Category: Photo Gallery

Sonic Boom: Cage the Elephant Stampedes Albany’s Palace Theatre

“We’re not going to have any of that sitting down shit,” announced Cage the Elephant’s guitarist, Brad Shultz, during the band’s May 11 show at the Palace Theatre. Staying true to this promise, the Kentucky rock band delivered a stand-up spirited and dynamic two-hour performance — with frontman Matt Schultz constantly careening around the stage — that literally kept the crowd on its feet.

Originally planned for the Times Union Center, the concert was moved to the Palace Theatre earlier this month, and ticket holders were granted general admission seating in the floor and balcony sections of the historic Albany venue.

The night began with the Oklahoma-based indie group, Broncho, who is expected to release a new album, Double Vanity, on June 10. Portugal. The Man followed with an energetic performance that primed the crowd with excited anticipation for the night’s headliner; stand-out highlights include “Modern Jesus,” “Purple Yellow Red and Blue” and a familiar melody heard toward the set’s end that teased the Beatles “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).”

Cage the Elephant opened with “Cry Baby” from their most recent album, Tell Me I’m Pretty (2015), and soon after played “Spiderhead” off of the Grammy-nominated Melophobia (2013). The audience sang along to every word of “Spiderhead,” as Matt Shultz danced and strutted across the stage. His energy was relentless throughout the night, as the lights flashed in sync with the beat of the drums and reached to the balcony with colorful designs.

Toward the middle of their set, they played the crowd-pleasing hits “Trouble” and “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked.” As the night progressed, individuals attempted crowd surfing or jumped on stage themselves to join the band. This didn’t seem entirely discouraged by security, or the band themselves; throughout it all, Matt Schultz displayed unyielding stamina that never slowed down or stopped. They closed the show with the popular tune “Come A Little Closer,” before performing a three-song encore.

Coming back before the encore, Brad Schultz led the audience in a sing-along for touring guitarist Nick Bockrath’s birthday. This was followed by more group singing during “Cigarette Daydreams” with the lead singer holding his microphone stand out to the audience, and again for “Shake Me Down.” As the evening came to a close, more and more individuals jumped on and off stage.

For the last song of the evening, Matt Schultz remarked, “let’s see how many of you we can fit on this stage,” which led to a surge of audience members in floor seating to rush the stage. A mass of people joined the band, dancing along, as Matt and the rest of the gang became nearly indistinguishable among the crowd, while closing with “Teeth.”

Cage the Elephant delivered an unyielding, frenzied performance. Despite sporadic issues with the sound, it will remain as a memorable concert moment, particularly due to lead singer Matt Shultz’s resilience and energy throughout the Wednesday evening Palace Theatre performance.

Set list: Cry Baby, In One Ear, Spiderhead, Take It or Leave It, Aberdeen, Too Late to Say Goodbye, Cold Cold Cold, Trouble, Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked, Mess Around, Punchin’ Bag, Telescope, Back Against the Wall, It’s Just Forever, Come A Little Closer

Encore: Cigarette Daydreams, Shake Me Down, Teeth

May 18, 2016
The New Stew Stirs Up Brooklyn Bowl

On Monday night in Brooklyn, recently-formed supergroup The New Stew, recreated the underappreciated live album Bill Withers: Live from Carnegie Hall. Walking onto the unusually danceable floor of the Bowl during the opening classic “Use Me”, you had the sense that those in attendance were not only there to hear Withers’ tunes, but also to see these well practiced musicians cook up something special.

“Friend of Mine” concluded with Yonrico Scott (longtime member of The Derek Trucks Band) abandoning his percussion kit, grabbing a bongo, and joining lead singer Corey Glover (Living Colour/ Galactic) at the front of the stage while he beat the drum so hard that the audience could see wood chips flying off the seemingly handmade mallet. As a side note, this band was not a cover band, but a tribute band, and these sizzling improvisations continued to come to life all night while staying true to the set list created by Mr. Withers over 40 years prior. Wither’s first hit, “Ain’t No Sunshine” found Glover pouring his heart out over the microphone while Roosevelt Collier closed his eyes and sent Withers a “thank you” in the form of “sacred steel” lap guitar notes. After the song faded away, Glover asked the room, “Why these songs so old and still so relevant,” which felt like the theme of the evening.

