Items tagged with 'music'
Trey Anastasio's new band Ghosts of the Forest is playing The Palace
A new band headed up by Trey Anastasio -- Ghosts of the Forest -- is set to play The Palace April 9. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, December 15 -- they're $45 and up. (There's also a presale that starts December 12.)
Ghosts of the Forest includes Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, Tony Markellis, and Ray Paczkowski. The Palace show is one of seven the band is group in April.
And, of course, Anastasio was just recently in town for two shows at TU Center with Phish.
photo via Trey Anastasio's website
Tedeschi Trucks Band back at SPAC
The Tedeschi Trucks Band will be back at SPAC July 14. Tickets go on sale this Friday, December 14 -- they're $19.50 and up. (There's also a lawn seat four pack for $60.)
The lineup also includes Blackberry Smoke and Shovels & Rope.
This will be four summers in a row that Tedeschi Trucks Band is playing at SPAC. So, presumably, people keep showing up and in not-small numbers. That's another way of saying that if you want your pick of tickets, it's probably not a bad idea to get them sooner rather than later.
SPAC lawn season pass
A reminder that Live Nation's SPAC lawn seat season passes for pop shows are now on sale for the upcoming season. The passes include access to shows, including sold-out shows, as well priority entry and complimentary lawn chair rental. The passes are $299 (plus fees) and will be on sale from December 4-December 18.
Lawn tickets at SPAC tend to be in the $25-$35 range (with some exceptions, see above). So if you think you might go to 10 (or so) shows next season, it could be worth it.
photo: Mark Seliger
Hootie & The Blowfish + Barenaked Ladies at SPAC (also there's a season lawn pass)
Hootie & The Blowfish. / photo: Todd and Chris Owyoung
The 90s live: Hootie & The Blowfish are set to play a show at SPAC August 4. And the opener is Barenaked Ladies. Tickets go on sale this Friday, December 7 -- they're $29.50 and up.
The band has a new album coming out -- its first studio album in almost 15 years -- and this will be its first tour in more than a decade. In that time frontman Darius Rucker has been pursuing a popular country music career.
And the Barenaked Ladies continue on. (Though without Steven Page.) They alsa have a new album planned for 2019.
SPAC Season Lawn Pass
Speaking of SPAC: Live Nation is offering a season pass for lawn seats at its pop music shows at SPAC for the upcoming season. The passes will access to shows, including sold-out shows, as well priority entry and complimentary lawn chair rental.
The passes are $299 (plus fees) and will be on sale from December 4-December 18.
Flipping through last season's shows, it looks like lawn tickets at SPAC tend to be about $25-$35. So if you think you might go to 10 (or so) shows next season, it could be worth it.
Dead & Company is back at SPAC next summer
They're already decorating for summer concert season and it's not even Christmas, yet...
Dead & Company is returning for another show at SPAC June 18. Tickets go on sale December 8 -- they're $49.50 and up.
There's also some sort of
Dead & Company is the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and Bob Weir, joined by John Mayer, and with Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti. They've made stops in this area each year since getting together in 2015, including the last three summers at SPAC.
Also already announced for next summer at SPAC
+ July 26: Train / The Goo Goo Dolls (on sale now)
+ August 24: KISS (on sale December 3)
photo: Danny Clinch
A look at the 2019 Tanglewood schedule
Yo-Yo Ma is on the schedule, because of course. / photo via Yo-Yo Ma Facebook
Though winter just started, it's not too early to be thinking a little bit about summer.
To that end,
Punch Brothers at MASS MoCA
The Punch Brothers are set to play a show at MASS MoCA March 16. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday, November 16 -- they're $39 ahead / $49 day of.
The group features a lineup of progressive bluegrass stars, including Chris Thile. (He's now the host of Live from Here, the reformulated and retitled A Prairie Home Companion. And he was a MacArthur "genius" grant winner.) They released a new album this past summer.
