NYS Music 2023

Category: Genres

  • In Focus: Regina Spektor Plays Capitol Theatre

    Regina Spektor opened up to her crowd at the Capitol Theatre on Thursday, March 16. Of all the dates on her spring tour, which kicked off in Ithaca earlier this month, it was the nearest show to the neighborhood in which she grew up in The Bronx.

    regina spektor capitol theatre

    About midway through the set, Spektor opened up about her Bronx roots. She told the crowd how she and her family came to know violinist Samuel Marder and his late wife Sonia Vargas. An accomplished classical musician, Vargas became her piano teacher. Samuel and his sister Eva—both Holocaust survivors—were in attendance at the show. And Spektor was wearing a dress that had belonged to Sonia and was gifted to her by Samuel.

    Spektor understandably needed a moment to gather herself after recalling all of that, wearing a dress that had belonged to Sonia and was gifted to her by Samuel. She then launched into the powerful “Ink Stains,” a song that she was inspired to write after she first heard there was such a thing as a Holocaust denier. It was just one song from the twenty in her setlist, but it was the perfect representation of the mood she established on stage over the course of the night: kind, humble, warm, and absolutely not afraid to say what needs to be said.

    regina spektor capitol theatre

    Openness and kindness were themes throughout the night. Spektor spoke to the crowd as if she were talking to a close friend, and her performance was on point. Even during a set that continuously displayed her versatility, “Poor Little Rich Boy” stood out. That song features Spektor playing percussion on a wooden chair with her right arm and keyboard with her left as she sings.

    Between her immense musical talent and ability to connect with the crowd, Spektor had the entire venue hanging on her every word.

    Regina Spektor – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – Thursday, March 16, 2023

    Setlist: Ain’t No Cover, Folding Chair, Becoming All Alone, Loveology, Baby Jesus, Better, What Might Have Been, Eet, Ink Stains, Silly Eye-Color Generalizations, Bobbing for Apples, That Time, Ballad of a Politician, Poor Little Rich Boy, Après Moi, Raindrops, Spacetime Fairytale, Us, Fidelity
    Encore: Samson

    regina spektor capitol theatre

  • Jerry Garcia Bobblehead Games Announced for August at Yankee Stadium

    Jerry Garcia Bobblehead games are once again on the schedule for August at Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium is extending the bobblehead games this year, starting on Garcia’s birthday, and continuing until Aug. 5.

    This marks the second series of bobblehead games at the stadium featuring the late Grateful Dead frontman, the first of which was last year for what would’ve been Garcia’s 80th birthday.

    Jerry Garcia Yankee Stadium bobblehead
    The Rex Foundation will receive a portion of every ticket sold for the Jerry Garcia Bobblehead Games. Credit: Herb Greene

    Jerry Garcia was an American musician from San Francisco and co-founder of the rock band Grateful Dead, which gained popularity during the counterculture of the 1960s. While he is considered by many to be the leader of the Grateful Dead, Garcia never embraced the title. The band’s career birthed 13 studio albums over nearly 30 years, officially breaking up shortly before Garcia’s death in 1995, although pre-recorded live albums continued to be released following his death. Garcia, along with his Grateful Dead bandmates, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

    A portion of every ticket sold will support the Rex Foundation. Special tickets must be purchased for the Jerry Garcia Bobblehead Games at Yankee Stadium. Each Special Event Ticket includes a New York Yankees Jerry Garcia Bobblehead. The New York Yankees will verse the Tampa Bay Rays for the first two games on Aug. 1-2, and the Houston Astros for the next four games, from Aug. 3-6. Prices vary by date and seating selection.

    Listen to the “Touch of Grey” music video by Grateful Dead.

  • Alt Guitar Great Bill Orcutt Brings His Music for Four Guitars to Roulette on March 27

    San Francisco-based guitarist and composer Bill Orcutt will return to Brooklyn’s Roulette to present his latest project, an all-electric Guitar Quartet, performing the music from his critically-acclaimed 2022 LP, Music for Four Guitars on Monday, March 27 at 8 pm.

