The members of Dr. Dog waltzed onto Buffalo’s Town Ballroom stage all in varying levels of “disheveled-ness,” each with their own unique style.
But one thing was uniform across the board. Saddle shoes. They all wore those dapper looking black and white saddle shoes. Now I only mention this bizarre detail because their dress informed their music perfectly. Each member brings their unique somewhat off-kilter sound, together hanging on the precipice of a complete cacophonous collapse. Yet they remain grounded in a fantastic one-ness. It’s gotta be the shoes. (Or perhaps Eric Slick’s stellar drumming?) All that is to say, there aren’t many bands that play this tight, while keeping it so wild and loose at all times. They didn’t even miss a beat when, upon hearing some people in the front row beat him to the opening lines of “Shadow People”, guitarist Scott McMicken handed the mic into the crowd to let them sing the first verse.
Dr. Dog brings a raucous energy to everything they do, even their down-tempo songs are rife with energy. Throughout the night it spread like an airborne virus into the crowd. The nodding-head foot-tapping audience became a rabid mass of dancing fools by nights end. The show didn’t ride any highs or lows and didn’t depend on any showstoppers to bring the set to a head or take it to the next level. They started high, ended high, and kept it up in between. The best song they played was the last one they played before you quickly forgot what it was because they were kicking your ass with the next one. Most of the tunes just flowed right into each other, there was no time to catch your breath and appreciate what was happening. Everything was in the moment.
Dr. Dog is touring behind their just released live album Live at a Flamingo Hotel. And it is great. Yet, if a band does it right, no recording, not even a live one, can completely capture their live experience. And as Dr. Dog proved once again in Buffalo, they are an incredible live band.
“I look out and see a lot of different faces from 25 years ago, you guy’s are giving me a real big boner right now,” Rob Derhak, original founding member of the band moe. shouted out during the kick off of their much-anticipated 25th anniversary tour. Town Ballroom was sold out both nights and for good reason as the band was celebrating quite a milestone, where a lot of acts come and go, this one is as strong as ever.
The group which formed a quarter century ago to a much smaller crowd was on top of their games. Derhak was joined on stage by Chuck Garvey (guitar) and Al Schnier (guitar), Vinnie Amico (drums) and Jim Loughlin (percussion). Derhak, Garvey and Amico all wearing silver jackets which coincided with their 25th. The group always has had a fun part of them when it came to stage presence and I think the Buffalo crowd enjoyed it better this time around since Rob hadn’t teased the crowd with a New England Patriots hat like the last time they had played the room. The first night was amazing with lots of fan favorites and closing under a very lit up disco ball to the Rush song, Tom Sawyer. It was a great first night and set up for Saturday nicely.
Set 1: Y.O.Y. > Skrunk > Down Boy, Little Miss Cup Half Empty, Rebubula > Yodelittle > Rebubula Set 2: Captain America > Puebla > Bullet > Wormwood > Deep This Time, Jazz Wank > Buster Encore: Farmer Ben > Tom Sawyer
The Second night certainly took off right away. “Silver Sun > Water” was certainly a high point of the set and closing with an excellent “Timmy Tucker” to top it off. The second set jumped right back into the flow of things with a six song segue that left you no time to collect your thoughts, and just when you were able to catch your breath the band came back on stage and brought it home with a “Wind It Up” encore. The two nights were spectacular on so many levels and Buffalo still holds something special in the moe. camp and it shows, every time they come back home to play these guys really bring it and leave you wanting plenty more. Thank you moe. for your first 25 years and we look to continue to celebrate with you for 25 more.
Set 1: Annihilation Blues, Same Old Story, Silver Sun >(nh) Water, Big World > Ricky Marten > Timmy Tucker Set 2: Brent Black* > CalifornIA > Opium > The Other One > Moth > 32 Things Encore : Wind It Up
Due to an overwhelming amount of mail order requests the on-sale date for Dead 50 – the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary celebration at Chicago’s Soldier Field (Home of Da Bears – appropriate!) has been changed to Feb 28th.
According to an announcement on the official website – over 60,000 mail orders requests were received for the 3 day Dead 50 event. We wish all our readers a grand “Fare thee well” and good luck on getting your seats. Full official announcement:
Wow! We’re excited (and humbled) to discover that your enthusiasm for Fare Thee Well matches our own! We have received an overwhelming number of mail order ticket requests. In an effort to honor the history and spirit of the Grateful Dead, we are going to try to fill as many of these orders as possible. This means there will be no other pre-sales. In order to give the good folks at GDTS TOO time to sort through the 60,000+ (!) envelopes received so far the new public on sale is Feb 28th @ 10 a.m. CST via Ticketmaster.
