NYS Music 20​15

Category: Special

  • Magnaball Drive-In Jam: Phish treat fans to an audio-visual Odyssey

    Phish has surprised their fans with special, unannounced sets at many of their festivals in the past 19 years. At The Clifford Ball, a flatbed truck drove the band around while they jammed. During The Great Went, the band DJ’d under fake names in a tent for a “Disco Set.” The Lemonwheel featured an hour long ambient set late at night, while Big Cypress had slightly-announced ‘Midnight set’ where the band played for seven hours straight, stretching from the end of the last millennium into the dawn of the new one. IT had The Tower Jam, with the band performing on an air traffic control tower while acrobats danced below and Superball IX had the ‘Storage Jam,’ which sparked a new era of psychedelic jamming and broke new ground. The Drive-In Jam would join all these in the annals of Phish lore.

    Via unpluggedmusings.wordpress.com

    Magnaball’s foray into the history of Phish’s special festival sets was the Drive-In Jam and it raised the bar while putting forth a performance on par with the ‘Storage Jam,’ if not exceeded this established upper echelon of improvisation. On a 183 foot movie screen, a wide array of visual treats combined with a progressively growing ambient jam that eclipsed the Lemonwheel by a longshot and morphed into a full on jam for 50 minutes. The Drive-in Set raised the bar for surprise performances and gave fans a treat after the music on the main stage ended an hour prior.

    How can one explain what happened in those 50 minutes and the lead up to the Drive-in Jam performance? For starters, you can watch the video captured by Phun Guy and judge for yourself what transpired. Add to this a breakdown of what occurred in each ‘segment’ of the Drive-In jam and take a waltz through Phish at the top of their game, more than 30 years into their career.

    Breakdown of the Drive-In Set (times are approximate, based on Live Phish recording time.)

    0:00 – 8:10
    Gentle, airy, spooky feedback with the sound of chains and haunted house noises – a psychedelic Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House. Screams and chimes ala “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies” build on the cosmic sound that develops from the first portion of the jam.

    8:10 – 10:30
    Waves and a few bass notes from Mike redirect the jam to fresh territory, an ocean-sound-scape, where some light vocals accompany the developing music.

    Phish drive-in

    10:30 – 12:30
    Trey takes a lead and Fishman is more prevalent in the mix, building towards a jam that could be a Type II jam of any song from this summer – the epic jams we experienced are found within this portion. All four are synced up now.

    12:30 – 15:30
    Trey jumps ahead with some arcing riffs while Fish works the crash cymbals loudly. Page is the captain here – guiding the band into the grandiose trip through an ambient wormhole. Trey keeps jumping ahead at times, short leaps that propel the jam with the rhythm section building upon already fertile ground.

    15:30 – 17:30
    Mike brings the bass to the fore and now we have a change in the tone – deeper and weirder. Trey pops in with some lighter notes while Page adds in UFO sounds to freak people out. The visual display at this time was practically a trip through an episode of Cosmos, minus Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s narrating.

    Phish drive-in

    17:30 – 22:30
    And here comes Fishman! The pace picks up a bit as Mike and Fish are going double time and leaving the ambiance behind. Trey and Page follow suit and we have lift-off. This section of the jam is quite remarkable for the build and peaks throughout the ascent. This is a hyper-space jump via ludicrous speed. Fish doesn’t let up on the drums for a second and Trey gets a little nasty towards the end here.

    22:30 – 24:00
    Trey wants to get weird, so Mike gets into a new bass groove. A jam that could be found in an odd version of “Catapult” grows while Page adds in some subtle screams; the build is tremendous here. Closeup fractal imagery of the band is seen over the rest of the crazy visual effects.

    Phish drive-in

    24:00 – 27:00
    Fish returns the jam to earth’s orbit. The mild funk that develops thankfully doesn’t fizzle or fade but instead grows into a new jam, one working in deep bass from Mike and spacey Page effects. The jam collapses in a collective heap of Trey and Page.

    27:00 – 29:00
    Bells, looping and synth arise and slowly rebuild the jam. Fish pounds the drums to redirect and we’re off once again!

    29:00 – 32:00
    With a solar array lighting the screen, another Type II-esque jam develops, eliciting a portion of “Cheap Sunglasses” followed by a vocal jam from Mike and Trey. This is a freaky portion of the entire jam and fodder for future late night Freakouts by The Bunny.

    32:00 – 34:30
    Some meatballs from Mike as Trey slowly paces forward and new territory being broken in a disjointed area where they slowly reconvene.

     

    Magna late night #magnaball

    A photo posted by NYS Music (@nystatemusic) on

    34:30 – 37:00
    Trey takes over and we have all four dialed back in. A blissful jam emerges. The visuals of the band projected on the screen are more solid and animated with a touch of tripped out A-Ha.

    37:00 – 40:00
    As this jam builds it develops into a nearly composed portion that would be a treat to hear again live. Mike and Fish steer the ship while Trey leads the way and Page sets the tone for the jam – it’s hard to hear this jam and not recoil in amazement.

    40:00 – 43:20
    This just keeps getting better and better. Page is now leading the way with Trey and Fish creating interplay for a broader jam to develop that adds layers to the already existing jam – a meta jam. ‘Whoa’ vocals emerge midway through then Trey takes command.

    43:20 – 45:30
    Trey moves the jam into final section territory, a possibly composed portion of accelerated guitar work to signal a shift, which the others follow perfectly. The jam mellows a bit without flatlining; instead Page adds some synth effects to provide a base.

    45:30 – 46:30
    We come towards the close of the Drive-in Jam, all four slowly winding down the jam until it is just a series of beats and feedback played behind the screen.

     

    Drive In set #phish #magnaball A video posted by NYS Music (@nystatemusic) on

    46:30 – 49:30
    A darker section emerges, driving home the remaining jam with audio-hallucinations and growing vocals from Trey and Mike building the jam up.

    49:30 – 51:40
    Sound effects from Page are the beginning of the end for the Drive-In Set, as eerie mad scientist laboratory sounds carry over while Trey uses the Mu-tone to drip a little “Space” goodness into the final minutes. After one last build, the music ends slowly and gently.

    51:40 – 52:17
    Well deserved applause from the faithful 30,000 that stayed awake to witness this incredible musical event.

    drive-in jam

  • Phish’s Magnaball Day 2: The Circus is the Place For Phans

    With an absolutely mind blowing Day 1 under their belt, Phish carried the momentum in stride and coasted gracefully into what was the single best day of Magnaball on Saturday. Delivering four sets, including one unannounced “secret set,” which included almost an hour of free-form jazz infused improv laced with a touch of funk that lasted well into the morning, Phish came out and laid down a more than memorable first set which included a diverse blend of both classic and revamped numbers.

    phish magnaball

    As Phish took the stage for their first set of the second day of the festival the weather and the crowd could not have been better. It seemed as if the majority of the crowd was fairly responsible on Friday night and opted out of late night partying into the sunrise in order to be full force for the marathon day that was Saturday; however, this likely wasn’t the case for everyone. Nonetheless, from where the NYS Music crew was planted, the crowd was in full swing and the energy was at an all time high for the day set.

    Walking out on the stage, Phish opened up with “Divided Sky,” the crowd was instantaneously locked into a dancing groove as the range of this song truly captivated the masses. One of the most beautiful live music experiences a fan can have is when they get so lost in their own dance moves – that when they do finally take a peek out of the corner of their eye, they’re embedded in a sea of dancing people locked into a developing wave of unison. That feeling of not being alone is invaluable and that energy is absolutely unparalleled. Take yourself back to some of the highest moments of your life; a sexual encounter, walking across the stage after graduating, landing that big job after a good interview, making a crowded room of people laugh at the same time, etc… None of it can be compared to that feeling of simply belonging as an individual in a crowd of thousands of people all enjoying the same music together.

    After the band pushed through their classic staple “Divided Sky” they slammed into “Moma Dance” which whiplashed the crowd into another wave of dancing madness. Mike, Page and Trey each took their turn to step into the spotlight and lead the rest of the band through their own respected numbers as Phish went on to play “Mound”, “Army of One” and “Scabbard.” as well as the stellar “Sample in a Jar” and “Tube” before the band hit a cool down song with “Halfway to the Moon.” Page poured out an abundance of emotion and took his time to work through the core of the song with precision.

    As the band was feeling the energy, “Camel Walk” surfaced and a flowing wave of dancing emanated through the crowd; the good people were feeling this song and had the moves to prove it. The new Mike song, “How Many People Are You?” one of many new songs Phish has in their arsenal when they hit the road for their 2015 Summer Tour, made an appearance again after being debuted earlier this summer. The new songs were well received by the fan base as well as the next studio album is sure to be as well.

    The sweet and tender cover of “When the Circus Comes” put the entire weekend into retrospect. The place, the people, the crew, the music and the community as a whole were part of this traveling circus and the circus was the place to be. The band stepped in and out of their solos beautifully and even the composed parts of this version spoke volumes.

