Tag: lettuce

Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for Out-of-State Festivals

While most might dream of tropical getaways when it comes to vacation time, music fans accrue their days to travel across the country—or world—for weekends jam-packed with live performances, indulgent food and experimental fun. From the east to the west coasts to the Midwest, NYSMusic staffers traveled near and far throughout the year to see their favorite groups in action. Here we give you our top picks for out-of-state festivals of 2015.

Best Small Festival: Arise Music Festival, East Coast Tsunami Festival, Grand Point North Festival and The Werk Out Music and Arts Festival

With the growing number of small-scale festivals that seem to pop up each year, it’s no wonder that our team could not pick just one or two as their favorite—so we decided to include the ones we felt deserved an honorable mention. First up is Arise Music Festival, an event in Loveland, CO, that according to Andrew Wyatt “offers a spicy jambalaya of multi-cultural live music, electronic performances, art presentations, along with numerous workshops centered around eco-activism, social justice, and spirituality practice.” With nearly 100 musical acts, the three-day festival now in its third year featured the likes of the Polish Ambassador, Rising Appalachia, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, Lukas Nelson, Turkuaz, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Trevor Hall, Emancipator Ensemble, Ozomatli and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, among others.

Headlined by Wu-Tang Clan and Life Of Agony, the East Coast Tsunami Festival held in Reading, PA, treated hip hop, hardcore and metal fans to two full days of shows, including favorited groups Body Count, Mobb Deep, Murphy’s Law, Madball and more. And despite sound issues during day one, Jay Saint G. still dubbed the festival as “a wave of brutality that every music lover should experience.”

Up next is the Grand Point North Festival held in Burlington’s Waterfront Park with views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Headlined by Vermont’s sweetheart Grace Potter, the fifth annual installment boasted two nights of music featuring Phish’s Mike Gordon, the Flaming Lips, Shakey Graves, Greensky Bluegrass, Amy Helm and the Handsome Strangers, among others, and special guests like Kenny Chesney who joined Potter to perform their single, “Wild Child.” Alexandra Provost and Laura Carbone noted that “as Potter walked onto the stage, her skin glistening from raindrops, the audience went wild” and that she “put on an astounding performance, showing off her piano, guitar and bluesy vocal skills.”

And finally the Werk Out Music and Arts Festival at Legend Valley, a venue favorited by the Grateful Dead in the ’80s. With a stacked lineup featuring the Werks, Papadosio, Dopapod, Lettuce, Umphrey’s McGee, the Floozies, Consider The Source, Break Science and Tauk, the sixth year for the Thornville, OH, festival “was as always a ridiculously good time for all who made the journey,” according to Ben Landsman. With three stages, a silent disco and one fan wedding,Landsman noted that “between the beauty of Legend Valley, the bright spirit of the fans, the innovative music, this festival is one of the treasures of the Midwest.”

Best Midsize Festival: Green River Festival
Honorable Mention: Aura Music and Arts Festival, Boston Calling, Camp Bisco, DelFest, McDowell Mountain Music Festival

Held at Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA, the sold-out 29th annual Green River Festival was “fresh, exciting and invigorating,” according to Eli Stein. Featuring four hot air balloon launches, the family-friendly July event pulled out all the stops with a craft tent, Frisbee dog show, acrobats, karate demonstrations, swimming, a Mardi Gras-style parade and exotic local fare like elk, boar and venison burgers, a Korean food truck and kabob vendors. Throughout the three-day weekend, more than 40 performers ranging from Americana to dance, blues and jam graced the event’s three stages nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires, including Eilen Jewell, the Wood Brothers, Rubblebucket, Marco Benevento, MAKU Sound System, Langhorne Slim and the Law, the Punch Brothers and tUnE-yArDs, which Stein noted was the perfect mixture:

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.”

