NYS Music 202​2

Tag: Dan Smalls Presents

  • The State Theater Hosts Dinosaur Jr.’s Tour Opener in Ithaca

    With Beak and Skiff Orchards back to their bread and butter of serving up apples and apple-related products and activities, and Brewery Ommegang back to concentrating on brewing great beers, Dan Smalls Presents moves their shows back inside. The 2022-23 season at the State Theater of Ithaca opened on Friday September 9th with a show from rock veterans Dinosaur Jr.

    Nearing 40 years of existence, one wonders when they graduate to Dinosaur Sr. Though minutes into their tour-opening show, it was clear the youthful energy, vigor and drive to push their musical boundaries was still alive and well.

    Some observations of their show from a late-arriving newcomer.

    J. Mascis’ guitar, with the help of six gigantic Marshall stacks, shook the walls of the historical theater. Lou Barlow strummed his bass wildly, filling the space with a vortex that swirled around you, spit you out and sucked you right back in. Murph’s limbs flew every which way, pounding out rock-ready rhythms you felt as much as heard. Yep, Dinosaur Jr. delivers an ear-splitting full-body aural massage. That was no surprise. But behind the bombast, casualness and nuance ruled the day.

    Dinosaur Jr. just sauntered onto the stage, beating the house lights, which only went down after they started playing.

    The roadies spent the show just hanging out behind the amps, readying the load out about halfway through the show. During “The Wagon” one joined in on guitar while another took over a second drum set. The band’s on-stage demeanor was also more attuned to a hang with pals than a blistering rock show. In between songs, Mascis would often saunter off to the side of the stage to take a shot. Murph at one point walked off stage, returning just in time for the next song.

    Amidst the hang, some real inter-song magic came via short tuning jams that frequently popped up. What started as casual noodling could evolve into a three-way improv. After “The Wagon”, Mascis started riffing out some power chords and Murph tossed in some nice rumbling drums. A particularly tasty nugget, with some jazz undertones, nestled between an anthemic and bombastic “Been There All The Time” and monster rocking “Raisans.” Before the encore, Mascis dropped a blink-and-you-miss-it “London Bridges” teaser, a subtle tip of the hat to the Queen perhaps?

    The show started and ended similarly. After strolling on stage they came out swinging on a big rocking “Thumb.” 80 minutes later, after a blistering “Gargoyle,” they again just casually walked away, without fanfare, the final notes still crackling though the walls. Sandwiched in there they mixed a variety from the full breadth of their catalog. Melodies pushed through on “Garden” and “Feel the Pain,” funk-tinged wah work highlighted “Little Fury Things” and “Start Chopping” and spine-melting shredding sparked in “Mountain Man.” Is it possible to finally fall for a band already four decades into their career?

    By shows end, Barlow’s shirt was fully sweat through, a different shade of grey. Murph’s sweatiness, however, was masked by the black tour tee Ryley Walker provided, just as Walker had advised him it would. Walker’s support wasn’t reserved to wardrobe advice though, he was also the show’s opener.

    With his drummer unable to make the show, and his bass player’s instrument lost in transit, Walker called an audible and presented a set of “guitar fuckery” and “type 2 jams” with bassist Andrew Scott Young joining in on second guitar. For 45 minutes without stopping, their guitars danced around each other in beautiful cosmic weirdness. It was spacious and free, but mostly remained accessible. Walker worked his pedals and loops while Young played it straight and unfiltered, at times settling into a bass-like groove. Experimental rhythmic squeaks, eerie textures, droid-like bleeps and bloops… a thrilling opening set.

  • Wilco Closes Out Beak and Skiff’s Summer Concert Series with a Blowout

    From Phil Lesh to Courtney Barnett and everyone in between, by all measures it’s been the most successful summer yet for the new-ish big outdoor venue in central New York, Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards. The apples are starting to ripen, almost ready for picking, so the loud thumps of live music will have to make way for the low rumble of tractors. But there was time for one more big show to thrill the hungry ears of Syracuse and beyond, and alt-country heroes Wilco came to provide the fans with one last blowout to finish the season.