    Closing their set with “Undermind” > “Run Like an Antelope” was full of raw energy simply foreshadowing what was yet to unfold throughout the rest of the day. This was just a small piece of the pie as a whole, but what was witnessed on the first day of Saturday was some top notch Phish and they set the stage for the brilliance of music that was planted firmly on the horizon. As the nightfall came the music only got better. When the lights are turning ‘round, the wheels were rolling on the ground.

    How does one describe Saturday’s second set without gushing over the energetic jams? Phish came out for this first night set swinging. The set moved from rocking energy to extended inspired jamming. The audience was on their feet throughout the set, often kept on their toes, not knowing what to expect next.

    A powerful “Wolfman’s Brother” kicked off this energetic set. It was followed quickly by the one-two punch of a short, but sweet, “Halley’s Comet” straight into a “46 Days” that starts out raging and morphs into a slower and darker than usual jam. As the jam picked back up, Anastasio patiently incorporated the opening chords of “Backwards Down the Number Line,” bringing about an incredibly smooth transition. The band gave this traditionally standard tune a bit more energy than usual, keeping up with the energy of the earlier songs.

    The set was capped by a perfectly combined “Tweezer” and “Prince Caspian.” The “Tweezer,” which seems to have a little more pep than most, goes into an intricate jam, out of which comes a near-perfect segue into “Prince Caspian.” There is little one can say about this “Caspian” other than “WOW!” What is usually a breather song for the set was anything but that this time around. It starts off with far more power than anyone expected and morphs into a nearly 17 minute excursion that almost returns to “Tweezer” before the band keeps the improvisation moving.

    The entire set is must-hear Phish, an example of some of the finest playing the band has performed in their current era and one of the best sets of the tour. The “Tweezer” > “Prince Caspian” segment alone is some of the best Phish ever played, with “Caspian” being one of the all time versions of the song.

    phish magnaball

    By the time Saturday night’s set started, mild weariness from a lack of sleep may have set in due to the immense overall fun of Magnaball. That quickly dissipated, thanks to a killer opening section of “Meatstick” > “Blaze On” -> “Possum” > “Cities” > “Light” > “555.” Fresh off that amazing second set closing “Tweezer” > “Prince Caspian,” which, admittedly got the crowd wildly worked up, Phish came out blazing for an incredibly diverse set that featured 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 song choices.

    “Meatstick” got the juices flowing with a short and fun solo from Trey. Up next, however, is the jam of the entire festival. And that’s an incredibly tough statement to make amidst a weekend packed with some of the best Phish jamming since — wait for it — 2004.

    “Blaze On” has risen quickly up the ranks as the best new song the band has debuted since 2009. It’s almost like Trey is saying, “Hey guys, check it out. Look where we are now, compared to where we were years ago.” The chorus ends with, “You’ve got one life, blaze on,” which seems like an omen to the past, present and future, telling us that these first 32 years were only the beginning.

    After some polite psychedelic rambling, the band kicked it into high gear around the 10-minute mark for a major key jam, paced initially by Page’s clavinet, before Trey ramped in with a somewhat haunting lick that takes the jam into a completely different direction. The final two minutes of “Blaze On” are so reminiscent of the Superball “Golden Age,” it’s actually a bit eerie. At times, it even dove into sounding like it was riddled with anxiety, which came right after a calm and uplifting segment. Either way, this jam is a total keeper.

    Up next was a straightforward, but always fun take on “Possum.” where the real winner was the hypnotic segue into the decades-old song written by original band member Jeff Holdsworth. This is one hell of a segue and a must-hear for every fan. “Cities” was next, and for a minute, this was going to go the way of Philly’s jam on August 11, but it ended up sounding like a bit of a reprise of the “Blaze On” jam.

    “Light” was fun for nearly 16 minutes, but it doesn’t stand out among the behemoths of Magnaball. A fun segue into the Mike Gordon-penned funk song “555” seemed a bit out of place coming out of the space “Light” left behind. “Wading in the Velvet Sea” slowed things down even more, but it was well played, especially for a Phish festival.

    Closing out the set was a personal favorite, “Walls of the Cave.” While this version doesn’t stand out much on the radar, it was executed perfectly, with Trey building tension throughout the jam, before bringing the song to a raucous close. A “Boogie On Reggae Woman” and “Tweezer Reprise” encore put a cap to an almost perfect Phish set, the latter bringing the crowd into a swirling frenzy.

    We all had no idea what was about to happen next…

    Set 1 review by Stu Kelly, Set 2 review by Jim Rizzo, Set 3 review by Neil Benjamin, Jr.

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Divided Sky, The Moma Dance > Mound, Army of One, Scabbard > Sample in a Jar, Tube, Halfway to the Moon, Camel Walk, How Many People Are You, When the Circus Comes, Undermind > Run Like an Antelope

    Set 2: Wolfman’s Brother, Halley’s Comet > 46 Days -> Backwards Down the Number Line > Tweezer > Prince Caspian*

    Set 3: Meatstick > Blaze On -> Possum > Cities > Light > 555, Wading in the Velvet Sea > Walls of the Cave

    Encore: Boogie On Reggae Woman > Tweezer Reprise

    *Unfinished.

    Notes: Caspian included a Tweezer tease and was unfinished. Cities contained a Mind Left Body Jam tease.

    Read about the Drive-In Set here

  • Phish Magnaball Day 1 Recap: A Magna-ificent Start

    Phish returned to Watkins Glen International Raceway on Aug 21-23 for their 10th festival, Magnaball. The sold out event gathered more than 40,000 fans to the gorgeous hillsides of the Finger Lakes Region of New York for 3 days of camping, art and the musical jam stylings of the Vermont quartet.

    phish magnaball

    Creating a small city within itself, MagnaBall offered a Ferris Wheel, onsite radio station known as The Bunny, a Post Office, a huge 183-foot movie screen, a high class restaurant serving local and organic five-course meals, interactive art installations and so much more to keep fans glad, glad, glad they had arrived. Despite being sold out, tickets could still be purchased at the gates making for a slightly hectic arrival on Thursday and Friday.

    The festival started around 8pm on Friday with a perfect yet uncommon opener of “Simple” with Page tickling the notes of “Magilla” and a howling good time as the band went into “The Dogs” from their Chilling Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House Halloween set, a nod to us all that Phish and the fans are wild animals. A sincere surprise was the appearance of the beautiful, instrumental classic of “The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday” as it jumped into a strong “Avenu Malkenu” and back home again in “The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday,” which slowly led into “Free,” reaching great heights as Trey blared the rocking riffs to Mike’s hard hitting bass.

    phish magnaball

    Taking a moment from the music, Trey reflected on the band’s history with their festivals and how their families have since grown in the number of children the band collectively has. Showing a bit of his ’embarrassing dad’ side, Trey shared that this day was also daughter Eliza’s birthday and requested a collective “Happy Birthday,” which the crowd happily performed as he brought her onstage.

    The major bustout of the set was the short and sweet “Mock Song,” an original Mike tune that hadn’t been played since 2003 and with an appropriate lyric change of “Clifford, Super, Magnaball.” The highlight of the set that was talked about all weekend was the set closing “Bathtub Gin”. The Magna Gin was over 20 minutes long with intense, improvisational peaks of highly danceable rhythm, layers upon layers of interchangeable, bizarre melodies and a blissful, playful pace to start the festival.

    Trey brings his daughter Eliza out for a happy birthday wish. ? by Patrick Jordan.

    A photo posted by phishfromtheroad (@phishfromtheroad) on

    We were one set deep into Phish’s 3-night, eight-set Magna-opus and the gloves were already off. You weren’t getting out of there without some pain and bruises, but you were definitely getting out alive, possibly more alive than when you entered. The summer has seen the band playing at a consistently high level, not just for 3.0, and not compared to just 2.0 or 1.0.

    The band is older, the crowd is older, but the music has been reinvigorated both with new songs and new twists on old favorites that has rejuvenated all involved. A ‘Not Your Father’s’ second-set-opener of “Chalkdust Torture,” got things jumping off from the rocking shell of the song proper, and as soon as the last verse was sung we were deep into a pool of straight improvisatory gravy. That gravy would flow throughout the set, as jams became songs became jams once again, oozing together over and over into a delicious stew for over 90 minutes.

    After a dark and winding “Ghost,” Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll” took a journey that eventually wound around to the bopping reggae groove of “Harry Hood.” They lingered patiently for a couple of minutes before launching into the “Hood” nearly everyone saw coming, giving the band another chance to showcase one of their rejuvenated songs, with a rejiggered closing section that allowed a bit more freedom. This time it meant a nifty little “Cars Trucks Buses”-esque jam preceding the typical climactic finish.

    “Waste” provided a pleasant breather before more renewal was on display with the fresh off the wire “No Men in No Man’s Land.” The 2015-debuted tune is already taking on a fun rocking life of its own. There was nothing particularly new about “Slave to the Traffic Light,” sitting there in its classic set closing greatness but it stood tall and proud still, executing the dismount perfectly. Still got it! No surprises were in store with a “Farmhouse” and “First Tube” encore, but the stage was set, and the final energetic notes would dance along the Watkins Glen air for the remainder of the weekend.

