Heavy Rocking and a few costumes.
Photography by Timothy Reidy.
Broghan (Scotland) – Interview – Thanks for Asking!
Broghan – Interview – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.
RRX: Like songs, every artist has a unique feeling about their first show. What was your first show like? Was it your best show? If, not what was you best show like?
Broghan: My first gig as a solo artist was definitely my best show. It was in January of 2023 at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow. In Scotland, this is a HUGE deal and my dream since I was a little(er) girl. I was asked to open the show for Lewis Capaldi, a Glaswegian legend, in front of a crowd of 12,000. It’s hard to find the words to describe just how that show felt. I was ecstatic. I only had three weeks to prepare with a band but I was SO ready. Armed with my own songs I jumped onto the massive stage and sang my heart out. The audience was amazing, thousands of them put their torches on for my song ‘Ping Ping Ping.’ To this day I still don’t know how I didn’t burst into tears.
RRX: Cover art is cool. It shows listeners what the artist thinks the album is all about. Because music can be felt visually. If you had to give the public a visual image that you think they would see and just “get” your groove right away, what would it be?
Broghan: Cover art is extremely important to me. You’re given this wee square to symbolise your song, something you’ve put copious amounts of effort into, so might as well make the most of it! I love visual art and spend a lot of time making my own; through paintings, drawings, etc. For my latest song, ‘The Calm Before The Storm’, I dragged my photographer friend, Aidan Stewart-Grant, to the beach with me, where we spent hours taking photos for the cover art, desperate to capture a picture that somehow told the story of the song. Anyway to answer your question, I’m not sure what I would do when trying to create a visual representation of my ‘groove’… maybe something colourful and sparkly yet dark and kinda spooky? Either that or just a picture of a baby panda, blowing bubbles and riding a rollercoaster, it’s confusing but you get it, which is sorta my thing when it comes to music.
RRX: What was the very first reaction to your music, from the first person to ever hear so much as a practice jam or the demo of your first song?
Broghan: I’ll never forget the first time someone properly heard me sing. It was my high school music teacher, Mr Crawford, who noticed I could. A few of us in the class (me included) had picked voice as our first instrument, don’t know what I was thinking cause I could barely even speak at the time, I was that shy! I was in second year, which I’m not sure what that equates to in other ends of the world but I was around 13. Anyway, Mr Crawford had this small group of us gather around the piano to sing ‘Tomorrow’, from Annie. I remember taking a deep breath and singing the best I could. A couple of lines in, my teacher abruptly stopped playing. He then turned around, pointed directly at me and said ‘YOU!, sing that on your own!’. As you can imagine I nearly died on the spot but I loved singing and wanted so desperately to be good. So I sang on my own and he just looked at me and said ‘wow, you’ve got some voice on you’. I was thrilled to bits and haven’t stopped singing since. The first time anyone heard me sing a song of my own was my mum and dad, who had been pushing me to write my own music for years. After apprehensively showing them my first ever song they both cried. They’re the first people to hear every single song I’ve written since and are my biggest fans.
RRX: Tell me about your most recent song, album, or video (you pick.) Tell me a story about what went into making it. Not a process, but a cool story that took place within the process.
Broghan: Just as well I have the video to prove this cause otherwise nobody would believe me. My most recent music video for my song ‘Showtime’ I so humbly believe deserves awards. Purely because of how chaotic it is and was to film. We filmed ‘Showtime the music video’ last year. I had this idea that I wanted to be in water for a lot of it. There’s this one line in it where I say ‘I need to swim before I sink’ and for some reason I felt the need to base the entire video around that. So I looked into finding some sort of pool. As an independent artist with no money however, that’s kinda tricky. My Dad, who claims to be ‘the logistics man ’ for all my daft ideas came up with an abstract compromise. “How about we just find a bath, like a nice vintage-y bath?”. So that was our new mission. A few doom scrolls on Facebook market place later, my dad had found a cast iron, enameled, roll top bath, weighing roughly 300 pounds!! This detail is important because we thought it would be a cool idea to film it in the woods. It ended up taking 6 of us to carry it! The weirdest part of the whole thing is that I sat in a bath, filled with balloons, in the woods, in a pretty little dress, in APRIL, in SCOTLAND, FREEZING, and the people walking their dogs around us didn’t bat an eyelid, not a single person asked what the hell are you doing? So yeah that was funny.
