Category: Photo Gallery

Formula 5 was ‘The Band That Could’ at Owsley’s Golden Road in Boulder, CO
For a while on Saturday, October 8, the four intrepid members of the Albany based jamband Formula 5, in the middle of their first tour of Western states, thought they’d be trapped in a “The Little Engine That Couldn’t” scenario with their trademark 70’s tour van that may well have driven off the set of the disco-era cop show, Starsky and Hutch. The trouble began about 40 miles south of Boulder as they headed from a tour stop in Taos, New Mexico. The van engine sputtered to stop. From that moment, the engine stopped repeatedly in ever shortening distances. But they chugged and chugged until finally, at the last stoplight, the band was able to safely push their ride into a parking space in front of their intended destination, the aptly named Owsley’s Golden Road, named after the Grateful Dead’s longtime tour manager and longtime acid expert par excellance.

Quickly, Formula 5 became “The Little Band That Could, and Did.” Despite the vehicle trouble, the band wasted no time ripping into a collection of original melodies that spun into robust jams laced with the occasional harmonizing lyrics. Even with extended improvisations, Formula 5 didn’t waste notes as they chewed their way out of a paper bag of vinyl musical traditions including funk, jazz, and psychedelic rock. They weren’t just the little band that could. They were the band that did. And then some.

Their tour rolls into Columbus, OH on Thursday, October 14, Athens, OH on Friday, October 15 and Scranton, PA on October 16.
October 13, 2016
Recess with Spinelli Interview with Caravan Palace

What do you get when you mix old swing music with modern electronic beats? Well, Electro-Swing of course! And who better to talk about the genre than the pioneers of Electro-Swing, Caravan Palace of Paris, France! From Robots, science-fiction to bras and vintage French porn and late night television, this is an interview you will not want to miss.

Listen to the abridged feature/interview

You can listen to the Full Radio Broadcast

On-stage, Caravan Palace proves they are performers and musicians; keeping the crowd engaged, dancing and of course swingin’.

Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on WSPN in Saratoga Springs, NY on 91.1FM and on Hoxton FM in London, England every Wednesday 11pm-1am GMT 6pm-8pm EDT

Follow Recess with Spinelli: Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube Soundcloud Mixcloud Tumblr and online at longbowmedia.us

October 11, 2016
Set Up Like a Bowling Pin: JRAD Knocks Down the Brooklyn Bowl Run

If the Brooklyn Bowl ever decides to create a Hall of Fame, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) can be sure to add “Fall Ball 2” to their list of accomplishments. As Saturday night wrapped up the sold out three-show run for this incredible quintet, I will non-apologetically say that they are the most important “cover band” in the world and are potentially better than anything Grateful Dead related today. The Bowl was where they capitalized on their first run as a newly developed powerhouse and years later, this all-star side project has become nationally recognized and a force to be reckoned with.

“Blues for Allah” welcomed the crowd to the show. The Dead rarely performed the spacey and complex composition live, which JRAD seems to greet as a challenge and ambitiously took the “Blues” to another level before stepping into a starry “Eyes of the World.” A delicate transition into “Minglewood Blues” was highlighted by Scott Metzger’s fiery guitar solo turning into the first fist-pumping barn-burner of the night. The band slowly eased into “The Wheel” with an extended jam taken over by Tom Hamilton in between the first and second verses. I couldn’t help getting chills as the five pieces screamed out the lyrics “bound to cover just a little more ground.” Observing the usual peaks and valleys of “The Wheel” from a viewpoint that only JRAD could capture was truly a magical experience and one of the highlights of the first set. The breathtaking transition into “Ramble On Rose” got the predictable crowd explosion as “just like New York City” was sung to their hometown audience. There was a Tom Hamilton lyrical mishap but with the room in a trance, nobody seemed to give a flying flub.

M erle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” was technically the night’s first cover that this cover band covered (make sense?). The cowboy song gave the thirsty crowd a few short minutes to grab a beer before returning for the otherworldly “Morning Dew.” The unusually energetic intro to the tune made some Heads scratch their beards but the euphoric meltdown in the middle orchestrated by Joe Russo’s team-captain drumming leadership was as mellow as it gets on a Saturday night. The always-powerful refrain was given some extra juice by Dave Dreiwitz’s bass bombs shaking the rafters as the first set came to an impressive close.

