CRUMBS Cafe

24 Sep 2007: 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.

17 Sep 2007: 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.

10 Sep 2007: 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 2006 Sunmark Shine compilation, creating a Americana music festival, and the stage variety at Valentine's.

09 Jul 2007: 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.

11 Jun 2007: 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.

28 May 2007: 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.

14 May 2007: 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.

30 Apr 2007: 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.

23 Apr 2007: 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.

16 Apr 2007: 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.