Category: Features

Interview: Michael Cummings of SKATERS at Governor’s Ball 2014

Over the course of the three days of this year’s Governors Ball festival on Randall’s Island, was there to share the festival experience with our readers – the sights, the sounds, and the highlights. We also had the opportunity to chat with a few of the artists after their sets at the festival. One of those artists was NYC’s own SKATERS, who played early in the afternoon on the final day of Governors Ball.

SKATERS has released their full length debut album Manhattan in February 2014 on top of their early 2012 Schemers EP. Singer Michael Cummings sat down with ’s Steve Malinski to talk about the festival, Manhattan, and about what’s going on in the SKATERS world.

SKATERS is kicking off a fall tour Labor Day weekend in St. Louis with over 25 stops until they wrap it up mid October in NYC and NJ.

Steve Malinski: We’re joined here at Governors Ball with Michael Cummings from Skaters. How’s it going?

Michael Cummings: Good, how are you?

SM: Really good, thanks. That was an awesome set you guys had on the Honda Stage a little while ago.

MC: Thank You.

Michael Cummings of SKATERS at Governors Ball 2014

SM: What was it like to play a big festival like this in your hometown?

MC: This is the first one we’ve done – the first festival we’ve played in New York. We’ve only done club shows (our own shows), you know, so this was the first time for this kind of experience. It was good because I don’t think we’ve played an all age show before, so we saw a lot of kids out there which was nice to see. I mean, it was a mixed age crowd but in the city you don’t get a lot of all ages shows, you know what I mean?

SM: Yeah definitely. So you guys have your debut album which came out in February. What Can you tell us about that and how the momentum has picked up from there?

MC: Putting a record out is a good way for people to find out about your band in a way because they can finally listen to your music. We hadn’t had a record out for the good first year of our band, maybe a year and a half. We only had an EP out which we put online so when we finally for the record out it was like a culmination of all this time that we had spent forming this band, so finally we had a product we could push publicly. So far so good to keep promoting it. It’s been fun.

SM: Looking back before that first year and a half, what was the beginning of SKATERS like?

MC: We’ve only been a band for two years, meaning from day one. We kind of had a lot of obstacles at the beginning because Josh didn’t live in America when we started. He was coming back and forth so we’d play for three months and he would go back. So we just did a lot of planning, you know? We’d book a bunch of shows in advance and play then Josh would disappear for three weeks then we’d do it all again. Eventually the record deal and everything came later. It was like a homegrown kind of thing for a while.

SM: Now that you’ve got the record deal and an album out, what’s the touring schedule like?

MC: Yeah, we’re touring a lot, doing a bunch of US shows with a US tour coming up in the fall. After this we’re going to Europe and Australia. I really want to go to Japan but that’s not really booked…

SM: You had a European tour earlier this year too, right?

MC: Yeah we did a lot of touring in the UK. That’s kind of where we got our start.

SM: And you played a bit over there with Drowners, another one of the NYC bands here at Governors Ball. What was your experience playing a tour with them?

MC: They’re actually really close friends of ours. Matt, their singer, played guitar in our band –

SM: Really? We spoke with him on Friday.

MC: Yeah. He played guitar with us for about eight or nine months or something like that. So yeah, we’re really tight with them, you know? They’re our friends – he fixed our guitar strings today.

SM: Cool, he mentioned that he would be hanging out for your set today. So have you guys been hanging out at Governors Ball throughout the weekend?

MC:I was here yesterday but didn’t come Friday because we were playing another show. But yesterday we played a show in the morning here in the city on a rooftop and then we came here and caught The Strokes, which was fun.

SKATERS with ‘s Steve Malinski (center) at GovBall 2014.

SM: Any other bands you’re looking forward to seeing?

MC: To be honest, I’m kind of beat so I might not catch too many other bands today. It’s mostly play-press-play-press-get the hell off Randall’s Island somehow. It’s not exactly easy to get here! But yeah, otherwise I’d be catching some of the other bands. I really want to see Interpol, haven’t seen them in a long time. Saw them once in the Middle East which was maybe 2002/2003 when they were first coming up – a really small show which was crazy. We saw them there and at a stadium or small hockey rink but haven’t seen them at a festival.

