Author: Steve Malinski

Interview: Tom Constanten Discusses Jazz is Dead Reunion, Reflections On The Grateful Dead and More

The Grateful Dead have been in quite the spotlight this past year with it being the band’s 50th anniversary and the shows they hosted to mark the occasion. After a 10-year hiatus Jazz is Dead breathed new life for a special reunion that took place August into early September, with a few shows scattered around the calendar into 2016. Jazz is Dead’s 2015 reunion is comprised of Jeff Pevar (guitar), Alphonso Johnson (bass), Rod Morgenstein (drums), Tom Constanten and Chris Smith (keys).

As the Grateful Dead’s keyboard player for a few years alongside Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Tom Constanten gave Jazz is Dead a direct inject of Grateful Dead experience. Though his recording and performance time with the Dead was relatively short, his early-formed lifelong friendships with Phil Lesh and Jerry Garcia and time with the band has has rung throughout his life. After a recent Jazz is Dead performance as part of a bill with Jefferson Starship at The Ridgefield Playhouse, we chatted with him about his experiences over the years.

Steve Malinski: How is the tour going?

Tom Constanten: Absolutely wonderful.Everybody in the whole outfit is so excellent both on stage and off. The music is on a roll, each night the music is better than the previous night. I just look forward to waking up every morning.

SM: How did you get involved with this round of Jazz is Dead?

TC: I’ve been involved touring with Jefferson Starship over the last ten years or more and this is an extended family much like the Grateful Dead scene. One thing led to another. It’s almost like prom night in the back of the barn. You know, things happen and here I am.

SM: Given that you’ve had the experience of playing with the Grateful Dead, how different does Jazz is Dead feel musically?

TC: Oh, it is very different and refreshingly so. I’ve been playing with a varying number of bands over the last few decades who pride themselves on getting themselves as close as they can to the original and I’m really delighted to get away from that. One of the signs as to how much fun it is for me is none of the tricks in my bags of tricks work! I have to think of new ones and I find that challenge totally delightful. I’m plowing new furrows in my brain; I’m getting out of the rut. And being around such top-notch musicians challenges me, stimulates me. It’s like no other band I’ve played with.

SM: This was my first time hearing Jazz is Dead and to use your word, it’s definitely one of the most refreshing takes on the Dead that I’ve heard.

TC: Yeah, we fly outside of the box and think under the radar. And what you hear is the result.

SM: Going back to the roots of your involvement with the Dead, how much of an impact has that had on you over the years?

TC: Oh, immeasurable. Immense and immeasurable. I met Phil Lesh in the summer of 1961. He introduced me to his friend Jerry Garcia. Big brother Phil was 21 years of age. Jerry and I were teenagers, he was 19, I was 17, and none of us could have imagined where this was going to lead but it had delightful turns, exciting turns, and occasionally mind-blowing. Definitely unpredictable. Over the years I’ve developed a taste for that. I really like it that way.

SM: This summer marks the 20^th anniversary of Jerry’s passing. What was it like to have the experience working with him?

TC: Well, like I said, we’ve done it since we were both teenagers. On stage and off, back in the early ’60s he was mainly into the Appalachian folk music. He had not yet taken up the electric guitar. Once he incorporated the blues literature in his playing, something electric happened and the rest is history.

SM: What are some of your thoughts or reflections on the Dead’s 50^th anniversary Chicago shows and all the attention they’ve been getting?

TC: I’m glad they continue – I celebrate their success. I did not go to the Chicago shows. My take on that is if they invited me I would go willingly. There were a number of other invitations I got to go there but they all seemed… it seemed like I would be crashing their party and I didn’t really feel welcome by those invitations. They varied from tacky to creepy, not something I would want to be a part of. But like I say, if they invited me, I would have gone willingly. But it’s been a while since I’ve played with them and since I’ve played with them I’ve been playing with Jefferson Starship, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Country Joe & The Fish, and it’s like I got out of the frying pan and into the lake.

Tom Constanten with Country Joe and Peter Albin at the Woodstock 40th Anniversary celebration, Bethel Woods 8-15-2009

SM: Last time we spoke in 2009 about a week before the Woodstock 40^th Anniversary show at Bethel Woods, you mentioned that you were looking forward to getting back to the site and playing some music in that setting. So, what was it actually like for you?

