One of the best ways to cool down after a disgustingly humid Saturday is with cold drinks at Albany’s Red Square, and on June 1st, it was even cooler with Boston’s Club D’Elf and the infamous Marco Benevento. Club D’Elf is notorious for having a jazz –infused, progressive rock, Moroccan sound which was enough to sell me on seeing their show for the first time while Marco Benevento is no stranger to me or Red Square.
The evening got off with a mellow and slow start with “Bass Beatbox”, gentle bells, easy beats from Dean Johnston and echoing riffs with each musician getting a feel for the crowd and space. I lingered in the back of the crowd to take in the sound of the music clashing beautifully together. I could hear Marco pounding on his keys while Club D’Elf sent out waves of creepy Middle Eastern flair. I was pulled closer to the stage by the hypnotizing electric guitar riffs in “13/Gijro” and strong rhythm of the drum set plus ever growing bongos in “Hegue”.
Being closer to the action gave me a deeper appreciation for the artists who kept a constant exchange of smiles between themselves and the audience, plus a better look at instruments, some of which I have never seen before. Danny Blume takes credit for playing the biggest guitar I have ever seen and shredded the life out of it. While Mike Rivard handled the skinniest stand-up bass, switching back and forth to an electric blue guitar, giving the music a heavy dub/reggae sound. Benevento played what must have been every note on his piano and keyboard, all with great fire and recklessness throughout the night. “I Wish I Was in Heaven” and “Sidi Rabi” as the encore, brought out intense vocals from Brahim Fribgane and exotic sounds from his stringed Lutar.
The sound of the evening could be summed up as a “Bob Marley meets crooked Arabian Nights meets downtown Jazz club” mixture. With everyone playing together, it was true Frankenstein of a band, complete with bizarre instruments and monstrous songs that left me with confused, delighted terror and amazement.
The show is available for a free listen and/or free download, thanks to Ed Guidry. Remember to tip your tapers folks and to catch Club D’Elf at the Disc Jam music festival and The Lizard Lounge in MA on July 12th and 26th. Marco Benevento can be seen at Equifunk festival on August 17th Upstate New York.
Setlist: Bass Beatbox, 13/Gojiro, Hegue, As Above, Mogador, Zeed Al Maal, I Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down, Instar,
Syracuse’s Westcott Theater and Albany’s Red Square open their doors to a modern experimental supergroup Friday May 31st and Saturday June 1st as Club D’Elf is accompanied by organist and composer Marco Benevento, of the critically acclaimed Benevento/Russo Duo. Club D’Elf defies convention and classification, as they draw on influences from electronica, jazz, dub, progressive rock and traditional and world music.
Led by bassist/composer Mike Rivard, the Club D’Elf “club” is designed to be a constantly evolving and revolving musical brotherhood, regularly rotating members, hosting superb artists and incorporating new sounds. Club guests have included legends John Medeski and Billy Martin of Medeski Martin and Wood, the hip hop/jazz crossover artist DJ Logic, Marc Ribot, Skerik and of course Marco Benevento. These uniquely gifted talents keep Club D’Elf fresh with new ideas and spontaneity. This isn’t Mike Rivard’s first rodeo either; Mike brings his experience laying down grooves for big names such as Morphine, Aimee Mann, G Love and Jonathan Brooke among others. Club D’Elf’s sound grows out of this rhythmic root, past tradition and custom, into the cosmos. Who knows where listeners may end up when Marco Benevento’s graceful piano melodies dance over Mike Rivard’s deep, thuddy Morroccan trance bass lines? No matter where you end up, this show is sure to keep your mind fed and your body grooving.
Tickets are $15.00 at the Westcott Theater and the show starts at 10pm. At the Red Square the show is $12 and $15 at the door, show starts at 8pm.
The boys of Timbre Coup always bring a large crowd whenever they play Albany venues, and building off that following has led to a great reception for Mister F, the new project/collaboration of Ben Pickering, Andrew Chamberlaine and Matt Pickering of Timbre Coup and Scott Hannay of Capital Zen. They brought Fikus to Albany on May 4 at Red Square.
