Category: Genres

Halloween Dance Party with Mister F, and Lucid at Putnam Den

Halloween parties at Putnam Den are often some of the best gatherings of the year, with enthusiastic audiences & bands wearing their favorite character costumes, decorative rooms, grotesque drink mixes, and supreme music selections. The theme of every party is to dance, celebrate, enjoy the visuals, and celebrate.

This year, hosted a social event like no other at the Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs, with the help from Albany based Mister F and Plattsburgh’s own Lucid. As the holiday fell on a saturday with clear skies, Saratoga was open for menace.

Mister F kicked off the evening with their eclectic mix of funk, rock, and sophisticated rhythms which attracted many ghouls and goblins right from the start. This local four piece hit the stage dressed as characters from the movie Spaceballs and ripped up an hour performance from out of this world. Their set highlights were an original “Answer the Dog,” featuring members from Lucid and Formula 5 and Bela Fleck & the Flecktones cover, “Sinister Minister.”

Lucid brought an inspiring set with their north woods folk rock grooves that made all the skeletons shake their bones. These handsome devils attired the Village People and busted out their set with a greatest hits medley. Highlights from their set were “Backwoods” featuring George Wurster and “I Kill People” with Scott Hannay of Mister F.

Formula 5 raucously hit the stage running with a Jay & Silent Bob skit featuring Scott Hannay of Mister F and the contagious cover of “Jungle Love” by Morris Day and the Time, a tune long favored by their chosen characters. Highlights from their the Formulaic set was the Huey Lewis and Ray Parker Jr. mix, “I Want a New Drug” > “Ghostbusters” > “I Want a New Drug.”

Formula 5 Set:
Jay & Silent Bob Skit@ > Jungle Love^ > Excalibur, Perch Above the Earth$* -> I Want A New Drug* -> Ghostbusters -> I Want A New Drug -> Mister Elixir* -> Perch Above the Earth > Mister Elixir, Low Rider!, Catch Me, Nu-GEN#* -> Pedro* -> Night Time In The Switching Yard, Epiphany
Encore: Magic Carpet Ride
@ – featuring Scott Hannay (Mister F)
^ – featuring Matt Pickering and Scott Hannay (Mister F), Lowell Wurster (Lucid),
$ – Thriller Jam
* – Unfinished
! – Featuring Jamie Armstrong, Chris Shacklett and Lowell Wurster (Lucid), Scott Hannay (Mister F)
# – Featuring Andrew Chamberlaine and Scott Hannay (Mister F)
‘Jungle Love’ – Morris Day and The Time (1st time played)
‘I Need a New Drug’ – Huey Lewis & The News (1st time played with James and Joe)
‘Ghostbusters’ – Ray Parker Jr. (1st time played with James)
‘Low Rider’ – War
‘Night Time In The Switching Yard’ – Warren Zevon
‘Magic Carpet Ride’ – Steppenwolf (1st time played)

Mister F

Mister F Setlist:
Vocoder > Everything You Say, This One Goes to 11@, See Level > Answer the Dog#, Inside, Eye Level > The Machine, Do It Again%, Sinister Minister^, On and On, Don’t Lose Your Watch

@ – w/ The Munsters Theme Tease
# – w/ Joe Davis (Formula 5) & Lowell Wurster(Lucid)
% – Original, First Time Played
^ – Bela Fleck & The Flecktones Cover

Lucid

Lucid Setlist:
Village People Medley (YMCA > In the Navy > Macho Man > YMCA), 4 Bangers and Hash (Styles of the Smooth > Yanomamo Lullaby > R.L. > The Russian), Gemini Eye > Surf Side Rock Side, Black Smoke, Came and Went > Silhouettes, Backwoods*, Dirt Whiskey Dreams > Shinbones, Blessed and Cursed, I Kill People ^

* with George Wurster
^ – (Andrew James Deller) w/ Scott Hannay of Mister F

November 4, 2015
Mister F Gives Fans Insider Pass to ‘FTV Cribs’

Who can forget when Mariah Carey showed off her plush Manhattan penthouse, with its decadent chandeliers, lavish closets and Marilyn Monroe’s piano, or when Lil Wayne revealed his mobster movie-obsessed living room and impressive car collection on MTV Cribs? It was a show that rocked a generation by allowing an exclusive peek into the personal lives of favorite culture figures before social media came along and made such connection instant. Well, get excited fans of Albany-based Mister F — now you can take an all-access tour of the band’s neat-and-clean dude ranch on YouTube.

