The Kingston music scene is about to get its due. Get Your Rond Out! a compilation of Kingston-area bands, is set to be released by Dromedary Records on May 1, with an all-day record release party on May 2 at Tubby’s and West Kill Supply in Midtown.
“There’s a ton of great music here,” says Dromedary’s Al Crisafulli. “We thought a compilation and a big party might be a way to raise curiosity and get people to come out to see some of the bands right here in our backyard.”
The first thing you notice listening to Get Your Rond Out is that it’s almost irrelevant whether the 16 bands on the compilation happen to be from our area or not. The tracks are awesome; it’s a great listen all the way through.
“What stands out to me,” says Zac Shaw of Dead Unicorn, “is that even though it’s diverse in terms of genres, there’s a common thread in that Kingston bands really sound like they’re trying to break new ground. If there’s anything that defines a ‘Kingston sound’ for me, it’s being unapologetically original and intense. Even our quiet bands are pretty intense.”
“El Bordello de Europa” is a good example of that intensity, a hard-driving track with continental flair from the band Tiger Piss. “It was never really played out much live until recently,” says singer Lara Hope. “I remember reading an article about the rise of sex workers in Spain and thought that would be an interesting topic, hence … ‘El Bordello de Europa!’”
“Boxes” by Overheard is one of the more chilled-out songs on the compilation, largely acoustic with gently billowing harmonies. “It’s actually our oldest song,” says singer Erin Barth-Dwyer. “The parts all came together so effortlessly. It was sort of the first indication that we were capable of doing great things together.”
“Cell Division” by A Whole Nother is one of the few songs with a hint of synth. “The song always gave me a Joy Division vibe, and because our logo is a cell dividing in the process of mitosis, I thought ‘Cell Division’ would be a cool title,” says guitarist James Kwapisz. “The lyrics are about how we’re enmeshed in a continual cycle of life and death and rebirth, for better or worse.”
Overall, the compilation is decidedly guitar-based, which is not to say Crisafulli isn’t a fan of the wide variety of other types of music being generated in the area these days.
“The reality is this: I’m an old punk and Dromedary is a primarily rock-oriented label,” says Crisafulli, “but Kingston has a ton of overlapping scenes. That’s why the subtitle of the compilation is ‘An Incomplete Collection of Kingston-Area Bands.’ I want it to be completely clear that this record has a lot of really good bands on it, but it’s also just the tiniest segment of a much greater and exciting thing that’s happening in the Hudson Valley.”
One happily inclusive element you’ll find is that something like 50% of the voices are female, which is more than twice the national average for indie bands these days, so score another one for Kingston music.
The release party on May 2 features nine of the 16 bands, five at Tubby’s and four at West Kill Supply, beginning at 1 p.m. The shows are mostly staggered, so you can easily walk back and forth between the venues and catch every last one, or set up camp in one venue and see half of them.
“It’s so nice to have something that is rooted in the community,” says Kate Larson of the band Sweet Harm. “There are bands involved that I’ve known forever, and there are ones that are new to me. I’m glad we can be a part of that cauldron.”
Stacey Duval of West Kill Supply agrees. “What Al at Dromedary does is great,” she says. “Having an affordable day full of music in Midtown to donate to a good cause is something we are honored to be a part of.”
All profits from both the compilation and the release party are being donated to People’s Place on Broadway, which has the county’s largest food pantry, a pay-what-you-can cafe, a great thrift store and a bunch of other invaluable services for the community.
“Community is key,” says Marissa Carroll of the band Tiny Blue Ghost. “I think when we all come together for a common cause like this, things actually get done. People’s Place has supported Kingston for such a long time. The work they do is incredible, but like any nonprofit, they need funding to keep things in motion.”
Besides benefiting People’s Place, the compilation and release party clearly also help support a sense of cohesiveness within the Kingston music scene itself.
“We have been playing music in this scene for almost 20 years and have seen it ebb and flow,” says Kyle McDonough of the band King in Yellow. “Just like the land we inhabit, it’s fertile ground for this beautiful cross-pollination of ideas and sounds and techniques.”
Actually, it might be more correct to say scenes, plural, instead of singular.
“For such a small city, it’s really incredible how much music is being made and performed here,” says Lara Hope, who also books the music for Kingston’s O+ Festival. “There’s a punk scene, a metal scene, a jam scene, a noise/experimental scene, a queer-forward scene, a Balkan/world music scene, a honky-tonk two-step scene, all happening at the same time.”
When you look at scenes in other areas that have taken off, it’s not just the bands, but the synergy among a wide variety of elements within a given location that really gets things rolling: venues, labels, practice spaces.
“We’ve been renting a room at a storage facility in Midtown for seven years now,” says Erin Barth-Dwyer. “Actually, many of the other bands on this compilation practice over there. It’s a cool little ecosystem to be a part of.”
Hopefully, resources that help musicians, as well as other artists, will remain within reach.
“As rent prices increase, artists will be priced out of the area, so that’s certainly a concern for the local scene,” says Cory Plump, co-owner of Tubby’s, a major supporter of both local and touring bands who’s happy to be involved with the Rond Out show. “I’ve finally wrapped my head around the entire Hudson Valley being one big scene. I think it’s pretty good based on the population.”
For the moment, if anything, the scene seems to be on the rise, and there are other contributing elements, such as DIY Kingston on Instagram, started by James of A Whole Nother, that help with area booking, making it easier for new bands to jump in.
“Having toured the country several times, I can say the Ulster County music scene is now one of the best music scenes in the country, especially for its population size,” says Zac Shaw. “It’s always been good, but in the last few years, with all the transplants coming here with their money and their love of music, it’s basically like a musician’s paradise.”
Al Crisafulli would agree. “Dromedary has been putting out records since 1993, first in New Jersey, then for the last seven years in Kingston, where we hope to stay forever. We fell in love with Kingston because of the number of activists and organizers and artists here. It’s big enough that it acts like a city, but small enough that it feels like a community. It’s a beautiful place to be doing something like what we’re doing with Dromedary, because it’s so easy to get inspired by the incredible things everyone else is doing.”
Get Your Rond Out! featuring 16 area bands, will be available for purchase on May 1 online via Dromedary’s website, on CD at local record stores, or at the release party on Saturday, May 2, which kicks off at 1 p.m. at Tubby’s and West Kill Supply on Broadway in Kingston. Admission for the shows is a steal at five bucks, but since all the proceeds go to People’s Place, you’re free to donate more if you can.
Track list:
Sweet Harm • “Golden Groove”
Wygalator • “I Totaled the Duster”
Overheard • “Boxes”
Miss America • “Always a Bridesmaid”
Doug Stoley • “Change Your Brain”
Dead Unicorn • “Used To Worry”
Dauber • “Dag Nabbit”
Hush Woods • “Burned it All”
The Grackles • “Gold”
Tiny Blue Ghost • “The Plunge”
Wilde Vier • “Cold Relay”
King in Yellow • “Chelsea”
A Whole Nother • “Cell Division”
TV Sleep • “The Flickering”
Tiger Piss • “El Bordello De Europa”
Midnight Dental • “You Take My Air”
Join the family! 