85 degrees and sunny for four days straight, minus a few quick rainstorms. All the jerk pork and frozen cocktails you can stomach. Reading on the beach, swimming in the ocean, playing in the sand. How could it possibly get better? Throe. into paradise a whole lot of Upstate’s finest jam band, moe.
moe.’s Tropical Throe.down festival, held Friday through Monday, Jan. 9-13 at the Grand Lido Resort in Negril, Jamaica, was an amazing experience for anyone who ventured there.
It wasn’t ugly there.
Each day in paradise was capped off with a full-length moe. show featuring the boys: guitarists Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier, bassist Rob Derhak, drummer Vinnie Amico and Jim Loughlin, who plays various key, percussion and stringed instruments. The stage was set up on the beach next to the main lodge area, with the chuck.side of the stage only a few yards from the ocean. There was plenty of space in front of the stage to get down, since only about 400 or so people were at each show, and plenty of people danced from the water as well. The resort set up three drink stations surrounding the audience area, so you never had to wait long to refresh your drink. Terry Lynch, Shannon Lynch and Shaun Bazylewicz, collectively known as the Conehead Buddha horns, joined the band intermittently throughout each show, hopping on and off stage as necessary.
Blow it!
Each night’s show was amazing, and the audience could tell the band members were having just as much fun in Jamaica as they were. Band members took their time in between songs, tuning up and bantering with the audience even more than usual.
The first night started off strong with “Seat of My Pants” into “Sensory Deprivation Bank” into “Annihilation Blues” but the first set was easily topped with a four-song second set: “Recreational Chemistry> Yodelittle> Jazz Wank> Buster”.
Two words: Chuck. Side.
Saturday night started with a fun “Billy Goat” to “Tailspin” segue, and “Brittle End,” “Plane Crash,” and the entire second set — “Spanish Moon > Puebla > Brent Black > Mar-DeMa > Brent Black, The Road” with nice stretched out drum and bass solos between “Mar-DeMa” and “Brent Black” — was high energy and super danceable.
Sunday’s highlights included “Dr. Graffenberg” ending the first set, and “Time Ed>George” then “Downward Facing Dog” to end the second, and “Same Old Story” encored, including the horns, which really round out the already-rocking song.
Why yes, that IS a penis necklace hanging from Rob’s bass.
On the final day, Warren Haynes joined moe. for a few songs — “Wormwood” into “St. Augustine” — during their second set. Haynes was about to host a Gov’t Mule festival billed Island Exodus 6 at the Grand Lido, which started two days after moe.’s Throe.down wrapped up, and he dropped by a little early to say hello. The show also featured some sweet “McBain” sandwiching and “Meat” in the first and second sets.
The Monday show was supposed to end with “Moth” to round out the encore, but instead “Rebubula” was the final Thoe.down song, reportedly because a group of women dressed as mermaids hoped to hear it.
In addition to the regular night concerts, the band played a Sunday afternoon acoustic set. It was originally billed as a private acoustic show on a catamaran for the first 100 people who booked their trips, but there were issues with the booking process. In the end, Island Gigs, the company that produced the festival, made arrangements for anyone who wanted to that didn’t get on the boat to pay an extra $20 for a van ride to the acoustic show.
I’m on a boat.
It was held at Rick’s Cafe, a popular tourist spot with 35-foot-high cliffs from which patrons jump into the ocean. The boys set up on a stage overlooking the ocean, and they played a highly memorable acoustic set. After playing a fun “Not Coming Down >Wormwood >Okayalright” sequence, Rob asked the audience if they wanted the band to play songs they are good at, or if they should just pull tunes out of their asses. The moe.rons, being the sarcastic group of assholes that they are, requested the latter. So each band member chose a song. Al started with “Johnny Lineup,” not part of the typical rotation, “That Country Tune” was Rob’s pick, Chuck went with “Willin’” by Little Feat, then Jim came forward for his “Farmer Ben” vocals. That song included parts of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance” musical, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Evita” musical, a chant of “Ain’t no party like a Throe.down party cuz a Throe.down party don’t stop,” and “Powerhouse” by Raymond Scott, a song frequently used in cartoons. As if all that wasn’t fun enough, Vinnie came forward for the next song to sing “One Way Out” by the Allman Brothers, beloved guitar tech Frank Robbins nabbed Al’s guitar, Al switched to bass, so Rob was left to tap away on a tambourine.