Published on the band’s channel last week, the near 13-minute “FTV Cribs” episode gives viewers a satirical but honest look at the home of these “hard and dangerous rock stars,” plus their whips, yard and places “where the magic happens” for Andrew Chamberlaine (Mister A), Ben Pickering (Mister B), Scott Hannay (Mister S), Matt Pickering (Mister M) and Mike Dean (Mister Manager). According to the press release, the idea was in the making before Mister F was even a concept.

Hannay said in the release:

Our drummer Matt had been wanting to make an MTV Cribs-style video for the band house since six years ago when the other guys were still in Timbre Coup… Over the last year, I put together a very silly Vulfpeck-esque video of us playing with a bare-bones setup in totally nonsensical costumes around a dinner table (“This One Goes to 11 – Live at the Dinner Table“) and a three-song series of more serious in-studio multi-cam videos (“The Snow Day Sessions“). I’d gotten back into the swing of video editing, and so we decided to finally make our own MTV Cribs-style episode, aptly titled “FTV Cribs.”

The virtual tour begins in the living room where the band catches up on Netflix (Arrested Development, of course) to the “all around awesome” two-acre party lot set up with plastic patio ware and can jam before moving into the bare-cupboard kitchen with Mister B who highlights a heady collection of craft beer and opens the fridge door to showcase “all the fixins for hamburgers and hotdogs.” After a short faux commercial break featuring Now! That’s What F Calls Music, a compact compilation of the “crunchiest jams to bop your head to” from Aqueous, Twiddle, The Heavy Pets, McLovins and more (found here), the segment returns with a private look at the shabby chic bedrooms—take note of Mister M’s hat and shoe collection—and concert poster covered practice room before kicking viewers out. So sit back, tune in and invade the space to see “how the other F lives.”

November 4, 2015
Utica Music and Arts Festival 2015 – A Destination Fest

The Utica Music and Arts Festival has quickly become a must-do summer ending activity in Central New York. The 8th Annual version of UMAF, was held at various venues throughout Utica the weekend of September 11-13. The biggest problem involved with attending this festival is being able to fit in all the great music available throughout the weekend.

Going in without a plan is probably the best way to attack this weekend. Doing it this way, one can experience such pleasant surprises as the young brother and sister combo of Jocelyn and Chris Arndt, who played a Saturday mid-afternoon set at Nail Creek Pub, in the process winning over those in attendance.

Jocelyn Arndt

Joceyln is slight in stature, yet huge in vocal talent. She has a soulful, bluesy voice backed up with power; think Bonnie Raitt channeled through Grace Potter with a visit from PJ Harvey. Jocelyn’s animated vocal delivery commands attention. Her brother Chris, who is also her co-writer, delivers a solid and crisp sounding blues-rock style guitar that is the perfect accompaniment to Jocelyn’s voice.

The band’s tour itinerary is scant during the school year, as both are students at Harvard, but they will be hitting stages across New York in the coming weeks. Check here for dates.

Spending the weekend bouncing between Lukin’s and Nail Creek Pub seemed to be what many people were doing but to do so is to miss out on many of the other acts. Tiny’s hosted several jazz influenced bands, including Notified and the Carmen Caramanica Jazz Trio, while D.A. Bentley’s entertained the EDM crowd with sets from DJ D.A., Vongel and Phungeye among others. Harlee’s Pub & Grille was geared towards the metal. Local favorites Nineball and Street Rock Mafia provided Friday crowds with high energy entertainment at Harlee’s. Nineball is also festival producer, Joe Sweet’s main project.