SM: On one hand you have that garage-punk sound but on the other you also have a post-punk type of sound. What kind of influences to you draw on for that mix?

MC: Mostly like you said, a lot of post-punk bands from the late 70’s/early 80’s. A lot of what was going on in New York and London. So, a lot of Ramones, Modern Lovers, The Clash, Buzzcocks, a lot of the classic punk bands. Stiff Little Fingers, Mission to Bhurma, bands like that, you know? Talking Heads…

SM: I heard you do a Ramones cover out there too, right?

MC: Yeah, because…New York!

SM: Hah. Hey, here’s a cool idea – do a classic punk cover show or album, something like that.

MC: Full record! That’s not a bad idea – what are we gonna call it?

SM: Hmm. Not sure! We’ll have to think about that one. Last thought for you. If you could collaborate with, sit in on stage with, or record with another artist, who do you think that would be? Time travel is allowed.

MC: I’m trying to think… If we had to make a record with someone I think it would be really cool to make a record with Phil Spector and if it was a musician I would say Probably have Joe Strummer produce the record. I don’t know how that could be bad. That couldn’t be bad, right?

SM: Not at all.

MC: If we could get Phil Spector and Joe Strummer to produce our next record…

SM: That would be pretty sweet. Well, I know you have to get going so thanks a lot for taking a few minutes to chat with us at .

MC: Yeah, thanks for having me.

August 25, 2014
Rain Didn’t Dampen Sheryl Crow at Denver Botanic Gardens in Littleton, Colorado

Rain couldn’t keep the crowd away at the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield. The lawn was a sea of umbrellas belonging to dedicated Sheryl Crow fans. The nine-time Grammy winner proved to the Littleton crowd that she was worth every drop. Opening with “Maybe Angels” Crow came ready to rock. A country girl at heart Crow said, “I’ve seen every nook and cranny of Colorado and I love it. I have a soft spot for y’all.” She went on to play a collection of favorites from over the years including the breakthrough hit from her debut album “All I Wanna Do” and still popular, “If It Makes You Happy” and “The First Cut is the Deepest”.

Crow got serious with the crowd for a minute when she acknowledged the recent suicide of beloved actor Robin Williams. “I’ve gotten very sentimental in these last few days,” she said. “I feel like we’ve lost one of our good ones. One of our sensitive ones and good-hearted ones.” After a somber moment Crow played “Redemption Day”, a song about hope, she said. Crow still has what it takes. Songs from her newest album, Feels Like Home are proof that her twenty-year career has been well earned and she’s not done yet.

Setlist: Maybe Angels, A Change Would Do You Good, All I Wanna Do, My Favorite Mistake, Easy, Leaving Las Vegas, Strong Enough, Redemption Day, Best of Times, Nobody’s Business, The First Cut Is the Deepest (Cat Stevens cover), Shotgun, Picture/If It Makes You Happy, Soak up the Sun, Everyday is a Winding Road

Encore: Steve McQueen, Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin Cover)

August 25, 2014
A Dopapod BOOBday

A slut nixes sex in Tulsa, but BOOBs were on full display in Port Chester on Tuesday, Aug. 19. The BOOB & Friends boobday/birthday bash for Dopapod’s bassist/palindrome enthusiast Chuck Jones raged well into Wednesday morning at Garcia’s, fueled by good vibes and heavy improvisation.Dopapod stealthily took the stage before a rapidly filling crowd and began jamming shortly after 9:30 p.m. With eagles and seductive photos of Chuck alternately soaring across a screen in the background, Jones took the lead, pumping out quaking bass lines. Boobday boob-shaped balloons bounced around and “Weird Charlie” invaded the room as Chuck was clearly Jones’ing for a dance party. Many of NY’s finest musicians came out to celebrate, thanking Chuck for the uniquely creepy thuds and plucks his well-trained fingers strike in unusual time signatures.