It was a pleasant surprise to see that a band as collaborative in nature took on a new life outside of both respective bands. All members brought such a high level of talent and energy that it would be seriously difficult to go wrong with this mash up. Although there certainly exist hints of both Timbre Coup and Capital Zen, it was a completely different show and a completely different experience. This is clearly not just a side project for any of the boys, but instead an opportunity to try something outside of what we are all so accustomed to in Albany.
Scott Hannay on the keys brought an electro feel to the organics of the bass and guitar. It is a perfect mix of organic and synthetic, man and machine. One of the highlights of the night was when Matt abruptly yelled into his microphone “Well, obviously we have a rapist in Lincoln Park,” in which the band responded which a hilarious rendition of Antoin Dobson’s “Hide Ya Kids, Hide Ya Wife.” I was truly unaware that you could actually turn such a ridiculous YouTube sensation into a well composed song. As always, Matt did not cease to impress on the drums with his fast paced beats; the rest of the band followed in step to create phenomenal jams.
Although some of their past work has been faster paced with ripping guitar solos, it seemed they all shared the stage in an equilibrium within each jam. The experience was absolutely different than any band on the scene. There is certainly no single genre that Mister F would fall under, as they clearly have made it an art of incorporating all talents and reaches of music to compose hardwired songs that will keep you dancing from start to end. Each individual is so passionate about the music they create that each song reaches new highs and lows in every measure. You can catch Mister F at Upstate Spring Revival May 10-11, Strawberry Jam May 19th, Disc Jam June 14th, and The Big Up Music festival August 8-10th.
Setlist: Deal Breaker, 11, Everything You Say, Bed Intruder> Vocoder, Busters Revenge, Hedgehog> J> Hedgehog, Canned Heat, Jump the Shark . Download the show from Archive.org
Fikus, a Bergen County, New Jersey based band headlined the night, and although they were named after an obscure Phish song, their show rivaled Mister F’s set. For a nonstop 90 minutes, Fikus played a tremendous selection of songs, ranging across the prog-rock and electronic spectrum. The quintet produced incredible dance numbers, such as “Latin” that had a distinct Latin-flair to it, before getting spacey in a Brian Eno-style of ambient jamming, before returning into a Moog-heavy shred fest, grinding through the jam and coming out the other side with an audience ecstatic at this distinct sound emanating from the confines of Red Square.
Jams were stretched out from a prog-rock base that grew and developed into even deeper cuts, ala “Jim Jones”, as Fikus’ own plane of progressive jamming melded into “Nightwalker”. The audience were headbanging as the band cranked out fully synced rock that, bringing them into a wholly new section of improve with a distinct 80’s flair. “Cool Refrigerator” turned the tempo down as Pete Kozak sang acapella as Jon Schmarak provided a piano interlude, before the full band joined in for yet another slamming number that swayed the dancefloor, populated with a solid crowd of late-night revelers intent on bringing Cinco de Mayo in with cheers for mas y mas. The swinging encore “Tempest” elevated the crowd past 2 a.m., building the anticipation for another return to Upstate New York later this summer, if not sooner.
Tequila shots were requested and enjoyed during the night, making this twin-bill of fantastic improv-heavy bands a perfect highlight for the warm nights ahead this summer.
Setlist: Somethin’ Stanky > Latin, Jim Jones > Nightwalker > Dingo , Cool Refrigerator
Alan Evans Trio head to Upstate New York in mid-April for a trio of shows in Syracuse, Buffalo and Albany, April 17-19. The band, which features Alan Evans from the legendary soul jazz trio Soulive, brings their refined blend of rock, blues, R&B/soul and funk grooves that send the listener on a cosmic journey. Music fans of all types will be rewarded with an experience that embodies the record-producing, drum-playing Alan Evans’ personal musical vision.
Alan Evans Trio features Alan Evans on drums, Beau Sasser on organ and Danny Mayer on guitar. The tour continues to Buffalo, Albany and then head to North Carolina for four dates and closes with a date in Atlanta, GA.
Get tickets for the show here and visit The Westcott Theater’s website here for more information on upcoming shows in Syracuse! The Monk, a 5-piece band from Syracuse, NY will be opening the Westcott show, a dynamic group with a fusion of Funk, Rock, R&B/Soul, Latin, Hip-Hop and Dance music.
Tickets for the Buffalo and Albany shows can be picked up here.