TC: Well, there are so many such settings. Over the past ten years, it’s been like a perpetual homecoming. Meeting long time old friends, making new ones. The line started to blur between them. It just lumbers on in the most entertaining and delightful way.

SM: As an engineer by day, I’m a fan of numbers and math and remember reading at some point you have a knack for number systems and whatnot.

TC: One of my mentors when I was a student in Europe, Henri Pousseur – I worked in his studio in Belgium for a couple of months. He was very much into applying mathematical models to music. In fact he has a [1958] piece for two pianos called “Mobile” and it’s a mobile score. Either or both pianos will start anywhere in it and there are certain rules to the road on how to proceed and I’s designed to turn up fascinating sounds whichever way you go.

SM: Going back to the Dead, would you, going forward, be willing to join up with them again?

TC: Of course I would but I’m not holding my breath. For one thing their evolution over the last forty years has been way different than mine. Their experience has been extremely different. I don’t know what it would be like playing with them again. It’s like, here I am, a 4-stripe sergeant and they’re generals, that sort of thing. The relations and connections with them have been totally friendly. It’s just uncertain what it would be like. I’m not shy, I’m not hesitant. I’m just basking in the unknown as I often do.

SM: Well, with the number of side appearances that are popping up, it seems like there’s always that opportunity for an invitation to pop up.

TC: Well, after the passage of four or five decades, people start to cultivate issues with each other, I know it’s much more complicated for them than it is for me or any of my colleagues who played keyboard for them, So I’m extremely hesitant to be judgmental because I know it’s much more complicated and sticky for them. So, bless them and may they live long and prosper.

SM: As Spock says.

TC: Yes indeed, I’m showing my split fingers to the microphone.

SM: Aside from Jazz is Dead, what other things are you up to?

TC: I’ve been travelling more as a solo act lately doing piano recitals, showing off the breadth of my material – ’60s material, stuff back to Bach, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Brahms. I’ve played all of them and likely to try them at any time. I’ve also been working with Bob Bralove in an improvisational duo called Dose Hermanos – “dose” as in a measurement of medication not the number. We are the antidote to rigid, structured, stratified thinking. And also in the past year or so I’ve been working with a string quartet. I would prepare arrangements of music of the ’60s like “Eleanor Rigby” and Peter Rowan’s “Free Mexican Airforce” and I do the vocals and play along and have an awful lot of fun doing that. We have another show like that coming up in a couple of months. And these things are keeping me delightfully occupied.

SM: Well, that’s about all I had in mind this evening without going on for a while longer. So Tom, I greatly appreciate you spending a few minutes with me here and I’m sure we’ll chat again sometime down the road.

TC: I look forward to it. Thank you for your kind attention.

September 23, 2015
End of Summer Jam at Paramount Hudson Valley

The weekend after Labor Day brought a wide variety of sounds to Paramount Hudson Valley in Peekskill with several NYC and Westchester-based acts both inside and outside the theater as part of their End of Summer Jam. In the week leading up to the show, weather reports were cautiously optimistic about keeping the day dry but a few heavy downpours dampened the outdoor festivities a bit. Fortunately, the music had shone through and kicked up the energy for the crowd that made it out to the free day of music.

Phineas and the Lonely Leaves

The street stage, lined with food and craft vendors that braved the intermittent rain, featured a mix of solo singer-songrwriter type acts and full bands. Acoustic sets were presented by New York Times author and musician Andy Revkin, Chloe Cannon, Rufus Rufasu, and The Godfather Johnny Giovanni. Peekskill’s own Phineas and the Lonely Leaves gave a high-spirited mix of their original and rock cover songs. Trifecta‘s set was mostly covers, but took on a stripped-down heavy blues/rock take on classic rock songs complete with some added shred-talent on guitar. The final outdoor act of the day, The New Resistants, played with a similar feel and energy to Trifecta, taking on a classic garage punk sound. A late addition to the schedule from North Carolina and familiar name to the area was the aggressive jazz trio Joy On Fire who kicked off the afternoon.

