Tag Archives: NY New Music

Catbird – Bringing a Fest Back to the Woodstock Grounds – PREVIEW

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The Catbird Festival will be coming for their first go on the original concert grounds of the historic Woodstock Music and Arts Festival on August 19th and 20th. Now part of the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the original grounds have been lovingly kept and maintained for visitors to come and visit for many years. The center itself has it’s own separate concert pavilion, keeping the original concert field as a memorial to the festival that brought hundreds of thousands of music lovers to the fields once owned by Max Yasgur back in 1969. Catbird will be the first festival to bring music and camping back to the grounds.

SCHEDULE: With two stages of music, Catbird is bringing a list of jam and indie artists for all kinds of tastes in a truly special environment. Attendees can check out The Lumineers, Band of Horses, Trampled By Turtles, Dispatch, The Trey Anastasio Band, and Tyler Childers, just to name a few. The fest has released their schedules for both days on their website, and you can check them out right here:

MUSEUM: In addition to music, the festival will allow (for a fee) attendees to stop by the Museum At Bethel Woods to check out the wonderful preservation work on the music and times of the original Woodstock festival. A favorite place of mine, the museum showcases not just the unique weekend at Bethel, NY in 1969, but also the historic significance of that time in history and what was happening all over the country to inspire so many to travel for such an important event. There are interactive exhibits and immersive experiences throughout. It’s a truly lovely place to visit to really feel the spirit of Woodstock.

FOOD AND LODGING: The Catbird Festival offers a variety of food vendors to fit all sorts of tastes with items like tacos, calzones, and seafood. The camping offered this year has several options for festival goers from car camping, tent camping, RV options with and without hookups, and even a “glamping” option for those who need a little extra pampering. The camping passes start at just $99 and are still available at this time. There are some lodging options in the area, but it looks like most of those have been snatched up by attendees as of today. There are a handful of options still taking reservations in nearby Liberty and Monticello last I checked.

TICKETS: Tickets for the Catbird festival are still available with one ($145) and two day ($205) options for General Admission. There are also some Plus, VIP, and Platinum options available as well with extras like access to special lounges, lockers, and a dedicated concierge services. Parking is included in all ticket prices, regardless of tier, though there is a Premier Parking option available starting at $70 which gives access to the lot immediately opposite the entrance.

ACCESSIBILITY: Accessibility features at this festival so far are outstanding. In addition to reserved handicapped parking (as long as you have the necessary state issued placard/plates) and accessible entrances to the festival, there will be an on site Accessibility Services Hub for patrons who might need to stop in for additional assistance or information. There are also accessible camping options and if needed, patrons can reach out to access@catbirdmusicfestival.com after their tickets and passes are secured. In addition, those patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing will see that the schedule specifies which artists will have ASL translation ready to go. Just look for the hands in the bottom right corner of the artist listing.

That’s the preview, folks! A Perfect Mess is BEYOND excited for this festival. We will be on hand at the grounds to provide up to the minute coverage and updates on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Threads, and we cannot wait to bring you all the excitement of the first Catbird Festival!

Tickets, camping, and updated festival information: https://www.catbirdmusicfestival.com/

The Crucial Importance of Accessibility and Inclusivity in Live Music

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You don’t stop loving live music just because you become disabled.

This is something I learned from experience, and it was not always a happy experience. In 2021, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I had no idea at the time how much it would impact my life as a music fan. Since then, I have lost significant vision (including some color) in my right eye. This has heightened the hearing on my right side. Most prominently, I have also lost some of my balance causing me to require a cane when I know I will be on my feet. This is made worse due to sudden surprise bouts of severe vertigo or the occasional “foot drop” that catches my foot and sends me tumbling. I also struggle to stay on my feet when conditions are hot and need to have someone with me all the time, just in case. This has impacted my ability to enjoy a show the way I always did. I no longer feel safe going alone and difficult conditions are now often impossible ones. Things like stairs and uneven ground, large crowds or too little space can be a dangerous situation for me. This has all opened my eyes to things I wish I had known to be conscious of before – that not all shows and venues are friendly to the disabled community.

