NYS Music 20​16

Category: Jam/Progressive

  • Chris Duffy Returns to New York with The Magic Beans

    Chris Duffy, bassist for The Magic Beans out of Nederland, CO, returns home to New York this weekend for three shows – Thursday in Albany at The Hollow, Friday in NYC at American Beauty and Saturday late night at Catskill Chill Music Festival. And Duffy is quite excited to be back home.

    “It’s been a treat to come back and see East Coast family and friends. That’s the great thing about touring around; it’s a great time to reconnect with people, those who you miss a lot. Albany was so kind and welcoming to Dirty Paris’ music, so I can’t wait until The Magic Beans can have that kind of relationship with the area and in the Northeast.”

    Chris Duffy

    Brooklyn born and a graduate of Guilderland High School, Duffy formed Dirty Paris in 2008 with Dmitriy Bolotny, Thomas Lafond and Rob Morrison, performing throughout the greater Northeast into 2013. Dirty Paris developed a strong following in the region, drawn by the progressive and psychedelic elements in their modern jamband sound.

    An Albany native until early 2015, Chris worked in production and lightning design work, getting to experience another side of the music industry, gaining insight towards the bigger picture, while working towards a music degree. Then in 2015, Duffy headed west to Los Angeles, working as a concert tech at The Greek Theater and Hollywood Bowl, and living with Dmitriy of Dirty Paris.

    Then, in Duffy learned The Magic Beans, a jamband out of Nederland, CO, were auditioning bassists. He would join them for his first show on bass in Boulder, CO, in January of this year, capping a cross country journey in pursuit of music.

    Duffy knew of The Magic Beans prior to joining them, thanks to his time in Dirty Paris. “I’d been on festival lineups with The Beans, but never saw them. They’re a touring jamband in the scene that I really liked, and it seemed there was some energy growing, and I felt that I could hop in on that and contribute.

    It’s one thing to start a group from scratch from Day One like Dirty Paris, and having done that, it was nice to jump into a band that already had some momentum. For me to be traveling the country playing funky jam music is just want I want to be doing. And being based out of Colorado, given that I wanted to move there in the next few years, I knew it was exactly what I needed to do.”

    Duffy classifies himself as a “funk/groove player who loves to get out there and explore in improvisation, where we don’t really know whats going to happen.” It was for this reason that Duffy knew The Magic Beans were a perfect fit. ” When I auditioned, and went to the one and only Beans show I went to before I was a member of the band, the crowd was buzzing and so supportive of the band, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. The music is fun and danceable, and there is an element, the lyrics, that come from the heart.

    In addition to joining The Magic Beans comes the bonus of your own festival, Beanstalk. Held since 2013, Beanstalk is a The Beans own festival, and attracts a growing crowd each yeah, thanks in part to their fans support and an attractive lineup. Duffy recalls his first Beanstalk, “Looking at the past and this year’s lineup, we had Electron and The New Deal and bands that I had been looking up to for years, so it was a chance to jump in and surreal to see what was going to happen while being closely involved with a festival that has your band’s namesake; it’s an incredible thing and we’re excited about next year.”

    The Magic Beans perform Thursday night at The Hollow with Space Carnival, then head to New York City to perform at American Beauty on Friday with The US Americans and Red Velvet. They’ll then perform late night at 2:30am in Club Chill at Catskill Chill Music Festival.

  • Just Say YES: Everyone Orchestra Gathers in Syracuse

    On Thursday night at the Westcott Theater, Matt Butler and Everyone Orchestra concocted a musical potion that had us all under a spell.   Butler played the role of lead hypnotist as he memorized not only the crowd, but also the band that he so craftily pulled together for this outstanding evening of sonic surprises.

    Binghamton-based three-piece, Several Sons, opened the blissful trifecta of acts with their mellow harmonies and soulful unplugged sound. Their performance featured Bradford Allen on cajón drum for the entirety of the performance, which created a backyard fire-pit vibe. Kevin Ludwig took over the lead vocals and rhythm guitar, paving the way for Jack Bucher to display his bluesy chops on lead guitar. The mostly instrumental set list was capped off by a folk rock original, “Moonshine,” paying tribute to the act of getting drunk with friends. What a way to send us off into a set break.