    One of today’s most innovative guitarists and composers, Orcutt will join forces with three other renowned experimentally-minded players – Wendy Eisenberg, Ava Mendoza and Shane Parish – to present this music in an expanded format combining Orcutt’s intricate compositions with no-holds-barred improvisation. 

    Bill Orcutt Music for Four Guitars

    Orcutt is the former guitarist and founder of the notorious 90’s group Harry Pussy.  His sound is a stuttered reimagining of blues guitar, one weaving looping melodic lines and angular attack into a dense, fissured landscape of American primitivism, outsider jazz, and a stripped-down re-envisioning of the possibilities of the guitar. Whether he’s playing his decrepit Kay acoustic or gutted electric Telecaster (both stripped of two of their strings, as has been Orcutt’s custom since 1985), Orcutt’s jagged sound is utterly unique and instantly recognizable, compared with equal frequency to avant-garde composers and rural bluesmen. The New York Times has called him a “powerful musician… a go-for-broke guitar improviser,” and described his sound as “articulated sprays of arpeggiated chords and dissonance.”

    With Music for Four Guitars, Orcutt created 14 brief pieces built upon tiny minimalist phrases which expand into dense tapestries of sound and mood.  His sound marries the collective guitar punch of the minimalist guitar orchestras work of No Wave pioneers Glenn Branca and Rhys Chatham with the knotty Delta psychedelia of Trout Mask Replica-era Captain Beefheart.

    While Orcutt played all four guitars on the album, he is presenting the expanded version at Roulette with the assistance of three of the most talked-about players on the alternative guitar scene – Ava Mendoza, Wendy Eisenberg and Shane Parish 

    Mendoza is a guitarist, singer/songwriter, composer and bandleader based in Brooklyn who leads the globe-trotting avant-rock trio Unnatural Ways, works in a duo with former Can vocalist Malcolm Mooney, and records and performs in a variety of contexts. She is a first-call session musician who has worked with bandleaders including William Hooker, Nels Cline, Nate Wooley, and William Parker. Her knotty, dynamic, yet intricately melodic playing style mixes rock, jazz, metal, and funk with years of classical and improvisational training. 

    Bill Orcutt

    Wendy Eisenberg is an improviser and songwriter who uses guitar, pedals, the tenor banjo, the computer, the synthesizer and the voice. Their work spans genres, from jazz to noise to avant-rock to delicate songs in performances spanning from international festivals to intimate basements. Though often working solo as both a songwriter and improviser, with acclaimed releases on Tzadik, VDSQ, Out of your Head and Garden Portal, they also perform in the rock band Editrix, and in endless other combinations of their heroes and peers including Allison Miller, Carla Kihlstedt, John Zorn, Billy Martin, and Caroline Davis. 

    Bill Orcutt
    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    Athens, Georgia-based guitarist/songwriter Shane Parish is a self-taught musician who communicates through emotion, unexpected melodicism, technical whimsy, a nuanced sense of form, and rich timbral variety, simultaneously drawing from the guitar’s history and aiming for its future.  Avant Music News described Parish as “one of the most consistently innovative finger-picking acoustic guitarists in a generation.” In 2016, he was recognized for his solo acoustic efforts by composer John Zorn, who issued the album Undertaker Please Drive Slow on Tzadik Records, hailing it as “a remarkable and soulful acoustic solo project that digs deep into Appalachian roots… At times reminiscent of John Fahey and Robbie Basho, at times of John Cage and Morton Feldman.”  Parish has self-released numerous recordings of folk interpretations in the years since Undertaker.

    For tickets and information, visit the event site here.

  • Elliott Landy Launches Campaign for “The Band Photographs: Volume Two”

    Elliott Landy, a legendary Rock and Roll photographer, has launched a campaign to help his second book, The Band Photographs: Volume Two, based on Woodstock based The Band, get published. His first book, The Band Photographs, 1968-1969, was published in 2015. Landy became a rock group photographer in their early days in the late 60s, and much of his work has yet to be seen by the public.

