NYS Music 202​2

Category: Rock

  • In Focus: 10th Annual Peach Music Festival

    The 10th anniversary of Peach Music Festival took place at Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA over July 4th weekend. The festival began in 2012 by the Allman Brothers and Live Nation. Throughout the years, the music of the Allman Brothers has remained a focus with the evolving cast of musicians. The Montage Mountain Ski resort transforms into a water park in the summer months, and the Pavilion hosts concerts. The water park is a unique aspect to a music festival that makes this festival appealing to a wide range of guests.

    Day 1: Billy Strings Closes Out the Opening Day

    While some people began arriving on Wednesday, most guests arrived on Thursday, June 30. It was a beautiful day to set up camp and get ready for the music to begin in the late afternoon. Billy Strings, Keller Williams, Samantha Fish, Midnight North, Yam-Yam, Consider the Source were among the acts kicking off the festival.

    There was a noticeable air of excitement for Billy Strings, with a consistently long line at his merch tent. Keller Williams delivered a late afternoon set full of classics with the aid of an array of pedals, but mostly just his trusty acoustic. Samantha Fish was a delightful surprise. Beginning the day unaware of her music, her set filled with powerful vocals, rocking guitars, and a striking stage presence. I became a fan. The evening headliner, Billy Strings, played to a packed pavilion and lawn. A full day of anticipation exploded into a sea of fans swaying and singing along to his blend of Bluegrass and Jam. Speaking with fans over the course of the weekend, Billy’s set was constantly a fan favorite. Consider the Source, the New York City trio, closed out the Grove Stage for Thursday with their unique blend of Sci-Fi Fusion. Steeped in Middle Eastern influences, their cosmic sound set the perfect tone to bookend a truly great day of music.

    Day 2: Weather Doesn’t Dampen Spirits

    Friday, day two of the festival, included another full day of music and enjoying the venue. Before the music began, the fans enjoyed the art displays in the lodge and utilized the water park. A sober group of music fans also held their morning meeting at the lodge, making the Peach Festival at Montage Mountain a welcome place for all fans.

    Music began mid-day with Eggy, The Jauntee, Marco Benevento, Eric Krasno, The Kitchen Dwellers, The Motet, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, Andy Frasco & The U.N., Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. The late afternoon sets were affected by a severe weather event that had fans sheltering under the spacious pavilion. The house speakers kept fans happy while heavy rains descended on the grounds. The event staff were extremely helpful and efficient about keeping people safe.

    Once the all clear was given, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening brought fans to their feet transporting the crowd to another time and place. The blend of voices and instruments was eerily close to the CDs on which I grew up.

    Andy Frasco & The U.N. put on one of the most kinetic performances I’ve ever witnessed. Frasco’s shows are legendary for the band’s energy and crowd interaction. Entering the stage with a baby carriage that was home to an opossum, and raising it to the crowd like Raffiki did with Simba set the wheels in motion for his memorable set. Performing a mix of songs from his new album, Wash, Rinse, Repeat, the crowd was singing along with their favorites. One of several highlights from this set was when Andy had the entire crowd doing the Horah dance with the crew quickly adding extensions to his microphone wire as he waded to the center of the whirling crowd.

    Pigeons Playing Ping Pong closed out the night with a late night set to a packed pavilion. The rollicking set was cut short with another severe weather event that caused the festival to cancel the rest of their set, out of an abundance of caution for everyone’s safety.

    Day 3: Trey Anastasio and Goose

    Day three of the festival began with some residual rain, which quickly gave way to a perfectly sunny sky. Karina Rykman, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Jaimoe & Friends, Pixie & The Partygrass Boys, Neighbor, Rayland Baxter, Celisse, The Revivalists, Cordovas, Trey Anastasio Band, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer & Friends, and Goose filled the day with music.

    A new artist known to those that attended the festival last year was Celisse. She played the festival on the Grove Stage in 2021 and had Trey Anastasio sit in with her. This year she owned the Peach Stage, belting out songs filled with power and emotion. 