Dopapod is in the midst of a huge tour and made three stops in Upstate New York last weekend including at Red Square. Here are recaps, videos and photos of shows in Albany, Syracuse and Rochester.
Red Square, Albany, February 28th
Review by Pete Mason
Red Square in Albany kicked off the first of three incredible nights of music as Dopapod swung through Upstate New York with Big Something from Burlington, NC in support. The opener was a new sextet to visit the region and slayed with a great cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” and uniquely incorporated an instrument I had never seen before, an EWI (an acronym for electric wind instrument), into the show without overshadowing the rest of the music. These guys are worth finding at a festival this summer or the next time they make it to Upstate NY.
Having played with Dopapod at The Big What Festival in North Carolina, the two bands found solid support and kinship on the road. They have a good core sound and layer each instrument on top of one another, leading to thick and complicated jams that ignite the dance fuel in the crowd.
It has been great to see Dopapod grow and develop in the past few years, exciting fanbase no matter where and when they play. With a new lighting setup, Dopapod played to a packed house, tearing through old songs and a pair of new tunes, including “Like a Ball”.
“Braindead”, off Redivider,was hit with the industrial stick and spiced up a notch. The crowd, 20s-30s for the most part, was full of folks getting down to the set, especially when songs meandered off into the oblivion of improvisational bliss. “Carolina”, a slow rumba if I ever heard one, filled in nicely before the debut of “Priorities”.
Dopapod also announced that night that they would be playing Saturday May 11th at The Spring Revival in Lyons NY, hosted by ‘s own HerbyOne and State Wide Music. There are other area festival appearances this summer, some still yet to be named, but one that is announced is one of ’s favorite’s, Backwoods Pondfest, located in Peru, NY near the Ausable Chasm. Catching Dopapod is entering another world of jam music, one that combined the best of progressive rock and electronic beats for some heavy duty performances. They are one you don’t want to regret missing.
Setlist: FABA, Like A Ball, French Bowling, New James, Sonic > Braindead, Off The Cuff, Ellemenno > The Chocolate Drum Machine > Carolina, Priorities > Tequila* > Priorities, Bahbi
E: Nuggy Jawson, Trapper Keeper^
*impromptu cover; Rob quoted the first Ninja Turtles movie twice
^dedicated to Jason Gibbs for becoming the new Pope… No one thought it was funny.
Photos by Andy Hill
The Westcott Theater, Syracuse, March 1st
review by Quinn Donnell, photos by Kevin Burke
As Dopapod spent their weekend touring through Albany, Syracuse, and Rochester, the four-piece experimental funk-rock group surely experienced a number of similarities associated with playing shows in Upstate New York. On Friday night in Syracuse, however, an audience dominated by Syracuse University students provided a unique experience for the band. Joined for the first time this tour by The Manhattan Project, a Rochester-based duo whose synth-led jams put the Westcott Theater’s crowd in the perfect mood for a night of groovin’, Dopapod headlined an evening of great jams and great times.
As the Manhattan Project concluded their opening set, audience members who had spent the beginning portion of their evening either at the bar or hula hooping away from the dance-designated pit came together in front of the stage for a performance from their favorite electro-jam band. After a nearly ten minute intro involving beams of light and slow, monotonous bells, Dopapod took the Westcott’s stage. Juxtaposed with their mellow introduction, the band’s opening song, “Bubblebrain,” involved delay-heavy guitar riffs and a booming, tribal-like drumbeat. As Dopapod’s set progressed, their experience as performers who have played over 150 shows every year for the last three years, became apparent. The crowd found its groove and danced under flashing lights with glow-in-the-dark accessories. Playing a cover of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know,” Dopapod concluded their set to appreciative applause from the audience. As Dopapod continues to tour throughout the country, a future stop back in Syracuse would be greatly appreciated. Check them out in Ithaca on April 23rd.
The Upstate NY Dopapod run continued Saturday with a nearly sold out show at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester. Local band Haewa opened with a scorcher of a set that showed they would not be an opener for long. Dopapod hit the stage around 11 pm for a long two-hour set filled with a nicely selected mix of new material, old songs and a spot on cover of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun complete with organ vocals.
Highlights included the aforementioned cover and an absolutely mind-bending “French Bowling” > “Brain Dead” pairing. The band left the stage around 1:15 am to an ear deafening roar and came back to reward the audience with a “Off the Cuff” cover with Fleet Foxes teases. An excellent performance by two bands with bright futures.
