This summer a brand-new music event could be hitting the festival circuit — although New Yorkers will have to travel west to Colorado. Madison House Presents and AEG Live announced plans for a four-day event with the possibility to host 20,000 people on a ranch near Buena Vista, Colorado. The expected run for the weekend event is Aug. 4 through 7.
According to the Denver Post, commissioners in Chaffee County, Colorado, seem likely to approve the proposal for the annual festival at a meeting in early March. “I don’t see having challenges we could not overcome. I have faith in Madison House that is well earned that they can do what needs to be done,” said Chaffee County Commissioner Dave Potts, as reported Tuesday in the Denver Post.
Last August, the Boulder-based Madison House Presents organized a two-day Mumford and Sons Gentlemen of the Road festival in neighboring Salida, Colorado; other artists included the Flaming Lips, Dawes, Jenny Lewis and Blake Mills. Madison House is known for putting on such music festivals as Electric Forest Festival and Rothbury Festival and managing bands like the String Cheese Incident and JJ Grey and MOFRO, while AEG Live produces the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, among others, and Goldenvoice, a Southern California-based regional division of the company, organizes Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
For this new event, the organizers hope to schedule performances until 1 a.m. on Thursday and Sunday, and 2:30 a.m. on the other two days. The festival’s headliners and lineup will not be released until early spring, but Madison House Presents and AEG Live promise a diverse group of acts to attract a wide range of ages. Stay tuned for updates as this story further develops.
Last year about this time, March Fourth! played a show so raucous that the capacity crowd started chanting, “Holy Shit!” for several minutes. Moments before their return to the Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO last week, another capacity crowd greeted M4 band members with the same chant. It’s all that the band needed to deliver another explosive carnie steamfunk performance that included stilt walkers, acrobatics, and some of the brawniest, live music ever in the state.
Before March Fourth! took the stage, one of their percussionists lit the audience as a member of a gypsy punk band called Diego’s Umbrella. Their lively, “ants-in-their-pants” style lit up the cold, Colorado crowd with bonfire intensity. Their performance was just a precursor of things to come.
In part, the March Fourth! act has always been part vaudeville/burlesque stage show. To their benefit, however, this time around, when the band took the stage, they focused more on blistering melodies and percussive jams that launched the crowd into a booty-shaking frenzy. During the encore, members of M4 could barely contain themselves, and the entire band jumped and body surfed their way into the crowd. The Fox show marked their first stop in their winter tour, and they performed with unbridled passion and energy. In the words of one concert-goer, “That was one hellava spicy meatball of a show!”
In a video posted to their Facebook page, Twiddle announced the lineup for their Tumble Down taking place July 29 and 30 at Burlington, Vermont’s Waterfront Park.
In addition to Twiddle’s four sets over the weekend, they’ll be joined by New York funk favorites Turkuaz, Montana-based bluegrass act the Kitchen Dwellers, and special guest Holly Bowling on July 29. July 30 will see them joined by Cabinet and Nahko and Medicine for the People, along with Holly Bowling.
Tickets are on sale now. Both single-day and two-day passes are available.
Original Post:
Vermont-based quartet Twiddle and Higher Ground have announced two nights of Twiddle at Burlington’s Waterfront Park this summer. The weekend will be known as Tumble Down and will be held July 29 and 30.
The weekend will continue as part of a tradition started last year at the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival that included alternating sets with moe. This year, Twiddle will headline the event with two full sets each night. Several supporting acts will be announced.
In addition to live music, the weekend will include various activities including a charity disc golf tournament supporting Twiddle’s fan-founded charity, The White Light Foundation. Late night sets will also be announced around Burlington featuring members of Twiddle.
A limited number of early bird passes will be available at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 19 for $54 through Ticketfly.
The announcement of Tumble Down adds a punch to Twiddle’s already packed summer including dates at Red Rocks and multiple festival appearances including the Frendly Gathering, Lockn’ Festival and the Werk Out.
Twiddle hits the road in support of their latest release, Plump – Chapter One, on Thursday for a sold-out show at the Port City Music Hall in Portland, Maine.
Capital Region rockers Wild Adriatic recently rolled out dates for a Eurotrip and U.S. tour as well. The three-piece group will head out on the road beginning Feb. 11 in Boston and wrapping up May 15 in Spain.
