special musical experience
Hartswick is one of the most exciting performers in music today, pulling double duty on trumpet and vocals, exuding confidence and joy, bringing her own refreshing spirit to the stage every time she performs. Jennifer’s music is honest, soulful and comes with a maturity far beyond her years.
Hartswick is an original member of the Trey Anastasio Band and has recorded/shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Phish, Christian McBride, Tom Petty, Aaron Neville, Carlos Santana, The Rolling Stones, Big Gigantic, Dave Matthews, Meghan Trainor and countless others.
Jennifer’s live performances are renowned as spontaneous, joyful and contagious. Her natural charisma and sincerity shines through, and each performance is a celebration of musical collaboration. And whether she is wailing on the trumpet or singing an intimate vocal solo, her performance is all part of a single seamless instrument, one that is played not only with astounding technical proficiency, but also with sensitivity, conviction and heart.
Nicholas Cassarino was born into a musical family in Vermont, singing publicly as early as age five, and at age 11 began playing guitar. In Vermont, he met Hartswick, who would later introduce him to the likes of Nikki Glaspie, Christian McBride, and the entire jam/festival scene.
In 2008, Nick moved from Burlington to NYC, joining a 10-piece hip-hop collective, Lifted Crew, and toured with rap icons Slick Rick the Ruler and Big Daddy Kane. He also worked extensively at gospel churches in the city and began furthering his solo career. Watch the duo perform “Drowning” live from Telefunken Studios.
Tickets for this performance from Jennifer Hartswick and Nick Cassarino are available here.
Oteil Burbridge brought an incredible cast of friends and virtuosos together for an incredible two night run at The Capitol Theatre over March 11-12.
James Casey returned to the stage after recovering from chemotherapy Friday, March 11, and Jennifer Hartswick started off with a charming serenade on “Water in the Desert.” The band played several Grateful Dead tunes that paid homage to The Cap’s Dead roots and of course, Oteil’s Dead & Company affiliation. It’s always an absolute pleasure experiencing a show at this theatre especially with a band as talented and entertaining as this one.
The pair of shows featured Eric Krasno (guitar, Lettuce, Eric Krasno Band), Jason Crosby (keys, Assembly of Dust, Robert Randolph and the Family Band), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet/vocals, Trey Anastasio Band), Natalie Cressman (trombone/vocals, Trey Anastasio Band), James Casey (saxophone/vocals, Trey Anastasio Band, Lettuce), Tom Guarna (NYC guitarist), and Pete Lavezzoli (drums/percussion, Melvin Seals and JGB).
Oteil and Friends – Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – March 11, 2022
Set 1: Water in the Desert, They Love Each Other, Cats Under the Stars, Gomorrahy, Deal, Too Many Times, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
Set 2: Magnificent Sanctuary Band, King Solomon’s Marbles, No More Doubt, Can You Get To That, To Lay Me Down, Blue Sky, Eyes of the World, Morning Dew,The Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion, Edward the Mad Shirt Grinder
Oteil and Friends – Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – March 12, 2022
Set 1: Touch of Grey, Scarlet Begonias, Estimated Prophet, Gotta Serve Somebody, Mystery Train, Chasing, Weather Report Suite
Set 2: Hot ‘Lanta, Tough Mama, Believe It or Not, Unconditional Love, Superhighway, New Potato Caboose, Terrapin Station, Shakedown Street
Encore: Attics of My Life, Turn On Your Love Light
This October, expect to see a whole lot more of Phil Lesh at The Cap. The legendary Grateful Dead bassist has just announced a nine-show residency at the historic Port Chester venue that will take place over the last three weekends, culminating in a Phil-o-Ween show on the 31st. With his “Friends” still yet to be announced, these shows will also commemorate the 100th show for Phil at The Cap since 2012.
A Deadhead destination and a quintessential venue in Phil Lesh history, The Capitol Theatre‘s Phil-o-Ween shows are always filled with musicians who like to push boundaries and create a mind-bending, high-octane, psychedelic experience in the Grateful Dead tradition.
Tickets will go on sale starting Friday, March 25 at 12PM and can be purchased through The Cap’s website here.