Lukin’s hosted Conehead Buddha on Friday night. The Albany-area band has been on the jamband circuit for twenty years and showed no signs of wear this weekend. While the band has taken a hiatus here or there within that time, on this night it provided a sharp mix of reggae, ska and jam that has endeared Conehead Buddha to the northeast scene all these years. Also saxophonist Shannon Lynch provided much of the theatrics throughout the set, anchoring the big horn sound Conehead Buddha is known for.

Conehead Buddha

Female artists took ownership of this year’s Utica Music and Arts Festival. In addition to Lynch and Arndt’s performances; on Saturday, the festival faithful were treated to the eclectic mix of jangle pop of Sirsy. Lead singer and stand-up drummer, Melanie Khramer and her partner, guitarist Rich Libutti, had the Nail Creek crowd, the biggest one of the weekend to this point, dancing and singing along. Khramer has the uncanny ability to engage the crowd with humor and powerful vocals with lyrics that may take you to a darker place. The fact that the music is typically so upbeat and Khramer so quick-witted with her banter, may disguise some of the darkness in the lyrics but it also gives the listener pause. Krahmer’s Ella-like voice and stage presence added a terrific touch to the band’s final song of the night, a cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”

Melanie Khramer of SIRSY belting it out.

Sirsy will be in Utica again on Dec. 8, performing an all-ages show at The Tramontane (known familiarly as The Tram). The show begins at 8:00 p.m. and will be a celebration of the band’s new EP to be released the week prior.

Exploding onto the Nail Creek stage after Sirsy’s set was Brooklyn’s Shinobi Ninja. With an elaborate and energetic stage show led by lead singer, Baby G, clad in an Iron Maiden t-shirt. It was clear from the start that this wouldn’t be your typical rock show. The band’s uniqueness has been described as being “like the Beastie Boys, Slayer and Lauryn Hill all mixed together.” After witnessing the band’s performance, that is an appropriate description. The following video gives a good impression of a Shinobi Ninja experience. Mix in some metal, reggae, rap, a little punk and a whole lot of jumping and you get this.

The uninitiated looked on in puzzling disbelief once the Ninjas took the stage, however in the short time they performed for the UMAF crowd, most of the leery were won over. The true venue to witness Shinobi Ninja is a live one. If this band doesn’t make some noise on the national scene in short order it will be a surprise.

UMAF faves Hank and Cupcakes followed Shinobi Ninja to a welcoming reception. Also based in Brooklyn, this duo is all about the performance. The husband and wife duo originally began performing together while serving in the Israeli Army at the age of 19. Colorfully dressed and highly animated, lead singer Sagit “Cupcakes” Shir isn’t afraid to get into the face of the audience while performing. In addition to pulling off vocal duties, Shir also drums and plays piano while bassist Ariel “Hank” Scherbacovsky keeps the beat and uses samples while safely tucked away stage right.

Hank and Cupcakes deliver a performance that begs to be seen and the elbow to elbow crowd in front of the Nail Creek’s outdoor staage proved that on a rainy Saturday night in Utica.

Hank and Cupcakes rockin’ the Nail Creek

The other Saturday night headliners performed nearly simultaneously up the street at Lukin’s. Floodwood, a bluegrass based band comprised of moe. bandmates Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico, as well as Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni and Zachary Fleitz, put together a two set show that, unbeknownst to all in attendance, would turn out to be one of the band’s final performances with this lineup. Schnier and Fleitz announced their departure from Floodwood in a release just a few weeks ago.

Floodwood

The band packed the house at Lukin’s, playing right up to the 2:00 a.m. hour, performing Floodwood originals mixed with some moe. covers, Dead covers and other bluegrass. A Floodwood show is always a good time. Varick Street Legend, Rainbow Young even made an appearance opening the set with a rousing version of the “Star Spangled Banner” that included maximum audience participation. Rainbow’s presence was seen at Lukin’s throughout the weekend, cementing the festival as a true Utica tradition.

Rainbow Young, Varick Street Legend, performing the National Anthem prior to Floodwood’s set.