    Magnaball was not just some mash-up of two random words, but simply the best way to describe the current state of Phish, a band sounding as fresh as ever, even after 32 years. The first third of that definition was in the books.

    Set 1 review by Susan Rice, Set 2 review by Eli Stein

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Simple>The Dogs > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday> Avenu Malkenu> The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Free, The Wedge, Mock Sock, Roggae > Rift, Bathtub Gin

    Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture* > Ghost -> Rock and Roll > Harry Hood -> Waste > No Men In No Man’s Land -> Slave to the Traffic Light
    Encore: Farmhouse, First Tube

    *Unfinished.

    Notes: Page teased Magilla in Simple. TMWSIY and Avenu Malkenu were played for the first time since July 4, 2012 (124 shows). After Free, Trey asked the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to his daughter, Eliza, who briefly joined him onstage. Mock Song was played for the first time since July 12, 2003 (320 shows), and featured a lyric change to “Clifford, Super, Magnaball.” CDT contained a What’s the Use? tease and was unfinished. Hood contained a CTB tease from Mike.

  • Burlington Waterfront Fuels moe. Fun

    You know it’s a good one when Rob’s smile is that big. moe. bassist Rob Derhak was grinning ear to ear as the sun set in a blaze of glory over the crowd gathered for Saturday night’s show at Burlington’s Waterfront Park, part of the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival.

    moe.

    On Friday night, moe. kicked off the weekend with a show at Higher Ground in South Burlington, late enough that fans also attending the Twiddle concert at the Waterfront could make it in time to see some of moe. (The band’s switched locations and times for their Saturday night gigs.) The box office said moe.’s Higher Ground show was sold out, but it never got too packed for fans inside the concert hall Friday night.

    The show started off with “Same Old Story,” the highlight of the band’s latest album, No Guts No Glory, released last year. The song is always high energy and fun, but it’s easier to get into later in a set. “Waiting for the Punchline” followed it up, getting the crowd dancing like a good ol’ fashioned hoe.down, as usual. The rest of the set was relatively standard but enjoyable.

    The second set got more exciting. It opened with “Rainshine” (which always sounds like “Haze” at the beginning, getting at least one member of the crowd falsely psyched up). It was only the third time this year the song, from moe.’s 2012 album What Happened to the La Las, made it into a setlist, and it ended up being a fun one with a nice heavy jam section.

    Then Mihali Savoulidis, Twiddle’s frontman, joined moe. to play “The Road,” giving it more spunk than usual. After a good “Wind It Up,” the band played the first few chords of “meat” before guitar player Al Schnier stopped it and tried to get the whole band to join him in a rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Eyes of the World.” It didn’t last long — Al’s guitar cohort Chuck Garvey gave up playing and started laughing almost immediately, and Rob seemed to play every note on his bass in hopes some would work. Al gave up and the band proceeded with meat, jamming it through all its funky glory. It transitioned into first a stellar “Billy Goat,” which always gets the crowd singing along to its good-life-advice-y chorus, then “Head,” before finishing up the “meat” sandwich with more rumbling bass and shredding.

    The show ended with a quick encore of “Lazarus,” which at this point is somewhere between the old “Lazarus” and the newer “The Bones of Lazarus.” Fans seem to agree that its better than “Bones” but doesn’t yet reach the heights of the storied “Lazarus”es of bygone days.

    After a late night, moe.rons had to transition to an early show by moe. standards on Saturday night at the Waterfront. Part of the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival, the show featured a ring of vendors off chuck.side of the stage. Bluegrass jammers Cabinet opened the show with a lot of energy, then passed the stage off to moe.

    The band started on a high note with a “Buster” that transitioned into “Spine of a Dog,” two songs that fit well together with the same sort of calypso feel to them.

    After finishing up “Spine,” Al made the crowd turn around to view the amazing sunset, burning across the sky with bright pinks, oranges and yellows. “We’ll give you a second,” he said. “Look at this. This is fantastic.”

    Rob joked that they just wanted to see everyone’s asses.

    Then they played the lighter “Blonde Hair and Blue Eyes” before they got down and dirty with Rob slapping the shit out of his bass on “Not Coming Down.” That transitioned into “Wormwood” > “Deep This Time” > “Downward Facing Dog” to finish out the set with a whole lot of head bobbing and dancing.

    Set two opened with moe.’s funnest song, “Seat of My Pants,” which was bouncy and fun with all the springy octave jumps and just enough down and dirty rocking. There may have been a brief tease to the theme song for Sesame Street. It almost sounded like it was going to go into “Rebubula,” but instead it continued into “Dr. Graffenberg.” Sometime in there, a crew of audience members dressed as sea life paraded through the crowd and made their way to the front, dancing there briefly before ebbing back to the sea (one can only assume). Besides that, Graffenberg was as whimsical and rockin’ as ever.

    Band members then took the set down a notch with the slow but beautiful “Where Does the Time Go?” Some consider this a bathroom song while others enjoy it wholeheartedly, getting lost in the nostalgic melody and skillfully written lyrics.

    Then “Tubing the River Styx” segued into a smokin’ “The Pit” that transitioned into a lighter tone with “Kyle’s Song.” Then “Gone” segued into “Do or Die” with a pensive jam that featured the lights going down and the band playing in silhouette against the backdrop.
    During al.nouncements, Al read a note that wished someone named Erica a happy birthday and said, “PS- San Ber’dino.” And almost immediately other band members started playing parts of the Frank Zappa tune, and they went right into it when Al’s announcements wrapped up. Then they wrapped up the show with “Happy Hour Hero,” a great song that has a laid-back melody, sending the crowd off to some Twiddle or just one more bottle.

    It’s always a treat when moe. plays Burlington, and this weekend run was one for the books!
    Friday, Aug. 7 at Higher Ground

    I.
    Same Old Story
    Waiting for the Punchline
    Okayalright>
    Big World>
    Ricky Marten
    MarDema>
    George
    II.
    Rainshine
    The Road*
    Wind It Up
    meat.**
    Billy Goat>
    Head>
    meat.
    E: Lazarus

    Saturday, Aug. 8 at the Burlington Waterfront
    I.
    Buster>
    Spine of a Dog
    Blond Hair and Blue Eyes
    Not Coming Down>
    Wormwood>
    Deep This Time>
    Downward Facing Dog
    II.
    Seat of My Pants>
    Dr. Graffenberg
    Where Does the Time Go?
    Tubing the River Styx>
    The Pit>
    Kyle’s Song
    Gone>
    Do or Die
    E: San Ber’dino
    Happy Hour Hero

    *Joined by Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle on guitar.
    **Al stopped after the song started and tried to get the band to play the Grateful Dead’s “Eyes of the World.” It didn’t work.

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’364′]

  • Heavy Montréal Lives Up to Expectations

    This past weekend metal-heads from all over ventured to Montréal for the three-day festival known as Heavy Montréal. From Friday, August 7 through August 9, fans filled up Parc Jean-Drapeau and were ready to see their favorite bands. The weekend consisted of a large variety of metal sub-genres and it seemed to sit well with everyone.

    With 4 stages hosting bands all day it was impossible to catch every band playing over the weekend. It seems fans had a game-plan going into the festival each day with a list of bands and their set times. Some fans though, decided to rail camp all day to catch the headlining act of that night from the front row. Luckily all three days had perfect weather so people could get away with that and not die from the heat some festivals get. Friday had a handful of bands that drew some awesome crowds. During the early afternoon, Venom Inc. and Arch Enemy had giant crowds at the Scène HEAVY Stage. Venom Inc. was the replacement for Mastodon who dropped off the lineup just a few weeks before. For being a late addition to the festival, they sure did look and sound prepared and the crowd was loving it.

    Heavy MontréalThe next band to take the Scène HEAVY Stage was Arch Enemy that day. With their new singer Alissa White-Gluz and new guitar player Jeff Loomis, Arch Enemy took the title for best band on that stage for the day. Having Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis in the same band makes for some serious guitar shredding. Alissa connected with the crowd throughout the set because she’s originally from Montréal and spoke mostly all French to the crowd. After Arch Enemy finished their set, Extreme started their set on the Scène Molson Canadian Stage. This band definitely appealed more to the older fans in the crowd but was respected by all. Extreme is led by singer Gary Cherone, who many know as the guy who was “that other singer” for Van Halen. On guitar for Extreme was none other than Nuno Bettencourt. For those who pay close attention to rock news, Nuno was just at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood as a special guest for Steel Panther who played the final show there before they demolish it.

    Heavy Montréal
    Within Temptation

    Before Extreme was able to finish their set, many fans started the walk over to the Scène de la Forêt Stage for Nothing More. Easily one of the most anticipated bands of the weekend, Nothing More gave everything they had. Opening with “Mr. MTV”, Nothing More gave Montréal a performance that left fans eager for more. Not many bands can put on a performance like Nothing More did in just 30 short minutes. The band closed their set with, “This Is The Time (Ballast)” and “Salem (Burn The Witch)”. During their short time, Nothing More still setup their bass rig and the band all unloaded on it making crazy beats. At the end of the performance the entire band took to their personal drums to hammer away in the woods. After the performance was over, the band came off stage and greeted all the fans that stuck around to talk to them at the rail. The crowd showed incredible support for Nothing More and from the looks of it, they could have played on one of the main stages.

