Dopapod – Brooklyn’s hottest genre-melding groove rock experience – released their late February/early March plans today with the Road to Aura Tour, leading up to a two night run at Florida’s Aura Music & Arts Festival. Dopapod is touring off the release of their latest release Never Odd or Even (Check our review here).
The Dopapod tour kicks off Feb 25 in State College PA before heading into Buffalo New York for a Feb 26 show at the beautiful Tralf Music Hall. The ‘pod then heads south with dates in Tennessee, Kentucky, and both Carolina’s before hitting Aura on March 5-6.
Buffalo’s Aqueous have played 100+ shows for two straight years now up and down the east coast and throughout the mid west. That trend will continue this winter as the band continues to reinforce their fan base throughout the mid and eastern US. Upstate denizens will get several chances to see the fast rising groove rock band. Besides the previously announced Dec 18 show at The Hollow in Albany and NYE at Buffalo Iron Work’s – AQ will hit Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs Feb 7 (w/ legendary jam band Max Creek)and Jamestown on Valentines day. More NY dates are rumored to be in the works.
More info on all shows can be found on the band’s website. Check out the full list of 2014-15 tour dates below. Ticket’s for Aqueous’s NYE show are available here for 10$ pre-sale.
Aqueous Winter Tour
Dec 18 – The Hollow // Albany, NY
Dec 19 – The Wheelhouse // Narragansett, NH#
Dec 20 – Strange Brew Pub // Norwich, CT#
Dec 31 – Iron Works // Buffalo, NY*
Jan 22 – Cosmic Charlies // Lexington, KY
Jan 23 – Cosmo’s // Covington, KY
Jan 24 – Scarlet & Grey Cafe // Columbus, OH
Jan 29 – The 8×10 // Baltimore, MD
Jan 30 – Martins // Roanoke, VA
Jan 31 – The Broadberry // Richmond, VA&
Feb 3 – New Mountain Theatre // Asheville, NC
Feb 4 – Blind Tiger // Greensboro, NC
Feb 5 – Hot Spot // Waynesboro, VA
Feb 6 – Ardmore Music Hall // Philadelphia, PA+
Feb 7 – Putnam Den – Saratoga Springs, NY%
Feb 11 – Casa Nueva // Athens, OH
Feb 12 – Grog Shop // Cleveland, OH
Feb 13 – Jimmies Ladder 11 // Dayton, OH
Feb 14 – Shawbucks // Jamestown, NY
Feb 19 – TBD
Feb 21 – 123 Pleasant Street // Morgantown, WV^
Feb 25 – TBD
Feb 26 – Spot Underground // Providence, RI^
Feb 27 – The Stone Church // Newmarket, NH^
Feb 28 – TBD
Mar 6 – Tonic Room // Chicago, IL
%w/ Max Creek ^w/ Pigeons Playing Ping Pong +w/ Pink Talking Fish #w/ Mister F &w/ People’s Blues of Richmond *w/ Funktional Flow
Dopapod got a heck of a scare Friday night as their first set was ended prematurely by fire. Reports say that the fire started in one of the speaker cabinets and the venue was promptly evacuated. Thankfully it was quickly contained and no injuries were reported.
‘Pod was set the celebrate the recent release of their Never Odd or Even album (Check out review here) but only made it through one set before the show had to be ended. Fan’s were offered half price ticket’s at Saturday’s show in Philly as a makeup. The band – not missing an opportunity to show their keen sense of humor – started Saturday’s show with a cover of Jimmy Hendrix’s apropos “Fire”. Kudos to the staff and management at Gramercy for taking what could have been a very bad situation into a happy ending.
We told you this group was hot right?
Alex B posted this video to YouTube of Dopapod playing “Vol. 3 #86” which ended just before the fire started.
London’s Bush took the grunge world by storm in 1994 with the wildly successful Sixteen Stone and it’s successor Razorblade Suitcase which debuted at number one on Billboard. After an extended break up between 2002 and 2010 Bush came back with a revamped lineup and an extensive world tour. Now, having just released their 6th album Man on the Run (Oct 21) – it’s time to get back on the road.
New York sees two opportunities to catch Gavin Rossdale and crew – Feb 24 at The Best Buy Theatre in NYC and Feb 27 at Rochester’s Main Street Armory. Info on tickets as well as “meet and greet” and other VIP packages can be found here.