If you’re in a music glut and looking for something new to listen to, the Utica Music and Arts Festival is the perfect venue to get you out of that funk. Festival organizer Joe Sweet and his booking crew go out of their way to include a huge variety of music to the festival each year. The 2015 edition was no different. And at a cost of $10 for a weekend bracelet, the music lover in you simply cannot go wrong attending this destination festival.

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November 4, 2015
Garcia Project Brings 1977 Hartwick College Show to Peekskill

Saratoga’s The Garcia Project has been regarded as an authority on the re-creation of the sounds of the Jerry Garcia Band. On Oct. 24, the band continued to celebrate their fifth anniversary at Paramount Hudson Valley in Peekskill, nearing the end of their fall tour.

Nestled close to the front of the stage rather than claiming a stake of real estate, The Garcia Project got cozy with the theater, easing into the set with “I’ll Take A Melody.” The efforts the band has put in to re-creating the performance of the Jerry Garcia Band was clear at the first note, particularly from the intonation and timbre of Mik Bondy’s guitar. To geek out on the band’s gear, check out a detailed rundown of their setups. The band’s presence was cohesive with an agility to build the performance of the songs in the same embodiment as Jerry’s band. Solos were traded between Greg Marshall (keys) and Bondy as if a conversation rather than it just being the next guy’s turn to play. Overall, the first set whetted the audience’s Garcia appetite despite being on the tame side.

On the contrary, the second set took the prize. The setbreak met a mix of conversation and praise for the authenticity of the performance, mostly from first-timers to The Garcia Project. Perhaps that was enough to re-charge the audience as plenty more were on their feet finding their own grooves during the set; although sometimes Jerry Garcia Band shows are a bit more mellow in the first set. Bondy’s guitar work was more noodley, and it was hard to tell that it wasn’t Jerry signing on “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” Throughout both sets, Kat Walkerson’s backing vocals and blithe stage presence enriched the songs as a compliment to Bondy’s vocals.

Like most of The Garcia Project’s shows, this one was a re-recreation of Dec. 3, 1977 at Hartwick College. At the start of the second set, it was announced that the performance was a re-creation of a complete show but which show wouldn’t be revealed until the encore. Hinting at clues about the era of the Jerry Garcia Band based on the stage setup, it turned into a fun, curious guessing game for the audience.

The Garcia Project gave a thoroughly enjoyable performance and experience for the crowd. Though there were a few minor differences between them and the Jerry Garcia Band, inherent to any tribute band, The Garcia Project’s attention to detail on intonation and performance structure does set them apart as an authority on Jerry Garcia.

Setlist:

Set 1: I’ll Take A Melody, Mystery Train, Mission In The Rain, Lonesome And A Long Way From Home, Catfish John, The Way You Do The Things You Do

Set 2: Let It Rock, Harder They Come, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Don’t Let Go, Tore Up Over You

Encore: (not part of the 1977 JGB set): Ramble On Rose, Cats Under the Stars, Talking About You

November 3, 2015
Hearing Aide: Lettuce ‘Crush’

It’s only been three years since we last heard an official release from the funky innovators known as Lettuce. And while that might feel like an eternity, the coming of Crush (Expected Nov. 06, 2015) marks the quickest turnaround between albums in the band’s history. It can likely be chalked up to the extensive time spent together on the road, sparking tons of raw material for the band to work with.

With eighteen tracks and a musical journey covered throughout the album, it’s tough to touch on just a few highlights. Damn near every song has at least one riff or section that can grab your ear and dial you in to a fat groove, and that’s being modest. Either way, they’re back with the most aggressive, ambitious, and funkiest album to date; Lettuce all be thankful.

Crush starts off with the sounding of the Shady Horns, announcing “The Force” and setting the tone for the rest of the album. The band’s play on words with Lettuce Crush (Let Us Crush) is felt from the start with a tight pocket and hypnotically heavy riffs. An immediate evolution is heard on the first track as trumpeter Benny Bloom and saxophonist Ryan Zoidis’ effect-laden horns blaze the way. They’ve certainly been toying more in the live setting with effects, but it’s great to hear it on an album. Zoidis’ sax solo on “The Force” provides some brass foreshadowing for the rest of the album. From start to finish though, this song serves as an anthem to announce the bands triumphant return!

