Category: Electronic

Jimkata Brings ‘In Motion’ to Buffalo Iron Works

Ithaca based jamtronic/indie rock trio Jimkata is currently touring in support of their latest fan funded release In Motion. The trio will roll into Buffalo Iron Works on Saturday March 26th.

After taking a brief hiatus that took the band off the road for the majority of the fall and winter, Jimkata hit the road for the first time as a trio this February. Frontman Evan Friedell told NYS Music that touring as a three piece has helped strengthen the bands dynamic.

“I think having just the three of us on stage has simplified the dynamic a little bit in that its easier to communicate and improvise as musicians. It also has led us to focus specifically on each sound and make everything sound bigger. We’re also starting to get a good sense of set flow, like what songs pair well with each other, and are continually getting better at making good sets every night.”

After the departure of longtime bassist David Rossi in late 2014, Stephen Learson (The Endobox) jumped on the road with the band for the majority of 2015. The band made the decision while on hiatus to tour with only the band’s orginial three members: Friedell, Packy Lunn (drums) and Aaron Gorsch (guitar/snyths).

And in Friedell’s opinion, the gamble has paid off. “Packy and Aaron have stepped up to the plate big time in terms of covering multiple parts. When we first started rehearsing as a three piece I had some apprehension that maybe we would be missing something. But, honestly, it feels like the exact opposite, that we’ve gained even more sonically especially with adding all the new songs to our sets.”

Friedell also noted that the bands long awaited return to the Queen City is met with excitement by not just the fans but the band as well. “We’ve been playing Buffalo for quite a while so our relationship with the city runs deep. Its starting to feel like a home base for us, especially since we’ve been rehearsing there a lot lately and Packy is now living there. I’ve found the Buffalo crowd to be a little rowdier than other places we play which is fun. Something about that goes along well with our upstate New York attitude and upbringing.”

Tickets for this Saturday’s show are available online through Ticketfly. Buffalo based band Lazlo Hollyfeld will open. Doors open at 8pm;Music starts at 9pm.

March 24, 2016
Big Gigantic Got Rowdy with a Sold Out Terminal 5

Big Gigantic commenced their Spring tour to a sold-out crowd at Terminal 5 this past Friday, March 11^th. The performance was chock full of familiar samples, super funky sax, meticulous drumming and a new and unique stage setup that appeared to have the duo commanding a spacecraft through a galaxy of super light beams.

Upon entering the venue, the energy level was extraordinary. Once Big G took the stage it was clearly evident why; the combination of their music style and the amount of energy and intensity they put into a performance is infectious. When you see saxophonist Dominic Lalli belting out a solo whilst sweating bullets or drummer Jeremy Salken laying down an intricate groove with tons of focus it’s very easy to appreciate their talent & dedication and give it back by showing off your funkiest moves to those closest to you. Big G got the crowd super hyped with tracks new and old, namely their new single, “Little Things” (feat. Angela McCluskey) which has an excellent balance of EDM styled builds and drops and anthemic piano/sax along with an excellent dose of sultry, soulful vocals. They dropped some Griz x Big Gigantic with “Let The Good Times Roll” as well as their celebrated remix of Aloe Blacc’s “Need A Dollar” which had fans sending singles off of the third level balcony. Ivan Jackson from Brasstracks was Big G’s very special guest and ably brought his brand of brass to the sold out crowd by guesting on a few tracks.

Big Gigantic is forging an awesome place for themselves in the live instrument/production genre as their evolution of sound has continuously been on an upward trajectory. I’m hoping to catch their sets at some festivals this summer as they will surely not disappoint.

Around New York, you can see Big Gigantic performing at Summer Camp Music Festival on May 29 and Camp Bisco on July 14.

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March 17, 2016
Hearing Aide: LYON “Trinity”

What does a music-monger love more than great weather on Shakedown Street? The answer is a solo project from a member of a favorite band.