    The Revivalists were up next on the main stage. David Shaw, the lead singer, brought his voice even closer to the crowd venturing off the stage to stand atop the large speakers. Singing directly to those lucky fans at the rail, Shaw sang crowd favorites with those in the pavilion singing along. As darkness descended on the festival grounds, light-up outfits, hula-hoops, and totems could be seen under the pavilion. The Trey Anastasio Band delivered a packed set which included several Phish covers including “Blaze On,” “Everything’s Right,” and “Gotta Jibboo.” One of the many highlights came towards the end when, in a twist of fortunes, Celisse sat in with Trey. Together they performed three songs: “The Moma Dance, “A Life Beyond The Dream,” and “Rise/Come Together.”

    Brandon “Taz” Niederauer closed out the Mushroom Stage, while Cycles closed out the Grove Stage. Goose was the final act of the night with a special late night set. Anticipated all day by fans, Goose did not disappoint. With their ever upward trajectory, the band has amassed a following that is staggering when you consider their brief time together.

    Day 4: Black Crowes Close Out Peach

    Like all good things, even the Peach Music Festival must come to an end.  The fourth day represented the last day of the 10th Anniversary of Peach Music Festival at Montage Mountain. The day began with a sense of melancholy, until the music started. Then fans rejoiced in the waning hours together.

    Duane Betts, Daniel Donato & Friends, Maggie Rose, Dogs in a Pile, The Wailers, G. Love & The Juice, TAUK, and The Black Crowes were among the acts rounding out the weekend. Daniel Donato Brought a little county to the festival with Allman roots. At the Mushroom Stage, Dogs in a Pile are with fans enjoying their energetic set of psychedelic fusion. G. Love & The Juice, a band put together by Philly-based G. Love, and, as he describes them, the most exceptional musicians he’s played with. The hip-hop and blues influenced music was perfect companion to the jam-centric sets, which got fans to their feet.

    Long Island-based TAUK brought their instrumental, EDM influenced beats to the Mushroom Stage. Their unique sound filled in a void of electronic funk music. The wordless instrumental music gave fans an opportunity to shake the cobwebs off of the weekend and become lost in the beats. To fill in your own emotions and experiences to a song is a special trait of instrumental music.

    The final act of the Peach Festival was The Black Crowes. The Rock band fronted by Chris Robinson has been at it for over 30 years. They have continued to be a true rock band that fans flock to. They were a fitting bookend to a truly great weekend of music.

    A Grateful Finale

    At a special place, like the Peach Festival on Montage Mountain, you can look around at the sea of gyrating bodies, moving together and appreciate the collective experience you’ve just gone through. Smile at the friends that ventured to the festival with you, or the new ones made over the weekend. Having the space to be grateful for the music, the comradery, for all that awaits once we pack up and head home is an incredibly precious gift. As life becomes more entangled and busy, a music festival is truly just what the doctor ordered.

  • Inaugural “Relix Rock Camp” With Phil Lesh and John Scofield, Announced for October

    Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp has partnered with Relix for inaugural Relix Rock Camp in New York City, to be held October 27-30. Featuring legendary bassist Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead), guitarist John Scofield (Miles Davis) and sacred steel guitarist Robert Randolph (Robert Randolph and the Family Band), this is a once in a lifetime change to jam and spend four days jamming with these musicians and more.

    Relix Rock Camp
    Relix Rock Camp

    Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp was created 25 years ago to provide real people the once-in-a-lifetime
    experience of connecting and jamming with their musical heroes. The Camp has provided unforgettable
    memories, advice and feedback for attendees worldwide. Camp events span over four jam packed days
    where campers join a band mentored by today’s top touring musicians, and work up to final
    performances with the headliner rockstars at legendary venues from Abbey Road Studios in London, to
    Hollywood’s Whisky A Go Go, to the Atlantic resort in The Bahamas.

