Archives: Alumnus

Megan Jean and the KFB, or Klay Family Band, arrange a demented blend of americana, punk, dance, and the avant-garde that they’ve taken to describing as, “a metal band, if it was 1927.” Inventive percussion, electrified banjo, and a voice like the Devil Herself have earned Megan Jean and the KFB a dedicated following all over the East Coast. Calling the road home on a “never-ending tour,” this transient married duo has taken their nomadic musical lifestyle and transformed it into a kind of Voodoo that unites scenes, fans, and musical styles. This is a band that lives to perform, and is fueled by sheer guts and know how.

www.meganjean.net

Hold on to your rumps, chumps! Its time for PMS and the Moodswings! The new gang on the block serve up sticky pop candy with a classic Bowery punk beat, Coney Island surf guitars, and uptown sax sound! And they lay their vocal Shangri La La La’s down thick, sweet and bubbly as a Brooklyn egg cream… Habibi’s Lenny Lynch’s latest confection puts her in front of the microphone and reunites her with Habibi drum goddess of thunder Karen Isabel. They are joined by the nimble raw power fingers of Dansettes’ and Nouvellas’ Leah Beth, the handsome driving bass chutzpah of Stalkers’ Danny Goldshtein, and the wild gust that is single-handedly responsible for the recent spike in tri-state saxophone sales… Micah Saccomanno! In the months since their inception PMS/TMS have cut their teeth live on bills with the likes of Shannon and the Clams, Jonathan Toubin, Sheer Mag, Star Spangles, Mystery Lights, and more. They’ve already recorded their debut LP for Burger Records loaded with hits about boys, fist fights, bikinis, and bad friends. – Jonathan Toubin

http://www.pmsandthemoodswings.com/

BUCKET was born in a basement and pulls most of its influence from the grumble of a broken heating system, leaky brick walls and the ramble of Malkmus lyrics. Expect spiky guitar lines interweaved with guttural bass and drums. Expect a wall of noise with intricate glass figurines balanced on the edge. Expect it to be more accessible than you would like to admit. BUCKET is the ugly, charming little brother of the Pioneer Valley music scene and proud of it.

http://songsmeanalotwhensongsarebought.bandcamp.com/

With influences ranging from Talking Heads to Tame Impala, The Tins craft masterfully layered jams that USA Today calls “brilliant pop exuberance.” Hailing from Buffalo NY, the trio has released a number of critically acclaimed records. The Tins’ first single, “The Green Room,” was chosen by Sean Parker, Spotify creator, as a staple of his Hipster International Playlist, and tapped as Spotify Staff Picks #2 Song of the Year. Since then the Tins have worked with producers Joe Blaney(Modest Mouse, Prince, The Clash) and Ted Young(Kurt Vile, The Gaslight Anthem) and have garnered millions of plays online. The Tins are currently in rotation on SiriusXM Radio and have been licensed to several hit TV shows including Beverly Hills 90210 and Roadtrip Nation. Since moving to the Queen City in 2010, The Tins have steadily climbed the ladder of local notoriety, consistently playing to sold out crowds all around Western New York. Along the way, they crossed paths with Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls. Impressed by their previous work, Takac agreed to come on as producer of their latest record. The resulting forthcoming full length album is their boldest, most powerfully enchanting undertaking yet, impressive enough to have caught the ear of world renowned painter Philip Burke, (Rolling Stone, Time, The New Yorker). Burke offered to create the self-titled record’s eye-catching artwork. The amount of local support surrounding this new record has created a truly special, communal feel, a culmination of sorts to this phase of the band’s career.

www.thetinsmusic.com

Angela Bove makes dreamy folk pop in her bedroom in New Paltz (and sometimes Schenectady), NY.

angelabove.bandcamp.com

Levanta means “lift or raise” in Portuguese and Spanish, and this unique quartet brings a collective intention to do just that: raise the music and the spirits of the listeners. The origin of the group is literally from a dream, which is fulfilled in a quartet comprised of Thomas Workman on flutes, fujara, ngoni, hulusi and didgeridoo; Timothy Hill on voice and guitar; Gabriel Dresdale on cello; and Evry Mann on percussion. Unusual instruments in combination give Levanta a breadth, depth and ability to morph through a wide range of textures, rhythms and musical landscapes. We rehearse and perform on a regular basis, and have developed a deep rapport in our improvisations with a sense of perpetual frontier. New material, whether original or arrangement, goes through a collective process by which it becomes our own. From driving rhythms in odd meters, to the enchanting beauty of harmonic singing accompanied by cello and flute, to arrangements of music from Hermeto Pascoal, Dave Holland or Abdullah Ibrahim; Levanta lifts with music that lives on in the listening.

Funkrust Brass Band is a twenty-piece brass band founded and led by songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Phil Andrews (Rude Mechanical Orchestra, Gay Panic, Apocalypse Five & Dime). Their sound stems from a unique blend of punk, disco, EDM, metal, funk, Balkan brass and New Orleans second line. Featuring snazzy uniforms, choreography, megaphone vocals and all original compositions they are a sight not to be missed.

http://funkrust.com

Sin City Woodstock has been honky tonkin’ through the Hudson Valley and greater NY area since 2012. What started as a one-off Gram Parsons tribute in Woodstock has turned into something of a local institution, bringing classic country rock vibes to the regional festivals and bars. Featuring Grammy award winning producer Doug Yoel on guitar and vocals; and Carmen Senski on vocals, a mid-western girl who has sang and danced in the famed Branson shows in Missouri. The group is often rounded out by drummer Manuel Quintana (Rachael Yamagata band), bassist Chuck Cornelis (former Chris Isaak), and great lead guitarists from the region. Recent appearances include – Woodstock Bob Dylan Tribute (played with Connor Kennedy and Larry Campbell), Hudson Valley Foodtruck Fest, Morse Rocks Festival, and bars in Saugerties, Hudson, Huntington and Albany.

In The Kitchen got their start in a steamy kitchen of a second-story apartment in Rosendale, New York. It was a warm midsummer evening and the boys started plucking sweet sounds as chicken, potatoes, and green beans sizzled in the oven. You might say that meal defined the band’s sound, simple and satisfying. In The Kitchen plays a mix of Americana music – flavcrs of folk, bluegrass, classic country, soul, and R&B season their songwriting. Their live sets move through a range of emotion, with plenty of driving tunes, balanced by slower grooves with earnest lyrics and undeniable group vocals. Ryan Reutershan- guitar Benjy Bruno- banjo, mandolin Pete Newman- upright bass Evan Shultis- fiddle Roger LaRochelle on drums

http://musicinthekitchen.bandcamp.com/releases

Mariana Barcellos is a Brazilian-American singer-songwriter and Gabriel Dresdale is a cellist and singer-songwriter. They started playing together in New York City when Mariana invited Gabriel to play violoncello at her concerts at the Whitney Museum in March, 2016. Since then they have been working together in a music collaboration that combines different styles such as Brazilian popular rhythms and American folk-rock-pop.

www.barcellosmariana.com