Trifecta

Kicking off the day inside was Yardsale, a brisk-paced bluegrass trio from nearby Mahopac, NY. The standout of the afternoon Gedeon Luke & The People gave the Paramount a gossip-worthy set full of driving Memphis blues and soul, Gedeon himself dancing in the aisles with the crowd. For something a little bit different, DJ Logic gave a well-mixed DJ set, though a thin crowd seemed slow to get into the set. Closing out the night was NYC’s all-instrumental progressive jam band TAUK as they make their way through a tour supporting their brand new double live album, Headroom.

Gedeon Luke

Certainly a fantastic assortment of live music, let’s hope the End of Summer jam returns next year under sunny skies with a packed house.

September 23, 2015
End of Summer Jam Festival Feat. TAUK, DJ Logic, and Local Acts Coming to Peekskill This Saturday Sept.12

With Labor Day weekend just behind us, everyone seems to be scratching their heads as to where the summer went. The good news is that it’s not quite over yet and there’s another chance coming up to enjoy some great music indoors and outdoors before the leaves start to change. The Paramount Hudson Valley in Downtown Peekskill is throwing their first End of Summer Jam Festival on September 12.

The new music festival is free with music on the streets and inside the theater throughout the afternoon and evening. The festival is all about NY, bringing acts from around town and around the state.

Several local vendors and restaurants will be taking to the streets from 12pm – 8pm featuring free music from Rufus Rufasu, Chloe Cannon, Andy Revkin (Hudson Valley), Phineas & the Lonely Leaves (Peekskill), The Godfather Johnny Giovanni, Trifecta (Mahopac), and The New Resistants (NYC).

Hitting the stage inside the Paramount will be DJ Logic (The Bronx), Gedeon Luke and The People (NYC), Yard Sale (New Paltz), and TAUK (Long Island). TAUK is hitting a handful of other spots around NY, and for more information on their shows check out NYS Music’s preview of those shows here.

Although End of Summer Jam Festival is free, there is a $5 suggested donation which will support the Paramount’s non-profit Paramount Hudson Valley Arts.

Linup:

Outside
1pm – Rufus Rufasu
2pm – Andy Revkin
3pm – Phineas & the Lonely Leaves
4pm – Chloe Cannon
5pm – Trifecta
6pm – The Godfather Johnny Giovanni
7pm – The New Resistants

Inside
2pm – Yardsale
4pm – Gedeon Luke & The People
6pm – DJ Logic
8pm – TAUK

September 8, 2015
Full Concert Release: Frank Zappa and The Mothers at the Roxy

The “Roxy & Elsewhere” Tour brought Frank Zappa & The Mothers to theaters and colleges throughout the U.S. and Canada in the fall/winter of 1973 including a 3-night run at the Roxy in California Dec. 8-10.

These highly coveted shows formed the 1974 commercial live release Roxy & Elsewhere, which included a few recordings from May 1974 at Edinboro State College in Pennsylvania.

Now, in 2015, the Zappa Family Trust has restored the 16mm video reels that captured the show and will be making it available in a combo DVD/CD package in surround and stereo sound. No official announcements have confirmed an exact release date but according to online music retailer EVO88 it can be expected out on the eve of Halloween this year.

Track Listing for the DVD and CD:

DVD:
1) Cosmik Debris
2) Medley: Penguin In Bondage / T’Mershi Duween / The Dog Breath Variations / Uncle Meat / RDNZL
3) Inca Roads
4) Medley: Echidna’s Arf (Of You) / Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing / Cheepnis – Percussion
5) Cheepnis
6) Medley: I’m The Slime / Big Swifty
7) Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzman’s Church)
8) Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
9) Father O’Blivion
CD:
1) “Something Terrible Has Happened…”
2) Cosmik Debris
3) Medley: Penguin In Bondage / T’Mershi Duween / The Dog Breath Variations / Uncle Meat / RDNZL
4) Medley: Echidna’s Arf (Of You) / Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing / Cheepnis – Percussion
5) Cheepnis
6) Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzman’s Church)

Additional tracks: (1) Medley: Pygmy Twylyte / The Idiot Bastard Son (2) Dickies’s Such An Asshole

