We are celebrating our 30th episode of CRUMBS Café
with the renowned musician Sean Rowe. Let’s just go
right to the end of the episode. Sean played a new song that
will appear on his new album called Old Black Dodge. If you
have seen or Sean before you know that his voice and songs
are like no other, especially in this area. This new song
takes all that you know about him to a new level. This song
is what being a songwriter is all about. It can be described
as haunting and one that resonates similar to Tom Waits. Chills
ran up my spine when we first were privileged to listen to
this. This is an acoustic performance at its best. It’s…just
listen to the song. If Old Black Dodge is any reflection of
what we can expect from the new album we all better catch
him now because he is sure to be signed by someone at a regional
or even national.
Since this was a momentous occasion the episode was also
broadcasted live which was a first for us. The night went
on without a hitch and we had listeners from Schenectady,
Albany, and as far away as Wichita, Kansas. Thank you to all
that tuned in including Dan Ross and Platypus for sending
in questions and comments for Sean. I expect we will do a
live show again during the recording of Season 3. And oh by
the way, this episode is the season finale. Thanks for listening
Season 2 and we’ll be back in February 08.
11/19/07 In the studio this week is Idette and the Sunrunners.
They offer a contemporary sound filled with soft melodic tones
and rhythm. Even if you are a hard rock music fan you will
discover that these songs can be catchy at times. The band
gets back to their roots with the release of their new album
Little Jeffrey and Sarah Jane. The songs have a simple meaning
on the surface but dig further and a deeper meaning will present
itself. The album includes song tiles such as Frozen Wipers
and Itchy Finger but there is more to it than just a direct
title. They were able to play one live song in the studio
and two from their album.
11/12/07 Loose Cannon Live is a band out to have a good time
and while taking everyone in their path with them. The moment
they walked into the studio they were chomping at the bit
to start playing even before the video cameras were set up.
Some bands play out to just cover songs; This band plays out
to entertain and from what we saw in the studio, do they ever.
It’s hard to just sit back and listen. You’ll
often find yourself noticing that your foot is subconsciously
tapping to the beat. They were able to play three acoustic
songs in the studio including the popular blue grass song
Man of Constant Sorrow. Catch them at Northern Lights the
Wendesday before Thanksgiving: show at 9pm. Thanks again to
Dan from BestBytes for filming this episode.
11/04/07 Joy Adler, a native to Rensselaer, is a singer song
writer who has been successful through out her career. Although
she has seen her music take off more so outside of this area,
she continues to come back and share her talent with other
local musicians. Case in point: She just completed a new album
that features some of the best and talented musicians in the
area including Mike Steiner, Gregg Nash, Jim, Holshue, and
our very own Bill Bucher. Her lyrics are thoughtful and often
warm the heart. I realize this may sound a bit off color form
how I may typically write but, give the songs a listen and
you’ll understand what I am mean. Besides her music
she is active on the music scene, both local and aboard, by
giving back to the area and to those in need. She often finds
herself supporting others with their music career at the same
time she is getting her voice out there to more listeners.
Experience her warming lyrics and positive outlook on this
episode of CRUMBS Cafe.
11/01/07 When we talk about the Albany scene we don’t
often mention bands that make it out of the area. We just
may have the next big artist. This week on CRUMBS Café
we are featuring an artist who is just a couple of mere steps
away from making it big. We first met up with Rachel Vogt
at the Dreamspun conference back in the spring when she was
just laying down her tracks. Since then she has been working
vigorously on her new venture with one of the area’s
best producers, Don Ferro. Both Don and Jim Holshue form Dreamspun
Recording Group are lining her up for national success and
a chance to have a future with a national record company.
This up coming weekend she is starting her promotional campaign
by headlining at the new GE Theatre at Proctors.
This is a rare opportunity for this young artist and one
that we all should support her on. The reason why I say this
is because I believe that the local artists in the area need
all the help they can get to become successful. And if someone
does make it to the national level then others will have a
path to follow. Remember all of the support we gave to Sirsy
when they were competing for the Lollapalooza seat? They made
it all the way to Chicago with our support and are still playing
gigs out there. My point is that bands and artists in this
area cannot make it on their own; they need a shove for all
of us. Alright, I’ll get off my soap box. Check out
Rachel Vogt on this episode of CRUMBS Café and support
the local music scene.
10/29/07 This week we had in the studio The Blisterz who
have an edgy blend of rock, punk and power pop. We classify
them in the same category as the one for Black Cat Elliot:
which, for this band, speaks volumes. The band is comprised
of former members from Strawdogs and Absence of Malis who
have both been around for many years.
When playing live they have that loud, punk, pop sound that
leaves you with the notion that the drummer loves his job.
Case in point: when we had them in the studio to play the
songs the levels on the drummer were off the scales. Vinny,
the drummer, brought a snare and new brushes. So far everything
was going as expected. When the first song started the poor
nylon bristles on the brushes did all they could do to stay
attached to their handle. Vinny was, and I am not using this
term lightly, wailing on the snare. I can safely say that
the brushes where new before we started because after, they
were pretty much destroyed. Needless to say there was some
extra work with the post production. In the end the songs
came out great. Not to worry. Let me know what you think of
the mix as the drum track was literally muted.