    Elliott Landy The Band
    The Band members. Credit: Rolling Stone

    The Band originated in Woodstock, and Elliott Landy was the official photographer for the Woodstock Festival in 1969. Much of his work there on display in his first book. Because of his photographs, audiences now have a glimpse into the time period of 1960s Woodstock. Artists he has photographed include Van Morrison and The Band’s Bob Dylan, pieces that have made the covers of the Nashville Skyline and Moondance, respectively. Having had his work published in major magazines and publications, The Band Photographs, 1968-1969 was published in 2015, with the help of Kickstarter.

    Landy said, “I was the only photographer who had access to The Band during that period while living in Woodstock, N.Y. Because we were friends I had the freedom to hang out and take whatever pictures I wanted. I shot more than 10,000 frames of film of The Band during this period. Of these, fewer than 25 had been published prior to my 2015 book, The Band Photographs 1968-1969, which contained 200 photographs—most of which had never been published before.”

    Landy hopes his photographs will help audiences understand who The Band is as people and individuals, not just performers.

    “These were people who lived with each other, shared on-the-road experiences with each other for over seven years, and they hadn’t lost any of their basic humanity – they were still kind and nice to everyone,” Landy said.

    Even years after The Band’s breakup after founding member Rick Danko’s death, the group is still an influential figure in Rock and Roll history. They have been subject to a number of articles, essays, and books. Along with The Band’s music itself, Landy’s photography helps bring the group to life.

    Volume Two of The Band Photographs allows Landy to showcase his work that didn’t make it in volume one.

    Landy added, “So after this volume two is finished, I’ll see what is left. After all, I did take over 10,000 photographs and I suspect there are other good ones that I just haven’t taken notice of… So we’ll see what comes after this if anything regarding the band photographs.”

    I have developed a way of animating these photographs in my own software which will allow users to play them synchronously with any music they chose including the band’s music of course. So perhaps that will be the next iteration of these photographs.

    Because of the unfettered access I had as a friend, the photographs bring us into their lives from the mundane chores of grocery shopping to the fun of playing football in the backyard to the sublime moments of creation in the studio and onstage. You will be transported back to their homes in Woodstock and invited to gather on Levon’s bed as they discuss lyrics for who knows, “Rag Mama Rag” or maybe “King Harvest.”

    Landy’s campaign went live on Feb. 7, 2023. A little over three weeks are left in the campaign, ending on April 8. Signed editions, limited edition prints, lithos and more are being offered to pledges. The same size as volume one, it will be a great companion to the first book or your favorite vinyl records by The Band.

  • Stanley Jordan plays solo set in Canandaigua at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center

    Just a hop skip and a jump from the historic boat houses of Canandaigua Lake is the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center. A newer venue repurposed from an older one, Fort Hill PAC house about 400 seats, with 40 mezzanine seats that provide amazing views of the stage. Amazing view for acts like Stanley Jordan who brought his solo guitar show the house on March 18.

    Stanley Jordan Fort Hill Performing Arts Center.

    Rising to notoriety in the mid 80s, Jordan was first artist signed to Blue Note Records by new president, Bruce Lundvall, as they were working to re-establish their label to include contemporary jazz. Subsequently, Jordan’s album Magic Touch was released and hit number 1 on Billboards Jazz chart for nearly a whole year. Jordan has released 13 other albums, with number 15 in the works for release early 2024.

    Hitting the stage at Fort Hill PAC, Jordan was welcomed by a blend of younger baby boomers, with a pinch of Gen-X’s and a dash of young Gen-z patrons. Quite a diverse group of ages for Jordan, whose sound is lightly reminiscent of island sounds, perfect chill music after a long days work.

    Stanley Jordan Fort Hill Performing Arts Center.

    While Jordan didn’t interact with the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center crowd too much, he was definitely aware of everything going, and acknowledged the random “We love you, Stanley” or the unexpected ovation. Just as well, there was issue during set with the center speakers in front the performer, and while he played most of the first half of show with it, he addressed the issue and assured the fans that the show will be so much better when he can actually hear all the sounds. As expected, the crowd laughed and gave short round of applause.

    To finish the first set, Stanley, took seat at the piano and did some double duty as he continued playing the guitar, while adding piano to the mix. Truly an amazing arrangement and showcase of his skill set on the stage.