On the day after Mother’s Day, “Grandma’s Hands” felt appropriately placed and gave the audience one more slow groove before jumping into “World Keeps Going Around.” Dave Yoke (Susan Tedeschi Band) on the 6-string, provided some friendly soloing competition with Collier on lap steel. The crowd ate it up during the uplifting rendition, which led to the first true love song of the night, “Let Me in Your Life.” In any great set list, the artist develops peaks and valleys from slow songs to barn-burners (or Bowl burners in this case). “Better Off Dead” out of the aforementioned song was definitely the transition piece missing from this beautiful puzzle. In the 15 years of the songwriter’s performing career, Withers became know as the “Troubadour of Soul,” covering many different genres. This one can definitely be filed as “F” for FUNK! Kevin Scott’s (Col. Bruce Hampton’s Pharaoh Gummit) bass spiced up the stew while Jared Stone (Stone’s Stew) added flavor from behind the drum kit.

One thing missing from the original live recording was the witty banter provided by Withers in regards to his band and what influenced the writing of many of the tracks. In true tribute fashion, Glover connected with the audience in the same way when he stated “I wish I was down there watching that” in reference to Collier’s boiling hot solo during “For My Friend.” “I Can’t Write Left Handed” is like an R&B version of a wartime Johnny Cash song, which makes sense considering Withers shared some similarities in terms of the songwriters’ backgrounds. The two were humble, had a unique sense of humor and were proud to fight for independence and entertain the country they served (coincidentally Withers was born of the fourth of July). Another similarity between the two icons is their respect for their fellow man and few tunes cover that topic better than “Lean On Me.” After so many magical moments in the evening, it is hard to pick one highlight, but “Lean On Me” appeared to be the most anticipated song of the night as Withers fans new and old hugged it out during this spirit-lifter. The extended “call me” refrain was repeated almost a dozen times as the audience and band came together to complete a touching duo of slower tunes.

Matt Slocum (Oteil and the Peacemakers) displayed his talent on the keys while teaming up with Collier and Scott during “Lonely Town, Lonely Street” to get the Bowl shaking again. Glover grinned from ear to ear after crushing “Hope She’ll Be Happier” and the room let him know it. The New Stew took us to church for the “Let Us Love” set closer which left the guests hungry for more as they returned for the medley encore of “Harlem/Cold Boloney.” The night ended with a Glover led call/response of “Do you feel good? Yes, yes, yes. Do you want to go home? No, no, no!”

In a world where cover bands, Youtube and Spotify are the most prevalent means of listening to the sounds of yesteryear, rare supergroup tribute bands like The New Stew come along to not only bring us back in time, but to bring us back in spirit. While Bill Withers and his band provided the musicians with a soulful framework and influence, each member added their own special sauce to the dish making it a special that we hope to see on the Brooklyn Bowl menu again.

May 15, 2016
Twiddle, Tauk, Holly Bowling and Matisyahu Combine for an Epic Night at The Capitol Theatre

Take the fastest rising jamband in recent years, add in a hot prog-rock band boiling over with talent, a classically trained pianist performing the music of Phish and The Grateful Dead, and a cross-genre reggae singer and you have the fixings for one of the best nights of live music The Capitol Theatre has seen this year, and that’s saying a lot., with Twiddle, Tauk, Holly Bowling and Matisyahu to credit.

The night began with Holly Bowling’s performance at Garcia’s, a benefit for The White Light Foundation, Twiddle’s charitable wing. Being that this was Garcia’s, Bowling offered a spirited mashup of “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot” > “Theme from the Bottom” > “Franklins Tower” and a full Terrapin Station suite. Phish’s “Taste”, a newer addition to her repertoire was full of energy, as was the set closing “Harry Hood”, which found Twiddle keyboardist Ryan Dempsey joining for the latter portion of the song, leading to true keyboard cavalry between the two who enjoyed the dual experience immensely as evidenced by their ear to ear grins.

The remarkable talent of TAUK is something that continues to translate well directly from their studio albums, with an exclamation point placed firmly upon their music in the live setting. Fans gaped in awe at the musicianship performing an opening hour long set. “Eleanor Rigby” -> “In Bloom” capped off their set, a familiar appearance in setlists, and one that beckons for more variety from this quartet who have immense talent contained within to stretch into unfamiliar territory.

