Category: Regions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dan Healy at the soundboard

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

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

Encore: Somebody to Love

Jazz is Dead and Quicksilver ‘Happy Trails’
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Jefferson Starship
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August 23, 2015
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.

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.

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August 22, 2015
GhostxShip Farewell Show – One Last Chance to Party

Syracuse hardcore band GhostxShip have officially announced their farewell show at the St. Clare Annex in Syracuse on Sunday August 30. GhostxShip started out in 2009 and has cultivated a massive local and national fan base. They have been dubbed as the torch bearers of the Syracuse straight edge Hardcore scene by local predecessors.

Some notable career highlights include: playing the Heart fest in 2013 and 2014, the iMatter Fest in 2014 and 2015, South EastBeast in 2015, the notable New England Metal & Hardcore Fest in 2015 and playing with Metalcore legends such as Earth Crisis, Shai Hulud, Bane and Stick to Your Guns to name a few.

Photo by Taylor Rambo

“These are the moments that we live for”

Even though this is a farewell show, GhostxShip has no intentions of “fading away” completely. The band issued the following statement earlier this summer after they announced they would be ending GhostxShip to pursue other projects, “Here’s the thing… We have NO intentions of just playing a few shows and fading away. No, that’s not how we do things. We are going to be playing weekends and festivals all summer. We will uphold as many obligations as possible and we will try to get to as many places as we can. This will all culminate in August 2015 at our farewell show.”

Those who are not familiar with the craziness that occurs at GhostxShip shows, be prepared for crazy folks in costumes, balloons, pillow fights, an assortment of pool toys, the infamous “mosh cam” and more unusual surprises. If you haven’t been to one of their shows…remember this is your last chance! The band assures all in attendance that this will be their biggest party ever, even more epic than the show they played with Stick To Your Guns last year. In fact, they say it will be a party like that times ten! So, epic is an understatement. Everyone come on out and help sink the craziest ship in Syracuse! Don’t miss GhostxShip’s farewell show. You have been warned.

The Details:
Date: August 30
Where: St. Clare Annex 810 N. Salina St Syracuse, NY
Doors at Noon -$10 All Ages

August 22, 2015
Drum Boogie Festival Makes September Return to Woodstock

Andy Lee Field in Woodstock will again play host to the Drum Boogie Festival.

The free event takes place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12 (rain date is Sunday, Sept. 13) and offers a family friendly mix of musical styles that involve percussion, such as rock, jazz, classical, African, reggae and more. As indicated in the festival name, all performances will highlight percussion instruments.

Performing this year is the legendary jazz percussionist Jack DeJohnette, who is also on the board of advisors for the event. DeJohnette, a legend himself, has also been a sideman for such performers as Miles Davis, Bill Evans and Stan Getz. His drumming style has been described by Modern Drummer magazine as “beyond technique.”

Legendary Jack DeJohnette holding a clinic at a past Drum Boogie Festival in Woodstock, NY

Other performers include NEXUS, NYU Steel Drum Band, Valerie Naranjo and The Big Takeover Reggae Band, seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSJlWsfl-cE

Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets and plan to spend the day. Food vendors will be on site as well.

The free, biennial festival, directed by Garry Kvistad of Woodstock Chimes, “presents world class talent while providing an opportunity for emerging or lesser known talent to perform together.” It was established to entertain, educate and enlighten while promoting percussion music from around the world. For more information, visit the festival’s website.

August 20, 2015
SOiL with Powerman 5000 Take Fans on a Time Travel Trip

The summer evening had people out of their house on a Tuesday, July 7 and into the one of the local metal music stomping grounds, The Montage Music Hall. The driving factor to come out this night was SOiL, listed as the special guest of Powerman 5000. Although it was a Tuesday night, the walk through the venue doors became a gateway into the future and it became Friday night. The venue had all that was needed for a good time to take place by hosting the bands on the Powerman 5000 tour.