    Stanley Jordan Fort Hill Performing Arts Center.

    Coming back from intermission, Jordan continued to play the guitar in his own way, which consists of very little traditional strumming, and more tapping along the neck to create his own unique sound. He opened up the second set with his rendition of Mozart’s Piano Concerto #21 and Blue Monk (Thelonius Monk), both remarkable in their own rights.

    While I was not able to see the end of the show, he finished off with a cover of the classic Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” If like the rest of the show, I am sure the crowd was in awe with this, as I am sure I would have been.

    Follow Stanley for up-to-date news including the release of his much anticipated 15th album. US tour dates continue through April, before headed off on his international tour.

    Stanley Jordan
    Stanley Jordan

  • The Sembrich Announces 2023 Summer Festival ‘Trailblazers’

    The Sembrich in Bolton Landing announced the 2023 Summer Festival Trailblazers, celebrating the singular achievements of outstanding individuals in arts and culture, beginning on June 11 and running through Aug. 30.

    The Sembrich
    The Sembrich Museum.

    Those who attend The Sembrich can experience music, history, and nature all at once, with museum exhibitions and an annual summer festival. It was once the teaching studio of Polish soprano Marcella Sembrich, one of the most famous musicians at the turn of the 20th century. Visitors can discover her legacy, which includes over 400 performances at the Metropolitan Opera and faculty positions at both the Juilliard Graduate School and the Curtis Institute of Music. The summer festival includes an exciting mix of world-class musicians, noted musical scholars, and a free film series.

    Recently, The Sembrich received a total of $120,400 in grant funding from New York State to support new and ongoing initiatives, awarded through two agencies, the NYS Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and I LOVE NY/New York State’s Division of Tourism. Director of Institutional Advancement Caleb Eick said “these funds will allow us to continue to grow and expand our programs and presence in our community. We are excited to undertake new initiatives and further solidify The Sembrich and our region as a world-class cultural destination.”

    The 2023 Summer Festival Trailblazers showcases singular achievements of outstanding individuals in arts and culture, from David Smith to Marin Alsop and Alma Mahler to Philip Glass, there will be 23 individual events throughout the summer months beginning on June 11 and running through Aug. 30. The Sembrich’s Artistic Director Richard Wargo spoke on the itinerary for the festival, showcasing an exciting series of programming.

    The art world has always had trailblazers, those unique individuals who forged a route through the wilderness for others to follow. Our festival this summer is built around a number of these innovators…modernist sculptor David Smith, conductor Marin Alsop, musicians Grigor Piatigorsky and Alma Mahler, composers Franz Liszt, Philip Glass and Lin-Manuel Miranda, to name just a few. A number of our featured performers can be said to be “trailblazers” in their own right: guitar and cello duo Boyd Meets Girl, the all-female horn quartet Genghis Barbie and Hub New Music, whom the Boston Globe praised as ‘contemporary chamber trailblazers.’

    The Sembrich’s Artistic Director Richard Wargo

    The highlights of the festival begin with “In the Footsteps of Piatigorsky,” a studio talk and performance by cellist Evan Drachman, dedicated to his celebrated grandfather, Gregor Piatigorsky, one of the pre-eminent string players of the twentieth century. The music featured includes Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, and Rubinstein, happening June 17 at 2 p.m. The Sembrich’s lakeside subscription Promenade Series enters its second season with an exciting lineup of groups including the Adirondack Jazz Repertory Ensemble, guitar and cello duo Boyd Meets Girl, and the leading post-feminist all-female horn group Genghis Barbie.

    Genghis Barbie.

    A staple in The Sembrich’s Summer Festival, World Music Wednesdays brings cultural traditions from across the globe to the shores of Lake George. Featured this year includes tango traditions with the Latin-Grammy artist Pedro Giraudo and his Tango Quartet, Celtic dances with Poor Man’s Gambit, and Georgian polyphonic singing with acclaimed choral group Iberi. The Sembrich’s Film Series this year features CODA (2021), Koyaanisqatsi (1982), The Conductor (2021), tick…tick…BOOM! (2021), and Elvis (2022).

