NYC based Snarky Puppy played their last hometown show of the year at the Watermark Bar and Lounge located at Pier 15 in Manhattan Saturday night. After Kung Fu got the pier rocking harder than the adjacent barges in the East River, Snarky Puppy wrapped the night up led by bassist/music director Michael League with eight other pups displaying their wide range of jazzy jams.
A cool wind blew in from the direction of the setting sun as Kung Fu opened the night with a wholesome set of funk. “We’re Kung Fu, and we’re here for you!” guitarist Tim Palmieri quipped early in the set to a huge applause.
Kung Fu
Clearly enjoying themselves on stage, the Connecticut quintet exuded an air of total confidence jamming for the Lower East Side crowd. Drummer Adrian Tramontano abused his set in the best way and bassist Chris DeAngelis was the heart of the funk. With bright orangey-pink rays of sun bouncing off the city skyscrapers, Kung Fu’s set concluded with grooving dual saxes.
Horny puppies.
As darkness set in, Snarky Puppy took the reins in spectacular fashion. Justin Stanton and Mike “Maz” Maher were in sync blaring out trumpet duets and sounded equally sharp taking turns soloing. Chris Bullock anchored the brass section for the night, playing a highly emotive saxophone into the unseasonably brisk city air.
The Brooklyn-based band, which formed in Texas in 2004, won its first Grammy earlier this year. “Something”, the fifth track off their 2013 album Family Dinner- Volume 1earned the award. The tune—an all-around hit— features velvety trumpeting, quaking bass, and a stirring performance by Lalah Hathaway on vocals. The recent success has helped launch the band to an all-time level with widespread critical acclaim, playing to audiences worldwide.
With the bright lights of the big city shining, Snarky Puppy transitioned seamlessly between blues, jazz, and soul. I strolled around the pier, soaking in the view of the Brooklyn Bridge in the foreground and the Manhattan Bridge behind it, connecting the boroughs. Thudding bass vibrations floated my way, and I couldn’t help but to snap and bop while walking.
The Brooklyn Bridge in background, stage left.
Robert “Sput” Searight and Nate Werth kept the beat on drums and percussion all night, changing tempo between slow R&B jams that would escalate into soulful clap-along funk. Cory Henry and Bill Lawrence split duties on the keys while Bob Lanzetti rounded out the Puppy-pack on the guitar. As a whole, the group showcased creative and well-rounded composition skills. Their ability to improvise equally adroitly places them at the top of their music game. Despite the chilly temperatures, Snarky Puppy followed Kung Fu’s lead and rocked NYC’s Watermark late into the night.
Waking up early on Friday, August 8th, the plan was to book it the three hours from Burlington, VT, to Hampton Beach, NH, check in to the hotel, then relax and regroup in the afternoon. My friend Chris and I started the day with high hopes and spirits. We had seen our favorite band, Umphrey’s McGee, last night, and we were going to see them again that night—and the following two nights. Our friend Sam, whom we had serendipitously met at the Catskill Chill Music Festival last year, had housed us in Burlington. With plenty of room to sprawl out the previous night and hot showers in the morning, all was well.
Then, we got to Hampton Beach.
The damnedest thing about checking into the hotel is, if one does not have a hotel, one cannot do that. As I drove in circles around the main Hampton Beach strip, Chris called every hotel, motel, and campground within a twenty-mile radius. With each “sorry, we’re fully booked,” our spirits sunk. Who would have thought that New Hampshire’s most popular beach town would be sold out of rooms on a midsummer Friday night?
After we regrouped over a couple IPAs, I decided it was time to take to the streets and visit some motels in person. For three hours, I walked up and down the strip, pulling out every trick I knew to lock down a room—and I’ve got tricks. Nothing. Not even a spot to pitch a tent.
Time to regroup again. I met Chris napping in the car. He had resigned to the fact that we were homeless in Hampton, and he would have to drive the five hours back home after the show. I was not giving up yet. I headed back to the strip again.
Instead of a room for the night, I came back with an earring. The decision was part deliriousness, part booze-induced, and part my friend Putty’svoice in my head: “if you get your nipples pierced, you can never lose your tits. It’s key for our type of music.” At least this we could laugh about today. (Un)fortunately, the piercer gave me a look of horror when I asked about nipples; I had to settle for knowing my left ear would not be blown off by the Umph-machine. This time back at the car, Chris woke with a chuckle. I still would not give up on the hope of getting us a room, and headed out again.