RRX: What instrument would you add to the band if you could? Is there anything you are trying to do musically that would be helped with one or more additional players?
Broghan: I’m obsessed with strings! In all of my songs I have a set of midi string instruments playing. Don’t judge me for the fact they’re midi, I’ll take any cello or violin that I can get! But yes my dream is to sing accompanied by an entire orchestra. I think I would hit the ceiling if I ever got the opportunity to have my own songs played by an orchestra with me singing alongside. For now though, I’m on the hunt for a cellist to add to my band. I think that would be awesome, me, a guitarist, keyboarder, bassist, drummer and whole bloody cello?! I’d love that.
RRX: How does practice go? Is the road practice enough, or do you have a practice shack? If so, how does it look? What’s on the walls? Was cool sh*t is in there?
Broghan: After using the ‘puppy dog eyes’ technique extensively I managed to convince my dad to convert his precious garage into a home studio for my 21st birthday. The old little garage in our garden was falling apart, the ceiling filled with asbestos and a bunch of my sister and I’s rusty old bikes and scooters made it impossible to move around in. It was time for a change. I only had to agree to one condition my dad had placed. Next to my drum kit, guitars, PA and piano would remain his Triumph Thruxton TFC Motorbike. Which, as much as it takes up space, is pretty cool and a great talking point for the musicians who come round to rehearse with me. My dad is also very happy that is his baby bike has a warm place to sleep at night!! Along with that the studio walls are covered with neon lights and my colourful artwork. It’s a dream come true to have my own rehearsal space. I’m very lucky.
Vertical Horizon – 25 Years Later and It’s Still… Everything You Want
Empire Live in Albany, NY hosted Vertical Horizon last night. It was a super warm welcoming audience that came to hear the band celebrate the 25th anniversary of their hit album ‘Everything You Want’. I personally have an interesting history with this band. First of all, my band ‘The Velmas’, opened for them at a venue called Northern Lights in 2004? That was beyond FUN. Then years later, they had a meet and greet free concert contest. If you rerecorded a couple of their songs and they liked yours the best, you won. Well, my musical partner Todd Minnick and I of ‘Fig N Me’, rerecorded 2 of their songs with our own spin on them and guess what…we won! I have personally been a big fan and have followed their career. Why? The songs are just flat out good pop/rock that never get old!
The 90s children will hate me for this, but I believe it to be true. The 80s was the last decade to really have an unforgettable face in music and pop culture. The 80s persona was so big that you’d think 1990 and 91 were still the 80s. It really wasn’t until around 92 that the 80s was finally starting to wear off. The 90s had some flannel shirts and what is known as grunge rock. Besides that, no real identity? It was almost like the decade was dreary and sleeping because it was recovering from the massive over bearing 80s. However, when things started to wake up and lighten up toward the end of the decade, in walks a band like Vertical Horizon. They weren’t flashy 80s, but they were fun! They had a very cool kind of unique pop/rock sound that was refreshing. They were powered by what I would say was an all-star band. Ed Toth on Drums, Sean Hurley on Bass, Keith Kane on guitar/vocals and their fearless leader/main songwriter/lead vocalist/lead guitarist Matt Scannell. You can look up their resumes; they’ve all done a lot over the years. Scannell and Kane put out albums before this quartet was assembled, but didn’t hit the big national spot light until the 1999 album release named Everything You Want. The album went on to be certified double platinum and included the hit songs We Are, Best I Ever Had, You’re a God, and a Billboard number 1 single, Everything You Want.