Best Large Festival: Gathering of the Vibes and Summer Camp
Honorable Mention: Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Hangout Music Fest, Lockn’ Music Festival, Peach Festival, Rock Allegiance, Rock On the Range

Celebrating its 20th year, Gathering of the Vibes offered up an impressive lineup with headliners Wilco, Weezer, Tedeschi/Trucks Band, Dark Star Orchestra, Ben Harper, Greg Allman and the String Cheese Incident. The late summer festival returned to Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT, and treated fans to a super jam called Vibes 20th Anniversary Spectacular featuring Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, Meters founding bassist George Porter Jr., Marco Benevento on keys and Joe Russo behind the drum kit, plus Jackie Greene on guitar. Although the four-day festival will take a break in 2016, VibeTribers Julia Wolfe and Steve Olker recounted the last day of the 2015 event and dubbed this run as one that would set the pace going forward:

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

With more than 100 bands over four days on seven stages, this year’s installment of Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, IL, saw a stacked lineup of bands like moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Steve Miller Band, Widespread Panic, STS9, Big Gigantic, John Butler Trio, Krewella, Trampled by Turtles, Keller Williams and Grateful Grass, Yonder Mountain String Band, Violent Femmes and many, many more. Festivalgoers also had access to on-site camping, the infamous late night Red Barn Shows, musician workshops, a nonprofit village, arts and crafts and unique food vendors, plus some impressive improvements. In Pete Mason’s review of the festival’s final day, he detailed what made the perfect ending to the much celebrated event:

The final set of the night to check out was North American Scum, an LCD Soundsystem cover band who might be the best band to close out Summer Camp. Members of the group are formerly of This Must be the Band, a Talking Heads band from Chicago, who have traditionally played one of the final sets at Summer Camp. This incredible two hour set featured the entire Sound of Silver album and, because everyone else was playing Grateful Dead songs, a spirited version of “Scarlet Begonias” to cap the night.”

Read more from Summer Camp Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4.

December 28, 2015
Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for New York State Festivals

Nothing compares to experiencing live music. But when it comes to packing up and leaving the world behind to immerse in a weekend of musical debauchery with a community of like-minded souls, well, that’s the stuff that dreams are made of for music festival fans.

From one-band to multi-artist events and crowd sizes from 2,000 to 50,000, New York State hosts a bevy of festivals annually in some of the most beautiful settings imaginable, and let’s face it, our state knows how to throw a proper fest, as it is ingrained in New York’s rich musical history having put on one of the biggest rock festivals of all time, Woodstock. Here we’ve rounded up our favorites from NYS Music 2015, so sit back, relax and relive some of the festival magic that happened throughout the Empire State this year, because we all know what it’s like to experience those post-fest blues.

Best Small Festival: Buffalove and Disc Jam

The third installment of Buffalove Music Festival saw a venue change from Cole Farm, Panama, NY, to North Fork Music Park, Warsaw, NY, with the new location offering four stages, a private beach, disc golf and wooded-area camping, and a record attendance that doubled previous years. With an impressive lineup including Kung Fu, Pink Talking Fish, Funktional Flow, Particle, Formula 5, Mister F, Space Junk, Dopapod, Aqueous and Aquapod, the three-day June 2015 festival created to celebrate Western New York’s emerging music scene was one for the books, according to Jen Foster and Thomas Sgroi:

Buffalove came through. Co-founder of Buffalive Productions and Founder of Buffalove Cody Conway clearly had one goal in mind: keep the energy as high as possible. Every single band had heads turning and jaws on the ground. There was never a lull, never a band that just played to fill space. Every minute was dance-worthy. If you missed out this year, we can highly recommend you don’t make that mistake next year. Without any problems or unruly attendees, this festival made its mark at North Fork Music Park in Warsaw, NY. The amount of talent coming out of Upstate New York is only paving the road for more incredible shows. Buffalove, you certainly were lovely.”

Another summer fest that saw a venue change was the fifth annual Disc Jam Music Festival, which moved from Massachusetts to New York State—and promoters recently announced that the event will return to Gardner’s Farm in Stephentown for its sixth year in June. Throughout four days of music, camping, disc golf and Flow Tribe, festivalgoers experienced live performances from more than 50 acts, including Lettuce, Electron, Dopapod, Aqueous, Brightside, Kung Fu, Consider the Source, Cabinet, Soule Monde, Roots of Creation, Formula 5, The Hornitz, Soul Rebel Project, Broccoli Samurai, Krewe de Groove and Relative Souls. According to Dave DeCrescente, the festival’s last day culminated with a “healthy dose of guest sit-ins” with jamband Twiddle, noting that:

One of the highlights of the set was the massive guest sit in with DJ Honeycomb, James Woods, and Joe Davis from Formula 5, Scott Hannay of Mister F and Todd Stoops for the ultimate mega jam on “Apples.” The Disc Jam Flow Tribe was out in full force with fire spinners and hooping entertainers that were almost as mesmerizing as the music. The weekend ended just as it started, with mind blowing music and a close knit community who continue to make the Disc Jam Festival special. Tony Scavone and crew did a suburb job of organizing the 5th annual Disc Jam with a new location but still the same friendly, loving festival experience that keeps fans coming back each year.”