    Relix Fantasy Camp is a musical experience for musicians and vocalists to take their skills and confidence to the next level, realize their dreams are possible, and create bonds and friendships for life with fellow aspiring musicians. The camp features four full days of jamming, masterclasses, instruction and exclusive Q&A’s in a private studio to prepare campers to jam. Finally the Camp holds a final showcase performance in front of family, friends, and jamband fans at The Cutting Room in NYC.

    I’m so excited to offer campers the opportunity to jam with the legendary original bass player of the Grateful Dead Phil Lesh and so many other incredible musicians. On top of it, to partner with Peter Shapiro and the entire Relix team for this camp is an honor. In the past we have had the pleasure of having Mickey Hart, Jeff Beck, Brian Wilson, Roger Daltrey, Bill Wyman, Alice Cooper and more at our Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camps, and we are excited to welcome these new first time artists joining us at this camp.

    Rock Camp founder David Fishof

    Rockstar mentors include Gary Hoey, Derek St. Holmes, Scott Sharrard (Little Feat / Gregg Allman Band), Alex Koford & Ross James (Terrapin Family Band), Tony Leone (Little Feat), Tash Neal (London Souls), Steve Leisman (Stella Blues Band), Lo Faber (God Street Wine), Leslie Mendelson, Michael Falzarano (Hot Tuna), Fuzz (Deep Banana Blackout) and more. For more information, visit Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp.

  • Dead and Company Cancels SPAC show

    Tonight’s Dead and Company show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center has been cancelled. Reportedly, guitarist John Mayer’s father suffered a medical emergency that resulted in him being rushed to a New York City hospital. Mayer is tending to his father there after the cancellation of tonight’s show at SPAC.

    “He is now fairly stable and will continue to undergo some procedures, but as you can understand, I have to stay in (New York City) and can’t play tonight’s show in Saratoga Springs,” 

    John Mayer on Instagram
    dead and company cancels
    Dead and Company at Hershey Stadium, August 28, 2021 – photo by Filip Zalewski

    The band had previously posted a message to social media noting “due to unforeseen circumstances, tonight’s Dead & Company concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center is canceled.”

    Fans can be refunded from the point of purchase. No word was given on why the band was forced to cancel less than 4 hours before showtime. Other shows this tour will not be affected.

  • In Focus: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats at Beak and Skiff

    Denver, Colorado’s Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats took the stage during Beak & Skiff’s Summer Concert Series in Lafayette on June 29, 2022, to a sold out crowd in support of their latest album, The Future, an 11-track record released in November 2021. Opening for Rateliff was the Brooklyn based band, Antibalas.

    The evening started with Rateliff commenting, “I can’t believe you all came” and from there, the night was filled with numerous hits from the bands ever growing catalog which spans back to 2015 when The Night Sweats were formed and the thousands in attendance were captivated from start to finish.

    As Nathaniel and his bandmates took the stage for the encore, those in attendance were treated to the end of the a fantastic evening with “I’ll Be Damned” and “S.O.B.”, the hit that launched them from the clubs of Denver to the national stage, and finishing the night with “Love Don’t.”

    Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – Beak and Skiff, Lafayette, NY – June 29, 2022

    Setlist: The Future Falling (Fast), Look It Here, You Worry Me, I’m On Your Side, Say It Louder, Survivor, Baby I Lost My Way (But I’m Going Home) So Put Out, A Little Honey, Love Me Till I’m Gone. Face Down in the Moment, And It’s All Alright, Oh, I, Hey Mama, Coolin’ Out, I Need Never Get Old

    Encore: I’ll Be Damned, S.O.B, Love Don’t

  • Moon Walker Releases Confrontational New Single and Video “The Price of Life Itself”

    Brooklyn-based alt-rock artist Moon Walker has released his newest single, “The Price of Life Itself,” off of his upcoming sophomore album, The Attack Of Mirrors, set for release on October 21, 2022.