A local raises money by jumping off the highest platform into the water, a good 20 feet or so above where they let tourists jump.
Next, when everyone was back in place, Al sang a Peter Tosh song called “Ketchy Shuby” that he said he used to listen to when he was high as a teenager in his bedroom, watching the tropical fish in his fish tank swim around. “It all comes full circle,” he said. It was the first time moe. covered the tune. To cap it all off, they played an unexpected-but-surprisingly-good “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult, which quite possibly will never happen again.
Jim raps some Farmer Ben!
The band played four raging shows, plus the acoustic set, but that wasn’t all. The festival also included opening sets Sunday and Monday from moe. guitar player Al Schnier and drummer Vinnie Amico’s bluegrass side project, Floodwood, that also includes Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni and Zachary Fleitz. The three non-moe. members of Floodwood also played laid-back a set at the beach bar Monday afternoon for those attendees who didn’t go on a day-trip to hike around and swim under a tropical waterfall.
People order burgers and drinks while the Floodwood guys croon.
Not only that, but Ha Ha the Moose made a rare appearance with an opening set Saturday night. The Moose, the gigglemetal side project of Chuck, Rob and Jim’s, consists of their alter egos Jeff VonKickass, Dr. Guano and Sludge clad in luchador masks and capes and trying to be as offensive and ridiculous as they possibly can.
Thanks for terrifying those of us with clown phobias, Jeff.
They yelled at the audience “Silence!” Dr. Guano shouted during the dim applause after their first song, played and sang sloppily, and forgot words to basically an entire song: the long-awaited “Tijuana Donkey Show” that has been played by both Ha Ha and moe. over the years. There was plenty of sweet shredding during songs like “Ha Ha the Moose Theme” and “Devil Toad” – once it gets licked, it can’t get unlicked. They treated the crowd to a raunchy new tune called “Courtesy Flush” that took the audience exactly where your mind goes when you hear the title. The set ended with ““In the Name of Freedom” in which Dr. Guano asked audience members what they would do in the name of freedom. As usual, it drew wildly inappropriate suggestions including one about Rob’s wife that ended the set with Dr. Guano giving an uncomfortable chuckle and a suggestion of a threesome.
You would do WHAT in the name of freedom?!?
The band was on vacation too, sort of, so they were seen around the resort whenever they were free, relaxing on the beach and hanging out after the shows, but they also made scheduled appearances throughout the weekend besides the shows. They golfed and went scuba diving with attendees, they snorkeled with guests who made the catamaran rides, and they held a meet-and-greet poster signing session Saturday afternoon.
Each attendee received a poster, T-shirt, pin and draw-string backpack with the Throe.down logo on them as part of the all-inclusive package. For around $2,000 each depending on the type of accommodations, it also included a room for each night, food and drinks, bus rides from and to the airport in Montego Bay (about an hour and 45 minute away), and the use of some boats.
Rumors are already starting to float around about the next Throe.down, especially now that moe.down is canceled for the year, so start saving your pennies! You won’t regret it!
While the major story in the music world the past few days has been the July reunion of the ‘Core Four’ members of the Grateful Dead featuring Trey Anastasio, Bruce Hornsby and Jeff Chimenti, news that Phish may be returning to Watkins Glen International Speedway later this summer was lost in the mix.
Two years ago, ‘s Johnny Goff spoke to WGI President Michael Printup to get the low down on the potential for a 2013 festival at the track. We got a firm ‘no’ from Printup but this year we haven’t heard anything official, leading to plenty of local media and fan speculation.
Photo by Andy Hill
Based on reports from Syracuse and Ithaca newspapers, it looks like the track season ending early paves the way, literally, for Phish to perform at the track. Paving at the track in early August opens the potential for a large-scale concert at the racing grounds, and leaves open much of August for Phish to play at the site of their 2011 Superball IX festival. This is of course dependent on paving ending in time for a music festival or large scale concert to be held. With Trey playing at Soldier Field in early July, that would potentially push Phish tour dates back a few weeks into late July, leaving a summer-ending festival lined up nicely for Watkins Glen.
Considering the great deal of money that was added to the local communities as a result of Superball IX, and with the Southern Tier region of the state always in need of a good economic boost, a potential Phish festival couldn’t come at a better time. Phish could of course return to Maine, where they held three successful festivals in 1997, 1998 and 2003, but those festivals made sense back then, not now when there are a great deal of music festivals to compete with. Plus, Watkins Glen just makes more sense being geographically-centric to the Phish fan base in the Northeast and remote enough to have the built in intimacy that all Phish festivals have manifested.