    With an expansive concert field with great sight lines, sound that is crisp but not too loud, absurdly punctual start and finish times, friendly organized staff, quality reasonably priced food and their own line of fabulous ciders, Beak and Skiff is quite the comfortable place to take in some live music on a nice summer evening. Wilco fit well with the vibe and provided comforts of their own.

    Touring behind their 2022 Cruel Country release, they promptly opened the show with the album’s first two tracks, “I Am My Mother” and the title track. The new songs blended together superbly with their more well-worn material. Being a double album, they had plenty of new material to pull from, but it seems like they’ve already plucked some live favorites. Later “Story To Tell” saw Nels Cline on a haunting lap steel, while “Bird Without a Tail / Base of My Skull” rolled along slowly before building behind Glenn Kotche’s brilliant drumming to a rollicking two-guitar workout.

    Wilco served up more comfort for the ears with their oldies but goodies. The reliable bass groove laid down by John Stirratt on “Handshake Drugs” paved the way for a three-guitar assault behind more fantastic work from Kotche. “At Least That’s What You Said” was an unsurprisingly excellent rock out, like sitting with an old friend. The unadulterated shredding by Nels Cline on “Impossible Germany” slid into the ears with ease. “Jesus Etc.” said it best, “You can rely on me honey.”

    The most surprising moment from the show came at a juncture of the old and new. “Via Chicago” was blasting along on it’s usual reliable path, Kotche thrilling with his typical drum freakouts. It all fizzled out into a nice slow developing segment snagged from a piece of “Many Worlds.” Pat Sansone and Cline’s guitars swirled around each other as it extended further and deeper, reaching a southern rock style fever pitch.

    The encore saw further blending of old and new. “Falling Apart (Right Now)” a country romp featuring a detuning guitar solo from Sansone preceded “Box Full of Letters” off of their debut album, A.M. Tweedy sent the song out to the people who bought the early album. When that was met with a huge roar, he responded: “No way, I’d have nicer clothes if that was true.” The show ended though with more comfortable Wilco classics, “The Late Greats” and “I Got You (At the End of the Century)” with the crowd appropriately singing along, singing back to the band: “Got you and it’s all I need / I got you / I got you and I still believe / That you’re all that I’ll ever need.” The fans got what they came for, Wilco delivered a reliably stellar rock show like only they know how.

    On the flip side, opener Kamikaze Palm Tree reveled in the uncomfortable. The art rock quartet is led by Cole Berliner on drums and vocals and Dylan Hadley on guitars, and were joined by bass and keys players. Experimental and avant-garde, the music took wild left turns and wasn’t for passive listening. Deadpan singing, unexpected rhythm shifts, slow languid moments bursting into grungy rock; it was difficult to keep up but once you got on board it was an exciting ride.

    Their intent came into better focus the closer you got to the band. The visual aspects married with the audio output provided the full experience of Kamikaze Palm Tree as they played material off their brand new release Mint Chip. Hadley had heavy red eye makeup, wore a purple tux, and moved like an animatronic character in a haunted house, staring deeply into the crowd. Berliner’s singing, sometimes behind the kit, sometimes in front, was joined by dramatic motions and expressions. A nice discovery and rewarding listen for the open-minded listeners in the audience.

    Wilco Setlist: I Am My Mother, Cruel Country, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Hints, Handshake Drugs, Story to Tell, Either Way, War On War, If I Ever Was a Child, Via Chicago / Many Worlds, Hummingbird, At Least That’s What You Said, Bird Without a Tail / Base of My Skull, Jesus Etc., Impossible Germany, Love Is Everywhere (Beware), California Stars, A Lifetime to Find, Heavy Metal Drummer, Spiders (Kidsmoke)

    Encore: Falling Apart (Right Now), Box Full of Letters, The Late Greats, I Got You (At the End of the Century)

  • The Decemberists Arise at Beak & Skiff Orchards

    After multiple cancellations and postponements, the indie-folk legends out of indie-folk heaven (aka Portland, Oregon), The Decemberists finally made it out for a proper summer tour. They arose from the bunkers, as it were. The tour brought them around to Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards in LaFayette, NY, which has emerged as a bit of an indie-folk heaven of its own this summer.