Next, I came back with Kris Myers. I noticed my favorite drummer hanging out in the parking lot and had to say hello. Not only is he the hardest working man in music, he may be the most genuine and friendliest. For fifteen minutes, Chris, Kris, and I talked about the previous night’s concert, the hapless hotel situation in Hampton, All In Time Productions, and our appreciation of music. Before going to prepare for the show, he asked, “Hey, how’d you guys like to hear ‘All In Time’ tonight?” Yes, please.
Kris Myers (r) and my blingin’ self.
Making it into the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom was a major relief. The venue—a very long, open room with the stage up front and bars in the back—had wooden floors that acted as shoe magnets when beer was spilled and feet were shuffling. When Umphrey’s started with a “Miss Tinkle’s Overture > Higgins > Miss Tinkle’s Overture” sandwich, all worries washed away. From the first note to the last, UM brought their hard rocking hats and fed off the excitement of the exceptionally raucous crowd.
During the first set, one of Kris Myers’ cymbals stood slightly out of reach. After a stagehand replaced it, Myers went out of his way to visibly thank him without missing a beat. After the band concluded a fiery version of “Little Gift” in the second set, there was an extra long delay. The crowd stomped, clapped, and yelled, and Myers sought me out, made eye contact, nodded, and shot into “All In Time”. The tune started off upbeat and, as always, the final stanzas were powerfully emotional and uplifting and had me nodding along in pure joy. With Bayliss wailing out the resonating words, “My blood, it boils with passions, they overflow from time to time, and I can see that when your eyes look down,” a perceptible oneness could be felt throughout the ecstatic crowd.
Although the oddly long shape of the room was not ideal for the lighting wizard Jefferson Waful, the indoor Ballroom allowed for a more spectacular light show than the previous night outdoors in Burlington. During “1348”, however, the boys on stage gave an atypically subdued shout-out to Waful—“let’s see light.” The tune turned into a fuzzy sandwich, with Umphrey’s showing off their vocal and musical ranges during “The Fuzz” and proving rock ‘n’ roll is still thriving with “1348” again.
Rock ‘n Roll
The energy of the room was palpable all night; before Cinninger—“The Man Who Shits Arpeggios”— went to town in “Making Flippy Floppy”, Bayliss pointed out “You guys are fucking rowdy tonight!” Umphrey’s stretched “Bright Lights, Big City” into an uber-long dance jam in the first set, which closed with crowd favorite “The Song Remains The Same”. While everyone danced hard, there was not a drop of ill will in the Ballroom; like most UM shows, if someone pushed you, it was to get you closer to the stage.
Apart from the aforementioned Zeppelin cover and a few other teases, the band played a delicious assortment of originals that spanned their illustrious sixteen-year career. From “KaBump”, which they’ve played live since their South Bend days in 1998, to “Proverbial”, which debuted at the “Nothing Too Fancy Music” label release party in May, the Umph-love was aplenty. The highlight may have come when they concluded the second set with “Mantis”. Joel Cummins—who “plays with the passion of an unbridled horse running down the beach”—hammered his keys emotionally and Andy Xanadu Farag—the “chode and the balls of the band”— transitioned between sections with the most beautiful chimes in music.
Unfortunately, there comes a moment in every UM show when you realize the end is nigh. The encore fittingly wrapped up with “Bad Friday”, and it was time to head home. Chris valiantly drove us the 260 miles back to New Paltz and our own beds.
On the bright side, of course, the run was only halfway over.