Lineup: Frank Zappa, guitar/vocals; George Duke, keyboards; Tom Fowler, bass; Ruth Underwood, percussion; Bruce Fowler, trombone; Walt Fowler, trumpet; Napoleon Murphy Brock, tenor sax/ vocals; and Chester Thompson and Ralph Humphrey, drums

September 3, 2015
San Francisco Meets Ridgefield: Jefferson Starship, Jazz is Dead Celebrate Milestones In Special Show

More than one long, strange trip began along the San Francisco Bay in 1965. The spotlight this year had been on The Grateful Dead’s anniversary during the Fare Thee Well shows in Chicago but more recently the San Francisco sound was again celebrated at The Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT. Exactly 50 years after the founding of the Jefferson Airplane, the Jefferson Starship teamed up with Jazz is Dead and Quicksilver ‘Happy Trails’ to mark the occasion.

Jazz is Dead made a return this summer after a 10-year hiatus, prompted by the occasion of the Dead’s 50th anniversary. Though their set was only an hour long (since they were sharing it with two other incredible acts) it was enough for them to make a solid statement about their interpretation of the Grateful Dead. The set was led in by Tom Constanten, who played alongside Pigpen in the Grateful Dead on keys around 1968-1970 including the Woodstock festival, playing “Mountains of the Moon” on keyboard. Founding bassist Alphonso Johnson was also joined by Jeff Pevar (guitar), Rod Morgenstein (drums), and Chris Smith (keys). The sound of Jazz is Dead was unique; the performance wasn’t a straightforward cover of Dead songs but rather a well-polished, technically tight arrangement of the originals that made it almost their own to a degree. In “Sugaree,” for instance, reggae rhythms were built around the main ideas of the Grateful Dead’s version. It is true that Jazz is Dead is a cover band, though defining them as one after their set in Ridgefield seems far-fetched because their arrangements are so interesting and refreshing.

A shorter set was presented by Quicksilver ‘Happy Trails,’ a version of Quicksilver Messenger Service assembled for the occasion. Founding member of Quicksilver Messenger Service David Freiberg was joined by singer and wife Linda Imperial along with some fellow members of Jefferson Starship to recreate the sounds of the band. The set included a tribute to the late keyboard player Nicky Hopkins during a jam on “Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder” and some psychedelic jams on the 50’s rock and roll inspired “Mona.”

Jefferson Starship isn’t in the same form as the times of “We Built This City.” Appropriately, they came back after a six-year hiatus in 1992 under the lead of Paul Kantner to honor the music of the band they were formed from. Playing songs of the Jefferson Airplane on the day of the 50th anniversary of that band’s founding was special, particularly for the choice of venue opposite the country from California. The Starship’s presence on stage was bold and cohesive – original members of the Airplane Paul Kantner and David Freiberg kept the sound true and original to the Airplane along with longtime Starship drummer Donny Baldwin, keyboardist Chris Smith and guitarist Jude Gold. The animated and exhuberant Cathy Richardson fulfilled the big-shoes role created by Grace Slick’s powerful vocals, to whom she gave a tip of the hat to near the end of the set. Together they made the performance feel engaging to the audience with down to earth, unscripted banter and humor between songs, which has been a consistency for the group through the past several years.

The Starship’s setlist wasn’t able to cover every fan favorite but included the staples like “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love.” The other parts of the set were more treats than crowd pleasers. Gold took the room through the busy finger-picked guitar tune“Embryonic Journey” adding his own improvised licks to the instrumental song. “Wooden Ships,” which Kantner wrote along with Crosby, Stills and Nash, carried a similar feel to CSN’s performance but Kanter’s and Richardson’s vocal duets throughout the song soared in its own way. The encore of performance of “Volunteers” was straight-forward but not moot. More than just a favorite, it marked the peak of energy in the show with members of Jazz is Dead, Quicksilver, and some of the crew coming on stage to jam along; the audience taking to their feet.

Hiding in the dark of a concert is the sound engineer – the person who can make or break the sound and experience of a show yet often not in the limelight. This particular show, along with a few others where Jazz is Dead and Jefferson Starship are teaming up, was both hosted by and mixed by legendary sound engineer Dan Healy, most notable for his years working with the Grateful Dead and role in the development of the Wall of Sound system. “As real as it gets” is the only way to describe the sound. Aside from Healy’s ears at the controls, the experience of the early days of the Fillmore was captured with the Pig Light Show, a recreation of the types of psychedelic projections seen at those early shows.