If you’ve seen the band out on the road in the past year or so, there are a good number of songs that will sound familiar. The band used that time together to road test and evolve their ideas. That being said, there were many on Crush that haven’t been played at all, or at least minimally, and are just getting turned loose now. The deeply introspective “Phyllis” was from the road tested bucket. While simple and laid back in nature, Lettuce somehow captures that live magic and is one of the early highlights. The song allows the listener to catch their breath after a typical Lettuce onslaught of fast-paced funk that starts things off. Going back to back with “Phyllis” is the light-hearted Nigel Hall led “Sounds Like a Party.” As with other Nigel songs from previous albums, they nail another classic sing-along and will have you piping in by the time the second chorus comes around.

As the album blazes on, there’s a noticeable sense of diversity that hasn’t been explored to this depth on previous Lettuce albums. While the band has always had their hand in funk, hip hop, jazz, and soul, this album seems to dive in and explore other dimensions to a deeper degree. “Trillogy” specifically is one of the standouts on the album, exploring a hip hop sound like they never have before. It’s also one of the heaviest songs with the first two phases of the song building before taking a dip into the heaviest groove on the album. With innovation like this, there’s a hope that we might one day see an actual MC make a debut on a Lettuce track as a guest. The band has deep connections and fans would fully support an appearance from Talib Kweli, a member of the Wu, or another gifted rapper they’ve crossed paths with.

Following “Trillogy” is the dynamic and fluid “Pocket Change.” This could be a play on words as the band places a heavy focus on the pocket in terms of rhythm and this certainly changes its rapid pace throughout. This song harkens back to some Soulive-jazz influences and reminiscent of the rhythmically intense song “Nyack” from their 2002 release Outta Here. The stark difference between “Trillogy” and “Pocket Change” is something that Lettuce is not only capable of, but one of their strengths. Solos on this include a Zoidis/Deitch syncopated back and forth battle early on that surely spurred the subsequent appearances of Eric Krasno’s guitar in response. Neal Evans and the Shady Horns interplay throughout is an interesting conversation to listen to as well. With so many layers, its easy to say that you should never get bored with this band.

If you’ve never had the opportunity to dive into some Lettuce head first, now might be a better time than ever. Crush is the convergence of road tested and polished material, musical exploration, deep pockets of groove, and a band that is simply on top of their game. With a discography full of hits, this album somehow stands above them all. For the non-musician, the band has endless groove with an allegiance to the pocket and a keen ability to get your foot tapping. For the musician, the band has all sorts of rhythmic and melodic folds to listen for that can keep you eating for days. This album is no different from any of their previous records in that manner, but so different in every other sense. Lettuce all be thankful that they’re back and ready to Crush.

Key Tracks: Phyllis, Trillogy, Pocket Change

The album is set to be released this Friday, November 6. If you’d like to pre-order Crush, click here. There are a ton of limited edition bundles and every order comes with instant downloads of “Phyllis” and “Elephant Walk.”

November 2, 2015
After Funk and The New Daze Support Each Other at Funk ‘N Waffles Downtown

A stately stuffed zebra proudly greeted guests from the front of the stage as they entered Funk ‘N Waffles Downtown Saturday Oct. 24. The zebra, fondly known as Uncle Stremnf, abided as the reigning mascot for electro-jam band The New Daze, who opened for progressive soul group After Funk. Uncle Stremnf gazed longingly into the crowd, his soft muzzle begging to be pet by those dancing near the stage. A few patrons obliged, feeding into the mystique of Uncle Stremnf’s presence.

