Category Archives: Local music

Local music

Cool Video: Introducing my cousin’s new band, East Bound Jesus!!!

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The reason my blog has been slow this weekend is because, I went to a local music show in Greenwich last night. I didn’t play, just went there to support and enjoy the live music. I videotaped the show. It was an event called, “Hootenanny” at a venue called, Burton Hall in Greenwich. “Hootenanny” is a local show that featured folk, country and bluegrass musicians. My cousin’s new band, is called, East Bound Jesus. I videotaped the entire show last night. East Bound Jesus is a country and western band as you can hear. Yes, my cousin Adam, is a huge fan of that genre, believe it or not.

This is what I want to be doing one day. Get my own band going and play on stage with a full band like these guys are doing. I’ll have my own band someday. I really want it to happen.

Enjoy these videos.

Kev

Local music

Report: Sean Rowe gets signed to Anti Records!!!

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A big announcement was made in the Capital District of local music today. What is that announcement? Local Capital District, singer/songwriter, Sean Rowe, has been signed to Anti Records. He’s now on the same label with other famous acts such as Tom Waits, Neko Case, Booker T, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Beth Orton, and more. Keep in mind, that Anti Records is a pretty big label, this label became well known when Tom Waits won a grammy for his album, “Mule Variations”.

Read more on the story, here.

I’ve admired Sean’s music for a long time. Will he ever be big & famous someday? I think he’ll get there, and him getting on this label is the right direction for him to get there. Congrats to Sean. “Magic” is my favorite local album. I’m always listening to that album on my Ipod, all the time, it’s an addicting album to listen to. That album means a lot to me and it’s very inspiring. I think he’ll go very far. Maybe we’ll start seeing him perform on national TV. I have a feeling Sean will no longer be local. He’s a talented songwriter and the best in the area.

For those who haven’t heard him, check out these videos.

Kev

 

Local music

Brock defends the “Putnam Den” venue in Saratoga Springs!!!

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I’ve been seeing a lot of negative criticism about the local Saratoga Springs venue, “The Putnam Den” online. I’ve been seeing criticism through facebook and craigslist mostly. The place is getting criticized because it books mostly DJ’s more than live bands. This area likes to slam DJ’s because they don’t play an instrument and such. People also like to slam the venue’s crowd and audiences there, of how they don’t look like rock n’ roll people, the venue’s been accused of being whigger beat sampling, a hip hop homo hang, and they have been called of skater posers. I’ve also been seeing complaints about the bookings of bands at this place.

Honestly, I’ve never been there and I see no issues and no problems with the venue at all. Sure, DJ’s doesn’t play instruments and they don’t sing. Not having any musical talent. Really, what’s wrong with a DJ? A turntable scratch DJ we’re talking about here. Those turntable machines aren’t musical instruments? Of course they are. It is how a lot of rap music artists create their music, using turntables back in the 80’s. You can create musical sounds just by scratching on a turntable and creating musical beats. Being a turntable scratch DJ is not as easy as you all think it is. It does take a lot of skill and talent to be able to use the turntable good. I’ve seen how turntable DJ’s do it, and it doesn’t look easy. You have to switch vinyl’s really fast at the right place and at the right time, use all these buttons and scratch at the right time, etc. I don’t know how it’s done, but you can’t assume that turntable DJ’s don’t have any talent. It does take talent.

Besides, the Putnam Den books music in all genres. It even says it right there on their website. The show prices at the Den are cheap and sometimes even free, can’t say “no” to that right? So what’s the problem with the venue? I’ve seen videos of the Putnam Den in youtube and the place looks pretty cool inside for a rock band to play.

When I get my own band going, I will take my band there to play a gig. I’ll even check out their open mics sometime.

Support the music scene, don’t knock it. DJ’s deserve to have places to express their talent too and the Den feels they want to give DJ’s a place to play. There aren’t many places around here for DJ’s either. If you don’t like the venue and don’t like their type of crowd, you don’t have to go. Yes, the Den may have a weird and different crowd there, I might agree with that, but I find crowds in all different types to be interesting. Some people prefer to party with DJ’s and some prefer to party with bands. There is something for everybody.

