Making their first appearance on our top ten chart this year is 100 Psychic Dreams, the experimental electronics project of our good buddy Superdark Shane Sanchez!
Most recent 100 Psychic Dreams album cover for ‘Bronze Stoker’, released May 2021
In addition to ruling the scene, Shane Sanchez has been making experimental electronic music for quite some time now. His latest project 100 Psychic Dreams seems to have struck a huge chord with the Capital Region superhip underground music scene (you know, the scene that we’re into and cover). Since 2021 100 Psychic Dreams has released about 2 albums’ worth of material and several singles, including idiosyncratic VHS mashup recordings, experimental illbient, innovative hip hop beats and backing tracks, and a groundbreaking cover of hip old Iggy Pop classic ‘Night Clubbing’
In addition, the electronist (electronicist? Synther? DJ? MC?!!!) has been playing live all over the Capital Region — especially in Troy at our favorite No Fun joint. 100 Pyschic Dreams has also been providing beats for local hip hop shows, playing the aforementioned cover of landmark Iggy Pop song ‘Nightclubbing’ live for the No Fun anniversary fest, improv sets, providing backup beats for various projects…
The cover that won MY heart for 100 Psychic Dreams, a project putting sick beats together with classic 80s horror movies called ‘VCR Vortex Vol. 1’. 100 Psychi Dreams does IT ALL
So is 100 Psychic dreams a DJ/MC? Is it an experimental electronic project? “Synth drenched grimy beat magick”? The beat machine for the entire 518 music machine? Hell yeah it is! It’s like, 100 different things in 1!
And it’s “PSYCHIC”!
(So I’m guessing they knew they’d be number 2 on our charts right out the gate and have been celebrating in advance, laying down those funky beats and noisey treats for all of us to dance dance dance…)
In third place for the greatest local band EVER… I mean for 2022.. is HAUNTED CAT! This live 4 piece is a testament and a tribute to the songwriting and presentation talents of Albany punk veteran Drew Benton. Benton writes the songs, plays most of the instruments on the recordings (the last album was performed entirely by Benton and the upcoming record will feature the full band), and dresses it up like no one else in Albany for what are half rock shows and half performance art pieces; anyone that’s seen Haunted Cat will never forget them. Love them or hate them (or start by liking them and end up loving them as most do) when it comes to Haunted Cat you must say — they present a memorable experience everytime they play.
Haunted Cat’s latest album ‘Third Degree Moonburns’
Not to mention that everytime you spin one of their albums you get a memorable experience. In addition to being one of the few performance artists in Albany to really do it ALL up when performing, Drew Benton’s songwriting and performing on the Haunted Cat albums present an entirely original, innovative style and substance that’s seldom if ever been seen before both in the Capital Region and beyond. Blending glam rock with snarling punk and virtuosic guitar pyrotechnics, the effect of listening to a Haunted Cat album is like being transported to a different world. One in which perhaps the seventies never ended, where the original NYC punk was given its due, and where chutzpah and flair still fucking matter!
Another image of an unforgettable performance piece by Drew Benton/Haunted Cat — sometimes planned and or/joined by Eric Jon Tasker (next to the half naked Drew, stage right)
There’s no doubt that Haunted Cat deserves a place on this countdown; we urge you to see any show you can catch them at and download their albums. They stand out like no one else around in terms of the eclectic yet original music they play and the overall transcendently idiosyncratic performance of Mr. Drew. Benton. Do not miss out on the experience that is… Haunted Cat!
It’s no surprise that Architrave has once again made the Times Boredom top ten! The power couple duo of Jennifer Maher Coleman and Paul Coleman topped our chart in 2020 with their album ‘This Perfect Day’. In addition Architrave, like most of the other projects heralded by one or more of the Colemans, has a constant presence of laudation here at Times Boredom.
And since we’ve said pretty much everything we can about them, thankfully, they answered some of our questions for this award:
TB: Congratulations on being in Times Boredom’s Top 10 local bands! Honestly, how much of an honor is this for you?
Jennifer Maher Coleman: Always thrilled to be acknowledged by the TB. Please see the attached photo of us victoriously high-fiving upon hearing the news!
TB: Have you released any music in 2022?
JMC: We released a single and video for the song “Lorem Ipsum,” the first single from our forthcoming album (working title: “Out of My Mind and Into Yours”) and contributed a cover of the Fine Grain song “Missing Adult” to the locals-covering-locals compilation “Reproduce This.”
TB: What was your favorite show that you played in 2022?
JMC: Our favorite show was definitely a Halloween event at Radio Bean/The Lamp Shop in Burlington along with Roost.world and many other electronic artists. It featured several stages around the venue, allowing for a smooth, seamless transition between acts and escalated into a fantastic dance party.
