‘Toga’s got a brand new space opening very soon. The Newberry Music Hall, located at 388 Broadway in Saratoga Springs, is planning for a rather aggressive lineup with live music on Fridays and Saturdays and regular music events such as a Latin Night, College Night, EDM Night and a Country Music night.
The venue’s initial calendar will be announced on January 1, 2015 here. In the meantime, this new live music venue will be hosting a launch party on New Year’s Eve with soul artist Garland Nelson.The event is family friendly 8-10pm and 21+ from 10-1am.
Newberry Music Hall hosted an exclusive show with The Airborne Toxic Event on Wednesday.
The Ville music festival announced an initial lineup for their Memorial Day 2015 lineup featuring a diverse range of sounds. Continuing a 20+ year tradition of music on Memorial Day weekend, The Ville will be held May 21-24, 2015 at Clay’s Park in North Lawrence, Ohio. The spacious, family-friendly venue is complete with wooded and field camping, a grass covered dance area and a water park suitable for adults and children of all ages.
The Ville is a truly grassroots event featuring music throughout the weekend on two different stages. A limited amount of Early-Bird tickets are available now at www.thevillefestival.com where a 3-day pass is $80, 4-day pass including Pre-Party Thursday with Papadosio is $100. Children 12 and under are free with parents holding festival tickets.
Despite the name, Quiet Life (New London, CT/Portland, OR) along with The Ballroom Thieves (Boston, MA) will settle up at BSP Kingston with sets of cozy, foot-stomping tunes fit for the dull hump of a Wednesday.
Natives of New London, CT and currently from Portland, OR, Quiet Life is touring behind the breakout success of their recent EP release “Housebroken Man,” which included collaborations with My Morning Jacket guitarist Jim James and Cary Ann Hearst of Shovels & Rope. The band is also putting the finishing touches on a new full length album, produced by Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog, due out in 2015. Known for a rowdy live show, Quiet Life have toured with the likes of The Lumineers, Alabama Shakes, and The Head & the Heart.
Joining Quiet Life is The Ballroom Thieves bringing a slow, deliberate build in their music to the BSP. Their music takes a commanding role onstage from the start, turning any size venue into an intimate environment.
Kingston’s own Time Travels will be opening the show.
The show runs from 7 – 11 pm and tickets are available here and at the door for $7 .
Weeknight concerts are sometimes a hit-or-miss affair because of a light crowd (or we should say the tough ones brave enough to call in late to work the next day). That wasn’t the case this past Tuesday as Flogging Molly rallied a flock of dedicated music fans at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester.
The night had an easy start with some good tunes from The Pasadena Band, named after their hometown in Maryland. Concert early birds were treated to the band’s aggressive singer-songwriter type rock with occasional funky reggae beats and lingering melodies, somewhat akin to what the band 311 has going on. Though, of course, their set was short as an opening act but they’re worthy of checking out for a full set next time they’re around.
Continuing the run of opening acts not-to-miss was The Mighty Stef who, though from Dublin, champion an alternative rock sound without the traditional Irish music elements that Flogging Molly incorporates. Mostly bright and energetic The Mighty Stef had some first-time listeners talking after their set. Two songs that stood out from their set were their new single “The Nightwatchman of the Iveagh Flats” and the slower, darker “Death Threats” off of an EP of the same name.
Flogging Molly met a surge of energy for their set with a small pit forming in the middle of The Cap’s open-floor orchestra level early in the set (despite the signs on The Cap’s doors about not moshing during the show).
The band broke into a brief acoustic set about halfway through their time on stage – “a set to rest our dancers’ feet,” Dave King remarked as he was introducing “The Sun Never Shines (On Closed Doors).” For a set full of driving rock this feature of the show added a swing of dynamic that was done well.
Of course the setlist included “Devil’s Dance Floor,” “Float,” “Drunken Lullabies,” and “Salty Dog,” – songs that Flogging Molly wouldn’t make it out of Port Chester alive for not playing. But, rather than simply getting on stage to play a bushel of songs before moving on to the next gig, they took the time to make a few dedications and tributes throughout the evening. Early on a “Whistles the Wind” was dedicated to Conor McGee, a fan recently passed, introduced by King with a few words about Conor and his family who were in the crowd. “The Likes of You Again” was dedicated to the band’s guitarist and Rochester native Dennis Connor and “The Sun Never Shines (On Closed Doors)” to The Pasadena Band’s Joey Harkum, both of whom had recent losses in their families.