Setlist:
Set One: Miss Tinkle’s Overture > Higgins(1) > Miss Tinkle’s Overture, Made to Measure > Bright Lights, Big City, Mad Love, Kabump > A Go Go >Proverbial, The Song Remains the Same
Set Two: 1348 > The Fuzz > 1348, Making Flippy Floppy(2) > Little Gift, All In Time > Kula > All In Time, Preamble > Mantis
Encore: Mullet (Over), Bad Friday
This past weekend, my friend Chris and I jumped in the car to join our favorite band, Umphrey’s McGee, for an extra long weekend of rocking. For four straight nights in four different cities, our faces were melted with new and old friends alike. From the Adirondacks to the Atlantic, the Chi-town sextet kept the improg party raging all weekend. Thursday night, lighting guru Jefferson Waful duked it out with the sun setting in the Adirondacks behind Lake Champlain, and UM rocked Burlington’s Maritime Festival
There was no gurgling to open the string of shows—Umphrey’s started the set with a tight version of “Conduit” at 6:32 p.m. sharp. Having shown up a minute late, we joined the mass of fans rushing to the outdoor waterfront concert grounds. Before fully settling in, UM wrapped up “Conduit” and the deliberate and unmistakable opening notes to “Ocean Billy” rang out across the lake. Guitarist Jake Cinninger bared his mean face and started warming up. “Ocean Billy” transformed into a “Day Nurse” sandwich. The dirty “Nurse” in the middle inspired the first big dance party of the night. With plenty of open space in the park, friends shimmied all over the concert field, driven by thudding percussion and whaling guitars.
Between the epic vocal conclusion to “Ocean Billy,” and the sharp live debut of “No Diablo’s” album choruses, keyboardist Joel Cummins joked “for once, we get the beautiful view.” The sun rippled off the lake, sinking toward the distant Adironacks for the night. Cummins—known for his unsuccessful “Goldside” presidential run in 2012—was full of jokes in Burlington. Later in the show, he had to remind one eager fan curled in a tent, “This isn’t that type of festival, man, we can only play til 9:45!”
Jokin’ Joel Cummins.
The first mega-UMPHlosion of the weekend occurred during “Hurt Bird Bath”. A few minutes into the jam, Bayliss started shredding hard and Cinninger took up the challenge; the two guitarists stood stage-left, dueling it out with their axes. Kris Myers kicked the double bass into gear and Ryan Stasik set up front and center, foot perched on amp, sending out reverberating bass waves. Cummins and Andy Farag still rocked their dark black shades, looking and sounding as cool as ever through the heavy jam.
After a twangy “Mail Package,” Umphrey’s transitioned from face-melting to heart-melting mode during a beautiful rendition of “August”. The euphoric jam induced contagious smiles and had many shaking their heads and looking to the colorful summer skies in awe. The set wrapped up with a sing along of The Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” which left myself and plenty of other concert-goers with pleasantly wowed, deer-in-the-headlights looks. We staggered to the lakefront to reciprocate joy, recuperate from melting, and skip rocks towards the waning sun.
The second set started with the title track from Umphrey’s recently released eighth studio album, Similar Skin. Knowing looks shot through the crowd as the opening drum solo revealed the new hit. Like “No Diablo” earlier, “Similar Skin” stayed pretty true to the album version. Being the expert crowd-readers that they are, Umphrey’s transitioned into a heavily metallic “Go To Hell” as children laughed and kicked soccer balls, and retired couples nodded along from their lawn chairs.
Cinninger and Stasik jam in foreground with Myers on drums.
The sun had finally tucked behind the mountains during the set break, and, with the twilight hour at hand, the seventh member of the band could finally play too. As the sky darkened and Waful’s rig lightened, “The Bottom Half” provided the funk. Stasik peered out into the magnificent atmosphere, singing into an invisible mic. Conical yellows and prism blue lights spun and twisted around him and the rest of the band. Pinks and greens and oranges melded together, transitioning and moving with the flow of the music.
“Resolution” was another sing along (when terrifying monstrous noises weren’t wafting from Cinninger’s area supplemented by quickly flashing red lights) and Bayliss reminded “it’s 11:42 all day” as the crowd swayed to “No Comment”. The second sandwich of the night was “Plunger > Drums > Great American > Plunger”. Farag sparked the killer drum solo and Myers escalated it to a slamming duet. Someone must have let Stasik into the maple syrup, however, as he got a little antsy in his pantsy; he snuck back to Farag’s chimes and his overzealousness reminded us why Andy should be the only one allowed to chime in. They managed to pull it back together, playing the Elizabeth Reed’esque “Great American” during which the light show turned into a spinning snowstorm of whitish lights. The long jam came full circle, closing with “Plunger’s” vocals.
Farag ignites drum solo as Bayliss plays guitar.
A creepy, crawly, spacy version of “Dump City” closed out the second set and ignited a brief “We Want the Umph!” chant. It didn’t take long for the band to re-emerge for a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”. Everyone was elated to hear the familiar jam. What many may not have noticed, however, is that the concluding vocals to the evening came from Kris Myers perched back behind his drum kit. The raw emotion and power in his voice left me shaking my head in wonderment as the set concluded.