Dopapod’s original drummer, Mikey Carubba, had the first sit-in as Scotty Zwang cooled off from a hot start. Having just ridden through Garcia’s with his own funk army Turkuaz last week, Carubba smashed the kit with the force of an oncoming train—“Freight Train.”

With Eli Winderman still grinning and grooving on the keys, Chuck waded off the stage into a sea of love from family, friends, colleagues, and fans. Guitarist Rob Compa welcomed Consider the Source to the stage, but not before their bassist John Ferrara made eye contact and already began grooving with Eli. Once guitarist Gabriel Marin and drummer Jeff Mann were set up, they opted to play “_/” (yes, the song is a symbol), going from 0 to 100% instantly with screaming guitar riffs, thumping bass, and crashing drums.

“We learned your favorite song for your birthday, Chuck. It’s a questionable music video, but that’s why we think you like it,” Gabriel said with a twinkle in his eyes before the Sourcerors flamboyantly covered Queen’s “I Want To Break Free”. Generous as they are, CTS had one more gift in store for Mr. Jones. They fried onlookers’ brains while reminding Chuck to “Keep Your Pimp Hand Strong,” and then Gabriel timidly—almost apologetically—wished “happy birthday!” one more time.

After a raucous singing of “Happy Birthday” and a BOOB cake delivery, everyone took a much needed breather. Outside, festival-families met up and marveled at the music and atmosphere of the night. I reunited with my favorite UMPHreaks (it had been a whole two or three days since I had raged with them at Snarky Puppy or The Ron Holloway Band!) and we were in universal agreement: this was Dopa-fucking-pod.

The festivities continued as members of Mun, ShwizZ, Mister F, and others crammed the bar’s stage. There was a Rage Against the Machine cover and Phish teases. Mun’s Wiley Griffin and Dopapod’s Rob Compa sparred on guitars and Todd Stoops wailed on the keys. As 2 a.m. neared, Eli reappeared on stage followed by Zwang and, with heavy, deliberate notes oozing from his bass, Chuck rejoined the stage for Dopapod to close the night.

After a three-way tie choosing a final song (“FABA,” “Donkey Kong,” or “Bats In The Cave”), the band mashed all three into a funky, creepy shakedown—“Donkey In The FABA Cave.” Nearly five hours after the celebration began, Eli was not quite ready to put this BOOBday fest to rest.

“It’s about the love: for you guys and for Chuck. It’s about the love.” One last time, everyone showed the love for Chuck during an emphatic Alanis Morissette cover. As the party wound down, grins filled the room and Rob’s voice echoed, “You oughta know!”

August 25, 2014
Allen Toussaint & Preservation Hall Jazz Band Bring Dixieland to New York

Allen Toussaint and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band will be teaming up for a joint tour of the United States this fall and the Northeast is getting a full docket of shows. The tour promises to see plenty of interaction between the acts, with each band sitting in with one another throughout the show. Ben Jaffe, the Preservation Hall band leader released a statment for the tour saying “After all these years of playing together in New Orleans and coming to the same festivals here and there around the world, it is amazing that we never hit the road as a package before. It was almost as if we’ve always just assumed it had already happened, and then one day it was like ‘Oh yeah, WE need to do this thing’ and the Oh Yeah! Tour was born.”

“I’ve been playing with the guys in Preservation Hall around New Orleans since the 1960’s, so I’m really excited to finally get out on the road and perform together with them every night on a tour,” said Mr. Toussaint, “we’re going to have a lot of fun, and so will the audience.”

The first show of note will occur on Oct. 15 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo. This will be closely followed by a stop at MASS MoCA on Oct. 23 and SUNY Purchase’s Pepsico Theatre on Oct. 24. The tour then goes to Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on Nov. 1.

August 25, 2014
Umphrey’s Night Three in Upper Darby, PA

On Friday, August 15th in Upper Darby, PA, Dopapod, or more lovingly known as Derp-uh-perd, flipped the Tower Theater on its head before Umphrey’s McGee got the chance to touch an instrument.

