NYS Music 202​2

Category: Genres

  • The Finals of NYS Music March Madness 2022

    We have arrived at the Finals of NYS Music’s March Madness 2022. 64 bands we brought together, to build their name and share their sound with a wide audience. And now we are down to the final two bands, with a unique New York sound.

    Finals March Madness 2022

    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 the Final 4 here.

    Enter your email address, get to know the bands, and vote for your favorites below!

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    Fine Grain – Albany

    Fine Grain floats in a purgatory between shoegaze haze and punk posturing. Their post-punk brilliance runs deep with exceptional songwriting and performances of every member of the band. With prog-inspired riffs, post-punk murk, and the occasional ripping sax solo, fine grain offers up rambunctious reverie fit for hardcore fans of all generations. Fine Grain’s maturation is a testament to the transformative possibility of punk, showing how pulled threads of the past can still stitch together a promising new future.

    finegrain

    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.

    HANZOLO – Upstate

    HANZOLO, hailing from Upstate NY, 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.

    hanzolo

    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.

    The polls are now closed. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 29 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 Shows based 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 Company offers a wide variety of industry leading products including tinctures, soft chews, and hemp flower, using only USA grown hemp extract.

    Finals March Madness 2022

    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 Films from 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.

    Check out Past Years’ NYS Music March Madness Here

  • This Week’s EQXposure Features Blur Beside You, New American Cuisine

    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, Blur Beside You, New American Cuisine, and many more!

    Blur Beside You

    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.

    Blur Beside You – “Nothing Feels Real” 

    Shoegaze indie rock trio from New York and Florida. Features 3 founding members of South Florida band, Mindlikewater, Jim Wells, Joseph Butera & Joseph Beaty. Check out “Nothing Feels Real” as well on EQXposure

    New American Cuisine – “Drop”

    Five-piece Saratoga Springs band New American Cuisine has two singles named after flowers: “Lily of the Aztecs” and “Daffodil.” The band met in high school, and while they’ve since graduated and gone to different colleges, they continue to collaborate on winter and summer breaks. Both singles have chill guitar riffs and catchy vocal hooks, perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

  • Say She She, Brooklyn Based Trio Release New Single “Blow My Mind”

    Brand-new Brooklyn-based trio, Say She She, have released their sophomore single “Blow My Mind.” The song follows their debut single and video “Forget Me Not” – both tracks have earned early support from KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic. Both tracks will be released together as a 45 via Colemine/Karma Chief Records. 

    Say She She Brooklyn Trio
    Photo by Milton Arellano 

    Named as a silent nod to Nile Rodgers (C’est chi-chi!: It’s Chic!”), Say She She, an all-female “discodelic” soul band. Their unique sound is inspired by late 70’s girl groups with the three strong female lead voices of Piya Malik (featured in El Michels Affair, and backing singer for Chicano Batman), Nya Gazelle Brown, and Sabrina Cunningham.  

    Say She She's single “Blow My Mind.”
    Artwork by Alyssa Boni 

    The Brooklyn-based three-part harmony girl group have been making their way throughout the New York City scene for a couple of years now.  Their sophomore song is about returning to reignite the fire of a former flame/love you still have. “‘Blow My Mind’ is about a love that you can’t seem to get rid of and you can’t quite get enough of,” explains Say She She member Nya Gazelle Brown.  

    The pandemic inspired the band, after spending time recording their LP on old tape machines in the basement studios of friends, the Summer of 2022 will see their much-awaited debut album. As they raise in popularity, their songs have garnered over 8.8 million streams, you will not want to miss out on this dynamic trio. 

    As Say She She, they have appeared in Brooklyn Paper and Bushwick Daily. Separately, the members of the band have been covered in: The Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Billboard, Pitchfork, NPR, Pop Matters, Paste Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, American Songwriter, have toured extensively with Chicano Batman as backing singers doing everything from Coachella to Tiny Desk, and performed at Gilles Peterson WorldWide Awards in London.

    Listen to “Blow My Mind” HERE 

  • Lara Downes to make Special Appearance at the Arthur Zankel Music Center on April 14

    Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) will partnering with Skidmore College this upcoming April 14 at 7:30 p.m. for a night of music with Lara Downes at the Arthur Zankel Music Center. During this time Downes, will play homage to underrepresented American composers, including Florence Price, Scott Joplin, and Billie Holiday. She will also tap into the honorary George Gershwin and Morton Gould to bring to life their music from the 1900s.