SOLARiS drummer Dan Lyons has released Trinity, the third studio album from the New York City producer, recording as LYON. As a member of Ithaca’s electro-rock band SOLARiS and touring for years at smaller venues around the Northeast and at festivals such as Catskill Chill, LYON brought together numerous contemporaries for this compilation, including guitarist Wiley Griffin and producers Binary Bits and Digital Davy. Members from Horizon Wireless and SOLARiS also guest starred. Trinity was mastered by Disco Biscuits‘ archivist and sound engineer Rich Steele.

Each of the 11 songs on this album is seamlessly put together and downright smooth; and each tune features unique euphoric sounds with steady drum beats that seduce a perpetual head bob. The first key track on the record,”When I Was Young,” is a bouncy collaboration between Lyons and Horizon Wireless, while “Hydrocuff” flows as an alluring trance with touches of Caribbean steel drums mid-song.

“Midnite Society” offers listeners a surprising and fun mixture of disco and pile-driving guitar jams, and it lead my mind to start jamming into LOTUS shortly after. The title of “Clock Strikes 12’” nicely closes out the collection, as Trinity is the perfect soundtrack for those impromptu after-hour dance parties. Or for listening to as the western sun floated down through the window and left me bouncing and grooving in my chair, feeling completely relaxed and at home in myself.

LYON’s beautiful new release, Trinity, can be streamed in full via the artist’s Bandcamp page, and if you find yourself impressed, there is no shortage of live SOLARiS documentation to check out.

Key Tracks: “When I Was Young,” “Hydrocuff,” “Midnite Society,” “Clock Strikes 12′”
<a href="http://lyon-1.bandcamp.com/album/trinity">TRINITY by LYON</a>

March 15, 2016
Aura Music and Arts Festival Stacks the Collabs at Suwannee

Although festivals are scheduled all year round, if you’re from New York, you typically kick things off in May or June. But, if you’re willing to travel south to a magical place called the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, festival season starts early – this year with The Disco Biscuits and Thievery Corporation as headliners at Aura Music and Arts Festival.

Aura drew us in on March 3-5 with its incredibly stacked lineup, sunshine and rumors of perhaps something bigger to be discovered. Everything seemed to fall in place throughout the trip, from something as small as a free burrito bowl at Tijuana Flats to a chance encounter that would lead to a dozen new best friends. This festival’s namesake is vibrant, full of light and overwhelmingly positive.

Like most festivals, the first day of Aura brings a heightened sense of excitement. Guests find the perfect spot to camp under draping live oaks, walk the more than 500 acres of festival grounds and plan their strategy for attending their favorite sets. The park feels like an enchanted forest out of a fairy tale and the guests as happy as royalty attending a special kind of ball.
We kicked off Thursday with a passionate set from Florida’s own Greenhouse Lounge at the Amphitheater Stage. The electronic trio gave it their all for their last performance as a band, while welcoming their former drummers Jason Hunnicut who now runs the 1904 Music Hall in Jacksonville and Scotty Zwang, now of Dopapod who came to Aura as an “artist at large” (AAL).

Fusik of Jacksonville delivered an upbeat and funky set in the vibe tent, covering The Talking Heads’ “Born Under Punches” and preparing the crowd for ultimate cover band Pink Talking Fish. PTF is the perfect night-one band by seamlessly blending favorites from each beloved group.

The Werks were a major draw for us, having only seen them once before, but making appearances in our earbuds on the regular. Unfortunately, the only rain of the whole weekend decided to come down mid-way through a powerful “Duck Farm,” After only three songs, the Werks were forced to call it quits as fans ran for cover.

By late morning on Friday, the Florida sun dried things out. Georgia natives Dank delivered a hard-rocking set, reminiscent of the progressive rock style of Umphrey’s McGee. Crazy Fingers provided the familiar and beloved sounds of the Grateful Dead, while welcoming guitarist Ben Sparco for the later half of the set, who was clearly still feeling the adrenaline from his own set earlier that afternoon.

Mike Dillon brings a wild stage presence during his bands set, preceding an incredible show from Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO). They are joined by Carly Meyers and Adam Gertner of ROAR for one of the best sets of the weekend just in time to release their new album Follow the Yarn.