The opener for the MASS MoCA show is Gabriel Kahane.
photo: Josh Goleman
Music break: Neighborhood of Make Believe
Something to listen to: "Track Names" by Neighborhood of Make Believe. It's embedded above.
The local orchestral folk rock act has a new album -- Two Nighttimes -- debuting November 16 on Five Kill Records. Blurbage:
Two Nighttimes, written slowly in the wake of a previous band's demise, looks forward and backward simultaneously. Frontman Alex Muro resorts to unlikely sources like the surrealist poetry of Vincente Alexandre or the no-stone-unturned history of Robert Caro to find ways to talk about personal questions. Attempting answers indirectly by painting pictures in words.
Neighborhood of Make Believe is Alex Muro, Adam Muro, Louis Apicello, Ryan Stewart, and Richard Nolan. (You might recognize some of the crew from Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned.)
The night of Friday, November 16 they're playing the annual B3nson Family Funsgiving at The Linda and The Low Beat in Albany. Joining them in the lineup: NXNES/Pink Noise, Oceantor, Bear Grass, Abyssmals, Groupie, Burly, and Secret Release.
San Jose Taiko at UAlbany
The music group San Jose Taiko will be at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center this Saturday, November 10. The group touts itself as a pioneer in contemporary taiko -- Japanese drumming. That's a clip embedded above. Blurbage:
n 1973, San Jose Taiko was founded by young Asian Americans searching for an outlet to convey their experiences as third generation Japanese Americans. Looking to Japan for inspiration, they were drawn to the empowering sounds of the taiko - the Japanese drum - an instrument that embodies the spiritual essence and heartbeat of Japan.
Since then, the company has become a world-class ensemble, performing extensively both nationally and internationally, reaching more than 75,000 audience members each year. By studying with masters of other traditions and cultures, San Jose Taiko has broadened and embellished this historical art form into a distinct performance style that blends the traditional rhythms of Japanese drumming with the beat of world rhythms, including African, Brazilian, Filipino, Latin and Jazz.
We watched a few of their videos on YouTube and got some strong drumline flashbacks (in a good way).
The show at the UAlbany PAC is Saturday at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $15 / $10 for students ahead and $20 / $15 students day of.
Ariana Grande at the TU Center
Update November 1: Tickets go on sale November 5 -- they're $34.95 and up.
____
It's true: Ariana Grande is set play a show at the TU Center March 18. It's the first top on her upcoming Sweetener tour.
Word of the show popped up this week when her website posted tour dates. A little bit oddly, though, the typical venue and ticket sale info didn't immediately follow. (These announcements are usually coordinated.) But on Friday the Times Union Center confirmed the date and posted a note: "Ticket prices and onsale information coming soon."
This will be a popular show. Grande is a huge star whose fame transcends music. Keep an eye out for when tickets go on sale if you'd like to go.
More upcoming shows at the TU Center
Young the Giant at The Palace
The pop rock band Young the Giant is set for a show at The Palace January 30. Tickets go on sale this Friday, October 26 -- they're $24.50 and up.
The band has a new album out this month and the tour that's stopping here is in support of it. Tour/album blurbage:
Describing the overall thesis for Mirror Master, vocalist Sameer Gadhia explains, "Within one single day, we're all so many different people. Especially with the use of social media, we're not just living in the now--we're living on several different timelines simultaneously. A lot of the album came from thinking about how we have all these separations within ourselves that allow us to go about our day. At a time when everyone wants to put each other in a box--culturally, socially, musically--we wanted to show that there are a multitude of reflections inside everything. We don't have to be a certain thing; we can contradict ourselves and show all these different sides of who we are."
This Young the Giant's second stop at the The Palace. They also played a show there in 2017.
The opener for this next show is Sure Sure.
Dr. Dog at Upstate Concert Hall
Indie rock band Dr. Dog is set to play a show at Upstate Concert Hall February 13. Tickets go on sale this Friday, October 19 -- the first 300 are $20, then they're $25.