With that, the first leg of the run was complete. We had raged, and it was time to rest and then repeat.
In the end, Waful crushed the sun.
Set 1: Conduit, Ocean Billy > Day Nurse > Ocean Billy, No Diablo, Hurt Bird Bath, Mail Package, August, I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
Set 2: Similar Skin, Go To Hell, The Bottom Half, Resolution > No Comment > Plunger > Drums > Great American > Plunger, Dump City
“You’re the best trio in the history of music!” a zealous fan shouted between songs during Consider the Source‘s heavy rock set on Friday, July 25. Some whoops of agreement went up from the crowd of approximately 200 at The Hollow, a bar/concert venue on Pearl Street in Albany. No one disputed the claim.
CTS took the stage after Ampevene, a young local quartet, who showed that the future of rock is in able hands. They opened the night with a jazzy set of originals and a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Have A Cigar”. Ampevene played for nearly an hour before Consider the Source came on around 11, looking sharp in their white business linens. The crowd, which was energetic all night, moved up and in to get a better look at the Sourcerors in action.
Gabriel Marin was the first to melt faces during “You Go Squish Now”.
Guitarist Gabriel Marin
Marin slid his fingers gracefully up and down the top neck of his fretless guitar. Jeff Mann started the night with a pair of mallets rolling on the drums and John Ferrara—the Ferrari of bassists—came out slapping his 5-string. The trio showed their versatility immediately with a section of hard rock that became a Middle Eastern tango for three of four measures, then Mann’s double-bass drumming kicked the jam into metal before they transitioned back to jazz. Ferrara, semi-crouched, smiling, and slapping, faced Marin and the two dueled it out for the last-minute of the tune.
During “Abdiel”, Marin flipped a switch on his custom double-necked guitar and was suddenly playing a velvety trumpet solo. When he gave his fingertips a moment to cool off, Mann and Ferrara went back and forth, trading drum and bass solos respectively. Throughout the set, Marin manipulated trumpet, flute, banjo, and oboe-esque notes from his axe. The twenty-foot ceilings in The Hollow created great acoustics for Marin and company to jam in.
CTS blends a myriad of genres and influences into elegantly composed songs with unique movements and stanzas. The show in Albany was an epic instrumental journey, featuring the stunt guitar, bone-rattling bass, and Mann doing his best Animal impression on the drums. The set played out more like a unified rock opera than a dozen individual songs. “__/” (the title is a hand symbol), began with Ferrara soloing and cradling his bass like a baby, as his left hand flew up and down the neck and his right hand alternated between tapping and slapping. Marin and Mann joined in, as the jam had a pure rock feel to it and a grandiosity reminiscent of Umphrey’s McGee’s “All In Time”. While most of the ride was dark and spacey like “__/”, “Tihai For The Straight Guy” was a warm reprieve in the middle of the set.
“We’ve been all over the world,” Ferrara said at one point, “but we are right where we want to be tonight! You guys have so much energy!”
Bassist John Ferrara.
The front half of the venue was packed with wide-eyed and slack-jawed enthusiasts squished in to get a close-up view. When not induced into dancing, listeners stood on tip-toes trying to get a better look at the Sourcerors operating their instruments with surgical precision.
Toward the end of the set, Marin showed his mean streak during “I’ll Fight For The Imp”. He played with an apparently disgruntled attitude, punishing his guitar for unknown crimes. Most of the night, however, he looked like a violin savant fitting of the name Gabriel, fingering his custom guitar with deliberate movements of massive fingers. He shredded with a cool, calm composure, making intricate solos appear effortless. While he may be the most eloquent guitar player on the rock circuit, he may not even be the best string player in the band. Imagine the ’90s Bulls. Now, imagine them with LeBron on the team, too. You can debate either way which of Marin and Ferrara are Michael and LeBron. Mann—who reminded the crowd during the encore, “it’s Friday night; I want you to push that fuckin’ rock button!”—is unarguably Pippen, valiantly rocking the most under-appreciable position in music.
