Category: Special

30 Years of Phish: The Right Way

30-30-30: not a locker combination but rather a numerical occurrence that was so spot on, it had to be planned out well in advance. On December 30th, Phish played their 30th show at Madison Square Garden in their 30th year, and few fans neglected to notice the importance of the show in the band’s history. December 30th typically produces the hottest show of any New Years Run over the years (see 1997, 1998, 2003, 2009, 2012) and when you layer on the significance of the venue and the band’s longevity, the alignment built the anticipation for this evening unlike that of any other, save New Years Eve. Indeed it was yet another great 30th on all accounts.

“Kill Devil Falls” always get things heated and had a little extra stank on the end, whereas “Bathtub Gin” was hardly watered down and part of a great year of “Gin”; a “Gin” or “Wolfman’s Brother” in the first set is a sure sign of a strong show to come. Trey fell into a groove and led the Type I jam to a peak in the 8th minute, taking his time and not rushing towards the finale. This is a strong version, akin to most from Phish at MSG. And the good news that emerged from the song was that ‘TreyDD’ is treatable! Now to get him to not rush the ending of Tube and Halleys…

The long awaited return of “Wombat” had perfect timing and was slightly reworked, but still a spastic mess of melodies, rhythms and lyrics. Regardless, Wombat is going to be a big fan favorite in the first set in future years. If there was a song to confuse the dancing of Phish fans, this song would be it; it’s like trying to dance to acid jazz – you can try it, but it’s not going to be pretty. Noodling from Trey gave away “Yarmouth Road” well before it started. Fans are falling for this Murawski/Gordon composition that gained a quick foothold at SPAC in July and found a spot in the rotation quickly. “46 Days” was a standard mid-set rocker, while “Lawn Boy” found Page wandering the stage towards Mike side, taking a solo and prime photo op with Mr. Gordleone at the lip of the stage and Fishman coming out to take a bow simply because he’s Jon Fishman. “Heavy Things” followed uneventfully beyond Page’s slick organ work, while a late appearance of “Punch You in the Eye” riled the crowd up properly and “Gotta Jibboo” closed the set with dance-happy fervency.

Then came Set Two. If you’re going to start a set strong in your 30th year, you may as well return to a tune that has proved to be a tremendous jam vehicle in the past few years – “Chalkdust Torture”, particularly at Dick’s this past summer. MSG’s version was nearly 20 minutes long and in direct competition with the 8/31/13 version. The band ventured from the composition together, spacing out their parts while remaining tightly woven in the jam, with Trey talking some liberal strokes to launch the improv into orbit. Once there, all four linked up again, with Page making the most of the progression, creating an underlying tone that pushed the jam forward with Fish setting the pace. A siren-like sound emanated from Page, pushing fully into Type II that was brought down to level by Trey before moving into fresh territory, full of ambient psychedelia that recalled the “Runaway Jim” from Burgetstown ’98 as it waded back into a faster jam, eliciting Woos from the crowd, because who doesn’t love a good Woo? (I have come around on this after a year and a half).

The last two minutes of “Chalkdust” are merely a breakdown between the four members – Mike and Jon keeping a groove, Trey finding his and Page bridging the two together as they segued into “Mike’s Song”. This could have been longer, and a second set “Mike’s” is a preferable jump off point for a sick, dark jam. We got a short, tight Trey-led jam with guitar-noodling worth revisiting, yet “Devotion to a Dream” appeared via a hushed segue. I loved that we finally got the second version of this Wingsuit song, but the placement was questionable. Who knows, it could still work, and it’s still a fun song.

The “Ghost” that emerged from “Devotion” was not as long and epic as past MSG versions (see – The Holy Ghost from 12/31/10) but still a nice treat inside a “Mike’s Groove.” Trey layers peaks upon peaks in the jam, leading the charge and bursting forth a torrent of energy onto the crowd. A clean segue into “Weekapaug Groove” had Page’s keyboard melody the defining sound of this “Groove”, one that Trey co-opted quite cleanly and led the way for the rest of the song, instigating dancing the whole way through.

But what to do when you have already exhausted a “Mike’s Groove” mid-way through a set? You drop a “Simple > Hood” onto the fan’s laps. The cheers and elation were greater than any other during the run, save for when the band took and left the stage. “Simple” – you’d think Trey knew the lyrics by now. No worries – the fans had his back. Jumping into the jam, things got ambient and spacey, accompanied by light bass bombing from Mike, then Page and Trey linked up together to bring the tune to a close. That’s when “Harry Hood” began and up in Section 211, many a “Fuck Yeah!” could be heard from around the room. High fives went all around as the telegraphed segue into the early Anastasio composition followed. What transpired after the “Thank you Mr. Miner” part was a slow build of pure joy. Halfway through, this Hood found its footing and ventured away from the composed part with all four locked in together, Trey in the driver’s seat with a tangent that looped right back around and hit the others in jam at the right mark – pure elation in the finished product, with a little more of Trey’s tangent finding itself in the closing portion. This is not just a must hear, this is one of the best versions of the year, save the Hollywood Hood, which takes top honors. (Glens Falls – honorable mention)

A breather that still kept the flow going came in the form of “Cavern”, but that wasn’t to be all in this set. “First Tube”, possibly the loudest song Phish has in their extensive catalog, burst forth and the crowd followed suit. You cannot deny the energy this song creates in any part of a show, but to end the night? The bounce of the Garden was more prominent than ever. You can’t renovate that out!