The second set got asses shaking right off the bat with “Crazy Fingers” and I am pretty sure you could actually smell the reggae influenced magic in the air. Another incredibly silky transition led to the monster “Truckin’” and once again the crowd showed some extra excitement in the lyrical reference to New York. The band also got a kick out the lyrics “set up like a bowling pin” which was evident by their ear-to-ear smiles as they exchanged glances. Joe Russo instigated a quick “The Other One” tease to keep the set list note takers on their feet, but the scribes weren’t disappointed with the next rarity, Donny Hathaway’s “Magnificent Sanctuary Band” popularly performed by the Jerry Garcia Band.

“Help On The Way> Slipknot” was the jazzy cherry on top of the second set sundae and gave Marco Benevento a chance to have his wings spread bright on the organ. Where Hamilton vocally shined during the first section, Benevento added a haunting solo during the thick of the jam. While many came to expect a glowing and upbeat “Franklin’s Tower” to be the other piece of bread to this incomplete sandwich, Benevento and Russo teamed up to create an eerie transition into “Estimated Prophet” which was reminiscent of an early Pink Floyd sample. Benevento used an effect that sounded like a spaceship in Atari’s Galaga being abducted by a larger spacecraft and the retro noise was very suitable at this point in the night. The first guest appearance came during the set closer as Chris Harford (Band of Changes) joined the boys for Neil Young’s “Hippie Dream” off the 1986 album, Landing on Water. The gritty and bluesy piece gave each member the instrumental spotlight for a moment before they stepped off stage.

The encore was an unannounced nod to a long time friend and JRAD enthusiast that recently passed away. “He Was a Friend Of Mine”, a traditional folk song popularized by Bob Dylan was performed acoustically as the members displayed their first sorrowful tone on stage since “Morning Dew.” This version is not to be confused with the “He Was a Friend of Mine” cited in Grateful Dead set lists throughout the mid to late 1960’s and felt more like something you may hear off a Garcia/ Grisman compilation. While the somber acoustic tune mourned the loss of a loved one, “Not Fade Away” celebrated their friend’s life and memory. The boys were back on their electric instruments as half the crowd “air keyed” along with Marco. Seasoned Deadheads began the “Not Fade Away” ending clap-chant combo along with the band, which echoed for a solid five minutes even after they left the stage. Security opened the exits encouraging fans to leave, but the community energy was keeping everyone warm inside and sure enough, the group came back for a surprise second encore, “Bertha” to cap off an incredible evening.

As the house music played and the audience finally began to exit the venue, I couldn’t help but stare at the vintage poster that has hung above the side doors since the early days of the Brooklyn Bowl. While the band’s title bares the description “Almost Dead” the words next to this mystical werewolf poster read “Real, Alive” and after a throw down like Saturday night, I think we can all side with the wolf.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is covering a little more ground at the Brooklyn Bowl on December 29^th before taking a short trip north for their two night New Year’s run at the Capitol Theatre on December 30^th and 31^st. Tickets are going fast and after this past weekend they are sure to sell out soon!

October 11, 2016
Photo Gallery: Riot Fest 2016 Douglas Park Chicago Day 3
Day 3 of Riot Fest 2016 has arrived and it is the day I have been waiting for since I was twelve years old. The original Misfits lineup will be taking the stage and performing together for the first time since 1983.

Santa Cruz punk band the Swinging Utters kicked off the third day of Riotfest. Led by frontman Johnny “Peebucks” Bonnel, the band led off with their classic hit “The Librarians are Hiding Something.” The crowd took over the singing duties during “No Eager Men” as Johnny jumped wildly around the stage. After a very spirited and entertaining set the band expressed their thanks and bid the crowd farewell.

