An impressive crowd turned out for All Hallow’s Eve at the Westcott Theater October 30. Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad usually lures a sizable slew of reggae lovers, affording The Simpkin Project an opportunity to bask in the splendor of a well attended venue for the last stop of their east coast debut. Haewa and Ocular Panther appetized the quickly growing crowd with more abstract instrumental compositions.
Ocular Panther, a self proclaimed organic/electro band featuring Jason Gilly (bass), Collin Jones (guitar/synth/samples), and Michael Pantano (guitar), kicked the night off. Despite an optimistic concoction of notes culminating in a highly danceable jam beat, the crowd was not loose enough to dance in response. By the end of their short-lived set, the crowd had already grown to roughly seventy participants.
Rochester band Haewa followed, again utilizing Jones for his guitar work and vocals, plus Brendon Caroselli (drums/percussion), and Ben Chilbert (bass). For Caroselli’s second time playing with the band, he fit into their musical puzzle quite comfortably. Jones’ grungy fashionableness matched his Kurt Kobain-flavored vocals, adding some dimension to their instrumental, at times face melting musical offerings.
The Simpkin Project marked the third band of the evening paying no mind to the looming holiday by sporting a discernible Halloween costume. Phil Simpkin (guitar/vocals), Shawn Taylor (B3 organ/vocals), Sergio Sandoval (percussion) and Jules Luna (guitar/vocals), were joined by Giant Panda members and long time fans of the band, Chris O’Brian (drums) and James Searl (bass). The Simpkin Project’s mild mannered, warm presence conjured that satisfying sensation of joy akin to tearing open a homemade cornbread muffin hot from the oven before slowly savoring each textured, spongy bite.
Their mid-set song, “Everything You Want” professed a deep rooted love. Simpkin sang sweetly, “You are the shelter that protects me from the storm/The vindication for the reason I was born/I want to be everything you are to me/The center of my being.” Such enamor called to mind more than the simple indulgence of nibbling on a plain jane cornbread muffin. The slow-roasted, pan seared passion steaming out of this lyrical love plate was piled high with mashed potatoes, gravy and roast beef (ethically slaughtered of course).
Throughout their set, O’Brian and Searl happily mouthed the lyrics to many of the songs, fully immersed in the experience of playing alongside their musical heroes. Members of The Simpkin Project mirrored their gratitude, announcing towards the end of their performance, “This was a life changing experience, and what it taught us: we’ll be back.”
Giant Panda opened up with Searl soothingly offering the crowd, “This is a group meditation, please enjoy yourself,” following it up after the first song with “The first step to positivity is moving your body,” spoken like a true music yogi. Searl stood front and center, flanked by Dylan Savage (guitar/vocals) and Dan Keller (guitar/vocals), with Chris O’Brian (drums) and Tony Gallicchio (keys) rounding out their sound.
They covered a lot of ground, playing a range of older material from their 2006 debut album titled Slow Down, and mixing in a collection of everything since then including tracks off their May 2015 release Bright Days. Searl, Savage and Keller stood in a row, gatekeepers of reggae revolution, harmonizing before a crowd of mostly humans, mixed in with a few dancing pandas, princesses and superheroes, cuz ya know, Halloween.
As Giant Panda flowed into the marijuana-endorsing number “Mr.Cop,” the crowd dutifully sang along, to the delight of Searl and Savage who exchanged toothy grins as they strummed along. Before the next song, Keller divulged his entertainment from earlier in the day which consisted of flying a stunt kite. This anecdotal story was most certainly not followed by any references to how elevated the kite or any persons involved may or may not have been.
Known for effortlessly blending from one song to the next in a continuous swell of sound, Giant Panda transitioned from “Pockets” to “Healing,” followed by “Steady” and “Move” in a nonstop reggae rumble. Toward the end of the evening Simpkin reemerged as a guest vocalist. Sandoval added his percussive expertise to the high energy “O.K.” with Keller briefly adding some saxophone work to the lively tune. Leaving the audience buzzing with energy, Searl bid them farewell bellowing, “Peace, Panda and good night!”