SOiL had brought in music lovers. The talk and chatter of people clearly interpreted a cohesive understanding that this band is a staple to go see live whenever they are on tour. SOiL played an important role to progress metal to the airwaves with hit singles. These songs became a part of mainstream radio from the 2001 Scars album release. That release included two songs that were included on the set list for the evening, “Halo” and “Redefine.”

Ryan McCombs vocals were on point; full throttle power seemingly came from somewhere deep within him. The venue was over taken by a full out sound blast filling every inch of the place. Indications of acceptance that the band was delivering were immediate. People moved in as close as they could to the stage, phones glowing, ready to grab a picture before bodies started moving. The energy of the crowd shifted as they were embraced with the sound waves; that was the moment that confirmed this was a show worth going to. It became an experience, not just a night out. As the metal groove was in full play, even the biggest bad ass was moving to the beat, showing giddy approval of what they were witnessing.

Bassist Tim King did his thing by keeping the crew together in the foundation core for both the harmony and rhythm. The band was one system, one body that fed off each other. As the bass and drums built the intensity, a pulse was alive and strong. Drummer Mitch Gable literally hit it. The combination of the two were a countdown for all systems and ready for take-off. The crowd felt the pulsating vibrations to their core with the bass and drums fully in check. Harmony streamed in from guitarist Adam Zadel’s skills for people to get their metal sway on.

The connection of all systems was completed when McCombs vocals took hold, containing passion and deep meaning, what serious metal music fans want to hear and see. He was at one with the microphone, the song, his boys and himself. People were connecting and were in the moment with the band in a unique moment of time. Ryan sang with a powerful roar that included perfect pitch, pure emotion and soul. Add in qualities of stage presence and a sense of deepness and he is unique, not just through his vocals or the rasp in the voice. He is the full package as the front-man.

Each of these guys bring to the stage the talent and coolness that are combined and meant to complement each of their skills. No wonder why these guys have sold over 1 million records worldwide.

It would be dismissive not to talk about Powerman 5000 (PM5K), who displayed a wild experience and definite change up to the metal hardcore that was on before them. Described as futuristic electronic metal, the confidence in their style and skill kept everyone engaged. Spider One connected immediately with the Rochester crowd by introducing an off-topic conversation. He asked and waited for answers regarding restaurants that are open and have food in Rochester. People started yelling back responses, “WindJammers!” and then a specific response “Pizza!” Spider’s response was that he would have loved that information earlier in the evening.

Powerman 5000 performed with a futuristic sound of rap with metal and an electronic edge mixed well with the green laser lights shooting from the drum sticks, guitars and not to mention the outfits that had everyone thinking they had traveled to a future time. The tour is supporting the release of the latest album Builders of the Future.

Unfortunately for Rochester, time travel from the Friday night vibe had to return to Tuesday as the show ended. Not one person left dissatisfied with their time travel trip.

August 19, 2015
Sublime with Rome Rocks Reggae Vibes at CMAC

Sublime with Rome at the beautiful Constellation Brands – Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (CMAC) Aug. 4, had a very laid back festival vibe going on. Intended or not, that was the feel for the night. And it was just fine.

There were guys and gals from the 20-something age bracket mostly. Flowers in their hair, some bearing bare feet, girls with hula hoops, tie dye and reggae nation shirts decorated the shiny happy people in the venue tonight. Everyone came together this warm yet cloudy summer evening to witness the vibes we know as Mickey Avalon, Pepper, Rebelution and Sublime with Rome.

Sublime with Rome

Pepper heated up the night like the hot tamales trio they are. Mixing things up with rock edge to their reggae, hip-hop sound they immediately hit the stage and got right into the tunes. The only request they had been for the sound guy: “Hey sound guy, this place is made of metal, turn up our bass” ordered front man Kaleo. That’s when their energetic upbeat flare came out and got the crowd going. People were singing along loud and proud. Which resulted in a some excitement, clapping along bopping around and when asked to jump around by the band, the crowd up in the front rows delightfully accommodated. With a tight-knit fast paced set, all in attendance were primed up and ready for more. The band members, a divine mix of fellas, two are from Hawaii and one from San Diego, California. They are now just based out of San Diego, Ca. They definitely seasoned the night with their good vibrations of beach hang tunes, and weekend party anthems. Pepper is: Kaleo Wassman– vocalist/guitarist, Bret Bollinger-vocalist/bassist drummer Yesod Williams. Pepper is still out in support of their 2013 sixth studio album, this one self- titled and released on their own record label Law Records.