    Heavy Montréal
    Dokken

    The last two bands that were caught on Friday were Meshuggah and Korn. Meshuggah who is a Swedish extreme metal band, seemed to fit in with the vibe of the weekend very well. The people of Montréal and surrounding areas seem to love the “heavy” and “extreme” metal that this festival brought in. While not every single person in the crowd was waiting to see Meshuggah, there were still a sea of fans screaming their name and banging their heads with singer Jens Kidman. Last up on Friday night was Korn, which was the band everyone there was waiting to see. Shortly after 9 P.M., the sea of people tightened up and everyone pushed closer to the stage. The set started with that very familiar cymbal intro which lead to a big “Are You Ready?!” from Jonathan Davis. Starting with “Blind”, then moving through the rest of their debut album Korn, the band had the crowd going wild. Fans may have seen Korn 10 times already, but this set was very special and has only been done numerous times since the band announced they would be playing Korn in its entirety for its 20th anniversary. After finishing the album with “Daddy”, easily the most emotional song ever written by Jonathan Davis, Korn played a 3-song encore. The three songs were, “Falling Away With Me”, “Here To Stay”,  and “Freak On A Leash”. Heavy Montréal couldn’t have picked a better band to set the mood for the next two days of the festival.

    Heavy Montréal
    Slipknot

    On Saturday, the music once again started at 1 P.M. sharp. Some of the bands to open up the day were Slaves On Dope, Deafheaven, The Brains, Mass Murder Messiah and Rock From The Crypt. The crowd for the first few hours of the day seemed to scatter from stage to stage until they were ready to camp for a certain band. Starting at 3 P.M. is when the crowd seemed to shift mainly toward the 2 main stages. Lita Ford took the Scène HEAVY Stage at 3 P.M. and she absolutely rocked for her age. Some people may have scratched their heads when seeing her on the lineup for this festival, but she surely didn’t disappoint the least bit. After her set Abbath took the stage to keep the crowd right there in the main area.

    Heavy Montréal
    Lamb Of God

    Although Abbath sounded pretty great, many of the fans stayed right in front of the Scène HEAVY Stage. The reason why many fans stayed put was because Gojira was next up on that stage. These metal giants from France had a huge fan base in French-speaking Montréal. The mosh pits during Gojira were unlike anything seen the previous day and a half. Following fan favorites Gojira, Testament was ready to keep the crowd moshing. Fans must have known Testament was going to come out all business just by seeing their cryptic looking backdrop, one of the most bad-ass ones of the weekend. Their set consisted of a mix of songs spanned across 5 albums but mostly from The New Order which was their 2nd album. That being said, old-school Testament fans had a smile on their face. Unfortunately for Testament, their bass player and drummer couldn’t make the show so Tilen Hudrap from Vicious Rumors took over bass duties and Alex Bent from Battlecross took over on drums. Even with the fill-ins, Testament sounded great and casual fans probably didn’t notice any difference at all.

    Heavy Montréal
    Bullet For My Valentine

    After Testament, the attention shifted over to the Scène de l’Apocalypse Stage for The Devin Townsend Project. This band is led by Canadian born Devin Townsend who was the head of Strapping Young Lad from 1994-2007. Now Devin focuses on his solo project and it’s just as heavy. Taking the stage Devin told the crowd to get ready for the nerdiest show of the weekend, due to the fact he wears headphones on stage now. The DTP was one of the best performances of the entire weekend. Devin did a fine job mixing crowd interaction, humor and straight up metal during the set. Right after watching the entire Devin Townsend Project set, fans shifted to the Scène de la Forêt Stage to catch a bit of Battlecross. This band just seemed to fit on this stage perfectly with the look they had.

    Heavy Montréal
    Testament

    Unfortunately due to other acts, time with Battlecross was cut short. Die-hard fans definitely stayed the entire half hour, but many shifted to the main stages for Iggy Pop and Faith No More. Iggy Pop put on one hell of a show for his age. Although he may not be “heavy metal”, this 68-year-old was most likely an influence for half the bands playing over the weekend. This punk-rock legend definitely had the respect from the crowd and other artists who came out to see him perform. Last up on Saturday was Faith No More. These legends who just got back together in the recent years have been headlining major festivals all over the world and Heavy Montréal was next on their list. The band opened with “Motherfucker” off their album Sol Invictus, which came out this year. Faith No More dug into this new album six times throughout the night. It only took the band 5 songs to play their biggest hit “Epic”. The crowd definitely knew Faith No More would be playing “Epic” and hearing the whole crowd sing, “You want it all but you can’t have it” was simply amazing. After “Epic”, the band eventually played other hits such as “Midlife Crisis” and “Easy”. To end the set before the encore, the band picked their song “Superhero” which was also on Sol Invictus. The set was ended with “Digging The Grave”, “This Guy’s In Love With You” and “Just a Man”. Faith No More certainly didn’t have a metal atmosphere going for their stage setup; dressing in all white, having an all white stage decorated in only flowers. Although it was different from what the rest of the day had musically, Faith No More still drew a very large crowd that kept the energy going throughout the late hours of the night.

    Lita Ford

    The final day of Heavy Montréal seemed to have the best lineup judging by the increase in people right from the get-go. Chris Jericho opened the day with his band Fozzy. This guy earned a lot of respect from other guys in the music community and that showed when Corey Taylor from Slipknot and Randy Blythe from Lamb Of God came out and watched his band side stage. Next up for the day was Motionless In White, who seemed to have a huge number of fans there.

    Devin Townsend Project

    After Motionless In White, was 90s band Coal Chamber which is led by front-man Dez Fafara. For those who don’t know, Dez is also the singer from DevilDriver.  After being split for nearly 7 years, Coal Chamber just recently got back together and released their new album Rivals on May 19th. Dez and the rest of Coal Chamber got the crowd moving while security had the fire hose out cooling them down after moshing. The next two bands up on the main stages were a blast from the past, Warrant and Dokken. Warrant has been out on the road with singer Robert Mason after the death of Jani Lane their original lead singer. With Robert in the band, Warrant still plays all the classics and sounds like them took a time machine from the 80s to 2015. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Dokken. With Don Dokken and drummer Mick Brown being the only original members still in the band, they had a lot to live up to. That being said, the band itself sounded great but the vocals just aren’t there anymore. After almost singing for nearly 40-years, Don Dokken at the age of 62 just can’t hit the notes he could in the past. Although the set wasn’t an absolute disaster, the power wasn’t there in Don’s voice. In some instances it did sound like the notes could be hit, but there was no power behind them. Most of the energy from their set came from drummer “Wild” Mick Brown, who introduced Dokken to the crowd.

    Faith No More

    After Dokken, Andrew W.K. came on the other main stage as the singer for Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg. This was a very cool pairing and Andrew W.K. seemed to have that energy to keep the rest of the band behind him going. After a 45 minute set, things shifted back to the Scène Molson Canadian Stage for Asking Alexandria. These guys from England just filled their singer vacancy after the departure of Danny Worsnop with singer Denis Stoff from the Ukraine. With an identical voice to Danny, Denis is the perfect fill in for this band. His youth and energy brought life back into Asking Alexandria, which seemed to die out during Mayhem Tour last summer. AA just finished up their summer on Warped Tour where Denis got to show the US crowds that he could fill the big shoes that Danny left empty. The crowd at Heavy Montréal was filled with fans of Asking Alexandria to the point where Denis didn’t even have to sing any of the screaming parts of their last song “The Final Episode (Let’s Change The Channel)”. Hearing the entire crowd yell, “Oh My God” during the intro of the song easily proved that Montréal has Asking Alexandria fans.

    Venom Inc.

    Next up was Within Temptation on the Scène HEAVY stage. This Dutch symphonic metal band was stellar. Sharon den Adel the lead singer of the band was an absolute delight to watch. Within Temptation was a complete different breed of what the rest of the festival had over the weekend, but they showed they had what it takes. There’s no wonder why this band sells out all their shows over in Europe. The 11-song set they played seemed to not be enough for festival attendees.

    Korn

    The last bands to close out Heavy Montréal were absolute monsters. Those three were the ones from the Summer’s Last Stand Tour: Bullet For My Valentine, Lamb of God and Slipknot. Before and after Bullet’s setlist, two great bands got stuck with bad set times over at the Scène de la Forêt stage: Upon A Burning Body and Wilson. Unfortunately not many people wanted to lose their spots at the main stages to go see them.

    The good news for Bullet For My Valentine fans was that they got to play a bit longer than they have been on their tour with Slipknot. In the previews for the festival, fans knew they could expect songs like “Your Betrayal” and “Scream Aim Fire”, but Bullet added a few more in the set for Montréal. Fans got to hear songs like “Alone”, “The Last Fight”, and “4 Words (To Choke Upon)”. It was obvious that Bullet was itching to play a longer set for quite some time, as they had even more energy to spare.