While a sell out of the Capitol Theatre is a goal for any rising or established band, it’s not like Twiddle hasn’t played to larger audiences. The rally around the band by the fanbase created an electric feel with familiar faces everywhere, even of those who are uninitiated to the music or skeptical of the group. The fans, these ‘Twiddlers’ (among the variety of names they have for each other – Frends, Twiddiots, Twiddlenauts, etc…) are what draws in attention to the band, as much as the band itself does. Like any mass following of a musician, the community that rallies around them is reflective of the music, and the base has the emotive welcoming personality found in Twiddle’s music. There is a syncopation between the music and the fans, something observed last year after attending four Twiddle shows over three months.

The “Blunderbuss” opener caught many off guard, as it was a debut fresh from the upcoming Plump Chapter 2, and a tight instrumental at that. The “Polluted Beauty” jam was driven by Gubb’s bass and Brooke’s drums, with an impressive funk jam that developed in “Wasabi Eruption” that was a highlight of the first set. Then “The Box” showed up and built off that energy; the build and electronic tone is the reason why “The Box” stands out as one of Twiddle’s strongest jam vehicles.

The all too familiar reggae sound of Twiddle was front and center in the set closing “Lost in the Cold.” It served as the perfect song for Matisyahu to join on with vocals, an unforced and natural fit, after having expressed admiration for the band. Following his contribution to “Lost in the Cold,” he took off his jacket and upon getting fans on the floor to put their hands up, he unexpectedly stage dove into the crowd. You don’t see this at jamband shows, or really any non-punk/metal show for that matter. It was a headscratcher as we headed into setbreak, but the energy from the set hardly dissipated.

A five song second set opened with “Grandpa Fox,” a little proggy no nonsense starter. And when there was a need for funk to keep it rolling, there was a driving funk, like in “Apples,” which featured a Michael Jackson medley and a severe dub jam as well. You gotta like this song. “Snycopated Healing” chilled things out with music to sway to, but “Frankenfoote” picked things up. Dempsey played the keys with his toes on this light, traditional Twiddle song, and one that is easily accessible to rookie fans. The encore began with a truly gracious Mihali giving thanks to the moms in attendance as well as the fans who sold out the Capitol Theatre only an hour before doors opened. With that, fans were treated to a bouncy “Zazu’s Flight” > “Hatti’s Jam” and “When it Rains, it Poors.”

Throughout this truly enjoyable show, the one aspect that I kept returning to was that despite the great deal of talent in the band, both individually and collectively, there are some spots where they play too few notes and could fill in some space, as brief but critical as those spaces may be. A lot of notes isn’t a bad thing.

This show at The Capitol Theatre was enough to wash away any bias and open eyes to see that Twiddle is a reset button on the jam scene, one in which they are strong advocates for the rising stars of the next wave of live bands. The history, the venue, and the centrality of location right off Interstates 95 and 87 led to their biggest NYC area venue show to date. The Beacon is the new goalpost in the continued domination of the band in Northeast markets.

May 10, 2016
David Gilmour Mesmerizes NYC for Three Nights at Two World-Famous Concert Halls

After almost immediately selling out one show at Madison Square Garden, the voice of Pink Floyd added a second night, and with the ticket demand still high, added a third night at Radio City Music Hall last month. David Gilmour recently concluded the North American portion of his Rattle That Lock world tour at the two famous NYC concert venues, and the rock legend mesmerized audience members fortunate enough to score tickets for one, two or even all three nights with his iconic guitar work. Photos by Carl Scheffel/MSG Photos

Gilmour’s NYC run began at Radio City on April 10 with many ticket holders still in line outside on 50th St. as he struck the first notes of “5 A.M.” Aside from this minor setback, the experience of this performance was quite special. The acoustics in the 6,000-seat music hall created a big, clean sound that washed over and enveloped every seat. Rather than a typical concert feel, the aesthetics of this performance made it seem like Gilmour was playing an intimate home living room show.

On the other hand, the arena setting of Madison Square Garden created a larger-than-life rock concert atmosphere for Gilmour’s performance. Not as cozy of a setting as Radio City, the crowd feel was looser and livelier. If we were to compare the two venues for an act such as Foo Fighters, MSG would likely claim the title for best event. However, the experience of Radio City was unsurpassed for seeing such a legend as Gilmour.