Setlist: Priorities, Black and White. French Bowling > Braindead, Black Hole Sun* > Present Ghosts, Sonic > My Elephant Vs. Your Elephant, Vol. 3 #86^, We Are Not Alone > Give It A Name Encore: Off The Cuff%
Red Square began filling up the moment the doors opened, with people from all over the Northeast eager to see the legend that is Russ Davies (Cinnamon Chasers). The night began with a bang as DJ duo PartyHorn took the front stage at Red Square spinning some classic disco remixes. The vocal samples were perfectly entwined with the light and whimsical beats these guys pumped out. Halfway through their set they busted out a fun rendition of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and the crowd couldn’t get enough. Partyhorn played in between every band to keep the energy high throughout the night.
Organik Time Machine took the stage back with a funky blend of jamtronic beats with the accompaniment of a female singer. It is very rare to see a female singer heading a band, especially for more that just a few vocal samples. It was definitely refreshing to see something different done so well. Each song created its own energy and permeated throughout the Red Square. The light show these guys brought with them was absolutely phenomenal and only further bettered their already amazing set. From the front of the bar I heard the opening chords to the Sound Tribe Sector 9 song, “Ramone and Emiglio.” I can honestly say this is the first time in my life I have ever seen a band cover a STS9 song and I was pleasantly surprised to see them do it so well. Then it was Digital Dharma’s time to shine. I was greatly impressed by how far these guys have come since the last time I had seen them live. The amount of energy and passion these boys pour into their music is evident the moment they take stage. Steve Mink tore up the heavy bass lines while Jess Radosti threw out some guitar riffs that were reminiscent to that of Jon Barber from The Disco Biscuits. Elliot Kershner used the synth as a vehicle to carry each song and jam to further and further depths. It was seriously flooring to see how far these boys have come since they first took stage two years ago.
At this point in the night Red Square was packed wall to wall and the excitement was eminent as Cinnamon Chasers got ready to take stage. Cinnamon Chasers is a side project of Abakus’ Russ Davies (son of legendary Dave Davies of The Kinks) infusing electronic and disco to make a master mix for a serious dance party. Cinnamon Chasers played well into the early hours of the morning with the high energy crowd doing their best to keep up. Some of the samples and remixes included Bill Withers’ “A Lovely Day” and The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah.” He also pulled out many song from his album Dreams and Machines, including “Flash gun,” “Hyper waves” and “Have I Said Something” . The entire set was filled with an outrageous amount of energy from both Davies and the crowd. For the encore he played “Night Walker” and “Diametric.” I left Red Square almost delusional from the exhaustion of dancing for five hours straight but needless to say, completely content. Truly an amazing show by all artists involved.
This past Friday, Adam ‘Shmeeans’ Smirnoff of Lettuce brought his Expanded Consciousness to Red Square in Albany for what was a very-anticipated show for many, to say the least. The crowd was deep and focused on Smirnoff, Craig “Butter” Glanville on drums, bassist Chris Loftlin and Blind Boys of Alabama keyboardist Pete Levin, and got progressively louder as the jams grew and grew.
Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff
What started out as small aural-seedlings from the band grew in to fully formed jams that were mostly improvised pieces that lasted 10-15 minutes at times. This was a treat for 90 minutes or so, with Shmeeans leading the others into jazzy explorations that meandered all about the jam-session spectrum. Check out eight separate tracks from the night, and be sure to check out Shmeeans and The Expanded Consciousness at The Putnam Den on February 28th, plus an interview with Shmeeans.
I first became aware of Dopapod when I downloaded a show of a band with the funny palindrome name. They had a good sound, a bit heavy for me at the time, but they also did a killer cover of Daft Punk’s “Robot Rock,” a band I have been a fan of since college in the mid-90s. While that cover hooked me, it was the originals and the improv that kept bringing me back. When plans for a book release party for PhanFood came together in the fall of 2010, Nectar’s in Burlington was the venue and Dopapod just happened to be the main act of the night. A couple of emails between band manager Jason Gibbs and myself and the band was happy to help promote the book release, and led to a packed house for both the release and the show. At every festival since and every opportunity throughout, I’ve seen Dopapod continue to grow at an exponential pace. Nearly a studio album a year, plus a heavy touring and festival schedule has made Dopapod a sought after act that is spreading quickly from their Northeastern base. Upon the release of their most recent album, Redivider, we sat down with guitarist Rob Compa and drummer Neal ‘Fro’ Evans of Dopapod to talk about their roots, what lies ahead, and what’s up with the palindrome band name and album titles.
