When you listen to “Without A Me,” you are brought into an intimate space: a belfry filled with fluttering bats, a cluttered room, the side of a highway where people hold signs and implore honks and kool-aid condenses in its paper cup, an attic — evoking those bats again — all imaginary, all in the mind of Syracuse singer-songwriter Stephen Mullane. Except of course, that the song was recorded in Mullane’s own self-contained world as well: the song is his first to be written, performed, recorded and produced entirely in Mullane’s home studio, a space he fashioned by himself for himself.
“Without A Me” is Stephen Mullane’s newest single; it follows two albums he released in 2021, recorded at More Sound Recording Studio in Syracuse. Mullane is an independent — it’s just him, his voice, his guitar. His lyrics are the highlight, they’re ripe with imagery, wit, ad-libs and inconsistent rhyme schemes that all seem to work out in the end. Called to mind are Elliot Smith’s slowly unfolding “King’s Crossing,” Pavement trading incomprehensible verse in “… And Carrot Rope,” or Bob Dylan’s self-critical look at current affairs in “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”.
Mullane thrives in this folksy, rambling space of sound because his lyrics hold enough interest and nuance to be stark against the minimal acoustic background. The stream of consciousness is overwhelming, but the consistent rhythm and vocals hold strong against the current.
The song is out now, listen below. To see Stephen Mullane live in Syracuse, his next gig is at Skaneateles Brewery on Sunday, November 27, his third show at the brewery.
Circles Around The Sun have announced their new album, Language, will release Spring 2023. The psychedelic jam band will continue their US tour by the same name, adding more dates to close out this year and into 2023, including two stops in New York — at Lark Hall in Albany and the Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn — in January of next year.
Circles Around The Sun was founded by the late guitarist Neal Casal, when Casal was called on to record interludes for the Grateful Dead’s 2015 “Fare Thee Well” concert series. The interludes, inspired by Dead songs, were then recognized at the concerts on their own merit, prompting Circles Around The Sun’s first release: Interludes for the Dead. The band went on to record two more albums of their own sound, before Casal’s passing. On this upcoming album, Language, Adam Macdougall on keyboard and synth, Dan Horne on bass, Mark Levy on drums and John Lee Shannon on guitar have set out to oscillate through genres of disco-funk, soul jazz and psychedelic rock to create new sounds and ongoing dance jams.
When the four reconvened in the recording studio to record their newest, it meant working through the tragedy of their founding members death, and setting out to use the framework he left them to create something beautiful and new of their own.
Tickets to the new legs of this tour went on sale November 11, and can be purchased here. See complete tour dates below.
TOUR DATES
Dec 29, 2022 – Roanoke, VA – 5 Points Music Sanctuary
Dec 30, 2022 – Winston Salem, NC – The Ramkat
Dec 31, 2022 – Richmond, VA – The National *
Jan 20, 2023 – Albany, NY – Lark Hall
Jan 21, 2023 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
Jan 22, 2023 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall
Jan 25, 2023 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Music Hall
Foreigner has announced its Historic Farewell Tour, with stops at Darien Center, Saratoga Springs, Wantagh, and Syracuse.
Foreigner is hailed as one of the most famous rock acts in the world, with sold-out tours and album sales now exceeding 80 million. They are responsible for some of rock and roll’s most enduring anthems including “Juke Box Hero,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Feels Like The First Time,” and worldwide #1 hit, “I Want To Know What Love Is.”
The time has come. We have more or less lived our lives on the road for almost eighteen years. We have always strived to give you our best and we intend to finish this the same way. Foreigner has a brilliant and increasingly demanding catalogue of songs to sing and I refuse to give them less than they deserve. So, we’re going to finish strong. I want to make it very clear how grateful and appreciative we are to our audiences all over the world who have supported this band. I’m sure there may be occasions when we’ll do some special appearances, but I think the time is coming for us to live off the road. Thank you all so much!