    The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing on July 15 is a presentation with vintage photos by Betty Spinell about forbidden love, jealousy, and mental instability that resulted in a shocking, cold-blooded murder. The ensuing “trial of the century” mesmerized the public and helped close the curtains on America’s Gilded Age. Discover the life and inspirations of turn-of-the-century muse and femme fatale, Alma Mahler on July 19 at 2 p.m. featuring quotes from her diary and music by Mahler, Strauss, and Schoenberg performed by Robert Osborne, bass-baritone and Tammy Hensrud, mezzo-soprano.

    Featuring some of the finest concert artists in the classical music scene, the Alfred Z. Solomon Masterwork Series celebrates monumental figures in arts and culture including sculptor David Smith, Jean Francaix, Franz Liszt, and more. Artists performing include 25-year-old virtuoso pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, the trailblazing quartet HUB New Music, and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra. 

    Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner

    On Aug. 16 at 2 p.m. The Sembrich brings “Hamilton: The Man, The Musical, The Cultural Phenomenon,” to the venue, featuring musical theater historian John Kenrick and a lively studio talk that explores New York native Lin-Manuel Miranda’s trailblazing blend of hip-hop and Broadway styles in the revolutionary musical Hamilton. Finally on Aug. 26 at 6 p.m., there will be an elegant cantina-style gala performance on the lakeshore featuring rising operatic star, tenor Leonardo Sánchez, titled “Mi México Querido” (“My Beloved Mexico”). The performance includes the color, tradition, and passion of his beloved Mexico, featuring instruments like the guitar, guitarrón, vihuela, and accordion – pillars of traditional Mexican music.

    For a full listing of events, or to purchase tickets visit here.

  • My Morning Jacket to Perform at Artpark Amphitheater this June

    My Morning Jacket have announced an upcoming North American headline tour that begins this spring, which includes a stop at the Artpark Amphitheatre in Lewiston. The band is scheduled to have a performance at the venue on June 26.

    My Morning Jacket Band Members. Credit: IMDB

    My Morning Jacket, originating in Louisville, Kentucky, comprises five members, Jim James (lead vocal, guitar,) Tom Blankenship (bass guitar,) Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion,) Bo Koster (keyboards percussion, backing vocals,) and Carl Broemer ( guitars, pedal steel, saxophone, backing vocals.) The band has a more than 20-year-long career, with their debut album, The Tennesse Fire, being released in 1999. They have since released over nine albums, most recently the self-titled My Morning Jacket in 2021. The band’s sound is a mixture of rock and country and has been described as experimental and psychedelic. In partnership with Reverb for three years, My Morning Jacket will be supporting the environmental non-profit’s climate portfolio which funds projects that measurably reduce greenhouse gas pollution, address climate justice, and directly decarbonize the music industry.

    Tickets for the My Morning Jacket headline tour, which includes a stop at the Artpark Amphitheatre, go on sale Friday, March 24 at 10 a.m. My Morning Jacket’s One Big Family members will have access to presale tickets until Monday, March 20 at 10 a.m. Spotify and local presales begin Thursday, March 23 at 10 a.m. and continue through 10 p.m. VIP tickets will also be available. For complete details and ticket availability, please see www.mymorningjacket.com/events.

    This will be the third consecutive year that My Morning Jacket is partnering with the non-profit Reverb to reduce the environmental footprint of their tour.

    MY MORNING JACKET – TOUR 2023

    MAY

    14 – Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre

    15 – Jackson, MS – Thalia Mara Hall

    20 – Guadalajara, Mexico – Corona Capital Guadalajara ^

    30 – London, UK – O2 Kentish Town Forum

    31 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz Manchester

    JUNE

    3 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound ^

    5 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma

    6 – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg

    9 – Porto, Portugal – Primavera Sound ^

    10 – Madrid, Spain – Primavera Sound ^

    15 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre

    16 – Charleston, SC – Firefly Distillery

    17 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival ^

    20 – St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre

    21 – Milwaukee, WI – The Riverside Theater

    23 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park

    24 – Newport, KY – MegaCorp Pavilion

    26 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Amphitheater

    28 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE

    30 – New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl

    JULY

    1 – Scranton, PA – Peach Music Festival ^

    29 – Washington, DC – The Anthem

    30 – Floyd, VA – FloydFest ^

    AUGUST

    15 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield

    16 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater

    18 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre †

    19 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre †

    20 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl †

    22 – San Diego, CA – CalCoast Credit Union Open Air Theatre

    23 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre

    25 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre

    26 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre

    ^ Festival Appearance

    † w/ Fleet Foxes

    Watch the music video for My Morning Jacket’s single, “Love Love Love,” from their recent album.