It seems like the fact of a concert falling on a weeknight inevitably looms over it, sometimes dampening the experience. While possibly true for this Flogging Molly show, especially for those dragging their feet to work in the wee hours of the following morning, one takeaway is this: Don’t underestimate a weeknight show.
If you missed your chance at seeing Flogging Molly on their current tour, the band is planning on releasing a new album sometime next year (their first in four years), so we may perhaps see them in New York again soon.
Pink Floyd – Talking Heads – Phish: they’re all great bands as we already know. How about a band that weaves the sounds of all three in an out of their setlist, creating a sound well beyond a typical cover band? Pink Talking Fish does just that, and the hybrid tribute fusion band has today announced winter tour dates spanning December through March. They have plenty of chances to escape the Northeast winter in 2015 with a handful of dates in Florida before returning to the Northeast with shows in Saratoga Springs, NY, New York City, Stowe, VT and more.
Buffalo’s Aqueous will be appearing with Pink Talking Fish for a performance of ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ in Philadelphia on February 6. Their other two ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ performances will feature The Recovery Act performing the music of Stevie Wonder (Boulder, CO) and The Z3 featuring Ed Mann – Funky Takes on Frank Zappa (Boston, MA).
Pink Talking Fish will also be adding an event, PHUNK THE WINTER! during their NYC performance at the Gramercy Theatre on February 7. Joining the band will be special guest ShwiKus Plays P-Funk, adding some Parliament Funkadelic into the mix.
December 10th – Live From AURA Studios in Boca Raton, FL (Free Video Webcast)*
December 11th – Guanabanas Island Restaurant and Bar in Jupiter, FL*
December 12th – The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, FL*
December 13th – Dunedin Brewery in Dunedin, FL*
2015:
January 3rd – The Rusty Nail in Stowe, VT
January 16th – The Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO (Dark Side Of The Moon Performance)**
January 17th & 18th – Quixotes True Blue in Denver, CO (The Music Never Stops Making Sense – Intertwining sets with very special guest act TBA)
February 6th – The Ardmore Theatre in Philadelphia, PA (Dark Side Of The Moon Performance)$
February 7th – The Gramercy Theatre in New York, NY (PHUNK THE WINTER! w/ special guests ShwiKus Plays P-Funk) February 20th – Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs, NY February 21st – The Spot Underground in Providence, RI March 28th – The Middle East in Boston, MA (Dark Side Of The Moon Performance)$$
* w/ Members of The Heavy Pets
** w/ The Recovery Act performing The Music of Stevie Wonder
$ w/ Aqueous
$$ w/ The Z3 performing Funky Takes on The Music of Frank Zappa
We know Record Store Day as that time in the middle of the spring (third weekend in April, to be exact) to take a huge gulp of thawing air and mark the change in season with some goodies and rarities from our favorite local record stores.
This Friday, Nov 28 – artists will be joining Record Store Day to mark the season with releases exclusive to the 2014 holiday season. It’s a way to help support independent record stores and musicians while grabbing some great gifts for music fans.
A number of artists are marking Record Store Day Black Friday with special releases just for Black Friday, whether a special vinyl pressing of an album they have already released or singles/other material being freshly released for the occasion. Most are released in limited quantities, making each a “rarity,” relatively speaking. A sampling of several genres will be on the shelves, depending on which store is your choice.
Releases fall under one of three categories, as RecordStoreDay.com notes:
EXCLUSIVE RELEASES—these are titles being released on 11/28 and which will only be available at indie record stores
SMALL RUN/REGIONAL RELEASES—these are titles that are being released in very small runs (1000 or less) or only in some regions of the country. We want them on the list but we want everyone to be aware of how hard they might be to find.
BLACK FRIDAY FIRST—these are titles that can be found FIRST at indie record stores but will be available at other retailers at some point.
Artists such as Green Day, The Flaming Lips, Neil Young, Wilco, Jenny Lewis, among others, will be participating.