Lead singer, Kelly Hansen
Leader and founder Mick Jones also wrote in a statement “We will be presenting a show that I know will have the same enthusiasm as our very first appearances. The tour will start this summer in America and we hope to get to every place that we have played over the last several years.”
Foreigner will continue its long-term initiative with the GRAMMY Museum Foundation to invite choirs to open the show with a live a cappella “Pitch Perfect” performance of Classic Rock songs. For more information about how to enter, go here.
Loverboy will be opening for the band. The group has sold more than ten million albums, earning four multi-platinum plaques, including the four-million-selling “Get Lucky,” and a trio of double-platinum releases in their self-titled 1980 debut, 1983’s Keep It Up and 1985’s Lovin’ Every Minute of It.
The group still features the original line-up of vocalist Mike Reno, guitarist Paul Dean, drummer Matt Frenette and keyboardist Doug Johnson with bassist Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve replacing the late Scott Smith.
Tickets to Foreigner’s Historic Farewell Tour are on sale Nov. 18 here.
Foreigner Tour Dates
Thu July 6 Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Sat July 8 West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Sun July 9 Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Tue July 11 Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheatre
Fri July 14 Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Tue July 18 Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
Wed July 19 St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Fri July 21 Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center
Sat July 22 Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Mon July 24 Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
Tue July 25 Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Fri July 28 Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
Sat July 29 Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
Tue August 1 Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Wed August 2 Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach
Fri August 4 Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
Sat August 5 Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
Tue August 8 Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Wed August 9 Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Fri August 11 Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Sat August 12 Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Mon August 14 Austin, TX – Moody Center
Wed August 16 Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Fri August 18 Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheater
Sun August 20 Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
Mon August 21 Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheater
Wed August 23 Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheater
Thu August 24 Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Weds August 30 Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theater
Fri September 1 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Sat September 2 Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
Sun September 3 Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
On Saturday, November 12, TABoose (Trey Anastasio Band and Goose) took over Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut for an incredibly fiery sold-out show as the third night of Goose and Trey Anastasio Band‘s co-headlining tour.
Goose’s performance on Saturday marked their second appearance at Mohegan this year – the home-state arena hosted the eighth annual Goosemas celebration this past February. Unlike that show, where there was extra space on the floor and no seats open behind the stage, the room was absolutely packed with people, a full 10,000-person sell out.
The quintet took the stage to thunderous applause and jumped into “Animal.” The perfect opener choice for the energetic crowd, guitarist Rick Mitarotonda took his time on the middle jam section and brought it to a rolling boil before closing out the catchy tune.
“Flodown” was tapped next and saw Mitarotonda once again lead the jamming, this time not with punchy guitar playing but with a bevy of delay effects. As the extended intros to this song are wont to do, the propulsive beat of drummer Ben Atkind and percussionist Jeff Arevalo was peppered with squiggly guitar freak-outs until exploding into the song proper.
Keeping the energy up in this no-breathers set was the first track from Dripfield to appear on this tour, the jamming staple “Arrow.” Taking the dance-y groove out for a shorter-than-normal spin, Mitarotonda pushed through a broken string to lead the rest of the band through a smooth segue into a cover of Bob Seger’s “Hollywood Nights,” not played by Goose since May 4, 2018 or 311 shows. Arevalo sported an ear-to-ear grin throughout the cover as the band kept the energy at a screaming level as they finished off “Arrow.”
Wasting no time, multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach used his wireless guitar set-up to join Rick center-stage on the ensuing “Dripfield.” Debuted alongside “Hungersite” during the third set of the Goosemas show in the same room back in February, last night’s “Drip” had a similar effect in an arena setting — pounding drums and churning guitar echoing around every corner of the space as massive smiles were sported by all band members.
Anspach then called up the TAB horn section to help on a cover of “Fish in the Sea” by Fat Freddy’s Drop – a staple of the live Goose catalogue. Bassist Trevor Weekz driving groove laid the perfect foundation for the horns to solo over as saxophonist James Casey and Mitarotonda traded licks phenomenally.