The set list for all three shows remained the same, save for a swap of “On An Island” and “The Girl in the Yellow Dress” during the second set. While it would have been interesting to hear more variety between each night, there were no complaints in having more opportunities to absorb the solos on “High Hopes” and “Comfortably Numb,” just to name a few. Gilmour’s overall selection of songs covered a palatable range of Pink Floyd classics and his 2006 and 2015 solo releases.

Before claiming disgruntlement for the sets not including more Pink Floyd staples, it’s important to remember that these weren’t Pink Floyd shows, as some MSG concert-goers expected. The new songs appearing on Gilmour’s Rattle That Lock were met with mixed paces of acceptance (typical for an artist’s first live performance of new material), but for the dedicated Gilmour/Pink Floyd fans, his shows hit the mark and lived up to expectations.

The fundamental anticipations of Gilmour’s NYC run were his extraordinary guitar work, performed on his Workmate (1955 Fender Esquire), The Black Strat (1969 Fender Stratocaster) and his Jedson lap steel, among others. Whenever the cue came that Gilmour was about to break into his solo, cheers erupted before he even started. Particularly during “High Hopes,” the audience melted into their seats as Gilmour backed away from the front of the stage to take a seat at his lap steel. Gilmour’s big intro on “Sorrow” knocked everyone back as it inflated Radio City’s art deco ceiling and shook some dust from MSG’s recently renovated canopy. The only disappointment was that “Comfortably Numb” did not last all night.

Joining Gilmour on this tour were many of the musicians who recorded on Rattle That Lock and some who have performed with him on previous tours, including the final Pink Floyd tour. To his right, the Roxy Music alumnus and renowned writer/producer Phil Manzanara complemented Gilmour’s guitar lines. Also joining Gilmour were Jon Carin and Kevin McAlea (keys), Steve DiStanislao (drums), João de Macedo Mello (saxes), Guy Pratt (bass) and Bryan Chambers, Louise Marshall and Lucy Jules (backing vocals). Although Gilmour remained in the spotlight, members from his tight-knit backing band occasionally took the lead or shared part in vocals Chambers’ memorable lead in the chorus of “In Any Tongue.”

On the visual front, lighting designer Marc Brickman and his crew nicely balanced painting a canvas behind the songs without over-dramatizing, and threw in a few clever chases from the lights around the moon screen that played on its geometry. Though the stage took a very similar form to Pink Floyd’s The Division Bell tour in 1994, it fit well for Gilmour’s solo performance.

If Gilmour’s shows were entirely about his guitar work, it wouldn’t be the mark of a well-rounded performance. Several moments throughout the show made it wholesome in that regard. The simple guitar duet “Wish You Were Here” solicited a 6,000- and 18,000-person sing-along (heard all the way down in the Financial District) that joined the audience together early in the set. “Money” took a funky turn after de Macedo Mello’s roaring sax solo as Gilmour doodled over his rhythm section, ending the song in full energy. The driving performances of “Astronomy Dominé” and the vocal call-and-response of Gilmour and Pratt on “Run Like Hell” breathed life into the second set, and also nicely bookended the set with two distinct periods in Pink Floyd history.

MSG may have been particularly subdued for the jazz-driven “The Girl in the Yellow Dress,” but the change in pace showed a songwriting side of Gilmour not seen before and gave de Macedo Mello an opportunity to show his chops in a more conventional setting. On a more serious subject, some found themselves transfixed on the animated video set to “In Any Tongue,” a very powerful and personal song resonating with those affected by recent wars. With so many moments speaking louder than words, we’ll have to wait for a DVD of one of his tour stops to be released to speak for itself (though video of another venue cannot enumerate the experience precipitated by Madison Square Garden and Radio City).

While this will likely be Gilmour’s last big tour as hinted in his Rolling Stone interview last year, it hopefully won’t be the last the U.S. will see of him. After cheers of “David! David!” following “Comfortably Numb” on his final night at MSG, Gilmour concluded his thank-yous with, “we’ll see you again one of these days.” With Roger Waters performing The Wall at Yankee Stadium in 2013 and Gilmour’s three nights in NYC in 2016, many bucket lists for younger Pink Floyd fans now have a few more checkmarks. Regardless of whether or not Gilmour will again gift stages here in New York with his presence, these three nights will be remembered forever.