During the encore, the Sourcerors each showed their prowess one last time. Mann busted out his electric drum pad and Ferrara played a solo that incorporated classical plucking and heavy womping. Marin jettisoned his hat and, with his long golden hair flowing free, pumped out spacey laser sounds. The Hollow was rocking as Consider the Source proved that rock is far from dead.
Set list: Wandering Bear, Abdiel, Ninjanuity , __/, Tihai For The Straight Guy, Absence Of A Prominent Tooth, The Great Circuiting, I’ll Fight For The Imp, Keep Your Pimp Hand Strong
Pulling into the parking lot at Luna Light Festival in Barto, Pennsylvania, on Friday, July 11th foreshadowed the weekend ahead: clear blue skies were overhead, but an air of confusion hung about. Thinking we had made it to the festival, staff told everyone to unload their cars, park, and wait for a shuttle bus to take us to the actual festival grounds. No one seemed to know where the festival grounds really were, though.
After a five-mile ride on a yellow school bus into the woods, we were dropped on the side of a dirt road at Hex Hollow Farms. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, private residences sat on both sides of the road; behind one of those houses, the stage that would host Shpongle, Lettuce, and Keller Williams, among other artists, could be seen, evincing that we had actually made it to Luna.
Setting up shop turned into a free-for-all on a gently sloped and forested rectangular area that was adjacent to the main stage. Halfway down the length of the campground was the Wooded Stage, which became the late night haven after a last-minute late-night live drumming ban went into effect. Great music wafted from the stages all weekend but, with no physical schedules printed and no wireless signal to check online, it often took a bit of investigation to figure out who was providing the aural enjoyment.
As folks settled in Friday evening, L.A. based Particle took the Main Stage around 7 p.m. The band played an upbeat jamtronica set that had fans up and dancing. The quartet sent jams out on dark, spacey trajectories but, before transporting listeners out of the stratosphere, cranked up the funk, inviting everyone back to a space disco. Particle showed why they have been successful for so long, rocking the Main Stage in Particle-uarly groovy fashion.
The Main Stage was Shpongled next, as nearly all of the roughly 500 attendees came out to see Simon Posford play a DJ set. For roughly an hour and a half, much of the crowd sat on the lawn watching the psychedelic show and soaking in the transcendent music. Multiple sets of eyes surrounded by hypnotizing patterns were projected onto geometric prisms above the stage, lulling lookers into a contented daze that was meant to “open the third eye.” The music was also an entrancing ride; Shpongle mixed samples that transported listeners from a sensual cruise through a musical desert to a techno party to a tribal drum circle. The ambient sound and captivating visuals added up to a unique experience that can only be described as getting Shpongled.
The dearth of schedules was exacerbated by the fact that planned set times were often changing. Because of a missed flight, Kalya Scintilla, scheduled to play late night Friday, missed the festival. Jimkata switched to an evening set Saturday rather than late night due to the drum ban, and Manifested came on earlier than anticipated.
With or without a schedule, there could be no mistaking Consider the Source when they plugged-in and exploded in the Hex Hollow lean-to early Saturday afternoon. If you could not see the source of their music, it would be easy to assume there were 5 or 6 musicians on stage rather than 3: consider that. The fretless top neck of Gabriel Marin’s custom axe proffers sounds that could come from a trumpet, trombone, xylophone, and, at times, even the guitar. He seamlessly moved from a trumpet-guitar solo into a hypnotic, Middle-Eastern fusion into funk into jazz, playing both necks the whole time. On the bass, whether he was slapping with ridiculously fast in-your-face aggression or tapping with mind-boggling precision, John Ferrara is the best bassist many people have never heard of. Rounding out the trio, Jeff Mann did more than just keep time, which would be a difficult enough task with Marin and Ferrara. Mann changed time signatures on a dime, switching from metallic double-bass to snappy jazz beats. He supplements his full kit sound with an electric Roland drum pad, which he beautifully employed during a cover of the Nine Inch Nails song “Hurt”. Adorned in their typical full-length white linens, Consider The Source pumped out rock as pure and smooth as their outfits Saturday afternoon.
The end of CTS’s first set was overlapped by Pigeons Playing Ping Pong on the Main Stage. The funktastic Baltimore quartet, fresh off the release of their album Psychology, played an upbeat afternoon set. Ben Carrey grooved out rolling bass lines during their catchy original tune “F.U.”, which was smoothly cut into a cover of “I Feel Good”. Their tune “Julia” –imagine Simon & Garfunkel’s “Cecilia” with two talented guitarists playing rich, elated melodies– had the crowd beaming and singing along. Pigeons finished the set with guitarists Jeremy Schon and Greg Ormont leading a psychedelic dive down the green pipe into a reggae jam of the Super Mario Bros theme.