There is a whole history of the band that continues after that which includes releasing albums that are damn good! However, Vertical Horizon was one of those record company victims where the suits in their offices were too dumb to realize the gold they had on their hands with Scannell and Co., and stopped pushing them. Time went by with lots of band member changes. Scannell has kept the machine rolling all these years, and has tried to stay as relevant as possible with pockets of old/new fans around the country. This all leads us to the 25 year celebration of Everything You Want last night at Empire Live.
It’s been quite some time since Matt Scannell and his Vertical Horizon has rolled through these parts. There were some new faces on stage with him. First up is Ron Lavella who’s not the original drummer, but not exactly new. He’s been doing a great job on the kit since 2009. Mark Pacificar is on bass/vocals duty, and John Wesley is on the other guitar/vocals. The band was really tight and had real nice chemistry. Vocals were very full sounding and Lavella even added some backing vocals here and there. Matt’s lead vocals were top notch even though he was sipping a tea brew that his buddy Richard Marx gave him for a scratchy throat. There were no tracks. It was all live the way it should be. I can understand why Wesley was added to the band in 2021. I really felt like more than any other guitar/vocalist I’ve seen Scannell with in the past, Wesley really captured the vibe of original member Keith Kane. Matt and Keith really had a nice sound together to create so many songs and perform vocally. John Wesley really nails that sound. Your master of ceremonies of course was Matt Scannell. Matt was lit up like a Christmas tree last night and created an infectious uniform environment. He smiled the entire time and soaked in the fact that 25 years later a big room full of people were still enthusiastically singing and head bopping to his tunes. The audience was having a blast and so happy to finally see Vertical Horizon in front of them. There was one point where Matt had the audience sing two different sing a long parts before they played the song You’re a God. Then we all sang the parts together with the band. I have no shame of admitting I had goosebumps and some tears in my eyes because hundreds of people came together as 1. It was moving to say the least and Scannell could barely keep himself together. The power of MUSIC!! I wish everyone could keep that feeling of togetherness when the show’s over!
The band sounded awesome playing the Everything You Want album in its entirety. They didn’t play it in album order, but it was better that way. They also threw in the first single off of the ‘GO’ album, which is a great song called I’m Still Here. Scannell was very funny, entertaining and heart-warming as he talked about many of the songs in a ‘story tellers’ kind of way. Many times the audience was truly laughing out loud. It was indeed a celebration of this great album that has held its own for 25 years. I need to say one thing about Matt Scannell as a guitar player. He’s actually even better than you think! I personally love it when he decides to rip here and there during a show. Last night, I think he held back a bit and didn’t shred for us. So Matt if you read this…NEVER hold back, let it rip! During the encore they touched on a song called Heart in Hand off of a pre Everything You Want album called Running on Ice, and ended the show where they meshed together U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday, The Smiths’ How Soon Is Now, and Rage Against The Machine’s Bulls On Parade. Matt went on to tell the audience that TWO new Vertical Horizon albums are in the works and they WILL be back.
What a great night. I’d like to add that there was a really fun opening set performed by Albany local Nick Rossi. He and his band played some very catchy pop/punk original tunes! As for Vertical Horizon, the band was in great form. The crowd was overly excited, receptive, and loving every minute of it. However, the best part was watching Matt Scannell grin from ear to ear, and grab every ounce of this positive vibe in the room that was happening because of a masterpiece he created 25 years ago.
Art Along the Aether, Final Chapter – Xperience Fiction
Art Along the Aether, Final Chapter – Xperience Fiction – by Liam Sweeny.
And so art died, and the funeral, though sparsely attended, was glorious. The flow and the aesthetic left in its wake were used to fashion the most outstanding arrangement of floral displays in the known universe, and in fifty percent of the unknown universe, upon a favorable guess. The guestbook was signed by every listless, creative luminary who’d been made impotent by the spoiling of their bread and butter. The signatures, like the floral arrangements, were a thing to behold, but alas, the book was stolen, to no one’s surprise.
Speaking of stolen books, the Poet, Cyra, was reunited with her tome, and returned it to the Warehouse, which is one of the few places that learned of art’s passing and continued on. Currently God is reading a marketing book. The warehouse will be cleared out in a week’s time and is currently on a war footing.
