Known for her classical reinterpretations of Phish and Grateful Dead jams, San Francisco pianist Holly Bowling is soon to issue her arrangements of Phish’s “Chicago Wedge” (July 20, 2014) and “Glens Falls Twist” (Oct. 23, 2013) on vinyl.
Bowling released her debut album Distillation Of A Dream: The Music Of Phish Reimagined For Solo Piano through Royal Potato Family last year, which featured a reimagining of the Vermont quartet’s “Lake Tahoe Tweezer” (July 31, 2013) that Bowling has also issued on vinyl. The latest vinyl compilation will be a companion to continue the series of her piano “jam transcriptions,” and is pressed on 150-gram red transparent vinyl with album artwork from a linocut Isadora Bullock print. Only a 500 limited-edition run is available; copies can be picked up here, or for those heading west for Phish’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium shows, Bowling will host a record release party at PhanArt’s San PhranArt Show on Tues., July 19 at Mezzanine.
Here’s what Bowling shared about her second record via Facebook:
Catch Bowling at Twiddle’s Tumble Down in Burlington, VT, July 29 and 30, and at the Night Lights Music Fest in Sherman, NY, on Aug. 27, before she heads to the southeast. And watch as Bowling walks viewers through her “jam transcription” process for the “Chicago Wedge” in the video below:
Trapped in time and don’t know what to do about scoring that next only-found-on-lot shirt to add to the collection? Relax, and seek out a PhanArt show coming to a tour near you this summer, including debuts in San Francisco, California and the Green Mountain State. If you’re heading west to see the Phish from Vermont’s two-day Bill Graham arena run, stop by the aptly dubbed San PhranArt Show on Tues., July 19 at Mezzanine in San Francisco. And later on this month, PhanArt will host A Country Crisp Sunlight on July 30 at Club Metronome in Burlington, VT, as part of Twiddle’s Tumble Down festival.
The San PhranArt Show will feature Phish-inspired merchandise from more than 20 artists and vendors. Think a one-stop shop for all things music: special edition tour shirts, posters, pins, stickers, photography, Henrietta’s Secret bikinis and more in one location. Hand-selected for this exhibition are artisans like Ryan Kerrigan, Super Rad Cape Co., TRiPPs Prints, Isadora Bullock, Ant Pharms Tour Pins and Designs, Fred Sutter, Level 42, Drivenpunk Glass and Terry O’Brien. The Mockingbird Foundation will also be on hand selling The Phish Companion 3. And stick around for the Pink Talking Phishafter-party at Mezzanine from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. with Will Magid’s Alligator Spacewalk.
PhanArt‘s A Country Crisp Sunlight at Club Metronome coincides with Twiddle’s Tumble Down, a weekend music experience at the Waterfront Park in Burlington. This showcase will feature some of the finest fan-based creations from White Light Foundation, the Phactory, the Shakedown Shop, Burns Designs Art by Joshua Letourneau, Pin Me Down, YEMshades, Dirty Birdz Goods, JEMagination, Sneaky Pig Productions, the Eden’s Rose Foundation and Greg Horowitz Photography. Holly Bowling will provide the soundtrack for the day — Grateful Dead and Phish piano interpretations — with a noon performance at the historic Nectar’s, which is located below the art-show venue.
Since 2013, PhanArt exhibitions have been hosted in Atlantic City, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami and Philadelphia, and the events, produced by Pete Mason of PhanArt and NYS Music, continue to promote unique artisan goods, while strengthening the music community and raising funds for charitable arts causes. And as always, PhanArt shows are free to the public, and both upcoming exhibits will be held from 12 to 5 p.m.
This summer, the famed Beach Boys leader, Brian Wilson, breezes into Syracuse for a good vibrations performance at the Great New York State Fair. The legendary songwriter’s tour stop in Central New York is part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the group’s iconic 1966 album, Pet Sounds, in which Wilson will perform in its entirety at Chevy Court on Aug. 29.