Phish playing the Finger Lakes goes back more than a decade, with memorable shows at Darien Lake, Canandaigua and Watkins Glen. According to ‘s Johnny Goff, in 2002, the County Executive of Chemung County reported that Great Northeast Productions contacted him to seek out a 300 acre space between I-90 and I-86 to hold a music festival. The region has long been a site with potential for a Phish festival, and with that in mind, the Finger Lakes region is prime for a Phish festival once again.
Speculation from media outlets adds to this potential and keeps all eyes focused on August, likely before or after Peach Festival (August 13-16). We will keep you updated on any news of Phish’s potential festival as speculation develops.
If Phish played Watkins Glen in August, would you also plan to attend ‘Fare Thee Well’ in Chicago over Fourth of July weekend?
Umphrey’s McGee is a band that continues to test its limits with shows at larger venues and innovations in their progressive music. The Indiana-originated six piece takes their tight prog-rock and builds energy that eventually explodes before the eyes of their dedicated fans. Many of these die-hards have seen the band go from tiny clubs to somewhere as large as the Beacon Theatre in NYC. After two years of getting their feet wet, the 2124 Broadway venue was the host of yet another installment of ‘Umphlove’ for two nights before heading to Long Island and The Paramount in Huntington.
Friday, January 16 review by Garrett Montgomery
Following a five night New Year’s run in Atlanta and rocking Jam Cruise with a host of sit-ins, Umphrey’s McGee kicked off their first full tour of 2015 at the Beacon Theater in New York on Friday, January 16. The Chicago-based sextet kicked off 2014 in similar fashion at the Beacon on January 17 and 18, but this year they invited saxophonist Joshua Redman along for the ride.
Umphrey’s transitioned the opening song “You Got the Wrong Guy” into a straightforward “Cut the Cable,” the second track off 2014’sSimilar Skin. They moved into an energetic “#5” during which drummers Kris Myers and Andy Farag demonstrated their incredible synchronization. Keyboardist Joel Cummins’ highlight of the night came a little later during a solo at the drop in “Walletsworth.”
Like last year’s Beacon shows, Brendan Bayliss’s vocals were on point all night, maybe no more so than during “Similar Skin.” Just a few measures into the 2014 title track, Redman came out wailing. He set up on guitarist Jake Cinninger’s side of stage. It did not take long for Redman and Cinninger to begin dueling and a “Hurt Bird Bath” to end the first set lit the room up.
Redman rejoined midway through the second set for another three songs, including another tune off Similar Skin, “Educated Guess” and old-school jam “Professor Wormbog.” The set began with Cinninger joining Cummins on the keys for “Nothing Too Fancy” and ended with a tight “Hajimemashite.” The band was crisp and the sound in the Beacon pristine, but the MVP was Jefferson Waful. He put on an unforgettable light show with precise timing and multiple layers and planes. From spinning gently intoxicating white lights during “Educated Guess” to jarring reds in “Ringo,” Waful has mastered lighting the Beacon Theater.
Set 1: You Got the Wrong Guy > Cut the Cable, #5 > Walletsworth, Red Tape, Similar Skin* > End of the Road*, Hurt Bird Bath*
Set 2: Nothing Too Fancy > August, Educated Guess*, Professor Wormbog*, Ringo*, Wappy Sprayberry > Hajimemashite
Encore: Let’s Dance > Nothing Too Fancy
Saturday, January 17 review by Tyler Curtis
The second of two nights kicked off with “Le Blitz” into a funky favorited number, “In The Kitchen.” They would look back at the first night by finishing “Wappy Sprayberry” in between “Miss Tinkle’s Overture,” raising the excitement for those doing both nights. Miss Tinkles contained a “Mind Left Body” tease from the famed Grateful Dead jam. Later in the set Joshua Redman would come in starting for “Great American,” through the end of the set. His contributions to “Made To Measure > Der Bluten Kat > Yoga Pants > Der Bluten Kat” were worth the price of admission alone. The string of four songs was seamless and had a natural flow to it. Their mobility on stage has harbored exploration that only seems to go farther from sea.