Though entertaining, perhaps silly to many, band members Max Flansburg (guitar/vocals), Jamie Knittel (bass/vocals), Steve Graff (drums) and Erik Hoffman (keys) take Uncle Stremnf’s existence very seriously. They harbor as much affection for their equine affiliate as they do for eccentrically accessorizing. Knittel dapperly sported a pair of vintage 100% acrylic grey plaid trousers he’d purchased at a thrift shop for a mere six dollars. Though a bit baggy, he paired the look with an equally loose-fitting grey beanie that would periodically either fall over his left eye or slide off the back of his head depending on the trajectory of head thrashing. Hoffman opted to rock a gold medallion imprinted with a cheesy smiley face. The bling nicely complemented his thick mustache that might at any moment take on a life of its own and flutter right off his face.

While expressive in their dress, the members of The New Daze were also extremely emotive in their musicianship. Flansburg and Knittel, equipped with instruments affording them greater mobility, were free to bounce around and animate their guitar and bass playing. Flansburg frequently flaunted a charming toothy grin, jumping up and down in place as he played. His buoyant expression was counterbalanced by Knittel’s straight-faced, almost scowling visage. With feet spread apart, he took on a wide, commanding stance, body rocking side-to-side rather than mirroring Flansburg’s vertical movement.

Speaking of fancy moves, a quick glance through the crowd revealed the rather zebra-like persona of a woman dressed in black and white striped leggings and matching tank top. With arms outstretched in front of her, they danced up and down to the music like a rearing horse might paw the air. Emulating her inner zebra, she danced on behalf of Uncle Stremnf, whose decidedly inanimate disposition prevented him from joining in.

The New Daze performed sequences seeking to take listeners on a journey, drifting between funk, jazz and experimental rock. Delivering a high energy set from the start, the crowd wasted no time breaking into a swell of swaying and head bobbing. The band’s last three songs featured the sexy saxophone playing of Robert Araujo, who added a warm dimension to their sound. Knittel thanked him on stage, perfectly demonstrating the band’s playful demeanor by stating sarcastically, “Thanks for coming here instead of the Nickelback concert.”

After Funk perpetuated a playfulness, with Yanick Allwood (keys/vocals), Jaime Rosenberg (drums), Justin Bontje (bass) and Phil Tessis (guitar) flashing an array of overstated facial expressions and synchronized dance moves. The band members instantly resigned themselves to lovable dork mode. They matched their efforts in humor to entertain the surprisingly thinned out crowd by serving up a musical feast of progressive techno funk. They soldiered through a mix of original songs including those off their recently released ‘Til the Sun Comes Up, along with some old school funk covers.

Throughout the set, Allwood repeatedly contorted his face into looks of seemingly utter confusion, staring off at the ceiling while furiously tapping away at the keys. Despite his confused looks, the sounds he produced made it clear he knew exactly what he was doing: which was communicating with aliens. Tessis’ animated smirks and grimaces often seemed in direct response to either his own wicked guitar playing or Allwood’s key work, appearing to be in near constant bewilderment at the magic developing on stage.

Adding to the crisp, golden soufflé of sound were Allwood’s savory soulful vocals. Opening their performance with an uptempo rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” set the stage for what drives their inspiration.

During a cover of Parliament’s “I Call My Baby Pussy Cat,” Bontje snapped a string in his furious bass picking. Knittel of The New Daze was quick to the rescue, offering his own bass to Bontje from the side of the stage. Bontje accepted the act of camaraderie with an appreciative nod, waiting until the end of the song to switch instruments.

Towards the end of the set, Rosenberg embarked on a heart rattling drum solo, momentarily vanquishing his bandmate’s worthiness to remain on stage. Allwood recoiled to the stage steps, staring back in appreciation and shaking his head in disbelief. Tessis walked off stage altogether, guitar in hand to grab a beer before the end of the solo. Their overplayed actions added an element of comedy to the obvious respect they have for each other as musicians. Before ending their set Allwood made sure to give a shout out to their opener, exclaiming, “Bass sponsored by The New Daze,” once again illustrating the sense of mutual support and companionship prevalent throughout the evening.

November 2, 2015
Punch Brothers to Release ‘The Wireless’ EP
The Punch Brothers have announced that a five-song EP, The Wireless, will be released on Friday, Nov. 20 on Nonesuch Records.