    Nothing More

    Lamb of God also got to play a little longer on Sunday with a 12-song set. Unfortunately for those looking to hear new material off VII: Sturm und Drang, LOG only played “512” and “Still Echoes”.  Even though the set wasn’t heavy on new material, Randy and the rest of Lamb of God put on a brutal show that surely left fans bruised and sweaty.

    There’s no better way to end a 3-day heavy metal festival then with Slipknot. When there’s 9 guys on stage wearing masks and playing loud music with flames going up everywhere, that’s how to end a weekend. Corey Taylor is one hell of a leader on stage. Corey has the ability to control the crowd with ease. The highlight of Slipknot’s setlist was easily during “Spit It Out”. There’s a huge difference watching Corey control an amphitheater and a sea of people in an open field. Every single person at Parc Jean-Drapeau was down on their knees waiting for Corey to give them the command “jump the fuck up”. When that command came, the entire crowd at once lifted into the air and went absolutely insane. When that song was over, there was no time to rest because Slipknot went right into “Custer” which was off their latest album .5 The Gray Chapter. With time running out on the weekend, the band ended with a 3-song encore featuring “(sic)”, “People=Shit” and “Surfacing”.

    Heavy Montréal proved to be a huge success this year going for a full three days of music. With a perfect variety of bands, a perfect venue and a large variety of food and drinks, Evenko set up one killer festival. Anyone who likes to attend festivals such as Rock on The Range, Carolina Rebellion, etc., try to attend Heavy Montréal at least once.

    *Be sure to check here periodically for next year’s Heavy Montréal festival info*

  • Magnaball: Phish Goes All Out for 10th Festival (Updated)

    Phish will return to Watkins Glen International this coming weekend to celebrate their 10th festival. Magnaball will be a three day festival held Friday, August 21, through Sunday, August 23. As with past festivals, there will be a multitude of activities outside the music. However, this time around, the band is pulling out all the stops to make their 10th festival extra special.

    Music

    As with Super Ball IX, there will be seven official sets of music. Set times are as follows:

    Friday, August 21 – Two sets beginning at 7:30 pm
    Saturday, August 22 – Three sets beginning at 3:00 pm
    Sunday, August 23 – Two sets beginning at 7:30 pm

    It is expected that there will be an unofficial, unannounced “secret set” occurring sometime late Saturday night, similar to the “Storage Jam” that took place at Super Ball IX.

    Food & Drink

    Magnaball will feature an upgraded offering of food vendors, focusing on local and regional food vendors. The vendors will be setup throughout the festival grounds, including in the campgrounds. They will feature wood-fired pizza, tamales, crepes, smoothies, burgers and more. The food selection covers many different cuisines from around the world. Cafes will spread throughout the grounds, including 24-hour offerings. As with past festivals, there will be a farmer’s market on site selling local produce, baked goods and other pre-made food and drink.

    In addition to the upgraded selection of food vendors, Magnaball will feature a full service restaurant called Festival Ate. Five-course, prix-fixe dinners will be available each night of the festival. The Steam dinner on Saturday night will feature pairings with five different beers from Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Sixpoint Brewing, including a Bière de Garde and an Imperial Porter brewed with Stumptown coffee. The restaurant will also be open from 10 am to 1 am each day with an attached bar. Attendees can stop by for a light bite to eat. Festival Ate will be managed by LOFO, a farm-to-table restaurant in Syracuse, N.Y.

    Magnaball will feature a craft cocktail program with Phish-inspired drinks, such as The Red Red Worm and Satan on the Beach. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s FOAM lager will return. Additional beer selections include brews from Vermont favorites Hill Farmstead Brewery from Greensboro Bend, Vt, and Lawson’s Finest Liquids from Warren, Vt. Sixpoint Brewing will also be supplying two of their beers throughout the festival.

    Ben & Jerry’s will be on site serving free cups of Phish Food and Save Our Swirled ice cream. They will also be taking signatures to petition the leaders of developed nations to work towards clean energy initiatives.

    Free water bottle filling stations will be available around the festival grounds. There will also be filtered water filling stations for $1 per fill for up to 32 ounces. Proceeds will be donated to The WaterWheel Foundation. Magnaball Nalgene bottles will be available for purchase. Use of these bottles will allow free fills from the filtered water stations.

    Activities

    Magnaball will feature a variety of organized and unorganized activities to keep attendees entertained throughout the festival. Lawn games, game shows, yoga and the JEMP Records Store will all be part of the fun.

    Cornhole sets will be available throughout the festival for pickup matches. There is also an organized cornhole tournament planned. Those interested in signing up for the tournament can register a team of two people by sending an email to magnatourney@phish.com. You should provide them with your team name, the names of the team members and a cell phone number at which they can reach you during the festival. The tournament will start on Friday. Teams can also register at the Cornhole Tourney Tent located at the crossroads in the festival grounds.

    Studio X is the location for many of the other activities. Free yoga classes will be offered Friday through Sunday at 9:30 am. There will be two trivia game shows held during the weekend. On Friday and Sunday at 11 am, teams of four can compete in Survey Says, a survey-style game show with Phish trivia. On Saturday at 11 am, registration opens for Subtle Sounds – A Name That Phish Gameshow. Contestants will battle it out over naming Phish songs by just a few notes. The game begins at 11:30 am, but is limited to only 54 contestants. It is recommended that you arrive early if you wish to participate.

    The JEMP Records Store will once again be a part of this festival. The store will include an exclusive release of Rift on blue vinyl. The release will be packaged with a limited edition screen print by David Welker. Past vinyl releases from Phish and side projects will also be available at the store.

    An official US Post Office will be setup on site to allow attendees to mail posters, vinyl and other purchases directly home.

    The Glurt Institute and Drive-In

    The art installations at Magnaball seem to have a science and energy theme. The Glurt Institute and Laboratory will be setup not far from the concert field. There, attendees can learn about the Gravity Harmonograph and about how the magnaphysics of the vortex pendulum work. Adjacent to the Institute is the Drive-In, a 175-foot widescreen display. Thursday night will be movie night, along with a late night showing on Friday. Movie showtimes are as follows:

    Thursday
    10:00 pm – The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
    Midnight – First Men in the Moon (1964)
    2:00 am – The Time Machine (1960)

    Friday
    3:45 am – Sullivan’s Travels (1942)

    Bunny Radio and Webcasts

    The Bunny is back for Magnaball. The Phish festival radio station will broadcast locally on 104.9 FM and on SiriusXM’s Jam On. All Phish sets will be broadcast live. Tune in to hear an eclectic mix of tunes, the much-anticipated From the Archives shows and reports from the festival. SiriusXM offers a 30 day free trial for new customers.

    For those not attending the festival, LivePhish is offering a webcast of all three days of Magnaball. The webcast can be pre-ordered at http://livephi.sh/Magnaball.

    Shuttle

    Festival attendees will be able to take a shuttle off site on Friday and Saturday. The shuttle will cost $10 cash only for a round trip and will run on a 40 minute loop into town and back. There will be a very limited number of tickets available, beginning Friday at 8:30 am, at the Merch Check tent next to the Info Booth. If tickets remain, they can be bought at the box office by Gate 4A. The shuttle will make stops in Watkins Glen at 9th and Decatur, Seneca Harbor Park and downtown, Walmart, Shequaga Falls and historic district before returning to Watkins Glen International. The shuttle begins running at 10:00 am and the last bus will return at 6:00 pm Friday and 4:00 pm Saturday.

    Tickets for Magnaball have sold out. If you are still looking for a ticket, please visit our friends at Cash or Trade. Volunteer opportunities to gain admittance to the festival are also still available through the the Work Exchange Program and Clean Vibes. Tickets for the dinners at Festival Ate are available from TicketsToday. If you wish to For additional information, please visit http://phish.com/magnaball.

    Phish – 7/2/2011 "Tube" from Phish on Vimeo.

  • Arise Music Festival-Loveland, Colorado

    “I’ve never heard so many notes playing at once!” exclaimed a lanky festivarian draped in a tie-dye T-shirt, following the terrific main stage show of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead at the recent Arise Festival in Loveland, Colorado. Certainly, the hippie’s exclamation served as an apt description of the world’s best Dead cover band. However, the statement served as even more appropriate description of the hybrid event set the picturesque mountain setting. Arise is constructed as a “co-creator” event that offers a spicy jumbalaya of multi-cultural live music, electronic performances, art presentations, along with numerous workshops centered around eco-activism, social justice, and spirituality practice.

    Arise Festival

    For those busy facilitating the weekend workshops, the 100 musical acts may have been mere distant echoes, but the results, at times, gave heartrending results. One such workshop led with a descendent of a man who once led a massacre against a Lakota tribe. The harrowing account was immediately followed by another presenter who is a current Lakota tribe member who offered words of healing regarding the violent past, and finished with a blessing of earth healing. That’s powerful stuff to be sharing at a music festival for sure.