Pete Mason: How did the band first come together? Who knew each other and when and where was the first gig? Any memories of that first Dopapod moment?
Rob Compa: The band started with just Eli (Winderman) and our friend Michelangelo Carubba as a keys and drum duo. My first show was at a little sports bar in Boston called The Draft. I wasn’t in the band yet. I just came out and sat in because Eli and I knew each other from playing reggae gigs around town. The first moment when I really felt like we were on to something was at my first rehearsal in a basement in Allston. We had a jam and just trailed off harmonizing with each other and answering each other’s phrases. It was crazy, like we had the same musical vocabulary right off the bat. It took a while before we were comfortable enough to play off of each other like that on stage though.
Neal Evans: Before I was in the band, I asked Dopapod to play an after party that I was planning for my band Cashed Fools. The party never ended up happening, but Eli invited me to come to the festival that they were playing the next day (Heady Fest), and I asked if I could bring some percussion. Heady Fest was my first show with the band.
PM: You blend a wide degree of sounds among your catalog. What musicians have provided the major influences for each of you?
RC: I’ve been a huge Phish fan since I was a teenager. That’s the biggest one for me. I’m also really influenced by country guitarists, particularly Duke Levine and Jim Campilongo. And I studied a fair amount of jazz over the years; I don’t consider myself a jazz guitarist necessarily, but I learned enough of it to have some bebop vocabulary in my playing. I particularly love Django Reinhardt.
NE: I came from a heavy metal and progressive rock background; the first song I played on drums was Metallica’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls”. And Primus. Then I got into more funk and groovin’ stuff. I’ve always listened to a wide variety, but the heavy drums really got me started.
PM: Are there any new artists that you are listening to that are having an influence on you, or simply ones that you enjoy listening to?
RC: The Fleet Foxes have been a big influence over the last couple years. And Fro recently turned me on to Megadeth. Also, Tim Palmieri’s (Kung Fu/The Breakfast) playing has really had an impact on me.
NE: Jaga Jazzist and Snarky Puppy are my favorite new bands. They are musically amazing and very forward thinking. I’ve never heard anything like those two bands. Also Dub Trio is just super bad ass.
PM: What gear do you each use?
NE: I have a Yamaha Maple Custom drum kit, DW kick pedals, assorted hardware, cymbals from Sabain, Zildjian, Ufip, and Meinl, and Vater Fusion drumsticks.
RC: I use a Paul Reed Smith Hollowbody II that I love the shit out of. I pretty much only use that live, although I used a Fender Strat and Tele on a lot of the new album. My amplifier is an old Fender Vibrolux that sounds great. For pedals, I use a maxon OD808 and an Analogman King of Tone for my overdriven sounds. I’ve also got a delay, phaser, and a octave pedal on my pedalboard
PM: How have you found the EDM and electronic environment to be, considering that the scene is becoming quite large and almost super-saturated with talent?
RC: I like bands that use computers and click tracks to do the electronic thing. And I think it’s cool that music is changing and evolving with the whole DJ thing, even though that way of making music doesn’t really resonate with me, personally.
NE: There are some that I like and some that I don’t care for. As long as its originality is clear, I’m usually into it. I love hearing sounds and grooves that I have never heard before.
PM: What do music festivals provide to bands as they are growing, and how do the fans benefit from acts like Dopapod playing festivals on a regular basis?
RC: Festivals are awesome because it gives bands a chance to to be heard by tons of new people who might not have ordinarily gone out of their way to take the chance on the band. And, it gives people the chance to discover new bands.
NE: Festivals are great for helping a band gain a following in the greater area of the festival. Most festivals have a large local attendance, so when we come back to the area, there will be a lot of people who first saw us at the fest. There is definitely a large growth of electronic music at festivals, and a lot of fans express their gratitude for keeping the live band element strong at festivals. And we like to do fun special things at festivals, because they feel like special gigs. Our festival sets usually have some fun surprises that may not happen at a club or venue.