Better news for fans of Bad Brains. Gary “Dr. Know” Miller, guitarist for the seminal D.C. hardcore band, was admitted to the hospital on November 3 in critical condition and placed on life support. On Tuesday, the band announced through its Facebook page that Miller is no longer considered critical but remains under the watchful eye of doctors. The nature of Miller’s illness has not been disclosed and the family has asked for privacy as he heals.
The Family of Gary (Dr. Know) Miller and the entire Bad Brains family would like to thank everyone for their well…
Good will and PMA (Positive Mental Attitude, a mantra of Bad Brains) are flooding social media for Miller’s continued improvement. Mickey Melchiondo of Ween posted on his Facebook: “Pray for him, or at least smoke a huge spliff and keep him in your thoughts.” And Corey Glover, lead singer of Living Colour and devotee of Bad Brains, wrote, “Sending #PMA healing vibes, and positive energy to #DrKnow of #BadBrains — I urge you to do the same.”
Bad Brains was formed in Washington, D.C. in 1977 and quickly rose to prominence in the hardcore scene. The band incorporated elements of punk, hardcore, jazz and reggae into their sound to create a unique style of music that became hugely influential to not only black musicians looking to break into the hardcore scene, but all punk in general. The band was prominently featured in Dave Grohl’s HBO documentary Sonic Highwaysalongside Fugazi/Minor Threat leader Ian MacKaye.
Albany jam rockers Formula 5 announced Thursday that founding keyboardist Mike McDonald, is departing the group at the end of 2015 for personal reasons, so he can focus his attention toward building his family.
Here is the announcement as posted on their Facebook page:
Hi friends and fans,
We’ve reached a juncture here in Formula 5 camp and it pains us to announce that our own Mike McDonald will be stepping down as a member of Formula 5 at the end of 2015. Mike has been with us since the beginning and has been a big part of what we have built here with our music, business, and community. As a group, we have been discussing this change for some time now and while it is a very emotional and difficult decision for us all, we all support Mike with his decision to step down and wish him luck in his future endeavors. This decision was made on good terms – it was simply a personal decision that had to be made.
One thing we want to assure everyone of is that Formula 5 will continue on. Mike will always be a big part of Formula 5 but his decision was made to allow F5 to continue to grow, and keep making music and bringing joy to people. And that is what he has urged us to do. While bittersweet, we are accepting of the changes and excited to announce that we will welcome a new member and long-time friend Matt Richards to take over keyboards and vocal duties. Matt is an excellent musician that has experience playing with the prog-funk group The Assortment of Crayons and we are excited to see how this new chapter of Formula 5 evolves. We are very grateful to be able to perform music and appreciate everyone’s continued love and support for F5.
McDonald took to the social media site to express his sincere thanks for his time in the band.
It is with a heavy heart that I announce that I will be stepping down as a member of Formula 5. This was not an easy decision and one that I (and the band) struggled with for quite some time now. First off, I want to say that I love music, I love performing, and I love this band. That isn’t going to change. Writing music with these guys, performing live, learning about the business, and traveling around the northeast and meeting some amazing people and musicians has been phenomenal and something that I will be forever be grateful for. The business side of music can be quite grueling and often not even close to profitable – But this band, the music, its members, our fans, and the northeast music community is something very special and has made it all worth it.
The struggle of balancing my family, my “other” full-time career, and the development of this band has become too much for me to commit to the countless hours I believe are necessary to keep pushing Formula 5 upward with the momentum we have seen over the last few years. Despite all this, it would pain me to see this band simply fade away because of my own personal situation changing. This is something that we, as a band, have discussed greatly over the last year or so. While a very difficult decision for me personally, we all have worked too hard to get where we are today and I would hate to see this band and community fade away – that is why I am stepping down.
But Formula 5 is far from done. These guys are my family and I know that they are making better music than ever before and the future looks very, very bright. The band is very excited to announce that a long-time friend and a fantastic keyboard player and musician, Matt Richards will be stepping in as a new member. He has written and performed with The Assortment of Crayons and I truly think he is a fantastic addition to push Formula 5 into its newest chapter.
