Category: Capital Region

  • The Sweet Sixteen of NYS Music 2016 March Madness

    We are into Round 3 of NYS Music’s March Madness and our field is down to 16 bands from across New York State! This friendly tournament style competition runs throughout the month of March, bringing new bands you should know about to your attention.

    These are bands you might not know about, but should know about. Recommended for inclusion in our field of 64 by the NYS Music staff, we hit every corner of New York State from Long Island to Buffalo, The Catskills to the North Country and all points in between. NYS Music March Madness is a great way to discover a new and upcoming band and also to show your support and love for bands you see often. Established bands who have gained a massive audience are not included in this year’s March Madness. Instead, the bands who are on the cusp of greatness are the stars of this year’s tournament. There was only room for 64 but we made some great choices and picked a wide array of genres to offer you competition.

    We’d like to thank The Hollow Bar and Kitchen, Buffalo Iron Works, Funk n Waffles and The Waterhole for each sponsoring a regional bracket this year. These venues represent the best of what New York State has to offer and they all celebrate music by allowing local and touring bands to perform for growing scenes across the state.

    Third round matchups in the Iron Works region include:

    Stellar Young (Indie) vs Blind Owl Band (jamgrass)
    Sophistafunk (funk hip/hop) vs Sly Fox and the Hustlers (blues funk rock)

    Funk n Waffles third round matchups are:

    Waydown Wailers (roots rock) vs Subsoil (psychedelic hip hop)
    Folk Faces (folk jazz) vs Annie In the Water (acoustic rock)

    The Hollow Bar and Kitchen region has:

    Sprocket (jam) vs Let’s Be Leonard (jam)
    Mister F (prog jam rock) vs Northern Faces (indie)

    The Waterhole region brings together these matchups:

    Super Killer Robots (rock) vs Chris James & Mama G (Ameribeat)
    Big Mean Sound Machine (Afrobeat/dance) vs Formula 5 (funk jam)

    Round 3 voting begins at 12 noon EST on Tuesday, March 15 and closes at midnight on Thursday, March 17. Round 4 voting begins at 12 noon on Friday, March 18 for the remaining 8 teams. Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!

    [colorvote id=”26″ style=”wpcvp-poll”]
  • Free Friday Night Concert Series Returns to Lake George’s Shepard Park

    The Free Friday Night Concert Series Fridays at the Lake: Band and Brews at Shepard Park in Lake George will feature bands from a variety of genres with the first show scheduled for Friday, June 24.

    Now in its seventh year, the summer festival series has expanded to include a revolving schedule of restaurants/bars who serve as hosts of the beer/wine tent and food service.

    With the exception of the first and last night, there will be an opener at 4 p.m. followed by a headlining act from 6 to 8 p.m. Kicking things off on June 24 is big/swing band Georgie Wonders Orchestra. They’ll play favorites from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s including covers from Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Harry James, Bunny Berrigan and more. Food and beverages will be sold by King Neptune’s Pub.

    Other acts include the Refrigerators, Spiritual Rez and Funky Dawgz Brass Band. The concert series will close out on Sept. 2 with Skeeter Creek, five-time winners of No. 1 County Band and three-time winners of Best Cover Band by Metroland.

    Admission is free and the events are family and dog friendly. There will be children’s activities including a bounce house, face painter and air brush artist.

    fridays at the lake
    New York Players 2012

    Friday’s at the Lake 2016 schedule:

    June 24: No opening act scheduled; Main act — Georgie Wonders Orchestra (big band/swing)
    Food and beverages by King Neptune’s Pub.

    July 1: Opening act— Richie Ortiz; main act — New York Players (funk)
    Food and beverages by Backstreet BBQ.

    July 8: Opening act — Jonathan Newell Band; main act — Audiostars (rock)
    Food and beverages by King Neptune’s Pub.

    July 22: Opening act — The After Fab; main act — The Refrigerators (Party Band)
    Food and beverages by Duffy’s Tavern.

    July 29: Opening act — The Tumbling Dice (Rolling Stones tribute band); main act —Emerald City (rock)
    Food and beverages by The Boardwalk Restaurant.