PM: Branching out from the Northeast, you have recently dipped into the Southeast and Midwest. How have you found the experience entering new markets, with only word of mouth to precede you?
RC: It feels great to play a market for the first time and already have people there excited for the show. It’s encouraging. At the same time, going to different parts of the country and playing for smaller crowds is very humbling. It’s important for us to remember that we still have a lot of work to do.
NE: It’s always fun to go to a place you have never been before for the sake of playing music. Some new markets do well, some not so well, but we will just keep at it. We have seen steady growth just about everywhere, which is a great feeling.
PM: How has the reception been from fans in these parts of the country?
NE: So far so good! Gaining many fans and street teamers all the time, and getting a lot of support from people in the new areas.
RC: It’s been awesome, all around. Even if a show isn’t necessarily packed, people always seem to have a great time. Crowd size matters not.
photo by Andy Hill
PM: Was there a moment for each of you where you were playing a show or on the road, and the thought crossed your mind, “Wow, I can totally see myself doing this for a living!”
NE: I think that happened for me when the first time I played a drum set.
RC: I think we’ve all felt that way the whole time. None of us really have any doubt that this is what we want to do.
PM: One burning question that I’ve had is the use of palindromes, both the band’s name and each album title: I saw live Dopapod evil was I, Drawn Onward, Radar, and the latest, Redivider. Did the band name come first, then palindrome album titles, or was that sort of the plan all along? Can that well ever run dry?
NE& RC: ?yrd nur reve llew taht naC ?gnola lla nalp eht fo tros taht saw ro ,seltit mubla emordnilap neht ,tsrif emoc enam dnab eht diD .redivideR ,tsetal eht ,radaR , drawnO nwarD ,I saw livE dopapoD eviL waS I :eltit mubla hcae dna eman s’dnab eht htob , semordnilap fo esu eht si dah ev’I taht niotseuq gninrub enO
PM: Regarding Redivider, the album is a fantastic mark of growth in the band and your best album to date. “Braindead” has a hint of Oysterhead, while “Bubble Brain” gives off a hip-hop feel, “Trapper Keeper” has one of your catchiest lyrics – they make for a powerful start to the album. What was the process behind each of these songs?
NE: Each song came together differently. “Bubble Brain” and “Trapper Keeper” were ideas that Eli had, and “Braindead” was written completely off of a guitar riff that Rob wrote.
RC: They were all different. “Braindead” seriously took like a year to write. It started with just the intro riff, which I brought to the band to jam over in rehearsal. And it became a finished piece very slowly. Eli wrote Bubble Brain on his computer, and we all learned our parts on our own, then rehearsed it and made some arranging changes. We started working on “Trapper” right before the Redivider sessions, and basically finished it in the studio, which was a cool new method for us.
PM: One song of note, “Vol. 3, #86” is not only a stand out, Nintendo-esque track, but also one of the more unique titles. Where did this one come from and how were the pieces of the song composed and melded into one final tune?
RC: Eli wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics after the music was written. I’ll give 5 bucks to the first person who can figure out where the title comes from.
PM: You’ve played all over New England and Upstate New York. What stands out for you when you go through New York and hit off Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, Ithaca and all points in between?
RC: Oneonta, NY is a standout. Some of our first shows were there, so we’ve got a lot of fans from there who’ve been with us from the beginning. That’s a really special place for us. Also I’m from Rochester, so I always enjoy playing there.
PM: Did growing up in Rochester influence your music playing in any way, either through school or the local music scene?
RC: Absolutely. While I was in high school, I did a bunch of musical extra-curricular things that challenged me as a musician, like pit bands and even an Irish band. I also played in a local cover band called the Earthtones, which taught me a lot about gigging and having a good attitude about playing with other people. After high school, I got really into an amazing local band called the Niche. Eventually, they sort of took me under their wing and let me sit in with them at shows. That was a huge influence for me and I still love their music to this day. Also, an early jazz based influence was a great local group called Doja. Their guitarist, Paul McCardle, is an amazing player and had a big impact on my playing early on.
PM: Got any favorite places to stop for food while in Upstate New York?