Change is good. While still a somber situation for me personally, I strongly urge all of you to still support Formula 5 and the great music that they are and will continue to create.
I will be finishing out the rest of the calendar year playing the next 3 shows with Formula 5 – my last show being on December 12th at dinosaur bbq in Troy. If you feel so inclined, come on out and bid farewell to this chapter of F5.
In anticipation of their upcoming show on November 14 at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, Dopapod’s drummer Scotty Zwang took some time to chat with NYS Music about summer tour highlights, Woodstock, and pranking Papadosio.
This weekend’s stop is part of the progressive groove quartet’s extensive fall and winter tour with soul-funk quintet, the Nth Power. The tour follows an action packed summer, with appearances at Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Red Rocks, Peach Fest, Electric Forest, Disc Jam, High Sierra and more. Dopapod refuses to stay within the boundaries of one distinct sound. Show-goers will get a taste of prog rock, synthesized keys, and even some country inspired songs, all that have aided in their ever growing and loyal fan base.
Tickets are available for $18 through Ticketmaster, or at the Bearsville Theater box office. Doors at 8, show at 9. Other upcoming dates include:
Nov 14 – Woodstock, NY – Bearsville Theater
Nov 18 – Buffalo, NY – Tralf Music Hall
Nov 20 – Brooklyn, NY – The Hall at MP
Nov 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Art
Erin Clary: Even though you’re touring, do you ever get a chance to go to shows yourself? And if so, who do you go see?
Scotty Zwang: Yes. That can range. I mean I’ve been off for about ten days since the last show. The day after I got home on Halloween I went to see Ben Folds with yMusic which was really awesome. All things can vary. I try to go to as many shows especially bands that really influence me and bands I don’t necessarily get to see all the time. I like to go see friends, like the Disco Biscuits are playing in New York the day after New Year’s so I am going to go see them after seeing Phish. I try to go to as many shows, not necessarily just jam band ones, but different ones as often as I can, not as often as I would like. Frankly, by the time I get home from tour sometimes the last thing I want to do is go see live music.
EC: It’s been a year since your last album release, do you have another one in the making or are you focusing on touring and improvisation?
SZ: We’ve been focusing a lot on touring for the last year since the album (Never Odd or Even) came out and yeah, usually in general we’re pretty busy with touring. We are actually planning on taking a good chunk of time off in the beginning of the year to finish songs that we’ve been working on on the road and also to write some songs from scratch so that hopefully by next year at some point, or maybe beginning of the following year, we will have an album finished. But we are going to take some time off first and see where that all goes and hopefully take some time to get in the studio shortly after that.
EC: Dopapod crosses a range of musical styles, some are sort of hard, others are a little twangy, others sound more like video games. What is your personal favorite?
SZ: I guess I really do love the darker and proggier kind of stuff. Although the video gamey kind of stuff when Eli synthesizes the sound I think is the more quirkier writing that the band does. I do enjoy all of that. And even some of the twangy… I mean we have a song that is pretty much country, bluegrass, more of an up-tempo kind of feel. As a drummer, I do have to say some of the proggier stuff, when I play correctly on stage, I do feel very good about myself like I’ve accomplished something. Even though we wrote the songs, sometimes I do end up still messing things up live. When something is that challenging it’s definitely rewarding and I still feel good about being able to pull that off live. I would like to say it’s done correctly every time, but sometimes people do mess up. I know Neil Peart from Rush said that anytime he played a song like “YYZ” or “Tom Sawyer,” he wrote it and spent a lot of time focusing on difficult drum parts, and he still gets that excitement when he actually pulls it off live and I would say the same goes for me.
Dopapod, Mountain Jam, 2015
EC: You guys have had some pretty interesting profile pictures on Facebook recently. Who is the creative genius behind those graphics?