Best Mid-Size Festival: Catskill Chill

While Catskill Chill is speculated to make a move to Lake George in 2016, the festival’s last waltz at bucolic Camp Minglewood in Hancock, NY, this September was a success, selling 5,000 tickets, according to Chill promoter Dave Marzollo. Headlined by moe. who kicked off their fall tour at the festival and including other bands like Lotus, Zappa Plays Zappa, Lettuce, Twiddle, Turkuaz, Dopakuaz plays Studio 54 and The Motet, the sixth annual installment of Catskill Chill featured on-site cabin rentals, daily yoga, live art, a farmer’s market, craft and food vendors, a communal bonfire nightly and an open mic. The three-day event was packed with guest sit-ins and collaborations like Dopapod and Turkuaz joining forces to play as Dopakuaz, which Chill organizer Josh Cohen noted is the type of community mindset that sets this festival apart from others its size or larger by creating an environment where rising bands can experiment and grow in a unique setting:

Point is that when comparing us to larger festivals, we’re at this cool stage attendance-wise where in many band’s cases we have the best ‘music’ out there in our prime slots. I love tons of bands who’ve been around since the ’90s or earlier but there’s nothing like seeing musicians in their youthful stages, when creativity is just exploding and you can feel it dripping off the stage as opposed to later-in-their career bands who are playing mostly songs they first wrote and fell in love with decades earlier.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R6Uk03HW9k&feature=youtu.be

Best Large Festival: Magnaball

It’s no surprise that Magnaball takes the cake for this category. During late August more than 30,000 phans invaded Watkins Glen International race track for Phish Festival 10. And while the three-day event took place at the site of their 2011 Superball IX festival, this time around the setup featured many upgrades, including local and regional food vendors, the five-course restaurant Festival Ate, MagnaWater Program, speciality Phish-themed cocktails and coveted craft beer from Lawson’s Finest Liquids and Hill Farmstead. (And let’s not forget to mention the interactive Glurt Institute, Drive-In movie theater, JEMP Record Store and cornhole tournament.) The Vermont quartet majorly delivered throughout the weekend’s eight sets busting out rare tunes like “Mock Song” and jamming out typical breather ballads such as “Prince Caspian” to uncharted territory, but perhaps one of the highlights was the Saturday festival tradition of performing a late-night set, which according to Pete Mason raised expectations for future secret sets:

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

December 23, 2015
Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for Albums by New York Artists

The NYS Music team has voted and these are what we chose as the best albums released in 2015 by New York artists. Turkuaz’s Digitonium, Lettuce’s Crush and Consider the Source’s World War Trio Parts II & III each received multiple votes from the staff.

Turkuaz’s Digitonium is “the future of retro pop funk.” Turkuaz has been quite busy lately, having recently completed an extensive fall tour that spanned the continental U.S. Featuring great tracks like “Nightswimming,” “Percy Thrills the Moon Dog” and “Doktor Jazz,” the album is “the ideal listen for any pre-party or when you are just ready to share in the groove.”

From our review:

The 23 track album is a mature testament to the bands growing sound that continues to push the boundaries of funk with heavy ’80s influences. The album is full of instrumental segues of experimental melodies that set the stage for evolutionary funk tunes with classic, raw Turkuaz energy. Digitonium is built upon layers of exploratory themes, characters and repetitive lyrics that get the listener to pause, rewind and think outside the album.

The latest release from Lettuce, Crush, is the first album in three years from the seasoned funk band. Jeremiah Shea calls it their “most aggressive, ambitious, and funkiest album to date.” With highlights, such as “Phyllis,” “Trilogy” and “Pockets of Change,” this is a must-hear album.

From Shea’s album review:

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.