For a list of the participating artists and their releases, check out the Record Store Day release page and their participating stores page to find a participating store in your neck of the woods. Dream up a wishlist or find a record for a friend.
The hustle and bustle of Times Square was weaving in and around 42nd and 8th as usual for a Saturday night as The Bronx invaded Midtown at one floor below street level for a night filled with the heartiest crock of Irish rock around. New York City’s Black 47 pulled out all the stops at B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill on November 15 for their final performance ever, marking over 2,400 shows for the band’s 25-year career (that’s more shows than the Grateful Dead played in 30 years). The band wouldn’t let the last guitar chord ring without first thanking their fans with a performance that would help bring proper closure to what has meant a lot to many of them over the years.
In one way, the night was like any other Black 47 show – good friends, intimate venue, pints flowing, and plenty of happy dancing feet. Surely the band could have sold out a larger venue but that would have taken away from the experience of a Black 47 show (and for the record, this show sold out early in September, more than two months beforehand). As frontman Larry Kirwan told early in the fall, he sees the band’s legacy as being known for doing what they want and as a band for the moment. They kept true to their style and flow by having a fantastic music club bursting at the seams with friends and memories rather than a concert hall where people wouldn’t be as connected with each other.
Larry Kirwan
Speaking of friends, many of Black 47’s guest musicians from over the years and past band members joined them on stage throughout the evening. Mary Courtney, a traditional Irish singer and musician, appeared early in the evening. Joining the band later was Bronx-based musician and long-time member of the Saturday Night Live band Christine “The Beehive Queen” Ohlman (who, after singing on “Blood Wedding,” had to beeline back to the SNL set for the show’s taping). To much applause Larry Kirwan’s partner in crime in the founding of Black 47, Chris Byrne (who left the band in 2000 to focus on other music projects) came back to the stage twice to sing with the band. Also joining the band on stage throughout the night were Rory Kirwan (Larry’s son), Irish dancer Jake James, substitute piper Andrew Sharp (who filled in for Mulvanerty on some weeknight gigs), Rob “The Ginz” Graziano, good friend and occasional fill-in bass player. Even two of the band’s dedicated behind-the-scenes guys “Staten Island” Tom Marlow and P2 joined the band on stage for a few choruses of “Gloria” during the encore – more on that shortly.
It seems that after 25 years it must be one heck of a mind-bender to plan the final, ultimate set list. Regardless of whatever roshambo and coin-tossing that may have gone on to cut songs or leave songs on the set list (even right up until the show with last-minute changes), the final selection was solid and well-suited for the over two-hour sendoff and captured a bit of every flavor of the band’s catalog.
For those familiar with Black 47, they know that the live experience with the band is hard to top, especially with the musicianship on stage. This shone strong through the entire set as the band flaunted its talent even more so than usual for this final show; the guys took the opportunity to stretch their arms as a group one last time. The core of the band was solid as always and the horns/pipes were as on top of their game as they could be. While there is a lot more that can be said about this, two particular crowd-invoking moments came from Geoff Blythe’s soaring notes on the ballads “Fanatic Heart” and “Mychal,” a song honoring FDNY chaplain Mychal Judge who lost his life in the 9/11 attacks.
Then there were moments that were just plain fun. A lot of dancing was had throughout the night, particularly during a set of reels early on (something the band does live and only has recorded on their Live In New York City album, bootlegs aside.) During “Rockin’ the Bronx” Joe “Bearclaw” Burcaw turned his bass amp up a little to pound out some licks rivaling that of Stanley Clarke as Fred Parcells (trombone), Geoffrey Blythe (sax), Joseph Mulvanerty (uilleann pipes) and Tom Hamlin (drums) joined in for a free-form jam before Kirwan returned to the stage to get the audience singing along with one more chorus on the song. Like a midnight showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show with rice thrown during the wedding scene, cigarettes rained on the stage during the opening of “40 Shades of Blue” at the line of selling a soul for a cigarette outside of CBGB. Not to mention the band’s sense of humor between songs which kept spirits high.