    As for the music scene, Arise boasts an advantage of what many are calling “next generation” festivals. Unlike similar events like Costa Rica’s Envision festival, the folks of Arise largely rely on the presence of live music acts. Not that Arise didn’t give electronic bassheads enough whomp. The Polish Ambassador headlined the main stage on Friday and a revamped Area 51 stage featured a full schedule of spin meisters through the weekend.
    For me, the joy of the music scene was the live music. And there was plenty of joy in the concert bowl. Friday highlights included an emotional set of bluegrass folk from Rising Appalachia and the rousing rockabilly of Sister Sparrow and Dirty Birds. Arleigh Kincheloe, the band’s lead singer belted out tunes with pipes powerful enough to put plumbers out of business. And these acts were just warming up the crowd. Lukas Nelson, who spent the summer touring with Neil Young, shimmied, jumped, and rocked his way in the free world with a series of serrated guitar solos that Young would admire. And even though funk bands seem to grow these days thicker than mountain thistle, Turkuaz finished with a reasonably fresh and energetic take on the newly popular genre. Interspersed between the live sets were a dizzying array of acrobatic and fire performances from the likes of Lunar Fire and Fractal Tribe.

    The 90 degree daytime temps didn’t slow down the Saturday line-up either. Western New York’s favorites Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad have become Colorado’s adopted sons for roots reggae, and their upbeat, jaunty rhythms dropped happily between two festival favorites, Ozomatli and the afore-mentioned Joe Russo’s Almost Dead. The crowd danced so hard, even Dirty Santa and sequined red suit was “almost dead” before midnight.

    Still, the peak acoustic show the weekend didn’t arrive till Sunday’s offering of Larry Keel’s Bluegrass Tribute to the Grateful Dead. Edward Sharpe of the Magnetic Zeroes, at times, seemed restless and distracted, but the top-notch band behind him remained strong. Rounding out the main stage show, Trevor Hall’s easy going folk sound glided the crowd safely down to the festival weekend landing strip. Like many of the performers featured during the weekend, the Arise festival, only in its third year, is already hitting all the right notes.

  • Summer Was Cooking at The Green River Festival

    After 29 years you figure a thing or two about putting on a festival. The producers of the Green River Festival in Greenfield, Massachusetts are proof of that. Everything ran like a well-oiled machine for the 2015 edition. Not in a way that seemed played out, but in a fresh, exciting and invigorating way. The festival has quietly been chugging along, nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires, far enough away from the big cities, though close enough to a hungry crowd of music lovers to reach a sell out.

    EStein_Mainstage_GreenRiver15

    There were so many ways to enjoy the Green River Festival. The multitude of local eateries selling a ridiculously wide variety of foods, the large and inventive kids’ craft tent, the makers fair, the acrobats show, the frisbee dogs, the karate demonstrations, the shuttle carting people to the Green River to swim, the Mardi Gras parade featuring some fantastic creatures and led through the crowd by Bela’s Bartok and Hannah from And the Kids, and the hot air balloons!

    Wait, I forgot to mention the 3 stages jam-packed with music. All that, and many still found the best way to spend their time was tossing around a frisbee in the large open field by the second stage, spurring the Milk Carton Kids’ Joey Ryan to dryly quip, “We have a no frisbees rule… there are a lot of violators here.” A hula hoop vendor made hoops available by that stage as well, creating a mass of hula hoopers present throughout the days. Everyone had the opportunity to enjoy at their own pace, in their own space. The producers have found the perfect formula of addition by addition. Nothing felt tacked on, everything felt right.

    Musically, the festival served up a heaping slab of New England comfort food. The rest aforementioned activity, as they say, was just the gravy. Not only were the band selections great, they were clearly hand-picked and not just pulled off the nearest passing festival train. The music flowed wonderfully from set to set, and built to a nice peak at the perfect times. There was an evenness to the passion and approach of the musicians that made for a smooth transition no matter where you went.

    The whole weekend got set up on Friday night with two simultaneous events. On the main stage, or Green River Stage, it was local music label and festival presenter Signature Sounds celebrating their 20th year and featuring a slate of label mates. It all came to a head with the self-dubbed “Queen of the Minor Key” Eilen Jewell blasting through tracks off her latest like “Warning Signs,” and “Worried Mind,” all featuring the amazing work of her stand out guitarist Jerry Miller. Over on the second stage, or Four Rivers Stage, local coffee company Dean’s Beans was hosting a Latin night, headlined by M.A.K.U. Sound System. This 8-piece out of NYC left enough heat on the stage to keep it warm the entire weekend with their unique brand of high energy Columbian dance grooves.

    The pre-heating wouldn’t be necessary however. The sun was shining bright Saturday and Sunday on what will likely prove to be two of the hottest days of the summer. Not to mention, the bands playing kept it plenty warm all day and night. The day started off with The Suitcase Junket, a one-man band consisting of Matt Lorenz. Between the name and his set up, it had schtick written all over it. But Lorenz’s songs were fantastic and his whole bag of tricks, including but not limited to a saw blade, a baby shoe hitting a gas can, bones, silverware and a throat singing method that was simply mystifying, was anything but schtick. Next up, The Stray Birds, a 3-piece folk band that was another very pleasant surprise. The incredible 3-part harmonies sung into a single mic was their strength, but the resonator guitar was damn good too.

    Their set was highlighted by a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Loretta” and an original, “Best Medicine,” about a music store owner in Schenectady, NY. The stage was folked up and ready to go for Langhorne Slim and the Law, who previewed some tunes off their new album. Slim built the mid-day energy into late-day form with multiple singalongs and a saunter out deep into the crowd. The transition from folkin’ to rockin’ was complete and the stage was prepped for some loud and raging solo guitar songs from Dinosaur Jr.’s and Amherst local J. Mascis. Down the hill at the small third stage, dubbed The Parlour Room Stage, Arc Iris was also getting going. Led by Low Anthem’s Jocie Adams, Arc Iris is a trip into a cosmic wonderworld that blends elements of folk, blues and jazz but filtered through the glasses of Sun Ra, outfits and all.

    Music legend Booker T. Jones blasted through a marathon festival set, playing plenty on the B3 but also taking lead guitar duties much more than expected. His set, which included “Green Onions,” “Hang ’em High,” and “Hey Joe” ended a full 25 minutes over his allotted time with a masterful interpretation of the Beatles’ “Don’t Bring Me Down.”  From classic sound to sound of the future, tUnE-yArDs, formerly a student at nearby Smith College, took the stage next. Previously Merril Garbus had played her shows solo relying heavily on loops, but she’s added backup singers, a bass player and drummer to add to the already multi-layered effects she produces on her own.

    The band was energetic and active and the crowd matched it with their excited fervor, eating up the band’s every move. Down on the third stage Marco Benevento was cooking up a dance party of his own. Closing his set with the anthemic “At the Show” the band was joined by Arc Iris’ Jocie Adams and And the Kids’ Hannah Mohan bringing the action on the stage and off to a boil. tUnE-yArD’s strongly African-influenced music was the perfect lead in for Saturday’s main stage headliners Rubblebucket. The stage was amply and continually filled with smoke as Kalmia Traver and band showed why the festival keeps bringing them back as they get bigger and bigger, with their amped up dance rock Afrobeat.

    Sunday brought more of the same, a blazing hot sun shining down on a full day of superb music. Valerie June, wearing a floral crown and an acoustic guitar, graced the crowd with her unique and beautiful voice on songs like “Working Woman Blues” and telling fun tales of her Martin Stranger guitar and her little “baby” banjo. On the second stage Parker Millsap was also showcasing a unique voice, and showing off incredible range on originals like “Old Time Religion” and “Palisades” as well as his take on “Hesitation Blues.” Preservation Hall Jazz Band brought the spirit of New Orleans, as they’re wont to do. Starting with a perfect Sunday rendition of “I’ll Fly Away,” they rolled through a set with “Go To Mardi Gras” and “Corrina Corrina” and an appropriate sing-along on “You Are My Sunshine.” From there the grass at the festival turned a deep shade of blue.

    Starting with Colorado’s Elephant Revival, another addition to the post-Avett string band revolution. A worthy addition, and one worth keeping tabs on, they kept things interesting with Celtic and Gypsy influences, instrumentation including a washboard, pedal steel and the usual mix of fiddles, mandolins and banjoes, and some great songwriting. California’s The Brothers Comatose were kicking up some dust at the third stage with a more traditional take. A quintet featuring mandolin, bass, guitar, fiddle and banjo, they won hearts with their incredible cover of the Ryan Adams/Dave Rawlings tune “To Be Young” before kicking into full hoedown mode with “The Van Song.”

    Appetites were thoroughly whetted for the Punch Brothers to take over the main stage. Chris Thile, Chris Eldridge, Paul Kowert, Noam Pikelny and Gabe Wilcher, are all prodigious on their own, but when they combine together their blend of bluegrass, pop and classical music is out of this world. They opened with “This Girl” (which ended with a Sunday-appropriate Amen), finished with “Magnet,” and worked in some DeBussy, acapella, Roger Federer jokes, bluegrass breakdowns and more in between, for a rousing set that had the masses entranced. The Green River Festival served is up right in 2015, wonder what they’ve got cooking for their 30th edition!