Dan Healy at the soundboard

Overall, the evening felt more of a community than band/audience. The small and cozy theater delivered a much bigger sound than first expected and added to the anticipation already in the air over the conglomeration of musicians who had immense contributions to the 1960’s San Francisco sound. One thing is for sure: never miss one-of-a-kind shows that don’t come around often like this one.

Jefferson Starship Setlist: She Has Funny Cars, Crown of Creation, Today, Lather, Wooden Ships, White Rabbit, Eat Starch Mom, Embryonic Journey, Have You Seen the Saucers, Greasy Heart, The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil, Somebody to Love

Encore: Somebody to Love

Jazz is Dead and Quicksilver ‘Happy Trails’
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Jefferson Starship
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August 23, 2015
Amy Helm and Dr. John and the Nite Trippers at Central Park Summerstage

Nestled in a wooded area of NYC’s Central Park in the area of East 70th St., Rumsey Playfield has played host as one of the City Parks Foundation’s Summerstage venues in the series’ 30th season in 2015. Recently on a bright summer afternoon with plenty of shade at Rumsey Playfield, the Summerstage series welcomed a fantastically paired bill of Amy Helm and Dr. John & The Nite Trippers.

The free show (some Summerstage shows are free, others ticketed) drew in a generationally diverse crowd, surprisingly so for the styles of music on stage. The music proved timeless with older folks grooving along to Dr. John’s signature New Orleans sound just as much as the younger folks were off their smart phones, diving into the music as well.

For Amy Helm and her band, this show was a sort of respite back home after being on the road for a while. The Woodstock native played a mix of cover songs and material off of her debut album, Didn’t It Rain. Her glowing presence on stage wasn’t complete without the presence of her late father, Levon Helm, his first name branded on her guitar strap in small letters between the larger letters of the last name they both share.

NYC may be some 1,300 miles away from New Orleans and void of beignets and baked ham sandwiches from Mother’s, but when Dr. John took the stage in his suit and colorfully decorated hat it seemed like a small piece of the French Quarter took over the nook of Central Park. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member and New Orleans native boasted a cool confidence in his performance while backed by a talented band, each member entwining their talent for a wholesome show.

The Summerstage Series continues throughout NYC’s five boroughs through the first week of August with some remarkable acts yet to come. Check out their full schedule here.

Amy Helm Setlist

Didn’t It Rain, Roll Away, Rescue Me, Roll The Stone, Gentling Me, Atlantic City (Springsteen Cover), Deep Water, When the Battle is Over (Aretha Franklin cover), Slippin’ and Slidin’ (Little Richard cover), Meet Me in the Morning (Bob Dylan cover), Gloryland, Good News (Sam Cooke cover)

Dr. John & The Nite Trippers Setlist

Croaker Courtbullion, Iko Iko, Mardi Gras Day, Eleggua, Monkey Speaks, Going Back to New Orleans, Big Shot, Splinters, Right Place, Mama & Papa, Wonderful World, Mac the Knife, Do You Call the Buddy, Old Settlers, Goodnight Irene, Black Widow Spider, Big Chief

Amy Helm

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Dr. John & The Nite Trippers

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August 12, 2015
Jam-Scriptionist Holly Bowling to be Featured In Upcoming Documentary Film, Announces Philadelphia PhanArt Performance

Many Phish fans might be familiar with the name Holly Bowling. Those who don’t soon will, and those who know her name will get an inside look into the pianist’s rise in notoriety in the Phish community.

San Francisco-based Holly Bowling became well-known after the end of Phish’s hiatus for an interesting take on the band’s music: “jam-scriptions.” Just as it sounds, she takes Phish songs and turns them into a full solo piano arrangements.

This fall Conveniently Texan Pictures, the makers of the 2012 phan film “WIIIL-SOOON” about the mesh of the Phish song and the Seattle Seahawks, will release a short independent film to bring the story of Holly to light. It will feature an interview with Marco Benevento and include footage of Holly’s first East Coast performance on Aug. 10 at Philadelphia’s Howl At The Moon (performance to feature a surprise guest).