“Slave to the Traffic Light” – the payoff pitch and the perfect way to cap the greatest Phish shows. Mellow bliss and high emotions accompanies Trey’s closing composition, a supreme highlight for their 30th show at The World’s Most Famous Arena. As the crowd picked their jaws up off the floor and assessed themselves, fans strode out into the night, eager for what the last 24 hours of 2013 would bring. It was now New Years Eve and there was no more ‘tomorrow’ to worry about, just the rest of this final day. Post-show, bar or apartment – Phish brought the year nearly to a close in grand fashion. Phish New Years Run – you had to have that.

Set 1: Kill Devil Falls, Bathtub Gin#, Wombat, Yarmouth Road, 46 Days, Lawn Boy, Heavy Things, Punch You In the Eye > Sample in a Jar, Gotta Jibboo

Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture^ > Mike’s Song > Devotion To A Dream, Ghost ->Weekapaug Groove > Simple* > Harry Hood > Cavern > First Tube

Encore: Slave to the Traffic Light

# Shave and a Haircut tease at end by Trey
^ Unfinished
* Teases of The Line, Fuego, Magilla

January 8, 2014
Normal Instruments to Play the Hollow, January 11th

Normal Instruments will play Albany’s The Hollow on January 11th, performing two sets and will be accompanied by Albany’s own DJ Leila and Mentally Ill.

Normal Instruments, created in 2011, is a powerhouse collaboration of Jules Jenssen of Higher Organix, Michael Carter of the Indobox, Matt Beckett of the Cosmic Dust Bunnies and Jeff Bujak. Anyone who has seen these guys live knows this is a show you will not want to miss. Normal Instruments has been seen at many of the east coast summer festivals and will be doing an east coast tour kicking off in Providence, Rhode Island the day before the Albany show. As a relatively new band, Normal Instruments has taken the live music scene by storm and will clearly continue doing so, all while having a ton of fun on stage. Definitely don’t miss this amazing show.

The show is 21+, with ID and will begin at 10 pm.

Facebook| Event Page |Sound Cloud

January 8, 2014
Phish is my Sunday Kind of Love: Night Two at Madison Square Garden 2013

Phish at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, December 29, 2013 for their second night of a four night run gave new meaning to the term “Sunday Funday.” After dusting off the first night, fans had a better idea for time management with security check points, transportation plans and guessing songs for the evening.

The new layout of MSG still left much for guests to explore, especially still gathering thoughts on the latest sky walk addition. 2013 was a momentous year for the band and its dedicated fan base, as they celebrated their 30th anniversary together in style from summer and fall tour, coast to coast and now to New Year’s weekend. The crowd was very excitable after the first night and eager to keep climbing the peak of the run.

“The Moma Dance” was a funky start with rippling guitar riffs from Trey Anastasio, just enough to get the heart pumping before heading right into a rowdy “Rift”, with a long withheld, endearing cheer during the musical pause at the five minute mark. “Roggae” was light and sweetly powerful, climbing easily with a blissful touch down. “Sparkle” was a youthful moment in the show, bringing a steady singing volume from the crowd with merry go round like joy. “The Line” off their upcoming album, Wingsuit, had reflective and mature lyrics with beautiful harmony. Another new song, “555” featured rising vocals from bassist Mike Gordon with an outburst or two from drummer Jon Fishman. Everything took a turn towards the funk during “It’s Ice”, when Page McConnell took the reins for a solo, it was overheard, “No big deal, Page is breaking it down.” The set stayed funky for a soulful “Gumbo” and the set ended with one of the highlights of the run, “Walls of the Cave.” WOTC had deep bass notes to start from Gordon that had the Garden shaking with this set closer as Anastasio jumped with delight from the crowd after his strong solo finish, it was a good sign for the night ahead.