Of course I have to mention the frontman for Twisted Sister, Dee Snider. Snider is currently touring in support of his solo album, We Are the Ones, scheduled to be released in October. Snider has acknowledged that the album is a new direction for him and he hopes fans like it and will continue to show their support. Snider gave the crowd a little taste of what he meant by “new direction” when he performed his version of the Nine Inch Nails hit “Head Like a Hole.” He performed a nice mix of his new music and of course Twisted Sister classics like “I Wanna Rock” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” It was truly a memorable performance by the rock legend. I was very fortunate to have been able to sit down with Dee Snider later that day and chat about his new music project.

There were so many memorable performances that it is tough to sum it all up. Bad Religion was amazing. Punk band Leftover Crack really got the audience revved up. Tiger Army brought their blend of punk and rockabilly to the festival, not to mention they were the best dressed band of the weekend. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes performed their unique versions of cover songs such as “Jolene” and my personal favorite “Over the Rainbow.” Earlier that day, I had the privilege of sitting down with Me First and the Gimme Gimme’s lead singer, Spike, to chat about Riotfest and the bands that he was looking forward to checking out.

The day kept getting better and better. The master of modern horror heavy metal, Rob Zombie, took the stage and performed the White Zombie classic album Astrocreep 2000 in its’ entirety. I have seen Rob Zombie live multiple times and had only heard him perform select tracks such as “More Human Than Human.” But getting to hear the entire album was awesome! Zombie’s current band consisting of John 5, Piggy D (Matt Montgomery) and Ginger Fish brought the album to a new level of intensity and depth.

Now, after 2 days and too many bands to count , it leads me to the one musical moment I have waited for since I was 12 years old… the Original Misfits were about to take the stage to close out Riot Fest 2016 in Chicago!

Looking around all you can see is an ocean of people jam packed into Douglas Park waiting to witness the music history that was about to unfold. The stage lights go down and the smoke rolls out over the stage and you could feel the anticipation building. Suddenly the curtain drops revealing two enormous pumpkins (from the Halloween 7” cover) on each end of the stage complete with eerie glowing eyes, and a wall of crimson ghost amps in the background. The crowd gets revved and then explodes into a massive mosh pit as Glenn, Jerry and Doyle lead right off with “Death Comes Ripping” the perfect song to set the tone for their set. They didn’t waste any time belting out classics like “20 Eyes,” “I Turned Into A Martian” and “Where Eagles Dare.” Backing up the original trio was the incredible and heavy hitting Dave Lombardo (formerly of Slayer) on drums and Acey Slade (Dope) on guitar. Both were excellent choices! Glenn took time between songs to tell stories about how he and Jerry formed the band back in 78. At one point Glenn paused and asked the audience if they liked pumpkins. Glenn and company played a lengthy set list of 26 songs from the bands 38 year history. They even played the first song Glenn and Jerry ever wrote and performed together “She” during their encore.

For me, this was the band that I had listened to since I was a kid. I collect their records, posters and memorabilia. I never thought I would witness an original lineup reunion in my lifetime and I have to say that I was completely floored by their performance. It was everything I expected and more, not-stop, high energy punk, massive mosh pits and bodies crowd surfing everywhere. My dreams come true!

Set list:
1. Death Comes Ripping
2. 20 Eyes
3. I Turned Into a Martian
4. Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?
5. Vampira
6. All Hell Breaks Loose
7. Hybrid Moments
8. Teenagers From Mars
9. London Dungeon
10. Earth A.D.
11. Green Hell
12. Devilock
13. Horror Business
14. We Are 138
15. Hollywood Babylon
16. Who Killed Marilyn
17. Halloween
18. Die, Die My Darling
19. Astro Zombies
20. Skulls
21. Last Caress
Encore:
1. Bullet
2. Night of the Living Dead
3. She
4. Attitude
As the final notes rang out and the crowd starting to clear this first trip to Riot fest and to Chicago will definitely be one I won’t forget!

Please enjoy the photos and interviews below from a killer final day at Riot Fest 2016!
October 9, 2016
Photo Gallery: Riot Fest 2016 Douglas Park Chicago Day 2

Punk veterans, The Vandals, kicked off day two of Riot Fest 2016 with some good old fashioned fast paced punk rock tunes. They whipped the audience into a beer throwing, pogo jumping frenzy. This was my first time seeing The Vandals and I am hoping I get the opportunity to catch them again at some point.