TB: Who was YOUR favorite local band in 2022?
JMC: We were very inspired by 100 Psychic Dreams’ beat-making.
TB: Do you have any plans for 2023?
JC: Plans for 2023 – The album is finished, we just expect to be tweaking and mixing for a while longer and making a video to coincide with its release, hopefully this spring.
Old picture of Haley Moley from back when we first met them
We can certainly say that new for this year is they’re finally putting out a full length record. They’ve put out ep’s in the past that we’ve enjoyed some of which we’ve reviewed (or friends of ours have reviewed), and we’ve ‘heard’ good things about the new album as well (that was at least 2 jokes because we’ve heard so many of the songs off the new album played live already). At one point they were so comfortable with us making fun of them that they made fun of our head writer.
In addition to all the inside jokes we have with/about them (FFS, doesn’t TB have enough of those already?! Half the people that read this get 1% of the jokes! And they’re not even funny, they’re just references and winks and nods…), the songs we’ve heard Haley Moley playing live lately rock us just as hard as those they’ve been playing and recording for the 8 or so years we’ve been around (or is that how long they’ve been around? No, I think they’ve been around longer and we haven’t been around quite that long. They’re definitely older than we are. See, yet another joke that only I get. Not funny! Knock it off!)
Upcoming Haley Moley’s new full length record “Everybody Wins”
And despite their many years on the road and in the recording studio they haven’t slowed down one bit. Haley Moley is itself actually a supergroup; I’m not sure if we’re allowed to tell people this JUICY bit of gossip but their name comes from the combination of DJ Jennifer HALEY and Paul’s long running solo project Mount MOLEY… put those together with small groups from other groups including Andrea Kosek, Mike Broomhead, and Pat Thorpe and have all of them play multiple instruments to create an enormous sounding orchestra of sounds where someone’s always filling in whatever the sound requires for the specific song and you’ve got a super collective of a group (in fact, there were rumors that the Haley Moley supercollective was going to swallow or merge with the Superdark Collective in various guises over the years, neither of which actually came to fruition but all of which served to help the stock prices of both collectives skyrocket!). And even with the smaller groups that came together and have continued to exist alongside the Moley (as the hip kids don’t call them), other groups have even split off and formed more new acts on the side in the meantime. This is a group of prolific musicians to say the least. Do they ever rest? Do they ever sleep? Our sources say no.
Which is why it makes sense although it’s still entirely unfortunate that after this record release Haley Moley will be taking a hiatus (indefinite? Let’s not say that. It’ll make people think they’re taking a ‘Fugazi style nap’) Some of the members will be focusing on personal projects (do babies count as projects? we think so!), and others focusing more so on their other projects AND, knowing, them, probably even more additional projects. Architrave, the HONEY collective, Sinkcharmer, all the albums Paul Coleman has mixed and mastered… the list goes on and on and we can’t keep up with it. It really is amazing that they’ve been able to do all that all these years and maintain a top ten local band that puts out records and plays live more than half of the bands around, and of course, has yet to make a song that isn’t top quality or play a show that doesn’t sound great. Congratulations again to Haley Moley! We hope to see you again soon!
Sky Furrows has the unbearable burden of being in the Times Boredom top ten more than any other band in the Capital District. But honestly, how could they not be? Times Boredom is indisputably the arbiter of everything that’s cool (and cool enough to not take itself too seriously) in the Capital Region and has been since 2015.
And is there any cooler band you can think of than this motley gang of 4 vets of the up (and sometimes down)state New York scenes? Every single member of Sky Furrows has carved a name for themself individually in a way that, if there were like a twenty year golden watch given out by the lord of the underground cool, they’d all have one. And NOW they’d all have 3 rings they could kiss (like those asshole Patriot fans — sorry our Editor’s a HUGE Yankees fan and will NOT hear of any story that doesn’t disparage the Bruins at any opportunity we can possibly get…)
And the truth is if ever there was a time for me to say my famously overused ‘Ah hell I done interduced them enough’ Big Lebowski quote it’d be now since Sky Furrows has won just about every award we put out, been reviewed and mocked and praised so many times by Times Boredom there’s nothing left to do but repeat myself… So this time I’m not gonna start going a hundred feet deep with Rambutan and Parashi and links to collaborations with Mike Watt and whatever else…
Instead, I’ll just tell you what they said to me when I asked them some interview questions like ‘how great is it to be in Times Boredom’s top ten YET AGAIN and how surprised are you…’
I’m even getting a lot of use out of this photo. I think I’ve posted it several times. Give someone else a chance to win will you Sky Furrows?!