“Down with Disease” is a classic second set opener and this one was no different with its odd, space odyssey bursts as Gordon slapped his bass with Chris Kuroda’s lights going in full blast, exposing the many wide and grand dance gestures of the crowd. Madison Square Garden holds so many Phish memories that sometimes they almost blur together so as DWD starts, you can’t help but look around to see if fans are starting to float up given the previous NYE stunt. With no hesitation, Phish dove right into “Carini”, 15 minutes of pure concentrated dark energy with echoes and screeches resembling a psychedelic spaceship complete with audience woos. Lightening up the set, we slipped into “Waves”, a very consistent buildup with Gordon bringing new ripples thanks to a power drill. “Twist”: you are either for ‘Woo’ or no ‘Woo’, but either way it’s happening. “Twist” was still hot after this year’s Fall Tour and had some hard hitting notes from McConnell with a slight “Oye Como Va” jam emerging from Anatasio’s rhythm pattern as it echoed the song. Phish jumped into a brief non-jam, but still fun, “Golgi Apparatus”, where everyone was happy to have a “ticket stub in their hand.” Fishman hits the familiar tempo of the cymbals to cue the eruption of “David Bowie” as the set closer, sending glowsticks flying in almost perfect match, the slow building Bowie jam hitting hard with the bands predictable peaks . The night ended with the main marsupial of 2013, “Possum”, a playful encore with Trey joking, “Thanks everyone! We’ll see you tomorrow night. Don’t move, just stay right here.”

Another night secured with pure Phish filled delight as concert goers cheered on their way out of the Garden. The boys from Vermont had performed a wide array of music, showcasing new and old favorites venturing into lighthearted fun with the audience and to the dark corners of their instruments. With the New Year just ahead, a great resolution for any fan is to never miss a Sunday show.

Setlist:
Set 1: The Moma Dance > Rift, Roggae, Sparkle, The Line, Stash, 555, It’s Ice, Gumbo^, Walls of the Cave
Set 2: Down with Disease > Carini > Waves* > Twist > Golgi Apparatus, David Bowie*
Encore: Possum
* Mike on power drill
^ Long Tall Glasses tease by Trey

January 7, 2014
One Fan’s Experience Sitting in with Marco Benevento

Fans love to meet their musical idols, whether backstage, walking down the street, or just outside a venue. The experience is hard to come by but when it happens, it’s like a dream come true. But what happens when you meet a musician you are a huge fan of, possess a solid degree of musical talent yourself, and you are invited to play music with them, live on stage? Quite possibly the best night ever begins to unfold. Holly Bowling, a Suzuki Piano teacher from San Francisco had the unique, once in a lifetime experience sitting-in with Marco Benevento on December 1st at The Chapel.

And then it happened a second time later that month.

Pete Mason: Let’s start with the basics: you’re the mystery guest who sat in with Marco not just on December 30th at the Highline Ballroom, but also in San Francisco on December 1st at The Chapel. Who are you exactly?

Holly Bowling: I live in San Francisco and teach Suzuki Piano. Really, I’m just a girl with a piano and a dream. And a unicorn outfit… but I don’t usually talk about that. I like long walks on the beach at sunset and the Tahoe Tweezer. Actually, I can take or leave the long walks on the beach at sunset. I’ve played piano since I was five. I’m classically trained but play all kinds of different stuff. I teach piano lessons for a living, mostly to kids. When I’m not doing that, I see a lot of live music. A LOT of live music.

PM: What is your experience in playing piano?

HB: I played classical piano all the way through school growing up. It was simultaneously a really amazing thing as well as kind of a stressful competitive thing that I sort of stepped away from for a while. It’s a really intense scene. I came back to it for a while and majored in classical piano in college, and I’m really glad I did. But I really enjoy more freeform styles of music. And although you can lose yourself in classical music for sure, there’s something really cool about losing yourself in music that’s being created in the moment – whether you’re the performer or a member of an audience who are all experiencing the same thing.

PM: What draws you to music?

HB: What draws me to music is something I could talk about for hours but it’s the same things that draw everyone to it. It’s a form of expression, a way of conveying emotions to others or of experiencing someone else’s emotions. And it’s transportive; you can lose yourself in and it carries you somewhere, maybe someplace you remember, maybe someplace you’ve never been, whether you’re playing a Beethoven sonata or you’re in the crowd at a Phish show.

It’s elation, it’s despair, it’s contentment, it’s anticipation, it’s release… I mean it’s everything really. Also there’s an element of music that’s like a beautiful complex puzzle, with repeating patterns and cycles that go in and out of phase and mathematical ratios and perfect structure and order and also breaking all of that structure and order apart. Figuring out a new piece of music when you’re unfamiliar with it is fun that way. It’s a brand new puzzle to unlock and understand.

Also, music is the place in my life where I feel like I’m best able to 100% live in the exact moment I’m in and appreciate it fully. I’m right here for an instant and nowhere else. That’s increasingly hard to find, and hard to get to. It’s a pretty awesome feeling.

PM: Beyond your experience as a piano player, what draws you towards pianists in particular?

HB: On most instruments, you get to play one note at a time. Even on the guitar, where you can play chords, you still pretty much have to choose melody or chords, not both at once. There are amazing jazz players out there that can throw crazy harmonies underneath the melody as they improvise but for the most part, most instruments are one note only. The piano opens up all kinds of possibilities. But really I think i’m mostly drawn to it because I play it.

