Local Roots Rock!

The North & South Dakotas... waking things up in Saratoga!
Photos by Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Things are starting to wake up around here after a long, harsh winter. This afternoon we had brunch and delicious crepes at a fine little cafe here in town (Tesoros), and made it to the Spectrum, our favorite movie theater, to catch the charming Grand Budapest Hotel (highly recommended!). To top that off, we said hi to Moses and soaked in the sun with a stroll around Albany's Washington Park. This weekend it sure has been nice to keep it local.  

To reinforce this theme, last evening we headed out to Saratoga Springs to catch a local band called The North & South Dakotas. We first heard the band on one of WEXT's live in-studio performances, and were quite impressed—the Dakotas have a lively Appalachian, bluegrass/roots-rock sound, with infectious tunes to match ("Troubles of Mine" is one of my early favorites). Last night's concert, held at the Putnam Den, was a CD release party for their newest album, Honey.

True blue: Zack Hay, founding member
of The North & South Dakotas.

And how sweet it was... the venue was inviting (with pool tables, atmospheric lighting, and a bouncer who looked like CeeLo), and the sound quality was good. Even before the show, lead singer Zack Hay made a point of introducing himself to me and Sarah, and by the time the band took the stage, it was evident that he had a pleasant stage presence and manner with the rest of the crowd. Eventually the venue felt like a right old hootenanny, with the audience tearing up the dance floor—as I expected, the band knew how to start a party.

Hailing from Saratoga, the North & South Dakotas were created in 2011 by Hay, guitarist Mark Retajczyk, and bassist Colin Hunt. According to their website, the band's harmony-rich sound "pays homage to the spirit of old-time American music, mountain folk traditions, and the golden age of the singer-songwriter." Their music developed further with the addition of Mike Graves (who seemed to be having a ball behind the drums last night), and Nayt Patenaude, who really sweetens the mix with his exceptional skill at playing mandolin and dobro.

Nayt Patenaude- music to our ears!

An older gentleman, who was to the side of us filming last night's show, turned out to be Patenaude's father, and we enjoyed learning a little more about the band's history, and his son's musicality (it really was a treat to hear him play). I'm really finding myself drawn to roots music lately, and feel so lucky that we have a band like the Dakotas in the area—we will definitely check them out again.

I have to say that things are looking up for "the 518"—I'm becoming more aware of the many talented artists and musicians in the area (thanks in part to WEXT, which is dedicated to playing local music), and there are exciting new venues popping up like the Low Beat (formerly Valentine's), which just held their grand opening in an area we have more than a passing fondness for (Albany's Central Avenue). 

Locally grown!

So the term "locally grown" continues to mark quality... it should be exciting to see what else comes to life in the months ahead.

Related Links:

The North & South Dakotas website

"Valentine's Music Hall finds new home, new name," WTEN-TV, April 4, 2014

*Special thanks to Zack Hay for letting me photograph the gig—we had a blast!

Bye Bye Love

Sad to learn this weekend of the passing of Phil Everly, who (along with his brother Don) made up one half of the legendary singing duo The Everly Brothers. One of the first popular groups to meld country, folk and r&b (thus ushering in the sound of rock and roll), the brothers released several classic hits and albums during the 1950s and 1960s, and went on to influence countless generations of musicians in the years to come.

It was during my second year of college that I got my first taste of working in radio/broadcasting, scoring an internship at WKLX in my hometown of Rochester, New York—I was thrilled! My job was to call listeners and get feedback on songs that the oldies station had in their musical library. I was already a big fan of the Beatles, but playing snippets of all these songs from the 1950s and 1960s served as quite the musical education. 

I suddenly became obsessed with such artists as Chuck Berry and The Everly Brothers— the latter, in particular, had such beautiful harmonies (Phil generally taking the highs, and Don the lower range) and guitar work, and their music was an interesting blend of upbeat rhythms and darker themes (think "Bye Bye Love," "All I have To Do Is Dream," "Wake Up Little Susie"). The following year my respect for the Everlys grew even more, when A-ha covered their introspective 1962 hit, "Crying in the Rain"—it turns out that Phil and Don Everly influenced many of my all-time favorite acts, including The Beatles, 

A-ha, and Simon & Garfunkel (you could certainly hear it in the latter).