A follow-up to 1965’s The Beach Boys Today! Wilson’s Pet Sounds became his masterpiece, and at the time, it was one of the most expensive albums produced, at a cost of more than $70,000. Although the album was not as commercially successful in the United States as it was in the United Kingdom, it is now considered to be one of the most influential, and first experimental, concept albums. The 36-minute psychedelic surf rock record — inspired by the Beatles’ Rubber Soul — moved the group from on-the-surface lyrics of girls, cars and California living to a more introspective side. On revisiting the album, Wilson, 73, told the Nottingham Post, “It was a happy time in my life. I was young and creative, and it brings back a lot of good memories for me.”
On June 10, Capitol Records released a 50th anniversary collector’s edition of Pet Sounds that features a four CD/Blu-ray audio versions in a hardbound book and 180-gram vinyl editions in both mono and stereo, plus session outtakes, alternate mixes and unreleased live recordings. Touring in support of it, Wilson will be joined by former bandmates Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin to recreate the Beach Boys’ 11th studio album that features popular songs like “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “God Only Knows,” “Sloop John B” and “Caroline, No.” (Listen to the full album here.) Tour dates during this anniversary run also include stops at the Ottawa Jazz Festival on July 3, Toronto on July 4, Burlington, VT, on July 6, New York City’s Beacon Theater on Sept. 24 and at the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts on Sept. 28. The Chevy Court concert is set for Mon., Aug. 29 at 8 p.m.; the show is free with admission to the fair.
According to Syracuse.com, Troy Waffner, acting fair director, dubbed the concert as a “once-in-a-lifetime event,” adding that, “this will be a magical night for fans of that band and album, but also a great night for others to discover some of the most important music of its time.”
Although the jazz-funk fusion trio has been silent for bit, Medeski Martin and Wood recently announced the release of a new record this fall, followed by the news that the band would celebrate its 25th anniversary with two shows in New York City in October.
After performances at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre (July 22) and in Esslingen, Germany, (Sept. 2), John Medeski (keyboards), Billy Martin (drums) and Chris Wood (bass) will regroup for two nights at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City. The Bleecker Street venue currently rests on the site of the old Village Gate where MMW played their first show together. The anniversary concerts are set for Oct. 19 and 20; special guests are soon to be added to the bill.
As reported by Jambase, the news that MMW was back in the studio at work on a new album came from a Tweet by drummer Billy Martin:
Very excited that @MMWBand will finally release a new record this fall!
MMW dropped their debut album Notes From the Underground in 1992, and the group’s last release Free Magic came out in 2012 via the band’s label Indirecto Records. In 2011, MMW recorded brand new tracks to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their musical journey together, and aptly named the compilation 20. This fall, the three-piece is releasing a collaborative recording with the 20-member ensemble Alarm Will Sound.
Tickets for the quarter-century celebration — both single-day and two-night offerings — went on sale at noon today through the venue’s website.
A follow-up to the chart-topping breakout album Me Oh My (2015), the Honeycutters’ latest release, On the Ropes, brings a breezy soundtrack for Sunday driving down that lonely country mile.
Frontwoman Amanda Anne Platt (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) comes on strong in the record’s opening title track, before lulling listeners along in “Blue Besides.” It’s the third song, “Golden Child,” that demands full attention, with its bluesy vocals, relatable lyrics and soul-bending composition.
Throughout 12 original songs, Platt shares personal stories from the battlefield that cover the spectrum of love, loss and learning, writing “I’ve been a stranger here before, I’ve been a soldier, I’ve been the war, and I’ve done my time on the wrong side of the door, I’ve been peaceful, I’ve been wild, I’ve been a Golden Child.” She’s down-to-earth in her delivery of tell-it-like-it-is advice (“hang up that halo and get by with the rest of us, let those wings go to rust…you’re not taking any chances, you’re looking for that easy answer”) from one strong-headed woman who’s “not hanging up my spurs, I’m just telling you I’ve learned.”
Although not as mountain as Gillian Welch, the Hastings-On-Hudson native and Skidmore College graduate’s sweet, natural vibrato is a refreshing sound coming out of the songstress’ current base of Asheville, NC. And accompanying bandmates, Rick Cooper (upright, electric bass), Josh Milligan (drums, vocals), Matt Smith (pedal steel, electric guitar, dobro) and Tal Taylor (mandolin), are the perfect mixer for a polished concoction of rock and country elements with a sprig of rural Appalachia.