The Philly band released a new album this past spring. Here's them talking about it to NPR earlier this year.
The opener for the show is The Nude Party.
Flipping through old listings, it looks like it's been a while since Dr. Dog made its way through here -- a show at MASS MoCA in 2015, and one at UCH in 2013.
photo: Ryan McMackin
Solid Sound 2019 early-bird tickets
The Solid Sound festival will return to MASS MoCA June 28-30 in the summer of 2019. And early-bird tickets for the fest go on sale this Thursday, October 18.
Three-day passes will be $149 while supplies last. And kids passes will be $55 (free for age 6 and under). Those passes also include admission to the galleries of MASS MoCA. In the past, buying the early-bird tickets has saved about $15 per ticket.
Solid Sound is, of course, centered around Wilco and assorted Wilco-adjacent musical acts, friends, and favorites. There's also a comedy lineup, which has been headed up by John Hodgman in previous years. Here's the list of acts who have appeared in past years.
As you know, MASS MoCA is in North Adams, Massachusetts, a little more than a hour's drive from Albany.
photo via MASS MoCA Facebook
Umphrey's McGee / Experience Hendrix at The Palace
Umphrey's McGee. / photo: David Levene
Two shows announced for The Palace today...
Umphrey's McGee
The jam / prog rock band Umphrey's McGee is set to play a show at The Palace February 1. Tickets go on sale this Friday (October 19) -- they're $25 and up.
The band released two albums this year: It's not us and it's you.
They played a show at The Palace last year with saxophonist Joshua Redman.
Experience Hendrix
Also announced for The Palace today: Experience Hendrix April 3. Tickets on sale Friday -- they're $43.75 and up.
Show blurbage: "This latest edition of the much anticipated tour once again emphasizes the influence Hendrix has made on a diverse group of artists. The concerts will bring together artists as disparate as guitar wizard Joe Satriani, blues great Taj Mahal, Ernie Isley and Dweezil Zappa. Megadeth's Dave Mustaine will make his Experience Hendrix Tour debut while mainstays such as Billy Cox, Jonny Lang, and Eric Johnson will also be on board for the expedition."
Weezer + Pixies at Times Union Center
Weezer. / photo: Sean Murphy
Classic rock* acts Weezer and (the) Pixies are set play to the Times Union Center March 14. Tickets go on sale October 19 -- they're $25 and up.
Weezer's been riding the wave of renewed attention thanks to their popular cover of Toto's "Africa." (If you had that in the surprise hit cover pool, congrats.) They also have a new album coming out next year.
And, of course, Pixies are one of the most influential modern rock bands of all time.
The two bands toured together this past summer, including a stop Syracuse.
* We kid... sort of. It's been 22 years since Pinkerton was released and 30 years since Surfer Rosa.
By the way...
Because the 90s, because Pixies: A reminder that Kim Deal and The Breeders are playing Upstate Concert Hall October 28.
Greensky Bluegrass at The Palace
The jamgrass band Greensky Bluegrass is set to play a show at The Palace January 10. Tickets go on sale this Friday, October 12 -- they're $33 ahead / $36 day of.
Greensky Bluegrass played The Egg this past January, and that show sold out well ahead. The Palace has a lot more seats, but if you want your pick it's not a bad idea to get tickets sooner rather than later.
The band has a new album coming out in January.
The opener is Circles Around the Sun.
Get The Led Out
Also announced for The Palace: Get The Led Out February 2. Tickets on sale Friday. They're $33.50 ahead / $35.50 day of.
EMPAC 10YEARS
Standing outside EMPAC 10 years ago (almost to the day).
The Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute -- EMPAC -- will be celebrating its 10 year anniversary next week with a multi-day series of events: concerts, dance, film, theater, talks. And two events -- one at the start, the other at the finish -- sound like they'll be good opportunities to experience what the venue can do:
October 11: Double Quartet: Strings and Spaces
"Double Quartet: Strings and Spaces will serve as an initiatory journey for guests of the 10YEARS event. Beginning and ending in the EMPAC Concert Hall, Taiwanese-American string quartet the Formosa Quartet will lead their audience through the EMPAC Theater and Studios 1 and 2, performing classical works specifically selected to complement the architectural acoustics of each space." 7 pm -- $18 / $13 students and seniors
October 13: Lost Highway Suite by Olga Neuwirth
"Performed by 25-members of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), with conductor Timothy Weiss and live electronics by Gilbert Nouno, the Suite will be staged in the EMPAC Concert Hall with a 64-speaker Ambisonic dome surrounding the audience. Going beyond traditional surround sound, this audio system is capable of spatializing the music performed by the ensemble, moving sounds around the listening space, and expanding and altering the acoustics of the hall. Creating a sonic environment in which sound clouds and particles seem to come from beyond the walls of the space before retracting back to the performers onstage, the composition pursues a series of existential questions, including: How do we know what is real and what is imagined? How do we differentiate between what is inside of us and what is outside?" 8 pm -- $18 / $13 students and seniors
EMPAC is a remarkable venue -- in terms of its architecture, its technology, and its programming. It also might, at times, not exactly feel accessible to a general audience.
Probably the best way to think of it is not just as a performance venue, but as a flexible research space for artists that allows them to push the boundaries of technology and form and, through that work, create new experiences. That's a rare opportunity -- for artists and audiences -- and it's worth checking out.
Mumford & Sons at the Times Union Center
The band Mumford & Sons is set to play a show at the Times Union Center March 2. Tickets go on sale to the general public October 12 -- they're $40.50 and up. (There's a fan pre-sale starting October 8 -- see the band's website for details.)
The alt rock / folk rock act has a new album -- Delta -- coming out in November, and the tour has the same name. Also: It sounds like the show will involve some sort of theater-in-the-round type of stage.
It looks like Maggie Rogers will be the opener for the TU Center show.
Mumford & Sons played a show at SPAC in the summer of 2016 and it sold out well ahead of time. So if you'd like to catch this show, it's not a bad idea to get tickets earlier rather than later.
photo: James Minchin
Bobby Brown + Bell Biv Devoe at The Palace
Bobby Brown and Bell Biv Devoe are co-headlining a show at The Palace November 2. Tickets went on sale today (September 25) -- they're $39.50 and up.
The show will also feature Case and Kid Capri.
Brown and the members of Bell Biv Devoe -- Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe -- were, of course, members of the influential R&B group New Edition back in the day. Brown went on to stardom as a solo artist and Bell Biv Devoe had a bunch of hits, too. They were part of the new jack swing sound.
Old school.
Dave Matthews Band at TU Center
The Dave Matthews Band is set to play a show at the Times Union Center December 5. Tickets go on sale to the general public October 5 -- they're $65 and up. (There's a pre-sale for the band's fan club September 25-29.)
DMB released a new studio album this past June, its first in six years. Come Tomorrow debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
And the band made its annual migration to SPAC this past summer. The TU Center show is part of 10-city fall tour along the East Coast.
Shows at the TU Center this fall and beyond
More concerts coming up at the TU Center:
Massry Center 2018-2019 season
The season opens with comedian/singer Lea DeLaria, most famous recently for playing Big Boo on Orange Is The New Black. / photo: Ricky Middleworth
The lineup for the upcoming 2018-2019 performance season at the Massry Center at Saint Rose is out. It includes a mix of comedy, roots, jazz, and soul music. And tickets for a handful of shows are on sale now via the Troy Music Hall box office.
Here's a quick scan...