The Everly Brothers join Simon & Garfunkel onstage at the Pepsi Arena,
Albany, New York, June 10, 2004. Photo by Jeremy Clowe.

In terms of music, 2004 was a big year for me: I began hosting the TV show "Berkshire Soundstage" and attended several memorable concerts (I called it "research"). One of the absolute highlights was getting the chance to see Simon & Garfunkel's "Old Friends" tour in Albany, New York, which included a set from the duo's own heroes, The Everly Brothers. I remember being quite impressed by their stripped-down set, and those gorgeous harmonies, still intact all those years later... I believe their brief performance actually outshone Paul and Art's that night!

Prior to Phil Everly's death, I had actually been thinking quite a bit about the legacy of his group —2013 saw the release of two strong tribute albums of the Everly Brothers' music ("What The Brothers Sang" by Dawn McCarthy and Bonnie Prince Billy; and "Foreverly" by Norah Jones and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong), and the sheer perfection of their arrangements captured my attention once again. In addition, my growing awareness of the Appalachian folk music traditions, which the Everlys combined into their sound, has made me appreciate their work even more. 

There is obviously something to the fact that such artists as Paul Simon and Graham Nash talk about the Everly Brothers' influence, or that their work would be covered so reverently by artists such as Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (on their beautiful album, "Raising Sand") or A-ha (who played original guitars gifted by the brothers on their final tour): "gone, gone, gone," but surely never to be forgotten.

Related Links:

everlybrothers.net

"Phil Everly, Half of a Pioneer Rock Duo That Inspired Generations, Dies at 74," New York Times, January 4, 2014

"Phil Everly Dies; Transformed Rock 'N' Roll With Brother Don," NPR, January 4, 2014

"Serendipitously Intertwined" (statement from A-ha about Phil Everly's death), January 4, 2014, www.a-ha.com

"10 Great Covers of Everly Brothers Songs," USA Today, January 3, 2014


"Phil Everly, Everly Brothers Vocal Legend, Dead at 74," Rolling Stone, January 3, 2014

Light My Fire

This guy is great, and I find his singing intimidating for some reason...



Yeah, that's some soul... I hope we get treated to some of his rockabilly around these parts soon.

Links:

JD Mcpherson's official website

Retro Active

Yes, dear readers... that was yours truly decked out in a Spidey suit in yesterday's post. We took our cousin Becky out to celebrate her 21st birthday (which just so happens to fall on Halloween), and my costume for the upcoming Heroes & Villains exhibition came in handy for the occasion... don't blame me for the mess at Bombers Burritos though... that was Becky getting a little carried away with my webshooters.

I tell ya, squeezing into a skin-tight Spider-Man costume sure does get you motivated to hit the gym... not that I was a slouch before, but I've been hitting the treadmill even harder this week to do "Justice" to the "Marvels" pictured in Alex Ross' illustrations. As always, music helps keep me going... here is a sample of what I'm listening to:



JD McPherson sounds like someone you might discover in some old vinyl record collection from the 1950s. In fact, he's a modern artist (and former art teacher) from the southern United States, who started as a punk rocker and then turned towards more rockabilly and roots style music... I have probably mentioned before that I love that kind of stuff, and his album Signs & Signifiers is pretty tasty. It's something you might imagine being played during the "Enchantment Under The Sea Dance" in the movie Back To The Future, and funny enough, someone else thought so too in this YouTube mash-up! 

Another cool retro sound is from the UK band Django Django. What we have here is a bit of 80s electro fused with 60s garage rock/psychedelic. It's all quite interesting... their song "Default" sounds like robots channeling Donovan... or something. Me like:



It's funny how the freshest stuff also sounds retro to me... at least this time it's not classic soul. Anyway, a nod to the past as we look forward... it's going to be a busy week ahead, with the exhibition, election, and a quick trip back to my hometown! I've got the new Shins to accompany that drive...

Band Websites: 

www.jdmcpherson.com

www.djangodjango.co.uk