Trey was brought out for the set closer, and the crowd went absolutely nuts for the opening notes of “Factory Fiction.” For those of you who may not know the history of the song, “Factory” was penned by Mitarotonda and songwriting partner Matt Campbell over a decade ago as part of Goose precursor band Vasudo’s catalogue. Rarely played in the earlier days of Goose, it was busted out at crew member “Coach” Jon Lombardi’s wedding in October 2019 and was a standout part of their 2020 livestreamed Bingo Tour. Since then, the song has been played numerous times at “special occasion” shows, or times when the vibe just calls for a little extra.
Excitement swept the crowd as the song progressed, and we were treated to another dose of Allman Brothers-like guitar playing from Anastasio and Mitarotonda as the jam built to multiple screaming peaks to close out Goose’s incredible set.
TAB’s set began with the first repeat of tour, catalogue classic “Sand.” Moving from there into “Shine” and “Twist,” Anastasio’s normally bouncy energy seemed multiplied last night as he ripped his fretboard to shreds during the opening songs.
A quick bounce through “Mozambique” gave way to the tour’s first “Night Speaks to a Woman,” a song filled with impressive vocal contributions from Natalie Cressman, Jennifer Hartswick and James Casey while Trey continued to shred.
“Mercy,” a beautiful song crafted from the composed piano intro to the Ghosts of the Forest live shows, offered a breather ahead of a bubbly take on “Undermind.” Trey led the band through relative rarity “…And Flew Away” from his Lonely Trip quarantine album before the brightness of “Pigtail” kept smiles on faces.
Taking a late-set spot that is perfect for the song, “About to Run” featured what may have been Anastasio’s strongest guitar playing of the night. Bassist Dezron Douglas dug into the groove as the roof was blown off the arena. “Push On ‘Til The Day” closed out the main portion of TAB’s set with another blistering peak that had the crowd even more dialed in and crazy than they had been before.
Bringing Mitarotonda and Anspach on stage, the band jumped into a peppy “No Men in No Man’s Land” that once again showcased Douglas and drummer Russ Lawton‘s rhythm section connection, with the former turning to face the latter throughout the deep groove. Focusing once again on guitar showcases rather than deep improv, Anastasio and Mitarotonda brought forth peak after peak in “NMINML” and the set-closing “46 Days” that left ear-to-ear grins on those in attendance.
For the encore, the rest of Goose was brought up on stage as Trey remarked that “sometimes you just need two bassists” before ripping directly into “Carini.” More smiles on the faces of every band member, more fretboard fireworks and one final venue-destroying peak closed out the third show of TABoose tour.
With five shows remaining, both bands continue to be growing in energy and confidence as the tour goes on and we all eagerly await the collaborations to come.
NY’s Bad Mary have just released their newest music video for their upcoming song “It’s All Trash,” which was released on November 8th. Bad Mary is made up of lead vocalist Amanda Mac, with her husband Mike Staub on bass, her dad Bill Mac on drums, and her Hofstra University professor David Henderson on guitar. This four multi-generational equal parts which continue to inspire each other with their musical prowess and distinct skill sets.
When asked about the song bassist Staubexplains, “This song is a sort of realization that despite a fancy label or how we dress up a lot of what we consume, much of it is still just… trash. I wanted to still convey this message in our own, cheeky, and bratty way, hence the 80s glam metal “oh yeahs” in the chorus. In the end, even Trash can be a lot of fun. This is also, to me, one of our heaviest songs, which I like as it encapsulates a fun-yet-aggressive vibe” shares bassist Mike Staub.
