7/9/07 On this special addition of CRUMBS Café, the Dreamspun
Recording Studio was gracious enough to let us have some studio
time to interview the band The Electric City Horns. There
was just no way to squeeze this 9 piece band into the small
Café studio. It worked out well as the Dreamspun team of experts
jumped into high gear to set up the studio. The conversation
varied from playing for charity events to the future of the
new venue/club in Saratoga. The band was able to play two
originals and one cover. This was a first for us as we had
to accommodate for 22 tracks during the recording session.
Overall it came out like a live studio session should: with
the raw and spontaneous sound.
6/11/07 The otherwise relaxing studio, home to CRUMBS Café,
takes a hard turn with the metal, thump band Dead-Lift. This
Rotterdam native group had a bunch of great stories on the
topic of, staying true to the metal scene, winning a chance
to play on the Family Values Tour, and all while keeping their
day jobs. Band members Scott and Joe where able to stop by
for the interview. The notion of playing a couple of songs
live in the studio just wasn’t possible. Instead we were able
to play a couple of cuts from their album The Struggle.
5/28/07 This week in the CRUMBS Café studio we have the band
IMI. Topics include how playing down in NYC is helping them
to make the right connections which has given them national
exposure and a potential producer for their next album. They
have been feverously writing songs the past couple of months
especially because the drummer was recovering from an ankle
injury. They have a bunch of songs lined up for when they
head in the studio late this summer. The three songs they
were able to play are all new and never herd before. If you
are an IMI fan or if you are hearing them for the first time,
you will dig the acoustic version of these new songs.
5/14/07 What a killer night. Rich Ortiz was just amazing
and this recoding does not do him justice. He is a one-man-band
full of talent and soul. He sings while playing guitar, bass,
and percussion. A Rich Ortiz song starts off by capturing
the rhythmic beats from his guitar, looping them, playing
bass pedals with his feet to get the groove, and strumming
a rhythm guitar pattern to later solo over. Each night, every
song is created live and all from him. For this episode we
ventured out to Red Square in Albany to catch this creative
talent. Again, as you are listening to this, keep reminding
yourself that these songs are performed entirely by one person.
Enjoy.
4/30/07 When ever I mention CRUMBS Café and the bands interviewed
every week, there are two bands that folks consistently ask
if they have been on the show. One of them is Soul Session.
I can now respond by stating that not only did we have them
on the show but they brought the house down. The name Soul
Session is not just a clever name, it describes the scene
of passion and connection with the music that is almost hard
to find in this area. There were a couple of great stories
but the overall greatest moments were the three songs they
played. Although it was a tight fit in the studio the sound
was grand.
4/23/07 Something a little bit different on this episode
of CRUMBS Café. The band is Stones 2 Throw. They are working
hard on developing their own unique sound unheard in the area.
The band as it is today is relatively new with the addition
of two guitar players with a total six members. That’s right;
there were six guys jamming away and packed into the tiny
CRUMBS Café studio when it was designed for four at max. The
guys were able to play three acoustic versions of their originals.
Let's see if that discover that unique sound.
4/16/07 On this episode of CRUMBS Café we have Electric Lipstick
in the studio. Colleen and Nick stopped by and chatted a bit
on various topics including female fronted bands in the Albany
music scene. It was interesting to reflect on the scene back
10 years ago when a female lead vocalist in a band was hard
to come by. We are glad the scene has changed in that respect.
The band played a song live in the studio and a couple from
their disc. Rumor has it they rock even harder out live with
the full band.
3/29/07 The conversation was off to a slow start but once
they got into playing a tune they warmed up to the interview
mic. It was a tight squeeze in the studio as Mike Bruce brought
a scaled version of this kit. With the addition of a video
camera we just barley fit in the small space. I’ve said if
before: these guys have some great radio ready tunes. They
were able to play “acoustic” versions of the songs Out There,
This Time, and Would It Matter with each song featuring a
different member on vocals. The songs’ sound quality is impressive
for recording in my attic.
03/22/07 On this episode of CRUMBS Café we had Blackcat Elliot
and man where they quite the lively bunch and what a time.