Fresh off the heels of their debut voyage on the Rock Boat, where they played an all-Zeppelin set and jammed onstage with Sister Hazel, Michael Franti and Gavin Degraw, WA’s upcoming tour includes Northeast-heavy dates with home state stops in Corning, Saratoga Springs, Rochester, Syracuse, Brooklyn, Buffalo and Jamestown before returning to Europe for a four-week headlining run.
This January, WA released their first full-length live album from their two-night performance in Albany last October and will record the upcoming Feb. 20 show at Putnam Den for a possible future album. The band’s self-titled EP dropped in 2011, and their most recent collection debuted May 2015 as the five-song Never Enough. Although, according to the press release, WA has a new record in the works:
We’ll be back in the studio making our second full length record in Fall 2016. Hoping to release Early 2017 and we have never been more excited to get in the studio and create! So much inspiration over the last few months, I know we have a few more tunes in us to get out before we hit the studio but we are very excited with how the material has come together so far!”
Tickets for all 2016 show dates are on sale through Wild Adriatic’s official website.
Wild Adriatic 2016 Tour Dates:
2/11 – Boston, MA – Lansdowne Pub^
2/12 – Burlington, VT – Nectar’s^
2/13 – Sugarloaf, ME – Sugarloaf Mountain^
2/18 – Corning, NY – Corning Museum of Glass 2300 Series
2/19 – Portsmouth, NH – Birdseye^
2/20 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Putnam Den*
2/25 – Rochester, NY – Flour City Station
2/26 – Syracuse, NY – Funk N Waffles Downtown*
2/27 – Stratton, VT – Grizzly’s%
3/3 – Worcester, MA – Electric Haze
3/4 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl#
3/10 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater
3/11 – Mifflinburg, PA – Rusty Rail
3/12 – Asbury Park, NJ – Wonder Bar
3/16 – Washington, DC – Black Cat~
3/17 – Mercersburg, PA – Mansion House~
3/18 – Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy~
3/24 – Hartford, CT – Arch Street Tavern
3/25 – Manchester, VT – The Perfect Wife
3/26 – Stratton, VT – Grizzly’s*
3/31 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe
4/1 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Iron Works
4/2 – Jamestown, NY – Shawbucks
^ – w/ The Mallett Brothers Band
* – w/ Let’s Be Leonard
% – w/ Turkuaz
# – w/ Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds & The Suitcase Junket
~ – w/ Animal Years
4/14 – Oostende, Belgium – Bada Bing
4/15 – Kortrijk, Belgium – Den Trap
4/16 – Krefeld, Germany – Kulturrampe
4/17 – Turnhout, Belgium – Dax Cafe
4/19 – Norderstedt, Germany – Music Star
4/20 – Malmo, Sweden – St Gertrund
4/21 – Hamburg, Germany – Sound Yard
4/22 – Bordesholm, Germany – Albatros
4/23 – Singwitz, Germany – Kesselhaus
4/26 – Bratislava, Slovakia – Muzeum Obchodu
4/27 – Kufstein, Austria – Eggers
4/28 – Besancon, France – Passengers Du Zinc
4/29 – Alencon, France – La Luciole
4/30 – Rouen, France – Hipster Cafe
5/2 – St Etienne, France – Thunderbird Lounge
5/4 – Bilbao, Spain – Antzokia
5/5 – Ourense, Spain – Cafe Auriense
5/6 – Cangas, Spain – Salason
5/7 – Aviles, Spain – Centro Niemeyer
5/8 – Leon, Spain – Gran Cafe
5/11 – Estepona, Spain – Louie Louie
5/12 – Murcia, Spain – Garaje Beat Club
5/13 – Castellon, Spain – Veneno Stereo
5/14 – Valencia, Spain – Pabersematao
5/15 – Torredembara, Spain – La Traviesa
HeadCount headed to New Hampshire prior to yesterday’s primary to discover young voters’ favorite candidates and musical preferences. The organization interviewed volunteers for the various campaigns, rally attendees and people still shopping for a candidate.
Music and politics have a long history together. Woody Guthrie wrote songs promoting populism and socialist viewpoints, particularly with “This Land is Your Land.” The civil rights movement adopted “We Shall Overcome” as their chant. The ’60s saw war protest songs being written by popular rock and folk artists. Punk music took an anti-establishment swing.
So, it’s no wonder that HeadCount, which has become pervasive at concerts helping attendees register to vote, would ask those they interviewed about their favorite music. The last question they asked was, “If you could pick any artist to rewrite the national anthem, who would it be?” (The final answer might surprise and/or delight some of our readers.) HeadCount also managed to catch Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz walking by and asked him about his favorite music. Sadly, he did not respond and simply kept walking.