Manifested played the Hex Hollow stage following Pigeons. Along with the band’s manager Joe DeAntonio, guitarist Mike Rabito deserves credit for planning and producing Luna. Like the rest of the musicians he brought to the party, Rabito and his bandmates rocked hard. They played an impressive set of improg jams before The Heavy Pets took the Main Stage. The South Floridians funky set was highlighted by heavy synth grooves, and a smokin’ version of “John Galt”.
Ithaca’s Jimkata was the next band to blow the roof off the Hex Hollow Stage, providing one of those most impressive sets at Luna. Lead vocalist Evan Friedell shined on vocals, and the group, whose indie roots shined through more than any band, also demonstrated they can jam hard led by guitarist/keys player Aaron Gorsch. They played an inspired version of “Feel In Light”, and “Die Digital>Legoland” had the crowd jumping. The set’s closer “Release” turned into a huge sing-along. Throughout the set, poppy choruses led into heavy jamtronica waves that swept the crowd away. Their growth as a band is evident from show to show, and Jimkata picked up quite a few new followers at Luna Light Festival.
Like Jimkata, who rocked before them, and CTS, who would play again after, Lettuce represented the Big Apple with aplomb. Everyone came out of the wood-works for the weekend’s headliner. Lettuce waited for the crowd to build up, and with anticipation buzzing, an instant dance party ensued once they took the stage. Despite the absence of guitarist Eric Krasno, the rest of the band rolled out their signature funk train. Jesus Coomes’ huge presence was front and center all night as he slayed the bass. Adam Smirnoff was silky on the guitar, while Ryan Zoidis and Eric Bloom provided blissfully blaring horns. Coupled with an impressive light show, Lettuce’s soulful funk kept the crowd dancing and buzzing late into the night under the Supermoon.
Because of the late night drum ban, CTS took over Jimkata’s late night Saturday slot and played an unplugged set in the woods. While Mann was as smooth as ever on various hand drums, Ferrara and Marin busted out some different toys for the acoustic set. Ferrara produced dirty sounds with both his bass banjo and ukulele-like U-bass, while Marin switched between the Baglama saz and tanbour. Their acoustic sorcery mesmerized onlookers early into Sunday morning, and forgetting the moratorium on loud late-night sets was easy.
The festival wrapped up early Sunday evening, but not after a few more bands had the chance to strut their stuff. FiKus opened up the day on the Main Stage, pouring out rocking grooves. Buffalo’s Aqueous was the last group of New Yorkers to own the Hex Hollow Stage. Their improg rock had a fluid feel, fitting of the band’s name. Their grooving melodies coupled with grandiose musicianship created a high-energy, face-melting rock show under the sun.
The day and festival wound down gradually, as people packed their belongings and tried to beat the masses to catch the shuttle back to the parking grounds. NYC’s Turbine played the Main Stage and The Mantras rocked the Hex Hollow. By the time Keller Williams took the stage for a solo acoustic set, much of the crowd had dispersed. Whistling and strumming, Keller calmly brought the remaining fans back down to earth after 48 hours of great live rocking. While there were bumps in the road and inaugural-year kinks, the Luna Light Festival’s success is a perfect reminder that it’s about the music.
Long before TAUK‘s 2012 performance at Bonnaroo or the 2013 release of their first full studio album, Homunculus, they were just a group of friends growing up on Long Island. Bassist Charlie Dolan and guitarist Matt Jalbert jammed out in the basement in middle school until, one day early in the new millennium, they decided it was time to make a band. Schoolmate Alric “A.C.” Carter joined soon after on the keyboards/organ—“we were Space Coyote back then,” he recalls—and the group has gone through a few drummers before finding Isaac Teel. Now, TAUK is furiously touring the country in preparation of the July 22nd release of their second album, Collisions.
