Upstate

It takes good soil, and good seasons, to bear good fruit, and Upstate has had its plenty. The band sprung up in New York’s legendary Hudson Valley, set in the middle of a thick American musical heritage. To their inland West was the Ashokan reservoir folk tradition, and across the river to the East the legacy of Pete Seeger and the Clearwater. Just north of them was Woodstock and Big Pink, and all the treasured inheritance of Bob Dylan and the Band. Just south was Tony Falco’s famed venue the Falcon, a refuge and respite for some of the most venerable jazz legends like Sonny Rollins or Joe Lovano. From the first, Upstate drew liberally from everything each corner had to offer.