From swingy, borderline pop-twang in “The Handbook” to steady rock in “Back Row,” highlighted by harmonica (played by Platt’s father, Mark) and electric guitar, to the slouchier slide and mandolin in “Useless Memories” to the trimmer distortion in “Ache” that makes the raw emotion feel real, and a jaunty, shimmery cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” it’s all here, before the record is capped off with a dusty picture of gunslingers and barroom girls in “Barmaid’s Blues.”
The Honeycutters have surely made something out of nothing with their fourth studio album, On the Ropes (out now through Organic Records); it’s alternative Americana at its finest, and Platt’s sincere songwriting is the gravy on the biscuits.
Key Tracks: Golden Child, Back Row, Ache, Hallelujah
During Sunday night of the first-ever Rock ‘N Derby, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine asked the crowd for a moment of silence for late drummer Nick Menza. “I don’t know if you know this or not, but Nick went to heavy metal heaven last night,” he said, before leading the group into “Trust.” Watch the homage to the former bandmate in the video below.
On May 21, Menza, 51, died onstage during a performance with his current band, OHM, at the Baked Potato in Los Angeles. According to an official statement, Menza collapsed three songs into the set, and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful; it was later reported that he suffered a massive heart attack and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
The late heavy metal drummer was with Megadeth during the group’s peak commercial success in the 1990s. Nick Menza contributed his signature drumming style to the albums Rust in Peace (1990), Countdown to Extinction (1992), Youthanasia (1994) and Cryptic Warnings (1997).
After news of Menza’s passing became known, the Twittersphere and other social media channels were abuzz with expressions of sympathy from former bandmates Mustaine, David Ellefson, Marty Friedman and Chris Poland, among other rockers like Steve Lukather (Toto) and author J. Marshall Craig who was working with Menza on his memoir. In the excerpt below from Megadeth’s Facebook page (see the full post above), Mustaine explained his personal relationship with the former bandmate:
…As a player, Nick had a very powerful jazzy flair, unpredictable and always entertaining. And as great a drummer as he was, the time spent with him as a person, a bandmate, and a friend was even more fun. There were several times we discussed him coming back to the band, but for various reasons it never came together. We’ve been in touch all along, he had come out to our shows recently, and he had remained a great friend, a true professional and a larger than life personality…”
Before Megadeth played the May 22 show at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds during Rock N’ Derby, Mustaine announced plans to honor Menza through an all-alumni benefit concert in California on the Albany rock station Q103, according to Loudwire. Stay tuned for updates on this Megadeth band members reunion show.
Bands on the Bricks is back for summer 2016 at Rochester’s Public Market. The free Friday evening concert series kicks off at the Union Street location on July 8, and this year’s lineup includes Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Donna the Buffalo, Turkuaz and Aqueous, among others.
Bands On the Bricks takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. every Friday starting July 8 and ending Aug. 5 at the City of Rochester’s Public Market — seating is limited, so don’t forget your folding chair. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and remember, no shoes, no shirt, no entry.
Bands on the Bricks summer concert series 2016:
7/8 – Latino Night in partnership with the Puerto Rican Festival of Rochester, Inc.
7/15 – Three Heads Brewing Night with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Suburban Plaza
7/22 – Food Truck BBQ Contest Night with Cats Under The Stars: Tribute to Jerry Garcia Band and Subsoil
7/29 – Donna the Buffalo
8/5 – Turkuaz with special guest Aqueous
This summer, English rockers the Temperance Movement will debut the sophomore album, White Bear, followed by a headlining tour.
The five-member outfit kick off the July run at the Ride Festival in Telluride, Colorado, and are scheduled to make stops at Lost Horizon in Syracuse, Mercury Lounge in New York City and Underground Arts in Philadelphia before the tour closes in Detroit. And on May 15, the group exclusively premiered the video for the record’s title track via Loudwire.
