NYS Music 202​2

Category: Capital Region

  • Hearing Aide: The Final Sleep “Vessels Of Grief”

    New York State has some of the finest bands in the U.S. From Clouds Taste Satanic, to Diluted, Wasted Space to Caustic, and Less than Hate, NYS knows how to throw down a heavy riff or three. With that in mind, our focus today is on a band from Troy, the immensely talented The Final Sleep.

    The Final Sleep

    The Final Sleep is a five piece that features founding members of Arsis (drummer Mike Van Dyne), Burning Human (bassist Jason Van DerVoort and guitarist Mike Stack), and Withstand (guitarist Kevin Maloney) joined by Jeff Andrews (guitar and vocals). Together they utilize melody, heavy riffs, sizzling lead guitar work, expertly performed vocals, and a ton of power in order to get their message across; they also throw in some progressive elements to bring their music up to new levels. Their upcoming album, Vessels of Grief, is due out February 4th.

    I was shocked as I listened to Vessels of Grief for the first time, mainly because The Final Sleep hits upon several different genres, and manages to keep the record cohesive despite that. I can hear influences from viking metal, dark melodic metal like Witherfall, death metal, hardcore, and a bit of black metal; the band specifically states that they take influence from Opeth, Edge of Sanity, Control Denied, Amorphis, and Mercyful Fate/King Diamond.

    The first single is called Screaming in Silence, and it’s easy to see why they chose this one to lead off with; it’s heavy, the vocals are incredible, and it has a serious Witherfall vibe thanks to those excellent vocals. A huge selling point for me are the heavy vocals, which ride the line between death metal and your standard metal vocals. 

    Tracks four and five, Soul in Between and Funeral Seed respectively, are everything that I love about heavy metal. The band utilizes a diverse approach in both tracks by incorporating dark and light, heavy and melodic, and it all hits like a ten ton hammer of awesomeness. There also seems to be a splash of black metal, particularly in Funeral Seed, but only as coloring for an already amazing piece of art; this one also has that Witherfall feel in its slower, clean sections, and in how the vocals are performed during them. 

    I would highly recommend The Final Sleep to any metalhead out there, without even taking their genre of choice into consideration, because Vessels of Grief hits so many sweet spots, and uses influences that are far ranging. This album will be one of New York’s finest metal releases.

  • Palace Theatre Announces Black History Month Step Show, Rescheduled Dark Star Orchestra Dates

    The Palace Theatre in Albany has announced a Black History Step Show featuring HYP3st Dance Competition, for Sunday, February 20 at 5pm. Dates for the recently postponed Dark Star Orchestra shows have also been announced for April.

    Palace Theatre Black History

    The Price Chopper Black History Month Step Show features some of the best step teams from the Capital Region and beyond, for an afternoon of high energy dance performances. The Step Show is one of the most anticipated annual events in the area.

    Stepping is truly something that needs to be seen to be fully appreciated, the quick moves and split-second changes showcase just how much time and energy is put into the choreography. Beyond entertainment value, the event is also highly educational as it relates to the concepts and themes of identity, culture, environment and society and their role in why these organizations came about and why they still exist today. The entertainment grabs your attention and draws you into wanting to learn more about these organizations and their history. This program and others like it offer participants not only a creative outlet, but also a chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

    Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students and are now on sale via Ticketmaster. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Palace Theatre Box Office located at 19 Clinton Ave in Albany.

    Dark Star Orchestra

    Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra have reschedule their postponed December 31, 2021 and January 1, 2022 shows at the Palace Theatre for April 1 and 2, 2022. Tickets for the original dates WILL be valid for the new April dates. Tickets for December 31 are valid for April 1 and tickets for January 1 are valid for April 2.

    If you are unable to attend the new dates, refunds will be available by request until January 27, 2022. To obtain a refund: If you purchased your tickets through Ticketmaster, contact Ticketmaster through your account to request a refund. If you purchased your tickets at the Palace Theatre Box Office, call the Box Office during regular business hours at 518-465-4663 to request a refund. If you have any questions, feel free to reply directly to this email.

    Tickets for Dark Star Orchestra at the Palace Theatre are available here.

  • Albany Symphony Welcomes Guest Conductor Erina Yashima for Performance at Proctors

    Special guest conductor Erina Yashima is leading the Albany Symphony Orchestra on January 8 at Proctors Theater in Schenectady. Yashima will lead Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, as well as Vivian Fung’s A Child’s Dream of Toys and Alexander Glazunov’s Violin Concerto.

    Yashima is a German conductor and a rising star in the industry. She has played worldwide with acclaimed ensembles and orchestras.

    The Albany Symphony Orchestra is two-time GRAMMY award-winning, and their performance is described as “virtuosic” and features classical work that is lesser-heard. The symphony also has more ASCAP awards than any other orchestra.

    erina yashima albany symphony
    The Albany Symphony, conducted by Maestro Miller.