I have had other attendees knock me over, use my cane for their balance walking up stairs, or push me into walls or barricades – mostly because there was simply nowhere else to be as space for patrons who needed it was not made available. I have been in situations that I had to climb stairs to get to rest rooms or vendors because elevators were not made available. I have had venues tell me I could not bring someone with me, despite wanting to pay for that person to be there with me. I have also had staff go above and beyond to make sure I was able to get to my ticketed seat, restrooms, and vendors safely and without issue despite obstacles and made sure that I was able to enjoy the show despite my limitations with vision.

I have experienced the very best and the very worst of the NYC area in terms of venues and whether or not they care for their disabled patrons. This goes beyond ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accomodations. Those are quite simply THE LAW and it would shock most people to know how few of those are even taken into account. Before I attend anything now, I have to Google the venue, the event, the area, and everything in between to see what their accessibility options are just to determine whether or not I can even go. When certain bands hold a “lottery” for their tickets, this becomes even more of a challenge. What’s worse – perfectly able bodied fans who claim to be otherwise to get the seats that ARE allotted for people like myself.

As an independent music journalist, it’s my job to bring these things out in the open. Moving forward, A Perfect Mess will be making sure to cover the accessibility and inclusion of all shows and venues where a review takes place. If I am in attendance, you will know what the options and accommodations are. It’s much needed information for the disabled community and the music community as well.

No one should have to stay home because they cannot feel safe at a live show due to disability. I intend to make sure that if there is a way, we will all be there listening to the music, feeling the vibe, and enjoying the show.

Falling Into The Soaring Sounds of Ryan Liatsis – Music That Makes No Cents, Vol. 1

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One of the absolute best parts of starting this blog way back in 2011 has been the people I have been able to meet through their incredible music. With a small handful of exceptions, I have met the most stellar people through simply wanting to share their music with other people. I have met people from all over the country. People who make all kinds of music and give all kinds of energy. It’s been such an adventure and has warmed and broadened my life in so many ways. One of my favorite people that I have had the pleasure of doing this work with is Ryan Liatsis. A man unmistakable around the jam scene because of two key things – his insanely talented guitar work, and his mustache.

I have done work with Mr. Liatsis through several of his projects, most notably his original band ShwizZ https://www.facebook.com/ShwizZ and more recently his work with the vocal magicians in Western Skies https://www.facebook.com/westernskiesmusic. Both have been an exceptional example of what a guitar master he is. His signature sound is of the soaring variety, velvety smooth and seemingly effortless. It was of course an absolute privilege to get the opportunity to review his most recent release, one that is all his own, and one that has this signature sound on a fantastic display. If you love a versatile, guitar focused instrumental album, this is for you and you are in for a trip.

Ryan is a man of many talents, and that is evident in his new and very first solo release, Music That Makes No Cents, Vol. 1. This record is his decade long labor of love and is almost entirely self produced, self recorded, self mixed and self mastered. All songs were written by Ryan and all instruments with a few exceptions were played by Ryan. Let me state first that if you are going to invite a few special guests to help out with your solo record, there are few I would choose other than the ones he did. Most are drummers, with the likes of Neal Evans, Kito Bovenschulte, Kevin Soffera, Jordan McQueen, and Paul Cesario. He also gets some help from exceptional bassist and fellow ShwizZ musician Scott Hogan. It’s a well stacked grouping of awesome.

The first track, 11:11, kicks open the whole collection with a very hard rock spiced piece of Ryan’s multi-layered shredding, woven with synth and heavy drum work (care of Paul Cesario). The album then moves over to Dragonfly which immediately gave me super calm vibes while still having an earnestly rocking soul. Easily my favorite song on the album. This is that soaring guitar sound that Ryan does so well. Almost midway, it slows to a piano solo before picking back up with guitar that gives an emotional feel. This song will take you on an adventure, if you let it. Speaking of emotional, All On One is gorgeous, beginning with a dreamy far off sound that pulls you in. Not quite as calming, but it will definitely give you the feels for something with the subtly climbing notes and really pretty break about halfway through that comes back hard right into your heart. This expertly layers sounds to give depth in places throughout the songs in a way that plucks right at your internal strings.