    Located just a couple of cities to the left of Syracuse is the blue-collar, “Bills Mafia” community of Buffalo, NY. Football probably holds the title for most discussed topic of conversation on a Saturday night, but I can guarantee that the local groove-rock quartet, Aqueous, is definitely on the minds of many Western New Yorkers. Their appropriately named, “2016 Random Company Tour,” fits the bill perfectly as the entire room anxiously awaits their arrival to the stage.    As they entered to DMX’s “Party Up (Up In Here)” blaring on the speakers, we hoped they were about to make us lose our minds (sorry, I went there) and lose our minds we did.

    “Strange Times” was first up and allowed Mike Gantzer and Dave Loss to share the spotlight on vocals and guitar solos. The two methodically went line-for-line on this lyrically appealing tune before dropping into a sludgy, greasy transition.  Evan McPhaden pounded away on bass to symbolically clean up the jam goo.   Solid improvising segued into “The Median” off the 2014 album, Cycles. Rob Houk’s drumming showcased their genre blending skills by combining elements of progressive rock and reggae with a hint of electronica. There was one point towards the end of “Median” where it almost sounded like a completely different piece, but long time fan, Mitch (the guy on the rail whose head seemed to explode note to note), explained that this phenomenon is common during one of their juiciest originals.   Loss then seamlessly goes back and forth from guitar to keys while Gatzner pans for gold on lead guitar during the third and final song of the set, “Don’t Do It.” The crowd was definitely thirsty for more after the brief second act, but with Everyone Orchestra being served as an entrée, just about the entire room decided to take a break outside to work up an even stronger appetite.

    Butler appeared on stage with his 7-piece mixture of talent to specify the guidelines of the show. He would be writing notes to the band and the crowd on his simple yet effective white board while signaling to all of us via hand gestures, screams resembling words and Hulk Hogan-like crowd controls. Realistically, Butler runs the show like a drag race in the movie Grease, “Rules are, there ain’t no rules.” The ceremony began with Butler warming up the fingers of the esteemed group of musicians as they delivered a tight and funky beat that got the room dancing immediately. Eric Yates deserves the first MVP award of the night due to his funky banjo plucking while Ryan Montbleau deserves a shout out for creating the lyrics, “What do I see in my sight? Westcott Theater on a Thursday night.” Rob Derhak’s bass was bumping along with Emanuel Washington’s drumbeat when Butler asked the crowd to throw an idea at Montbleau for additional lyrics. The best we could up with was “sexy night” which morphed into an entire band-crowd, call-response of “Ugly, sexy night, yeah!”

    After a brief stretch of weirdness, the conductor brought us all back down to planet Earth and asked Yates to pick away on the banjo during a fast-paced, unusual and unplanned cover of Bob Dylan’s “Buckets of Rain.” The Westcott was transformed into an old-timey honky-tonk as the band turned the Dylan cover into something reminiscent of Johnny Cash in his prime. Montbleau and Yates had a dueling guitar-banjo section before turning the spotlight to moe.’s Al Schnier for a signature guitar solo. Syracuse’s own Adam Gold from Sophistafunk kicked off the next piece with a heavy yet buttery organ solo. Butler did an amazing job of hazing the Everyone Orchestra freshmen as each member of Sophistafunk joined the group for the first time on Thursday. The conductor wrote, “This is Part A” on the iPad while scribbling up directions on his whiteboard for only the band’s eyes to see. Tommy Weeks took over to deliver a spectacular sax solo before returning to Gold for a spacey synth solo. The baton was passed back to Montbleau for an Everyone Orchestra modification of his original “Dead Set” which features the lyrics “Observe your mind, and stop your thinking” which is good advice for a band expected to go with their gut on these improvised reconstructions.