SZ: They’re usually fan based. We have a fan page created by fans on Facebook. It’s our top fans around the country or wherever else and they call themselves “Dopafam.” There’s usually some weird stuff that goes around in there (laughs) and every once in a while there is a picture that is just gold. The one you’re talking about is Chuck in his underwear riding a razor scooter on the rainbow road from Mario Cart. That was created by a fan and I’m not even sure exactly who did it. We have some super creative fans I guess because sometimes they strike gold. If anyone in the band likes it, (it’s) usually Chuck and not just because he happens to be in this photo, but usually he will put it up. Chuck has kind of realized throughout the year – well we all have – that people don’t necessarily want to see or have the time and patience to watch a video, or read a long, thought out and touching thing. They just want to see pictures of whatever. Chuck always says that when he goes on Facebook if he doesn’t see a picture of a dog within 10 seconds then he just signs off.
EC: Was that picture from Jam on the River in Philly?
SZ: (laughs) So yeah, there was a bet that happened with Papadosio that was betting Chuck to go out on stage and ride the razor scooter in his underwear. I kind of pushed him to do it because I think those things are funny and that is what people will remember…
EC: Oh I remember it quite clearly!
SZ: I kind of pushed him to do it and I kind of had this thought of how funny this with be if this was an ongoing prank with Papadosio because we play so many festivals with them and they truly are some of our best friends. So at High Sierra, once again I egged Rob, our guitarist to do it and he went out in his underwear on the razor scooter. It was just hilarious and no one expected it. It kind of opened up a whole can of worms since I kept making people do it, I had to do it myself. So I finally did it at The Werk Out. We’ve all done it except for Eli but at this point I don’t want Papadosio to think that every time we play together that one of us is going to appear on stage in his underwear, so I’m not sure that trend is still alive.
EC: Do they ever prank you guys?
SZ: They tried to prank us at the same festival when I did it but because they had to get out of there and go to another show they didn’t have enough time. So it was passed onto the Werks and Dino, their bassist, came out in his underwear wearing…I got this poop mask, it’s a mask that looks like the emoji of the pile of poop with a smiley face. It’s essentially that exact thing. So he came out in his underwear wearing the mask because no one had a razor scooter I guess.
EC: “Nerds” from Never Odd or Even – what’s the story behind this? Are you guys mocking someone in the very beginning?
SZ: No…well kind of. It was Chuck’s idea when we were in the studio and we had a lot of empty space and build up before the lyrics kicked in, which aren’t really a lot of lyrics it’s just “no words.” But it was kind of a nod to Frank Zappa because in…I forget which song, maybe it was “Catholic Girl,” he kind of does a ‘Valley Girl’ impersonation, kind of making fun of people in the California area that he is from. Chuck just thought it would be funny. We came up with this song and originally the band just had a lot of instrumentals. Jam bands are kind of known for not having the best voices at times. We were kind of just mocking the same kind of valley girl and if she was at a jam band show, and all these songs are long and they don’t have any words. So Chuck, after we recorded all the instrumentals and everything was done, we just had a night at the studio where maybe we drank a little too much or something, and he went in there and gave it his all.
EC: I saw you a few times this summer at Disc Jam, and at Mountain Jam where you played two sets, one was on that outdoor main stage. Isn’t it huge?!
SZ: It was the biggest stage I think we’ve ever played on. I am trying to think back because we did have some big performances this summer, but I do remember getting to Mountain Jam and thinking, “this is definitely the biggest stage this band has ever performed on. It’s just massive.”
EC: Massive! I’ve been going there a lot of years and it’s just gotten bigger and bigger. I’ve seen you guys on plenty of regular sized stages so to see you on something like this was really impressive!
SZ: Thank you! It’s funny because that stage next to it is a pretty nice stage and you could have a regular production on it, but it is just dwarfed by how big that main stage is.
EC: What was your favorite festival this summer? You guys really went after it.