Saturator is another great rocking track, with drums care of Kito Bovenschulte. This song is a mix of exceptional guitar playing dexterity while keeping with head bobbing beats. Coming in strong and hard with melodic layers of sound, it has fantastic use of climbs and stops. It’s absolutely talking to you throughout. I love that Ryan uses the guitar like a vocal in that respect. There is a story being told throughout this record but it’s entirely up to the listener to discern or decode exactly what that is. Every track is deliciously different and capable of captivating even the most captious listener.

My genuinely take on Music That Makes No Cents, Vol. 1 is that it’s brilliantly written and put together beautifully. This record is a batch of stories told through music like a Choose Your Own Adventure Book, and it’s all up to you which road you take and which page you turn to. There is trip worth taking with yourself within, and I highly recommend that you do. I am sure if we picked Ryan’s brain as to what he envisioned while writing these songs over ten years, he would have buckets of information for us – but what fun is that? I didn’t really get into instrumental albums outside of old jazz and the occasional Joe Satriani song until very recently and this album was such a breath of fresh air for me. My advice to you is do what I did when I first got my hands on it. Plug in a really comfortable pair of headphones, get good and cozy in your favorite spot, close your eyes, and let the music take you where it will. Additional substance assistants are entirely up to you.

You can get yourself a download of Music That Makes No Cents, Vol. 1 over at BandCamp here:

https://ryanliatsis.bandcamp.com/album/music-that-makes-no-cents-vol-1

Additionally, you can find it on Spotify and other streaming sites!

Keep up with Ryan his work (he’s a busy gentleman) over at his Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/ryanliatsismusic

As always, see you out there!

Feeling The Groove With The New Single from Coolie Ranx – “Oh Girl”

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When I was 16 years old, I was introduced to the wonderful world of ska music. It was the mid-90’s and ska was in its third wave height so it was easy to fall in love with the sound and the energy. We were buying comps, heading to The Wetlands in NYC, covering ourselves in checkers, and enjoying this craze for everything it was worth. It was easy back then as it was on MTV and in the malls where we found ourselves creeping most weekends. I have memories of traversing the mountain roads of northern New Jersey with the sounds of the Toasters blaring from crackling speakers in an old Mazda, trying like hell to sing along with the chat version of The Toasters’ “Dub 56” and failing miserably. The man behind that fast chat was Coolie Ranx and in our minds, he was the master of that sound.

Since his work with The Toasters, Coolie went on to found The Pilfers which brought ska and punk rock energies into a rugged but danceable sound he called “raggacore”. Meanwhile, he continued to add his particular style and power to the mixes of dozens of releases and has remained a fixture in New York City’s ska and reggae scene. Coolie Ranx is honestly one of the hardest working members of the scene since 1990 and continues to bring that signature sound he nurtured and perfected to the masses.

Credit: Jeff Pliskin

Fast forward to now, and I have a message from Coolie asking me to check out his soon to be released single, “Oh Girl” for the blog. Suddenly I was 16 years old again. I have been devouring this song since I got the link and I honestly cannot get enough.

This track is everything you would expect from Coolie Ranx and more. His vocal is that soaring and brilliantly melodic sound that he has cultivated throughout his career. It carries you through the song with a comforting presence while telling a story of struggle, self-doubt, and a pure but heavy yearning. It’s a gorgeous combination, rounded out with a pulsing, heavy vibe and his signature “raggacore” sound in breakdown. The flow rises and falls in a multifaceted grind and infectious groove while pulling at your soul in the way he uses his voice. The drums, guitar, and those vocals culminate in aggressive tone at the build-up, creating a feel of pure ache, climaxing while still being groove heavy and danceable as the song comes to a close. Absolutely brilliant.

The accompanying credits go to Phil Wartel on steady hitting drums, Steve Capecci on groove-heavy bass, Jonathan Uda bringing the sky-high guitar riffs, and programmed drums, overdubs, and those flowing keys to Computer Paul. Honestly, if you can get through this song without moving with the beat and the energy of it, you might want to check your pulse. This is pure groove.

But as always, you don’t have to take my word for it. Check out the track “Oh Girl” on Spotify, Apple, and other streaming services today and see for yourself…

You can check out Coolie’s Bandcamp link below:

https://coolieranx.bandcamp.com/album/days-gone-by-2