From their announcement on Facebook:

You may recognize some of these songs from our live shows or from the bonus fourth side of the double vinyl release of The Phosphorescent Blues. Much like Ahoy! with Who’s Feeling Young Now?, we recorded more than we could include on The Phosphorescent Blues so we’re glad to be able to share the rest of these with you all.

The song “Sleek White Baby” includes lyrics written by the Punch Brothers’ touring companion Gabriel Kahane. It also features a vocal cameo by actor/comedian Ed Helms.

The Wireless is available for pre-order.

The Punch Brothers will be on tour in December with several stops planned in New York. They will be at the State Theatre in Ithaca on Dec. 6, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Dec. 10, The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester on Dec. 12 and Bearsville Theater on Dec. 13. Tickets are still available for those shows.

The Punch Brothers The Wireless track listing is listed below:
1. In Wonder
2. The Hops of Guldenberg
3. Sleek White Baby
4. No More. Yet
5. Clementine
November 2, 2015
Hearing Aide: Vulfpeck ‘Thrill of the Arts’

Thrill of the Arts, the debut full-length release from Vulfpeck is an entertaining score of influences —Motown, superfly funk, disco ballads, ’80s easy listening, other music your parents probably owned—and classically trained elements that mix confidently with technetronic effects. The result isn’t nostalgic or avant-garde, but geeky cool in its carefully composed yet vibrant sound; it’s revenge-of-the-nerds with soul-train swagger.

The four-man rhythm section formed at the University of Michigan—Jack Stratton (keyboards/drums/guitar), Theo Katzman (guitar/drums/vocals), Woody Goss (keyboards) and Joe Dart (bass)—self-produced the album through a 59-day Kickstarter campaign and open it with the appropriately named “Welcome to Vulf Records,” an upbeat symphonic theme song that signals it’s time to tune in, brassy saxophone solos and all.

Over the following half-hour, the band grooves through a variety show of offbeat instrumentals, starring guests like rhythm-and-blues vocalist Antwaun Stanley, who sings about the self-aware, TED-talk giving “Funky Duck,” and guitarist Blake Mills in the spaghetti Western rockabilly number “Rango II” that moseys on until mid-trail distortion time warps listeners back to the future. Mushy Krongold (Stratton’s alter ego) brings the 10-tracks to a close with “Guided Smile Meditation,” a spoken-word bit that uses outer-spacey synths to help visualize manning “mission control” and sends TOTA off with a “sense of smile spreading through the eyes.”

Most songs remain under the five-minute mark, but existing live footage reveals that these guys aren’t afraid to improvise and can deliver unexpected transitions with impressive precision. And they’ve also been known to cover a classic song or two like The Band’s “Up On Cripple Creek” and Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie on Reggae Woman” and will occasionally breakdown their instrumental configurations for the audience before jamming out. Vulf has yet to announce a tour schedule in support of the album; however, the band is booked for two nights at the Brooklyn Bowl on Nov. 21 and 23 and special guests are soon to be announced.

Vulfpeck‘s premiere feature compilation is dressed to thrill and proves that independent musicians in the 21st century can provide much more than studio session backtracks.

Key Tracks: “Funky Duck,” “Rango II,” and “Christmas in L.A.”

November 1, 2015
Holly Bowling Puts New Spin on Phish

Though she plays their music, it was not your typical Phish crowd Wednesday night at the Massry Center for an intimate performance by Holly Bowling. While the theater was dotted with flatbrims, the crowd looked to be more NPR listener than lot vagabond. The majority of the crowd was nicely dressed and seemed to be over 40.

The Massry Center has a true orchestral feel complete with ushers clad in black directing people to their seats and 10 minute intermissions between sets. The stage was sparsely furnished with only a Steinway & Sons piano, an old fashioned reading lamp, microphone, and iPad on which Bowling used to read her music.

When Bowling came out to applause, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The classically trained pianist transcribes the music of Phish and arranges it for solo piano and the end result is quite moving. The first set opened with “The Curtain With,” a slow and pretty introduction to this new take on Phish’s music.