The Gallery didn’t take it so well. As it had long ago declared itself an arbiter of the arts and a tastemaker in all things craft, it had unknowingly put itself in the position of having to be art’s next of kin. The world, with the exception of the warehouse and all such rebel outposts, looks to it to come up with something better, but as all it had ever really done was trap lightning in a jar, all it could really do was go shopping for new jars, which is what it did.
Sarah played that day with blistering efficiency and lava soul. She rocked and she rolled and she flipped mohawks left to right and back again, conjuring a mosh pit that threatened to unlock the one with no bottom. Ollie, weary and dead of the journey, found his heart in hers and got a level up to beat the pixel off a fight game. She made it a show, and she made him make it a show.
Later, when the snow was mud from dancing and everyone was drunk and everything was stoned, they lay on the ground, oblivious to the stains and the cold. Sarah in Ollie’s arms, Ollie in hers.
“Where do we go from here?” Sarah said. “Art is our lives. What if we can’t kick without it?”
“So art dies,” Ollie said. “It’s just a word. As long as there’s something to say, someone will say it. Just won’t be called art. There won’t be anyone called artists, they’ll be called something else. But it’ll be the same shit.”
“You really think that?” Susan said. “We’ll still have something when the artist isn’t a thing anymore.”
“I do.” Ollie said. “I don’t think the artist was ever the art. It’s blood. It’s strongest when you can’t see it.”
Ollie rolled over, said what his persona would hide as the words of a wisdom eschewed, “They left it to the artists to change the world,” he said, “but they put the brushes and the bookstores in the hands of the politicians and the personalities with their platitudes. And art was pressed into whatever form they needed filled, forced to cry any message that could fit in their loudspeakers, and all that was left was the form, the aesthetic, the colors and the shapes, meaningless, talent to order, finding two-hundred-and-seventy ways to say not all that much.”
Ollie saw Sarah’s pupils dilate, and it pushed his blood harder, his thoughts on forward march to his mouth.
“Art drew the freaks and the castaways, and it nurtured them in their hardship, in their isolation, and it fought for them,” he continued. “And some saw the awesome power of that fight and offered safe harbor for the ones who fought, but for that safety, they demanded just a little bit of that fire. And before long the safety of the harbor became all there was, and the fire tamed, exchanged for community.”
Sarah stroked his hair. “Go on, my philosopher.”
Ollie chuckled. “That’s all I got,” he said. “Life’s a double cheeseburger with banana peppers. Fuck the world.”
Sarah laughed. “Now I want a cheeseburger. I would sell a painting for a cheeseburger.”
Ollie kissed her forehead. “It would be an estate sale.”
Almost Queen to Appear at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
TROY, NEW YORK: The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall is excited to announce Almost Queen on Saturday, January 18th! Pre-sale for the show starts Tuesday, November 12th at 10am and tickets will go on-sale to the public on Friday, November 15th at 10am. Learn more below about Almost Queen!
They don’t just pay tribute to the legendary band, Almost Queen transports you back in time to experience the magic and essence of Queen themselves. This deliberate four piece band is “guaranteed to blow your mind” with iconic four-part harmonies and expertly executed musical interludes. Almost Queen’s impressive tribute to Queen is nothing short of breathtaking. The band’s authenticity shines through in their impeccable attention to detail and genuine costumes, while their live energy and precision will leave music fans of all ages with an unforgettable concert experience. Almost Queen’s concerts are a true testament to the band’s love for Queen’s music. Fans often travel long distances just to experience Almost Queen’s carefully curated set list featuring Queen’s best-loved songs, like Somebody to Love, Don’t Stop Me Now, Fat Bottomed Girls, and Radio Ga Ga. Almost Queen occasionally plays some lesser-known album tracks, such as Flash, Spread Your Wings, Love of My Life, as well as other hidden gems. And of course, no Queen tribute concert would be complete without classics like Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, and We Are the Champions! It’s no wonder fans keep coming back for more, attending again and again to experience the music of Queen in a manner that only Almost Queen delivers.