Dopapod opens the Tower Theater.

Thinking to myself, “they’re really playing down their weirdness for this huge slot tonight,” I overheard a woman behind me: “I think I like them; they’re just really weird. Did he just sing about Trapper Keepers?” Weird is synonymous for Dopapod and vice versa, so pardon the repetitiveness.

Dopapod bassist Chuck Jones.

“This is their attempt at toning it down,” I had to interject. “They just turned knobs, slapped basses, and jammed out for 15 minutes about a Trapper Keeper, or something like that. But, they’re actually playing a relatively straightforward set tonight.” As fans packed in for Umphrey’s McGee’s debut at the Tower Theater, Dopapod cranked the rock out, setting the mood for a long night of hard jamming ahead.

For my friend Chris and I, this was our third night of getting Umphed in a row. This night was special, though: we were back on our home turf, back with our UMPHamily. The previous two nights in Burlington, VT, and Hampton Beach, NH, respectively, were great, but Burlington’s Maritime Festival show drew a relatively subdued crowd and Chris had to drive us home in the middle of the night after the Hampton show— five hours away.

Philadelphia was basically our backyard. As I met up with some of my best friends from all over the Northeast (and a new one from Atlanta), a warm sense of serenity washed over me: this was exactly where I belonged in the universe. Umphrey’s took the stage and showered a foreboding “Bathing Digits” onto us, and my hands involuntarily reached to the heavens, pointer fingers fully extended, crossed, and displayed Umph-horns for the world to see.

Bassist Ryan Stasik: Rage, rest, repeat.

The Tower Theater, a classic movie house built in 1927, had an historic feel to it with trellised boxes upstairs and pillars climbing the height of the stage on both sides. Downstairs was a wide open symmetric room, where the approximately 3,000 fans were confined in a tightly packed sea of people that would sway gently and heave aggressively throughout the show, depending on the band’s climate.

The historic Tower Theater.

From night to night, you never known what you’re going to get at an Umphrey’s show. UM is that friend who is the life of the party, yet inherently a loose cannon. It is only an educated guess whether you’re going to get a melodic old friend in “The Fussy Dutchman,” or a brashly combative “Wizard Burial Ground;” a persistently rebellious “Mulche’s Odyssey,” or a rambunctious yet contemplative “Der Bluten Kat.” At the Tower Theater, we saw all these faces of Umphrey’s.

Jake Cinninger’s game face.

Whenever you get “Glory” and “Hajimashite” in the same night, the universe is aligned in your favor. Throw in an emergency 11-minute dance party known as “The Triple Wide,” and the start of “In The Kitchen” early in the first set and the end late in the second, and an Umphrey’s show is materializing. With an emotional cover of The Police’s “Driven To Tears,” a “Puppet String” sandwich encore, and a few other originals and teases, Joel Cummins and the Cookie Bandits brought their “A” game to rock UMPHilly late into the night.

Umphrey’s at the Tower Theater.

Setlist Umphrey’s McGee Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, PA
Set One: Bathing Digits > The Fussy Dutchman, In The Kitchen > Mulche’s Odyssey, The Linear > 2X2, Der Bluten Kat > Amble On > Der Bluten Kat (1)
Set Two: The Triple Wide > Cut The Cable, Driven To Tears > Hangover (2), Educated Guess, Hajimemashite (3) > In The Kitchen, Synchopated Strangers, Wizard Burial Ground
Encore: Puppet String (4) > Glory > Puppet String
[1] with It’s About That Time (Miles Davis) tease
[2] with Proverbial teases
[3] with White Man’s Moccasins tease and Den jam
[4] with Simple Gifts (trad.) tease

August 24, 2014
The Revivalists Perform an Intimate Show at Buffalo’s Waiting Room

It seems no matter if The Revivalists play a huge music festival or an intimate small club show they seem to really give it their all. Tuesday, August 12 was no different as the New Orleans band played with as much conviction as if they were playing in front of thousands upon thousands of music lovers at The Waiting Room in downtown Buffalo.