    Aug. 5: opening act — Meet the Mockers; main act — Grand Central Station (pop)
    Food and beverage by Fire & Ice Bar & Grill.

    Aug. 12: Opening act — Richie Ortiz; main act — Spiritual Rez (reggae/ska)
    Food and beverages by Backstreet BBQ.

    Aug. 26: Opening act — Jonathan Newell Band; main act — Funky Dawgz Brass Band (funk/jazz)
    Food and beverages by The Boardwalk Restaurant.

    Sept. 2: no opening act scheduled; main act — Skeeter Creek (country)
    Food and beverages by Duffy’s Tavern.

  • Venue Change: Cage the Elephant to Play Albany’s Palace Theatre, May 11

    On Tues. May 11, rock band Cage the Elephant will now play a 7 p.m. show at the Palace Theatre in Albany. The group was originally scheduled to perform at the Times Union Center. Tickets purchased prior to the venue change will be honored. Floor seat holders are granted general admission access to the orchestra section of the Palace, and all reserved tickets will have general admission seating in the balcony section. Tickets for both price levels ($45 floor; $37.50 balcony) are still available for purchase at the Palace Theatre box office at 19 Clinton Ave. or through Ticketmaster. NYS Music was on hand to cover Cage the Elephant’s stop at Rochester’s Main Street Armory in March for the Spring Fling Tour; read more here.

    Original Post:

    The Grammy-nominated rock band Cage the Elephant will head out in May on a string of tour dates that will route the Kentucky alt-rockers to several venues in New York and neighboring states, plus stops in nearby Toronto and Montreal.

    cage the elephant palace theatre
    Jack White will release new album “Boarding House Reach” on Friday, March 23.

    The headlining North American tour kicks off May 1 in Little Rock, Arkansas, before CTE stops in Canada and takes the stage at Times Union Center in Albany on May 11, the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on May 15, and at SummerStage in New York City’s Central Park May 16. Supporting acts for this run are Portugal. The Man, Broncho and Twin Peaks.

    Prior to launching the 34-date cross-country trek, which comes to a close June 26 in Phoenix, Arizona, the band is continuing Spring Fling Tour with Silversun Pickups, Foals and Bear Hands with shows billed in Pittsburgh on March 25, at the Main Street Armory in Rochester on March 26, First Niagara Center in Buffalo on March 28, XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, March 30, followed by Portland, Maine, and Providence, Rhode Island.

    The high-energy quartet consists of singer Matt Shultz, guitarist Brad Shultz, bassist Daniel Tichenor and drummer Jared Champion. CTE is hitting the road following the release of their fourth studio album, Tell Me I’m Pretty. A follow-up to 2013’s Melophobia with hits “Come a Little Closer” and “Cigarette Daydreams,” the 10-track record produced by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys, The Arcs) debuted in December and features the alternative chart-topping single “Mess Around.” CTE has shared the stage with Foo Fighters, Muse and Queens of the Stone Age, among other big-name artists, and most recently, the group performed on the Late Late Show with James Corden, the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Conan.

    Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, March 18 at 10 a.m. Passes for the upcoming New York dates are currently available through the band’s website, the respective venues and ticketing sites like Ticketmaster.

    Cage the Elephant tour dates:

    3/16 – Don Haskins Center – El Paso, TX ~
    3/18 – Cox Business Center Arena – Tulsa, OK ~
    3/19 – Landers Center – Southaven, MS ~
    3/20 – Freedom Hall Civic Center – Johnson City, TN ~
    3/22 – Richmond Coliseum – Richmond, VA ~
    3/23 – Constant Convocation Center – Norfolk, VA ~
    3/25 – Petersen Events Center, University of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA ~
    3/26 – Main Street Armory – Rochester, NY ~
    3/28 – First Niagara Center – Buffalo, NY
    3/30 – XL Center – Hartford, CT ~
    3/31 – Cross Insurance Arena – Portland, ME ~
    4/1 – Dunkin Donuts Arena – Providence, RI ~
    5/1 – Verizon Arena – Little Rock, AR *
    5/3 – Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, OK *
    5/4 – INTRUST Bank Arena – Wichita, KS *
    5/6 – DeltaPlex – Grand Rapids, MI *
    5/7 – Masonic Temple Theatre – Detroit, MI *
    5/8 – International Centre, Arrow Hall – Toronto, ON *
    5/10 – Bell Centre – Montreal, QC *
    5/11 – Palace Theatre – Albany, NY *
    5/15 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD *
    5/16 – SummmerStage, Central Park – New York City, NY *
    5/19 – Ascend Amphitheater – Nashville, TN *
    5/20 – Infinite Energy Arena – Duluth, GA *
    5/21 – Hangout Festival – Gulf Shores, AL
    6/3 – KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, KY ^
    6/4 – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica – Cleveland, OH ^
    6/5 – EXPRESS LIVE! – Columbus, OH ^
    6/7 – UIC Pavilion – Chicago, IL %
    6/9 – BMO Harris Pavilion – Milwaukee, WI %
    6/10 – U.S. Bank Theater at Target Center – Minneapolis, MN ^
    6/11 – Coliseum at Alliant Energy Center – Madison, WI ^
    6/14 – Calgary Stampede Corral – Calgary, AB ^
    6/15 – Shaw Convention Centre – Edmonton, AB ^
    6/17 – PNE Forum – Vancouver, BC ^
    6/18 – McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater – Portland, OR ^
    6/19 – WaMu Theater – Seattle, WA ^
    6/21 – Shrine Auditorium – Los Angeles, CA %
    6/22 – Valley View Casino Center – San Diego, CA %
    6/23 – Bill Graham Civic – San Francisco, CA %
    6/25 – The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Las Vegas, NV ^
    6/26 – Gila River Arena – Phoenix, AZ ^

    ~ Spring Fling tour dates with Silversun Pickups, Foals and Bear Hands
    * with Portugal, The Man + Broncho
    ^ with Portugal, The Man + Twin Peaks
    % with Portugal, The Man

  • Annie in the Water and Hayley Jane Collaborate for Overnight Recording

    On Sunday, March 6, Brad of Annie in the Water along with Hayley Jane asked via Facebook for suggestions on what to write a song about. Within an hour, they had more than 50 suggestions and proceeded to write a song throughout the evening and recorded the final take around 6:30am as the sun was coming up. The song, “Dr. Ashlee Little the Narwhal and Other Earthly Creatures (This Will be a Long Song),” has a silly storyline with a real message of love and optimism, inspired by their frends. The track was recorded in Clifton Park, NY. Enjoy!

  • NYS Music 2016 March Madness, Round 2

    We are into Round 2 of NYS Music March Madness and our field is down to 32 bands from across New York State! This friendly tournament style competition throughout the month of March, bringing new bands you should know about to your attention.

    These are bands you might not know about, but should know about. Recommended for inclusion in our field of 64 by the NYS Music staff, we hit every corner of New York State, from Long Island to Buffalo, The Catskills to the North Country and all points in between, NYS Music March Madness is a great way to discover a new and upcoming band and show your support and love for bands you see often. Established bands who have gained a massive audience are not included in this year’s competition, instead the bands who are on the cusp of greatness are the stars of this year’s March Madness. There was only room for 64 but we made some great choices and picked a wide array of genres to bring to you this year.

    We’d like to thank The Hollow Bar and Kitchen, Buffalo Iron Works, Funk n Waffles and The Waterhole for sponsoring a regional bracket this year. These venues represent the best of what New York State has to offer and celebrate music while inviting local and touring bands to perform for growing local scenes across the state.