NE: Dinosaur BBQ, Alto Cinco in Syracuse and anything around Ithaca is great for hiking and chilling.
RC: Garbage Plates.
Dopapod plays Albany at Red Square on February 28th with special guest Big Something, March 1st at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse with special guests The Manhattan Project and The Greys, and March 2nd at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester with special guest Haewa. There will be Garbage Plates late night.
Adam ‘Shmeeans’ Smirnoff has played with Lettuce since their inception nearly 20 years ago in Boston, and has since branched out with The Expanded Consciousness, which includes Craig “Butter” Glanville on drums, bassist Chris Loftlin and Blind Boys of Alabama keyboardist Pete Levin. In advance of the shows, Adam sat down for an interview, where we talked Lettuce, the Boston music scene and a solid amount about the Knicks and the NBA’s undervaluing of franchises.
Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff
Pete Mason: You started out at Berkelee, like alot of the Royal Family Musicians, as well as members of The Slip, among others. What is it about the school that makes it such a hotbed for musicians like yourself and a launching pad for innovative jazz and improv groups?
Adam “Schmeeans” Smirnoff: Obviously Boston in general is a young college town and so you have an influx of all these people from around the entire world who are interested in improving their craft, whatever their craft may be. In Boston with Berklee, The New England Conservatory, all these other schools you have a lot of people with a lot of similar interests and the idea of growth. For me personally, I felt like I was coming from a high school in New York where I didn’t have that many people to play with and I was searching for people who had similar ideas and had similar direction, and I think that’s what Berklee School of Music in Boston gives you.
PM: What was your first interaction with Eric Krasno and the other members of Lettuce? Can you recall your first gig with the band?
AS: I can, I can recall all those events. My first interaction with Krasno was when we were 13-14 years old at the National Guitar Summer Workshop. I didn’t know that many people and Kras would sit outside with his friends and bust everyone’s balls, just like he does today (of course I’m saying that with love.) My first gig with Lettuce, there are two ways of looking at it: one, the ‘Caf show’ during the five-week program when we were 16, that might be considered the first Lettuce show, but not really. The first real show was in 1994 at Tufts University at the Wilson House set up by Noah Smith, another Hastings High School alumni, who was going to Tufts at the time.
PM: The Expanded Consciousness is one of the relatively new Royal Family acts to head out on the road. What sets the sound apart for your group and what can fans expect?
AS: Obviously, this is a much smaller group, as a trio or quartet. I think this is a much more open project and we’re currently still trying to figure it out. It really hasn’t developed into what it can become, but come check it out and be part of the growing process. The sound is more jammy and more funky, leaning towards longer jams and more improvisation, trying to really find the spiritual element as we play together as a unit.
PM: You have since played with Lady Gaga and Robert Randolph. How did each of those gigs come about and how long did you play with each group?
AS: Robert Randolph and the Family Band was my longest tenure, six years, and that came about from Tobacco Road. Robert Randolph opened for Lettuce at The Wetlands, they jammed and Krasno reminded Robert that I was around and took me out on the road with him. He introduced me to the whole world of sacred steel and I’ve been able to play with some of the most incredible sacred steel players in the world Aubrey Ghent, Roosevelt Collier, Chuck Campbell, Robert Randolph and Calvin Cook. I don’t know if you can get any higher playing on the plateau that sacred steel is on, and it has permanently affected me in my life and I really enjoyed that experience.
Lady Gaga was through Jeff Basker, the original keyboard player of Lettuce who played on the Outta Here album, and who just recently won a Grammy for Song of the Year (as a producer) for ‘We are Young’ by Fun. I did Saturday Night Live with her and her first Monster Ball Tour. I truly enjoy musically, our world, the jam world, a lot more than I enjoy the pop world. It was a fun, short lived experience, I’m glad I got the opportunity to do it, although I’m not sure I would do the pop world again, but it was an amazing experience to play with Elton John at the Grammys.
PM: How good is it to be a Knicks fan lately?
AS: (Laughs) It’s been a fun year, we’re in the final stretch here and we gotta turn it up a notch, there’s a lot of great teams in the NBA right now. Win or lose, I’ll be the Knicks #1 fan. Look out Spike Lee, I’m coming for ya!