“I am a very big Queen fan and Almost Queen does a great job of creating the illusion of actually seeing Queen live. We all miss Freddie Mercury, I feel the band pays tribute to him and Queen respectfully.”
-Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister)
“These guys are even better than the Queen that’s out there touring.”
– Howard Stern
“I had heard a LOT of great things about these guys – but the show was even better than I imagined”
– Randy Jackson (Zebra)
“Without a doubt, Almost Queen are probably the finest testimonial to Queen I have ever had the pleasure in seeing. If Freddie were alive today he’d queue for tickets!”
-Eric Cook (Demolition Records, UK)
Tickets are on sale at 10 am, November 12th to Troy Savings Bank Music Hall Members. Anyone can become a member and gain access to the pre-sale. Single tickets go on sale the general public Friday, November 15th at 10am via phone, (518) 273-0038, in person, or online at TroyMusicHall.org. More information on the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and upcoming programs is also available on the website at www.troymusichall.org.
Monkeys Love Shakespeare – The Weird Side of the Internet
Monkeys Love Shakespeare – The Weird Side of the Internet – by Liam Sweeny.
Have you ever heard the phrase “if a million monkeys sat at a million typewriters with enough time, one of them would inadvertently write the complete works of Skakespeare”? I kind of keep that as a mantra to say that with enough time and numbers, anything is possible. But it also kinds of means that, under optimal conditions, monkeys could do our jobs, at least those of us that are writers.
But in a fluff sort of peer reviewed scientific paper, this has been disproven. It starts out with some theoretical monkeys, which we presume did not any of them get their Masters in Fine Arts. In fact, it starts out with 200,000 chimps, not a million, because there aren’t a million chimps, and why chimps? Least likely to fling sh*t at the typewriters. And they were given a fair amount of time; theoretically the entire rest of the time the universe has left before it suffers heat death, so one googol years, or a 1 with 100 zeros. If they can’t do it by then, well we’re not going to be here and neither are they, because the earth is set to get swallowed by the sun in about four billion years, which is nine zeros.
So the sad truth. One monkey has about a 5% chance of randomly typing out ‘banana.’ That’s one word. And something a chimp might want to spell. The complete works of Shakespeare has 844,647 words.
So could it be done theoretically? Sure. If a million chimps had infinite time to type random letters, it would happen. But the monkeys would have to be immortal, which would’ve had t be true in the earlier example. And if humans were immortal and had infinite time, I would marry my high school sweetheart, but everybody would have married and divorced everybody else a million times over. A Googol times over.
The Jagaloons – An Xperience Interview
The Jagaloons – An Xperience Interview – by Rob Smittix.
RRX: All right, so we got the Jagaloons on the line, very excited about this. If you can just let us know who you are and what you do in the band.
KS: Sure, this is Kurt (Stegemann), guitars.
GK: Geoff (Kelley), drums.
JW: Josh (Welf), bass.
RRX: Josh Bass (imitating Josh’s deep voice), he’s even got the bass voice going. I love it! So you guys got a lot of things going on – a new album release, a release show coming up at the Hangar on November 9. So it sounds like things have been pretty busy.
KS: Yeah, we got a little slow start to this part of the year. Josh was in a pretty nasty motorcycle accident, so we kinda eased off on some shows for a bit. Josh is back at probably 95% and playing with us again. So kind of ramping back up. The album we recorded last spring at White Lake Studios.
JW: In Albany.
KS: Brett Portzer recorded that for us. Some delays in getting it out there, but we’re with a different label now. It kind of got fast-tracked and we should have the records in a week or so.
JW: Full steam ahead.
RRX: Yeah. So Josh, sorry to hear about the motorcycle accident. Almost every friend or family member that I have who has a motorcycle has gotten into a bad motorcycle accident. They’re dangerous.
KS: The car is a dangerous thing.
JW: Motorcycles aren’t dangerous. I like to say I’m dangerous, danger is my middle name. What can you do? I’d like to thank Justin Birk for filling in a couple shows for me.