Those who have wandered around when Phish is in town have probably noticed a PhanArt Presents show exhibiting the Phish inspired art of several artists. Holly will be performing at times throughout the upcoming PhanArt Presents: A World Cafe Live One show on Aug. 12 with a special performance around 3 p.m. before Phish’s show hits The Mann that evening.

August 7, 2015
Weird Al Yankovic At The Capitol Theatre: Now That’s What I Call Mandatory Fun

Weird Al Yankovic brought his latest album Mandatory Fun on a world tour with his second to last NY appearance at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester.

It’s been a number of years since spending half of my fifth grade Saturday mornings with Weird Al and Harvey the Wonder Hamster beaming through the rabbit-ear antenna, not really aware of Al’s musical parodies (or probably caring much for them at the time). After growing into appreciating music throughout my younger years, it was only natural to pay attention to his releases. The lack of MTV or VH1 growing up created an absence of the visual component of his recordings but has made seeing Al for a second time even more exciting.

In what seemed to be at first a pre-taped video entrance, Al is seen starting off one of his latest songs, “Tacky,” just around the corner of The Cap, slowly making his way around the to the marquee in front (rendering some confusion in the drivers stopped at the nearby traffic light) and through some side alleys in a similar style to the music video for the song. The local flair of this intro perked the attention of The Cap early but we really got ourselves going when we saw the camera crew leading him in from the rear of the theatre and realized the whole thing was live and not lip-synched. Who makes an entrance like that these days?

It wouldn’t be a Weird Al show with at least a little bit of polka. His latest polka medley “Now That’s What I Call Polka” (an obvious play on the title of the Now That’s What I Call Music… series) took on “Wrecking Ball,” “Gangnam Style,” “Get Lucky,” and “Thrift Shop,” among a few others. For the younger folks in the crowd, this medley may have caught their attention more than his parody of an older song such as “Smells Like Nirvana.” It would have been fun to hear one of his earlier polka medleys toward the end of the show but there certainly wasn’t any disappointment in the set list.

He pulled something off this time which worked very well. Forming a semi-circle with his band armed with acoustic instruments and some candles for effect, he performed a medley of “Eat It,” “I Lost On Jeopardy,” “I Love Rocky Road,” and “Like A Surgeon” in a few easy-going cool styles. It was slightly confusing at first when Jim West (guitar) opened this run of songs with what sounded like Clapton’s acoustic version of “Layla” but were pleasantly entertained to hear Al sing “Eat It” over this guitar line. On the topic of medleys, Al has a lot of songs to choose from. Before this acoustic run, he performed a medley of ten songs with minimal costume changes done on the fly. It was a nice touch to give as big of a splash of his recordings in the span of a two-hour show.

As usual, Al and his bandmates donned different costumes throughout the show (Devo outfits, the fatsuit, Amish suits, Maple Leaf blazer, et al). In the time needed off stage by the band to change, we were treated to short video montages of Weird Al references – punch lines from shows such as Family Guy, Friends, 30 Rock, and cameos like The Simpsons, Epic Rap Battles of History, and some sort of My Little Pony clip, among others. Prime picked, these montages kept us laughing even when no one was on stage.

Al’s talent and showmanship on stage has been consistent, too. Compared to the first time I saw his show in 2011 at the Palace Theater in Albany, The Cap performance was just as, if not more, fun to watch. While of course many anchors of the setlist were the same (except for the handful of new ones he played off Mandatory Fun) it was all still fresh to see it again.

The highlight of the night was also the most interactive …if you’d call testing the realm of personal space interactive. Walking out of the shadows of the stage with a swagger accentuated by his flame-licked shirt and pants, Al soon made his way through the isles of the orchestra seats singing”Wanna B Ur Lovr.” There wasn’t really a chance for people to get in a cell phone photo frenzy as everyone was too busy catching every moment of his serenade of a handful of the women in the audience.