Sticking to the funk theme of the other albums is Consider the Source and their latest effort, World War Trio Parts II & III, the follow-up double album to last year’s World War Trio Part I. In reviewing the album, Shea says “If pop music is reading at an elementary level, World War Trio Part II + III, is at least a 400 level college course.” The Middle Eastern sci-fi psychedelic funk fusion trio has been quite active in recent years. This album was no small undertaking. Of its 20 tracks, “This Dubious Honor,” “Up to, But Not to Exceed… Whoa,” “I’ll fight for the Imp” and “You are Disappearing.”

Of the album, Shea says:

Never before though has the band done it this masterfully and with such vision. This isn’t just food for thought, but a feast, with such lush sonic depth that can’t simply be explored in one pass. This is music that commands focus in a time when fans are more flippant than ever. You could say the band is fighting a natural progression, but I applaud the effort and what they force a willing listener to listen to. The continuity between songs is beautifully orchestrated and only possible with an overall delivery being kept in perspective from the onset.

Among the many albums released by New York bands this year, others receiving additional accolades included Johnny Cummings’ Radiate, Misery Kills’ My Ugly Insides, ShwizZ’s My Good Side/My Bad Side, Sean Rowe’s Her Songs EP and Stellar Young’s Vessels. It’s been a good year for New York artists. These were just a sampling of all the great music released in 2015. Here’s to an even better 2016!

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OayMa_Qzfk[/embedyt]

December 19, 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
The Catskill Chill 2015 Music Festival: A Farewell to Minglewood

The sixth annual Catskill Chill Music Festival – A Farewell to Minglewood – is set to take place this weekend on Sept 18-20 with this year being the last time at Camp Minglewood in Hancock, NY. The Chill gathers fans from all over the North East to the beautiful, secluded Catskills for a three-day camping summer music festival finale. The Chill has called Camp Minglewood home since the beginning and it’s sleep away camp setting of multiple concert halls, cabins full of friends and tents scattered over the hills, all within short walking distance made for the ideal festival grounds. The Catskill Chill motto holds true to “All Love, All the Time” as you can see and feel it all around you with nonstop smiles, hugs, high fives and the radiating positive vibes that keep Minglewood clean and fun.

This coming weekend will be a time of reflection of all the wonderful moments of Chills past. We’ve endured all types of weather: perfect sunny days, light rain, the Tornado of 2012 and those cold, cold, cold early fall nights of NY. The little to no cell phone reception is a painful delight as we are given a chance to truly enjoy all that the Chill has to offer with both hands and a focused mind. The Catskill Chill lines up talented regional and national musical acts of all genres that connects us to each other and the dance floor. The bands love the Chill as much as the fans do with major returning acts such as Lotus, Dopapod, Particle, Lettuce, The Motet and Kung Fu.

One of the best features about The Chill is the abundance of guest sit ins and collaborations from over the years such as Shwizz and Fikus will join forces to become Shwikus, the late late night Sunday set of Dopadosio, Bobby Paltauf with The Meter Men, Todd Stoops with Twiddle plus so many more. The number of artists has dramatically increased over the years with a jam-packed schedule that doesn’t stop til you do. With more bands comes more stages and those cabin porches serve more than neighborly meetups, Solaris is no stranger to the late night porch shows. Acoustic Junction was a great addition to The Chill with memorable acts from The Brummy Brothers, Consider the Source and Primate Fiasco, guaranteed to rock your socks off electronically or acoustically.

Be mindful to savor every beautiful minute of music and scenery because we’re so lucky to have them together. Don’t miss out on one hell of a going away party and buy tickets now (available here). NYSMusic is grateful to share the bittersweet goodbye of Camp Minglewood and looks forward to more memories of The Catskill Chill.

Check out past NYSMusic Catskill Chill Reviews and Photo Galleries: 2012, 2013 2014

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOMlLBDgUHE]

September 15, 2015
We can Werk it Out 2015

The sixth annual Werk Out Music and Arts Festival in 2015 was as always a ridiculously good time for all who made the journey. This is the fourth year the festival has commenced at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio. The venue has been host to many famous acts since the ’70s. Most famously one of largest and favorite stops of The Grateful Dead tour in the ’80s. The festival includes three stages as well as a silent disco. The festival is a celebration of music, dance, and friendship brought to you by Columbus’ own — The Werks.