Opening the show was Buffalo’s own Funktional Flow. The band bridged funk, reggae and all around jamming together and hitting you in the face with a powerful recipe this foursome is really taking it to the next level. Playing a few new songs in the set was also entertaining and giving Camp Flow, which is what the fan base has started to adopt as their nickname something to long for. A new album is on the doorstep and with the potential this band has, the sky is the limit. Funktional Flow continues with spots at The Purple Pig Festival, Catskill Chill and Night Lights Music Festivals, keeping them fairly busy and they would have it no other way.

Thomas Wynn & The Believers followed Flow’s explosive set with an American Rock infused sound that turned the decibel rating in the small club to overdrive. The band itself was solid and makes sense that they were named Orlando’s top Rock n Roll band four years in a row.

It may have been a Tuesday night but it soon seemed like a weekend night as soon as David Shaw (vocals, guitar) and The Revivalists started to really get going. Shaw asked the crowd to move right up close and the spaced out room became very intimate in no time. One thing you will find in many Revivalists shows is Shaw enjoys to be part of the crowd, often jumping into the crowd and mingling with his fans. Shaw has so much soul in his voice and his actions at times really speaks largely to what this band has become. He is backed by some solid musicians and his band has just as much fun on the stage that Shaw seems to have off stage. The seven piece band played their hearts out and it may have been a smaller show in the grand scheme of things but they sure didn’t give that impression to the Buffalo fans.

Setlist: All in The Family, When I’m Able, Stand Up, Concrete, Keep Going, Catching Fireflies, Two Ton, Not Turn Away, Navigate Below, It Was a Sin, Soulfight, Fade Away, Souls To Loud

August 24, 2014
Queens of the Stone Age Paid a Visit to Rochester, NY

It’s 6:30 PM on a warm Friday night in downtown Rochester, NY. A lengthy line stretches down a sidewalk running parallel to the historic Main Street Armory; the venue that is about to house the alternative hard rock sound of California’s own Queens of the Stone Age. As this show was their only stop in Upstate, NY, there was certainly no shortage of eager fans packing the floor and balcony of the large performance room.

Taking the stage first was the freshly signed (Sony Music Entertainment) New York City trio, Unlocking the Truth. Considering their roots come from setting up shop in Times Square, along with the fact this was only their third stage show ever, one would assume that a hint of nervousness would be obvious, especially when not one member of the band has hit their fourteenth birthday yet. Instead what the crowd got was a surprisingly heavy sound from the incredibly talented and comfortable teens on stage. The band was able to get the night started on the right foot, drawing cheers and immense applause from awe-stricken faces in the crowd. They continue their route to fame in the fall as they tour with rock veterans, Living Colour.

Next on stage was Aussie rocker and wife of Josh Homme, Queens of the Stone Age frontman, Brody Dalle. From start to finish in their ten-song set, the band delivered an edgy, up-tempo punk rock sound to the ever-growing audience. Along with a majority of newly written songs, Brody Dalle also threw in the single, “Coral Fang” from her prior musical project The Distillers. The fast paced sound that Brody Dalle delivered kept the anxious crowd energized and moving as they awaited the main act of the night. The band continued touring the United States through the end of July before they traveled across the pond to tour Europe during the month of August.

At 10:00 PM, the light panels at the back of the stage displayed a sixty-second countdown to which the ever-ready crowd counted along as the moment they had all been waiting for, finally became a reality. The large venue was sporting a packed balcony and limited free space on either side of the floor. As the band dove right into the popular hit “No One Knows” there were few heads not banging along to the music as well as fists stuck straight up into the air demonstrating a love for the ones on stage. As the show continued, it was hard not to appreciate the amount of work that went into stage and lighting setup. With elaborate overhead and backing lights, the mood of each song could be captured by different colors and light speeds. After powering through six or seven fast-paced, in-your-face fan favorites, Josh Homme took the piano to slow it down for their song, “Like Clockwork”. The crowd stayed rowdy and slowly more lighters than camera phones began to prevail from the sea of people. They did not keep the mood mellow for long as they revamped the tempo with more crowd favorites like “Sick, Sick, Sick” and “3’s and 7’s”.