Gilmour continues his Rattle That Lock tour in Europe, including two nights on July 7 and 8 at the Pompeii Roman Amphitheatre, where Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii was recorded, and several evenings at The Royal Albert Hall, London, in September.

Set 1: 5 A.M., Rattle That Lock, Faces of Stone, Wish You Were Here, What Do You Want From Me, A Boat Lies Waiting, The Blue, Money, Us and Them, In Any Tongue, High Hopes

Set 2: Astronomy Dominé, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Fat Old Sun, Coming Back To Life, On An Island*/The Girl In The Yellow Dress**, Today, Sorrow, Run Like Hell

Encore: Time->Breathe (Reprise), Comfortably Numb

*Radio City Music Hall only
**Madison Square Garden only

May 3, 2016
Amon Amarth Vanquish Water Street Music Hall

On Monday April 25, Rochester New York fell prey to one of Sweden’s most notorious metal bands. Amon Amarth kicked off their 2016 Jomsviking North American tour on April 17. Joining them on their voyage are fellow Swedes, Entombed A.D. and American thrash metal band, Exmortus.

The line outside the venue stretched the entire length of Water Street and then some. Some concert goers went as far as dressing in viking armor, helms and bracers in support of Amon Amarth’s musical theme.

Setting the pace for the evening was Sourthern California quartet, Exmortus. Their performance was enthusiastically received by the crowd throwing up their “horns.” The band consists of Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez on vocals/guitar, guitarist David Rivera, bassist Michael Cosio and Mario Moreno. Their set list for the evening was as follows: “Rising” “For the Horde” “Foe Hammer” “Death to Tyrants” “Moonlight Sonata (Act 3)” and “Metal is King.”

With the crowd already hungering for more, Entombed A.D. was next to take the stage. Consisting of Lars-Göran Petrov on vocals, Olle Dahlstedt on drums, Nico Elgstrand on guitar and Victor Brandt on bass, the Stockholm based band’s heavy riffs added fuel to the fire, as crowd surfers began making their way towards the front of the venue towards waiting Security. The band’s set list for the evening was in support of their February 26 album release Dead Dawn with songs such as “Dead Dawn” “Stranger Aeons” “Second to None” “Midas In Reverse” “Living Dead” “The Winner Has Lost” “Revel in Flesh” “Wolverine Blues” and “Left Hand Path.”

With the venue at near capacity, the fans were ready battle when Amon Amarth time came to slay the crowd. The stage was set with a giant viking helm emitting smoke with the drum kit perched atop between it’s horns. With their new album release, Jomsviking, which has dominated the charts around the globe, the band took the stage like a storm starting things off with the song “The Pursuit of Vikings.” The performance was met with more crowd surfing, chanting, fists in the air and horns raised enthusiastically. With frontman Johan Hegg sporting a drinking horn on his side and decorated leather bracers on his arms, he appeared as a viking warrior straight of some epic story. Backed by guitarists Ted Lundström and Johan Söderberg along with bassist Olavi Mikkonen and new drummer Tobias Gustafsson, the show raged on through the night with songs from the new album along with some old favorites. The set list being, “The Pursuit of Vikings” “As Loke Falls” “First Kill” “The Way of Vikings” “At Dawns First Light” “Deceiver of the Gods” “Cry of the Black Birds” “One Against All” “Thousand Years of Oppression” “Destroyer of the Universe” “Death in Fire” and “Runes to My Memory”

May 2, 2016
Turkuaz Ends Sold Out 3 Night Run at Brooklyn Bowl

On Saturday April 9, Brooklyn’s own Turkuaz closed out their three-night run to a sold out crowd at Brooklyn Bowl.

After the opening band, Sidewalk Chalk, began heating up the room to a simmer, Turkuaz brought the crowd to full on boil with their opening song “Lika” from their 2015 Digitonium release. Next up was “Chatte Lunatique” off of the Zerbert album, which had the crowd, brass section and backup vocalists bopping up and down in synch. Each band member sported their own signature, color-coded Members Only jacket on stage, reminiscent of a funky bag of Skittles that had somehow taken human form and hypnotized the Brooklyn Bowl. By the fourth song, and their first cover, Sam and Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin’” everyone from the back bar to the front of stage could taste the rainbow as the classic soul tune raged on.