The first track, “Friction”, is a wavy five-minute jam featuring layers of tones and intricate timing that Jalbert says “gives a little taste of everything else that we’re doing.” The number packs a harder punch with fuller layers than the tunes on their freshman album, allowing the band to show off a more complete sound. While the intricate timing and elegant composition are both still there, the band’s personality shines through more. Strong Asian and Middle Eastern influences mix with TAUK’s signature dark, progressive style in “Friction”. The song runs smoothly into the other tracks, with the whole album having a fluid feel.
“The songs on Homunculus were a little more packed in terms of composition,” says Jalbert, “whereas the songs on Collisions allow room for the band to shine.” The album features the perfect blend of measured precision and evocative experimentation for the listener’s imagination to comfortably wander without getting stranded.
The fourth track, “On Guard”, starts off with a calm melody that conjures images of a pleasant afternoon on an Asian river boat. Then the layers start piling up and, with delightfully querulous keys and a heavy bass line, TAUK has us poking around a desolate alien soundscape, slightly uneasy yet fully engrossed. The track is somehow wavily linear, impossible not to get excited about, and will have listeners nodding along in impressed contemplation.
“Tumbler”, number seven on Collisions, is another big hitter. The piece, which is based on a bass line Dolan wrote, begins with an ominous bell tolling and ends with intense shredding. Carter and Jalbert feed off each other, exuding powerfully emotional parts. Like a few songs on Collisions, Jalbert strays away from his more deliberate, plucky style and lets loose; finely articulated notes turn into emotional wails as the jam evolves. The song has a heavy feel that can be found throughout the album.
“The Drop” has some fantastic time changes and, when you hear the drop, you will be drawn toward the repeat button. “Collateral”, the last ride on Collisions, is agreeably all over the place, particularly hard rocking, and allows all four band members to go out with a bang. The tune features the energy and cohesion the band brings to both the studio and stage.
With momentum behind the Long Island quartet, they will be throwing a hometown Collisions launch party at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on July 19th. The album, due out on July 22nd, will give fans a lot to talk about.
Key Tracks: Friction, On Guard, Collateral
If you’re interested in preordering the album, click here.
The Luna Light Music & Arts Festival will take place in Barto, PA from July 11-13. The location is two hours southwest of NYC at Hex Hollow Farms and will be headlined by the healthiest batch of funk New York has to offer, Lettuce. Keller Williams, Shpongle, Particle, and The Heavy Pets are also among the 40+ bands on the bill in the festival’s inaugural year.
While Woodstock ’94s host town, Saugerties, NY, will draw an estimated 20,000+ eclectic EDM, hip hop, and rock fans for The Hudson Project this weekend, Luna’s attendance will be capped around 1,800, including some of New York’s best live rock bands. Buffalo’s Aqueous, Ithaca’s Jimkata, and New York City’s Consider The Source will each offer unique interpretations of rock. Lettuce will play the prime-time Saturday night set.
With a plethora of festivals to choose from this summer, the intimate crowd size and rocking lineup make Luna Light Festival one to catch. Check out more details on the festival’s website and see below for the full schedule.
If you love live music but can’t leave home without your fishing pole and pup, The Mad Tea Party Jam is calling you. From June 19-22, Dopapod, The Werks, Papadosio, and 40+ other bands will rock in the summer solstice at Ashton Farms in Hedgesville, West Virginia.
The lineup features up-and-coming acts on the verge of blowing up. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, The Mantras, and Consider the Source will each jam for multiple sets. A couple of New York-based bands will also be on festival goers’ must-see lists. Joining the jamboree for two nights is Brooklyn’s Turkuaz—a 9-piece funk train driven by a full brass section. Another NYC quartet, TAUK, is sure to leave people talking. Their instrumental debut album, Homunculus, features soaring jams with emotional guitar licks, spacey keys, and tight percussion.
“All the bands here are friends, and we’re all looking forward to playing and hanging together,” The Werks’ drummer/singer and Potsdam, NY, native Rob Chafin said of The Mad Tea Party . He went on, “This is such a good, loving family festival. It bloomed from my friends Taco and Elise’s wedding anniversary into this big party. Their love for music and art shines.”
When a break from the music is desired, there are two trout ponds on the festival’s grounds to cast into and a watering hole to swim in. Even better, the fun can be shared with your best four-legged friend as long as she or he is friendly and leashed. Chafin advises, “This is one festival you don’t want to miss!”
More information can be found on the festival’s official website: http://www.themadteapartyjam.com/