SZ: Yeah there were a lot of them. They start pretty early. Obviously we do have random festivals that go into the fall or destination ones in the winter, or musical festival in the end of February or beginning of march this year. So they just go all year long now. Summer Camp is a real great one as far as “real festival” season in summertime, its kind of the first weekend. Bonnaroo was a dream ours and the biggest audience we’ve ever played for. It was broadcasted over the Internet for RedBull.com and we were interviewed by Sal Masekela, who I’ve been watching as the host for the X Games since back in the day when I was a little kid and loved flinging myself off of stairs and other things, whether it was a bike or skateboard or whatever. It was just a really crazy experience to just look and someone is powdering his face and asking us if we want water, and actions like que cards in order to sync with the video. So that was definitely one of the most mind blowing experiences of the summer. There was just so many great ones. I mentioned The Werk Out is a lot of fun. High Sierra in California is great. It has a really nice family vibe and is one of those festivals that has survived two decades. It’s a festival that is almost as old as all of us in the band. It’s really cool to be a part of stuff like that.
EC: Now that the season has changed in the Northeast, it’s time to go inside. What are you looking forward to and what can we expect from your show at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on Saturday.
SZ: It’s our first time playing in Woodstock. Although my family has a house in West Saugerties, it’s actually on the same road as the house where The Band lived, ‘Big Pink.’ So I have a lot of experience in Woodstock and when I joined the band we actually went up to my family’s house and did videos of songs like “Nerds” and “Picture in Picture” for the first time. That was all shot in Woodstock. So really excited. I’ve actually never seen a show at “the bears,” and my family really loves it there. They’re excited that we’re finally there, we get to have dinner next door at the café. It’s going to be a great time. It’s got such a great vibe, especially with music and especially this time of year, it’s just very beautiful.
EC: Will your family and friends be coming to the show?
SZ: Oh yeah, I know I have my brother-in-law, my sister, my mom and dad, in-laws and my girlfriend, everyone is coming up. It’s going to be quite the weekend. I hope I don’t disappoint them.
Tool fans that have been waiting forever for good news can finally get pumped, as it appears the reclusive foursome will be planning a winter tour this January.
The prog-metal group’s last studio album 10,000 Daysdropped close to ten years ago and their last tour that even touched the Eastern side of the country was in 2012. Yesterday someone posted a cryptic message on their Facebook page indicating dates for a 2016 tour would be dropping soon:
No dates or other info has been released. Tool most recently played The Monster Mash music festival in Tempe, AZ this past Halloween. The band played the entire show dressed as Led Zeppelin and busted out a rare cover of “No Quarter.” Fans of course are hoping this announcement will also come with news on the bands long awaited next album, with previous band statements indicating most of it is complete.
Stay tuned as we gather more information on this developing story.
Popa Chubby, the long-time stage name for Ted Horowitz, has been playing a mean guitar for over 25 years. Fresh off of playing shows in Europe this past month, he returns state side starting off a winter tour this Friday Nov. 13 at 8pm at The Hangar in Troy with several other New York appearances on the schedule. Tickets for his show at The Hangar are on sale here.
His other New York shows include: Nov, 28 at Daryl’s House (Pawling), Dec. 12 (Christmas Concert) at Roulette Theater (Brooklyn), Dec. 31 at The Turning Point (Piermont), and Jan. 16 at Treme Blues & Jazz (Islip). Check out his full tour schedule here.
In anticipation for his appearance at The Hangar on Friday, Popa Chubby chatted with NYS Music about his music, playing guitar and his new double-live album, Big, Bad and Beautiful.
Steve Malinski: You’ve got a sound that’s quite your own, sort of a cross roads of blues, rock and roll with quite a level of musicianship.
Popa Chubby: Yeah man, I appreciate that. I started off playing rock and roll, metal, punk rock and speed metal before I got into the blues.
SM: And I’m sure growing up in New York City had and impact on your sound –
PC: – NY Hardcore! –
SM: – So what lead you to find the groove you have today?
PC: It was like 1980 – no, the late 1980’s and the hardcore scene had kind of dried up by that point. There was a lot going on and I just wanted to play. Somebody gave me a Muddy Waters record and I heard it and was like holy cow this is awesome. So I put a little band together. We started playing in bars around NY and it just took off. A couple of years later I had a big record deal with Sony/Okeh, made a record with Tom Dowd, then went to Europe and it’s just been going on ever since, for 25 years.
SM: I’ve kind of pinned your sound as a version of Blue Cheer with a big guitar sound.