Other notables included the UK band The Hives, who despite a late start to their set, belted out hit after crowd pleasing hit. Alternative punk pop band Motion City Soundtrack took the stage to perform their second to last show. In March of 2016 the band announced that they were calling it quits for now and didn’t know what the future had in store for them. They invited their fans to come out to a show and sing along with them one last time.

It would be criminal not mention another icon who played an intense and incredible set, former Husker Du guitarist, Bob Mould! I was blown away by the passion and ferocity of his performance! At 55 he can easily shred and tear up the stage with the best of them! I was humbled to finally get the chance to see him perform.

Day two of Riot Fest 2016 ended with some of my personal favorites. What can top the Descendents and Social Distortion playing live? I have been fortunate enough to see both bands in the past and just like before, the Descendents were absolutely incredible live. Milo and the gang came out swinging hard and didn’t let up for the entire hour that they played. They tore through classic favorites like “Everything Sux,” “Rotting Out,” and “I Like Food” as well as some new songs. After an unforgettable 29 song set, the massive crowd was screaming for more.

I love Social Distortion and my favorite Social D album is White Light, White Heat, White Trash so you can imagine how thrilled I was when I found out that they would be performing the album in its’ entirety at Riotfest to celebrate its’ 20^th anniversary. Normally, I don’t get star struck when I am shooting bands but being in the photo pit when Mike Ness and the band took the stage and started playing “Dear Lover” left me awestruck with my jaw on the floor. It was definitely surreal. They ended their set with Johnny Cash’s immortal classic “Ring of Fire” which had the audience screaming so loudly it drowned out Morrissey who was playing on the other stage at the time. Thank you Social Distortion for performing my favorite album.

Earlier in the day I sat down with singer, songwriter Donna Missal. Even though I had missed her performance that morning, we had fun chatting about music and riot fest.

Day 2 was amazing. Please enjoy the photos and interviews below.

October 7, 2016
Buffalo Scores Big with Two Nights of moe. at Town Ballroom

It had been well over a year since moe. graced the Town Ballroom stage, when they arrived at Buffalo this past weekend. With their annual 2-night stay, fans were happy to have the band “home” again and this time with a last minute opening act Floodwood, featuring Vinnie Amico, Tony Markellis, Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni, and Chris Eves. Floodwood picked, kicked, and hollered with delight to a sold out anxious crowd, which included an original debut by Eves, titled “Green and Blue” featuring some warm vocals and smooth fiddle. This top-notch group flooded the room with enough hip-swinging rhythms to warm up any venue in western New York.

Night one started off rocking with “Rainshine,” a straight-forward rock song, not played enough in rotation. Without “huddle,” Rob led the group into “Jazz Wank,” segueing into a more than an hour long “Buster” sandwich including a seamlessly paired “Lazarus > George” and Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” Garvey captivated listeners with his silver-tongued vocals as Schnier lead out the solo with lust and emotion. Since their late-night tribute set at The Peach Fest, the guys have been working more Floyd tunes into their sets for the Fall tour.

Second set sluggishly took off with “Lost Along the Way,” picking up momentum during the instrumental section. The crowded Town Ballroom was then treated to a thick tasty “MEAT” sandwich, doubling up for the evening. The peak of the evening was surely this mamma-jamma, stuffed with tight-fitted solos from each member during “Akimbo” and “Silver Sun.” Topping off the night, Loughlin delivered radiant vocals on Frank Zappa’s “Cosmik Debris,” a tune first debuted at last years Halloween show in Philly.

Sparing little time and energy on Saturday, moe. returned to the stage of the Ballroom and hit-the-deck running with “Blue Jeans Pizza.” Chuck took it upon himself to set fire during the jam, enough to slap a consistent smile on Rob’s face for the duration. Al’s fun piano chops held together an interesting yet playful segue jam before switching to guitar for “Mexico,” which led into Merle Haggard‘s “Mama Tried.” Having only played that twice as a band (Once in 1997 and again last April), the majority of the audience sang along and danced their cares away. Acknowledging the culminating energy, Garvey simply stated “Round 2.”