  • In Focus: The Music Of Paul McCartney at Carnegie Hall

    On the evening of Wednesday, March 15, New York City’s Carnegie Hall served as a gathering place to pay tribute to Sir Paul McCartney. Produced by Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Michael Dorf, The Music Of Paul McCartney was the 18th annual Music Of benefit concert to grace Carnegie Hall.

    Photograph by Bobby Banks

    In front of a sold-out house, Will Lee, Alexis Morrast, Peter Asher, Lyle Lovett, Patti Smith, Sammy Rae, Shovels & Rope, Christopher Cross, Danny Laine, Allison Russel, The Cactus Bottoms, Jennifer Nettles, Resistance Revival Chorus, Music Will Kids Group, Lake Street Drive, Bruce Hornsby, Graham Nash, Ingrid Michaelson, Glen Hasard, Jonathan Russel, Hamilton Leithauser, Betty Lavette, and Nancy Wilson sang their praises. Each artist performed one song from Paul McCartney’s vast catalog and celebrated his musical career.

    The evening was marked by golden moments. Patti Smith, who was not originally on the line-up, surprised the crowd with a rendition of The Beatles, “She’s Leaving Home.” She added her own lyrical twists throughout the song, reaffirming her already widely known and beloved creative prose.

    Patti Smith at Carnegie Hall on March 15, 2023 in New York City. Photo by Bobby Banks.

    The New York City Chapter of The Resistance Revival Chorus then took the stage. The chorus is “a collective of more than 60 women, and non-binary singers, who join together to breathe song and joy into the resistance and to uplift and center women’s voices,” according to the Resistance Revival Chorus. The group performed The Beatles’ “Let It Be.” In doing so, they transformed the event into an interactive experience between the performer and the audience. They radically broke down all barriers between performer and viewer; between stage and seat.

    They put their arms up to the sky, and audience members did the same. They danced, and the audience danced. The grand, wide-open room that is Carnegie Hall suddenly became one. They walked tall off the stage to a symphony of cheers, snaps, and the sudden shuffling of a standing ovation – The first of the night.

    Photo by Bobby Banks

    The stage also welcomed Music Will Kids Group to perform The Beatles’ “Get Back.” The group consisted of four students from a New York City-based high school. Before strumming a note or singing a tune, the lead singer shouted a thank-you into the microphone for their music teacher, Mr. Paris.

    To close out the evening, all 23 performers joined on stage to perform their group finale, “Hey Jude.” Performers clapped, hugged, smiled, and filled the stage with joy. Fans stood, swayed, and joined in on the music. Carnegie Hall’s choir of 3,000+ voices reverberated through the city and solidified an already unshakable legacy of one of history’s greatest, Sir Paul McCartney.

    The Music Of tribute series has donated collectively over $1.5M in proceeds to organizations that provide music education programs and opportunities to underserved youths. Paul McCartney’s tribute was preceded by tributes to other greats, such as Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, David Byrne, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and more.

    Group encore performs “Hey Jude” for the final song of The Music Of Paul McCartney at Carnegie Hall on March 15, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Bobby Bank/Getty Images)