    Aqueous guitarist Mike Gantzer returned to the stage and the applause grew when Butler informed us that it was his birthday. “Soft” was written on the whiteboard as Gantzer took over with a silky guitar riff. The crowd participation was at an all time high as we yelled “Birthday” to celebrate the joyous occasion. The band was fully in sync at this point in the performance and it was evident through the design of a new smash hit “Hotel Party” which Montbleau creatively developed before our eyes.   “There’s ice in the bathtub” and “Everyone’s invited” were only some of the outstanding sporadic lyrics sung by Montbleau which brought a collective smile to the room. Gantzer channeled the energy of Jerry Garcia, with a liquid fuzz distortion on his incredible solo before Gold killed the keys on Butler’s command. After the Holiday Inn jungle boogie, the show wrapped up in an epic formation of nine band members with the addition of David Loss from Aqueous and the return of Eric Yates on banjo. The conductor looked more like a mad scientist as he circled the stage giving each and every member one last time to shine. The evening was capped off with birthday boy Gantzer’s in-your-face knockout solo.

    Butler thanked the crowd and noted that after 15 years of asking members of different bands to come together so that he can live his dream, they keep showing up and they keep showing up! There is no question that this traveling circus of insane talent brought the goods to Syracuse on Thursday. Some bands spend years touring and writing music together to find out what it is that makes them unique. Matt Butler pulls the rabbit out of his hat night after night by creating the magic rather than searching for it. He is a composer, a communicator, and a connector all in one while leaving his mark on music through his whiteboard, iPad and multitude of invisible air instruments.   When asked to join the Everyone Orchestra in the future, just say, “Yes” and strap in for a truly special ride.

    Aqueous Setlist: Strange Times> The Median, Don’t Do It

    Everyone Orchestra Setlist (To the best of my ability):  Funky Intro, Jam (Ugly Sexy Night), Buckets of Rain*, Part A Jam> Dead Set**, Gatzner’s Birthday Jam, Hotel Party Jam, Set Closing Jam

    *Bob Dylan Cover (Blood on the Tracks)

    ** Ryan Montbleau Cover (For Higher)

  • Hearing Aide: TAUK “Sir Nebula”

    On September 16, 2016 Long Island’s very own TAUK will be releasing Sir Nebula. This will be their fourth studio release, fifth along with their live double album, HEADROOM. Sir Nebula is being released by STS9’s record label, 1320 Records and is available at taukband.com.

    TAUK "Sir Nebula"Captivating the knowable instrumental fusion that is TAUK, the four piece has again proven they have earned their right to be performing on a professional level with bands such as Umphrey’s McGee, Lettuce, Thievery Corporation, and more. Since their lineup completion in 2012 TAUK has been working harder than most to show music appreciators their brand. Constantly spreading the name TAUK with tours of 30 plus shows, always writing new material, and producing albums on their ‘time off.’ Bassist Charlie Dolan says when the band is in the studio it is “a time where we can really try to expand what we do, try new things and rediscover who we are.”

    Listening back to tracks such as “Side Project” from Pull Factors, you can really understand Dolan’s statement. TAUK’s use of melody and creating a singular sound with four people cohesively creating music is a consistency they will always have. As they have progressed and grown you will notice in this new album their use of effects and technology followed by true musicianship.

    The first single “Horizon”  follows the TAUK path but with a major punch. With a really interesting intro of each member coming in piece by piece into all four members melodically arpeggiating notes into a break. Following this path throughout the song with each member touching back at the their root tag but staying extremely progressive.  A fully captivating tune.  The track playing in the beginning of the video preview of the album (below), “Program Select,” will also give you further taste of what’s to come. At any giving moment this track can take you in a surprisingly new direction with trap into another explosive well section.  The entire album follows this theme and keeps you interested. Individually each track ‘TAUK’s’ for itself but I would suggest sitting back and listening to it as a whole, keeping you interested and on a path of excitement of what’s to come next.

    Watch TAUK talk about Sir Nebula:

    Whether you’re at a show or festival with the desire to get down, driving all 119 miles from Montauk to NYC, or just feel like listening to music Sir Nebula is a perfect choice.