A lot of Black 47’s music has carried at least some sort of wide range of emotions with it. Perhaps the most profound moment was during the band’s powerful political song “James Connolly,” a repertoire-defining song about the great Irish labor organizer. The passionate crowd raised fists of solidarity in the air as a banner of Connolly unfurled on stage next to a Starry Plough flag. A few people in the audience were so eager to raise a flag of their own that they passed it up on stage to be held up. Other moments commanded respect during the songs, such as “Mychal,” as the room fell near dead silent – a scene that seems to be witnessed less and less frequently at shows these days.
Before it was all over, the set was closed with “Funky Céili,” the band’s song that got extended MTV airplay in 1993 and opened the encore with “Maria’s Wedding,” the song Black 47 played on their first network TV appearance with David Letterman in the same year. Finally, the flood gates opened for an all-out jam on “Gloria” leading into a chorus of “I Fought The Law” with just about everyone in the place singing along. All of the guests who could stick around to the end of the gig came back out for one more old-fashioned rock ‘n roll jam. Thought they did not end the show with their own material, it was certainly a positive, high energy rock ‘n roll way to wrap up 25 years.
As a last tip of the hat to the crowd, Bearclaw, Mulvanerty, and Graziano sang an a capella “Happy Trails” while friends in the audience shared one last hug over Black 47 some others quickly flocked to a line to say hello to Kirwan after the show. It was a bittersweet moment as the stage went silent and the din of the crowd was all that remained.
Many fans have taken to the “25 Years of Black 47” fan-run group on Facebook sharing memories about their first Black 47 shows and have been sharing numerous photos and videos from their final few shows.
The gigs may be over, but the music lives on. Long live Black 47!
Setlist: Green Suede Shoes, The Big Fellah, Livin’ In America (with Mary Courtney, vocals, and Jake James), The Reels (with Jake James), Three Little Birds / Desperate, Danny Boy, Culchie Prince, Fanatic Heart, Rockin’ the Bronx, Five Points (with Andrew Sharp, flute, and Jake James), Fire of Freedom (with Rory Kirwan, vocals), Mychal, Walk All The Days (with Chris Byrne, vocals), Blood Wedding (with Christine Ohlmann, vocals), James Connolly (with Jake James, bodhrán), 40 Shades of Blue, Funky Céili
Encore: Maria’s Wedding, Gloria / I Fought The Law
*links are to full-length video from the show
Be sure to follow Black 47’s YouTube page for more full-length videos from their final performances as they are posted.
(Video Credits: Lee Harwig for “Gloria” and Rory’s rap during “Fire of Freedom”; Mike O’Connor for “Funky Céili” and “40 Shades of Blue;” and Joey “Knobs” Juntunen/Dan “Bojo” Boujoulian for “Livin’ In America,” “Fire of Freedom,” and “Walk All The Days.” )
That’s right, Ween is getting a head start on the gift giving season by giving away a free download of rarities, outtakes and B-sides from the group’s first four studio albums.
The folks working on Boongish Rising, a documentary film being produced on Ween’s early years, released a statement on the film’s Facebook page this past week with the following announcement:
Hello Ween fans,
Today’s your lucky day… it’s time for the Boognish Rising Thanksgiving 2014 Sampler CD! We have a full length CD made up of demos and b-sides from their first 4 records. All the tapes were transferred here at Boognish Rising HQ so even if there’s a couple songs you’ve heard someplace else… these versions sound a good deal better. A lot better in fact thanks to JWB who was kind enough to lightly remaster everything and make the CD flow nicely. He also threw in some pretty artwork that’s available in the dropbox folder.
Download the .aiff files from my dropbox link here which should drag easily into iTunes with the correct titles and sequence. It will also be available in FLAC format for download at Browntracker.net. Huge thanks to the generous Mike Miller who supplied the tape most of the songs came off of.
Last but not least thank you to Gene & Dean who both kindly gave their permission and corrected my track titles for this holiday treat. Tracks transferred and compiled by ChrisB.
While the download has expired, please check out this additional collection of Ween rarities.