    Moon Walker Sophomore Album Cover
    Photo credit: Madison McConnell

    With reverberated vocals, electric guitar, and gritty lyrics, the new track sheds light on injustices in American society. Moon Walker, also known as Harry Springer, wrote the track in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 after seeing first-hand the militarized response to a peaceful protest.

    Moon Walker shares that the track is one of his most proud moments lyrically. The music video, directed by returning Madison McConnell, conveys an uneasy sense of reality to its viewers, channeling the themes of Alice in Wonderland.  Taking place in a house covered in ivy, with warm outfits, hazy lighting, and a fish-eye lens, the music video combines groove and defiance into one. 

    It was a moment where I really realized how much my sense of safety, freedom and protection was a facade. Our country’s institutions are all so deeply broken and flawed, that not only do none of them actually accomplish what they set out to, they likely have the opposite effect. The entire ethos of the song can be summarized in one of the final lyrics: ‘We can stay above the water, while still lending a hand to those who sink.’ That is the price of life itself.

    – Moon Walker

    Harry Springer coined Moon Walker at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, passing the time by selling songs to various sound libraries. All of his music is composed, produced, and performed in his bedroom, but the sound is fit for much more than that. 

    Moon Walker photoshoot for new album
    Photo Credit: Madison McConnell

    After sudden success on the viral video-making app Tik Tok, Moon Walker’s first seven-track album, Truth to Power, rose to light. Artists such as Justin Hawkins praised Moon Walker for his work, and he is back with his sophomore effort on The Attack of Mirrors out early this fall.

    The second album from Moon Walker will see a more maximalist, experimental approach than compared to his previous work. With powerful, thought-provoking lyrics and a unique sound, the new album is sure to have success.

  • The 16th Annual Pleasantville Music Festival will be held on July 9

    The Pleasantville Music Festival will be held on July 9 at Parkway Field in Pleasantville N.Y. The festival’s Main Stage headliner this year will be X Ambassadors  – current hit makers from Ithaca, NY with hugely popular songs like “Renegades”, “Unsteady” and “Boom.” “Renegades” was featured recently in a national Jeep advertising campaign.  Other performances on the Main Stage will include Tarrytown native Clare Maloney &  her band  the Great Adventure. She and her band perform regularly at Garcia’s and are favorites of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane crowds. She’ll be followed by a solo performance by the legendary Glenn Tilbrook; founding member and lead sing of the band Squeeze. Next up on the Main Stage will be Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears,  performing their funk and R&B mix, often channeling James Brown. They’ll be followed by ’80s and ’90s icons 10,000 Maniacs featuring Mary Ramsey, a band that has come to be known for hit songs like “What’s the Matter Here”, “Like the Weather”, “Trouble Me” and “These are Days.”  

    This year, the Chill Tent Stage will feature performances from Cornwall on Hudson’s Chaz Kiss; singer-songwriter Greg Jacquin, originally from Sleepy Hollow;  Riki Stevens , a singer-songwriter from Norwalk, CT; and  Cole Quest & the City Pickers – a five-piece bluegrass band. The band’s founder and namesake, Cole Quest, a Mt. Kisco native, is Woody Guthrie’s grandson.  The Chill Tent’s schedule will culminate with a performance from the Chill Tent Stage’s headliner, singer-songwriter Paula Cole, known for huge hit songs in the ’90s like “I Don’t Want to Wait” and “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone.”

    The Party Stage this year will feature The  Breaks Inc. , a retro rock band with a Beatles vibe featuring guitarist Adrian Cardenas from Croton on Hudson; Blankslate , a Denver-based alt-rock trio with partial roots in Armonk;  Sid Simons , alt-rockers from Brooklyn featuring the Simons brothers from Mamoroneck; and  The Narrowbacks  – Rowdy Irish rockers hailing from the Bronx and Pearl River.  The Party Stage will close out with headliner’s Illiterate Light, a talented Virginia-based duo known for their recent radio hit “Better Than I Used To.”