    Key tracks: Horizon, Program Select, Time’s Up

  • Catskill Chill Offers Fierce Line-Up at New Location

    If you’re not quite ready for the summer to end, the Catskill Chill offers many music lovers one last chance to spend a weekend immersed in sights and sounds at the festival’s new location. Just a mere ten miles southwest from its former location, 2016 ushers in a new era for the festival at the New Minglewood.  This year’s basic festival ticket includes three days of music and camping starting September 24-26.

    Catskill Chill kicks off this year with a Thursday pre-party, a new addition for the festival.  At the mere cost of $45, the pre-party offers a powerhouse line-up of northeast festival favorites. The inaugural evening features Buffalo grove rockers Aqueous, jamtronica favorites Jimkata, two sets from Vermont’s Twiddle and superduo Trakstar featuring Todd Stoops (RAQ) and Rob Chafin (The Werks). The evening will be filled with high energy music that looks to set the bar high for future pre-party festivities.

    Martie Locke who will be traveling from King of Prussia, PA, said that the Thursday pre-party is actually what sold him on the weekend.  “It’s amazing.  Aqueous, Jimkata and Twiddle offer some of the best musical vibes,” he told NYS Music. “I think Thursday night could be some of the best fun of the weekend.  Well worth the price of the entire ticket.”

    For folks not making the Thursday festivities, the entire weekend is packed with creative collaborations, solid headliners, as well as up and coming artists from all over the country.

    Friday offers a mixture of relaxed vibes and funk.  Zack Deputy kicks off Friday’s Main Stage music.  Kung Fu offers the day’s first look at Main Stage funk takeover while funk masters George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic and Phish bassist Mike Gordon headline the Main Stage on Friday evening. Pink Talking Fish are sandwiched in between the two powerhouses, with their performance on the B Stage, creating a solid five hours of music.

    Ryan Montebleau sets the mood for the Saturday Main Stage, with Cabinet and Keller Williams offering up a Saturday afternoon filled with Bluegrass vibes.  Lettuce closes out the Saturday Main Stage Music.

    Sunday’s Main Stage is a variety of musical genres.  Roosevelt Collier’s NY Get Down will feature Dopapod’s Rob Compa and Eli Winderman as well as Michelangelo Carubba and Taylor Shell of Turkuaz.  Bluegrass favorites Greensky Bluegrass and electronic rock masters Dopapod fill out Sunday afternoon. Electron will conclude the activity on Sunday’s Main Stage

    This year’s Catskill Chill is filled with a variety of beloved music performed by some of the festivals most respected veteran artists as this year’s Chill is jam packed with tribute performances. Friday night will feature Pink Talking Fu paying tribute to this year’s passing legends David Bowie and Prince.

    Saturday hosts the majority of these performances. Shwikus, featuring members of Shwizz and Fikus, will pay tribute to the music of the Beatles.  The Heavy Pets bring their highly praised Tribute to the 80’s, while fans of Primus will want to check out Lespecial’s Primus set in Club Chill.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN246u0Q7J8

    Dopakuaz, featuring members of Dopapod and Turkuaz, returns after a memorable performance of the music of Studio 54 at last year’s Catskill Chill.  This year, the two bands have collaborated to showcase the best of classic 80’s preppie soft rock, also known as Yacht Rock.  Saturday night’s tributes will conclude with the Chillfam All-stars Tribute to Michael Jackson. Fans of Led Zepplin should catch Elise Testone’s tribute set on Sunday. Bitches Bloom will perform the music of American Jazz legend Miles Davis on Sunday as well.

    The Catskill Chill is also offering a few unique choices on their 2016 line-up.  Primate Fiasco’s unique blend of Americana, street band and off humor lyrics are a refreshing change of pace for almost any festival line-up. Meanwhile, Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green) and Electric Beethoven featuring Jay Lane (Primus, Ratdog),Todd Stoops, Cochrane McMillian (Tea Leaf Green) and Clay Welch will perform a set of “classical dance music” with a reimagining of Beethoven classics.

    This year’s line-up is also highlighted by a laundry list of this summer’s most buzz worthy bands. Hailing out of New York State, Mister F, Formula 5 and TAUK continue to make noise on festival line-up’s all over the Northeast. Hayley Jane and the Primates are Chill vets, but their rising stock makes the Vermont based group one of the weekend’s acts to see.

    Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Tom Hamilton’s American Babies are other noteworthy artists for the four-day weekend.  North Carolina’s based Big Something and Boston’s progressive eletrofunk outfit Strange Machines have also been gaining steam all summer long.

    “Strange Machines is just so epic and progressive as they make you want to dance harder,” said Nick Augustine of Maryland, “They blow me away again and again every time.”

    The Werks, Turkuaz and Indobox are also solid, ‘can’t go wrong’ choices amongst this year’s jam packed line-up.

    First time attendees will find themselves on even ground with experienced Chill attendees, as everyone will be learning the festival’s new lay-out.  However, festival organizers look to make the transition a bit easier by keeping stage names and key amenities the same.

    However, beyond the music, the hope of most attendees is that despite venue changes, the “Chill Fam” will maintain the vibe that has, in part, kept the festival growing.

    Rachael Dube from Vermont, a four-year Chill attendee isn’t worried about the venue change.  In fact, she says she is excited for the new location.  “There is just something pretty righteous about moving it from the original spot you know? Change is beautiful and inevitable, nothing should stay the same forever. Being able to take the great base that we have created at the Chill, and move it wherever we like, seems pretty cool to me. It’s something special that’s for sure.”

    And it’s not just the festival goers that are excited for the vibe that the festival offers.  Scott Hannay of the band Mister F was a three-year Chill attendee before his band played the festival in 2014. He told NYS Music, that it’s the “the ubiquitous Chillfam” that makes the festival special. “The vibe, the staff, all that music and unique combinations of musicians, it all melds together in a way that other festivals do not. Chill is exactly that, Chill.”

    Tickets for general admission as well as VIP packages are still available.

  • Holly Bowling Announces New Album Date, Tracklist for “Better Left Unsung”

    Holly Bowling’s crowd-funded album now has a release date and a track list. Bowling’s set of solo classical arrangements of Grateful Dead songs, Better Left Unsung, is set for release Dec. 9 on the Royal Potato Family label.

    To date, Bowling has raised 38 per cent of her goal, with less than 60 days remaining in the crowd funding campaign.

    The three-LP/two-CD set includes over two hours of music:

    Help On The Way > Slipnot!
    Franklin’s Tower
    Cassidy
    Bird Song
    Wharf Rat
    Unbroken Chain
    Crazy Fingers
    Cryptical Envelopment > The Other One
    Row Jimmy
    Terrapin Station (Suite)
    Eyes Of The World (6/18/74 Louisville, KY)
    China Doll
    Dark Star

    Bowling revealed a sneak peak of what’s to come in a Jambase session for the magazine’s Twenty Years Later series, in which she also performs Buffalo’s own Ani DiFranco’s “Dilate” from the 1996 album of the same name.

    Original post:

    Pianist Holly Bowling, best known for her piano renditions of Phish songs, has announced a new album.  Bowling is crowd-sourcing the new album through Pledgemusic entitled Better Left Unsung that reinterprets the music of the Grateful Dead for piano.

    holly bowling - better left unsung

    Featured on the upcoming three LP,two CD album are her versions of the Dead classics “Eyes of the World,” a completely hand-transcribed interpretation of the 6-18-74 Freedom Hall rendition from Louisville and a “Terrapin Station” suite.

    Bowling’s tour kicks off in Columbus, OH Aug. 24 and heads west, including four dates in Colorado. New York stops on the tour include the Night Lights Music Festival in Sherman on Aug. 27 and Brooklyn Comes Alive on Oct. 22.