Back to the music. The songs are catchy. They have simple
lyrics in the chorus and are easy to sing along with the first
time you hear them which are great for the song’s longevity.
The last song they played may be especially familiar. It’s
about the social life and an experience on My Space that started
with a new friend request. Check out this episode and let
us know what you think.
10/22/07 Vocals are the predominate instrument with this
band. Especially when it comes to the harmony parts. One thing
that I gravitated to in the beginning when listening to their
songs where the vocals. Both Mike and Chris sing have developed
a similar voice. It can be difficult to pick out who is singing
what part which works well for the songs because the harmonies
are able to have depth and congruency. And the music? They
have an amazing Live sound. What I mean by that is they can
sometimes sound like the band Live. You can hear what I mean
with the first song on this episode, “Fear the Monkey”,
which was recorded live at the Altamont Fair Grounds. This
song is a well defined and polished song which could possibly
be their best. In the studio we had Mike and Chris from the
band who are also apart of other local bands and have solo
careers. These guys are busy but were able to stop by an play
two live songs in the studio.
10/8/07 Sirsy is back and better than ever. They are about
to release a new album, Revolution, on October 20th but this
time with just Mel and Rich. I sometimes hear the comment
that Sirsy would be better off with two more musicians but
we here at CRUMBS, and I am sure most of their fans, beg to
differ. Based on the three songs from this episode and the
discussion on the rest of the album we can tell that Sirsy
is on a new, more mature path with their musical direction.
These songs have depth and detail. They scream of trial and
tribulations that offer inspiration and push you to reinvent
yourself.
The band was able to play two new songs for the album acoustically.
The last time we had Sirsy in the studio they played “Sorry
Me”, a rough cut of form their then upcoming album Revolution
(refer to episode 007). Last time it
was the acoustic version and this time it is the final studio
version from the album with a bunch of changes that helped
define this song.
Be sure to check them out at the Revolution
Hall on Oct 20 for their CD release party.
10/1/07 This week on CRUMBS Café we have in the studio Ten
Year Vamp. I’m sure you have heard of the name before but
some of you out there may not have herd some of their original
songs. They released a couple of CDs over the past years but
have never released acoustic versions of their songs. On this
episode Debbie and Mark stopped by and played three rockin’
original licks acoustically. Also, the topic of NYC crowds
came up and it was interesting to hear how responsive they
can be. They are also working on their new album and turning
to their fans to help them produce and fund it. The interview
went a bit long and some segments of it were edited out which
may have been a good thing since there was an edgy topic on
a tour bus event. But that’s one of the words to describe
this band: pop, rock, progressive, and of course edgy.
9/24/07 The power, the raw energy, the passion. This was
one of the most honest shows I have seen in a long time. Keeping
true to their 80’s punk soul, The Last Conspirators, led by
Tim Livingston, belted out some killer songs and often seen
trying to bust out of the relatively small stage for such
a band. At one point he vaulted over the stage rail, got in
the face of the crowd with his direct lyrics, and didn’t back
down. This episode was recorded at Larkfest ’07. The band
was first in a long line up of bands to go on. Even though
they started at 11:00 am they still managed to generate a
healthy crowd. It must have been the power, the raw energy,
and the passion of the music.
9/24/07 On our 20th episode of CRUMBS Café we have in the
studio Chuck, Jim, and Rox from Kid Bludo. Donny the drummer,
who you know from Drome Sound and Parkway Music, was not able
to make it. Their sound is described as 80’s metal and rock
but it’s much more. The vocals are a mix of Queensryche and
Evanescence and the guitars are reminiscent of Dream Theatre.
The band and their songs are tied to a superhero character
which can be read about on their website. Since the band is
primarily a studio band at this point they selected songs
from their album Up and Away. If you miss the 80's rock/metal
genre, this band definatly is for you.
9/17/07 On this episode of CRUMBS Café we had in the studio
Frank, John, and Matt. The band’s sound brings us back to
our roots of blues and country with their straight forward
approach to writing. The songs are also a mix of traditional
rock and sometimes devious lyrics. The music is innocent enough
but, for instance, the first song they played live in the
Café studio which starts off with the lyrics “Well I’m through
thinking about better ways to kill you. I’ve got better things
to do with my time.” Dig deep into the songs and you might
be surprised at the underlining meanings. In general it’s
always great to hear songs tell a story with just a couple
of verses and choruses. Also towards the end of the interview,
the guys told an interesting story of an even more interesting
super fan at a show showing the band their instrument. It’s
a story that I am sure every band has in their library in
some fashion.
9/10/07 We are back from the summer break. For the first
episode of the CRUMBS Cafe second season we have in the studio
the band Red Haired Strangers. Their sound is often described
as country or blues, but they sometimes describe their style
as bluegrass. It may be difficult to pin them with a genre
especially since they have a spaghetti western themed song
in their library. This was the first band in the studio with
a fiddle. They were able to play three songs and one of them
was never previously recorded. Another first for the Café.
Such topics included the exposure from the ‘06 Sunmark Shine
compilation, creating a Americana music festival, and the
stage variety at Valentine’s.