PM: What led to the sit-in with Marco Benevento in San Francisco?

HB: I went to a show on December 1st at a one of my favorite small venues in San Francisco called The Chapel. It was a benefit for a really fantastic nonprofit called Bread and Roses (if you haven’t heard of them, check them out – they bring live music to people who can’t go out and see it cause they’re stuck in the hospital, etc). Marco was playing with with the guys from Tea Leaf Green. I almost didn’t go, all my friends flaked and it was a sunday night. I decided to go at the last minute because I rarely miss a Marco show in San Francisco and I was excited to see him play with Reed (Mathis) again.

During the show, someone reached up and hit one of the keys on Marco’s piano. Somehow it became a running joke between Marco and the crowd that for a one dollar donation to Bread and Roses you could reach up and touch the top end of his piano. So all kinds of people were handing Marco singles and playing a note. Actually they were handing him small bills for all kinds of things… a group of people handed him a pile of singles to play happy birthday to their friend. He played “Hava Nagila” for everyone celebrating Hanukkah. So it was definitely a night of shenanigans and banter.

He kept asking the crowd “Does anyone else want to pay a dollar to touch the top end of the piano?” throughout the night and I’m thinking to myself, “Hell yeah I want to touch Marco’s piano!” But if I’m gonna touch it I wanna do more than just play a note… So I figured I’d go over there, hand him $2, and reach up to the top end of the piano and play the opening notes to “Atari”, because its my favorite Marco song and I wanted him to play it. $2 seemed fair… $1 for a note, double the rate for a handful of notes and a request.

I went over to hand Marco my $2 but I realized I couldn’t reach the piano over the monitors and all. So I handed him my two bucks and just climbed onstage. He was really cool about it and thankfully no one tackled me or threw me offstage or anything. He made room for me on the bench and offered for me to sit down next to him. Who turns that down? Not me! So we’re sitting at the piano next to each other and Marco starts playing “Heart and Soul”, that song everyone plays when they’re a kid, whether they know how to play or not, and I just turn to him and say “Uh-uh. Can I pick?”, and he stops, and I start playing the opening notes of “Atari”.

At this point I’m sure I have the biggest smile on my face and can’t be much happier because I AM SITTING NEXT TO MARCO BENEVENTO who is one of my favorite musicians and I am PLAYING MY FAVORITE MARCO SONG, but then Marco starts playing the bassline on the bottom end of the piano, so now we’re playing a duet. We played the whole song together, we high-fived, I gave Marco a hug, he tried to give me the pile of small bills that was on top of the piano from all the shenanigans earlier. I climbed off-stage and Marco kicked over his piano bench, said “This show is OVER” and walked offstage.

Here’s the crazy thing: I didn’t know a single person there. All my friends bailed last minute, and (my husband) Jeffery was in Los Angeles for work – I had literally dropped him off at SFO right before the show.

So this crazy thing happened, and no one I knew was there to even witness it. Luckily people in the crowd took video and sent it to me afterwards, which was awesome, because otherwise I think would’ve tried to tell my friends “Yeah I totally just climbed onstage and sat in with Marco tonight” and I think “suuuuuuuure you did” would’ve been their response.

On December 30th, Holly and friends attended the Phish show at Madison Square Garden, then went to the Highline Ballroom afterwards for the Marco Benevento post-show.

PM: What led to the sit-in at the Highline Ballroom?

HB: It’s post-Phish and my whole crew is at the Highline up in the balcony, and they’ve all been giving me shit the whole week about how I have to get up onstage and play with Marco again. Obviously they haven’t let it go by the time we get to the Highline. So the night goes on and the show starts to get weird like Marco shows always do (and I mean that in the best way… I blame the tiger mask) and it’s getting late, past 2 am. I figure if I’m gonna go for it this is the time. So I make my way up to the stage and between songs, I yell “Hey Marco, is it still a dollar to play the piano?” and hold up a single. He says “Yeah, it’s still a dollar! come on up here!”

So I got to play “Atari” with Marco again, but this time with Dave and Andy! Awesome. This time it was on a different piano, which was interesting because it only had maybe 6 octaves on it, so there was much less room to play around, especially with two people on it. I couldn’t believe I got to play with Marco… TWICE. I was pretty on top of the world.

The show continues and Marco does a cover of “Benny and the Jets”; it’s mostly instrumental but he usually sings the high “Benny! Benny! Benny and the Jets” part towards the end, except this time he sings “Holly… Holly… Holly is the best!” I seriously lost it. I’m like “Am I hearing this right? What is he saying?! I think that emboldened me a little to go back down there during the encore and see if I could play one more song with him. I definitely wanted to respect his show and not mess anything up but I figured he seemed like he was having fun with it during “Atari” so why not ask? I mean, the worst he could do is say no, which would’ve been totally fine. But I’m glad he said yes.