Thursday night’s music included Papadosio. Which seems to be growing in popularity by the minute. After hearing them there’s no questioning the reason. The level of improvisation is incredible. Next up was Broccoli Samurai and then the much-anticipated first set from The Werks. The Rumpke Mountain Boys picked on into the early morning hours at the B stage. After the two main stages shut down for the evening, many headed over to the Silent Disco tent sponsored by The Untz.

For those who haven’t been to a Silent Disco before, it’s really an interesting concept. In exchange for your id you pick up a pair of wireless headphones. There are two channels which feature EDM from two live DJs in the tent. You can choose channel A or channel B to listen to. Then dance till the sun comes up in silence! The Silent Disco is gaining popularity at festivals that have to respect noise ordinances. It might be quiet but the party lives on.

Friday afternoon welcomed Wisconsin’s own Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. Their brand of progressive bluegrass is especially fueled by pristine songwriting, lightening fast fiddle, banjo, guitar and harmonica solos. Not to mention exceptional five-part harmonies. Their most recent cd Middle Western is a collection of original songs will be sure to get your feet tapping and your brain ticking. Some of their lyrics are down right philosophical and some might say the messages are transcendental. It will be so exciting to see what these boys have in store for the future.

Umphrey’s set Friday night was awesome as usual. The band even covered Prince’s “When Doves Cry”. Not only was the music incredible but the lighting was out of sight. Following Umphrey’s was the festival host The Werks. They played an evening set which featured former member Norman Dimitrouleas on keys. The band segued into their perpetual groves and would at just the right moment say the magic words “You are the universe”. Energy was high and hoopers, and dancers all moved as if they were under their spell.

A peaceful silence fell upon the campground but shortly after the silence was broken by Blue Moon Soup. A Newgrass band from Yellow Springs Ohio. The harmony on their rendition of Manfred Mann’s “Fox on the Run” was spot on. Every solo was also crisp with accuracy and precision. At the closing on their set it was time to head for the MBFP tent to catch Eoto and Friends. The tent was absolutely filled to the brim with dancers and fans alike. Some featured guests included Chris Houser, and Todd Stoops.

Saturday I managed to catch Ekoostik Hookah’s set. Many die-hard fans gathered towards the front of the stage and sang along and danced. Next up was musical genius Zach Deputy. Just watching him ties my brain in knots. His dance-able and energetic originals flooded the concert area and his positive energy flooded the audience. He even played our favorite “Just the tip”. Other highlights from Saturday included Lettuce, Dopapod, The Werks final set, and Glostik Willy.

The Werkout is a celebration of music, dancing and art. Who knows, you may even decide to wed there, as one happy couple did. The staff is super friendly and the music is some of the best ever heard. The overall energy is upbeat and positive. Between the beauty of Legend Valley, the bright spirit of the fans, the innovative music this festival is one of the treasures of the mid west. See you at Werkout 2016.

September 14, 2015
Catskill Chill Preview: One Last Dance at Minglewood

As the summer festival season draws to an end, next week’s Catskill Chill Music Festival which takes place September 18-20, a week later than it is usually held, also marks an end of an era. The 6th annual festival, which has grown in popularity each year, will be the last one held at its original home of Camp Minglewood in Hancock, NY before the party moves elsewhere next year.

Fittingly, upstate NY jam legends moe. will serve as musical headliner and Particle, the only band to play every Chill, will close out the weekend in grand fashion along with help from a number of other guests and friends.

This year’s festival also offers a number of other intriguing musical collaborations as this seems to be a theme for the weekend. In addition to their own sets on Sunday, Dopapod and Turkuaz will be combining forces on Friday night and recreating a night at Studio 54. Shwizz and Fikus will follow their Saturday sets with a joint one featuring musical selections from the ‘80s before the Chillfam All-Stars perform what is sure to be an entertaining tribute to Herbie Hancock. This isn’t even the only All Star band of the weekend as the Stratosphere All-Stars, featuring members of Lotus, Particle and Digital Tape Machine, will help usher in the Saturday night dance party.

If a band on this bill isn’t collaborating with another one, there’s a good chance they’re pulling double duty and performing multiple sets. Consider the Source will be doing both an acoustic and an electric set on Friday and Twiddle will be performing a set of Grateful Dead covers in addition to a set of their own Saturday night.