Find Pepper at:
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Rebelution comes cruising in from Isla Vista California. The band consists of Eric Rachmany – Guitars, vocals, Marley D. Williams – Bass, Rory Carey – Keyboards,Wesley Finley – Drums and two special guest touring members: Khris Royal – Sax, percussion, Zach Meyerowitz – Trumpet. They are out spreading the love and good vibrations in support of their current release Count Me In Remix EP

These guys came right out and went directly into the set with their signature uplifting rocking, world reggae sound, complete with a two-man brass section. It set the mood for their sway and sing-a-long set. A perfect warm summer breeze that came through completed the “beach” feel to a now full house under the shell, once someone announced for all who were on the lawn to come in due to sprinkles of rain that started during the Pepper set. One would think this would cause chaos, but there were a few seats to be filled. Actually, it worked out quite nicely because well,everyone one was in a peace and love mood while Rebelution sang ‘To blessed to be stressed’. Everyone came together to enjoy the night while beach balls and glow sticks were being tossed around, girls danced enchantingly with their hula hoops. An even cooler aspect to the set, there was a young girl and guy up on stage painting on a canvas while the band played. Rebelution played one song into the next which kept the flow of the night moving in the right direction. They seemingly could have played forever with the amazing energy they contained and the crowds response, neither side seemed like they would have minded if they played all night. Like most things though, it had to come to a beautiful end.

Sublime with Rome

If you want to hear what it sounds like to be blessed with no stress
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Pepper

Once the Sublime with Rome banner was set into place for their arrival. Some serious nostalgia and excitement took over the venue, when a euphoric cheer came about from the crowd. With a bat of the eye they all came out with a sharp set and kicked it off with the infamous single ‘Date Rape’from the Sublime 1992 debut album 40 oz. To Freedom with original front man Bradly Nowell, who passed in 1996 and is dearly missed.

The placed filled right up, fans were in every seat, filled every space and every aisle to come together for the show. Sublime with Rome ripped into a very fast-paced on point-set, all that came to see them we very much into it as everyone sang along to just about every song.

They played approximately 20 songs. Playing a lot of the Sublime hits, ‘Summertime’,” ‘Pawn Shop’, ‘Bad fish‘, and ‘Smoke two joints’. They sprinkled in a few Sublime with Rome songs ‘Same old situation’ from the debut album Yours Truly, with the new front man Rome. Where ever you go off the current release Sirens. They also managed to mix in a Led Zeppelin cover ‘Ramble on’ before taking a break to come back out of and do an encore with ‘Santeria’ and ‘What I got‘,” Rome called out “Rest in Peace Bradly Nowell!”

As it is known, there is a history with Sublime which is how Sublime with Rome came to be. The current members of Sublime with Rome are Rome Ramirez – lead vocals, guitar. Eric Wilson – bass, Josh Freese – drums, percussion. Eric Wilson an original member of Sublime, Rome came to be in 2009. Sublime had to legally change the name to Sublime with Rome due to trademark issues disputed by the Nowell estate. Sublime has toured on and off between albums since 2010. Regardless, it was clear to see Sublime songs and new songs by Sublime with Rome were graciously excepted by all. They keep the feeling and the Sublime spirit musically and tastefully alive.

Discover Sublime with Rome on:

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This evenings show with (Mickey Avalon) Pepper, Rebelution and Sublime with Rome felt like a mini vacation, from the fun-loving crowd that came to see the show, to the bands that came to play. It took you out of your life for a moment and created relaxing fun evening with a not-to-soon to forget atmosphere.

August 18, 2015
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.