The three-minute video was the creation of noted photographer and director Steven Sebring, who used his signature “revolution system” camera techniques to produce a stunning visual manipulation of time and light. Sebring also created the album’s cover image “of a girl and a bear, interlaid and overlapping in magical realism” inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky’s essay, Winter Notes on Summer Impressions.
The rising rock band that includes vocalist Phil Campbell, bassist Nick Fyffe, drummer Damon Wilson and guitarists Paul Sayer and Matt White. Although bearing the same name as the prohibitionist social movement of the 1900s, the Temperance Movement is not straightedge when it comes to gritty rock and roll. They have opened for heavyweight acts like the Rolling Stones, and this summer, the group shares the Ride Festival bill with Pearl Jam and Cage the Elephant, among others.
White Bear officially drops July 15 via Fantasy Records, but is available for pre-order now via iTunes and Amazon. If you want to see them live, scan the dates here or below to see if the Temperance Movement is coming to a venue near you.
The Temperance Movement summer 2016 tour:
7/9-10 – Ride Festival – Telluride, CO
7/12 – Marquis Theatre – Denver, CO
7/14 – Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL
7/15 – Limelight – Peoria, IL
7/16 – The Stache at Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI
7/18 – Lost Horizon – Syracuse, NY
7/19 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
7/20 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
7/22 – A&R Music Bar – Columbus, OH
7/23 – The Shelter at Saint Andrews Hall – Detroit, MI
What began as a senior project for high schooler Diggy (Elijah) Lessard has transformed into a celebrity event at Woodstock Day School.
This month, a star-studded cast of actors, musicians and the like will perform in “Modern Vaudeville” to benefit the Kingston school’s music program. The one-night only event is scheduled for Sun., May 22 at 7 p.m. at BSP Lounge Kingston.
Lessard has plans to attend Sarah Lawrence (Class of 2020), and created the original theatrical production as part of his WDS graduation requirement. The show has garnered guest stars like Diggy’s father, bassist Stefan Lessard of the Dave Matthews Band, as well as Bobby Tisdale of Bob’s Burgers and the Hudson Valley’s own Marco Benevento. Other featured performers include burlesque artist Veronica Varlow, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not magician Albert Cadabra and the Strangecoats. More well-known names are expected to be added to the lineup, too.
“Modern Vaudeville” is based on the short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” which Diggy Lessard read in 10th grade and was immediately drawn to its theme of “brothers and the fierce love between siblings.” The variety show will be a staging of art forms from circus to comedy to dance, music, magic and drama.
“I have such a huge connection and passion for performing,” Lessard said in a press release. “And I wanted to put on a unique and special show. My parents introduced me to this genre of entertainment and I was hooked.”
When creating his project, Lessard set a fundraising goal of $20,000 with creative sponsorship perks for local businesses like original advertisement jingles starring the Strangecoats. The collective house band includes drummer Jason Bowman (Five Points Band), Peter Dougan (WDS music teacher), Will Bryant (Connor Kennedy/Gene Ween Does Billy Joel), Amy Helm, Simi Stone, singer/songwriter Elizabeth Mitchell (Ida), Acacia Bowman (Five Points Band), Lisa Green (co-founder of The Paul Green Rock Academy) and Lessard’s father, Stefan, along with fellow Rock Academy students. So far, several thousand dollars’ worth of sponsorships have already been sold.
Tickets for the PG-13 “Modern Vaudeville” show are $10 in advance and $15 at the door and can be purchased online here. Check out this rehearsal video for a 15-second preview of “The Scarlet Ibis.”
Catskill Chill Festival has announced the third wave lineup. Joining the festival are Lettuce; some members of the band including Eric Bloom, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Nigel Hall, Adam Smirnoff and Erick Coomes will also perform with Borahm Lee in “Bitches Bloom: A Tribute to Miles Davis.”
Catskill Chill will feature a special performance by Reed Mathis & Electric Beethoven, which includes heavy hitting musicians Reed Mathis (Billy & the Kids, Tea Leaf Green), Jay Lane (Primus, Ratdog), Todd Stoops (RAQ), Cochrane McMillan (Tea Leaf Green) and Clay Welch. A 10-piece soul/funk band Funky Dawgz Brass Band completes this line-up.