During the encore I went to the bar and bought Marco a beer. An encore, actually. I handed it to him, along with my buddy’s ridiculous neon green RAGE hat. I really wanted to see Marco wear the rage hat, it’s kind of a legendary. We played the encore together as well. Marco threw in some Phish teases as we were trading phrases at the end which was awesome. I teased “Tweeprise” and we jammed on that for a minute and then Marco brought it back to “Twin Killers”.

Epic Night.

January 7, 2014
Two Nights of Funk with The Main Squeeze and New Mastersounds, Presented by Equifunk

One of ’s top music festivals of last summer, Equifunk: The All-Inclusive Music Festival, brought a great two night run of official late night Phish after-parties. The first night saw soon to breakout band The Main Squeeze play an all-night set, while the second night saw The New Mastersounds bring the English funk to New York City with some help from Bobby Paltauf.

After leaving Phish at Madison Square Garden, there were multiple after-shows to go to each night. Many made their way to The Cutting Room to take in the funk and soul that oozes out of The Main Squeeze. The band was unable to take the stage until 1:30 A.M. and the sold-out crowd was getting restless, but once the lights went down it felt like the beginning of the evening again. Corey Frye’s vocals continuously soared over the combination of Max Newman’s guitar work and Ben “Smiley” Silverstein’s beautiful work on the keys. Jeremiah Hunt and Reuben Gingrich held down the rhythm section on bass and drums respectively. A range of covers and originals kept the crowd grooving until 3:30 in the morning.

A night later many made their way to Stage 48 to take in English band The New Mastersounds. The group started a little after 12:30 in the morning, much to the crowd’s delight. Pete Shand and Simon Allen immediately dropped into a James Brown-esque rhythm on bass and drums. Eddie Roberts’s guitar and Joe Tatton’s organ battled back and forth making everyone smile and dance throughout the set. Several songs into the set, Eddie welcomed out Bobby Paltauf, the 13 year old guitar wiz who had made the rounds at festivals and shows in New England throughout the summer. Bobby stood toe to toe with Eddie for a few songs, showing why many bands invite him to play, knowing that he will come out and wail on his guitar. The rest of the set saw the band continue their funk onslaught into the wee hours of the morning.

Both of these shows showed why Equifunk was one of the best festivals last summer and is sure to be a great one again this year. Both The Main Squeeze and The New Mastersounds are bands not to be missed if they come around to your area of the country. If you like to dance to funk, soul, and rock, look no further than these two bands and three days of music next August.

January 7, 2014
NYErie: Aqueous Brings in 2014 in Style

Buffalo’s Aqueous had a busy and fruitful 2013. Having played over 125 shows including multiple major festivals, the band chose their home away from home at The Crooked I in Erie, PA to close the year out in grand style. Despite close to blizzard like conditions for much of the afternoon, Erie’s music lovers were not deterred as the venue filled from end to end as the show raged on. The I is a fantastic place, chosen by staff as one of the best small venues in 2013. Run by co-owners Marty Schwab and Tracy Evans, The I prides itself on fair prices, a well trained and accommodating staff, top notch promotion and booking, and first and foremost respect and fair treatment to musicians.

Aqueous hit the stage running a bit after 10 with an extra exploratory version of original “The Median”. The band, made up of guitarists Mike Gantzer and David Loss, bassist Evan McPhaden and drummer Nick Sonricker were all decked out in their finest dress clothes for the entirety of the show. During original “Coyote Run”, local axe wizard Eric Brewer sat in for a goosebump riddled guitar duel with Mike. The first set stuck mostly with the bands original material with plenty of jamming which rang well with the masses crowding the stage. A debut, “Complex Part II” anchored the middle of with aplomb, and the boys closed out with a first time played cover of Toto’s classic “Africa” including some fancy choreographed dance moves.

A quick set break later, the band retook the stage right before midnight and counted down into 2014 with the crowd. After an obligatory quick instrumental take on “Auld Lang Syne” everyone and their mom, and their mom’s mom, were taken completely by surprise as the band dropped into a full spot on cover of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets”. Gratuitous headbanging ensued. Several originals followed with Aqueous’s usual spot on jamming all over the place. Not done with the evenings surprises yet, the entirety of The Beatles Abbey Road (side 2) finished out the set with 300+ of Erie’s jamizens singing along to every word. Sad you didn’t go? The entirety of the show was captured on audio and video so keep an eye out!

Aqueous also released their newest live CD Live Nugs: Volume 4 at the show, which can be purchased here.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/127580768″ params=”color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Catch Aqueous in Upstate this winter on January 18th at The Hollow in Albany w/ Wild Adriatic, January 24th at Balloons in Ellicottville and every Wednesday in February at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo.