    “We do our best to appeal to a wide variety of musical tastes and demographics. We try to check off as many boxes as we can so there is something on our stages that everybody will appreciate,” says festival Director Bruce Figler. “Some come to see the headliners. Some come to see artists they have never heard. We’ve got something for every one. After two years off, we are super pumped to get the festival back up and running, and I think our audience is pretty pumped too.”

    The Pleasantville Music Festival, presented by Northwell Health, is known as New York’s Backyard Jam. It’s become a must-attend summer event for the whole family, with great local food and drink, a warm positive vibe, and of course, world-class rock. Tickets to the Pleasantville Music Festival are available through Ticketweb and the Festival Box Office located in the Pleasantville Rec Center.  More information about the event and links to the performers can be found at  www.pleasantvillemusicfestival.com 

  • Youngstown to hold Third Annual Village Music Fest on August 6

    Youngstown, NY, located in Niagara County, will host their 3rd Annual Village Music Fest on August 6, 2022 at Veterans Park. The event runs from 12pm-10:30pm, with Canadian Rock band “The Trews” headlining the night.

    youngstown Village Music Fest

    Youngstown is an historic village in the Town of Porter located 11 miles north of Niagara Falls. Situated at the mouth of the Niagara River where it meets Lake Ontario, residents and visitors to Youngstown enjoy the local shops and restaurants, water activities and amazing sunsets. 

    Don Ames, a village of Youngstown Historian notes that the area was known to Native tribes for hundreds of years before the French explorer La Salle left his mark by building a small fort in 1670, less than a mile north of where the village is now located. The French gained control of the Great Lakes area and by 1727 built the “Castle” which became the centerpiece of Old Fort Niagara.

    youngstown Village Music Fest

    Presented by Barry Entertainment, the 3rd annual Village Music Fest features more than 25 local vendors and artisans, food trucks, drinks, games and much more.

    Live music can be found all day from artists including The Trews, Melissa Barry, Scott Celani, Tonemah, Grub, No Vacancy, Moondog, Busted in Eden and more.

    Tickets will also be available at the gate or can be purchased in advance – $20 for General Admission and $40 for VIP, which includes front of stage viewing.

    Veterans Park is located at 700 Third St. Youngstown, NY 14174

    youngstown Village Music Fest

  • The Grateful Dead Overwhelm SPAC: June 27, 1985

    The Grateful Dead played SPAC only four times in their career and today marks the anniversary of the third show which, for better or worse, may be the most memorable one of them all. Unfortunately, the show is remembered more for being responsible for getting the Dead banned from SPAC for the next three years. Reportedly, more than 40,000 fans attended this show, with Deadheads traveling from all over, creating Woodstock-like traffic conditions in Upstate New York and the Saratoga area.

    This crowd size might be suitable for a stadium show, but instead created a venue that was 17,000 people over capacity, producing a chain reaction of safety issues that could have easily endangered the massive crowd. The SPAC balcony for this show was a veritable zoo, packed beyond belief as a result of people rushing in and passes reportedly being dropped down from above. Things are so out of hand a first set PSA urging people to stop hanging from there needs to be done. The band would serve its time and return in grand fashion three years later, but not before one more rowdy show that features a bevy of live Dead standards and traditional blues covers.

    The show kicks off in a rather atypical fashion with a cover of the recently revived “In The Midnight Hour.” The Dead had dusted off this Wilson Pickett cover and refashioned it into an opener for a brief span in 1985. After some quick vocal sparring between Bob Weir and Brent Mydland, the band quickly launches into a much more familiar first set sight in “Bertha.” Jerry Garcia rips off the first of many effortless guitar solos and SPAC is officially all systems go.