Particle delivered a stellar performance keeping the tempo of Escort’s “Cocaine Blues” throughout the majority of the set. At the same time, a special project called Nunchuck!, consisting of Mike Dillon, Craig Brodhead of Turkuaz and again Chuck Jones and Scotty Zwang of Dopapod, did something unique in the Vibe Tent. The “psychedelic punk rock” set was more quirky than it was tight leaving the crowd giggling, and blushing when Dillon “tea bagged” his own drum. (Yes, this happened.)

The New Deal and Thievery Corporation both had beautiful stage presence with lasers and lights for days. However it was Turkuaz that stole the show Friday night. The nine-piece funk outfit from Brooklyn, NY filled the Porch Stage with a powerful and truly fun set. Artists at large Jennifer Hartswick and trombone player Natalie Cressman of Trey Anastasio Band brought the brass to the party.

On Saturday, Broccoli Samurai of Ohio welcomed artists at large Chuck Jones and Scotty Zwang of Dopapod adding to the delight of fans. The Heavy Pets brought us back to the 80’s covering Paul Simon, David Bowie, Thomas Dolby and R.E.M. Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman sat in as well.

Tom Hamilton’s American Babies welcomed Aaron Magner of the Disco Biscuits on the keys for a rendition of “The Wheel” into their own “Joelene” and back to “The Wheel.”

Two-time Grammy-award winners Snarky Puppy was an experience in itself. The 13-member jazz/funk group is more of an orchestra than it is a band. Keeping with the guest appearances, they welcomed Dillon on percussion and again Hartswick and Cressman for an outstanding version of “Quartermaster.”

The festival culminated with two sets of jamtronica giants The Disco Biscuits. Tom Hamilton helped them kick off the first set with “Scarlet Begonias” and “I Know You Rider.” “Pimp Blue Rikki” was a surprise to many leading into the ending of “Morph Dusseldorf.” Hartswick and Cressman joined tDB for “Funky Town” before taking a set break. The second set was geared towards the masses picking up again with “Morph Dusseldorf” and weaving in and out of Caterpillar with “A Fifth of Beethoven.” The laser light show was out of this world reflecting off the woodsy amphitheater.

Throughout the weekend, both on stage and off, collaboration seemed to be a key theme. We ended our experience gathered around our own campfire we collectively built with a family who just days before were complete strangers. We came for the music, but we left so much, much more.

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March 12, 2016
SAMMYS 2016 Induction Ceremony and Awards Event

The music world is a family, and no where more so than in Syracuse. Each year Syracuse area musicians and music lovers come together to celebrate their own. Submissions of new music for consideration inundate the committee each year, and through a painful process of choosing just four nominees, awards in all musical genres are given out at what has become the musical event to attend in Syracuse, the SAMMYs.

The night before the award ceremony is a special recognition event for those inducted into the SAMMYs Hall of Fame. There are many wonderful musicians who have roots in Central New York and have played huge roles in the Syracuse music scene. This years inductees, honored at a ceremony upstairs at the Dinosaur Barbeque Thursday, were George Rossi, The Bells of Harmony, Savoy Brown, and Jam Factory. Mark Copani was given the award for Music Education; and the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to the late great Mark Murphy.

Basking under the warm glow of orange-hued lighting, the room bubbled with conversation as patrons populated the bar and clustered around dining tables. SAMMYs committee member Liz Nowak gushed, “The award show is about honoring the music of 2015, but tonight is about honoring six decades of music.” Patrons and honorees reminisced and swapped stories over platters of pulled pork, cornbread and coleslaw before the formalities commenced.

The evening’s master of ceremonies, Dave Frisina of 105.9 The Rebel channeled attention toward the podium, effortlessly sashaying through heartfelt and witty dialogue. Frisina as emcee, had the privilege of introducing each inductor, who in turn introduced an inductee. Regarded as a special honor, each inductor’s relationship with their inductee afforded them an opportunity to share personal accounts of why the inductees deserved the distinction.

