Album Of The Week: Izzy True’s Nope Everyone likes to talk up the music coming out of New York City, and you can’t really blame them — The Big Apple has been a haven for musical excellence for over 50 years and that won’t be changing anytime soon. But what about upstate New York? Once in a while a band will come out of there and start to impress. Ithaca’s Izzy True and their debut album Nope is doing just that with a rigid, yet laid-back sound. At some points the band’s music is relaxing while at other times it’s raw and emphatic. Isabel Reidy leads the band with songwriting that conveys a message of rolling with the punches while dealing with your inner self. It gives a genuine aesthetic that shows Reidy’s heart on her sleeve with the rest of the band, consisting of Angela DeVivo, Jon Samuels and her brother Silas, providing pristine rhythms. There are bits of garage rock, psychedelic, surf and vintage pop creating a groovy sound. The laid-back vibe of the entire album is what makes it unique. It gives it a distinct quality that you don’t find in a lot of records coming out today. Usually when an artist is dealing with their own demons, they put out their best work. It’s perhaps due to the real emotion behind it without the plastic garbage that you‘ll sometimes find in contemporary music. Lyrically, listeners can tell that performing their own songs is a cathartic experience for Reidy. It’s unapologetic and fearless. For further examination into the deeper meaning of Nope, check out my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week: An excellent example of Izzy True’s subtle grooves is in “Total Body Erasure;” the guitars jump out with their simple and driving riffs. The drums are also extremely present in the lead-up to the chorus. “Gwam Gwam Gwam” has a little bit of surf going on while a few riffs are hard-hitting with a thud. Every time Reidy sings, it gets soft and slow with the rest of the band jumping in at different increments. With a steady beat, “Which Wish” is another groovy track with sliding tones and pleasant rhythms. Izzy True are heading through New England with shows at Aurora in Providence on August 24, The Firehouse in Worcester on August 25 and O’Brien’s Pub on August 26. Those are three chances to see a pretty cool up-and-coming band, so you shouldn’t miss out. It’ll be interesting to see if Reidy and the rest of their band are as good live as the band’s debut album is. While you’re at either one of the upcoming shows grab a copy of Nope. After a while of listening, your ears will make you want to say “Yes.” Stream Izzy True’s Nope on Bandcamp: izzytrue.bandcamp.com/album/nope Bruce Hornsby Comes to Rhythm & Roots There have always been a few artists who seem to have played with everyone and also have some solo success. Bruce Hornsby is an excellent example of this with his ability to play any style of music with any artist, and his creativity has gained him legendary status among numerous generations of music fans. Hornsby will play with his backing band The Noisemakers during the Rhythm & Roots Festival happening in Ninigret Park in Charlestown from September 2 through 4. Ahead of the festivities we had a chat about his musical versatility, who he would like to collaborate with next and his opinion on the state of music today. Rob Duguay: Your material has always been very versatile with you tapping into genres like classical, jazz, bluegrass, jam, blues, folk and Motown. With so many musicians pigeonholing themselves to a certain style, what inspires you to go beyond that and maintain a variety when it comes to your music? Bruce Hornsby: I’m a lifelong student. I’m always pushing into new territory, looking for new inspiration and learning new music, from old-time American music to modern classical music. “Harbor Lights” and “Hot House,” obvious forays into a musical area using more of the jazz language, was just one of several moves I’ve made over the years. So as you say, it was just where “the music was taking me” at that time. RD: You’ve collaborated with The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Sting, Dave Matthews and Hall & Oates among many others. Out of everyone who you’ve worked with, who would you say was the most memorable experience? BH: I’ve had lots of memorable studio experiences; recording with Vernon Reid and a string quartet for my score for Spike Lee’s “Sweet Blood of Jesus” film, recording with Justin Vernon and his old high school pals last year, recording with an orchestra two years ago for the Disney film Planes: Fire and Rescue, playing on a Bob Dylan record, with Bob, in 1990, Jerry Garcia recording on our third record, playing on Bonnie Raitt’s I Can’t Make You Love Me record, having Pat Metheny play on two mid-90s records for me, recording with Jack DeJohnette and Christian McBride, bluegrass with the Dirt Band on their second Circle Be Unbroken record, having Wayne Shorter play sax on Henley’s and my “End of the Innocence” song, Clapton playing on my Halcyon Days album, and so many more, I’ll stop here. RD: Is there any artist out there today that you’ve considered making music with but you just haven’t gotten the chance yet? BH: As far as a bucket list goes, I don’t have one. Any list I may have had has been pretty much filled in at this point. Paul Simon asked about my playing on his last record, and of course I said an enthusiastic yes, but alas, it never came together. RD: Your main instrument has always been the piano. What made you want to start playing the keys rather than picking up a guitar or any other instrument? BH: I played guitar as a kid, starting when I was about 11. I started playing, like so many in that era, because of the Beatles and the Stones. I had a band in sixth grade playing “Get Off My Cloud”, “Cherry Cherry” etc. We won a battle of the bands because we used my older brother’s band equipment and consequently were louder than everyone else. I was also a jock, and that interest took over until 11th grade when my older brother turned me on to two amazing piano-based records, Elton John’s Tumbleweed Connection and Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen all with the great Leon Russell piano. Those records hooked me on the piano; I started playing and never stopped. RD: What do you think of the state of music in the 2010s and if you were a young musician starting out today, what would you have done differently than what you did when you were starting out in the ’70s? BH: There’s lots of fantastic music being made today, interesting and innovative, and for me most of it resides in the margins, under the mainstream radar screen. I don’t think I would do anything differently now. To me it’s still about the same thing, finding your own individual, unique voice stylistically, as a writer, instrumentalist and singer, and creating something original that reaches and moves people deeply. Buy tickets to the Rhythm & Roots happening from September 2-4 at Ninigret Park in Charlestown: rhythmandroots.com/ws/pages/tickets.php; Bruce Hornsby’s Website: brucehornsby.com Album Of The Week: Husbandry’s Fera Brooklyn post-hardcore act Husbandry have a chip on their shoulder. With a sound that resonates angst and fury, this quartet can’t go overlooked. They have their debut full-length, Fera, due out on August 25 and it’s an absolute scorcher of an album. Carina Zachary gets ferocious on the mic while guitarist Jordan Usatch’s riffs meld perfectly with the dynamics of bassist Arnau Bosc and Andrew Gottlieb on drums. When it all comes together this band creates a sound that’s uniquely electrifying. Fera is unrelenting and fearless in song structure and artistic themes. There’s also a bit of melody within each track to go along with Zachary’s growls leading the distorted rhythms. It all comes at you in full force and there’s a thunderous tempo that’s abundant from start to finish. Zachary’s lyrics are a mix of observational and political, with topics such as sexual abuse, police violence and social unrest being covered. There are no apologies with Husbandry’s debut; take it as it is and perhaps you’ll learn something. Brooklyn hasn’t really been known as a burgeoning hive of punk. Maybe Husbandry and their upcoming release can turn the tide a bit. A lot of things are in flux when it comes to music and the artform is due for a shift. Who knows? New bands might come to the forefront with abrasive sounds that burn a hole in your mind. While we ponder what the future holds, lets stay in the present and dive into my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week: The lead single “So Long, Capricornian Crone” is powerful and emphatic. Gottlieb’s drumming stands out with pulsating rhythms while Zachary’s vocals rise above Usatch’s guitar. “Nature Vs. Nuture” gets up close and personal with loud beats, and Zachary once again shows how incredible her vocal range is.