    In a pre-tour tweet, lead singer Colin Meloy threatened to not end their show with “Mariner’s Revenge Song” as they had done countless times over countless years. Indeed, they did not play it this night, nor have they all tour. Three years off the road with no album to promote brought forth quite a varied set list.

    They dug back to their first album for set opener “Leslie Anne Levine,” a ghostly tale brightened by a beautiful acoustic mix of upright bass, accordion and pedal steel. From there they jumped straight ahead to “Sucker’s Prayer” off of their latest release, 2018’s I’ll Be Your Girl. There was no “Mariner,” but “Leslie” and the “Sucker” set the stage for a show full of other characters, both real and imagined, like only Meloy and the Decemberists can present.

    “Song for Myla Goldberg” brought to life the novelist in song, including the site-appropriate refrain, “I know New York, I need New York, I know I need unique New York.” Sure it’s meant to be the City but what’s more unique than a concert in an apple orchard in upstate New York? Later the Lin-Manuel Miranda penned “Ben Franklin’s Song” explored the historical U.S. figure in hilariously vulgar fashion, “Do you know who the fuck I am? I am Poor-Richard’s-Almanack-writing Benjamin Fuckin’ Franklin!”

    Amidst the clever lyrics, musical highlights were abound. Jenny Conlee and Chris Funk squeezed tasty piano and guitar licks into every nook and cranny of “Down By the River.” Newest touring member Lizzy Ellison filled in a lot of gaps on keys, guitar, banjo and vocals. She also brought the house down with hauntingly incredible singing on “The Wanting Comes in Waves.” Funk once again shined bright, as the LEDs seemed to pierce right through him, with some all-out shredding on “Severed.” The full power of the band came together nicely on the plodding and beautiful “California One” which extended with a nice mellow groove that morphed it’s way to set closer “Youth and Beauty Brigade.”

    It seems impossible for artists to abstain from including the surrounding apple trees into their shows when playing Beak and Skiff, and indeed Meloy picked “June Hymn” to kick off the encore for its orchard-appropriateness, singing: “A barony of ivy in the trees / Expanding out its empire by degrees / And all the branches burst abloom / In the boom.” But perhaps even more appropriate was the line: “We’ll fill our mouths with cinnamon from the show closing “Sons and Daughters.” The show ended with the whole crowd singing and swaying along to “Here all the bombs, fade away.” And the night faded away, at the early hour of 9:30pm.

    Georgian folk singer Jake Xerxes Fussell set out on the seemingly impossible task: opening for The Decemberists in a large field on a large stage, a man, his voice and his guitar, the short brim on his askew hat no match for the setting sun beaming directly into his eyes. But from the opening notes of “Jump For Joy,” his uniquely folksy voice and uniquely intricate finger picking on his six-string Fender, zoned the gathering crowd to attention. He pulled songs from relative obscurity and made them his own, like the Georgia Sea Island Singers’ “Raggy Levy” and Jean Richie’s “Swing and Twirl Jubilee.” The only problem with the set was it’s length, just as it got going it was over. With the concert over at 9:30pm it seems there was plenty of time for more.

  • Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen and Julien Bakers’ Hearts Run Wild at Beak and Skiff

    Just two days removed from the Here and There Festival bringing four female-fronted bands to Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards, The Wild Hearts Tour landed with three more incredible women artists: Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, and Julien Baker. All three would have fit perfectly well in Courtney Barnett’s lineup, but they were on their own mission with it’s own purpose.

    There’s was borne of a common bond, a post-pandemic search for connection to like-minded souls. The cross-country trip brought them closer together and felt “like summer camp,” the bands enjoying a game Scattergories pre-show. More importantly lifetime bonds were solidified.