Guitarist David Henderson explains the video was shot in an abandoned psychiatric center creating the perfect aesthetic for the song. “We shot the video in an abandoned psychiatric center. We had to get a guide, Krispy DeRato, who knew their way around to help us find a good place to shoot. We had to walk through partly flooded dark tunnels full of white mud and dripping water to get there, it was pretty gross honestly, and if Krispy had not been guiding us, we definitely would have got lost down there. Once situated, I just played the song on my phone and said, “OK, just do the Amanda dance around the building.” Amanda took off and owned the space, I pretty much just followed her around making sure I got everything. It had rained the night before, so all of the dripping water and mud were just part of the natural atmosphere of the place.”
Around the middle of December, the band plans to bring some holiday cheer with the release of their holiday EP “A Very Bad Christmas.” You won’t want to miss their edgy rock n’ punk versions of Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard High, and Little Drummer Boy. Bad Mary’s songs have been a staple in rotation on SiriusXM’s Underground Garage, but “It’s All Trash” really perked up their ears.
“Bad Mary just seems to constantly provide an endless stream of entertaining content. They’re an incredible band, and it looks like they just have so much fun with everything they do”
Folk N Rock
Bad Mary is originally from Long Island, but they rehearse in Kings Park. Band members Amanda and Bill are originally from Massapequa, Mike is from Hicksville. Currently, David lives in Kings Park, Mike and Amanda are local to Huntington.
Their newest EP Trash And Glamour will be out in early 2023. You can catch their weekly live stream on Twitch on Tuesday nights at 8 pm EST. To watch, click the link here.
To check out Bad Mary’s newest video for “It’s All Trash,” below.
Thursday, November 10th saw the Disco Biscuits play the first of two nights in Hartford at Infinity Music Hall. The first set was bookended with long time favorite Digital Buddha with the meat of the set consisting of newer songs from the bands catalog. The second set was full of high energy jams just like the first, but was cut short by a fire alarm going off and the show ending early.
After the two night Hartford run the band heads to Boston and Stroudsburg, PA to finish out the weekend run. The following week, November 18 & 19, finds the Disco Biscuits in Atlanta and the band will close out the year in Chicago for a three night New Years run.
Disco Biscuits – Infinity Music Hall, Hartford, CT – Thursday, November 10, 2022
Set 1: Digital Buddha-> 4th of July-> Another Plan of Attack-> Evolve-> Digital Buddha
Set 2: Mindless Dribble-> Who’s in Charge-> Orch Theme-> Freeze
On Saturday, December 10, Family of Woodstock (FOW), an upstate community service non-profit, will showcase “A Soul Train Christmas” at the Colony in Woodstock.
With doors opening at 7 and music beginning at 8, the event includes a holiday dance party and a winter clothing drive. It’s the non-profit’s third annual holiday collaboration with Eric Redd, a musical performer with over 40 years of international experience and a longtime Woodstock resident.
Eric Redd
Also on the bill are Hudson Valley rockabilly and roots band Lara Hope and the Ark-Tonesand the gospel-influenced dance artist and DJ Disciple collaborator Dawn Tallman.
This is far from the first community concert for FOW, with other annual events including the Bob Dylan Birthday Bash and the John Herald Fund concerts, both of which have featured Redd in the past.
Eric Redd has enjoyed an enduring and diverse career. The Inglewood, CA native got his start at 16 years old as a dancer on “Soul Train,” a TV musical variety program curated by host Don Cornelius, which ran from 1971 to 2006.
His ensuing career has included appearances as a dancer in musical productions such as “Starlight Express” and “Cats,” a stint as lead vocalist for California Transit Authority, a band stemming from Danny Seraphine, the drummer of Chicago, and his 2014 full-length solo album, Give It Away.
Information regarding tickets for “A Soul Train Christmas” can be found here.
Hudson Valley-based group The Jed Luckless Band released their newest album Second Lives, their first official release since 2013.
The Jed Luckless Band recorded the record live on their 2018 tour of virtual venues in Second Life and gives the listener the experience of one of their shows. The group is made up of Jed Luckless on guitar and vocals, Kenny Kaufman on bass and vocals, Mark Gutenplan on keys, guitar, and vocals, and Pete Marine on drums. The group usually live streams online or in the metaverse, but has done in-person performances as well.