JW: Thanks Justin. He’s a good friend, sax player for Blase DeBris also plays bass. Who knew? Anybody can play bass really.
RRX: I don’t know about that. Brett Portzer … I’ve worked with Brett in the past. After you get the recording done with Brett … he’s really adamant about going out into the car and listening to it. The car test!
KS: Yup!
GK: Yeah.
RRX: That’s always been a thing with Brett. Although a lot of cars don’t have CD players anymore.
GK: It was interesting when we sent the mixes to the guy to master it. A big-name guy out in Los Angeles to master it, and he looked at the waves and he couldn’t figure out, why it was already so perfect. He’s like, “This can’t be right.” So, we had to tell Brett …
JW: Stop being so good!
GK: Give this guy something to do.
RRX: Right. Exactly. Tell us about the new album, what are we to expect?
GK: It’s 14 songs. We wrote 11 of them. There are three covers on there. Two of them are more surf songs to start, and then we did a Go-Go’s cover. So we’re doing “Vacation” on this.
RRX: Nice.
GK: The way the album came together was, we were playing some shows out of town and we ran into a guy. He liked us and said, you know, “I wanna work with you.” He was gonna put out our record and that gave us a jump start to write songs and have everything going. So we worked hard to get into the studio. It was April of last year with the expectation that the record would come out last year. That just didn’t work out. So now it’s coming out in about two weeks; we’re really pumped.
KS: It’s gonna be out on Tabu Recordings, out of Indiana.
JW: T-A-B-U
RRX: Well, that’s cool. You guys are on a label, and I know that’s kind of a weird phenomenon these days because a lot of people are doing it on their own. But at the same time, it’s good to have some support and as long as they’re treating you right.
JW: We’ve had a different label experience. We’ve had different releases on different labels. And they’re all different.
KS: I mean, these labels are small independent labels. So it’s not like we’re getting signed to like Arista or something.
GK: Is that still a thing?
RRX: I don’t know. I think so.
JW: We’re on the island in Arista.
KS: But it’s nice because you’re dealing with the people that run the label, for better or worse. The label that we’re with now – really solid guy, he’s good to work with. So we’re really excited about it.
JW: We’re just glad somebody likes us.
GK: Oh, and that’s the thing too. We’re a niche sound. It’s good to be on a label with somebody who knows what you’re trying to accomplish and can hook you up with other bands or other related things that can help you just get a little bit more exposure.
JW: Open doors.
RRX: How old are you guys now? You don’t have to tell me a specific age but are you in your forties?
KS: Yeah, still in our forties for now.
JW: In our mid-twenties. It’s all that partying we do, every day. We look like old men. Probably 45 is the oldest.
GK: I mean, we’ve known each other … I’ve known Kurt since the early ‘90s.
KS: Yeah. So we’ve all been in the music scene since that period and we’ve all been in bands with each other before.
RRX: From when we started in my band we were around for like 17 years or whatever. I know that it only took about two years maybe for the stars to come out of our eyes and to realize we’re just doing this because we love it. Do you guys still have those stars in your eyes? Do you have those kind of expectations?
JW: We just talked about labels! We’re obviously very big rock stars! Award-winning musicians here. I mean, we’re famous. I think that’s probably a good way of putting it.
KS: I mean, like I said, we’ve all been in a ton of bands for years. Probably combined over 20 different bands, I would say.
JW: Coming from the punk and hardcore scene, there’s not really stars in your eyes to begin with. I think you get beaten down pretty early to be like, well, this is just dumb fun. So I think I’ve continued that attitude my whole life, even with my real job, which is not dumb or fun but I have to make it dumb or fun.
KS: What’s interesting, probably out of all the bands we’ve been in, strangely, this is probably the most quote-unquote successful band we’ve been in.
GK: I think a lot of it is the past experiences and all the frustrations of having the stars in our eyes, and thinking this is gonna be our next big break. At this point, we’re all realistic about where we’re at and it’s when we have little bits of success … it’s surprising and probably more enjoyable.
JW: Geoff’s just really laid back with the whole thing because he’s independently wealthy.