    Holly Bowling Upcoming 2016 Dates:

    Aug. 24 – with Joe Marcinek Ban – Columbus, OH
    Aug. 25 – with Joe Marcinek Band – St Charles, IL
    Aug. 27 – Night Lights Music Festival – Sherman, NY
    Aug. 31 – Owsley’s Golden Road – Boulder, CO
    Sep. 1 – Quixote’s True Blue – Denver, CO
    Sep. 2 – Quixote’s True Blue – Denver, CO
    Sep. 3 – Quixotes True Blue – Denver, CO
    Sep. 7 – Tin Pan – Henrico, VA
    Sep. 8 – The Shed – Durham, NC
    Sep. 9 – The Charleston Music Hall – Charleston, SC
    Sep. 10 – The Music Farm – Columbia, SC
    Sep. 11 – The Gray Eagle – Asheville, NC
    Sep. 22 – Lost Sierra Hoedown – Blairsden, CA
    Oct. 13 – Lunalight Music and Arts Festival – Darlington, MD
    Oct. 22 – Brooklyn Comes Alive – New York, NY
    Oct. 23 – The Towne Crier – Beacon, NY

    Check out Bowling’s piano rendition of Phish’s “Harry Hood” from a performance in Seattle this past spring and check her out on tour.

  • Vulfpeck and Friends Celebrate a Funky Friday at Brooklyn Bowl

    Vulfpeck returned to the Brooklyn Bowl for a Friday night funk fest, which showcased their incredible talent while welcoming numerous special guests. The sold-out room was greeted with a mellow, opening performance by Joey Dosik. Dosik performed the first Beatles cover of the night, “Don’t Let Me Down,” before giving us a taste of some of his originals off of the Game Winner EP.

    vulfpeck brooklyn bowlAs the members of Vulfpeck appeared on the Brooklyn Bowl stage, fans new and old dropped everything they were doing to rush as close to the front as possible. One thing that this foursome is well known for is heavy crowd interaction. The closer you are to the stage, the more involved you will be at these shows. Right off the bat, asses were shaking and high fives were being exchanged as the band treated us to “Outro” from their 2012 release, Vollmilch, with help from their friend Eddie Barbash on sax. The Vollmilch album was highlighted two more times in the beginning of the show with the danceable “Barbara” and “Mean Girls” before welcoming groove drummer, Bernard Purdie to the stage for “It Gets Funkier.”

    vulfpeck brooklyn bowlAlmost half way through their relatively short set, the guests continued to pour on stage as Dosik joined Vulpeck for “Game Winner” and the second Beatles cover of the night “Something.” The floor of the venue was certainly packed with groove enthusiasts, but at this point there wasn’t much space on stage either. As if having the funk innovator, Bernard Purdie, wasn’t enough of a treat for these guys, they enlisted help from Melissa Gardiner and Rachel Price (Lake Street Dive) to tackle Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady.” Joe Dart’s bass playing was a key feature in this solid cover as the tasty brass sounds echoed down the bowling lanes.

    vulfpeck brooklyn bowlThe crowd was fully locked in and feeling the horn section when the Vulf brought well known, Antwaun Stanley up to sing the extremely soulful, “1612.” Stanley’s vocal ability and stage swagger add the one-two punch these suburban boys from next store need to construct a more powerful song. During “1612”, New York, NY wanted to be a part of it, as the audience became one with the Vulf. Lyrically, these guys tip their hats to one of this city’s most iconic figures “Frank Sinatra” and with the crowd belting out the tune with Stanley, it was clear that these guys are forever welcomed in the city that doesn’t sleep.

    There was no slowing down at this point as the group nailed another classic, “Boogie on Reggae Woman,” written by Stevie Wonder and covered by numerous other bands that know a thing or two about good music. Stanley remained on the stage through the lyrically ridiculous “Funky Duck,” which can be found on their most recent album, Thrill of the Arts. Louis Cato was then brought on to help with “Wait For The Moment” and “Beastly” as Stanley walked off stage to the cheers of a very grateful room.vulfpeck brooklyn bowl

    “Christmas in LA” gave the band and the crowd a breather packed with banter from Jack Stratton and Theo Katzman. Probably the most well known song to new followers of the Vulf, “Back Pocket” ended the set. Gardiner and Barbush brought the brass back into the mix, while Stanley enlisted help from the audience for the hook. One more cover, “Kid Charlemagne” by Steely Dan was executed in the funkiest of ways for the encore. Who knows what Vulfpeck will bring to the table for Saturday’s final night at the Bowl. They have had many repeats in their first three shows of this NY run and with their limited, yet powerful catalog, fans do not seem to mind. The group continues to surprise us by welcoming numerous guests onto the stage physically and welcoming funk icons into the room sonically through their amazing covers. After seeing so many smiling younger faces fill the streets of Williamsburg after the show, I was reminded that Vulfpeck isn’t just the funk band that this generation wanted, but it’s also the one this generation needed.