  • Fox Fest 2015: Festival Review and Gallery

    Fox Fest 2015 held a few special things in store this year, the first being their SAMMY (Syracuse Area Music Awards) Award for People’s Choice: Best Festival for 2014 and the next being a live marriage proposal on stage (she said, yes) This is only the beginning of what the day-long annual event had to share.

    fox fest 2015
    Fox Fest merch booth by Sandra Jackson/Sublunar Studios for NYS Music and Fox Fest 2015

    The event is organized and held at the home of George Ryan and Kelly Nichols, next door to their primary cohorts, his sister Kelly Ryan and brother-in-law Mike Spaiches in southern Onondaga County. It’s a beautiful piece of nature, surrounded by corn fields, it has a valley view to the east and plenty of room for a backyard party.

    This isn’t your average backyard party though, not by any stretch of the imagination. Wizzard Sound Corp. rolls in a full pro-stage, roof, p.a. and light show, well large enough for just about any outdoor show or festival. Their crew comes in on Thursday and with the help of several volunteers, build the stage and roof structure, Friday brings the p.a. and lights, all ready for show-day on Saturday. They not only do the job, they are ahead of the game and are ready for any curveball they have thrown at them. They sure got at least one, but we’ll get to that later.

    Plenty of vendors serving food and drinks, festival merch., tattoos, massages and much more. The weather was “Chamber of Commerce” perfect, sunny, breezy and not too warm. Mix this up with 1800 or so fans whose t-shirt donations pay for the show and the annual donations the festival gives out. This year’s recipients were the CNY SPCA and ‘Cuse Pit Crew, two of the most worthy organizations Fox Fest has chosen so far. Last, but not least, the bands, the life of the party and the annual balancing act for the producers. Fox Fest has always been focused on local bands, a blend of rock and “country” for the most part, selected by the organizers after seeing them live, yes, that’s how they do it. They actually go see the bands, several times each. No submissions, just invitations to bands noted as current and worthy in the local scene.

    Opening the show was Seeking Monte from Rochester, notably the only “out-of-towners” to play Fox Fest (FF) and their guitarist, Lee Heberger has done it twice. In both instances Lee brought in a tight, original rock and roll band, this time fronted by dynamic vocalist Sara Passamonte and joined by Mike Guarino (guitar), Bob Besley (drums), with Stacy Krebbeks (bass). Unfortunately, someone has to open, but Seeking Monte is all about opportunity and they gave a solid performance, receiving lots of love from the growing audience on hand. Then comes the “country” section of the show with four in a row that heated the audience up as the ambient temperature rose. I’ll qualify using quotes for “country”, at my level of experience what is labeled as “country” today, isn’t. Nu Country? Perhaps. Country Rock? Closer to the what it is actually, or pop with a twang. Either way, the best word for it is popular and the crowd goes nuts for it. Beginning with Dirtroad Ruckus (DR) the crowd filled in up to the barricades, singing along and dancing all afternoon. DR’s front man Eric DeTota paused at the start of their set to play the National Anthem, which is a traditional part of their performances, then George Ryan cut loose a huge American flag that was carried over the audience. DR quickly had the audience in their hands, instrumentally solid with plenty of stage presence to boot, an excellent set. DeTota on acoustic/vocals, Tom Fava (bass), Ken Duquette (guitar), Jack Chappell (bass) and Scott Sheridan (guitar) showed their licks to the pleasure of the attendees and left the stage toasty for the next band.

    The Chris Taylor Band (Custom Taylor Band) came up next, he’s know as one of the first performers to follow this track with success in Central New York, his polish and stage personality, backed by his long-term band, Brett Nelson (acoustic/vocals), Rob Spagnoletti (drums/vocals), Joey Beccheria (guitar), Amy Doan (fiddle/vocals), and Jake Capozzolo (bass) moved through their set hitting on all cylinders. If Chris doesn’t get you up and dancing, there’s always the TJ Sacco Band (TJSB) to follow him. These two may well be the hardest working men in the country biz locally. Each has a very healthy fan-base and when you combine them with DR’s and Country Swagg’s, it’s gonna be a party. Each of these bands are well-known and regularly get prime opening spots for tours visiting the area. The one thing about having four country bands is a couple of songs may get a few airings. but the crowd didn’t seem to mind one bit. TJSB is strong, really strong, TJ leading the way on acoustic/vocals, with lefty Chad Mac ripping up the leads, Bill Shank (drums), Marcus Larabee (bass) and newcomer (first show actually) Chrissy Alexander (vocals), much like CTB, this is a well rehearsed and polished outfit. They provided one of the musical surprises of the day covering ‘Plush’ by Stone Temple Pilots, well!

    Finishing this segment of the show was Country Swagg (CS), fronted by Mike Johnson (vocals/acoustic), with Tim Horst (guitar), Gabe Infantino (bass) and Rob Trout (drums). CS gets a bit rockier per say. They’re heavier and more aggressive in a Blackberry Smoke kinda way. They’re hometown boys, so their crew was out full-force, cheering them on through a very enthusiastic set. Their fans even bought them a sponsorship so their band name would appear on the event t-shirts, pretty cool stuff. Another staple of FF is not allowing the music to stop, so between each band, an acoustic performer takes the stage to fill during change-over. First timer Tommy Connors kept things moving during the first two breaks, Mike Schickling the next three, then JP Shaggy the final two. Each brought their own flavor and vibe, more than enough to hold the crowd’s attention, nicely done by all, especially Schickling who was in on the surprise marriage proposal. Russ Lee was steadfast in his emcee role, not hesitating to give way to Mr. John Halko to introduce “his” band, Redline. John has been battling health issues and it was fantastic to see him onstage despite the absence of his trademark cigar. Redline is straight 70s/80s/90s party rock with Earl (The Pearl) Hamilton doing his best Tommy Lee (drums/vocals), Joe McSweeney (guitar/vocals), Mike Marzullo (bass/vocals) and Tony Campione (guitar/vocals). Hamilton and McSweeney are FF veterans having played with their former band Emerald City twice before. They rock, hard, have the chops and balls to cover Foreigner, Motorhead and Alice In Chains in their non-stop set. They were a bit “stripped-down” from their usual big production and special effects, but none were needed as the crowd ate up their performance.

    The Barndogs Plus (TBP) came next with their Allman Brothers tribute show, something they’ve performed several times at big local festivals, this time with an extra twist. The “Plus” portion of The Barndogs pulls in several local luminaries to fill the A-Bros parts, Tim Robinson (acoustic/vocals), Jerry (JT) Tarolli (guitar), Chad Mac (guitar) and Susan Royal (drums). Here is where the biggest joy of the evening came in. Prior to FF, Susan had announced that due to illness she wouldn’t be able to participate, it was heart-breaking as the second drummer is key to the A-Bros and most importantly, it’s her, her soul, her spirit, her skills. Now just about the last thing a stage manager wants to hear the night before the show is that a big change is being requested, in this case, a message from Susan asking if there was any way she could play. She was feeling better and didn’t want to miss it as there’s no telling when or if they’d do this show again. A few phone calls, texts and Facebook messages later it was on, many thanks to Jon Arrigo and his guys, Sean (Doughnuts) Sterling, Dylan Spencer and Mike (The Terrorist) Fadel (so sorry for calling you Brian all day!) for making it happen. The Barndogs core group, Andy Comstock (bass/vocals), John Kapusniak (keys), Pete Szymanski (drums/vocals) and Mark Westers (guitar/vocals) have been together for years building a regional following through great rock and roll music, whether it be a Doors tribute, performances with Vinyl Albums: Live or their club shows, these Dogs can run. In this expanded version, they were downright magical, striding through the A-Bros catalog as if it were their own. Andy’s commanding voice and stature lead them through the big hits, ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Reed’, ‘Soulshine’, ‘Whipping Post’ and ‘Jessica’ to name a few. They brought the crowd to a fever-pitch in anticipation of the headliners.

    SAMMY Award winning Scars N Stripes (SnS) are one of Syracuse’s heaviest rock bands, hands down, led by Bill Ali (vocals) prowling the stage and risers, Todd Stiles (guitar/vocals), Kevin Brennan (guitar), Joel Exline (bass/vocals) and Mike Waite (drums), they are indeed the premier modern rock band in our area. Each position overflows with skills, they balance and counter each other fluidly, steaming from song to song. The talent level oozes and Todd has become one of my favorite local six-string slingers. Their covers of Tool’s ‘Sober’ and Queensryche’s ‘Jet City Woman” were highlights, but the whole set was crushing and they left the crowd wanting more. Always the way to go if you can. I highly recommend seeing all of these FF artists out whenever you can, they bring it big time. Check them out online through social media and their websites, you won’t be sorry.

    Congrats to everyone involved with Fox Fest 2015. The whole event ran on time with only a few bumps in the road, the weather held out and the crowd was remarkable. Thanks to all of the people who donated their time to make it all happen and to our own Onondaga County Sheriffs who kept the grounds safe for everyone. When all is said and done, Fox Fest has evolved into one of the area’s best summer events and is clearly, “the biggest backyard party” of the summer.