I think we got in a couple of questions as these guys went
in all sorts direction with the answers. Most of the interview
was cut due to time. What we kept was a half an hour of great
stories, great laughs, and great songs. They were able to
play three songs live from the CRUMBS Café studio from their
album Never Come Clean. The second song they played is brand
new and never before released. We love getting these rare
cuts.
03/03/07 CRUMBS is much more then just a site featuring alternative
rock musicians and this episode of CRUMBS Café is a great
example of this. In the studio is the Troy native Anthony
Prezio. He is know for is warm voice and bright piano licks
but recently known for his one man play An Evening at the
Trojan Hotel Bar. He is a song writer, play write, producer,
music consultant, and manages the Sean Rowe Band and Mudfunk.
He also owns Nicholas Consulting Group. Quite the versatile
guy and one worth checking out on this episode of CRUMBS Cafe.
03/01/07 Sirsy stops by the studio for a bit of a pre-interview
for their new CD coming out this summer. I thought it would
be interesting to discuss their current experience of recording
the new album, have them play a new song, and then interview
them again when the album is complete. They were able to give
us a tasty sample of what to expect by playing the not yet
released song “Sorry Me.” We will have to check out the released
version and see how the song progressed over the months. We
also discussed an important topic of fundraising for your
band. How else are you going to cover the cost of recording
an album? This episode also has a bonus track at the end.
02/22/07 This is one band not to pass up. These guys hail
from Albany but they don’t have that traditional Albany sound,
in fact they don’t even have a traditional line up of instruments.
Dig this; they have a guitar player, drummer, and yes, two
bass player. No, this is not the next Spinal Tap band signing
Big Bottom. This is the latest groove-oriented improvisational
jam band to shake up the scene Check them out for yourself
and let us know what you think.
02/17/07 Live from the Bayou Café in Glenville
This was a first for CRUMBS: we ventured out of the studio
to record a live show and get an interview with the premier
funk band in the area. On this episode we get right into live
a Jocamo original followed by a discussion on the interesting
topic of the song Mustang Sally and how often it is covered.
The guys then jump back into another original and a classic
tune from the Neville Brother. Check out this lively episode
featuring Jocamo.
02/09/07 Have you ever want to build your own home studio?
This special edition episode of CRUMBS Café hosts an open
discussion on what it takes to create your own home studio
and how easy it is. I had a chance to sit down with two guys
whom have been recording at home for some time. First up Steve
Lamb from Byrds of Prey with an experienced perspective then
it’s Mike Fronk from The Thrill Villains and Whisky Money
with a novice point of view. Both guys give some great tips
and explanation of what you need to get started.
02/08/07 In studio this week is we had Nobody’s Fool with
first special guest DJ Bill Booker. They played a couple of
acoustic songs in studio including from Tonic, Sister Hazel,
and one of their own. Topics include how the band started
and what they are all about. Towards the end of the interview
the topic was the Albany music scene and how it’s changed
over the years. Overall it went well and the songs came out
great. Bill’s mic was acting up in the beginning but got it
fixed.
02/03/07 For this episode of CRUMBS Café we ventured out
of the studio to catch Rob Jonas’ CD release party at Author’s
Market in the Stockade district of Schenectady. The atmosphere
was an inviting and rather intimate. Rob performed with nothing
more than an acoustic guitar as he sung his heart out to fill
the medium sized room. He played for two hours and I was able
to record a couple of them for this episode. After the show,
I had a chance sit down with Rob and ask him a couple of questions.
01/20/07 We are slowly getting CRUMBS Café off the ground.
There are some bugs to work out but we will get there. The
first band in is Hour of Need. It was a bit clumsy at first
getting everyone mic-ed and headphoned up with the new studio.
We had some mic problems a couple of times and the volume
was variable but the songs came out great. We did three interview
segments with a live song in between. The first song was entitled
“On High” written by the guitarist, Adam. The second song
was a lively cover of the Beatles tune “We Can Work It Out.”
Although it went longer than expected, just under 30 minutes,
all and all the show went well. Check it out.