  • Teddy Midnight Releases Debut LP, Music Video for Lead Single

    Teddy Midnight, an electro-dance-funk jamband hailing from Brooklyn, released a debut LP Wednesday titled Velvet Blue, now available on Soundcloud. The group also premiered a music video Tuesday for their lead single “Turkish Silva” on Youtube.

    TeddyMidnight5

    The quartet includes Wiley Griffin (guitar), Sean McAuley (vocals/keys/percussion), Adam Magnan (drums/sampler), and Sean Silva (bass/synth).

    Velvet Blue features eight tracks that encompass Teddy Midnight’s artful blend of electronic beats, mixed with jamband improvisation. Their sound has been compared to the likes of New Deal, STS9, Lotus and Dopapod.

    The music video for “Turkish Silva” is a depiction of “the tribulations of sex, romance, and partying on the notoriously super-dramatic BK dating/Tinder scene,” according to a press release. “I wanted to capture a couple of concepts that I observed about the nature of life and love in our youth. One of them was the vulnerability we all experience in our relationships,” Wiley Griffin was quoted about the inspiration for the video. The video was produced by Sobokeh Exports and directed by Wiley Griffin and Kristina Rusch.

    There will be a record release party on Oct. 1 to celebrate Velvet Blue, at BRYAC in Bridgeport, CT.

    Teddy Midnight has shared stages with Kung Fu, Twiddle, Formula 5 and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and has played sold out shows at such NYC venues as Irving Plaza, Brooklyn Bowl, Grammercy Theatre, and Bowery Ballroom. On the horizon for the band are festivals such as Great North this weekend, and Luna Light Music Festival in October.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIAK6xqRpzM

  • Dopapod Reunites with Former Drummer

    Berklee-born, Brooklyn-based improv specialists Dopapod are going with the Fro. The band announced a reunion with drummer Neal “Fro” Evans Wednesday. Evans stepped away from the band in 2013 for personal reasons and was replaced by Scotty Zwang.

    dopapod-matt-balch-web500

    Speaking to Evans’ homecoming, a statement released by the band said, “As we count our blessings for every moment we’ve experienced while surrounded by a wonderfully supportive family of fans, we’ve also found ourselves recounting the original chemistry that undeniably forged the path that we’re grateful to be walking.”

    Zwang appears to be exiting the band under cordial circumstances and is working on other projects.

    Evans’ first shows back behind the kit will be at the Resonance Festival in Thornville, OH and Catskill Chill festival in Lakewood, PA at the end of September.

    Dopapod recently announced an extensive fall tour with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.The tour kicks off in Jacksonville, FL on Oct. 5 and includes several New York stops throughout the trek. The Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs, Syracuse’s Westcott Theater and Buffalo Iron Works will all get an upstate taste of the “DopaPong” fall tour, while Irving Plaza is paid a visit later in the tour.

    Dopapod/Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Fall Tour:

    Oct. 5 – Jacksonville, FL – 1904 Music Hall
    Oct. 6 – Gainesville, FL – High Dive
    Oct. 7 – St. Petersburg, FL – The State Theatre
    Oct. 8 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
    Oct. 9 – Orlando, FL – Venue 578
    Oct. 11 – Macon GA – Cox Capitol Theatre
    Oct. 12 – Columbia, SC – Music Farm
    Oct. 13 – Richmond, VA – The National* w/ The New Deal
    Oct. 14 – Darlington, MD – Luna Light Festival
    Oct. 26 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Putnam Den
    Oct. 27 – New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
    Oct. 28 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground* w/ West End Blend
    Oct. 29 – Northampton, MA – Pearl Street
    Nov. 2 – Syracuse, NY – Westcott Theater
    Nov. 3 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Iron Works
    Nov. 4 – TBA
    Nov. 5 – Morgantown, WV -Mainstage*
    Nov. 10 – State College, PA – The State Theatre
    Nov. 11 – Charlottesville, VA – The Jefferson Theater
    Nov. 12 – TBA
    Nov. 17 – Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater
    Nov. 18 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
    Nov. 30 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
    Dec. 1 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
    Dec. 2 – Charleston, SC – The Pourhouse
    Dec, 3 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
    Dec. 6 – Chattanooga, TN – Revelry Room
    Dec. 7 – Nashville, TN – Exit / In
    Dec. 8 – St. Louis, MO – Ready Room
    Dec. 9 – Iowa City, IA – Gabe’s
    Dec. 10 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
    Dec. 11 – Champaign, IL – The Accord
    Dec. 14 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Blind Pig
    Dec. 15 – Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s Brewery
    Dec. 16 – Milwaukee, WI – The Miramar Theatre
    Dec. 17 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue Theatre

    Check out the full  GoFro view of Evans performing at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston back in February 2013 for a glimpse of what will come with his re-entry.

    https://youtu.be/pjOTDAoeGdo

  • Hearing Aide: Ampevene ‘Rometheu’

    12 minutes and 30 seconds. That’s how long it takes to listen to Ampevene’s new EP, Rometheu. But that’s not the total sum of each of the songs; it’s just one extended track!

    Ampevene RometheuAmpevene is a band that stemmed from Gabe Stallman’s solo project as a guitarist.  Now the full band consists of Gabe Stallman on guitar and vocals, Mack Hogan on bass, Bob Morris on drums, and Ava Smith on keys, and Jeff Nania on saxophone.  The progressive rock group is based in Albany, so it wasn’t too far to the studio, The Recording Company, in Esperance, NY.

    It’s not clear by the song why it’s called “Rometheu,” but it is the word “Prometheus” without the first and last letter… Perhaps the song was inspired by Greek mythology?

    Rometheu starts out with a rock blues that’s very guitar and bass ostinato heavy. The beginning is not in standard 4/4 time, but rather it’s written with a 6/8 feel – where the first and fourth beat are emphasized in each measure. This helps give the track a flowing groove. At around 2:47, the mode shifts into a fast 4/4, really driving the piece forward.

    The lyrics are posted to accompany the track on Bandcamp, which is immensely helpful. The lines don’t seem to relate directly to one another in a story; the emphasis and poetry are behind each individual line. There are only vocals in the first quarter and very end of the song; it’s clear the music drives this track.

    The crazy guitar riffs and multi-instrument improvisation are awesome and the instruments sound flawless showcasing their melodic riffs.  There’s a point where there is a lack of a clear tonal center, and the band just creates a powerful wall of sound.  At around 6:07, a slower groove is established without saxophone at first to allow the audience to breathe after the more intense section.  It is here where the piano is high in the mix complementing the haunting guitar melodies. The experimentation with the guitar distortion, some organ sounds, and smooth saxophone is quite soothing and fun to listen to.

    The coolest part of this track is the juxtaposition between musical ideas/styles. It makes the piece dynamic and engaging throughout.  The slow section is immediately followed by a short, quicker ending featuring a quick line of lyrics. Rometheu is very impressive from a compositional standpoint as well as a musicianship standpoint.  It’s a track you can’t help but jam along to.

    Listen to it on bandcamp here.

  • Photo Gallery: Phish Finale at Dick’s, September 4, 2016

    Never Miss A Sunday Show™ was in full effect on September 4, 2016 – the last night of Phish’s 3-night run at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado.  Do you find yourself still waiting for Fall Tour? Hopefully this photo gallery can tide you over.

    Setlist courtesy of phish.net

    Set 1: The Moma Dance > Chalk Dust Torture, Mike’s Song > Wingsuit > Weekapaug Groove, Party Time, Bathtub Gin, Split Open and Melt, Tube > Character Zero

    Set 2: Crosseyed and Painless > Steam -> Piper > Drums > Light > The Lizards, First Tube

    Encore: Walls of the Cave