Congratulations on being in Times Boredom’s Top 10 local bands! What was your favorite show that you played in 2022? Who was YOUR favorite local band in 2022?
Karen Schoemer (for Sky Furrows): One of our favorite local bands is the Scurves! Love them Scurves!
TB: Do you have any plans for 2023?
KS: We did not release new material in 2022, but we did record a new album in Katonah NY and Easthampton MA and we’re hoping to get it out by the end of the year!
And that’s it. We done tell you all there is to tell. Seriously I really am tired of introducting them. I do this to promote local bands and if all I’m really doing is giving them awards every year and saying how great they are what does that really accomplish? I gotta rethink my choices bro. Seriously.
Seriously Idk who made this image (and I know I should as the ‘image caption guy’ but this is the history of rock and roll in a grain of sand. So fucking cool!
You would be hard-pressed to find a band with more style, swagger, and attitude than THE ONLY BAND THAT EVER MATTERED. If you were lucky enough to catch an Abyssmals show in 2022 or any of the previous 6 or 7 years they’ve been playing the Capital Region you were simultaneously jived, hipped, and made obsolete as they kidnapped you in their psychedelic time machine. This hypothetical time machine would make a quick stop during the 90s – but no time for Newcombe’s antics – forego the 80s, and straight back to the 60s, where they probably could have given the Stones a tip or two on how to staycool.
The Abysmal’s full length “Gospels, Hymns and Other Trash!” released in 2019
While a local favorite these psychedelic ghouls have been expanding their reach internationally AND have had music featured on several TV shows on network TV and streaming platforms. Their debut full-band album, ‘Gospels, Hymns and Other Trash!’ was released in April 2019. They released their most recent single, “Let’s Forget”, in 2020.
Latest single “Let’s Forget”
Their next show is on Valentine’s Day at No Fun in Troy (presented by ‘Hey Greasy!’) with Vinyl Williams and Hospital Corners. More information on the band can be found on their website.
The last 2 singles they’ve released have been the campy Halloween track ‘Werewolf, Baby!’ for the ‘Do the Fright Thing’ Halloween comp and, the song they’re most famous for; “Cheesburger”. Cheeseburger’s a danceable partying track that sounds like it comes from a lost age of innocence when rock and roll was super fun, before it got all serious and John Lenon was like ‘this is ART MAN!’. To exponentially increase the party vibe and show how intensely serious they are about the party and the fun they’re joined by local high harmony trio Hold on Honeys for backing vocals that remind you of the doo wops on Monster Mash. And the song is truly about how great, cheap, convenient and what a delicious snack a cheeseburger is. Get me one too!
In addition to being one of the top ten local bands in the area, The Sugar Hold were the first group on the top ten to respond to our request for an interview.
TB: Congratulations on being in Times Boredom’s Top 10 local bands! Honestly, how much of an honor is this for you?
Mikey Baish (for the Sugar Hold): What an honor!
TB: Did you release any music in 2022?
Sugar Hold: We released our live special “DOPE” on 4/20. This was a full set recorded LIVE at the Jive Hive Live. We released our song “Cheeseburger” ft. Hold on Honeys from that session as a single. Then in October we wrote and recorded a song for the Super Dark Halloween compilation called “Werewolf, Baby!”
Right now we are working on our first real record. We are working with David Rockower aka The Duke Western and it’s been a pleasure so far. We hope to have that out on 4/20 (put it in your calendars) this year as a follow up to DOPE.
TB: What was your favorite show that you played in 2022?
Sugar Hold: For our favorite show it’s a tie between the set we did at Brown’s Brewing Malt Room for Bacchanalia (with our gals the Honeys, E-Block, and best bud/official Sugar Boy Rhoseway) and the Wild in the Trees Skate & Music Fest. WITT was cold as hell, but it was cool to see the “high ollie” contest going on during our set.
TB: Who was YOUR favorite local band in 2022?
MB: I (MIkey) am gonna have to ask the guys each of their favorite bands, but I ALWAYS say dblgoer and BIG Maybe. Dan says Brule County Bad Boys (how could I forget them?!), Matt says Battleaxe and Pencildive
TB: What was your favorite show that you played in 2022?
Sugar Hold: As far as gigs go, ideally we’d like to scale down to one per month. It’s just real tough to turn down some really awesome gigs that have been getting thrown our way. So far we have one of the bigger local festivals booked and look forward to being invited back to Bacchanalia and Wild in the Trees.
TB: Do you have any plans for 2023?
MB: We’re excited for 2023. I think it’s going to be a big year for The Sugar Hold! Thanks for asking! I appreciate it!