    Lara Downes Arthur Zankel Music Center

    Coming from a civil rights background, Downes is not only a high demand performer, but also hosts her own series on NPR called “Amplify”. On her show she discusses with BIPOC artist what it is like to be in the music industry, with focuses on shaping the identity of a new era with bold vision, powerful mission and the inspiring energy of a transformative time. However, her work does not end there. In fact, Downes is a Billboard Chart-topping recording artist, producer, curator, activist, and arts advocate.

    Lara Downes

    Furthermore, her work with Skidmore College will begin on April 13 during her piano masterclass for music majors at 5:30 p.m.

    What a thrill for our students to witness Lara’s great artistry and experience a one-of-kind program in our beautiful performance space. And, how lucky for them to also participate in a masterclass with her.

    Evan Mack, professor of music at Skidmore College

    Tickets for Downes’ performance at the Arthur Zankel Music Center will be $30 for general admission and $10 for all collegiate students and faculty with a valid school ID. However, Skidmore students enrolled in the music program will have free admission. Skidmore College plans to follow COVID-19 protocol and strongly encourages guests to be fully vaccinated and masked at the performance. For tickets or more information click here or visit Spac.

    Downes’ following visit to Saratoga will be towards the end of the Summer on August 4. She will perform two premieres: The Strayhorn Concerto and Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement, during her Saratoga Performing Arts Center debut. For more information visit  SPAC.

  • Le Big Zero Releases Third Single “Coda” Off Upcoming Album ‘A Proper Mess’

    Brooklyn-based band Le Big Zero released their third single, “Coda,” off the anticipated album A Proper Mess that is set for release on April 8, 2022.

    The forthcoming album is filled with a high-energy cocktail of garage rock and off-kilter punk. Le Big Zero’s previous album was released back in 2019 called Ollie Oxen Free. Since the prior album, Michael Pasuit and Carolina Aguilar the vocalists of the band continued to explore the humorous energy of monotony and anxiety in the modern age for the new album.

    The new album gives the outlook of uncertainty of a messy love-letter and the ability to just keep moving forward. The third single, “Coda” comes from the story of Michael Pasuit’s previous band, X-Ray Press’s discarded track with correspondence to band breakups such as Fleetwood Mac, the Clash, or Oasis.

    With “Coda” we were looking to create a live band concept that didn’t take place in a traditional venue and had a bit of a playful vibe. The creative process for the video was pretty collaborative with Michael and I sharing ideas back and forth before landing on the final concept of Le Big Zero playing their hearts out for an underwhelmed kid.

    -Jeanette D Moses (Music Video Director)

    Le Big Zero’s second album is a blend of ’90s garage rock with a twist of poppy structures. The band was originally founded by Michael Pasuit (vocalist and guitarist) and later Carolina Aguilar joined him an additional vocalist.

    Prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, the band began recording the new album. The tracks on the album are paired together, fo example the first two singles that have been released “Horror Movie Pie Fight” and “Beach Seance” both give a sense of absurdity and abstraction. The uniqueness of the album, “A Proper Mess” offers an edge that can’t be broken down.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIwBQRoYnRQ

  • Carly Pearce Gives a Heartfelt Performance At The Egg

    After winning female artists of the year at the American Country Music Awards this past month, Carly Pearce headed to Albany to perform at The Egg to give a heartfelt and award-winning performance on Friday, March 18.

    Hannah Ellis opened up the show with her guitarist Kevin Monahan where they sang her first hit single “US” and a cover of The Band Perry’s fire starting song, “Better Dig Two” which got the crowd stopping their feet back to their southern roots while singing along. The set list consisted of nine songs with three being covers.

    Carly Pearce, left and Hannah Ellis, right

    The lights dimmed low while the fog began to emerge out onto the stage and just when Carly’s band finished setting up, she strutted onto the stage in her vibrant red outfit and glitter boots. Without hesitation she opened up her show with the first song off her current album 29: Written In Stone, “Diamondback.”