(All Laugh)
KS: It also gets back to what Geoff was saying – it’s a smaller niche genre of music. So it’s a smaller pond to play in. When we’re playing punk and hardcore, there’s a bazillion bands, you know? It’s a little easier to stand out in a smaller scene.
RRX: And with the age thing, I always remind myself that Samuel L. Jackson didn’t start his acting career until his mid-forties. So anything could happen.
JW: Yeah, I like that.
GK: That’s great.
JW: That’s like Danny Trejo too, right? Because he was in jail and s**t!
RRX: Exactly. Yeah. he was definitely in jail and he’s got that famous tattoo on his chest.
JW: Yup, Salma Hayek. Put that in there. I’ll give you my number. Tell her to look me up!
(All Laugh)
JW: Tell her I’ll get a tattoo ASAP.
“Forbidden Words” Release Party at Hangar on the Hudson, Saturday, November 9. 6 pm doors, 7 pm music. With the Jagaloons, the Sound Minds, the Sci-Flies, and ShortWave RadioBand.
“Foodstock 12” @ Rustic Barn, 11/3/2024
Words and Photography by Stephanie J Bartik.
On November 3, 2024, a lively and generous crowd gathered at the Rustic Barn on Speigletown Road in Troy, NY, for the twelfth annual Foodstock charity event. Organized by Bob Gamache, Foodstock 12 brought together a remarkable group of musicians and community members, all united by a mission to support the Food Pantries for the Capital District. This essential organization comprises a coalition of over 65 food pantries across Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady Counties, serving as a lifeline for families facing food insecurity in these difficult times.
In the spirit of solidarity, four bands volunteered their time and talents to fill the day with music and goodwill. The lineup featured Psycho Mutton Chops, The TyEs, Soul Sky, and Ginger Geezus. Their vibrant performances gave attendees more than just a good time; they provided an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on their community. Gamache’s dedication to this cause, reflected in Foodstock’s yearly growth, exemplifies the power of music and togetherness in raising awareness and support for crucial social issues.
The event’s energy was contagious, with smiling faces and laughter filling the Rustic Barn. As families, friends, and music lovers gathered, there was a shared understanding that each donation and ticket purchased would directly benefit those in need. This was especially poignant as we approach the holiday season, a time when the need for food assistance rises, putting extra pressure on local food pantries.
Foodstock has become an anticipated tradition, not only for the music but for the purpose it serves. The funds raised through the event help the Food Pantries for the Capital District continue their work of providing essential services to vulnerable families. Though the exact amount raised at Foodstock 12 is still being tallied, previous years have proven that these events make a significant impact. Each dollar contributes to purchasing and distributing food, enhancing pantry infrastructure, and expanding outreach efforts to ensure that no family goes without the basic necessity of food.
In recent years, the demand for food assistance has surged, and Food Pantries for the Capital District has risen to the challenge. By pooling resources and organizing efforts, this coalition has built a resilient network that can respond to rising food insecurity, which has been intensified by economic uncertainty. Events like Foodstock provide an additional layer of support, bringing people together in the fight against hunger.
For those unable to attend Foodstock 12, there are still ways to make a difference. Donations can be made directly through the Food Pantries for the Capital District’s website at THIS LINK. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps ensure that local food pantries can continue meeting the needs of struggling families. As we prepare for holiday gatherings and feasts, it’s essential to remember those who may not have access to such comforts. Supporting food pantries allows us to share the gift of nourishment, security, and hope with our neighbors.
Foodstock 12 was a resounding success, showcasing the heart of a community committed to helping one another. With Gamache’s continued efforts and the dedication of local musicians and volunteers, the event’s impact will resonate beyond the Rustic Barn, reaching countless homes across the Capital District.
Mike Trash – Xperience History
Mike Trash – Xperience History – by Liam Sweeny.
Mike Trash interview. Originally published August 2023.