Setlist

Set 1: The Median, Skyway > Eon Don, Complex Part II#, Coyote Run^, Africa ##

Set 2: Auld Lang Syne > Master of Puppets ### > Origami, Dave’s Song > Kitty Chaser (Explosions),
King For A Day > Willy is 40, All In, Mean Mr. Mustard #### > Polythene Pam #### >
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window #### > Golden Slumbers #### > Carry that Weight #### > The End ####

Encore: Her Majesty #### > Warren in the Window

# First time played original
^ with Eric Brewer on guitar
## First time played, Toto cover
### First time played, Metallica cover
#### First time played, The Beatles cover(to end of set)

January 7, 2014
One Last Party at Rochester’s Dub Land Underground

After seven years, Dub Land Underground will be closing their doors for good—but not without one more jam-packed evening bringing together some of Rochester’s favorite bands. Dub Land, which has been a staple of Rochester’s music venues (specifically for jam bands and psychedelic DJs), is ready to say goodbye with a bang, featuring sets from area favorites Roots Collider, Haewa, Mosaic Foundation, Ocupanther, Neurocepter and Tim Tones. There will also be DJ sets throughout the night, with past RIPROC artists throwing down one last set.

The farewell is sure to be bittersweet, but local music fans can expect to see Dub Land go out on a high note, with music starting at 7PM and lasting until 4AM. The show is this Friday, January 10th, and with tickets costing only $10 (21+) / $15 (18+) for virtually nine hours of non-stop tunes, Dub Land’s Last Call is the only show in town.

January 7, 2014
moe. head Eastbound to take over Albany

Standing out in the cold is rarely a good time, but this did not stop the masses from waiting outside the Palace Theatre in Albany for moe. and Eastbound Jesus to kick off two nights to close the year out in Albany. The doors didn’t open until 7 pm, yet there were plenty of people waiting to get in, standing around, mingling, and talking about what songs would be played, how excited they were to get in and see two of the hottest bands around.

Eastbound Jesus, from Greenwich, New York, had the crowd’s attention from the moment they took the stage at The Palace Theater, opening up for moe.’s first of two nights to cap off 2013. ”Waiting for the Sun” off Northern Rock was not your typical bluegrass, mixed with electric guitar solos. This is one of separating factors Eastbound from the mainframe of bluegrass. This jam could have gone on infinitely, but as they were the opening act, time restriction definitely brought this jam of endless possibilities to a halt. “Where the Winter goes” focused on harmonizing echoing the sound of Fleet Foxes, Crosby, Stills & Nash, among others, giving fans a chance to see this band for their many instruments, but also having a genuine good time on the stage, with the overflow engulfing the crowd. The multiple instruments played was very impressive, and although the lead guitarist Adam Brockway handled most of the solos and banjo player Luke Anderson filling a key role in many of the band’s extended runs. Closing the set with “The Ballad of Eastbound Jesus”, the crowd started to clap their hands to the beat, leaving the band and crowd mutually happy. Eastbound Jesus played their songs tight and had the crowd in the palm of their hand in an opportunity to showcase their sound to a wide audience.

There are umpteen jam bands in the music scene today, mostly sounding very similar and almost having no identity. moe. is not one of these bands. With a unique sound spanning many musical horizons from psychedelic to hard rock, moe. covers it all. The set opener, “Paper Dragon”, had these aspects. Starting out slow with the emphasis on Jim Loughlin’s percussion playing, he was busy on his many instruments to keep the rhythm going. This was not the case for long as the song sped up and guitarist Al Schnier began to shred, a recurring theme for the evening. The drums, led by Vinnie Amico and anchored by Loughlin transitioned into the forgettable “Y.O.Y”, just a lot of sound over more sounds, doing very little for the crowd. This would’ve become a problem if the band stayed on this course, however the mess known as “Y.O.Y” shifted into one of the nights highlights, “George”, which had the crowd going utterly nuts as they sang along to the line “It’s not my problem!”, followed with a tremendous jam led by Schnier . The first set was very much a set based around the guitar playing of Al, although the vocals of Rob Derhak and the guitar playing of Chuck Garvey were very apparent in helping them come together.

The second set opened with “Zed Naught Z”, rocking the fans right out of their seats, with nary an individual sitting down. Loughlin had a tremendous xylophone solo that sounded like a carousel ride, transitioning into a spacey Grateful Dead-style jam, almost losing the crowd. “Timmy Tucker” hooked the crowd back in, and quickly. The jam that ensued showed patience and timing, particularly as Amico’s drums and Loughlin’s percussion complimented Derhak’s bass and vocals and the rhythm became tight. Garvey and Schnier were able to duel guitars, creating a unifying sound between them, jamming another fan favorite, “Akimbo”. A straight forward song, “Akimbo” was fun but nothing special, and segued right back into Timmy Tucker”, with fury from the wailing guitars. This five song palindrome of the set was finished with “Zed Naught Z”, seeing everything come full circle. The patience to get from point A and go all over the place and ending at point A is a talent very few bands possess. “Opium” segued into another favored moe. classic, “32 Things”. The crowd sang along, everyone cheering for more moe. when it was finished.