Outdoor concerts at Brown's Brewing this fall
The Moth & The Flame. / photo: Marcello Ambriz
Brown's Brewing and WEQX are teaming up for another round of outdoor concerts behind the brewery on the waterfront in Troy with two Thursdays in October:
October 4: The Blue Stones, with The Late Shift
October 11: The Moth & The Flame, with The Parlor
Gate opens at 5 pm, shows start at 6 pm. Admission's free, and there will be food and drink available for purchase.
Walloomsac
By the way: Brown's has also been hosting music shows on weekends at its Walloomsac Taproom in North Hoosick. That first link above has the lineup.
The Disco Biscuits at The Palace
The Disco Biscuits are lined up to play shows at The Palace November 23 and 24 (the two days after Thanksgiving). Tickets go on sale this Friday, September 7 -- they're $39.50 ahead / $42.50 day of / $75 for a two-show pass.
Show blurbage:
The Disco Biscuits are an entirely different band today than they were when they first broke out of Philadelphia in the mid-90s. That's not to say that they've abandoned their foundation, switched gears or set sail for distant shores. The Disco Biscuits are still very much the pioneers of "trancefusion," bridging the gap between electronic music and jam bands. They still remain rock pioneers whose soul belongs as much to marathon dance parties as it does to live improvisational journeys. They still employ emerging technologies to help them create music that is 100 percent human although, perhaps, not entirely of this earth.
Of course, for many years Mariaville in Schenectady County was the site of the Biscuits-backed Camp Bisco music festival. The last one was 2014 -- there had been complaints from neighbors and officials expressed concerns about safety. In 2015 the county denied a permit necessary for the festival. It's since moved on to a site in Pennsylvania.
Jewel
Also announced Tuesday for The Palace: Jewel will be there December 14. It's her Handmade Holiday Tour, "performing Holiday classics, Holiday originals and classic Jewel songs alongside Special Guests and family members Atz, Atz Lee and Nikos Kilcher (Alaska: The Last Frontier)." Tickets go on sale Friday -- they're $39.50 and up.
Matisyahu at Troy Music Hall
Matsiyahu is set to play a show at the Troy Music Hall November 1. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Thursday, August 30 -- they're $29.50 and up.
Tour blurbage: "On this tour, he performs acoustic versions of his chart-topping songs, including two of his biggest hits, "King Without A Crown" and "One Day". ... Matisyahu presents his music in its most raw form, allowing his voice and beat-boxing, paired with inventive guitar arrangements, to expand through a lyrical intensity and musical improvisation. This format naturally digs deep into the meaning of the songs themselves, and lays Matisyahu's spiritual journey bare, fostering a closeness to the artist-fan relationship."
And, as you might remember, Matisyahu played Alive at Five this past June.
photo: Chris Townsend
The Breeders at Upstate Concert Hall
Catching up a bit: The Breeders are set to play Upstate Concert Hall October 28. Tickets are on sale now -- they're $30 ahead / $32 day of.
It's been 25 years since Last Splash, and the same band lineup behind that hit album is back recording and touring, including a new album out this past spring.
Of course, Kim Deal is one of the most influential figures in the history of alt rock. She wrote some of the best Pixies songs -- tracks that were, along with the first Breeders album, an inspiration to Kurt Cobain. And The Breeders would go on to be an acclaimed and popular 90s band. Even today you can hear the echoes of the sound Deal helped shape in newer acts.
Postmodern Jukebox back at Troy Music Hall
Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox is returning to the Troy Music Hall February 22. Tickets on on sale to the general public this Friday, August 17 -- they're $34.50 and up.
Postmodern Jukebox performs jazz/ragtime/swing covers of pop music. They've racked up about a billion views on Youtube, covering pop acts across all a bunch of genres.
The act has made multiple stops at the Troy Music Hall. That includes a show this past January ahead of which the group spent a few days rehearsing for a tour. And it was during that time the group recorded the video embedded above -- a jazzy cover of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up."
Troy Music Hall advertises on AOA.
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?