    The songs were uplifting everyone in their own way. As you looked around the venue you could see the hand on the heart swaying motion and the hand in the air emphasizing the heartbreaking words Carly sang that touched the individual. Heading into the fourth song on her 29 album she paused to explain to the crowd the meaning behind her album and how the order of the songs were intentional in order to tell the story of her life.

    Halfway through the show it was time for the track named after the album “29” and this was where the crowd began showing its vulnerability and intimacy. As Carly explained the meaning behind the song and how she came from a line of very strong women in her family, so she didn’t want to shy away from the truth and embarrassment she felt during the emotional year of her marriage. A women in the crowd made a cheers to all the women in the room prior to the start of the song and everyone followed her as well as Carly.

    There was an instant connection with this shows crowd and Carly Pearce. She brought two girls to the stage who held a sign up about their troubles and Carly didn’t let them go unnoticed or unheard as she talked to them on the stage about the struggles a lot of women face.

    As the last song of the show began to be strummed and the cords of “Every Little Thing” began, the crowd stood up and swayed along feeling every soft lyric Carly sang. All a sudden at the half way mark of the heartfelt song they stopped and switch the beat to “Hide The Wine” a song from her first album that led to the crowd to begin jumping up in down at their seats to the all too familiar girl power song.

    Waving goodbye to her fans as they stood and cheered for her, Carly left everyone with an adreanline rush. As the fans headed out of the venue the singing didn’t stop, a few women walked down the stairway singing the last song “Hide The Wine” lyrics and cheering.

  • Darro Deals With Heartbreak in New Single ‘Phoning In’

    Brooklyn native, Darro, has returned with his newest single ‘Phoning In’. The pop punk track features artist Michael Meaney.

    Produced by Kris Crummett, who has also worked with artists like Dance Gavin Dance and Sleeping With Sirens, ‘Phoning In’ embodies the anxiety of an ending relationship. Darro brings his personal experiences into the writing process, but still allows Michael Meaney to incorporate his own technique. 

    By incorporating early 2000’s inspired pop punk with electric instrumentals, this relatable single is the perfect addition to your breakup playlist. The deep Paramore influence brings listeners back to their most juvenile breakup to reminisce on the final moments of an ill-fated relationship. 

    Darro’s 2020 album, Song of Recovery, has received praise and critical acclaim from the likes of Billboard and Medium, as well as ranking #11 on the iTunes Rock Album chart.

    Fans can expect Darro’s next album, Accidents, to drop this coming Fall. He will also be going on tour this July and fans can keep up with all his activities here.

    Tour Schedule :

    7/1 – Pittsburgh, PA

    7/2 – Chicago, IL

    7/3 – Cincinnati, OH

    7/4 – Nashville, TN

    7/5 – Atlanta, GA

    7/7 – Charlotte, NC

    7/8 – Washington, DC

    7/9 – Lancaster, PA

    7/10 – Allentown, PA

    7/11 – Asbury Park, NJ

    7/15 – Boston, MA

    7/16 – Philadelphia, PA

    7/17 – New York, NY

  • Gary Numan Intrudes at Town Ballroom in Buffalo

    Gary Numan stopped by the Town Ballroom in Buffalo on March 12th. Best known from his 1970’s and early 1980’s hits “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” and “Cars“, Numan is still going strong in support of his newest album Intruder, his 21st solo record.

    gary numan

    Though he played a good amount off of his new science fiction soundtrack about the impending climate catastrophe, he also included a good mix of his material throughout the years. Gary still has some dates in America before heading back overseas to continue his world tour.

    Gary Numan – Town Ballroom, Buffalo – March 12, 2022

    Setlist: Intruder, Metal, The Promise, The Gift, Everything Comes Down to This, Films, Ghost Nation, Love Hurt Bleed, Pray for the Pain You Serve, Bed of Thorns, Down in the Park, Cars, Here in the Black, The Chosen, My Name Is Ruin, A Prayer for the Unborn

    Encore: Me! I Disconnect From You, Are ‘Friends’ Electric?

  • The Bob Stump Band To Play At Caffe Lena March 31

    The Bob Stump Band will perform at Caffe Lena on March 31st at 7 PM. Hailing from the Hudson Valley, the band plays a plethora of genres including blues-jazz, folk, bluegrass, country, and rock. The performance will be a euphonic mixture of sounds as the band traverses through genres. For this reason, the event will have a song for everyone.