    Before the show could begin, the ashes and destruction left behind after Barnett’s barn-burning set Sunday night needed to be washed away. Mother Nature obliged with an afternoon deluge. The rains delayed the venue’s opening, cancelled Quinn Christopherson’s opening set and everyone else’s soundchecks. The crews worked hard to get the show prepped regardless and they were thanked profusely throughout the night.

    Sharon Van Etten was blown away by how many came out to see them play in LaFayette New York, in what was likely her first ever show at an apple orchard. The feelings were mutual, and the crowd was also feeling enormously lucky to get the opportunity, repeated opportunities in the grander scheme, to see such world-class talent in an area that isn’t known to consistently draw bigger shows.

    The rain subsided, the sun was on its way toward the distant hills, the crowd assembled, ears pricked, and the stage was set and ready to go, a grey velvet curtain draped along the back, ready to absorb whatever light came it’s way.

    Julien Baker got the Wild Hearts night rolling with her emotive indie-rock. “Heatwave” and “Ringside” were early opportunities for Baker to show her vocal range, her mouth gaping open as her keenly observant lyrics spilled out like she was saying them for the first time. She allowed herself to let loose in short bursts on her guitar, but finally burst the dam on set-closing “Ziptie,” her instrument finally meeting the power of her voice. She prepared us for the rest of the evening, “Sharon and Angel will come melt your faces… in a tasteful way.” She wasn’t wrong.

    Olsen and her band arrived next. Guitar, bass, drums, keys, cello and fiddle all there to help color in Olsen’s beautiful songs, and each outfitted brightly to emphasize that. “Right Now” filled in the blue from the organ and backing vocals. “Shut Up And Kiss Me” getting a splash of green guitar. “Lark” with streaks of hot pink and lavender from the string section before getting ignited with color as it all builds together. Olsen, in bright yellow, brought a palette all her own, her buttery voice melting into each song. A country twang coming through in “Big Time,” sultry and soulful on “Go Home,” deep and rich like the darkening and colorful hues in the skies around the venue.

    Contrasting with the Angel Olsen’s colorful display, Sharon Van Etten arrived to a darkened stage, only illuminating once the band fully launched into “Headspace.” Van Etten stood out like a flame in the midst of her all black clad band. Distant lightning strikes provided a nice addition to their more extensive light show.

    Van Etten showed off the range of her songwriting throughout the set. The funky crunch of “No One’s Easy to Love” gave way to the slow drawn out “Used To It.” The nice slow build in “All I Can” contrasted with the upbeat and poppier “Every Time the Sun Comes Up.” The set burst into a dance party by the end, on stage and off, closing out with the disco beat of “Mistakes” and infectious “Seventeen.”

    The night ended with Van Etten bringing Olsen back on stage to join on their co-written song “Like I Used To.” A wonderful way to close out the show, though it did leave us regretting that the camaraderie between the three leading ladies offstage didn’t produce more sparks on it. Perhaps we’ll have to wait for the Wild Hearts Tour 2023?

  • Here and There Festival Brings Courtney Barnett And Friends to Beak and Skiff Orchards

    Australian rocker Courtney Barnett has long dreamed of curating her own music festival. As a kid she crafted mix tapes of fantasy lineups, and designed t-shirts for the fantasy merch tent. With 2022’s Here and There Festival, she has finally realized her dream.

    The title comes from a lyric from “Scotty Says,” an early Courtney Barnett song about touring around Australia: “I got lost somewhere between here and there / I’m not sure what the town is called.” With that as the inspiration, booking the tour stop in Syracuse, specifically LaFayette, seems quite appropriate. No offense to our beloved Syracuse.

    Each stop of the tour features a different lineup, handpicked by Courtney Barnett, featuring friends new and old. For this gig, at Beak and Skiff Orchards, Hana Vu opened the night up with “Aubade,” a punkish rocker. Her quartet played in front of static and slightly distressing images of an eye, mouth and ear. “My House” followed and it was immediately apparent that Vu’s voice would carry the set, searing and soaring. Accentuating the strong point, she employed a cool echo at times, doubling her voice with a slight delay. The band squeezed a quick eight songs into their 30-minute slot, from the slow and groovy “Everybody’s Birthday” to the more powerful rocking closer “Public Storage.”