Warmer days are on the horizon, and Umphrey’s McGee is heading out for a full spring and summer tour for 2022, including a stop at Paper Mill Island Amphitheatre in Baldwinsville, 20 minutes Northwest of Syracuse.
What’s more, among the swing through the Northeast in June and July – with a pair of Red Rocks shows June 17-18 with Lespecial and Andy Frasco and the U.N. as openers – they’ll team up with the Disco Biscuits for 8 shows in June and August.
Pairing up the Disco Biscuits and Umphrey’s McGee for these shows harkens back to the first ‘D.U.M.B.’ tour since 2007, which featured collaborations between the two bands. They also shared the bill of Trancegression Festival in Colorado that year, and have teamed up as ‘Brain Damaged Eggmen,” where Brendan Bayliss, Jake Cinninger and Kris Myers of Umphrey’s McGee, perform with Marc Brownstein and Aron Magner of The Disco Biscuits perform songs of The Beatles and Pink Floyd.
Tickets for Umphrey’s McGee Summer Tour 2022 shows go on sale to the general public this Friday, March 18 at 10 a.m. local time. Presales are scheduled to start on Wednesday, March 16 at 10 a.m. ET using BISCOMCGEE as the code and will continue through March 17 at 10 p.m. ET.
A ticket pre-sale will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, March 16th at 10am ET with a public on sale on Friday, March 18th at 10am ET. Find tickets here.
Jun 04, 2022 – St. Augustine, FL ^ Jun 05, 2022 – St. Augustine, FL ^ Jun 09, 2022 – Bridgeport, CT + Jun 10, 2022 – Baltimore, MD + Jun 11, 2022 – Portland, ME + Jun 12, 2022 – Essex Junction, VT + Jul 08, 2022 – Baldwinsville, NY * Jul 10, 2022 – Selbyville, DE * Jul 14, 2022 – Outer Banks, NC * Jul 15, 2022 – Asbury Park, NJ * Jul 16, 2022 – Thornville, OH Aug 18, 2022 – Indianapolis, IN + Aug 19, 2022 – Maryland Heights, MO + Aug 20, 2022 – Pelham, TN + Aug 21, 2022 – Pelham, TN +
^ – presale code: smallstrides on 3/17 at 10am * – presale code: smallstrides + – presale code: BISCOMCGEE
The long running concert series Saturday Night at the Waterhole returns to Saranac Lake this month. Starting March 19 and running until May 14, the Upstairs Music Lounge in Saranac Lake will hold special performances every Saturday night (except on 4/16).
photo by Neil Sedlak
Several notable acts will be making their Saturday Night at the Waterhole performances.
Toubab Krewe w/s/g The Pickle Mafia – March 26th
Toubab Krewe, a band from North Carolina that mixes jam band rock and international folk music, will perform on March 26. They are joined by The Pickle Mafia, featuring Charlie Lindner (Keys), Ben Chilbert (Bass), and Marco Cirigliano (Drums) performing original, cutting edge, high energy jazz music, with influences from modern and latin jazz as well. To truly experience the Mafia, you MUST attend a live show, where they will create a unique, interactive show, and leave you with a one of a kind Pickle Mafia experience! Get tickets here.
The Asheville, NC based group Toubab Krewe is known for fusing rock and world music.
Blue Star Radiation – April 2
Later on in the series, newly formed group Blue Star Radiation will perform. The group consists of Vinnie Amico on drums (Moe.), Rob Derhak (Moe.) on bass, Tim Palmieri on guitar (Lotus, Kung Fu) and Nate Wilson (Assembly of Dust) on B3 Hammond keys and flute. Blue Star Radiation’s show will feature both original compositions and covers.
The newly formed super group is comprised of Vinnie Amico on drums (Moe.), Rob Derhak (Moe.) on bass, Tim Palmieri on guitar (Lotus, Kung Fu, The Breakfast) and Nate Wilson (Assembly of Dust, Percy Hill, Ghosts of Jupiter) on B3 Hammond keys and flute.
The show will feature songs from all of the members’ primary projects in addition to original compositions and select covers.