Madeline Darby is one of the few, the proud, the super cool repeat offenders on the Times Boredom top 10 club, having been on our list back in 2020 for her terrific album ‘innovation’ (if you recall, there was something going on that year that caused us to have to rank bands by recordings alone given the difficulties there were with live performances…). And just as in 2020, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Ms. Darby’s incredibly pertinent contributions to the scene, both as a member of the Superdark Collective, Thinner Friends, and plenty of other collaborations with fellow local artists such as the recent single Sacred Gates with Jennifer Maher Coleman of Haley Moley, Architrave and the Honey DJ Collective (which you can listen to and download at https://madelinedarby.bandcamp.com/track/sacred-gates).
Recently released single collaboration between Madeline Darby and Jennifer Maher Coleman
In addition to all of these awesome things, Madeline Darby released a full album in 2022 that was an ENORMOUS critical success. Our friend and sometimes writer/editor for Times Boredom W.A. Wright wrote an aptly glowing review of the record (read it here: https://nippertown.com/2022/05/28/album-review-not-this-universe-the-origins-of-madeline-darby/), and if W.A. Wright says it’s good, well then we get off our couch and run out to buy it! Ok that’s not true, we don’t get off the couch but reading a review like that gets us straight to the bandcamp page where we made a purchase immediately. Isn’t technology wonderful? I mean time was you could go to a local record store and aks if they had local records on commission or something, and chances were you’d find one of your friends or a potential new friend doing the same thing. Then you could hang out with your friends at the record store, just chat and waste time on the weekend, and start coming to a consensus about how terrific not only the local music scene is right now but Madeline Darby specifically, how she’s exceeding our expectations and creating unpredictable ‘innovations’ in music and sound.
Madeline Darby’s latest album released in 2022, “Not this universe: The Origins of Madeline Darby”
(Forgive me for going off on a tangent about the ‘old days’, but it’s related in an obtuse way. Sort of. Keep reading, I’ll put it all together somehow!)
A lot of what we love and appreciate about Madeline Darby is her indefatigably (5$ word!) positive sense of community. What we and we think a lot of other people love about her is her support for everything that’s great about music and noise in the Capital District. And also as a ‘private citizen’ she’s always attending shows, being supportive, and always having plenty of positive things to say about our burgeoning little scene (especially in Troy), which is, as she put it, “HOT HOT HOT”! And not only is she doing short collaborations with other local artists but the album credits themself read like a top 50 list of all the great artists in the Capital REgion; Aunt Lonely, Goldeedust, NXNES, Zero Lee, 100 Psychic Dreams & Triya Love. And of course the Ballston Spa G.O.A.T. is here mixing and mastering like he does on SO many great local albums (in addition to his own) that you wonder when he has time to sleep… And not only does she list her collaborators and the indefatigable (careful now, not really using that word correctly and that’s gonna cost you in the final concluding paragraph) Paul Coleman but she even mentions and gives thanks to all the local places and even publications including ours truly little blog cottage operation!
Trust us, the love is mutual.
Unfortunately, we’ve heard that Madeline Darby is going on hiatus for awhile. In the meantime, a mysterious new stranger to the local music scene calling herself ‘Jane Woodshed’ has appeared and, if you (like us) just can’t wait for your next Madeline Darby fix, Jane Woodshed has many similarities and will most likely kick a ton of ass as well. Looking forward to hearing all of the many the new ‘innovations’ that Sarah Darby brings to the local music scene. Innovative, supportive, and HOT HOT HOT!
One of the more anticipated groups to emerge from the Capital Region in some time, Bruiser and Bicycle’s brand of folk-weirdness will subtly slip into your mental landscape. While initially uninvited, you will begin to fall in love with their unpredictable and exciting songwriting that is layered with colorful instrumentation and arrangement.
The core duo, Bruiser and Bicycle. Which one’s which? We’ll never tell!
While their last release arrived in 2019, they play out fairly often; the editor of Times Boredom wrote me: “I went to see them last night and those bastards played ON TIME! I know, I couldn’t believe it either, but the show started at 8 (which in my long punk rock experience means bands don’t play until 10 at the earliest) and they started at 8:15 and were done at 8:45.” Their live shows are as equally enigmatic as their recordings, and allegedly, according to our fearless leader, they are so good-looking, everyone wants to f*ck them, but not after getting mind-f*cked by their delicate, yet sophisticated music.
Cover of Bruiser and Bicycle’s latest release, ‘Woods Come Find Me’
-Drew Wardle
Stay tuned for the rest of the top 10 of 2022, to be published over the course of the next few weeks one at a time! Is your band one of top 10? Nah, you suck. Don’t take it personally, my band is way worse.
Times Boredom 