    Music Of Paul McCartney Setlist: “Ooh You” performed by Will Lee, “My Love” performed by Alexis Morrast,  “A World Without Love” performed by Peter Asher & Lyle Lovett, “Things We Said Today” performed by Patti Smith, “Heart of the Country” performed by Sammy Rae, “Helter Skelter” performed by Shovels & Rope, “Mother Nature’s Son” performed by Christopher Cross, “Mull of Kintyre” performed by Denny Laine & Christopher Cross, “Blackbird” performed by Allison Russell, “And I Love Her” performed by The Cactus Blossoms, “Silly Love Song” performed by Jennifer Nettles, “Let it Be” performed by Resistance Revival Chorus, “Get Back” performed by Music Will Kids Group, “Let Me Roll It” performed by Lake Street Drive, “I’ve Just Seen a Face” performed by Bruce Hornsby, “For No One” performed by Graham Nash, “I Will” & “Calico Skies” performed by Ingrid Michaelson, “We Can Work It Out” performed by Glen Hansard, “Let Em In” performed by Jonathan Russell, “With a Little Help from My Friends” performed by Hamilton Leithauser, “Maybe I’m Amazed” performed by Betty LaVette, “Yesterday” performed by Lyle Lovett, “Band On the Run” performed by Nancy Wilson, “Hey Jude” performed by entire line-up.

  • An Interview with Kilashandra, a Celtic-inspired Jam Band

    One music that never fails to soothe me is Celtic music. I can just feel the stress and the tension of the day wash off, and something crisp and green take its place. It is always welcome, and in turn always welcoming, and there’s a heaviness and a frivolity that can dance with each other. But Kilashandra is not a strictly Celtic band.

    They are a Celtic-inspired jam band, and while my questions center around the Celtic part, I hope you will see the band as they will show you below. Maybe we can get them to jam.

    I sit with Mark Emanatian, Eileen Markland, Chris Gil and Tom Dolan of Kilashandra and we discuss the rarity of four-leaf clovers.

    Liam Sweeny: Celtic music is instantly recognizable, and it makes people feel a certain way, like a gentle breeze on a hilltop of rolling grass, or the bow of a ship destined for the promise of the New World. So the sound is unmistakable. Do you think Celtic lyrics, if read without the music, would be unmistakable as Celtic? Why or why not? 

    Mark Emanatian: I think the deep rivers of Irish literature, poetry, storytelling and history would make Celtic lyrics unmistakably Irish.

    LS: The music of Ireland is a tradition that goes back centuries, and listening to Celtic music, you can hear themes that, though timeless, did originate in a time. But it wasn’t just Ireland, was it? How much of Celtic music comes from Ireland, and how much from Irish immigration to America? MARK: All music is transformed as it intersects with new places and new experiences. 

    ME: Vocalist Chris Gil has an interesting story. I’m all about those, stories. But his was an impromptu chance to sing at the Pepsi Arena, and a standing ovation. If that doesn’t tell a person they got something, right? So something started shit right there, something inside, a switch from a private thing to a public pursuit. Tell us about it, will 

    Chris Gil: It was an honor and a thrill to sing the National Anthem at the Pepsi Arena and receive a standing ovation. I put the same energy into my singing whether it’s to a full crowd or 1 person in the back of a pub. It’s all about connecting with the audience.

    But I really like singing and playing with this band Kilashandra. Mark Emanatian writes some great songs and is a master guitar player. Eileen Markland is a force of nature. Tom Dolan holds us together. We really connect with each other and we let the audience in on it too.

    I’m looking to forward to some big gigs we have coming up: opening for the Young Dubliners at the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield and the Watertown Irish Festival. And of course, we’ll be hitting the pubs from the Berkshires to the Catskills to the Adirondacks.

    Come see us at a big show or a pub, I love singing to people

    LS: Eileen Markland is a Berklee trained composer and arranger, with a universe of talent with different instruments, having played with more folks than can fit in a small club with the tables removed. One thing I read was that you work with music for visual media. How does playing for visual media differ from playing for the crowd?  

    Eileen Markland: Harmony is the reason I wake up each morning and endless melodies accompany every activity and quiet moment throughout my day. Composition is the only place in life where I experience true freedom.  I can create and mix any scenario I’m craving or feeling by crafting a series of chords, melodies and vocal/ instrumental combinations which then have the potential to perfectly express what I need, if I get it right. Yes, I can tell you what I’m feeling in words, but a musical description is three dimensional, even four dimensional!  Composition (and improvisation), for me, is the deep exploration and expression of the state of my soul. 