The Queens of the Stone Age were admired as kings of rock n roll for the night, from beginning to end, keeping the audience jumping and cheering with no signs of stopping. The sweat-soaked band members finished their set, leaving the audience begging for more. As they walked off the stage, the overwhelming cheers begging for an encore began growing louder and louder. Gone for no more than two minutes, the band took the stage, beers in hand, welcomed back by the adoring fans whose cheers now reached a new peak. The three-song encore satisfied the crowd above and beyond what they could have hoped for, and shortly after the band left the stage for good, the lights came on and the venue was clear of the majority of people. Queens of the Stone Age put on not only a terrific musical show, but created an experience for their fans that left ears ringing and heads pounding for the ride home. The band continues its tour throughout August as they head to Norway to appease even more insatiable fans

August 23, 2014
It’s The Time Of The Season: The Zombies Mix Nostalgia and Relevance at the Paramount Hudson Valley

The Paramount Hudson Valley has continued its remarkable comeback since reopening in 2013 by hosting a rather big name from the ’60s, The Zombies, who put on a remarkable show on Aug. 15. The Zombies haven’t been together under that name for a number of years since their first run in the ’60s, but “It’s The Time Of The Season” and after a few regroupings in the ’90s they have been actively touring since 2001. Original members Rod Argent (organ/vocals) and Colin Blunstone (vocals) have been joined by bassist Jim Rodford who played with The Kinks from 1978-1996 and with Argent in his band of the same name.

The evening eased in with a set by singer-songwriter Bruce Sudano, known for his writing and arranging for some of the most famous performers in the world along with his late wife, Donna Summer. The songwriter in Sudano was apparent throughout his performance. With some longer songs to fill out his 40 minutes on stage, Sudano and his two band members carried a Brian Eno type ambiance throughout the set mixed with elements of rock, blues, and reggae. The layering of sounds and interweaving of guitar, sax, and keyboard lines help bring the words to life – more poetic than lyrical.

When The Zombies took the stage, it may have well been a scene out of a club show The Beatles played in England in their earlier days with standing ovations and boisterous cheers. It was the first of many signs throughout the night that the band has, 50 years later, not drifted into the novelty band clique as some with decade-spanning careers have. Like the simple flick of a light switch, the first sight of original members Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone brought the somewhat placid crowd to life.

With a smile on his face that carried through most of the show, singer Colin Blunstone introduced the evening early in the set claiming “We’ve been playing songs for 50 years. We’ll play the hits and lesser known songs. We want to keep it fresh with new songs.” The evening did, yes, include their chart-topping hits “She’s Not There,” “Time of the Season,” and “Tell Her No,” among others. The real attention grabber though was the roster of other songs weaved around these show anchors. How much of an attention grabber? Let’s say there were no dull I’m clapping because I have to moments after each of these other songs. In fact, each song in their set received at least a few standing ovations, though some songs of course received many more than others.

Along with the “classics,” they performed a fairly eclectic mix of other songs to keep things interesting and fresh, a sentiment Blunstone touched upon throughout the show. Early in the set they brought back their 1964 single “You Make Me Feel Good,” and although it’s an old tune, it was their first time playing it live in 50 years. On the recent end, they performed a brand new bluesy rock song, “The Moving On,” which had only been written a few days prior and received quite well. Another recent song, “Any Other Way,” off their 2011 Breathe In, Breathe Out album, featured an acoustic guitar solo from Tom Toomey (a member of the band since 2011) that reverberated with the style of Mark Knopfler.

Part of the musical journey of the night included material from the band members’ other gigs while The Zombies were in their disbanded years. They brought out two songs from Argent (the band), including “Hold Your Head Up” with Argent wailing out two extended keyboard solos that brought the remaining few people in their seats to their feet. Blunstone introduced the other Argent song as “The hit by tall guys with lots of makeup which was a hit in the UK before they got to it.” He was of course talking about Kiss covering “God Gave Rock and Roll To You.” Blunstone also spoke of his time away from The Zombies with a story of how he met Alan Parsons and became involved in recording vocals on the Alan Parsons Project album Eye In The Sky before performing “Old and Wise,” one of the songs he recorded with Parsons.