Track List
01.Wayne’s Pet Youngin’
02. Marble Tulip Juicy Tree
03. Big Baboons
04. I’m So Tired
05. Birthday Boy
06. Seconds (Pod 4-track)
07. Only The Good Will Be Absent of Greed
08. Numb To The Lung
09. Chairman of my Own Destiny
10. Wonderful Tonight
11. Big Fat Lady
12. Good Time Rhymin’ Song
13. No More Tears
14. Love Will Conquer All
15. That’s Poppycock!
16. Close My Eyes Forever
17. Stonehenge
18. Shalom Absalom
19. The Waxy Dribble Song
20. Spinal Meningitis
21. Baby Bitch
22. The Rift
23. Buckingham
For twenty years Pink Floyd has sailed on that final lyric from their penultimate album. This week the final cut of songs from the genre-defining band greeted the world under the title The Endless River with official release dates ranging from November 7 to 11.
Gifted unto Pink Floyd followers and bystanders alike, The Endless River is a soundscape that washes over the listener like a mist and wraps around the ears with a curtain enveloping the mind with 52 minutes of blissful listening (or 65 minutes if you have the deluxe edition).
The listening experience is slightly different from that of Pink Floyd’s four previous albums – back to The Wall. A double vinyl LP is available for a total of four sides of music, but it is likely more common for people to listen to The Endless River either digitally or to the CD version. The subsequent versions from the LP retain the four album side grouping, each with its own motifs. It would be impossible to enjoy the album just one song at a time. In order to get the full creative effect of the album it is best to listen from start to finish, akin to the experience of Dark Side of the Moon. However, listening to each of the four sides in separate sittings won’t slight the experience too much.
Pink Floyd, who is now just David Gilmour and Nick Mason, made it known in advance of the album’s release that it is largely a tribute to the band’s late keyboardist Rick Wright, who passed away in 2008. Without prior knowledge of this, however, it is easy to notice Wright’s as the album progresses – his keyboard parts play an intricate role in the whole album. And yes, we do hear Wright’s playing on this album. Many of the keyboard recordings were taken from extra material from The Division Bell sessions with other parts freshly re-recorded. Only a few of the new songs have been supplemented with new keyboard recordings.
The Endless River is primarily an instrumental album except for “Louder Than Words,” a new composition with lyrics by Gilmour’s wife, Polly Samson, and a spoken word refrain from Stephen Hawking on the mediocre-titled “Talkin’ Hawkin’” (the song itself is far from mediocre). It is a little tricky to discern the intent behind an instrumental release, but referring back to the Rick Wright tribute it is likely that backing away from lyrics helps highlight his contributions as he never had a lead in vocal parts.
With news of The Endless River drawing upon The Division Bell sessions there had been anticipation of it being a lot like a “part two” of that album, which probably would have pleased many Pink Floyd fans while disappointing only a smaller portion of the crowd. It was a pleasant surprise being swept away with something that wasn’t quite expected. A respectable amount of arranging and new composition is put into the album with emphasis on including ear candy for long time Pink Floyd fans. Here’s one of the reasons why it stands alone from The Division Bell.
The Endless River is rather complex though a novice Pink Floyd listener may glance over these complexities. It contains a fabric of elements from A Saucerful of Secrets, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall, among others. Most distinctly, we hear relics from “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,” “On the Run,” “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” “Run Like Hell,” and “High Hopes.” Some are very obvious, such as Wright’s keyboard lead on “It’s What We Do” echoing the tones of “Sine On You Crazy Diamond” or subtle like the guitar rhythms of “Run Like Hell” brought back to 2014 on “Allsons-y.” When listening to the album, be sure to listen carefully for these and other relics that aren’t as conspicuous. It seems like Gilmour and Mason took creative advantage of building off of the 1993 sessions to explore, rediscover, and reinvigorate what has been set aside for the past several Pink Floyd albums to bring their repertoire full-circle, adding a sense of closure.