PC: Well, I will take that as a huge compliment. I like to rock, man, you know. I like to crank it up. I’m into the raw sound so it’s definitely got a healthy aspect of rock and roll and punk in it for sure.
SM: Kind of like how Ted Nugent plugs directly into his amps and rips from there.
PC: (laughter) Yeah, the Nuge! Luckily he and I are nothing alike politically.
SM: I recently came across a video of you jamming out with Johnny Winter at his 70th birthday celebration at B.B. King’s in NYC last year. How awesome was that for you?
PC: That was just a legendary night. Johnny’s 70th birthday. He asked me to play with him. Ironically the first concert I ever saw was Johnny Winter. So it was a real monumental night for me.
SM: Was that the big highlight of your career so far?
One of Popa Chubby’s idols, Leslie West, at Bethel Woods (Woodstock 40th Anniversay) Aug. 15, 2009. photo: Steve Malinski/The Polytechnic
PC: One of them. There have been a lot of high points and that’s definitely one of them, on stage with one of my idols. I was really lucky too because he passed away shortly after that. It’s been quite a year. I’ve gotten to play with a lot of the guys I grew up listening to. Johnny Winter, Leslie West, just great stuff. It’s been awesome.
SM: You just returned from a Eurpoean tour that spanned five countries. What was that experience like?
PC: We did a month long European tour, myself and a band I’m working with called the Balkun Brothers out of Hartford, CT, a duo along the lines of the Black Keys…Blue Cheer, MC5, like the heavier side of blues rock. So we just killed it in Europe and now we’re coming back. It starts this weekend in Troy and I’m really psyched to be up there, I love the area. I’ve played I the Albany area for a long time and it’s gonna be great.
SM: Are the crowds over there in Europe much different than what they are like here?
PC: I wouldn’t say they’re different. It’s just… it’s just been awesome, so great. I’m just so lucky to be doing what I’m doing, man. I’m sitting in my studio right now and I’m looking at my wall with poster of a lot of my heroes. People like Hubert Humlin, and Leslie West is up there, and of course Johhny’s up there, Jimi Hendrix. I’m just so lucky to be doing what I’m doing. Really just happy to be playing music and guitar.
SM: So I’ve counted 24 releases that you’ve had in your career and you’ll soon be adding a 25th – a live album. What can you tell us about that?
PC: A double live record, Big, Bad and Beautiful. I think in a large sense this is a career-defining record for me. It really sums up 25 years of work and it really came together, man. We recorded it last spring in France when we were on tour and I’m really proud of it. It’s 27 songs and it reflects a lot of my stuff – old, new, and in between. So I’m really happy about this record and it’s been great. It’s coming out on Cleopatra in January.
SM: I’ve never had a chance yet to see you live but from what I’ve heard of you since I first stumbled on you music at my college radio station
back in 2007 and from videos I’ve seen it seems like you have a deep passion for music. What’s so special about the blues and rock and roll to you?
PC: You know what, I can’t really speak for the blues and rock and roll, but I can speak about my music. It’s hard and it’s raw. It’s like…my music reflects what I grew up listening to. For me, like when punk rock came around, seeing bands like The Ramones and Richard Hell & The Voidoids, The Damned, and The Deadboys and stuff like that. There was an immediacy, that and the guitars would just rip your face off. And even seeing bands like Motörhead, Metallica and Black Sabbath, then going back to listen to people like Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy, it’s all got the same element to it. It’s like, no bullshit, man. It’s like, straight up.
SM: You’ve got a lot of shows coming up, including the one this Friday at The Hangar in Troy, Daryl’s House, Roulette Theater –
PC: – Yeah we do, man, it’s non-stop. We’ve got a lot, and in January we’re going back to Europe again. Business is just really kickin’ for me. We just got an offer for a festival in Juno, AK, then back to the west coast in the summer.
SM: With all these shows in your home state, do you have anything special lined up?