The remarks of the evening ranged from comedic genius to sublimely sentimental, projected toward a responsive crowd eager to empathize with laughter or somber head nods. Copani acknowledged his family’s presence in the audience gesturing, “They showed up without any prompting.” As Rossi spoke into the mic for his speech he jested, “Wow, a microphone- that’s new.” The Bells of Harmony concluded their acceptance with a quick gospel tune to the audience’s utter delight.

Following the ceremony, attendees were treated to a performance downstairs by Tennessee-bred funk, R&B and jazz fusion band Dynamo. The congregation of musicians clustered on the cramped stage infused the room with polished yet experimental dexterity as Dain Ussery’s vocals coasted elegantly on the surface. An air of mutual respect floated between the star-studded crowd and the talent pouring their hearts into the music. A tale of old meets new, Dynamo upholds the legacy set before them, all in the name of making music that moves people.

The sold out Palace Theater, hosted the 2016 SAMMY Awards Friday. The atmosphere afforded attendees the opportunity to indulge their chic fashion tendencies or embrace a more casual attitude. The spectrum of ballgowns to jeans was well represented in the diverse attire of guests.

Carolyn Kelly Blues Band warmed up with a quick jam before Kelly strolled to the stage in a silky black confection that swayed delicately with every soulful note. The first performance of the evening initiated an onslaught of striking computer-generated video projections, adding visual effect behind the bands. The extravagant visuals added an early 2000’s old school vibe. The blues band concluded its short set with an energetic rendition of “Amazing Grace,” as a flaming sunshine explosion flared across the screen behind them.

Instrumental rock group Ohne-ká and the Burning River brought a very different energy to the stage. Emitting a folk vibe clad in suspenders and a plaid button down, Ryan Jones widened his stance, the first indication of the big, skull-penetrating sound they exude. Though their musical style didn’t invite fluid dance like other genres represented that evening, their tone beckoned listeners to look inward and quietly contemplate from their seats.

Savoy Brown delivered a solid blues rock performance, not accurately reflected by the lack of dancing on the open floor space directly before the stage. Before exiting the stage, in a moment of jest, leading man Kim Simmonds put his glasses on, slightly recoiling as if his new-found sight brought an awareness to the fact that he’d just performed to an occupied theater.

Once Joe Driscoll‘s one-man reggae rap garnered the crowd’s attention, a handful of willing dancers finally got their feet moving. He cleverly paired looped beat boxing with live harmonica to compose a catchy rhythmic pulse, easy to nod your head or tap your foot to.

During the previous night’s induction ceremony, Jam Factory frontman Mark Hoffman qualified the band’s impending award show performance, proudly stating, “We’ve had three rehearsals and the band is kicking ass.” Their performance supported his confident assertion, topping off the award show with a sweetly nostalgic finale. Approximately thirty willing dancers, many Jam Factory followers since early adulthood, danced in front of the stage. They basked in time-honored soul alongside a handful of newly made fans.

Joining Hoffman on stage for the family affair was his son, contributing funky bass lines while his daughter added backing vocals. As the band members poured their hearts into a project they love, an adoring fan glowingly praised, “They’re still as good as they ever were.”

The SAMMY Awards of 2016

Rock – Joe Whiting
Folk – Austin MacRaie
Pop – Elizabeth Canino
Jazz – Andrew Carrol
Americana – Early Bird Trio
Jam Band – Jam Factory
Alternative – Professional Victims
Country – Lonnie Park
Hard Rock – After Earth
Hip-Hop/Rap – Mafiosa

The People’s Choice Awards for 2016

Best Band: The Horn Dogs
Best Festival: The Great New York State Fair
Best Venue: Dinosaur BBQ

The Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist: The Lightkeepers

March 8, 2016
Jimkata Goes Panda in New Music Video

Ithaca-based band Jimkata got the Nerdist nod this week. The band used the website to release its first music video, for the single “Wild Ride,” from their latest album In Motion. The video features the members of Jimkata dressed in panda costumes, riding on scooters, and partaking in an animal dance party.

The video is currently exclusively only available through the Nerdist wesbite.

After a brief hiatus this past fall, the three piece of Evan Friedell, Aaron Gorsch and Packy Lunn returned with the release of their second fan-funded album. The band is currently touring in support of the record.