To cap the evening off, the final song was a nod to the two original members of The Zombies. After a final bow from the whole band, Argent and Blunstone remained on stage to perform a duet on “The Way I Feel Inside,” one of the band’s earliest recordings.

The reactions of some people in the audience screamed nostalgia throughout the evening. Perhaps calling it a robust nostalgia would be a better way to describe it because of the band’s fresh mix of song selections. It was clear from this show that The Zombies have evolved with their latest regrouping to entertain fans old and new with a performance that is far from being a can of vegetables. They’re keeping up with the times pretty good too with different forms of social media to engage their followers. Don’t miss their show next time they pass through your neck of the woods – you may just regret it!

Setlist

I Love You
Can’t Nobody Love You
Breathe Out, Breathe In
I Want You Back Again
You Make Me Feel Good
She’s Coming Home
Miracles
Any Other Way
A Rose For Emily
Care of Cell 44
This Will Be Our Year
Beechwood Park
I Want Her, She Wants Me
Time Of The Season
The Moving On (newly written song)
Tell Her No
You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me
Old And Wise (Alan Parsons Project)
Hold Your Head Up (Argent)
She’s Not There

Encores:

God Gave Rock and Roll To You (Argent)
Just Out Of Reach
The Way I Feel Inside

August 23, 2014
Feel Free at Fontana’s on July 31

“They’re a poor man’s Galactic”, the banker in the dark charcoal suit standing next to me tells me. Though I have no idea what Galactic is, or what a suit is doing watching a self-proclaimed funky-reggae-rock-soul band playing at Fontana‘s (I later learn that it’s an obscure jam-band, and they’re friends of the band from University of Miami), I nod my head in agreement anyway. The suit is soon joined by more men wearing brown herringbone skinny ties and I arrive at the conclusion that it’s corporate night at the music bar.

As hard as it is to take these men in floral shirts with highjacked Jamaican accents from Washington seriously, it gets harder to maintain my level of cynicism a few minutes into their set. The crowd begis to sway with abandon to the jazz harmonies in “What A Time”, and not even the staff is immune to the hard hitting horn lines of “The Motions”. Feel Free even spews a lyric or two about having a thing for a girl with sleeve tattoos in “Popcorn and Alcohol”, a song built around a chord progression reminiscent of Young the Giant’s “West Virginia”, granting them major star power from the crowd.

Feel Free is by no means a band that’s going to ritually treat their hair the way it’s described in Chapter Six of the Book of Numbers, but there is no doubt that they will create genre-bending music that brings all sorts of people together. By the end of the night, everyone left Chinatown feeling free, thoroughly impressed by the band’s musicianship.

August 23, 2014
Changes Made to Conehead Buddha Lineup

Conehead Buddha recently announced major changes to their lineup as they head into moe.down on August 30.

Conehead Buddha

Newcomers Suke Cerulo (guitarist of Schleigho fame), Colin Almquist (bass) and Amit Shamir (drums) are each identified as family, according to the band’s recent press release, and join Chris Fisher (lead vocals, percussion, guitar), Terry Lynch (trumpet, vocals, hand percussion), Shannon Lynch (saxophone, flute, vocals), Shaun Bazylewicz (trombone), and Mike Dunn (keyboard). The perceived familiarity among them all lends the band confidence that their sound will “tighten up” and “rock harder” as they prepare to hit the studio with new tunes.

The first official set for this raging eight-piece is on August 30 at moe.down music festival in Turin, N.Y.

One of the original genre-blending bands to grace the jam scene. Conehead Buddha plays songs you can dance to. Sometimes they’re in a trance-like jam, sometimes they’ve got a salsa pulse and sometimes they rock it out with a taste of ska. Whatever the groove, CB is an exciting band to see live and get down to.

August 22, 2014