The DJ scene is getting recognized in the Capital District area and it’s good for them. They deserve it. To those out there who knock on DJ’s, why don’t you try to take two turntables, play with vinyl’s, try doing some scratching and see how easy it is. I’ve tried it and it’s not easy. Takes SKILL. Gotta gives these guys respect.

Saratoga Springs is a good music scene. I know, since I’ve played mostly gigs there. I’ve played Caffe Lena many times. Played Kings Tavern many times. I’ve also played Backstreet Billiards in Saratoga. It’s a great little town. Love it there!

Kev

Local music, music, World Wide Web

Brock calls out a company called, “Afton Live”, aka scam artists…

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There is a company that helps bands & musicians that is sparking some controversy on the web with unsigned musicians all over the U.S. Does your band or solo act have a myspace, official website and a Reverb Nation page? Did you get an e-mail message from a guy who works for “Afton Live” a company that claims they help book bands gigs? The guy will ask you if you’re interested in performing at this certain venue, at a certain date.

For example, I will copy & paste this guy’s e-mail he sent me in Reverb Nation, I will leave guy’s name out of it:

hey kev brock

… i get to browse around,, find artists i like in albany, and try to get them on some of my shows. i like your stuff, wanna see if i can get you in on this show i have comin up at red square on oct 3rd?

def seems like youd fit well on that one or some others i have in the next couple months, so lemme know ok? email me back at:

alb@aftonlive.com

then i can get you all the info you need to start bookin some shows

Sounds too good to be true right? You get an e-mail like that, and you get immediately excited, but looking at that e-mail address, “aftonlive.com”, hmmmm, that sounds a little fishy to me. I decided to google that up to see what it was all about.

Turns out that these guys are scam artists. They scam money from musicians. I read that you pay this company to get gigs. They probably want you to pay a lot of money like: $300 or more. I also read that if they book you a gig, the more tickets you sell from the fans, you get nothing in return.

Read some more stuff on it here on how it is a scam.

Notice on that Afton Live website, they don’t say where the company is located. They also don’t say how they charged to get gigs.

A musician named Zax Avila have already been a victim by them and plenty of other musicians have been victims as well. How to tell whether these companies are a scam or not? Well read more here.

When you want to become a successful musician, NEVER pay first to play, when it’s you the one that should be getting paid. Never go for gigs that ask you to pay first. I never went for that. You either play gigs for free or accept gigs from the venues themselves asking you to book a gig to be paid.

On top of that, you can become a successful musician on your own and do it all your own way without these shady companies doing it for you. How can you become a successful musician on your own without a promotions company, manager, or agent? I will write another blog post coming right up later on. Be very careful of these, “Pay to Play” companies trying to get you to work with them. Don’t buy into it.

Kev

Local music

CD Review: Rob Skane “Phantom Power Trip”

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Rob Skane is a Capital District local solo rock musician who has been playing gigs either solo or with a full band for over 20 years. Back in 2002, Skane released his debut solo record titled, “Self Noise”. Now that’s it’s 2010, Rob Skane is finally back with a new record titled, “Phantom Power Trip”. Skane didn’t really actually take a break from music after all this time, he has always been gigging in between those years he hasn’t released a record. Now that he finally has a new record out, I thought I would give it a review since I have his new CD and heard it.

I would like to say that I can’t stop listening to this record. “Phantom Power Trip” is very addicting. Very catchy and fun upbeat rock songs. What’s the difference between this and “Self Noise”? Well, “Self Noise” is a little mellower and slow. Every song on “Phantom Power Trip” is fast and upbeat rock n’ roll. The songs on “Phantom Power Trip” will remind you of such artists like the Ramones, Elvis Costello, The Knack, and Cheap Trick. The CD “Phantom Power Trip” gave me strong goosebumps all the way through. I was never bored listening to the record and didn’t skip any tracks. This record will make you want to listen through the whole thing. The CD has excellent sound production as some of it was recorded at Rob Skane’s home and some of it was recorded at Edie Road studios in Greenwich.