The highlights included “Silent in the Morning,” ethereal sounds with teal lights glowing behind Bowling, making it seem as though she were playing underwater.

The first set also saw the first jam transcription arranged for piano. A local pick, she chose “Twist” from October 23, 2013 at the Glens Falls Civic Center. This song displayed Bowling’s range from her slower tempo into a funky jam that had the audience shouting out “Woo!” amidst giggles of laughter.

At some points during the performance Bowling would roll her body back and forth like she was in a trance. Between songs Bowling would speak, injecting her bubbly personality into her act. She dedicated several songs to her friends, one for a friends’ anniversary (“Waste”) another for a friend who had just lost someone (“Dirt”).

For the second set Bowling played a stripped down version of “Fire on the Mountain” by the Grateful Dead, amid a inside of a sequence that featured “It’s Ice” and “Steam”, which really highlighted the compositional nature of the song. In true Phish fashion she closed the second set with “Squirming Coil” which was truly impressive.

Though it wasn’t the typical Phish crowd at Bowling’s performance, it was certainly the length of a typical jam band show. Her performance consisted of three sets and an encore, the last set being a transcription of the infamous “Tahoe Tweezer.”

Bowling seamlessly blends the worlds of improvisation and careful composition together into something truly thought provoking. Whether or not you call yourself a Phish fan, Bowling’s unique approach to this type of music is a sight to be seen.

Set 1: The Curtain With, Talk, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Glens Falls Twist, Tela, Wingsuit > Randall’s Chalkdust jam > Wingsuit, Waste*
Set 2: Scents & Subtle Sounds, Cassidy** > Dirt > Cassidy*** > If I Could, The Inlaw Josie Wales, It’s Ice > Fire on the Mountain# > Steam > It’s Ice, Horn, Squirming Coil
Set 3: Tahoe Tweezer
Encore: Harry Hood****

# first time performed by Holly
* Dedicated to Bryon & Holly
** Dedicated to a friend who recently lost someone
*** w/ Dirt mashup ending
****w/ Lizards, Cassidy, Tweezer Reprise teases

October 31, 2015
Dead and Company Kick Off Fall Tour in Style

Grateful Dead shows have a certain history in Albany, and ever since the opening of the Knickerbocker Arena in 1990, now the Times Union Center, Deadheads have flocked to the Capital District. At the start of Dead and Company’s Fall tour, the crowd enjoyed warm pre-show weather and an even hotter show inside as Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart brought John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti along for the strong start to a promising tour.

Opening with “Playing in the Band” was an apt way to welcome the two newcomers – Oteil and John – into the fold, and set the tone for the night. Fan favorites “Cold Rain and Snow” and “Tennessee Jed” followed and the bar was set. Mayer nailed the Jerry tone throughout the show, particularly during “The Music Never Stopped,” “Lost Sailor,” “Help on the Way”>“Slipknot,” and “Space”>”The Other One”. He is a great choice to fill the Jerry role as Trey Anastasio and John Kadlecik were in different iterations of Grateful Dead alumni shows.

Although restrained early on in the show, with Bob Weir setting a slower pace for songs, Mayer burst forth on “Bird Song,” a highlight of the first set. Periods of good jamming emerged from “Drums”>”Space”>”The Other One,” and a perfect segue into “Slipknot!” provided the highlight of the second set. “Franklin’s Tower” had atypical singing of later verses and a rough transition from “Slipknot!”, but some rust can be expected on the first night of the tour. As the next few weeks progress, the sound will become more cohesive and develop an even more well honed sound from this supergroup.

Dead and Company, Times Union Center, Albany, NY 10/29/15
Set 1: Playing in the Band > Cold Rain and Snow, Tennessee Jed, Feel Like a Stranger, He’s Gone, Bird Song, The Music Never Stopped
Set 2: Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance, Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower, Drums > Space > The Other One, Stella Blue > Not Fade Away
Encore: Touch of Grey

Listen to the show via Archive.org

October 30, 2015