When set two rolled around, the expectations for a closing set at the Beacon arose. How would they end their statement for 2015 in New York’s prized theater? Kicking off with the guitar laced “Ja Junk” doused in prog-metal was not the wrong choice. Serving as a pallet for future segues and exploration, it has earned a spot in the hearts of all. A notable take on “Conduit” came a few songs later, giving an energetic 90’s guitar anthem feel. Bayliss and Cinninger split singing and solo duty for the second song of the second set, though it was a little more Bayliss-heavy for the rest of the night. The first cover of the night, The Pixies “Where Is My Mind?” followed, recalling once again that 90’s sound. Bayliss hopped on acoustic guitar, and the rest of the band harmonized to match the vocal performance on a classic. Redman would join for sax through the rest of the show, starting with “Intentions Clear” before moving into the first “In A Silent Way” since 2007. While there isn’t much of a structure, it instrumentally ascends the music into a state of ambiance.
Set two ended with a song that debuted on 12/31/13, “Bad Friday.” Its funky beat and bass line sent the Beacon into a full fledge dance party, similar to how Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance” had instigated a crowd groove the night before. The most valuable performer was holding down the low-end; Stasik found the pocket and remained there, until the rest of the band was ready to close things out. The second cover of the night was in the encore slot and appropriate to the location, as Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla” made for an eruption in the crowd. Being played at the Beacon before by the Allman Brothers, it was only right that the dueling guitars of Umphrey’s got a shot at it too. At this point it makes you wonder where the next logical step is for these guys, considering they’re selling out the Beacon and filling the room with music with no problem.
Set 1: Le Blitz > In The Kitchen > Miss Tinkle’s Overture > Wappy Sprayberry > Miss Tinkle’s Overture, Morning Song, Great American*, Made to Measure* > Der Bluten Kat*
Set 2: JaJunk, The Floor, Full Frontal > Conduit, Where Is My Mind?, Intentions Clear* > In a Silent Way* > Blue Echo*, Bad Friday*
Encore: Layla
* with Joshua Redman on saxophone
Sunday, January 18 review by Chason Heins
Umphrey’s McGee was fresh off two performances at NYC’s Beacon Theatre and made a much-anticipated return to Long Island, as well as a first time visit to The Paramount. The Huntington, NY venue seemed a perfect fit for the fans and band alike, offering ample floor space as well as balcony seating paired with a solid sound system and a beautiful backdrop for lighting designer Jefferson Waful to work with. A huge main bar added to the party vibe of the evening as well as several smaller ones which allowed for shorter lines and a rather effortless trip to get a beverage which for added to the overall appeal of the venue.
As the show began it was apparent that this was a band on a mission and that was simply to own the venue, and own it they did. The first set flowed beautifully as the band drew the crowd in with an intoxicating version of “Phil’s Farm” which was when this set really took off. The band followed it up with a powerful version of “Mad Love” before bringing out guest saxophonist, Joshua Redman. Joshua’s ability to manipulate his saxophone in any way he saw fit added a unique richness and passion to the music which was most evident during an emotionally charged “Glory,” “Anchor Drops” combo before driving the set home with fan favorite “Wife Soup.”
The second set was a steady onslaught of Umphrey’s at their finest as they returned to the cheers of the crowd instantly dropping into a “Preamble > Mantis.” The band whose playing has been as tight as ever followed this up with “Booth Love,” which contained a breathtaking “Another Brick in the Wall” jam. Joshua Redman once again joined in the fun for a trio of songs to finish out the second set. The “Higgins” that came out of this segment was wonderfully played with Redman’s horn blending effortlessly throughout the song. Leading up to the set-ending “Mail Package” that may have been the highlight of the entire show with some of the funkiest grooves of the evening.
The band returned to the stage one final time thanking the fans for coming out and sharing in a Sunday Night throw-down before dedicating the encore to “Chris” a fan who was apparently suffering from being sexually amped up. Bayliss jokingly stating that although he couldn’t be of any help, maybe someone out in the audience could be, before kicking off the “Woooo” inducing groove of “Led Boots.” The evening ended with the band revisiting “1348” and closing out yet another memorable New York run in perfect fashion, leaving a room full of satisfied fans awaiting their next chance to spend another magical evening with their favorite band.
Set 1: Bathing Digits > Go to Hell, Phil’s Farm, Mad Love, Believe the Lie*, The Linear* > Glory* > Anchor Drops*, Wife Soup*
Set 2: Preamble > Mantis > Booth Love > 1348*, Higgins*, Mail Package*
Encore: Led Boots > 1348
Umphrey’s McGee once again began their touring year in the Big Apple and left many New Yorkers slack-jawed. They’ll be back in New York with Tauk in Syracuse on February 20 and Albany on February 21.