    Second round matchups in the Iron Works region include:

    Stellar Young (Indie) vs Funktional Flow (funk n jam)
    Blind Owl Band (jamgrass) vs King Buffalo (stoner/psych rock)
    Sophistafunk (funk hip/hop) vs Lucky Jukebox Brigade (Indie pop punk)
    Sly Fox and the Hustlers (blues funk rock) vs North and South Dakotas (bluegrass/folk/y’allternative)

    Funk n Waffles second round matchups are:

    Waydown Wailers (roots rock) vs Last Daze (alt)
    Castle Creek (blues rock) vs Subsoil (psychedelic hip hop)
    Folk Faces (folk jazz) vs Dirty Smile (rock)
    Bump (rock) vs Annie In the Water (acoustic rock)

    The Hollow Bar and Kitchen region has:

    Sprocket (jam) vs Second Trip (rock)
    After Earth (metal) vs Let’s Be Leonard (jam)
    Mister F (prog jam rock) vs Funknut (funk/soul)
    Northern Faces (indie) vs Linear North (garage rock)

    The Waterhole region brings together these matchups:

    Root Shock (roots reggae) vs Super Killer Robots (rock)
    Chris James & Mama G (Ameribeat) vs Unknown Woodsman (funklove)
    Space Carnival (slippery disco) vs Big Mean Sound Machine (Afrobeat/dance)
    The Lawn Sausages (garagepunkschlockglam) vs Formula 5 (funk jam)

    Second Round voting begins at 12 noon EST on Friday, March 11, and closes at midnight on Sunday, March 13. The Third Round begins at 12 noon on Tuesday, March 15 with the remaining 16 teams. Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!

  • NYS Music March Madness 2016, Round 1

    It’s March and that means March Madness at NYS Music! We bring together 64 bands from across New York State for a friendly tournament style competition throughout the month of March, bringing new bands to our audience’s attention.

    These are bands you might not know about, but should know about. Recommended for inclusion in our field of 64 by the NYS Music staff, we hit every corner of New York State, from Long Island to Buffalo, The Catskills to the North Country and all points in between, NYS Music March Madness is a great way to discover a new and upcoming band and show your support and love for bands you see often. Established bands who have gained a massive audience are not included in this year’s competition, instead the bands who are on the cusp of greatness are the stars of this year’s March Madness. There was only room for 64 but we made some great choices and picked a wide array of genres to bring to you this year.

    We’d like to thank The Hollow Bar and Kitchen, Buffalo Iron Works, Funk n Waffles and The Waterhole for sponsoring a regional bracket this year. These venues represent the best of what New York State has to offer and celebrate music while inviting local and touring bands to perform for growing local scenes across the state.

    First round matchups in the Iron Works region include:

    Stellar Young (Indie) vs Melia (alt rock)
    Funktional Flow (funk n jam) vs Candy Ambulance (alt grunge rock)
    Pizza Party (‘Cuse rock) vs Blind Owl Band (jamgrass)
    King Buffalo (stoner/psych rock) vs Dragnfly (rock)
    Sophistafunk (funk hip/hop) vs Honey Smugglers (bluegrass/folk)
    Lucky Jukebox Brigade (Indie pop punk) vs Los Blancos (American roots)
    Teddy Midnight (electro dance funk) vs Sly Fox and the Hustlers (blues funk rock)
    Glen Street (alt hard rock) vs North and South Dakotas (bluegrass/folk/y’allternative)

    Funk n Waffles first round matchups are:

    Waydown Wailers (roots rock) vs I’m From the Gov’t and I’m Here to Help (metal)
    Last Daze (alt) vs Twin Lions (modern rock)
    Castle Creek (blues rock) vs Let Go Daylight stoner rock)
    The Other Brothers (soul funk) vs Subsoil (psychedelic hip hop)
    Pale Green Stars (rock/blues/alt-country) vs Folk Faces (folk jazz)
    Phineas and the Lonely Leaves (indie) vs Dirty Smile (rock)
    Bump (rock) vs Ire Clad (heavy metal)
    Annie In the Water (acoustic rock) vs Oogee Wawa (alt/reggae)

    The Hollow Bar and Kitchen region has:

    Sprocket (jam) vs Tim Britt (acoustic blues/disco)
    The Sea The Sea (indie folk pop) vs Second Trip (rock)
    After Earth (metal) vs Ampevene (prog rock)
    Let’s Be Leonard (jam) vs The Alaskan (heavy)
    Breaking Solace (hard rock) vs Mister F (prog jam rock)
    Spectacular Average Boys (folk) vs Funknut (funk/soul)
    AjamajA (prog jam) vs Northern Faces (indie)
    Linear North (garage rock) vs Murder In Rue Morgue (indie metal)