  • 20 years in 4 days: A Gathering of the Vibes 2015 Recap

    The 20th annual Gathering of the Vibes Music Festival made quite the statement this past weekend, bringing upwards of 20,000 people from all over the world to gather along the shores of Seaside Park in Bridgeport. Starting out as nothing more than a Jerry Garcia memorial, Gathering of the Vibes has blown up beyond the tri-state area over the past 20 years, providing attendees with a weekend of memories, meditation, and music. In celebration of Vibes’ past, here’s the breakdown of Gathering of the Vibes 2015, in a more present setting.

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    Thursday, July 30

    Along with a powerful spirit, the opening day of Vibes brought a heavy amount of rain. Not a chill to the winter but a nip to the air, thousands of musical inhabitants set up camp and made their way towards Main Stage to experience the jazzy timbre of Ryan Montbleau’s voice. After a torrential (but brief) downpour, the sun made a rather profound return throughout Seaside Park, drying up tent flys and restoring the sunny disposition of each festival-goer. Max Creek took to the stage after Ryan Montbleau, performing several of their hits, including “Blood Red Roses” as well as a cover of “Peace Train” by Cat Stevens. It was also quite surprising to see a Max Creek band member rap suddenly, but boy was he good.

    As bright stage lights, glowing hula hoops, and light up bracelets illuminated the audience, Dark Star Orchestra played around 9pm with an intensity only understood by those who have seen them live. Featuring tunes like “Franklin’s Tower,” “Scarlet Begonias,” and “Fire on the Mountain,” each audience member spun with delight, dancing with their friends as well as strangers to the triumphant anthems of the Grateful Dead. While most Dark Star Orchestra shows throw in a few surprises, no one in the audience was prepared for the intensity coming from DSO member Lisa Mackey’s diaphragm as she belted out her soul throughout their set. As audience members begged for more before closing out the evening, DSO also threw in a dash of Bob Dylan, putting their own spin on “Tangled Up In Blue” and “Forever Young.” After an already packed night of great music, and a continuation of music featuring some late night jammers, campers slowly drifted off to sleep to recharge for another dawn of music, and of course, good vibes.

    Friday,  July 31

    As the morning mist lay across Seaside’s waters, Twiddle brought an amplified alarm to sleeping campers around 11am from the Main Stage. Though their set time was much shorter than it should have been, adoring fans were pleased to hear a selection of songs from their 2011 album, entitled Somewhere On the Mountain, including its title track. Shortly after Twiddle finished their set, many fled to the food area for some decent breakfast food. However, before returning to the Main Stage to see The Word around noon, a vibrant new sound came from the School of Rock tent, known as the Funky Dawgz Brass Band. Whether they crowded dozens of fans in the performance tent or into the streets of the main drag as they played in between artist sets, many Vibers were grateful to experience a new and lively group to be added to the Vibes family, especially one that channeled a college frat.

    For those who wanted a slight change of pace, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings graced the stage around 2:45pm, bringing a jazzier breath of air to the cloud of funk left behind from The Word and Funky Dawgz. With great enthusiasm to their latest release, entitled Give the People What They Want, Sharon and the Dap-Kings didn’t play many of their more notable tunes, and not many people from the crowd could recite the lyrics back to them. Still, the diverse spectrum of musical style changed from song to song, bringing the audience members from a steady sway to a jumping jive within a matter of minutes, which was definitely a treat to witness.

    Following shortly after, blues enthusiasts filled the front of Main Stage in preparation for the Tedesci Trucks Band. Joe Cocker as well as Sly & the Family Stone fans were quite pleased by the Tedeschi Trucks set, after they performed covers of both “The Letter” and “Sing a Simple Song/I Want to Take You Higher.” To top it all off, they also covered “Let’s Go Get Stoned” by the Coasters, which both surprised and excited many audience members. Their set was also a great segway into Greg Allman’s set, where Derek Trucks himself was invited up to play “Southbound,” an Allman Brothers Band classic. Other songs included in Greg Allman’s set included “Come and Go Blues,” “Stand Back,” “Melissa,” and the great “Midnight Rider.” Though many would have been satisfied ending the night there, it was the String Cheese Incident that closed out Friday night, with one of the most impressive light shows to date. Having featured guests like David Grisman and Peter Rowan, the amount of white beards, yodeling, and intense mandolin playing was astronomical. Even if the music was too fast to dance to, let’s just say everyone tried anyway.

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    Saturday, August 1

    Despite being three days into the festival, there didn’t seem to be any loss of energy whatsoever from Saturday morning’s crowds. After a warming up from Kung Fu, Deep Banana Blackout and Moon Hooch graced the Main and Green stage for equally memorable performances. As a veteran as well as a newbie to the Gathering of the Vibes family, Deep Banana Blackout and Moon Hooch’s sets showed great stage presence, as well as unbelievable musicianship. Upon hearing Moon Hooch’s “Number 9,” everyone who was once sitting rose to their feet, and anyone who was stopping around the Green Vibes area moved immediately to the stage to listen in. After an electric performance of jazzy house by Moon Hooch and the soulful growl of Jen Durkin, the Gaslight Anthem secured a spot as one of the first punk/heartland rock bands to take the Main Stage. Though many Deadheads may have left the scene, the crowd that was left certainly greeted the Gaslight Anthem with opening arms, singing along to their songs “Mulholland Drive,” “Sweet Morphine,” and “The ’59 Sound.” Despite being the odd band of the bunch, the Gaslight Anthem brought even more artistic diversity to the festival, provided some musical contrast, and more importantly, got everyone ready for Wilco.

    In between set changes, it’s really hard not to notice music from the opposite stage, and sometimes following it will lead you to a brilliant discovery. In the case of Vibes, that discovery was known as Turkuaz. Before heading back to see Wilco, many jazz and funk fans perused over to check out this 9-piece ensemble. After the release of their EP Stereochrome, Turkuaz rallied all the audience dancers for their tune “Tiptoe Through the Crypto” and included their hit song “Bubba Slide.” The energy this group brings to the stage is unmatched, and whether each audience member was an adoring fan or a passer-by, there was heads bopping all over the Green Vibes area. If you don’t know these cats already, you should.

    Wilco opened their set around 9:15pm on the Main Stage, opening with a selection of songs from their 2015 release, entitled Star Wars. Songs such as “EKG, “”Random Name Generator,” and “More…” were played surprisingly early in the set, which left room for earlier repertoire later in the set, including “Jesus, etc.” and “California Stars.” It was also quite a surprise to see Warren Haynes join in on their final number, along with Joe Russo on drums.

    Though they should have just stayed on stage, Warren Haynes was sure to make a grand entrance for his set featuring the Seaside All-Stars: George Porter Jr., Branford Marsalis, Jackie Greene, Joe Russo, and Marco Benevento. Along with adding Eric Krasno from Soulive to the mix of musicians, the ensemble did a variety of cover songs, including “Karma Police” by Radiohead, “Tough Mama” by Bob Dylan, “Dreams” by the Allman Brothers Band, and “King Solomon’s Marbles” by the Grateful Dead. Not only did this large ensemble attract fans of every genre, but each song was a new puzzle to be unraveled, with their tricky interludes and extensive solos to mask the melody. With such a unique group of musicians, there’s no doubt that this performance was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it was a great way to close out Saturday night.

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    Sunday, August 2

    As Gathering of the Vibes came to a close on Sunday, many people took advantage of the single day ticket, making it a rather crowded atmosphere. It was odd seeing excited arrivals of people mixed in with dirty, tuckered out campers in one last attempt to rally for the great sets scheduled that day. After a long night of music by Lettuce and a visit to the beach for Silent Disco (it’s exactly what you think: music being projected through wireless headphones so no one on the outside of the listeners can hear it), it was not hard to notice the slow pace of Sunday. Luckily, the announcement of Weezer coming to the Main Stage around 3:45pm brought enough spark to pump that last bit of energy. Along with performing their new songs, including “Back to the Shack,” they also made plenty of room for their best throwbacks, including “Hash Pipe,” “Say It Ain’t So,” “Pork and Beans,” and “Beverly Hills.” For their encore, they even remembered to play “Buddy Holly,” which completed the list of songs Weezer fans wanted to hear.

    For one of the final bands of the night, singer-songwriter Ben Harper teamed up with a large ensemble to create Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals. As people packed up their campsites and finished their final beers, Ben Harper kept the positive vibes through the full band versions of hit songs, including “Steal My Kisses” and “Ground On Down.”

    As the sun set over Vibes for the last time, Harper closed out with his song “Better Way,” and it was finally time to head home. Seeing so many bands perform was both enticing and overwhelming at the same time, making leaving Vibes even more bittersweet. The range of genre, popularity, age, and background is what makes Gathering of the Vibes separate from other festivals. After 20 years, Gathering of the Vibes has remained one of Connecticut’s most well-known festivals, and it’s attention to bringing about change while discovering your own inner peace is what will bring success for future gatherings to come. Until next time, thank you vibes for a real good time.