The band came back out and played a cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla”, a heavy number which did just as an encore should do: left the crowd wanting more. They would get more later that night, as it was already New Years Eve. As the doors opened and fans dispersed onto Pearl Street, the cheers and claps were proof to patrons on the street that a very good time was had at the Palace.

EastBound Jesus setlist
Set: Waitin on the sun, Beat The Brakes, Where The Winter Goes, Katie Belle, Doors Open, 54 Miles, Ballad Of Eastbound Jesus

moe. setlist
Set 1: Paper Dragon > Y.O.Y. > George > Skrunk, Blue Jeans Pizza, Puebla > The Pit
Set 2: Zed Naught Z > Timmy Tucker > Akimbo > Timmy Tucker > Zed Naught Z, Opium, 32 Things
Encore: Godzilla

Stay tuned for a review of moe.’s New Years Eve show on Wednesday, January 8th.

January 6, 2014
Still Crazy After All These Years: Phish kicks off the first of four nights at MSG to close out 2013

An uncharacteristically warm New York City late-December day with sunny weather greeted the Phish faithful on Friday, December 28, 2013 as they collectively made their final tour treks to the Big Apple after a stellar 2013 year of music from Phish. In addition to numerous architectural and logistical changes accompanying the MSG experience, fans were greeted to a tighter security presence outside both pre and post show, but the typical darling Garden security and usher staff once inside the now-slightly less friendly confines of MSG……

Typically, the first of any multi-night venue engagement is filled with a palpable energy and the first set from Phish on the 28th was no exception. Coming out of the gates to open the four-night affair was a rare-opening “The Wedge”, the first of its kind in the past 15 years. From “The Wedge”, the quartet settled into the 3.0 anthem of sobriety, “Stealing Time from The Faulty Plan.” Following, the band queued up a near-flawless” Mound”, (a song often flubbed throughout the years), which was the first real sign to many vets, that they in no way showed any rust following a few months off after another superb run of Dick’s shows in Denver.

What transpired after “Mound” concluded is what phans should consider as a solid re-listen for one of the better stretches/song pairings of the entire run. Yes, I said ‘the entire run.’ Any critical Phish phan should note that to really enjoy this first show and portions of the others during this MSG run, displacing one’s stereotypes of “longer songs equal better songs” is required. From “Mound”, they began a rousing, fast-paced “Axilla” that seamlessly segued into a funked-out “Birds of a Feather” and then into a spacey, dreamscape of a 12-minute, Type II “Wolfman’s Brother”. For those with ‘Live Phish Re-listen ADD Syndrome’, as many can relate, feel free to drop in around the 3:45 mark and then really crank up your stereo between the 6 to 8:45 minute mark. From there, guitarist Trey Anastasio refrains from whale-calls and just layers and layers soprano licks until hitting that textbook crescendo and Garden crowd finalizing its best first-set energy thus far.

With most knowing a “cool-down” song was in order, many phans were observed beginning to chat or prepping to get a cold one. Instead, Trey dropped a toying few chords of “Wilson” and crowds politely obliged with the obligatory “Wil-son” chorus, to what Trey and keyboardist Page McConnell laughingly responded, “Ha-ha, Nope.” Immediately thereafter, Trey ripped a quick “Aw Fuck” and “Simpsons” signal with the chorus “D’oh!”. The levity was quickly forwarded to the band unveiling their first of the weekend’s installments from their yet-to-be-released Wingsuit album. When first played in Atlantic City, the band played the highly-infectious “Monica” acoustically. Many in the Phish phandom had since wondered how the song would translate live in the middle of a setlist. Phish answered that question with another 5-min. rousing vocal-filled ballad, but with no stand-up bass for Mike. From a slightly mundane eight minute “7 Below”, they ripped my favorite four and a half minutes of the night with a very noteworthy “Tube.” All phans know “Tube” is always ripped, but there are some notable livetronica backdrops from Page during this rendition. The first of the weekend’s nine sets was finally concluded with 2.0 faves “Free” and “Julius.”

Notably, the setbreak music was later discovered to be all songs from 2013 (Dr. Dog and Chico Trujillo), while the next night on the 29th, songs were all released in 2003 (Calexico and The New Pornographers), the 30th had music from 1993 (Bjork, A Tribe Called Quest and Uncle Tepelo) and on New Years Eve, songs from Phish’s first year were played during setbreak (“Electric Avenue”, “Mexican Radio” and “Rock the Casbah” among them). Chris Kuroda, who typically handles setbreak music outdid himself with an Easter egg stretched out over the run.