    Founded in 1930, the symphony serves an audience of more than seven counties and parts of three states. The symphony is the only organization to have made multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall’s Spring for Music festival.

    The symphony is led by music director David Alan Miller who is beginning his 30th year of service. The symphony also provides award-winning education in their program Symphony in Our Schools.

    erina yashima albany symphony

    Tickets for the Albany Symphony with Erina Yashima at Proctors Theater on January 8 can be found here. The event will also be streamed online, tickets for which can be found here.

  • Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys Prepare for “Hillbilly Rock n’ Roll” Album Release

    Albany’s Jim Gaudet is a folksinger, but mostly he’s a straight forward story teller, whether singing about a baseball hero, a favorite soup or a childhood love. With the Railroad Boys, Gaudet will release Hillbilly Rock n’ Roll on Saturday, January 15 with a performance at the Madison Theater in Albany.

    The first single from the album, “New Girl Now,” tells a story that brings hope, for regardless of how dark and hopeless things may seem, things can change just as quickly for the better.

    The journey for Gaudet began around 1988 when he went to open mics at Caffe Lena and Albany’s Eight Step Coffeehouse. Soon, covers made way for originals, among them, “The Basement of Willett Street” paying tribute to the latter’s stage crew. In time, Gaudet has become a regional favorite with a refreshing sound that resonates with listeners the first time they hear them.

    jim gaudet

    Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys combine together for a superb harmony in their vocals and pure musicianship throughout, leading to an up-tempo experience. The band features Jim Gaudet (guitar), Bobby Ristau (bass), Sten Isachsen (mandolin), Sara Milonovich (fiddle) and Tucker Callander (fiddle). 

    jim gaudet

    Their unique brand of “Hillbilly Rock and Roll” has a way that makes you feel as though you’ve stepped back in time into a Texas roadhouse.

    I feel that I have not succeeded if I walk off the stage and we haven’t connected. I love playing the songs and I love that it is my music that we are playing.

    Jim Gaudet

    The band has performed at the bluegrass festivals across the country, including Wintergrass (Seattle), High Mountain Bluegrass Festival (Colorado) and Music City Roots (Nashville) as well as 6 appearances at Grey Fox.  

    jim gaudet

    Stay up to date with Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys via their Website and Facebook.

    Jim Gaudet and The Railroad Boys Winter 2022 Dates

    1/09/2022 Pawling, NY – Daryl’s House Club (FREE)
    1/15/2022 Albany, NY – Madison Theater (Album release show)
    2/07/2022 Albany, NY – McGeary’s Irish Pub (FREE)
    2/20/2022 Pawling, NY – Daryl’s House Club (FREE)
    3/05/2022 Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena
    3/07/2022 Albany, NY – McGeary’s Irish Pub (FREE)

  • Todd Nelson and NEQ Release “Threshold,” Perform at The Hollow in February

    Capital District native Todd Nelson has been creating music for a long time, and his band called the Nelson Esposito Quintana (NEQ for short) released their new single, “Threshold.” Accompanying the single and release of their new album Nevertheless, the NEQ will be playing at the Hollow Bar in Albany on February 18.

    NEQ’s vision is to redefine the art of rock instrumental, with a post-modern approach. Utilizing the traditional makings of a band, with guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, percussion, NEQ rock out.

    The most important thing is that the music connects with the listener emotionally, using the full range of emotions.

    Todd Nelson

    Nelson studied music theory at UAlbany in the 70s and while in college he played with a plethora of bands. He has shared the stage with the Police, Squeeze, the B-52s, XTC, and REM, and more.

    His band, Fear of Strangers, was key to the Punk/New Wave scene in the Capital District in the 80s and held a reunion show with over 300 people in attendance.

    todd nelson neq
    Todd Nelson

    Nelson has played in many more bands, and when asked if playing in a lot of bands affected him, he said not really.

    It usually isn’t too difficult to juggle working in several bands…You just have to learn the material and review it before the gig. Having good musical ears and technique helps.

    Nelson plays many different types of music, from jazz to rock to electronica. He doesn’t keep himself into one box but prefers to play one specific thing- his compositions.

    The music I prefer to concentrate on is my own compositions, or music I’ve collaborated with someone on, or original music of someone else’s that I can contribute to. But as you may know it can be harder to find bookings playing original music, and I like to keep busy playing.

    Nelson and his NEQ make rock instrumental music. Their new single “Threshold” is a nod to the 70s classic rock scene, with all things groovy and nice.

    The band consists of guitarist Kyle Esposito and drummer Manual Quintana, who both work in other bands while devoting time to NEQ.

    todd nelson neq
    NEQ

    Todd Nelson and NEQ will be playing at the Hollow Bar on February 18 to play their new album, a place that Nelson says he has played many times in the past. Tickets can be found here.