PC: I’m always happy to play in New York, man. Especially this time of the year – November, December – is when I’m local and get to play all my favorite shows. And definitely Troy/Albany is a hotspot for me. I’ve recorded a lot of records there, also in Saratoga back in the 90’s…oh man, I can’t even remember the name of the club! It might have been Metronome or something like that [The Metro]. But anyway we recorded Hit the High Hard One up there. So that region has always been really great for me and I’m really excited to get back up there to play. So it’s gonna be a great show. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, I really appreciate it.
Original Motorhead drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor died Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the age of 61 after a lengthy illness. Former bandmate “Fast” Eddie Clarke confirmed the news on his Facebook page Thursday.
RIP Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor (1954-2015)
Taylor, along with Clarke and Ian “Lemmy” Kilminster, formed the groundbreaking metal band Motorhead in 1975, and in the process influenced hundreds of metal musicians since.
Taylor served two stints in Motorhead (1975-1984/1987-1992), playing on the band’s first seven albums, including the groundbreaking albums Ace of Spades, Iron Fist and Overkill.
Clarke eulogized Taylor on his Facebook page Thursday:
My dear friend and brother passed away last night. He had been ill for sometime but that does not make it any easier when the time finally comes. I have known Phil since he was 21 and he was one hell of a character. Fortunately, we made some fantastic music together and I have many many fond memories of our time together. Rest in peace, Phil!
Taylor’s original exit from Motorhead, while never confirmed by him, was said to have been the result of a dispute with Clarke and Kilmister during the recording of a cover of Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” with shock rocker Wendy O. Williams.
Taylor and Clarke rejoined Motorhead onstage at a show Nov. 6, 2014 in Birmingham, England.
Two of New York’s big names in music are no stranger to each other. Back in 2009, Paul Simon joined long-time friend Dion onstage at Madison Square Garden to help sing Dion’s “The Wanderer” as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th Anniversary concerts.
Dion DiMucci, better known simply as Dion, first became popular in the wave of early 1960s pop (as Dion and the Belmonts) and later adopted more mature aspects in his music giving him another boost in the music world. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 by Lou Reed.
“New York Is My Home” is the title track off of an album Dion is set to release in February, marking his 29th studio album. The song features fellow New York City musician Paul Simon and is dedicated to the fullness of life in New York.
The single “New York Is My Home” can be ordered and downloaded online through iTunes, Amazon and Google Play.
Aside from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary concert, Dion and Simon performed together at Radio City Music Hall in 1987 and recorded “Written On The Subway Walls/Little Star” on Dion’s 1989 release Yo Frankie. Check out the video of that below, featuring both Dion and Simon.
The Belmonts still perform today as a doo-wop trio.
It’s been a long time coming, but The Nth Power has finally delivered their debut album, Abundance, in all of its glory. The band has been around since 2012, and with a stacked lineup of musicians they decided to tour first and hit the festival scene to start growing a fan base. It’s almost unfathomable how they blew up as quickly as they did without an album for people to dig into, but that’s what happens when you’re this talented. Regardless, the wait is finally over! Abundance is being released Friday, November 13, and if you’ve been lucky enough to catch this special act, the album doesn’t fall short of showcasing all that they represent. Just as the band has done live, Abundance is mixed with touches of soul, R&B, funk, and jazz into their own self-defined genre of “Love” and few would disagree.
The band opens up with the strong and powerful overarching message, “Only Love,” evangelizing all that they stand for. It’s been quite sometime that a band has come with a message as potent and strong as The Nth Power bring to the table, both lyrically and through the non-verbal dialogue of their instruments. There is a deep feeling and they’ve really captured the essence of their message overall as it’s felt right from the opening of the album.
The band really puts the rhythm in R&B on the song “Right Now.” With a rhythm section as strong as this band has though, it’s no surprise. Nikki Glaspie [drums], Weedie Braimah [percussion], and Nate Edgar [bass] are all masters of their instruments and give this track some serious teeth that immediately dig in from the opening pattern. The bassist isn’t always called out, but Nate Edgar needs to be commended for his overall work throughout as he does a stellar job all over this record. While never trying to openly stand out with solos, he plays the support role to a degree most bassists could never reach while still churning out some complex lines in the process.