Jimkata returns to the Aura Music Festival this weekend before jumping back on the road. Their current tour is making several stops in New York state including Buffalo, Rochester, New York City and the band’s hometown of Ithaca.

JIMKATA TOUR DATES

Mar 03 — Live Oak, FL — Aura Music Festival
Mar 05 — Savannah, GA — Barrelhouse South
Mar 17 — Washington, DC — Gypsy Sallys
Mar 18 — Asbury Park, NJ — The Saint
Mar 19 — Hamden, CT — The Outer Space
Mar 24 — Pittsburgh, PA — Club Cafe
Mar 25 — Harrisburg, PA — Abbey Bar
Mar 26 — Buffalo, NY — Iron Works
Apr 01 — Rochester, NY — Flour City Station
Apr 02 — Oneonta, NY — Oneonta Theatre
Apr 07 — Boston, MA — Middle East Upstairs
Apr 08 — Ithaca, NY — The Haunt
Apr 09 — Brooklyn, NY — Rough Trade
Apr 13 — Cleveland, OH — Beachland Tavern
Apr 14 — Columbus, OH — Woodlands Tavern
Apr 15 — Kalamazoo, MI — Shakespeare’s
Apr 16 — Chicago, IL — Tonic Room
Apr 21 — Fort Collins, CO — Hodi’s Half Note
Apr 22 — Denver, CO — Larimer Lounge
Apr 23 — Boulder, CO — The Lazy Dog
Apr 25 — Lawrence, KS — The Bottleneck
Apr 27 — Iowa City, IA — Yacht Club
Apr 28 — Grand Rapids, MI — Founders
Apr 29 — Lansing, MI — The Loft
Apr 30 — Erie, PA — Kings Rook Club

March 3, 2016
Hearing Aid: Gibbz ‘Above Water’

You’re young, fashionable, talented, hip and completely full of love. But time after time, you get “friend zoned.” That’s right, you’re ready to take your friendship to the next level, but shorty just wants to keep it platonic. This is the mental picture I got when listening to Above Water, an independent album to be released March 8 by Long Island singer, songwriter and producer Gibbz.

Above Water is an electronic pop/R&B album with some surprise elements of funk and a whole lot of soul. Gibbz is as talented on the turntable as he is on the mic. The album’s lyrics bring you to the bar, on a date and to the bedroom.

The album begins with “Stay for a While,” with an upbeat tempo and a beat comprised of the sounds of a ping pong ball hitting the table. The lyrics are mundane and the vocals have an audible resemblance to that of Ben Gibbard of The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie. Throughout the album, Gibbz vocals are reminiscent of various other familiar artists including Michael Jackson and Sam Smith.

The first single “Higher than I’ve ever been” features Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic on the saxophone towards the end of the track. The abundance of synthesized tones throughout the track is on the cusp of irritating but the chorus is purely delightful. The vocals are impressive, giving the song a fun, flirty vibe. This is a great song to get a party started.

“I Really Love You,” is again upbeat and playful, but in this case the chorus loses me. There are too many sounds happening all at once and what sounds like a guitar comes off as muffled noise. My least favorite track of the album, it also happens to be the second single.

No matter though, “Feel Good” featuring Russ Liquid on the trumpet wins me back. This song is energetic. The rhythm is fast and forces you to clap along. It is arguably the best track on the album.

Gibbz supported Cherub, if only for a month, but this experience is evident when listening to “Too Too Shy.” His high pitched voice reminds me of the Nashville electro-duo. The song is heavy on the synth tones once again, with robotic bass lines.

The album concludes with “How it’s Supposed to Be.” It’s a song of a hopeless romantic. The lyrics encapsulate the vision many of us have of the support between two lovers in it for the long haul. As a heterosexual woman, it’s everything I’d want to hear in a romantic interest. But coming from a friend, it would sound desperate.

Above Water put me on a roller coaster of relatable emotions from hope, excitement, infatuation, heartbreak and ultimately love. My level of affection for the album parallels this variance. Gibbz has the potential to be a household name. But I wouldn’t want to lead you on, at times it feels like this New York producer attempts to add too many layers. Gibbz, we can be friends, but nothing more.