The band took a minute to wipe the sweat from their faces before tackling “Lift It Up” into their most listened-to Spotify tune, “Bubba Slide,” off the Future 86 album. “Who were you two days ago/I’ll be damned if you should know,” are the opening lyrics to “Bubba” and on the third night of transformational Brooklyn run, the words took on a different meaning. There was a feeling in the room that something special was happening. We were witnessing a new brand of funk while simultaneously time-traveling to the golden age of the genre.

The 9-piece jammed on with a few more originals before capping off the first set with their second cover of the night, “I’ve Got a Feeling” by a band founded far away from Williamsburg, The Beatles. Just before the cover began, the audience started to thin out for a fresh beer or cigarette during what was sure to be the break of an already stellar set until they heard the opening riff to this Let it Be classic. People began sprinting back inside to be part of the action and as the cigarette flames were extinguished outside, a new fire started within. Since the last time Turkuaz ignited the Brooklyn Bowl flame in 2015, the band’s sound has evolved through hard work, relentless touring and attention to their craft. Ask any die-hard Turkuaz fan and they will tell you that the band gets better every time you see them in Brooklyn. Smiles covered the group’s faces as they proudly sang the symbolic lyrics “Everybody had a good year, everybody let their hair down, everybody pulled their socks up, everybody put their foot down.” Oh, yeah!

Set two’s energy picked off right where the first left off as Taylor Shell’s bass pumped out an extra groove-able intro to the Digitonium tune, “Doktor Jazz.” As if the band wasn’t hot enough on their own, they called upon James Casey (Trey Anastasio Band) and his saxophone wizardry to add some gasoline to the blaze. The band was just getting started as Casey exited the stage after a short lived, but memorable sit-in. The crowd appeared to have stretched their legs during set break as they put on an all-out dance clinic during the sexy “Desert Island,” “Coast to Coast,” “E.Y.E. (Lookin’ Good)” threesome of originals.

An extended version of “Tired of Talkin’” led the band to show the heavily-breathing crowd mercy after “Digital Love” to cool things down for a moment, well, slightly. As the second set was coming to a close each member was placed under the spotlight during “Gogo, Mr. Dodo,” but especially Shira Elias, who was dressed like a feminine synth pop version of the yellow Power Ranger. She definitely took lead on this second-set highlight as she shook the Brooklyn Bowl with her soulful pipes.

As Sunday morning was officially upon us, the band came out to cover one more song, The Talking Heads, “Take Me To The River.” Since the early days of Turkuaz, it has been no secret that the Heads have been one of the main influences from their tongue-in-cheek lyrics to their strange attire and genre melting sound. “Take Me To The River” may be one of the most covered and influential songs on the jam-band or funk circuit in the past 40 years and this group absolutely nailed their take on the Al Green penned piece. The climax came after the band collectively dropped the crowd into the funky waters of the venue.

Hours after the show ended the caption on the Turkuaz Facebook page reads, “This was truly one of the most special weekends we’ve experienced as a band.” After that power-funk spectacle, it is safe to say that the growing fan base had a pretty special weekend as well.

April 20, 2016
Miles Deep: Lucid Bids Farewell

Before I could even step inside I was already spotted. Walking down Brinkerhoff Street in downtown Plattsburgh on a Saturday evening, the bright lights of the newly reopened Strand Theatre could be seen for several blocks. And as I rounded the corner and approached this beacon of culture for the Lake City, numerous familiar faces turned towards me, smiled and ran over to say hello.

It sure had been a long time. And yet, it all felt like one gigantic moment, hung proudly on the mantle of my soul. Standing in front of the theatre, the sounds of legendary North Country rock act Lucid spilled out onto the streets — echoing across the deep waters of nearby Lake Champlain and pushing up in the heavens, ultimately swirling around the ancient Adirondack Mountains to the west. For the last 14 years, their melodies have been the soundtrack of the Champlain Valley and beyond, and now, it was time to put the record on pause with the recent announcement of their hiatus.And yet, the irony lay right at the start of the evening. You see, for as long as Lucid has been together, the Strand Theatre has been under renovation, a longtime storied venue whose rejuvenation rolled along at such a slow burn, one wondered if the embers were just some glowing mirage we’d only hoped for in dreams.