Before we had to part ways with Weird Al until the next time, we were treated to a Star Wars encore, led in by Rubén Valtierra (keys) in a hooded cloak, playing a few little teasers on the keyboard. Not long after a small mob of Stormtroopers and Darth Vader led the way for the wanna-be Jedi (Al). Who knows if there was a certain inspiration for an interlude between “The Saga Begins” and “Yoda, but it certainly seemed akin to a portion of Phish’s “You Enjoy Myself.” With only about four months until the release of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, the encore helped scratch that anticipatory itch just a little bit.

Aside from the comedy appeal of the show, it was musically fulfilling as well. There were some occasional sound effect samples in the songs, but the band comprised of Jon Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass, Jim West on guitar, and Rubén Valtierra on keys recreated the sounds of the original songs across several genres flawlessy without any cheese factor. Valtierra joined the band in 1991, but the other three were part of Al’s music/comedy recordings since at least the 1982 debut album. This goes to show that Weird Al’s shows are way more than just a solo performer backed by filler music.

For someone who first caught on to Weird Al as a grade school student watching the Weird Al Show on Saturday mornings, it’s exciting to hear fresh parody topics that keep up with some of the latest music. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like Al is showing any signs of slowing down in his comedy.

Setlist: Tacky, Lame Claim To Fame, Now That’s What I Call Polka!, Perform This Way, Dare To Be Stupid, Fat, First World Problems, Foil, Smells Like Nirvana, Party In The CIA/It’s All About The Pentiums/Handy/Bedrock Anthem/Another One Rides The Bus/Ode To A Superhero/Gump/Inactive/eBay/Canadian Idiot (medley), Wanna B Ur Lovr, Eat It/I Lost On Jeopardy/I Love Rocky Road/Like A Surgeon (acoustic medley), White & Nerdy, Word Crimes, Amish Paradise

Encore: We All Have Cell Phones, The Saga Begins, Yoda

August 5, 2015
Photo Gallery: 9th Annual Peekskill Jazz and Blues Festival

Peekskill’s 9th annual Jazz & Blues Festival brought a phenomenal lineup of NY artists to satisfy the ears of northern Westchester’s little melting pot of culture.

The afternoon started off with The Lagond All-Stars, a crew of students from the Lagond School of Music from Elmsford, NY playing mostly cover tunes of various styles with a stage presence unlike what you might expect from a group of younger musicians. Before this show, they played a few shows down in the Nashville area. Local saxophonist and NY Blues Hall of Fame member Ray Blue and his quartet took on more traditional jazz stylings, providing some nice music for those enjoying dinner in the shade of the nearby restaurants.

The evening’s pace heated up as the Latin jazz style of NYC’s all-female Cocomama, with members from all over the world, drew several dancing feet near the stage. The day was capped off by incredible performances by two NY Blues Hall of Fame artists, Johnny Feds & Friends and Slam Allen. Slam Allen’s version of Prince’s “Purple Rain” is one not to be missed.

Slam Allen and Cocomama both have new albums released this year.

Lagond All-Stars
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Ray Blue
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Cocomama
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Johnny Feds & Friends
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Slam Allen
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August 5, 2015
Just Announced: PearlPalooza 2015 To Bring Matisyahu and Local Talent To Free Street Fest

Before the summer is over there, is a time and place for an awesome mix of live music on the street and that time and place is Sept. 12 in Albany. The sixth annual 2015 PearlPalooza just announced the lineup for the street festival with national and local acts:

Matisyahu, the hasidic reggae rapper from Brooklyn who rose to fame with his 2005 hit single “King Without a Crown.”
The Moth & The Flame, an alternative rock band originally from Utah but now based in Los Angeles.
Until the Ribbon Breaks, a three-piece British group that blends “electronic, pop, rock, hip-hop, alternative, avant-garde, R&B.”
Turbo Fruits, a garage rock band from Nashville, Tennessee.
Wild Adriatic, an Albany-based band that plays a bluesy, soul-infused kind of rock.
Better By Morning, an alternative group from Saratoga Springs.
…and another band TBA

Speaking of local acts, Wild Adriatic got a bit of attention this year as they performed a set at Bonnaroo after winning a bracket-style battle of the bands.

PearlPalooza 2015 is free and takes place on Pearl Street in Albany from 1 to 8 p.m. Tickets for special viewing areas and meet-and-greets with the bands are available for a reasonable price online.

July 24, 2015