Skane sings with passion in all of these songs and the guitar playing is just what the song needs. Tight, energetic and powerful. The songs are very simple and pretty short, but that’s all you need to write great rock n’ roll songs! Skane knows how to write true rock n’ roll songs. He knows the genre and knows the sound. I absolutely love the entire record all the way through but my favorite tracks are, “I Waited”, “You Preach Peace”, “Girl Next Door”, “The Idiot Show”, and “Army of Individuality”. The songs on the CD makes you want to sing along to them and bop your head up and down all the way through. Congratulations to Rob Skane on a fantastic record. Some of the best local rock n’ roll I’ve heard in years! Skane is a musician friend of mine. I’ve seen him perform live lots of times and we’ve shared gigs lots of times! He is also a cool as hell guy!

Check out “Phantom Power Trip” at his official website, you can listen to the whole thing there, click the play button next to the album cover:

http://www.robskane.net/

Kev

Local music

Even though Ashton Holmes and Method of Groove is no longer together, they are still LOVED today…

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Even though the former Albany band, Method of Groove which used to be fronted by Ashton Holmes is no longer together, they are still a popular band today. I get a lot of e-mails by fans who are women, trying to get a hold of a Method of Groove CD. I still do have their CD that was released way back, but I refuse to burn copies of the CD and mail ’em out to people. Why is this you may ask? It has to do with “copyright” for their music. I don’t want to get sued by Ashton Holmes or any of their former band members, that’s what I’m afraid of. I respect band copyright and you should too.

Last year, Method of Groove reunited for a one time only appearrance as an acoustic gig at Valentine’s in Albany, N.Y. Their reunion was an instant hit and that performance is still getting a lot of responses to this day.

Could a full time Method of Groove reunion happen in the future??? Maybe. Who knows….but I doubt it. I believe Ashton lives in California, concentrating on his acting career. The only reason the Method of Groove reunion happened here ’cause Ashton was visiting friends and family for the Holidays. Maybe there will be a few more MOG reunion shows in the future, next time Ashton is in the area, who knows. Just don’t expect a full album release and a full time tour.

I would love it if Method of Groove came back full time with new album and tour…I just don’t see it happening. Ashton’s too busy with his acting career and it looks like he wants to be an actor more than a musician. I would love to get the Method of Groove CD online in MP3 for the fans to hear, sure, but I need to contact Ashton and the band first for their permission. I just don’t know how to get a hold of Ashton personally, so I apologize for the fans.

I’m sure the band members themselves are flattered that they are still loved today and they probably thought no one cared for them anymore, lol. I’ll try to find a way to get a hold of Ashton but it might be difficult.

Kev

Local music

Q&A with the Brock: Ill Funk Ensemble

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I have came up with a cool idea for my blog site. Each month, I will do a Q&A session interview with a different local band. This month, I will start off with a Q&A session interview with Albany local rap and R&B band, Ill Funk Ensemble. They are a five piece band that is fronted by, Jermaine Wells, who is a local rapper, and he is also an actor. This band does a mix of both covers and originals at their live gigs. They are fun, entertaining, and you can dance to their music. So if you go check out a show of theirs, be sure to bring your dancing shoes!

Q&A with Ill Funk Ensemble:

  • When did the band first form?
    Ill Funk formed in 2005 with the idea to create a live hip-hop R&B experience in the Albany area.
  • How did you guys find each other to form a band?
    BJ hand-selected the members of the band because of their combination of professionalism, musical ability, and positive personalities.
  • What made you want to start a rap/hip hop/R&B band?
    It’s a genre we love and is underserved in the area.
  • You guys do a mix of originals and covers both, who does the writing for the originals? Does Jermaine do all the writing or all of you guys write together?
    The originals came from Jermaine and BJ writing the outline of the song- chord progression, lyrics, flow- and then they present the songs to the band to create the whole sound.
  • You just released a brand new song called, “Summertime”. What inspired you to write that and what is the song about?
    Our best moments have occurred in the summer, and we’re pretty sure people relate well with the subject.
  • Got any crazy road stories to share?
    We plead the 5th Amendment.
  • What other local Capital District bands do you support around here?
    We’re big fans of The Getdown, Soul Session, The Hillbilly Horns, and IMI, but there are loads of others we respect and enjoy performing with!
  • Since you released, “Summertime”, does that mean you got a new album in the works? When do you expect the new album to be released?
    Right now, we’re focused on getting Catching Wreck to be the biggest album that it can be.  We’ve received a number of great reviews from media types and fans alike, so we’re running with that for the time being.  Jermaine and BJ are always full of ideas, so the next album won’t be far off!
  • How did you learn to rap and how long have you been rapping for?
    Jermaine Wells: I started writing poetry at 5 and rhyming at that point. I have always been a writer and a fan on rap.
  • Who are some of your favorite rap artists of all time?
    Jermaine Wells:  I am a fan of Jay-Z, Big Pun, Nas, Biggie and Pac and others but these are my favorites.
  • Do you like Eminem at all? What do you think of his new album, “Recovery” if you’ve heard it yet?
    Jermaine Wells: I have alot of respect for Eminem. What I like most about him is his ability to create what he feels freely. I have not heard the Recovery yet.
  • What do you like to do in your free time other than music?
    Jermaine Wells: Other then music, I write books, stories, etc. I also volunteer and help youth.
  • Do you like any other type of music other than rap and R&B? Do you like rock n’ roll or other genres?
    Jermaine Wells: I am a fan of good music. So I do listen to many genre’s of music.
  • On your website, it said, you are also an actor, do you want to be a movie star one day or is your main focus is on music?
    Jermaine Wells: The plan is to do movies and TV in conjunction with the music. I started acting before doing music.

I would like to thank the band for this opportunity in working on this Q&A for this blog.

If you would like to learn more about Ill Funk Ensemble check out these links:

Official website: http://www.illfunk.com/

Official Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jermaine-Wells-The-Ill-Funk-Ensemble/28912977566

Booking contact: booking@illfunk.com

Kev

Local music

Not A Cool Video: I like the band Lunic and all but…

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…isn’t Lunic’s new promotional video kind of skanky? Seriously, Katie in her underwear hugging two guys at the same time? A guy grabbing hold of her butt? You can see that photo around the 1:59 mark. Also, the last picture where she’s giving this woman a lap dance.

I know this is a video introducing the new members of the band but is this an appropriate way to do it? Think how club owners, booking agents and advertisers would be turned off by those pics. Don’t get me wrong, Katie is a nice looking woman, not bad at all, but she needs to focus on the music of Lunic, and not exposing herself that she likes to party and get wild. I understand the humor of those pics and understand it’s their way of getting more attention to Lunic, but some might find those pics offensive, especially some of Lunic’s fans as well.

Sorry Lunic, bad move.

Kev

Local music

Cool Video: The Ill Funk Ensemble “Summertime” sure got my head bopping up and down!

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Local rap/hip hop group, the Ill Funk Ensemble, releases a new music video titled, “Summertime”. It’s a feel good happy summer song. I’m not into rap/hip hop too much, but I can listen to some of it. I’ll have to say that I am actually digging this song. These guys are better than most local rap artists around. I think this song will be a huge hit for these guys. It’s a perfect rap song all around. Great work Jermain and the guys! I’m a new fan now! Maybe I’ll catch an Ill Funk Ensemble show in the future!

Enjoy! I want this tune for my Ipod!

Learn more about the Ill Funk Ensemble here, these guys are great! In fact, they kick ass.

http://www.illfunk.com/index.php

Kev

Local music

Meh, Ten Year Vamp is winner to open for Bon Jovi, no surprise there!

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The PYX 106 winner to open for Bon Jovi at Spac has been announced, and who is the winner? Surprise, surprise! NOT! It’s no one other than Ten Year Vamp, who else would it be?

http://www.pyx106.com/pages/contests/bonjovi/tyv.html

Even if I’m no fan of Ten Year Vamp, they might be the right fit. I think that is why the judges picked them. It’s because Ten Year Vamp is a pop band that looks like they want to be a mainstream act.

I kind of knew they were going to win from the very beggining and I think everybody else did too!

Kev

Edit to add: Btw, readers. I’m not slamming Ten Year Vamp that they won the contest, I’m just dissapointed, that’s all. I was actually rooting for either the Velmas or Lunic to get it. I’m just no fan of TYV ’cause the music they play is way too POP for my tastes, not something I would listen to but on a positive note, congrats to them I guess.