When renowned keyboardist Nate Wilson came to Rob Derhak with the idea to form a band on those principles, the band Blue Star took its first breath. Enlisting the drumming prowess of Vinnie Amico, and legendary guitarist/vocalist Tim Palmieri, the genesis of Blue Star came to be.
A band of improvisational, jam band musicians that all share an affinity for the classic rock we all love and know. The ditties, the anthems, and the deep cuts that remind us of a different time. They simply write the songs and play the covers that give the audience goosebumps.
Pretend Collective – April 9
One of the more admirable newcomers is Pretend Collective. The band recently released a self-titled LP with indie label The Giving Groove, which donates half of all album proceeds to Nuci’s Space, an organization that helps musicians struggling with mental health.
Tickets for each show can be found at the Waterhole’s website.
Series Schedule
March 19 – Raisinhead
March 26 – Toubab Krewe and Pickle Mafia
April 2 – Blue Star Radiation featuring members of Moe, Lotus, Kung Fu and Assembly of Dust
April 9 – Pretend Collective and Sean Hoots
April 23 – Bella’s Bartok and Organ Transplant featuring Bella’s Horns
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.
Dead & Company and Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge will be joined by numerous Friends this weekend at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, playing songs from the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Band catalogs, and much more.
The pair of shows are scheduled for March 11-12 and will feature Eric Krasno (guitar, Lettuce, Eric Krasno Band), Jason Crosby (keys, Assembly of Dust, Robert Randolph and the Family Band), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet/vocals, Trey Anastasio Band), Natalie Cressman (trombone/vocals, Trey Anastasio Band), James Casey (saxophone/vocals, Trey Anastasio Band, Lettuce), Tom Guarna (NYC guitarist), and Pete Lavezzoli (drums/percussion, Melvin Seals and JGB).
The show also marks James Casey’s return to the stage after undergoing treatment for colon cancer.
Burbridge, a two-time Grammy winning bassist has been in the music business touring and recording for over three decades. His first step into the national spotlight came in 1991 when he became a founding member of the Aquarium Rescue Unit featuring Col. Bruce Hampton, a cult classic that has stood the test of time. That led to his membership in the classic rock group The Allman Brothers Band. In 2012, Oteil received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his 15 year contribution to the Allman Brothers Band as the longest running bassist in the band’s history.
The Capitol Theatre run will be the first set of shows taking place in 2022 for Oteil & Friends, with more dates to be announced.
On Friday, March 4th, fans gathered at The Hollow in Albany to watch as Annie in the Water celebrated their long-awaited album release with special guests The Pine Hill Trio. From start to finish, it was an incredible night for music lovers. Packed with extraordinary talent, these two bands brought new songs; a ton of surprises; and even some special treats for all of us lucky enough to be there.
Band to Watch: The Pine Hills Trio
To get the party started The Pine Hills Trio took the stage. If you haven’t heard of them yet, you’re going to. This trio of young college students is a brand new band and they are here to play. Ronan Dougherty (guitar/vocals) has a voice far larger and more developed than most musicians twice his age. With Dylan Neiderauer on bass and Chris Arcoleo on drums, it’s impossible to tell they have only been playing together a few months. And if you recognize that last name, Dylan’s brother is well-known guitar wunderkind Brandon ‘Taz’ Neiderauer.
Annie in the Water play an epic Two-Hour Set
Then it was time for the main event — and calling it an event is an understatement. Personally, I have seen this band play dozens of times and never heard them sound better than they did this night. For the first half of their set, they played their new album Sun at Dawn from start to finish.
Annie in the Water – Brad Hester (vocals/lead guitar), Matt Richards (keys/vocals), Brock Kuka (percussion/vocals), Michael Lashomb (guitar/vocals), Chris Meier (bass/vocals), and Ryan Trumball (drums) – stepped up on their jam game in a way that is truly mind-blowing considering the music hiatus of the two years.
For the second half of their set, the boys from Annie in the Water played whatever they felt like. Without a set break these dudes continued to bring the hammer down. They played everything from older Annie tunes to a hard-rocking cover from Rage Against the Machine. They topped off their set with a jam on their popular “Hey I’m on the Way” that transcended time and space.