Updated 6/9/16:
Catskill Chill Music Festival released the second phase of 2016’s lineup, featuring a packed bill of diverse artists like George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Electron, Turkuaz, Cabinet, Formula 5 and Space Jesus. The seventh annual September event is throwing in a few new surprises, too, including a Thursday night pre-party.
To kick off the first time at New Minglewood, Chill is hosting an onsite pre-party the night before the festival begins that will feature two sets of Twidde, along with music from Jimkata, Aqueous and Trakstar. And teaming up for collaborative tributes are Dopapod and Turkuaz as Dopakuaz Does Yacht Rock, and Pink Talking Phish and Kung Fu will cover the music of Prince and David Bowie, while Particle and the Werks will play as PartiWerks, plus a Chillfam Allstars Thriller Tribute.
Catskill Chill Music Festival tickets and cabins are still available, and discounted early bird ticketing has been extended to Friday, June 10. See the full 2016 lineup below.
Mike Gordon
George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic*
Greensky Bluegrass
Electron*
Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass
Break Science Live Band and Duo Sets
Dopapod
Goldfish
Perpetual Groove
Deep Banana Blackout
Rob Garza DJ Set*
Turkuaz*
Kung Fu
The Werks
Cabinet*
Particle
Zach Deputy
Ryan Montbleau
Orgone
The Nth Power
The Main Squeeze
Pink Talking Fish
Tauk
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
Space Jesus*
Roosevelt Collier’s NY Get Down
Tom Hamilton’s American Babies
The Heavy Pets Tribute to the ‘80s
Gibbz*
Jen Durkin & The Business*
G-Nome Project
Big Something
Scott Pemberton
Elise Testone’s Zeppelin Tribute
The Magic Beans
Danny Mayer Trio
Beau Sasser’s Escape Plan
The Indobox
Lespecial Primus Tribute
The Primate Fiasco
Hayley Jane and The Primates
The Jauntee*
West End Blend
Shwizz
Fikus
ShwiKus
Out of the Beardspace
Turbine plays Radio Dead*
Mister F
Strange Machines*
Broccoli Samurai
Relative Souls*
The Breakneck Boys
Formula 5*
Youth Posse
Animal Reporters
Collaborations: Dopakuaz Does Yacht Rock*
Pink Talking Fu: Prince Bowie*
PartiWerks = Particle + The Werks*
Chillfam Allstars Thriller Tribute*
This afternoon, the Catskill Chill Music Festival released the initial lineup for its seventh-annual event happening Sept. 23 through 25. Artists scheduled to headline are Mike Gordon, Greensky Bluegrass and Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass.
Other acts sharing this year’s festival bill include Break Science, Dopapod, Goldfish, Perpetual Groove, the Werks, Kung Fu, Deep Banana Blackout, Particle, Zach Deputy, Ryan Montbleau, Pink Talking Fish, Tauk, Hayley Jane and the Primates, Mister F and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. Tributes for Chill 2016 are an ’80s-themed show by the Heavy Pets, Elise Testone’s Zeppelin Tribute and Lespecial Primus Tribute.
Past lineups have featured notable groups including Particle, moe., Yonder Mountain String Band, Lotus, the New Deal, Keller Williams, Lettuce, Umphrey’s McGee and Galactic.
In February, festival organizers announced a venue change from the summer camp in Hancock to New Minglewood in Lakewood, Pennsylvania, but noted that the Chillfam can expect similar amenities including rental cabins, lakefront setting, free parking and camping, plus indoor movie theaters, yoga, art and wellness workshops and an outdoor main stage.
The campground opens at 9 a.m. on Friday and will close at 1 p.m. on Monday. More festival guidelines can be found here. Tickets are on sale now through the event website; details on VIP and RV packages are coming soon. And as Neil Benjamin Jr. noted in his coverage of the Catskill Chills of summer’s past, “It’s an experience that cannot be recreated anywhere else.”
The 
A follow-up to 1965’s The Beach Boys Today! Wilson’s 