    “Little Red Rooster” follows and produces a sturdy blues jam, this time with Mydland going back and forth with Garcia on organ and guitar, respectively, that does a nice slow build in intensity. Afterwards, both Weir and bassist Phil Lesh essentially stop the show to admonish some fans who are hanging from the balcony railings and urge them to get back into their seats. Fittingly, the Dead then waste no time and jump right into a cover about an outlaw of another kind in “Stagger Lee.”

    A pristine “El Paso” with some truly dulcet tones provided from Mydland’s electric piano then follows before Garcia begins to strum the opening chords to “Crazy Fingers.” A spirited Jerry powers through the vocals and delivers a string of delicate runs on the guitar with even more blissful background soundscapes emanating from Mydland’s rig. After a brief, exploratory jam the music then finds itself turning into a full-fledged “Supplication” jam, although no lyrics are ever sung. For some reason, the song was no longer paired with its traditional tag-team partner in “Lazy Lightnin’,” which the band stopped playing in 1984, and would only be a played a handful of times more in their career. The jam eventually loses steam and eventually dissolves seamlessly into “High Time.”

    The Dead then wrap up the first set at SPAC with one of their newer live staples in a rousing “Hell In A Bucket” replete with more aggressive guitar play from Garcia and the boisterous vocal stylings of Bob Weir. The set then closes with a cover from way back when in a short and sweet “Don’t Ease Me In.”

    The second set starts on a high note right from the gates and literally doesn’t come to a stop with a set full of nothing but segues. It begins with a “Feel Like A Stranger” that produces a riveting jam that seems to be picking up steam before Garcia seems to shift gears a little quicker than the rest of the band and steers it right into the beginning of “Eyes Of The World.” This lays down the foundation for another series of instrumental jams, spearheaded by Garcia’s frenetic runs up and down the fretboard.

    The music then somehow finds its way to an early second set “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” that’s supercharged and seemingly played at a quicker than normal pace. After some brief indecision, and a possible nudge into “Not Fade Away,” the Dead instead veer into the ever prescient “Women Are Smarter.”

    The band then yields the floor to the Rhythm Devils, drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, for some percussive and psychedelic relief with the traditional “Drums” > “Space” sequence. From the depths of “Space,” some familiar chords begin to emerge and the Dead launch into a “Truckin’” with the “New York’s got the ways and means line” getting a serious round of applause from the SPAC faithful. Instead of stretching this out a bit, the night’s ongoing theme of blues covers then carries on with a take of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Spoonful” with Weir ably manning the vocals.

    The short, bluesy jam lends itself perfectly to the intro to “Black Peter” as the Grateful Dead keep the second set’s train of songs going without nary a stop. The Dead then unleash the last three covers from their musical holster to wrap up the evening’s festivities, starting with a set closing “Turn On Your Lovelight” that produces one more brief, boisterous jam with Weir singing the vocals that the legendary Pigpen used to make his own in a different time.

    The encore selections could very well serve as a subliminal message to the overflowing crowd that helped make this the last Grateful Dead show at SPAC for three years as well as a nod to the upcoming ban. Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” was the first choice, perhaps an indirect message for the Dead faithful to respect the rules and capacity figures for venues going forward. A fitting closer in Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” then closes out this show and begins the three-year wait for the Dead’s return to Saratoga.

    Grateful Dead Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga, NY 6/27/85

    Set 1: In The Midnight Hour, Bertha, Little Red Rooster, Stagger Lee, El Paso, Crazy Fingers > Supplication Jam > High Time, Hell In A Bucket > Don’t Ease Me In

    Set 2: Feel Like A Stranger > Eyes Of The World > Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad > Man Smart (Woman Smarter) > Drums > Space > Truckin’ > Spoonful > Black Peter > Turn On Your Lovelight

    E: Johnny B. Goode, It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

  • Yankees Announce Upcoming Jerry Garcia Bobblehead Night

    Count the New York Yankees as one of the many entities lined up to celebrate the late Jerry Garcia’s upcoming birthday. August 1 will mark what would have been the legendary artist’s 80th birthday and to celebrate, the Yankees are breaking out the bobbleheads. The first 1,000 fans to purchase a special event ticket for that night’s game against the Seattle Mariners will receive the collectible Garcia bobblehead figurine, adorned in a Yankees jersey, pinstripes and all. Portions of the ticket sales will also benefit the Grateful Dead’s longtime non-profit, Rex Foundation.