Other notable performers this weekend include upstate NY’s own Aqueous and Solaris as well as Lettuce, Zappa Plays Zappa, The Motet and Electron.

Catskill Chill is known for its home of Camp Minglewood and the purely intimate setting it provides with summer camp style cabins for lodging close to all the stages and designated camping areas strewn between them all. RV parking is also available for $150 and the festival offers both VIP ticket purchases and upgrades. In addition to an incredibly packed musical docket, there’s also Open Mic sessions being offered on Saturday and Sunday afternoons as well as yoga classes.

Tickets for $195 and one last chance to experience one of the true hidden gems of the festival circuit can be purchased here.

September 11, 2015
10 Reasons You Shouldn’t Miss All Good Music Festival

The 18th annual All Good Music Festival and Camp Out has returned to West Virginia this year, and boasts a jamband heavy lineup that is surely not to be missed and my favorite of the summer. With no overlapping sets, all of the weekend’s amazing music can be seen without sacrificing one band for another. The music takes place for 3 days, Thursday July 9 – Saturday July 11, with gates opening at 11 a.m. on Thursday. Here are 10 reasons this year’s All Good Music Festival is not to be missed!

10. CAKE

This American alternative-rock band from Sacramento, California draws from a heavy influence of country, rock, funk, hip-hop and more. Not your typical act on the jamband circuit, but these guys know how to have fun and put on a great show. You can catch Cake on the Dragon Stage on Saturday from 10:15 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

9. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

The quartet based out of Balitmore, MD has been growing tremendously over the past few years. Blending rock, funk, and electric grooves is their specialty. These guys bring the heat every night and you are guaranteed to find yourself dancing to their infectious grooves. Pigeons are performing on Saturday afternoon from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. on the Dragon Stage.

8. Dark Star Orchestra

Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra has been recreating the Grateful Dead concert experience since 1997. They are widely considered one of the best tribute acts on the scene, and play a host of festivals every year on top of extensive nationwide touring. With the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead this year and the Fare Thee Well shows happening in Chicago the week before, expect Dark Star’s set to be a celebration. They perform on Saturday night at 11:30 p.m. -1:00 a.m. on the Crane Stage.

7. Late Nights: STS9, Thievery Corporation, Lotus

All Good boasts a stacked late night lineup to keep the party going into the morning hours. Thursday night features STS9, playing from 1:15 a.m. -3:00 a.m. on the Dragon Stage. Friday night features Thievery Corporation performing on the Dragon Stage from 1:15 a.m. -3:00 a.m. Lotus will be closing out the festival on the Dragon Stage from 1:00 a.m. -3:00 a.m. on Saturday.

6. Lettuce

These guys bring some serious funk to every show. Lettuce is on my list of must see bands anytime they play a festival. With a late night spot on the Crane Stage from 12:00 a.m. -1:15 a.m. directly following Primus, things are sure to go from weird to funky as soon as they take the stage. Be warned, you will find yourself dancing way too much at this set.

5. Yonder Mountain String Band

Who doesn’t love some late afternoon bluegrass to go with their whiskey? Veterans of the bluegrass world, Yonder is sure to deliver a high octane string infused dance party. They play the Crane Stage on Sunday from 6:15 p.m. -7:40 p.m. The addition of fiddle virtuoso Allie Kral and mandolin player Jacob Jolliff has Yonder sounding as good as they ever have.

4. Primus

Headlining Friday night at All Good on the Dragon Stage from 10:15 p.m. – 12:00 a.m., Primus is sure to bring the weird together for an unforgettable concert experience. Hot off the recent Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory tour, expect good things from bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde, and drummer Jay Lane. Primus is no stranger to All Good, having performed at the festival in the past.

3. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead

JRAD is a fairly new band that has exploded onto the scene. These guys bring high energy, intense, authentic Grateful Dead tunes every time they step on stage. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is super group composed of Scott Metzger, Tommy Hamilton, Dave Dreiwitz, Marco Benevento & Joe Russo. They perform on the Crane Stage on Friday night from 9:00 p.m. -10:15 p.m. If you haven’t seen them yet, be sure to check them out!

2. Twiddle

If you don’t know who Twiddle is by now, you should. Hailing from the green state of Vermont, they are taking the jamband world by storm and right now the sky is the limit for the quartet. Twiddle blends reggae, funk, and rock n roll into heavy improv laden sets. Twiddle has a huge following of fans and they are growing each and every time they take the stage. Twiddle kicks off the festival with an hour long performance on Thursday from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on the Crane Stage.