    To Barnett’s credit, the festival, on this night at least, and we suspect across the board, was very well curated. The crowd seemed to be only there for whoever was on stage at that time. Singing all the lyrics, calling out the obscure requests, pumping all the fists, screaming during all the breaks. For a four band bill to keep the crowd thrilled throughout a five hour show is no small feat.

    Next Faye Webster brought her quintet to the stage. The music was more demure, but no less exciting. They were accompanied by a large blow up bust of a woman, a bit ostentatious which didn’t quite match the music, but Webster was full of interesting surprises. The band glided through the set, pedal steel riding the crest of light slinky grooves, with Webster’s distinct nasal and airy voice getting her points across with complex repetition. A combo of “I Know I’m Funny Haha” and “Johnny” highlighted the band’s strengths. Then the crowd was hit with a massive left turn as they then played a piece of music from Pokemon. A catchy and dreamy 8-bit sounding instrumental that was equally fun and intriguing. An indie-pop band that features a pedal steel and a fiddle without much of a glint of country is sure to keep things interesting.

    Opening with “Heat Wave,” Lindsey Jordan’s Snail Mail immediately amped the energy back up, returning to Vu’s punk trend and adding a layer of 90’s grunge. Another distinct female voice to fall in love with, Jordan emoted her lyrics, dropping to her knees even during “Madonna.” “I consecrate my life to kneeling at your altar,” she sang, guitarless. Bass-heavy melodies and rhythms were interesting on their own, but unfortunately tended to drown out the rest of the band. Switching out guitars on every song, Jordan kept her roadie busy, who swapped her out with the swiftness and stealth of a tennis ball boy. A cover of Muse’s “Starlight” fit into the set’s originals nicely. Near set’s end, the crowd was polled for the last song. “Pristine” beat out “Valentine” in a hands-in-the-air landslide. Fortunately, there was time for both. It would have been a shame to skip “Valentine,” what with Cupid projected on the screen and the roses wrapping Jordan’s mic stand. Though the fans vote proved justified and the catchy synths of “Pristine” and its and powerful bass closed out the set in style: “This feels like the same party every weekend.”

    With her hand-picked festival mates paving the way, young and vibrant artists one and all, Courtney Barnett and her trio took the stage for the final set with their work cut out for them. With the sun fully down, the video screen and lights in full effect, and with the help of three guitar amps, they flexed their headliner muscle immediately. Her set opened as her latest release does, with “Rae Street,” singing, “Time is money / and money is no man’s friend.” She dove back into her catalog with “Avant Gardener” previewing everyone’s next morning with the line “It’s a Monday, it’s so mundane.”

    Barnett’s music is the rare beast that combines incredible wordplay behind a driving raw rock power. Fans were eager to sing along and did so with gusto, keeping up with the at times rapid fire lyrics.

    “Small Poppies” was a rock beat down, a slog through the mud with a heavyweight, Barnett’s searing guitar noise cutting through the bass and drums bombast. The thrashing continued with “Turning Green,” Barnett playing a classic rock staple cowbell simultaneously with her guitar, before tossing it aside and letting loose on the six string.

    Faye Webster, in another welcome surprise, returned to the stage to provide some added guitar and vocals to “An Illustration of Loneliness” late in the set. Her fuzzy guitar tone fit in musically while her royal blue shirt and pants blended perfectly with the lighting scheme on stage.

    Courtney Barnett knocks your socks off, stuffs them down your pants and then proceeds to kick them repeatedly for an hour. A relentlessly and powerfully good set from her power rock trio. And she proved to be a damn good festival producer as well, proved to be a great way to spend a Sunday evening at an apple orchard that may not have been here or there.