JLB follows the jam band tradition, with extended improvisation and overall good vibes. The first track is quite lengthy, sitting at about 14 minutes. The title is “Give It Back > Valley Of The Saints” and prominently featured in the song are improvisation techniques, with extended guitar solos, and keyboard jam sesh. The song makes the listener want to get up and groove to the melodies.
The second track, “Road Trip > Sugar Pop” is also a lengthy track, sitting at just over 21 minutes. It is reminiscent of the Grateful Dead, with groovy guitars and stellar vocals. The group repeats the line “Going on a road trip” several times during the song, and it is a great song to listen to driving across the country as it elapses time in such a way that the listener gets so entrapped in the melodies.
Following that track comes “2,000 Pikes > Smile Forever,” featuring more vocals than the past tracks. It features pauses of silence and more of the classic improvisation style. This type of music would be great to have on in the background while you’re cleaning your house, or even studying. They are a group of very talented musicians, and they play together well, following each other’s instruments in a manner that flows very nicely.
The last track “FM Rock > By And Bye” starts out much softer than the other previous songs, with soft keyboard notes and guitar strums. The song speaks about the radio, then goes into a long jam sesh that keeps the listener on their toes.
The Jed Luckless Band’s new record Second Lives is overall a solid album featuring the classic jam band improvisation seshes, with electrifying guitar and keyboard solos, as well as drum beats that keep you swaying and dancing to the music for the whole record.
Producer, keyboardist, lyricist, composer and performer Idan Raichel is a global music icon who has brought his inspiring example and soul-stirring music to some of the planet’s biggest stages. As the leader of The Idan Raichel Project, Idan acts as a musical ambassador representing a hopeful world where artistic collaboration breaks down barriers between people of different backgrounds and beliefs.
The global music superstar appears with his full Idan Raichel Project band in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, NYC and Boston this November. For the very first time, audiences in the US will get to experience the full 15-piece Idan Raichel Project band, which has never performed in the US in this complete configuration before.
The Idan Raichel Project’s spectacular live show has enchanted audiences worldwide. They have headlined in some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including New York’s Central Park Summer Stage, Apollo Theater, Town Hall and Radio City Music Hall, Los Angeles’ Kodak Theater, the Sydney Opera House, Zenith in Paris, London’s Royal Albert Hall and many international festivals. They have also performed across Europe, South & Central America, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana, Japan and dozens of other countries for enraptured audiences of all backgrounds.
Over the past 19 years, Idan has collaborated with American pop stars India.Arie, Dave Matthews and Alicia Keys, not to mention a wide range of artists who are household names in their native countries: Portugal’s Ana Moura, France’s Patrick Bruel, Italy’s Ornella Vanoni, Germany’s Andreas Scholl, and Mali’s Vieux Farka Touré to name but a few. The Tour presented by Teev Events
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.
This week there will be two songs from each artist played, instead of the usual one.
Jade Relics: “Leave us Alone” and “Mandarine”
Jade Relics is a collective of Vermont Musicians featuring, Elder Orange, Rico James, IamE. Their music is danceable and infectious, with excellent production and instrumentation. Their songs “Leave us Alone” and “Mandarine” will be played on EQXposure.
Blur Beside You: “Stumble more than anything” and “Nothing Feels Real”
Blur Beside You is a shoegaze indie rock trio from New York and Florida. It features 3 founding members of the South Florida band, Mindlikewater, Jim Wells, Joseph Butera & Joseph Beaty. Their songs “Stumble more than anything” and “Nothing Feels Real” will be played on EQXposure.
Fine Grain: “Missing Adult” and “Calculate”
Fine Grain floats in between shoegaze haze and punk posturing. They are from Albany and stitch old punk with new to create their unique sound. Their songs “Missing Adult” and “Calculate” will be played on EQXposure.