PM: Having played festivals and shows around Upstate NY, what are your favorite spots to hit off when traveling through the state, whether they be venues, towns, restaurants, etc…
AS: I’m a huge fan of Woodstock. I used to have a friend who lived out there for no reason other than living out there in the trees and woods. I love all the little organic stores out there, feeling that not everything is commercialized and there are mom and pop places, which I really enjoy. There is nothing worse for a musician than traveling and seeing the same thing, the same stores, chain stores in every city.
PM: It breaks up the monotony traveling in Upstate?
Trey Anastasio Bandcomes to Albany on Saturday, January 26th, but the music doesn’t stop when Big Red leaves the stage. If you’re coming to town for the main show, stick around for three great late night options, all close by The Palace Theater. The Bayou is located a few hundred feet down North Pearl Street from The Palace while Red Square is on Broadway, a block east of North Pearl and about a 1/2 mile walk. A cab is recommended to get to Valentines.
Hot Day at the Zoo (HDATZ) is the quartet of Jon Cumming (banjo, dobro, vocals), Michael Dion (guitar, harmonica, vocals,) Jed Rosen (upright bass, vocals), and JT Lawrence (mandolin, vocals). Dion and Cumming are the band’s two main songwriters. Both, with distinctive personalities, offer enough stories to fill a catalogue of songs that are whole-hearted and full of sincerity. Add in Rosen, who’s technical prowess allows him to hold down the beat and push the music along, and Lawrence, who’s youthful energy and stellar musicianship fuel his strength in fulfilling each song’s missing piece, and the result is a band who humbly creates something bigger than any of themselves.
Rosen speaking about HDATZ’s live performance says, “Expect to see four guys up on stage playing their asses off and singing their hearts out.” All four members play with so much vivacity and vigor that an abundance of both baby powder to keep dry and superglue to prevent their fingernails from falling off is necessary. Whether they’re headlining or performing as special guest support for artists including The Band’s Levon Helm, David Grisman, Leon Russell, moe., and Hot Buttered Rum, HDATZ connects with their audience through their defiant high energy on stage. With improvisations that give songs new shape, signature arrangements of covers, and many special guests, concertgoers may expect to never see the same show twice.
The Brooklyn-based funk army known as Turkuaz “is like tossing a lit match into a dumpster full of fireworks” (bestnewbands.com). Their stage show combines influences from Sly and the Family Stone to Talking Heads into an explosive auditory and visual circus, a full-frontal assault on the senses. After multiple residencies at NYC’s Brooklyn Bowl, two blowout performances at Bear Creek Music Festival, and tours spanning the east and west coasts, Turkuaz has developed a reputation from NYC to San Francisco as the band that plays louder, faster, and harder than all the rest. Learn more at
Combining jazz, hip hop, funk, soul, and gospel, The Chronicles bring a unique sound that defies classification. Founded by upstate NY horn heavyweights, Bryan Brundige and Jeff Nania in October of 2009, The Chronicles have included and continue to feature the most talented up-and-coming musicians in the Capital Region. The Chronicles have been working hard to spread their music throughout the northeast with appearances at regional theaters like the New Hampshire Jazz Center and Proctor’s GE Theater. They have also appeared at major music festivals like Riverfront Jazz Festival, Tulip Festival, Bella Terra, African American Heritage Day, The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, The Big Up, and The BeatShot Music Festival. Albanyʼs alternative newsweekly, Metroland recognized them as “Best Jazz” in 2012, and in their 2011 “Best of the Capital Region” critic’s poll as the best in live hip hop with “jazz chops out the yin yang, and new tunes at their fingertips every time they pick up their instruments.”
While this is an after party, the music begins at 9pm. Formula 5 caps off the night, and they are a great up and coming jamband in Albany, with a great sound. Check out our interview with them.
Cost is $10 to get in but only $5 with a Trey ticket stub!
Alan Evans Trio features Alan Evans on drums, Beau Sasser on organ and Danny Mayer on guitar. The tour continues to Buffalo, Albany and then head to North Carolina for four dates and closes with a date in Atlanta, GA.
Pete Mason: How did the band first come together? Who knew each other and when and where was the first gig? Any memories of that first Dopapod moment?
PM: What gear do you each use?
PM: What do music festivals provide to bands as they are growing, and how do the fans benefit from acts like Dopapod playing festivals on a regular basis?