There is a lot to say for most of the songs individually but it is better to speak on each of the four sides mentioned earlier. Side 1 introduces the album with the well-known Pink Floyd melodic ambience crossed with Gilmour’s guitar style that grew into his last solo release On An Island (2006). Side 2 brings us back to the band’s early psychedelic jams and ambient airs. It feels intellectually busy yet at the same time relaxing as it concludes with the well-structured song “Anisina.” Moving on to Side 3 we hear a mixed bag of miscellaneous noodling to start before a sudden change to a more aggressive second half which provides a welcomed boost of energy at this point in the album. On Side 4 more linearity is given to themes and ideas where they had previously been intertwined. The motif of death and what happens after becomes evident in the mood progression and even in titles of the songs, again a possible (more subtle) nod to Wright. “Calling” starts this section off with dark tones with a transition of emotion that progresses through “Eyes To Pearls.” “Surfacing” then brings it around with a sense of optimism granted by either a breath of fresh air or new discovery. Looking at the four sides as whole, those hungry for the 25-minute album side epics such as “Echoes” may be a little disappointed. Each album side is short, ranging from 11 to 15 minutes, which left some room for new material independent of the 1993 sessions. The clever part about retaining the album side grouping on the digital and CD track listings is that we still get a virtual sense of pausing to flip the record. Perhaps a little nostalgic, but it gives a fresh experience in today’s listening environments and gives consistency between release formats.
Those who bought the deluxe edition or the CD/DVD combo received a few more goodies – three outtake tracks taken directly from The Division Bell sessions. These tracks, especially the studio jam session sounding “Nervana,” go beyond a gimmick to get people to buy the extra content. It is worth the few extra dollars to get your ears around these. The bonus DVD video provides three songs not on the CD and video/images from the 1993 recording sessions, which is worth checking out.
As the band’s (likely) final album, Pink Floyd gives us a decent reflection on the band’s years. The sense of dreaming invoked by some of the songs makes it tough to not choke on a tear at the craftsmanship put forth by band mates Gilmour and Mason on the album to tribute the contributions of Rick Wright. It was a disappointment to learn earlier this year that Roger Waters would not return to Pink Floyd to contribute to the album, but it wasn’t a surprise as it’s been 29 years since he left the band on bitter terms (which as of late he seems to feel differently about the terms he left on). However, adding Waters back in the mix could have broken the musical train of thought that’s carried through from The Division Bell.
Pink Floyd will not be touring to support the album, so with The Endless River closes a 49-year chapter in music history. But, should David Gilmour decide to perform a few solo concerts with Nick Mason there would be a lot of happy music fans. High Hopes? Perhaps.
For some people, it may be easy to default to mixed feelings on the album on a first listen. Do yourself a favor: Listen to the album, soak it in, and repeat. You may place it higher on your list of favorite Pink Floyd albums than you think.
Key Tracks: It’s What We Do, Anisina, Allons-y (1 and 2), Louder Than Words
When Larry Kirwan and Chris Byrne met in New York City and formed Black 47 in the late 1989, they had no idea that 25 years would bring the band to 2,300 shows and 13 full-length studio albums. Though Byrne left the band in 2000 for other commitments, the band is here now in November 2014 for what will literally be their last call. Black 47 decided to disband about this time last year but not first without releasing one more album of new material and aggressively hitting the road to bid farewell to as many friends as possible.
Black 47 bowing one last time for Connolly’s in NYC, a frequent venue for the band, September 15, 2014
Black 47 performs their second to last (and final Upstate NY) show tonight at Mahoney’s in Poughkeepsie at 8pm, doubling as a fundraiser for the Hudson Valley Regional Police Pipes and Drums. Though the band is from New York City, they have performed dozens of shows in the Upstate NY area over the years making Poughkeepsie a fitting choice for their penultimate show. Tickets are still available for this show, but lately Black 47 shows have been selling out as the final curtain call has been drawing closer.
A final celebration of their career will be Saturday in their home city at the B.B. King Blues Club near Times Square in Manhattan with special guests and friends. With a smirk on his face after a recent show at the Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon, NY, Kirwan mentioned Black 47 has an exciting show planned for November 15. With fans loyal to the band and the band loyal to its fans alike, Black 47 will have a truly special evening of music in store for their last show.
Saturday’s show sold out two months ago. However, the band has on one occasion relayed a fan’s message with extra tickets on their Facebook page, and the some people have been posting their extra tickets on the fan-made Facebook group “25 Years of Black 47.”
If you missed your chance to get a ticket to Black 47’s final show, be sure to follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for an update from the show and check back for a review of the show early next week.
For twenty years 