Fast-rising prog rockers Epic Tantrum is pleased to announce the first annual Epic Fest, a two day celebration of music and art – taking place on September 10 and 11, 2021 at Sharkey’s Event Center in Syracuse, New York. Visit epic-fest.com for more details, and visit showclix.com/event/epic-fest-syracuse to purchase tickets.
“It has always been our goal to play shows that are more than concerts, we want to create events, we want to see music and art showcased, and that is why Epic Fest was created,” said bassist Greg Ross, Epic Tantrum.
Epic Fest will feature national touring bands YYNOT, Ethan Brosh, PAKT, and Epic Tantrum as well as iconic photography from Mark Weiss and cover art of the legendary Ioannis from DangerousAge (both will be displaying their art both nights), while Bass Magazine is one of the evening’s sponsors. PAKT features Alex Skolnick of Testament and bassist Percy Jones best known for his work in jazz fusion group Brand X. YYNOT started as a RUSH tribute band featuring the incredible bass playing of Tim Starace. They have since added their own material and built up a large devoted following. Also appearing will be acclaimed guitar shredder Ethan Brosh, who Guitar World described as “The young guitarist combines a deep musical knowledge, the ability to seduce listeners with catchy melodies and a style that makes this up-and-coming talent shine.”
Ioannis has designed over 175 record covers, and singles, for such groups as Deep Purple, Allman Brothers, Blue Oyster Cult, Dream Theater, King Crimson, Bob Weir, Extreme, UFO, Saga, and many others.
Mark Weiss is an American rock music photographer. His most widely recognized photographs capture the look and aesthetic of music and celebrity personalities of the 1980s. His work with publications such as Circus magazine and FACES helped establish Mark “Weissguy” Weiss as a name known for rock photography. Weiss has travelled the world photographing legends from Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, and Mötley Crüe to Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, and KISS. Weiss’s iconic images capture the artists onstage, backstage, and behind the scenes.
“Our goal is to build this into a yearly event that showcases some of the great talent in this area as well as bringing in national touring bands,” said Paul Ligner, guitarist, Epic Tantrum.
Epic Tantrum is comprised of members Peter – guitar, vox; Paul – guitar, vox; Greg – bass, vox; and Z – drums. The origins of the band started when Peter and Paul began recording instrumental classical guitar pieces. They enjoyed working together and decided to write and record original material in Paul’s studio, known as The Strangers Room. Inspired by the creative process of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, the two wrote songs and tinkered with them until they were satisfied, at which point they brought in friends to round out their recording sessions. Paul’s longtime friend Z joined the band as the drummer. They named this collaboration Epic Tantrum, and recorded a demo entitled “31st and Mary”. Over the next few years, they continued to write and record material – but the goal of a full band remained elusive. In 2016, Greg joined the band as bassist and the hard work of finishing their debut album kicked into full gear. Epic Tantrum started playing live in 2017 and has already shared the stage with national recording artists such as King’s X.
Epic Fest Night 1
YYNOT – Tribute to RUSH
Epic Tantrum
The Ethan Brosh Band
Jade Miori
Epic Fest Day 2 – Day
Ethan Brosh guitar clinic
Alex Skolnick and Percy Jones guitar and bass clinic
Epic Fest Day 2 Night:
PAKT
Epic Tantrum
WAGNER 3000
Opening band 1
More about PAKT:
PAKT is a supergroup that is made up of fretless bass guitar icon Percy Jones, guitarists Alex Skolnick and Tim Motzer, and drummer Kenny Grohowski. Welsh bassist Jones (a New York resident) is known for his tenure in the jazz fusion group Brand X, as well as extensive studio work with Brian Eno, Suzanne Vega, and David Sylvian. Skolnick is best known as the lead guitarist in the thrash metal band Testament; he went on to freelance work, playing jazz with his Alex Skolnick Trio, and experimenting with World Music and Progressive Rock. Grohowski is one of the busiest drummers in business, and his recent associations include John Zorn, Brand X, Imperial Triumphant, Kilter, Felix Pastorius & Hipster Assassins, John Medeski, Lonny Plaxico, Tony Levin, Beledo, Markus Reuter, and many others. Motzer has a long background in free improvisation as well, including the bands Bandit65 (with fellow guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel) and Orion Tango, plus many other recorded collaborations for his 1k Recordings label.
More about YYNOT:
YYNOT is the coming together of award winning Guitarist/Songwriter/Producer Billy Alexander (John Waite, FEEL, Ron Blair-Tom Petty) and Florida based virtuoso bassist Tim Starace. In 2015 after seeing Bassist Tim Starace post videos of his mind-blowing and accurate Rush bass covers, Alexander approached Starace about forming an online collaboration. Alexander recruited then 19 year old Rocky Kuner after seeing her perform a jaw-dropping version of Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” while she was still in high school! YYNOT soon thereafter became an internet sensation by creating collaborative videos but have now developed their live show into a full concert-like experience, wowing audiences coast to coast throughout the United States. Their debut album and latest release ‘Resonance’ have garnered praise from the rock world including Prog Magazine and Classic Rock Magazine. The records have continued to sell in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Brazil and more. YYNOT has accumulated devoted fans all over the U.S. and abroad.
More about Ethan Brosh:
The Ethan Brosh Band is a national touring act. In addition to recording and touring with his own music, Ethan sometimes steps into playing for high profile musicians as a session guitar player who can replicate other people’s music in the most accurate way while adding lots of energy to it on stage. Ethan is also a teacher at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Ethan has issued several albums, and in 2018, Ethan released his 3rd studio record ‘Conspiracy’ after 3 years in the making. The album also features a guitar solo by Satchel of Steel Panther. Derek Riggs (Iron Maiden) is credited with creating the artwork and Max Norman (Ozzy, Megadeth) is credited as the mixing engineer.
More about Epic Tantrum:
Syracuse based Epic Tantrum released their critically acclaimed debut album, “Abandoned in the Strangers Room” in January of 2020. The release has been praised around the world for their first rate songwriting and stellar musicianship. “A perfect blend of prog and metal ”- Mike Portnoy, (Dream Theater…) and “this band is a force to be reckoned with” – Pete Pardo, SeaOfTranquility.org
More about Bass Magazine:
Bass Magazine is a digital publication with daily web and social media posts dedicated to being the leading light on the past, present, and future of bass. From in-depth artist interviews and revealing gear reviews to thought-provoking columns and insightful lessons, Bass Magazine is your daily destination for everything low end. Bass Magazine is brought to you by the team that created and ran Bass Player magazine for its first 30 years. For more information, visit www.bassmagazine.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:
showclix.com/event/epic-fest-syracuse
Epic Tantrum – epictantrum.com
Ioannis – https://www.dangerousage.com/about/
Mark Weiss – https://thedecadethatrocked.com/