Wandering into the large building, hundreds of glorious beings milled about, most of which standing like a rippling ocean of rhythmic movement at the base of stage. And just as stood there in awe of the spectacle, you heard a noise above you and looked up, only to realize there was a full balcony of music freaks overhead. Sure, there were two full sets of music, roaring like a freight train across the spectrum of the band’s career, making musical stops ranging from reggae to hip- hop, gypsy to nitty-gritty blues. And yes, it a performance that sent a chill through your body, where you raised your arm and could see the goose bumps emerge. But, that wasn’t what the evening was about, at least for those in the band and their inner circle.

Lucid is (was) about creating a space for all walks of life to converge. It was a scene that was created to foster change, understanding, and happiness. It was about pulling into some random North Country town and showing them just how beautiful and mesmerizing the circus can be. It was about you, and me, and all of us. The power of their music, and their presence, is what was at the core of Lucid. They preached love, personal growth, and the joyous possibilities of humanity, where you can wake up everyday and conquer the world with your positive intent and bright light radiating from within.

And as I stood there on the side stage, watching my musical brothers take their final encore for may be awhile, I was struck by how loud the standing ovation was from the enormous crowd. It wasn’t surprising, it was more so awe-inspiring, this never-ending roundabout circle of passion and energy shooting back and forth between the band and the audience — the essence of what music is, always and forever. Lucid chose “Whiskey Dreams” for their encore, a song whose word ricocheted around the depths of my heart when the lyric “we are them, and they are us…” catapulted out of the speakers, tying a bow on a career that, to at least myself, still
has a few chapters left to write.

Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

Set 1: Suenos Intro Mind Trippin Four Winds>Gemini Eye* Boats Ancient Incantations Green Money Whoa Mamma$ Rainbow* San Pedro^ Po Man’s Blues^ Miles Deep Pushin Dirt

Set 2: Black Smoke Blessed and Cursed Ground on Up Tight Tight Body in Free*% Psychedelic Bad Habit Break a Man* Lucky Dice Came and Went>Silhouettes Styles of the Smooth Backwoods^

Encore: Whiskey Dreams$

* – Meadow Eliz
$ – Chris English
^ – George Wurster
% – Catherine Wurster & Shannon Rigsby

April 20, 2016
Turkuaz and lespecial Funk It Up Night Two at Brooklyn Bowl

Turkuaz continued their 2016 Digitonium Tour with a 3 night run at Brooklyn Bowl, featuring lespecial for their second night. If any NY funk lovers were looking for something to do for 3 days in April, this was it.

lespecial opened the night of groovy dancing and brought a lighter, funkier version of their death-funk/future-groove with some staples from Omnisquid such as “Fruit Wolf Dance”, “Sugaboi”, and “Pressed For Time” (guitarist/vocalist Gruskauskas’ vocal range truly shines on this track). The trio from Boston also featured classic cover of Les Claypool’s “My Name is Mud”, some new music in collaboration with some Turkuaz members and even a cover of Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World.” I’ve mentioned before in previous reviews, lespecial is truly one of my favorite bands to experience live as their genre-bending capabilities are unmatched!

Succeeding their funk-band-in-arms, Turkuaz took the stage and opened with a fitting “Introduction” from their recent album, Digitonium. Following a strong intro, a very funked up “The Rules” from the 2011 album Zerbert , had the crowd dancing and bopping from the floor to the bowling lanes. It was at this moment I realized what I had been missing; Turkuaz truly brings the funk and I had seen the light in only their second song of the night. Each piece of the band plays a very integral part as each member not only brings their extreme talent to each instrument and vocal aspect but also their own unique style. Some favorites from the night included “The Generator” and “King Computer” from Digitonium and “Tip Toe Through the Crypto” and “It’s So Hard” from the Stereochrome EP.

Turkuaz’s second set was very special as they dedicated the entirety of it to The Band. They opened with a very funky “Chest Fever” followed by an affectionately soulful “Ophelia” and then an extremely heartfelt “The Night They Drove Dixie Down.” “Up On Cripple Creek” seems to have been made for them to cover as they certainly shined in all aspects whilst rocking the track. Naturally, during “The Weight”, a beautiful sing-a-long manifested from the crowd and a very dancey “Don’t Do It” got everyone moving and shaking. Closing out with a fervent and almost spiritual “I Shall Be Released” it’s an understatement to say that Turkuaz did these anthems justice; they put their all into every track and made each one a unique experience. Turkuaz is an amazing spectacle of talent, color and funk. If you consider yourself a fan of live music and have not experienced a Turkuaz show, you’re doing yourself an injustice.