(From L to R) Nate Edgar, Nikki Glaspie, Nick Cassarino, Courtney “Jay’Mel” Smith, and Weedie Braimah
As the album progresses, the feeling of love and joy is thoroughly reinforced in the most uplifting way. The bands tightness and focus on this delivery is something that is a testament to the time they took before releasing the debut. While lyrics aren’t always included in the liner notes these days, Nick Cassarino’s beautiful words were chosen to be laid out. Paging through them in sync with the album, it is clear he put as much effort into them as the band collectively put into developing the music. Nick’s honest and introspective words and heartfelt delivery is matched by his impressive chops on his guitar. You can feel that the band really poured their heart and souls out throughout the musical journey.
The album finishes very strongly with the trio of songs, “Home,” “Soul Survivor,” and “Altar Call.” Each are distinctive in their own right, but make up a solid run to the finish line. “Home” is beautifully introspective, both musically and lyrically, while “Soul Survivor” is where the band takes the time to step away from the lyrics a little and focus on some of the incredible chops they have as musicians. That being said, the chorus on “Soul Survivor” is easily the most anthemic on the album as the band proclaims their ability to survive through hardship. It finishes up with “Altar Call” which could be the most underrated song on the album. The overall construct and ethereal beauty of it can draw out the deepest of emotions. The track is the only one without a lyrical presence and it showcases an elegant and subtle beauty to the band’s musicianship as they explore the meaning of love musically and express it without words.
Overall, Abundance is exactly how The Nth Power should’ve made their debut album. It captures their live energy and delivers on the messaging they’ve settled upon since they formed just a few years back. The musicianship and perspective are a fresh one and one everyone should welcome with open and loving arms. If there’s ever a time for a pick me up or a need for some uplifting, scoop up Abundance and take it for a spin.
“Keep It Goin’” – that seems to be the theme these days in The Barn at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y. In fact, one could say that it’s been the theme for many years prior leading up to the iconic Helm’s death in 2012. On November 6, the Georgia born Shawn Mullins kept it going by returning to the intimate studio in support of his latest release, My Stupid Heart, Mullins 9th studio release and 14th overall album dating back to 1992’s Better Days.
The American singer-songwriter, who swiftly acknowledged Helm at the start of the set, is best known for the 1998 single smash hit, “Lullaby” which reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks. Mullins was joined on stage, after “Twin Rocks Oregon” by Tom “Panda” Ryan to a house of nearly 100 or so middle-aged music lovers. Ryan ripped through 14 of the 17-song set on bass guitar providing near perfect harmonies on songs like “Beautiful Wreck” and the Sunshine State inspired “Pre-Apocalyptic Blues,” co-written by Ryan.
There’s a great deal of empathy and even more compassion in Mullin’s live performances these days and he appears to be at ease with where he is in his life, even if his personal past marital relationships have slipped away from him, they are used to fuel the song writing fire on My Stupid Heart. The 10-track release comes from a depressed place which makes it honest and heartfelt and is a record that is not overproduced and closely resembles his masterful live performance passion.
Opening for Mullins was Boston based songwriter Amy Fairchild who entertained on the acoustic guitar but was in her element when she ventured un-mic’d at the piano especially belting out the emotional, “It Won’t Be Mine.”
Setlist: The Great Unknown, Twin Rocks Oregon, Pre-Apocalyptic Blues, Shimmer, Lonesome, I Know You To Well, Sunshine, Ferguson, My Stupid Heart, Catoosa County, Light You Up, California, Ghost of Johnny Cash, Beautiful Wreck, Friday Night Fights At Al’s Place, Lullaby, To Beat The Devil*, House Of The Rising Sun^
This weekend’s stop is part of the progressive groove quartet’s extensive fall and winter tour with soul-funk quintet, 
EC: It’s been a year since your last album release, do you have another one in the making or are you focusing on touring and improvisation?
EC: I saw you a few times this summer at Disc Jam, and at Mountain Jam where you played two sets, one was on that outdoor main stage. Isn’t it huge?!
It’s been a long time coming, but 