Next, came a massive “Opium” containing plenty of sustained twang-ish slide guitar work, carried over by Chuck from the previous tune. A lengthy version allowed Vinnie to change up drumming styles, easing his way into “Understand.” Garvey took to the voice box for an honorable rendition of David Bowie’s “Fame” followed by “Same Old Story” to round off the first set.

Commencing the second set with “In the Flesh,” moe. proved how much they’re enjoying playing Pink Floyd as well as utilizing Jim’s voice. Given the opportunity, the ensemble intensely kicked up the energy with “Spaz Medicine.” Next came the last “sandwich” of the weekend with “Yodelittle > Down Boy > Yodelittle” featuring some notable lighting work by Pulse Lighting‘s own Justin Casey, who’s been having too much fun with the Clay Paky B-Eyes and Chauvet Rogue R1 FX-B series lights. After a brief pause, Garvey worked up some slide guitar again for “Shoot First” before segueing into an impressive “Billy Goat > Kids.”

Just before moe. took to the stage one last time, Schnier proceeded with the nightly “Al.nouncements” tradition. Unable to resist, he riled up the Buffalo crowd asking “So, here’s the question, are we gonna win tomorrow?” referring to the Bills vs. New England Patriots game on Sunday. With some New England fans scattered throughout the audience and on stage as well, the response was a little heated tho undeniably entertaining as Al had to explain that Bills Nation lasts year-long. moe. finished up their two-night “hometown” run with “Not Coming Down” and “Spine of a Dog,” giving Buffalo another win of the weekend.

Friday Night Photos by Tim Merrill

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Saturday Night Photos by Jim Houle

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October 4, 2016
March Fourth Struts its Stuff at the Boulder Theater

Confetti bursts of brass, acrobatics, Balkan music, writhing sweat-covered bodies, salsa, electro-swing, and funk mayhem exploded September 24 at the Boulder Theater with the arrival of the foot stomping March Fourth band from Portland Oregon. With about 20 performers, including stilt walkers, acrobats and a fierce percussive, brass-laden musician blazed its way through a wild set to promote the release of their new album, Magic Number.

Known as much for its steampunk circus costumes and vaudeville acrobatics, March Fourth has transitioned from its larger community band roots to a streamlined touring band devoted to its music. What started in 2003 as a one-off performance for a Fat Tuesday party in Portland has grown into a successful national touring act, averaging nearly 200 shows a year.

Colorado music fans have made March Fourth musicians feel like they have a second home. And with raw power and frenetic urgency, the band barreled out of the wood of the Northwest into Boulder like some kind of musical, Mardi Gras Bigfoot with its woolly hair on fire. March Fourth blasted its way through mostly original tunes that transformed the Boulder Theater into a rollicking, steamfunk, booty-shaking, rock-and-roll circus party that even Barnum and Bailey would envy.

October 4, 2016
Recess with Spinelli: An Interview with Dorothy

Radio host, Alexander Spinelli of the new music broadcast, Recess with Spinelli had a chat with the quartet, Dorothy after their show at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY. A fun chat with silliness abound, the band dives into some of their notions of “rock” in today’s music industry, origins, touring with the Struts and long walks on the beach in Hawaiian shirts, while sipping Mai Tais.

Listen to the abridged feature/interview

You can listen to the full feature/interview on the live radio broadcast

On-stage, the band’s presence is energetic, loud, raunchy and well, pure Rock ‘N’ Roll.

Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on WSPN in Saratoga Springs, NY on 91.1FM and on Hoxton FM in London, England every Wednesday 11pm-1am GMT 6pm-8pm EDT

Follow Recess with Spinelli: Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube Soundcloud Mixcloud Tumblr and online at longbowmedia.us

October 3, 2016
Joy Formidable interview on Recess with Spinelli

Alexander Spinelli of the new music radio program, Recess with Spinelli spoke with Rhydian, the bassist of the Welsh band the Joy Formidable. Rhydian discuses motivation, recording process, tour life, Welsh culture, music & language and their new album, Hitch.

