Chris Maxwell‘s Arkansas Summer is his first release as a solo artist, but the Woodstock resident first appeared in New York’s music scene in the mid-1990’s, when his band Skeleton Key became known for its well-tailored combination of unruly grunge and mass-appeal rock ‘n roll. The right-place-right-time conglomeration of sub-genres landed Skeleton Key a major […]
Tobias Jesso Jr. Plays to Sold-out Crowd at Brooklyn Venue
When Tobias Jesso Jr. first started putting his songs up on YouTube as bedroom-made demos about two years ago, the recordings were rough, amateurish masterpieces. The simplicity of the songs was presented in a big, thrilling way, and people caught on pretty quick. Jesso was signed to a Beggars-affiliated label, started recording with Chet “JR” […]
Umphrey’s McGee Rocks Landmark Theatre, Syracuse
Three months from now, Umphrey’s McGee is going to be playing at a festival, outdoors, for a couple thousand fans wearing t-shirts and hula hooping. When the Midwestern six-piece came through Syracuse on Friday night, they packed the lavish Landmark Theatre in a manner that paid no attention to the swankiness of their position. Rather, […]
Umphrey’s McGee to Play Syracuse, Albany This Week
Umphrey’s McGee, the midwestern-based progressive jam rock band, will be playing shows in Syracuse and Albany on their current North American tour. The dates follow recent appearances at The Beacon Theater in New York City and The Paramount in Huntington, where reported on two consecutive nights of fantastic performances. The sextet’s first Upstate stop will be […]
Across The Pond: Spoon Plays London’s Shepard’s Bush Empire with Hamilton Leithauser
Spoon is a band from Austin, Texas and on Friday night, the five-piece found themselves playing in London, England for the last date of their European fall tour. The geographic details of the concert, at first glance, have nothing to do with and its connection to Northern New York. But this Upstate staff writer, currently […]
Review: Pitchfork Music Festival 2014
As the 2014 edition Pitchfork Music Festival entered its third and final day, a mass of fans gathered at Union Park’s northernmost stage to see Jordan Lee perform with his Brooklyn-based chamber folk band, Mutual Benefit. Their set featured music from the group’s 2013-released Love’s Crushing Diamond, intricately written tracks with sincere lyricism and eclectic […]
Pitchfork 2014 Begins This Weekend in Chicago
Last summer, made the mid-July trek to Chicago to cover Pitchfork Music Festival for the first time ever. This upcoming weekend, New York State’s favorite music-based website will be heading to the Windy City once again. Pitchfork Music Fest will be held in Union Park from Friday, July 18 through Sunday, July 20. Three-day passes […]
Hearing Aide: Tommy Alexander’s ‘Basement Soul’
Jenke Records is a Vermont-based record label started by Tommy Alexander in 2011. For many artists, self-releasing music on a personal label is a matter of maintaining complete creative control. For Alexander, however, the opportunity to run the business side of his music seems to be just as important as the influence that his Burlington […]
Hearing Aide: Andy Frasco’s ‘Half a Man’
Andy Frasco has accomplished more in his four-year musical career than some artists do in a lifetime. After releasing his first album, Love, You’re Just Too Expensive as a nineteen-year-old in 2010, Frasco spent the ensuing months with VH1’s Save the Music Foundation before making two more records, playing over 1,000 shows in their support […]
Real Estate Plays The Higher Ground in Burlington, VT 3/21
It’s not common to see an staff writer stray from his or her namesake territory and cover a show on foreign turf. Every so often, an act so deserving makes an appearance in a neighboring state, a small road trip ensues and the audience is made even more aware of the boundless concert opportunities offered […]