The biggest takeaway from this video is that you cannot determine who a person might support based on their looks, occupation or musical preferences.
The most glaring omission from the video is a lack of any Hillary Clinton supporters. HeadCount said that they reached out to the campaign and even visited their New Hampshire office, but the Democratic candidate’s campaign chose not to participate.
The video (included below) was filmed prior to yesterday’s primary and catches the voters’ excitement for the process. Now that the primary has ended, we have the results. In the Republican primary, with 95 percent of precincts reporting, Donald Trump won with 35.3 percent of the vote. John Kasich came in second with 15.8 percent. Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush are in a virtual tie for third with 11.7 percent and 11 percent, respectively. In the Democratic primary, also with 95 percent of precincts reporting, Bernie Sanders won with 60 percent of the vote, while Hillary Clinton received 38.3 percent.
“We love Dick’s. We love it! Jennifer and Natalie, do you love Dick’s?” asked Trey before launching into Suzy Greenberg with the ladies on horns. Everyone loves Dick’s – the music from Phish, the mountains, the legal weed and the Phish food.
The first order of business was stocking up on canned goods for the Conscience Alliance food drive and finding a cake to celebrate my friends’ honeymoon. With some low-sodium black beans and a double layer, fruit-filled, crème Chantilly covered confection in tow, we set off for Commerce City.
The first treat on lot was “fire cider,” a concoction of vinegar, garlic, and organic honey, bottled up as a daily immune supplement. It was spicy, sweet, and sour. The next morning proved it’s also a magical hangover cure with a couple splashes in ice water. Late summer is prime stone fruit season in Colorado and one guy was hawking luscious, $1 peaches from a crate on his shoulder. It tasted like the culmination of all summer’s sweetness, juice running down my arm with each bite. The biggest favor you can do your body on tour is eating fruit and veggies daily, so be sure to eat a peach this weekend!
On night two the scent of smoked meat wafted over the lot, luring us to Baker’s BBQ. Pitmaster Blade was laboring over 5 pork butts for post-show sandwiches accompanied by his impressive array of sauces, including homemade ketchup, southern style and raspberry BBQ. Blade told us his specialty was BBQ sticky buns, stuffed with pulled pork and slathered in the raspberry sauce.
Kids were queued up on Shakedown for Phenominal Falafel from Steamboat Springs, delivering a sublime wrap of harissa, pickled carrots, red onion, spring mix and a drizzle of tzasiki over crispy chickpea fritters. I met my fiance at Phish when he offered to share his falafel, so this sandwich has a special place in my heart. The other frontrunner for superior savory snack was McDevitt Taco Supply from Boulder, advertising the “buy 4, get one dab free” special.
On Sunday we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Watercourse Foods, the original vegan restaurant in Denver. The pastry case was full of tempting treats, so I grabbed a hostess-style cupcake for the road. From there on out, it was a no holds barred sugarfest. Arriving at Dick’s, I had an organic strawberry margarita with a double splash of tequila, which was definitely the best cocktail of the weekend. Next up was a scoop of homemade strawberry compote over fresh whipped cream, garnished with short bread biscuits. The chef behind the berries had cooked in France for many years and wanted to share his passion for fine food with fellow fans.
We tried jasmine flower-flavored ice cream sandwiches made of hemp, and couldn’t resist a couple chicks wearing chocolate chip cookie costumes, selling their baked goods out of a pink wagon. At the show I headed to WaterWheel with the Hostess cupcake for my friend’s birthday. As luck would have it, his lovely lady brought the perfect pairing- a vegan Twinkie! Phish loves Dick’s and so does Fest Food, as every year it’s an all out smorgasboard.
Yet another Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has passed. Maurice White, founding member of soul legends Earth, Wind and Fire passed away in his sleep last night, according to a post by his brother and bandmate Verdine White on the band’s Facebook page. White was 74:
My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep. While the world has lost…
TMZ reports that White was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1992, and the effects of the disease took him off the road with the band in 1994. He was still active in band decisions.
Maurice was born Dec. 19, 1941 in Memphis, and he was a childhood friend of Booker T Jones. He later moved to Chicago and became a session drummer at Chess Studios. He played drums on the Fontella Bass classic “Rescue Me.”
A move to Los Angeles in 1969 prompted a name change for his band The Salty Peppers. This was the beginning of Earth, Wind and Fire and a hall of fame career that included such hits as “Shining Star,” “September” and “That’s the Way of the World.”
