Upstate

After 15 years, three records, nearly a dozen former members, and one name change, Upstate could almost seem unrecognizable were it not for the constancy of their songs. Original members Melanie Glenn, Harry D’Agostino, and Mary Webster have been writing and playing music together throughout all the upheavals in the band and their lives. It’s their shared dedication to writing songs of lasting value that has persisted across all the changes to their sound. When Dylan Mckinstry finally joined the band in the years of the COVID pandemic, his enthusiasm for that commitment made it the band’s lasting cornerstone.

On their upcoming Abalone, Upstate draws on the best of what has marked the band in all its many eras. They showcase a broad range of sounds and styles from across America’s musical landmarks, from the Hudson Valley to Laurel Canyon and back again (with a few detours to Muscle Shoals). They revive their noted three-part harmonies, this time with McKinstry adding a male voice to the mix. And most importantly, they bring an even more seasoned dedication to writing and performing songs of lasting value.