Bush 2014-2015 Tour
12/1/2014 Brady Theater Tulsa, OK
12/2/2014 The Pageant St. Louis St Louis, MO
12/3/2014 The Cubby Bear Chicago, IL
12/4/2014 The Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI
12/5/2014 War Memorial Auditorium Nashville, TN
12/8/2014 W Hotel Hollywood Hollywood, CA
12/9/2014 Fulton 55 Fresno, CA
12/10/2014 Sleep Train Arena Sacramento, CA
12/12/2014 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
12/13/2014 The Forum Inglewood, CA
12/15/2014 The Fillmore Charlotte, NC
1/30/2015 Nob Hill Masonic Center San Francisco, CA
1/31/2015 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA
2/2/2015 Municipal Auditorium Riverside, CA
2/3/2015 Marquee Theatre Tempe, AZ
2/5/2015 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
2/7/2015 Arvest Bank Theater Kansas City, MO
2/8/2015 Paramount Theatre Cedar Rapids, IA
2/10/2015 Myth St. Paul, MN
2/11/2015 Eagles Ballroom Milwaukee, WI
2/14/2015 Murat Theatre Indianapolis, IN
2/15/2015 Communities Pavilion Columbus, OH
2/17/2015 Stage AE Pittsburgh, PA
2/18/2015 The Sound Academy Toronto, Canada
2/20/2015 Oakdale Theatre Wallingford, CT
2/21/2015 Androscoggin Bank Colisee Lewiston, ME
2/23/2015 House of Blues Boston, MA
2/24/2015 Best Buy Theater New York, NY
2/27/2015 Main Street Armory Rochester, NY
2/28/2015 Starland Ballroom Sayreville, NJ
3/1/2015 Tower Theatre Upper Darby, PA
3/3/2015 The Fillmore Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD
3/4/2015 Ritz Theater Raleigh, NC
3/6/2015 House of Blues Myrtle Beach, SC
3/10/2015 Diamond Ballroom Oklahoma City, OK
3/11/2015 South Side Ballroom Dallas, TX
3/13/2015 Bayou Music Center Houston, TX
3/14/2015 Majestic Theatre San Antonio, TX
Upstate Phishheads can rejoice today as one of the most memorable shows the foursome has ever played in Western New York is released by LivePhish with beautiful sounding board quality from Darien Lake on August 7, 1993.
1993 was a time of change for Phish – transitioning from small theaters into larger amphitheaters and watching their fan base literally explode in size. The summer of ’93 contains some of the most memorable moments in Phishtory and this heater of a show from the then 16,000 capacity Darien Lake Performing Arts center was no exception.
Highlights include a ripping “Llama” opener, a radically non-standard “Mike’s > Groove” (w/ “The Sloth” taking the Weekapaug spot), and an ascent up Colonel Forbin’s mountain via the “Roller Coaster of the Mind”. This show is top notch from end to end – I should know, I was there and it was my phirst.
Taking a short drive down 90 into Massachusetts to Tanglewood Performing Arts Center in Stockbridge to see a show has become a popular ritual for many in Eastern NY. That tradition will continue next year with a 2015 early summer program filled with a variety of interesting opportunities.
Canadian Jazz pianist/vocalist Diana Krall will kick things off June 21. Diana – touring to support her 2014 Wallflowers release – has sold more then 15 million albums world wide establishing her as one of the top drawing genre acts of all time.
If a fireplace chat is more your thing – ubiquitous Prairie Home Companion host Garrison Keillor brings his traveling live show into town June 27. Featuring a constantly changing itinerary of up and coming musicians and seasoned vets the show will also be broadcast live for those that can’t make the in person experience.
For those in the market for a new drug, Huey Lewis and the News hit the stage June 27. Closing in on their 35th year together it’s rumored Huey and crew may have a new release out in time for the summer touring schedule. The band’s most recent tour celebrated the 30th anniversary of their Sports album. Who knows, maybe Umphrey’s will come sit in?
Some things make you scratch your head, and while the oddball pairing of crooner extraordinaire Tony Bennett and shock pop queen Lady Gaga looks relatively terrifying on paper – it works splendidly. The daunting duo will be performing cuts from their recent album of standards – Cheek to Cheek. Tickets for all aforementioned shows go on sale January 25 at 10AM.
Hartford, Connecticut’s The McLovins have announced four new tour dates including two visits to Upstate in Rochester and Saratoga Springs. The Superbad “hero” monikered group has grown at a furious pace since their debut in 2008 touring all over the US.
Saratoga Springs gets a visit at the Putnam Den Dec 5 w/ The Orwells providing support. This show is FREE. Fast forward to 2015 and you can catch the ‘lovin’ at Rochester’s Montage Music Hall February 21.
The band will also be working in some new lighting and video effects with lighting director Thai Guy. According to drummer Jake Huffman: “This tour we will have 3 lasers, lights, and a full projection rig with us and we are starting to dabble in video.”
In a sad announcement indeed, Alan Evans Playonbrother has announced they are going on an indefinite hiatus. Alan – a Buffalo native – is well known as the drummer/co-founder of the wildly popular Soulive.