Earth, Wind and Fire will be honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys later this month.
The atmospheric weather phenomenon known as El Nino has blown more snow over Colorado than the state has seen in several years. One recent show at the Fox Theater on January 22 in Boulder, CO featuring a trio of roots reggae/ska bands, including reggae pioneers, the Mighty Diamonds, provided a brief respite from winter with a night full of warm, tropical melodies from Jamaica.
Two area favorites, Mono Verde, and Highway 50, helmed by former Samples keyboardist Al Laughin, jumpstarted the evening with a series of percussive world beat and roots ska melodies. Highway 50’s elevated the languid, easy-going style of reggae melodies with a powerful horn section and brawny lead guitar riffs.
The night’s headliners, the Mighty Diamonds, featuring Lloyd “Judge” Ferguson, Fitzroy ”Bunny” Simpson and Donald “Tabby” Shaw, formed in 1969 in the Trenchtown area of Kingston, Jamaica. They showed, even after 46 years, that they can jump, spin, and belt out Motown-infused reggae with unbridled enthusiasm.
The initial lineup for the fourth Annual Susquehanna Breakdown has been announced. On May 20-21, the Pavillion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania, will welcome Railroad Earth, the Infamous Stringdusters, Twiddle, Fruition and of course the gracious hosts themselves, Cabinet.
Cabinet is bluegrass, country, folk band that is quickly growing in popularity both in the Appalachian region and throughout the country. Also on the lineup is Pappy and Friends featuring Cabinet’s Pappy Biondo.
The Infamous String Dusters are set to release their latest album, Ladies and Gentlemen, on Feb. 5. Twiddle also recently released their latest album, Plump.
Additional bands are expected to be announced.
In the past few years, Montage Mountain has become a household name for music festivals, catering to various musical tastes. For this one, those wishing to camp will set up inside the venue on the lawn. Previous years have offered a farmers market, concert poster art gallery, kids’ activity area, as well as a slew of vendors.
Susquehanna Breakdown is a family-friendly festival. According to its website, quiet hours will be enforced from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Tickets for the Susquehanna Breakdown are currently available and with modest prices. Two-day passes with camping are currently $55 plus fees. Two-day VIP passes with camping are now $125 with fees. RV passes are also available for $100. Kids 10 and under are free with adult ticket purchase.
Artist-turned-musician, Bruce Horan offers the listener a glimpse into his creative mind on his debut album Tigershark. A graduate of Pratt Institute with a Masters of Fine Arts, and currently based out of Norwalk, CT, this guy has clearly got talent, which comes through on the seemingly careful thinking that went into each step of producing and recording this album. While primarily an artist (he paints in many mediums), Horan courageously ventures into the world of music through this work. Being a solo venture, with every instrument and vocal part recorded individually and then mixed and mastered at 30 Below Recording Studio in New York City, Tigershark is a true work of art.
Every song offers the listener a poem put to music. The vocals on this album have an almost spoken word-like quality on many of the tunes, putting more emphasis on the lyrics, which are definitely worth giving a listen to. Some of the lyrics even teach lessons, including “Stalactite,” which contains a description of how stalagmites and stalactites are formed, and “Combined,” which features a whole verse of a couple speaking French that sounds like it is sampled from a language learning tape.
Although tough to categorize, one could consider the first half of the album to be in the family-friendly genre, with some more repetitive and easy to follow instrumental patterns, and goofy lyrics about how Horan likes his eggs cooked on “Eggs,” and what would happen if the poles were reversed on – surprise, surprise – “If the Poles Reversed.” The second half of the album takes a more “emo” turn, with some more melancholy tunes about unrequited love on “Bumble,” and about having eight different worlds going on in his head on “Entropy.” Overall, most of his songs have a very stream of consciousness-like quality to them, with a bit of a perhaps intentionally unpolished sound. Hints of inspiration from bands like Ween and Weezer seem to come through in Horan’s quirky musical stylings.
If you are interested in giving Tigershark a listen, you can stream or download it for free on Bruce Horan’s website, where you will also find music from his second album Riptide, as well as samples of his impressive artwork. Horan also keeps his Facebook page pretty well up-to-date with music videos as he produces them, so there are plenty of opportunities to check this guy out. While not currently performing live, one can only hold out hope that he will decide to do some shows in the future. In the meantime, you’ll just have to enjoy the listen.