Twiddle

1. moe.

New York State’s own moe. are veteran’s of the jamband festival circuit. Mixing heavy rock n roll with psychedelic improvisations moe. is going to rock the Dragon Stage on Thursday night for two hours from 10:00 p.m. -12:00 a.m. Expect soaring, crunchy, guitar solos and funk laden bass lines all night. Moe. has a heavy following all over the county, so expect many moe.rons to flock to All Good to see their beloved band and the rest of All Good’s amazing lineup.

moe. Saranac Brewery

There rest of All Good’s amazing lineup can be found here. Tickets will be available online until Wed July 8th, and prices will go up at the gate. Tickets can be purchased here. See you all in West Virgina!

July 3, 2015
Cheap Outdoor Lettuce in Rochester

No, this isn’t a poorly thought out ad for the Wegmans produce section; it’s your tip that the world’s funkiest band is making their way to Western New York. That’s right, on the heels of Taj Mahal cancelling his appearance at Rochester’s Party in the Park due to health reasons, the promoters scrambled and quickly brought in New York City’s Lettuce as the replacement. That is one hell of a substitution, and while Taj Mahal will certainly be missed, there weren’t many complaints upon his departure.

Lettuce has a head (no pun intended) full of steam. Over the last year or so, the band has been touring more regularly and hitting many regions across the U.S. The band followed up last year’s opening slot performance at Red Rocks with a headlining date there just a couple of weeks back that included the likes of The Motet, Exmag, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. If that momentum wasn’t enough, the band will soon release their latest album. And although the release date hasn’t been established, fans have already gotten an early taste of it as the band has been regularly playing the new cuts.

Thursday’s headlining performance will also include Spirit Family Reunion and Uptown Groove. Lettuce will be bringing it hard as they ramp up for some major festival dates like Electric Forest the following day (June 26) and All Good Music Festival on July 10. Tickets are $5 and you can grab them here or at the gate. If you’re traveling in to the R-O-C, Party in the Park is held downtown at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park at 353 Court St. (corner of Court and Chestnut streets), right near The Strong Museum. The show starts at 5 p.m. with Lettuce hitting the stage at 8:30.

*Special Note: Individual tickets purchased for Taj Mahal on June 25 will be honored for Lettuce or may be returned to the place of purchase for refund until June 30. Refunds can only be made on non-stubbed/attended tickets. Once a ticket is used for entry on June 25, a refund can no longer be issued. Season tickets will be honored for the Lettuce show.

June 24, 2015
Lettuce and The Soul Rebels bring the funk in the sun to Central Park SummerStage

On a picturesque day in New York City, tens of thousands of visitors flock from all around the world to Central Park. Some are row boating on the Lake, some come for lunch at Tavern On The Green, and many came for hometown funk band Lettuce. As the crowds filtered in to Summerstage one of New Orleans finest brass ensembles, The Soul Rebels, serenaded them with their powerful horns. For Brooklyn based Lettuce headlining Summerstage is a monumental accomplishment and coming off their sold-out show at Red Rocks they had set the bar high.

With Erick “Jesus” Coomes (bass) straddling his usual center stage position he lead Lettuce, consisting of Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff (guitar), Adam Deitch (drums), Neal Evans (keys), Ryan Zoidis (sax), and Eric Bloom (trumpet) on a funk filled journey in the park. The band was joined on stage by The Soul Rebels for an ensemble performance of “Sam Huff” and Nigel Hall stopped by as well. As the set got moving Central Park Summerstage shut the gates as the capacity crowd reveled away in the sun and the deep funk grooves.

Lettuce will be back on the East Coast opening for Umphreys McGee in Boston, Asbury Park, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. You can find tickets here.

Setlist: Lettuce at Central Park Summerstage, 06/13/2015

Reunion, Big Anthem, Chief, Blast Off, Lettsanity, Phyllis, Get Greasy, Sam Huff*, Hip Hop Odyssey, Madison, New Reel,

Lett Gogo, Makin My Way, Hang Out and Hustle, Do It Like You Do

* w/ Soul Rebels

June 19, 2015