Key Tracks: Higher than I’ve ever been (featuring Dominic Lalli) Feel Good (featuring Russ Liquid) Too Too Shy, How it’s Supposed to Be

March 1, 2016
Animal Collective Paints New York City with Sound

Animal Collective continued their Painting With tour with two stops in NYC at Irving Plaza last week. Fresh off the album’s release, they continued their penchant for not only changing their sound with each album, but the live show evolves as well. This tour and album were different in that they didn’t play any of the songs on the road before recording. They normally use their live shows to feel out the songs and work through and expand on them, so that by the time they go into the studio to record, the songs have morphed into something completely different. Everything but the energy seemed a little paired back this tour; they played smaller venues, they had one less band member, there was less instrumentation on stage, but this seemed to force the show to have some more focus.

Avey Tare, Panda Bear and Geologist ditched their usual instruments and were setup in front of modular synthesizers, while Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks/Ponytail band-mate Jeremy Hyman took over the drumming duties. For Painting With, the band made a conscious decision to keep the songs short and to the point. The songs are fast and dense, like they had taken their essence and squashed it into a hard little piece of bubble gum. It was on the road that the songs would be chewed up and stretched out.

As with most Animal Collective shows, the latest album was heavily featured. But that didn’t stop them from throwing several older gems into the set. The new tracks had a sense of frenetic acid pop, which pulsated with tribal rhythms that drove the energy forward and carried momentum throughout the set, even if the audience wasn’t necessarily familiar with all of the new material.

They started off the night with a torrent of new sounds as they tore through material from Painting With, the only respites was their cover of the 60’s Motown classic, “Jimmy Mack,” by Martha and the Vandellas and “Daily Routine” from Merriweather Post Pavillion. The room erupted when they then dropped into “Golden Gal”. It’s candy coated melodies make up the most infectious track from Painting With and the crowd ate it up. On Delay is perhaps the strongest of the new tracks and it was a great jumping off point to slide into the sublime Feels track “Loch Raven”. They then finished the set off with “Floridada”, an earworm of a song that had the crowd jumping along and ended the set with a cartoonish exclamation point.,

The droning trance of “Bees” gave everyone a chance to recollect themselves during the beginning of the encore before “Lying on the Grass” melted into the old-school classic “Alvin Row”, a song that many people were hearing live for the first time as they had never played the song live as a band before this tour. Some people were completely losing their shit, and it’s hypnotic builds and releases were a great way to end the show.

Animal Collective continues their tour this week with stops in Denver and Utah, before heading to the Pacific Northwest. Check out myanimalhome.net for more dates.

Setlist: Natural Selection, Gnip Gnop, Hocus Pocus, The Burglars, Jimmy Mack, Daily Routine, Golden Gal, Summoning the Wretch, On Delay, Loch Rave, Floridada

Encore: Bees, Lying in the Grass, Alvin Row

March 1, 2016
Gramatik Electrifies Sold Out PlayStation Theater

Gramatik kicked off his Epigram Tour at PlayStation Theater this past Saturday, Feb. 20^th, 2016. Those lucky enough to snag a ticket to the sold out performance were gifted an amazing live show and the chance to experience the new album, Epigram, in full. Gramatik knows his New York crowd and he delivered thusly.

Alexander Lewis and Sweater Beats provided some serious bass fodder for their opening performances and warmed up the fans for the main attraction. Once Gramatik and his guitarist, Andrew Block, took the stage the crowd lit up. Gramatik got into a groove immediately and invited Queens rapper, Adrian Lau, out for a few tracks which got everyone super hyped.

It’s safe to say that Epigram is going to be an amazing album as the music everyone was raging to touched upon numerous genres; 70s funk and soul meshed effortlessly with crunching French electro-esque beats with tons of hip hop influences for good measure. Throughout the night some Grizmatik tracks made a cameo, heavy, hard, bassy remixes of 90s hip-hop appeared, a tease of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” went down and my favorite moment of the night was an absolute beast of a remix of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” which had people getting out of their seats and swiftly dance-walking to the crowd to get in the groove. Familiar tracks like “Just Jammin’” were also segued into the set to the crowd’s delight.