Kicking off the second set of the band’s 28th show at the Garden on December 28 in their 30th year as a band, Phish broke out with a slithering, spacey “Sand” jam clocking in at 13 minutes. (Do not miss the last 3 minutes of this one) From “Sand”, they segued into pretty standard versions of “Back on the Train > Tweezer” before abruptly bailing on it and not without observable sighs and grunts from phans. Trey pulled the rip-cord on the final “Tweezer” of 2013 with 3.0 mainstay “Backwards Down the Number Line.” However, many were quickly won back over by Trey’s final two minutes of “BDTNL” setting the table for the highlight of the night (and previous NYE MSG stunt) “Steam”. The meandering, slow-paced intro really takes definition into a tight jam around the five-minute mark of some excellent interplay between bassist Mike Gordon, Page, Trey and drummer Jon Fishman’s spooky-vocal whines. The latter half of this Steam really embodies what made Phish so sonically successful in 2013: never going alone into a jam sequence but rather feeding off of each other in order to get there.

The 12-minute “Steam” jam eventually evaporated perfectly into “Silent in the Morning”, a song personifying how appreciative, quiet and respectful Phish phans can be, even in the World’s Most Famous Arena. Also, notably ‘twas the the final line of the lyrics, “I think that this exact thing happened to me just last year” having significance as the boys wrap up the final year of their contract with MSG. Once again in 2013, “Silent in the Morning” ‘brought us to our knees’ without “The Horse” rearing up the tail end. Instead, Phish came in with their second Wingsuit number of the night with an underwhelming “Waiting All Night” before capping it all off with a fairly standard but fun nonetheless 11-minute “Run Like an Antelope.” Following a brief break, Phish returned to the stage to wrap up a solid first night affair with “Suzy Greenberg” featuring Trey and Mike guitar dueling. Lastly, phans were satisfied to get the night’s closing “Tweeprise” before spilling out into Manhattan for more bouncin’ ‘round the boroughs.

Set 1: The Wedge, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Mound, Axilla > Birds of a Feather, Wolfman’s Brother, Monica^, Seven Below* > Tube > Free > Julius

Set 2: Sand > Piper > Back on the Train > Tweezer > Backwards Down the Number Line, Steam > Silent in the Morning, Waiting All Night, Run Like an Antelope

Encore: Suzy Greenberg, Tweezer Reprise

* Can’t You Hear Me Knocking tease
^ Aw Fuck! and Simpsons signals before song

January 6, 2014
JRAD Captivates The Capitol Theatre, December 27, 2013

On December 27, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) closed The Capitol Theatre down for 2013 with their second-ever performance. Comprised of Russo, Marco Benevento, Scott Metzger, Dave Dreiwitz and Tom Hamilton, the quintet showed why they wowed audiences in January with their debut show at The Brooklyn Bowl. Their set was largely changed up from that show, so for those who have seen both performances they experienced two varied shows, in the spirit of all things Grateful Dead.

Starting off with a psychedelic take on “Cream Puff War” the group was firing on all cylinders off the bat. A surprisingly long “Truckin’”, followed after a beautiful transition as the band jammed it out, endlessly dropping straight into a one-two punch of “Dupree’s Diamond Blues” and “Cumberland Blues.” A quick break in the action allowed Joe to welcome everyone to the venue and thanked them for coming out. Every song seemed to push the envelope of what a Grateful Dead song could sound like and it all came to a head with a 15 minute set closing “Shakedown Street.” This version is a must hear as it was ripped right out of discotheque and the audience knew it, dancing their hearts out for the entirety of the song.

After a short break, the band returned, starting up the set with a wild “Space” that went into an amazing “Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain” combo. This combo took about half an hour to complete and every second was worth it. The “Fire” was an absolute barn burner and really got the second set going. They teased songs throughout their performance, most notably during “Playin’ in the Band” with “The Eleven/The Other One” before going right back into a spacey jam. These jams truly dominated the evening and validated the claim that JRAD is the best Dead-related act out there. The group ended the set with a perfect “Terrapin Station” that seemed endless. Smiles were seen throughout the building during the opening chords of the suite. A half hour later, the group was walking off the stage before their encore of “Brokedown Palace.”

The evening was a beautiful way for many people in town for the Phish run to start the end of the year. Joe Russo has gone on record saying that these shows will be few and far between to ensure they maintain their special quality. This concert showed the crowd that there is still hope for all things Grateful Dead related, whether there is an original member in the band or not. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is sure to play a show or two again this coming year and if they do, run, don’t walk, to make sure you get to see it.

Set 1: Cream Puff War > Truckin’ > Dupree’s Diamond Blues > Cumberland Blues, Row Jimmy, Bertha, Easy Wind > Shakedown Street

Set 2: Space > Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, Playin’ in the Band, Althea, Turn on You Lovelight, Terrapin Station

Encore: Brokedown Palace

January 6, 2014