April 19, 2016
The Human Experience/Gone Gone Beyond Thrive at House Of Yes

From his recent performance at House of Yes in Bushwick, David Block (The Human Experience) brought a night full of heartfelt, new music with his live endeavor, Gone Gone Beyond. The event opened with the artists asking all in attendance to momentarily pause, hold the hand of the person closest to you and have a moment of gratitude; this task was quite easy as House of Yes seems to engender a feeling thankfulness any time I find myself there.

The combination of The Human Experience and House of Yes is essentially a no-brainer; a musical artist that combines ethereal, tribal sounds with heavy, grooving bass and an amazing venue that feels as if a Burning Man camp was transplanted to Bushwick makes for a wonderful experience. The name of the event was “The Vibe” which was quite fitting as there certainly was an understanding and sharing of similar emotional and musical platitudes amongst all in attendance.

Opening with “Ain’t Giving up on Love” from their self-titled album Gone Gone Beyond, Danny Musengo’s gratifying vocals and Block’s melodic piano chords had the crowd swaying and singing along to the chorus. Horns were brought out for “Back Swing” whilst an aerialist performed on some silks in the middle of the venue and I felt like I was in a circus tent in New Orleans, certainly a sight to behold. Closing with “Carnival” was proper as it got the crowd moving, dancing, and smiling as an entire aerial performance was occurring above the band on stage invoking carnival vibes tenfold. Following Gone Gone Beyond, was David Block himself as The Human Experience. Block’s ethereal, world sound were in full effect as many patrons were moving intently with their eyes closed as if to truly feel the music. As mentioned, the blend of The Human Experience and House of Yes is like no other; Block’s celestial sounds with HOY’s vibe and performers is an unparalleled experience.

April 18, 2016
Deadgrass Livens Up Garcia’s With Midweek Dose of the Grateful Dead

With its walls clad with Grateful Dead memorabilia and portraits of Jerry Garcia, Garcia’s continues its dedication to keeping the spirit of Jerry alive. A regular installment, DeadCenter Presents, brings the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead to the cozy club annexed to The Capitol Theatre.

Kicking off April’s series was Deadgrass, a collective of musicians from the Hudson Valley/greater NYC area delivering a captivating bluegrass interpretation of Garcia. Deadgrass is lead by Matt Turk (mandolin/guitar) and C Lanzbom, and joined by Clarence Ferrari (violin), Russ Gottlieb (banjo), and Dave Richards (bass).

Their two-set, full length performance weaved in and out of mellow grooves and blistering licks. For a late evening, mid-week show, the initially docile crowd found the mark with dancing feet before long once “Truckin’” rolled around. There was plenty of solo trading throughout the entire show albeit slightly more abbreviated during the first set. As the midnight hour drew nearer, especially during the second set, things loosened up quite a bit more as the songs became increasingly improv-laden.

After a short break, the second much looser second set marched forward starting from “Cumberland Blues” and included the popular run of “Scarlet Begonias” -> “Fire on the Mountain,” strung seamlessly together with a jam that slowly folded in the two-chord progression of the latter. Everyone on stage demonstrated some phenomenal chops in the jams, but Lanzbom’s blazing electric guitar solo on “Franklin’s Tower” gripped everyone’s attention.

One of the metrics for a Grateful Dead cover/tribute band is the vocal performance. On top of embodying the mix of structure and improv of the Grateful Dead in their set, Deadgrass did a great job in capturing the vocal harmonies and intonations led by Garcia. Both Turk and Lanzbom, who had a share in lead vocals, emulated Garcia’s performance well, particularly demonstrated by Turk on “Stella Blue,” a song in which the lyrics are a major component.

Deadgrass’ high energy and melodic bluegrass take on the Grateful Dead is refreshing and fun among the mix of the other great cover acts out there. For a Wednesday night, the DeadCenter series continues to be a substantial respite from the mid-week blues.

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April 16, 2016