Alan Evans Playonbrother
Citing an endless unfortunate string of vehicular expenses Alan released the following statement:
“I have a family to feed and bills to pay, just like everybody else. I need to focus on Soulive and my engineering and producing work to pay off the debt that has piled up through this series of van troubles. I have been investing everything I make with Soulive in Playonbrother and my studio. I have built two bands already, and Playonbrother is something I really wanted to work, and I was cool with not making money playing the shows while we were growing the audience, but this is a different matter and I can’t afford to continue this.”
“Without the fans’ support, we wouldn’t have gotten this far. It’s tough building a band, and I have mad respect for the young bands out there working the road. I have done that my whole life, and I am fortunate to have Soulive to focus on. Speaking of building bands, I have to give serious props to my manager, Tom Baggott, for his support and vision. He has showed over the years that he can pick winners, and his team at Hoplite have showed me what development strategy and dedication are all about. They are pros and they get it. More than anything, though, I want to thank Danny and Kris. These cats are serious players and they stuck with this. Dudes that good will definitely land on their feet, though, and I cannot recommend them enough. We have some great shows coming up and we’re going out on a positive note.”
The trio will finish work and release the music for what will be presumably their last release. While some previously scheduled November tour dates have been canceled, there are still a handful of chances in November and December to see this ridiculously talented band. Good luck Alan, Danny and Kris!
Alan Evans Playonbrother – Final Shows
11.14 | Bear Creek Music Festival | Live Oak, FL 11.21 | Gramercy Theatre | New York, NY with DOPAPOD
11.22 | Pearl Street Club Room | Northampton, MA 12.04 | Montage Music Hall | Rochester, NY with SPIRITUAL REZ
12.06 | Keswick Theatre | Glenside, PA with TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND 12.05 | Funk N Waffles | Syracuse, NY
12.08 | Count Basie Theatre | Red Bank, NJ with TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND
12.09 | Bryce Jordan Center | University Park, PA with TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND
12.10 | The 8×10 | Baltimore, MD – very special show featuring one original set and an additional set dedicated to the music of CREAM!
12.11 | Carpenter Theatre | Richmond, VA with TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND
Big Bank Hank, original member of the legendary hip-hop group The Sugarhill Gang passed away today due to complications from cancer.
The Gang is best known for perhaps the most eponymous and appropriately named rap tune of all time: “Rapper’s Delight” – which was featured in countless movies and the first tune of the genre to crack the Billboards top 40 chart (in 1979). Hank was 57.
Co-founders Wonder Gee and Master Mike released a statement on the passing:
“So sad to hear about our brother’s passing. The 3 of us created musical history together with the release of Rapper’s Delight. We will always remember traveling the world together and rocking the house. Rest in peace Big Bank.”
We send our deepest condolences to Hank’s family and friends.
After consuming Dopapod’s fourth studio effort Never Odd or Even a few times I started to feel a kinship with that moth lead guitarist/vocalist Rob Compa sings about in “Present Ghost” – the albums lead track. Unlike most releases of late, it ruled my brains mental music player for days without rest. End to end the 9 (+1 hidden) track piece has no dead air, no filler, no bathroom songs and more peaks and valleys then the beautiful Upstate NY terrain. This is music that goes beyond simple listening and invites your other senses to an emotion filled rager (w/ free tequila!). It’s happy, sad, spooky, mysterious, and ecstatic all in one prettily packaged jewel case.
“Remembering is everything! Everything! Everything!”
The ‘pod’s music, like many of their peers, is impossible to pigeon-hole into any sort of simple description . This is genre-non-biased music by definition – a conglomeration of every influential mentor on four musician’s lives. Like Mr. Compa says – remembering is everything – to transcend ones predecessors one must appreciate their crafts in their own original way. Influences are rife throughout N.O.O.E – the “Empty Spaces” (Pink Floyd) like breakdown in lead track “Present Ghost” – the Zappa like guitar and organ harmony in “Like a Ball” – the Cream sludge rock bookends on quite probably the world’s only honky-tonk jazz instrumental: “Hey Zeus (Que Pasa)”. Even Hollywood gets a nod here with the Poindexter infused peaks of the aptly titled “Nerds” which – beyond an amusing spoken part – only contains the repeated lyric “No words”.
“They just don’t like sing that much, there’s like no words”
It would be remiss of me to exit this review without mentioning the absolute high point of an album full of them. Track 4 – the mysteriously titled all instrumental “FABA” – takes back the sadly overused word “epic” to its original meaning. Despite containing elements of jazz, funk, rock, and electronica this nine minute piece is closest to a classical composition – as if Mozart and Anastasio smoked a giant blunt and made a hippie opus for the ages. Put simply – it fucking rocks. All of it rocks, get on this album, it’s the best 10$ you’ll spend this year.
Dopapod – Brooklyn’s hottest genre-melding groove rock experience – released their late February/early March plans today with the Road to Aura Tour, leading up to a two night run at Florida’s Aura Music & Arts Festival. Dopapod is touring off the release of their latest release Never Odd or Even (Check our review here).
