On a sunny Friday evening on August 18, funk icon’s Freekbass and The Bump Assembly rocked the main stage at Nights Of Fire Music Festival in Franklinville, NY. Before the big performance, NYS Music was honored to sit down with Chris “Freekbass” Sherman in Freekbass and The Bump Assembly’s tour van. As we began, Freekbass wittily […]
Interview
In Their Own Words: Byron Cage of The Joe Louis Walker Band
On the evening of August 16, 2017, Blues Hall of Famer Joe Louis Walker graced the Photo City Improv stage in Rochester, NY. Joe Louis Walker has been playing the blues since the 1960’s and is still rocking both classic and contemporary styles. Earlier this year, Joe Louis Walker’s new album, “Everybody Wants A Piece” […]
In Their Own Words: Lumar LeBlanc of The Soul Rebels
Born and raised into the culture of New Orleans, Louisiana, The Soul Rebels have been a brass ensemble since 1991. Fast forward to 2017, the band has toured Africa, China, Japan, Australia, Europe, and beyond. They have regularly collaborated live with Talib Kweli, Nas, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Marilyn Manson, Metallica, and many others. In His Own Words: […]
A Conversation With Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad’s Own James Searl
I had the humbling opportunity to sit down with James Searl of Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad for my podcast, The Rochester Groovecast. The casual conversation was recorded live at the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance. In the episode, we also hear two Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad tracks, “Make It Better” […]
Interview: Escaper Unleashes Space Funk on Planet Earth
Since last year, Brooklyn-based Escaper has been offering listeners a medium through which to contemplate the most practical methods for farming space worms. Or finally realizing that astronauts can create aliens by giving birth in space, or that there are so many cats on the internet because dog people go outside. Either way, Will Hanza […]
Interview: A Casual Conversation With Funktional Flow
Sitting down to drink a beer with a band is an experience for which every journalist yearns. I had the pleasant opportunity to sit down with Guitar/Vocalist Jeffery Kueber and Keyboard/Saxophone/Vocalist Mathew Lester of Buffalo’s Funktional Flow. The meet-up took place at Three Heads Brewery in Rochester, NY. Over a heady Three Heads Brewery beer, […]
Bringing the Boy Back Home: Brit Floyd Bassist and Syracuse Son, Ian Cattell Discusses Playing a Hometown Show
The spectacular Pink Floyd experience known as Brit Floyd visits the Crouse Hinds Theater at the OnCenter in Syracuse Tues. April 18. The band has been proclaimed, “The World’s Greatest Pink Floyd Show.” The spectacle and grandeur of each Brit Floyd show leaves few to argue that point. The Immersion World Tour celebrates the 40th […]
South Africa’s Cultural Ambassadors, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Come to Fairfield, CT
NYS Music had the honor and pleasure of speaking with Albert Mazibuko, an original member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the a cappella revolutionaries from South Africa. They gained global recognition from their collaboration with Paul Simon on his album Graceland and their careers have skyrocketed since. They worked with a variety of widely recognized artists […]
Q&A: Adam Weston from Birds Of Tokyo Talks About New LP ‘Brace’
Rock music across the pond in Australia is starting to have quite the following here state side with bands such as Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus and 12 Foot Ninja. But one band that seems to be looked in the rock genre is Birds Of Tokyo. Birds Of Tokyo have been pigeon holed into the pop genre […]
Punk with Empathy: An Interview with Frank Turner
Frank Turner – who headlined Upstate Concert Hall on Wednesday Nov. 2 with support from Arkells and Will Varley – radiates passion and authenticity both in his on stage performance and work behind the scenes. Turner, who has six albums under his belt with 2015’s most recent release Positive Songs for Negative People, hovers the […]