    Garcia Bobblehead

    The Yankees’ Garcia Bobblehead Night is just one of the events that are slated to celebrate his birthday that day. The Jerry Garcia Foundation, in partnership with Starchive, will also host a benefit concert on August 1 at Blue Note Napa in Sonoma County, CA with music performed by Garcia’s fellow New Rider of the Purple Sage in David Nelson and his band. The event will benefit the Jerry Garcia Foundation who, along with its technology partner in Starchive, have announced an upcoming archival project to help preserve the historical and artistic contributions of Jerry Garcia.

    Like the Garcia bobblehead, tickets for this show are limited and can be purchased here. Yankees tickets can be purchased directly though mlb.com.

  • In Focus: Black Sabbitch at Empire Live

    On Friday, June 24th, a rock themed night kicked off with Battleaxxx and closed out with cover band Black Sabbitch at Empire Live.

    Battleaxxx is an all female rock band originally from the Capital Region. They are a fairly new band emerging from the Capital Region. They have played a few shows in and around Albany, including at The Lost & Found on August 28th, 20221. This show, however, was their first time performing at Empire Live. They released their debut album Adequate in March of 2021. Battleaxxx has upcoming show at Rare Form Brewing Company in Troy on July 5th.

    Keeping on theme with women-lead rock, Black Sabbitch is an all female cover band from Los Angeles. They have been doing covers of Black Sabbith songs since 2011. To validate this band position as the Black Sabbith cover band, they were hand picked by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne to open Ozzfest. Black Sabbitch was originally supposed to perform at Empire Live back in January 2022. Due to COVID surge, that show was postponed; and their next show in May was postponed due to a band member getting COVID ironically. The road to get to Albany was long, but they made it. Their summer tour ends in NYC on June 25th at the Iridium.

    Battleaxxx kicked off the show with a growing crowd of about 30-40 people. Their opening song did not grab the attention of the audience, but their song “Slut,” did bring smiles and laughter. If the song was meant to be funny, it was, as people of varying ages applauded the band for calling their mom a slut. The lights did go out during their last song, but it did not stop the music. Battleaxxx’s set lasted for about 30 minutes and they received a warm applause as they left the stage.

    The crowd did fill up to maybe about 100 or so people by the time Black Sabbitch took the stage. The audience was filled with a lot of seemingly empty nesters who were probably trying to relive the songs of their youth. A mosh pit of about 3 people did break out at a point, but did not last very long. During the guitar solos, you could see many people in the crowd reach up and out; banging their fist to the beat, resignating which each cord that was struck. A fire alarm did interrupt the set for about 20 mins, as well as a flood both in the dressing room and in the pit to stage left. They came back on stage, brought the crowd down low with Changes, and left on high with the Black Sabbith hit, “Sabbra Cadabra.”

    Black Sabbitch did come back out for a one song encore after pump faking an exit with the dressing room door. If you are not able to catch Black Sabbitch in NYC, you can see them at the Psycho Las Vegas Festival on August 20th before they leave the states for their UK tour.

    Battleaxxx Set List: Aqua, Eyes, Sex Boys, Biz, Slut, Holy, Oh Yeah, SWTB, Head, Discharge, Top Shelf

    Black Sabbitch Set List: War, The Wizard, N.I.B., Sweet Leaf, Tomorrow’s Dream, Lord of the World, Solitude, Supernaut, Into the Void, Cornucopia, Wheels of Confusion, Changes, Snowblind, Sabbra Cadabra; Encore Song: Children of the Grave