    Live performance is a unifying, raw experience that creates a shared sense of community and, really, nothing less than pure love between the people performing and those watching and listening. It’s a social experience with both tangible qualities, such as dollars earned and new friends made, and intangible qualities such as relieved anxiety and the lessening of feelings of loneliness. I deeply believe that live music has been and always will be one of the staples to a peaceful society on a worldwide scale.  For me, personally, my best friends are the musicians in my life.  The music we create together and the real bonds that come with this ride keep me happy and sane in all corners of my life. 

    LS: Mark Emanatian, you come from a background I’m very aware of; the blues. Coming to Celtic from blues, and going back again, must be an interesting experience. It seems that they are very different music with different conventions and origins, different historical contexts, so on. What is the common thread that unites them?

    ME: First off, they come from a deeply emotional story…and tough histories of people oppressed…the music arises from that…and the music has several similar qualities based around major and minor pentatonics…you can hear a lot of the crossover in bluegrass music that was influenced by both of these musical rivers.

    LS: Improvisation is my favorite quality in music. If my brain wasn’t so blues-soaked, I would’ve hopped on to the jazz train and would still be a passenger. Tom Dolan, you are an improviser. In Celtic music, is improvisation the same as it is in jazz, or is it more structured? Is there phrasing that you have in Celtic music that you base on?

    ME: There is not a lot of bass in traditional Irish music. Often uilleann pipes are used for drone or acoustic guitar or bouzouki are used in place of the bass to add harmony and movement to songs and tunes. Irish music does not generally use chromaticism or altered and extended chords. So, there is not much similarity between improvising in Irish music and jazz. However, there is modal playing, and the use of pedal tones in common and that is useful for improvising in both genres. And listening to each other. Listening helps. It is using intensity, volume, rhythmic variations to  push the tempo to move the song along, hopefully to greater heights, or down to support the lyrics. I have been playing in bands with Mark for 50 years. We have a good understanding of what each other might play. Mark and I have played with Eileen in various groupings for over ten years. Chris is an inventive rhythm guitar, acting as a catalyst, often playing bodhran rhythms, propelling the songs forward. We have a shared vocabulary that allows us to have a conversation on stage. Sometimes full group improvisation can break out. But above all the playing must support the song.

    This article originally was featured in The Xperience Monthly.

  • Albany Natives Hilltop Announce 2023 Northeast Spring Tour

    Albany based jam band Hilltop have announced their newest spring tour, taking place across New York and the New England area.

    hilltop tour

    Hilltop, who recently too part in NYS Music’s March Madness 2023, are already starting to grow their own dedicated fanbase and now they are looking to expand that. Coming off another succesful show at the Parish Public House in their home town, Hilltop looks forward to bringing their music to audiences across the northeast.

    Inspired by legendary acts like Phish and The Grateful Dead, Hilltop combines original music, iconic covers, and musical improvisation to create an unforgettable experience for their audience.

    With over 100 shows under their belt, Hilltop shows no signs of slowing down. The band, consiting of brothers Stephen & Reid Perry, and their friends Aris Nieuwkerk and Dave Klang, have also performed at festivals in Lake George as well as Catskill Mountain Jubilee last August.

    On tour, Hilltop will be joined by area favorites The Apollos, Vertices, as well as supporting The Chops and Seapods ft. Al Schneir. The tour will take stop at New York venues including The Monopole, Brooklyn Music Kitchen and Funk N Waffles, interlaced with vibrant New England shows.

    For more information, please visit Hilltop’s website.

    Hilltop 2023 Spring Tour

    3/23 – Zenbarn – Waterbury, VT (w.s.g. The Apollos)
    3/24 – Sawtooth Kitchen – Hanover, NH
    3/25 – The Monopole – Plattsburgh NY
    3/31 – Brooklyn Music Kitchen – Brooklyn, NY
    4/1 – Midway Cafe – Boston, MA (supporting the Chops)
    4/6 – Stella Blues – New Haven, CT
    5/12 – Funk N Waffles – Syracuse, NY (supporting Seapods ft. Al Schneir)
    5/13 – Parish Public House – Albany, NY (w.s.g. Vertices)