Listen to the abridged feature/interview

You can listen to the full feature/interview on the live radio broadcast

While on-stage, the Joy Formidable are a well pieced band who look like they are having the best time of their lives. But don’t take our word for it; look at the photos below.

Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on WSPN in Saratoga Springs, NY on 91.1FM and on Hoxton FM in London, England every Wednesday 11pm-1am GMT 6pm-8pm EDT

Follow Recess with Spinelli: Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube Soundcloud Mixcloud Tumblr and online at longbowmedia.us

September 26, 2016
Simple Magic at Burning Man 2016, Black Rock City, NV (NSFW)

It was one of those hidden treasure moments, like when you open an old shoe box and discovered that your deceased father kept every Father’s Day card you ever mailed him. Or perhaps, as when, you stumble through a dry creek bed and find, wedged between two tree limbs, a small pock-marked, granite stone that over time was water-sculpted perfectly into a shape of a heart. It was one of those deceptively simple moments that showcases what’s best about the Burning Man Festival, I recently returned from that is held annually in the northern Nevada desert.

It was so simple of a moment; it began much in the same way an old joke begins. A drummer walks into a bar and sits next to Jesus and Santa Claus, and exclaims, “Hey! I know you!”

Only it wasn’t a joke. It was just another late afternoon under the carport canopy of Camp Gallavant’s pirate-themed rum bar. Michael Gray, the drummer of the talented honky-tonk trio The Screaming Js out of Asheville North Carolina, sauntered into dust-covered confines of Burning Man’s venerable AAAARRGH Bar and sat down next to me, a 15-year member of Gallavant. To Burners I am called Jesus, due to my former existence as a Southern Baptist preacher and my frequent Jesus-like attire. To many musicians like Gray and their festival/concert followers, I am known as Dirty Santa due to my just-as- frequent use of a red sequin Santa suit while photographing live music.

“Hey I know you!” exclaimed the bedraggled-looking drummer on the final afternoon of the festival as he sat down at the bar. The Screaming Js had just finished a week-long residency whipping boogie-woogie frenzies at a near-by theme camp. After Gray realized that I was celebrating my one-year wedding anniversary that happened at Burning Man last year, he jumped from his bar stool with an offer to relocate the band and equipment, including an upright piano, stand-up bass, and drum kit that already been packed away in the band’s weathered, aqua blue school bus, for one final throw down at Camp Gallavant as a wedding present.

And what a gift it was.

The conditions for playing live music at Burning Man are always difficult at best. And the last night in the desert was shaping up as one of the coldest of week. Nighttime temps dropped into the low 40s, and Gallavant members had dismantled their bar structures by nightfall. The Screaming Js would be playing under an open sky with only a ground tarp cover in front of lounge furniture, and a LED-lit pirate ship mounted on a bread truck. Despite the difficult conditions, Gray, along with Jake Hollifield on piano, and Jonathan Paul Hess on the bass lit a melodic fuse. Rick Metz on saxophone, and Scott Quigley on percussion joined the jamboree. And two and half hours later, the band had delivered a blistering improvisational jam of honky-tonk tunes and scattered Grateful Dead covers that transformed a typically somber night into a joyous hoedown.

Burning Man is rife with “shoebox magic” moments, even if they can be overlooked amid the spectacle of large EDM sound camps and towering art structures. This year’s edition offered plenty spectacle. The wild week of art shows, fire performances, costumed crazies, and roaming art cars were scoured by dust storm broom whisks. Stand out art structures included the Black Rock Light House with three tilted towers that shot fire, the 36,000-pound Space Whale, made with over 4,000 hand-cut pieces of stained glass, and a massive, metal wort hog, dubbed “Lord Snort” that participants could climb on and spin.

Burning Man can still be a place of beauty, creativity, and community-building. Like the serpentine trails of an improvised melody spooling from an upright piano into the twinkling quietude of a clear desert sky, there is hope that we can rise into the cool, thin air as a sweet reflection of our better selves. Like the magic of a simple moment, even a pock-marked stone can be sculpted into the shape of a heart.

September 25, 2016