A highlight of the night was when Orlando Napier came out and performed his vocals on “Native Son,” the first single off Epigram. It was a wonderful moment to experience the song live as that dude has some serious pipes and charisma.

I’ll jump at the opportunity to see Gramatik perform again as his skill in creating funk-infused, crystalline soundscapes is unmatched. The Epigram Tour continues through the US this Spring. Check out Gramatik at Mysterland in Bethel Woods, NY this June as I’m sure he’s going to throw down some heat. Be on the lookout for Epigram’s release this Spring and be sure to download Gramatik’s entire discography for free here.

February 26, 2016
Nunchuck! Brings Psychedelic Punk Rock to Suwannee

The 7^th annual Aura Music and Arts Festival is less than two weeks away and we couldn’t be more excited to show the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida some New York love! The Disco Biscuits and Thievery Corporation will headline this festival, one that many say is their favorite all year. In addition to a stacked lineup of various talented artists, one that we’re particularly intrigued by is Nunchuck!

Nunchuck! is a new project consisting of bassist Chuck Jones and drummer Scotty Zwang of Dopapod, guitarist Craig Brodhead of Turkuaz, and renowned percussionist Mike Dillon. The collaboration was formed specifically for Aura and despite what the name suggests, it’s not a Chuck Jones led group or even solely his brain child. (Nor is it affiliated with Lotus’ Mike Greenfield’s side project bearing the same name.)

Chuck Jones and Scotty Zwang of Dopapod.

Jones explained the selection of the other band members. He and Brodhead have become close friends as they both live in Hartford, Connecticut and are geographically displaced from the rest of their band members. Brodhead’s main project Turkuaz is also on Aura’s lineup. Mike Dillon – a member of Critters Buggin and Les Claypool’s Fancy Band – has past experience playing with Dopapod and even opened for them last year at this festival. The Mike Dillon band is on Aura’s schedule for Friday.

Craig Brodhead of Turkuaz

The four of them together make Nunchuck! – a “psychedelic punk rock” band that is sure to be something unique.

“The entire set list that we’re figuring out is all our favorite punk songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s,” said Jones. “All of us – myself, Scotty, Mike and Craig –part of our musical background has been inspired by heavier artists and genres so it will be nice for us to be able to experiment with that a little bit.”

Jones said their own creative palate is where the “psychedelic” portion comes in.

“That really means that we’re going to have not enough music to fill the slot, so we’ll be making lots of noise,” he said. “It’s going to be loud, aggressive and upbeat – so it will be fun!”

Mike Dillon.

According to Jones, the project was developed after Zwang expressed interest in participating in Aura, even though Dopapod is (sadly) not on this year’s lineup. With attendance around 5,000 guests in some of the most picturesque scenery, Aura offers something other festivals cannot.

“I love Suwanee so anything down there is a good time. I really think they do a nice job working with artists that are true to the festival circuit. Sometimes large ones pull in big names that they know will bring in a lot of people but they kind of lose its – I think the only way to describe it is ‘music festival vibe.’ Only people who’ve been to smaller ones and medium ones will know what that is exactly – the community vibe sort of thing.”

Nunchuck! is playing on Friday, March 4, from 8 to 9:15 p.m. in the Vibe Tent. Also playing at this time is Particle to which Jones sends a friendly challenge:

“I can guarantee with 100 percent certainty that Particle will be tighter and well-rehearsed, but…I don’t know if they’ll have as much fun as we are.”

In addition to The Disco Biscuits and Thievery Corporation, Nunchuck! will join the The New Deal, The Main Squeeze, The Werks, Snarky Puppy, Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO), The Heavy Pets Tribute to the ‘80s, American Babies and more at this year’s festival March 3 – 6.

Aura also includes more than 25 yoga classes and an extensive Silent Disco lineup with guest DJ appearances from various musicians including Scotty Zwang.

Additional information and tickets available at www.auramusicfestival.com.

February 23, 2016