  • Andrew Bird and Iron & Wine Sound Sweet at Beak and Skiff Orchards

    Another gorgeous evening in the hills of Lafayette, nestled into the apple orchards at Beak and Skiff. Another night filled with sweet sounds by another incredible lineup brought in by Dan Smalls Presents. Tonight it was Andrew Bird and Iron & Wine providing music fans from Syracuse, and beyond, with good reason to be out on a Tuesday. The bands came through on the back end of their Outside Problems tour, a tour two years in the waiting. It was first planned for 2020, but then, you know…

    Amongst his wacky banter, Sam Beam, aka Iron & Wine, summed up the evening’s offerings quite well. “You guys just hanging out in an orchard all day listening to some music?”

    Of opener Meshell Ndegeocello, “If you don’t like that, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.” Indeed, Ndegeocello and her quartet, in a quick 30 minutes, blended reggae grooves, folk-tinged psychedelia, soul, rhythm and blues and a touch of jazz. Echoey fuzzed out guitar, cosmic keys, charging beats all swirling around her mesmerizing bass lines. What’s not to like?

    About his own set, Beam remarked, “I’ve got a lot of long, incredibly sad songs for you.” Moments later he backed off, saying his songs aren’t all the sad, they’re just not that happy. Sad or not, he had the crowd in stitches with his bizarre banter and in-song ramblings and riffing. In the set opening “Such Great Heights,” he cut-in to the beauty to talk about warming up by covering ourselves in applesauce and tears. “Rabbit Will Run” began with a story about Syracuse native Tom Cruise drifting off to sleep and dreaming about another Syracuse native, Grace Jones, whispering in his ear, singing the ensuing song, with harmonies by yet another Syracuse native, Richard Gere. Just your normal run-of-the-mill folk singer chitchat.

    He played 45 minutes, solo, amongst a neighborhood of small white houses. In the tour’s original intent, he had just completed a new album with Calexico and they would have been on with him as well. He played just one song from the album, “Father Mountain” and filled the rest of the set with some of his most recognizable tunes from throughout his career. Contrasting starkly with his playful mood, his performance of “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” went nearly acapella. His hands worked the frets of the guitar but never strummed until the final verse, quite beautiful and moving. Elsewhere and particularly on “Woman King” he worked the lower register of his guitar masterfully with a mix of picking and strumming.

    Continuing his narration of the evening, Beam previewed Andrew Bird’s closing set with, “Bird is going to whistle his way into your heart.” The set opened with a flourish of Bird’s signature fiddle and whistling looping and building to a one man orchestra briefly before his quartet broke through into “Make a Picture.” Bird was joined on stage by an incredible band, with Ted Poor on drums, Tyler Chester on keys and guitar, and Anna Butterss, on bass.

    Unlike Iron & Wine, the timing of the tour worked a bit better for Bird, with his excellent new album, Inside Problems hot off the press. He played heavily from it throughout the set. Poor impressed with complex rhythms on “Atomized” and Bird added in plucked fiddle, looped that and then added in fiddling and some whistling syncopated with more plucking. Anyone who has seen Bird solo knows him for his incredible use of layering loop upon loop to provide a unique richness of sound. But with the extra hands in his band, the richness reached another level.

    The excellence was exemplified perfectly in a mid-set “Underlands.” The lyrics and the backdrop synced up, a moon, the stars, the story was laid out for the ears and eyes. Butterss set the scene musically with an infectiously slinky bass line. Poor again was shining with some very tasty rhythms and fills while Chester worked in some nice keys. And this was just the base for Bird to work his magic. Butterss incredible harmonizing with Bird’s whistling sent the whole affair straight up to the moon for real. It was wonder to see this band present Bird’s fantastic new album from the stage.

    Midway through the set Beam came back on stage to play some duets with Bird. A perfect pair, it’s a shame it hasn’t happened sooner. On each of their own songs, like “Orpheo” and “Muddy Hymnal” their voices and instruments blended very well. The band came back to back the pair for a few more songs, mostly acoustically. They crowded to the right side of the stage for a more intimate setting, continuing with “Left-Handed Kisses”, “Lion’s Mane” and “Lusitania.” Before ceding the stage back Beam injected a bit more of his humor playing a snippet of the Golden Girls theme, “Thank You For Being a Friend.” We can only hope this friendship bears more fruit in the coming years.