August 18, 2015
Twiddle’s Hometown Takeover in Burlington

Coming off the heels of an extensive summer tour which included a gig at Red Rocks and multiple festival appearances, Twiddle took its momentum home to Burlington Vermont for two shows. The quartet played a sunset two-set show at Burlington Waterfront’s Maritime Festival on Friday and a late night party at Higher Ground on Saturday evening. The Twiddle community has grown immensely over the past few years, and it was shown by attendance at both their shows out numbering fellow jam band moe.

Twiddle

Twiddle performed on Friday evening under a breathtaking sunset over Lake Champlain for Burlington’s Maritime Festival. The first of two sets featured an opener of the semi rare “Atlantic Mocean>BBQ>Atlantic Mocean” to get things started. The fan favorite “White Light” followed and featured an extensive jam, with the song clocking in at 19 minutes. “Latin Tang” was up next, and featured a plethora of sit-ins that included Russ Lawton (Soul Monde) on drums, Ray Paczkowski (Soul Monde) on keys, and Dave Grippo (Giant Country Horns) on saxophone. “Lost in the Cold” was played next and was no surprise to anyone, the band has played it 18 times since it was written by lead guitarist Mihali Savoulidis in early 2015. The lyrically inspiring “Hatti’s Jam -> When it Rains, it Pours” closed out the first set in perfect fashion. The jam heavy second set saw Twiddle play 4 songs. “Brick of Barley” opened and featured a great jam. “Gatsby the Great,” a song about keyboardist Ryan Dempsey’s college pet duck came next and showcased the jam of the night, and possibly the weekend. It included classic sandwich of Bela Fleck’s “Big Country” in the middle of the song. After the song ended, fans could be heard cheering “Frankenfoote” and the band responded by closing the set with a smoking version. The band returned for an encore of “Doinkinbonk!!!” before handing things off to moe. over at Higher Ground for their late night set.

Twiddle

The band took to Higher Ground on Saturday evening to play a late night show after moe.’s set at the Maritime Festival. The show opened with an electronic dance party, started by drummer Brook Jordan and dubbed “DJBJ” by Mihali as each remaining band member slowly trickled into the jam. “Mamunes The Faun” was up next, and contained a lengthy jam that was followed by instrumental “The Catapillar.” A cover of the reggae tune “Harder They Come” by Jimmy Cliff saw keyboardist Josh Dobbs sit in and finger the ivories. An excellent version of “Jamflowman” was up next and the set closed with “Bronze Fingers”. Already after midnight, nobody in attendance showed any signs of letting up, the band included. A fiery “Wasabi Eruption” opened the second set and segued into a 20 min version of “The Box,” that contained an amazing jam with a soaring guitar solo from Mihali. The serious song “Tiberius” was next, and was standard but welcomed. The band ended the second set with jammed out rendition of “Cabbage Face” and the slower, lyrical, “Amydst The Myst,” An encore of “Mad World” by British band Tears for Fears closed out a spectacular weekend of music.

Twiddle

Waterfront Park, Burlington, VT – 8.7.2015

Set 1: Atlantic Mocean > BBQ > Atlantic Mocean, White Light, Latin Tang[1], Lost in the Cold, Hatti’s Jam -> When it Rains, it Poors
Set 2: Brick of Barley, Gatsby The Great > Big Country > Gatsby The Great, Frankenfoote
Encore: Doinkinbonk!!!
[1] “Latin Tang” featured Russ Lawton (Soule Monde) on drums, Ray Paczkowski (Soule Monde) on keys and Dave Grippo on saxophone.

Higher Ground, Burlington, VT – 8.8.2015

Set 1: Mamunes the Faun, The Catapillar, Harder They Come[1], Jamflowman, Bronze Fingers
Set 2: Wasabi Eruption, The Box, Tiberius, Cabbage Face, Amydst the Myst
Encore: Mad World
[1] “Harder They Come” featured Josh Dobbs (Cats Under The Stairs) on keys

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August 18, 2015
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.

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.

August 16, 2015
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.

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!

August 15, 2015