    Leading the band is a singer-songwriter and guitarist Bob Stump. He is joined by Ernie Sites, a former rodeo cowboy from Idaho. He has traveled the United States writing and performing songs, poems, and stories. Lastly, Roy Coates plays the bass, however, he also has experience playing the tuba on big stages such as Carnegie Hall and Yankee Stadium. The three share a love for bluegrass and folk, and their love shines through during their performances.

    The Bob Stump Band
    The Bob Stump Band

    Caffe Lena, the venue at which the band is set to perform at, has an extensive history. Located in Saratoga Springs and founded in 1960, the venue has been hosting live music events for over sixty years. Most notably, Caffe Lena hosts a plethora of rising folk and indie performers. In fact, the venue hosted Bob Dylan for two historic nights in 1961, a year before the release of his debut album.

    Tickets for the event start at $10 and are available on Eventbrite. For those unable to attend in person, a live stream will also be hosted. Tickets for the live stream start at $5 and give you access to the live stream’s VOD (video on demand) for a week.

    For more information on the band, visit www.stumpsongs.com.

  • Watch the Stop moe.tion Animation “All the Way Down”

    Long Island art teacher Brian Baker has released his second stop moe.tion brick film, “All The Way Down,” featuring LEGO versions of moe. and their fans.

    all the way down moe
    Still image from “All The Way Down” by Brian Baker

    Baker’s first stop moe.tion animation, “moe.rons on parade,” captured the spirit of a moe. show in LEGO form. This animation follows moe. on an adventure to visit guitarist Chuck Garvey as they prepare to practice for their upcoming tour. Chuck, as any proper moe.ron knows, spends his free time lording over the underworld in his role as Satan. The project was begun in June of 2021, before recent medical issues have sidelined Chuck, who continues to recover.

    I send this project out into the universe with nothing but love and the best of intentions for his recovery.

    Brian Baker

    Continuing this project gave Baker a chance to build upon “moe.rons on Parade” and also improve on the original. As Baker looked back on his first ever ‘brick film,’ he saw many little things that he could do better, from the timing of the photos to the pacing of the story and the general plot itself. While Baker shared his work is a long throw from being a professional production, ‘All The Way Down” has polish to it that the first one lacked. And still, he continues to find joy in his work, noting “I still get a laugh watching segments for the 100th time.”

    all the way down moe
    Still image from “All The Way Down” by Brian Baker

    Baker began work on “All The Way Down” in June of 2021, and by August he began filming. Using a camera that would focus throughout the whole more than 10,000 picture production, Baker planned more for his second go around.

    I did a lot of research on other brick films and learned how to pull off some different tricks. I learned how to incorporate green screen.  I spent a lot of time practicing walk cycles. I thought of different materials that could be used for effects such as tissue paper and stained glass.  A lot of little challenges and problems arose along the way that I needed to find solutions to, but that’s half the fun.

    Brian Baker

    As the project progressed, ideas evolved and grew as the story took on a life of its own. Going into the last few minutes of screen time, Baker had no idea how to wrap everything up and pull it all back together. While he never considered himself a “storyteller,” he found it tough to keep everything moving forward in an understandable and entertaining way.

    all the way down moe
    Still image from “All The Way Down” by Brian Baker

    Besides a personal challenge and creation for Baker, “All The Way Down” also serves as a great teaching resource for his 9th grade animation class. 

    I am planning to chop this up into smaller “gag” segments that I can use in class to help my students get ideas for their own brickfilms. Students have already started working on learning basic movements like walking and picking up objects. I am hoping some of them can get into some advanced animation techniques. Some students have definitely been bit by the animation bug. It is very rewarding when a student comes in and shows their teacher what they were working on at home over the weekend “just for fun.”

    Baker thanks and gives credit to moe.rons who shared info and lyrics as well as thoughts about their experiences with the band in the past year, as well as friends who helped proofread the story. He looks forward, along with many other moe. fans, seeing the band back on stage this summer at City Bisco in Philadelphia and at the Great South Bay Music Festival in July.

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