Some sounds are iconic. I don’t use that word lightly, because the word is played out, and there aren’t enough words that give you the same feel. Iconic. Like hair metal. Like Motley Crue, WASP, Poison. The clothes, the over-the-top performances, and most importantly, the whole-hearted embrace of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll.
The Erotics have been tearing up the town and leaving empty bottles on every bar, table, and beat-up PA speaker within reach. We had a chance to pass the bottle with Mike Trash of the band in question.
RRX: The last time we spoke, our publication was a baby, spitting up stale beer from it’s bottle. It was a fun interview back then, and here we are, five years later. What have you been up to? How have the Erotics fared half a decade on the mean streets? What did we miss, and what are you glad we missed?
MT: We’ll since 2018, we’ve toured as usual US and UK, played some great festivals in the UK in 2018 -19, put our a 3 full lengths albums, some ep’s and singles over past 5 years as well, we stay busy. I’m always writing, so w like to put something out every year, be it single or eps. etc
RRX: Rot in the Shade; I’m thinking that’s your latest album, pretty sure. I’m listening to it now. Pretty groovy. I definitely get like a Motley Crue-type hair band feel. Very tight, catchy too. What inspired this album? Was it something specific, or was it just time to put something new out?
MT: Rot In The Shade, is a play on words from the 1989 Kiss album “Hot In The Shade’ we like to do silly things like that. We started writing a lot of cool tunes, yes it has 80s sleaze, but a lot of 70’s Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, and ACDC in there as well, yes it was definitely time to put something out.
RRX: Sleaze is big. Well, it’s sleaze. Big or not, it is ever present. The Erotics deal in sleaze like a corner-store porno rack. What is it about that vibe? Did you ever just want to sit down with an acoustic and write sea shanties? Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll, putting some of that loosely, has a perpetual draw. Why do you think?
MT: Well, not all the songs are like that. In fact one, tune ‘Diamonds” on the new album, is a ballad-ish tune.
RRX: I noticed you have a lot of merch on your Bandcamp site, which is probably the most well-set-up Bandcamp I’ve seen. I always stress to what few people listen to me that merch is really where it’s at. How much money, let’s say a percentage, do you make off merch compare to playing shows? Is it comparable?
MT: Yes, some gigs give us a good guarantee, but merch sales at the shows always make a difference.
We love having cool things besides, CD’s and Shirts, we have all kinds of stuff, we even have our own alcohol/mead, called ‘Blood Of The Wasted’ which obviously not available on Bandcamp haha, but is available through Helderberg Meadworks
RRX: I assume you all have some shows upcoming. The world needs sleaze, and you damn well aren’t gonna bring it door to door. Not until Christmas and caroling. Where are you playing? Shoot as far ahead as you can. Anything in the fall would be good to report on too. Any seasonal events you always play?
MT: For the past 3 years, we’ve just been playing upsate NY, we’re finally looking to get back out there beyond that in 2024, upcoming gigs offhand are July 21st, at Empire Underground, Sept, 9th. at Kings Inn for their outdoor 10-year anniversary party, and Fuzebox on Oct. 27th. for Halloween Party.
RRX: Albums in the works. We know ‘em, we love ‘em. Anything to top Rot in the Shade? And are you ever trying to “compete against yourselves” when it comes to albums, or do the songs just kind of write themselves over the course of practices? You want a chance to mention an album that you wish had done better – an “unsung hero” album?
MT: As a matter a fact we have 13 tunes ready for the next album, that we hope to have out in February 2024. Working with Don Fury again, we can mention the title yet, but we have one and it’s a good one, new tunes are just as good as ‘Rot n The Shade’ some maybe a tad better. some catty anthems, one of them my dog Rosie inspired., one is a weird theatrical Alice Cooper Welcome to My Nightmare-sounding thing. another has a classic Thin Lizzy thing, and then it’s all mixed in with the 80’s sleaze.
Albums I wished did better other than my own are bands from the late 80’s early 90’s like Smashed Gladys, The Throbs, etc.
RRX: This is where you answer the question I didn’t ask. Comments? Remarks? Educate, enlighten, emote – the floor is yours.
MT: Rock N Roll Baby.