    And The Waterhole region brings together these matchups:

    Root Shock (roots reggae) vs Lord Electro (electro/house)
    Jeremiah’s Razor (metal) vs Super Killer Robots (rock)
    Chris James & Mama G (Ameribeat) vs Gowanus (experiemental rock)
    Unknown Woodsman (funklove) vs Animal (metalcore)
    Imperial Brown (jam rock) vs Space Carnival (slippery disco)
    Danielle Ronder & Tomorrow People (soul) vs Big Mean Sound Machine (Afrobeat/dance)
    The Lawn Sausages (garagepunkschlockglam) vs Crows Cage (hard rock)
    Formula 5 (funk jam) vs Crackin’ Foxy (swing)

    First Round voting begins at 12 noon EST on Tuesday, March 8, and closes at midnight on Thursday, March 10. Second Round begins at 12 noon on Friday, March 11 with the remaining 32 teams. Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!

  • WEQX Presents: The Moth and The Flame with Hard Soul, March 9 at The Hollow

    The Moth and The Flame will join local rockers Hard Soul at The Hollow this Wednesday, March 9, presented by 102.7 WEQX.

    Their latest release Young & Unafriad brings 8 new songs and features atmospheric strings from Rob Moose (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens) and has been streamed over 2.8 million streams on Spotify. The Provo, Utah group currently based out of Los Angeles features Andrew Tolman, formerly of Imagine Dragons (drums), Brandon Robbins (guitar/vocals) and Mark Garbett (keys/vocals).

    Hard Soul will debut new material during this WEQX-sponsored concert. Frontman Johnny Salka shared, “We’ve been relatively quiet the last few months, diligently working on new material for our next record, so before we hit the studio later this year, we’re going to take the opportunity to test out some new tunes for the first time live in front of some hungry music fans at The Hollow!” The night plans to be a great one for bands from both coasts. Advance tickets for March 9 are available

  • Saratoga Performing Arts Center 50th Summer Lineup

    The state’s premier outdoor concert venue is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer as Saratoga Performing Arts Center kicks off its golden anniversary concert season with the fourth running of the SPAC Rock and Run, which offers 5k, 10k and half marathon distances, on May 15. Albany-area siblings Jocelyn and Chris Arndt, who were breakout artists at last fall’s Utica Music and Arts Festival, will perform as part of the SPAC Rock and Run Races.

    Once the music takes over, highlights this season include a three-night run from Phish July 1 to 3 and a double bill of Dave Matthews Band July 15 and 16. Dead and Company pay a visit to SPAC June 21 with John Mayer laying down Jerry’s licks, and Mumford and Sons bring their electric brand of folk to a sold-out show on June 15.

    The annual Freihofers Saratoga Jazz Festival, featuring headliner Smokey Robinson in addition to three 2016 Grammy Award winners, Jon Cleary, Christian McBride, and Eliane Elias, takes place June 25 and 26.

    SPAC’s long-time resident the Philadelphia Orchestra takes up its annual residency beginning Aug. 3, and the New York City Ballet brings 16 ballet performances throughout July.

    Saratoga Performing Arts Center 2016 Pop/Rock Schedule:

    June 11 – Dixie Chicks
    June 15 – Mumford and Sons
    June 21 – Dead and Company
    July 1 – Phish
    July 2 – Phish
    July 3 – Phish
    July 5 – Journey, The Doobie Brothers, Dave Mason
    July 10 – Steely Dan with Steve Winwood
    July 12 – Disturbed and Breaking Benjamin with Alter Bridge and Saint Asonia
    July 13 – Tedeschi Trucks Band with Los Lobos and North Mississippi Allstars
    July 15 – Dave Matthews Band
    July 16 – Dave Matthews Band
    July 24 – Slipknot with Marilyn Manson and Of Mice and Men
    July 25 – Josh Groban with Sarah McLachlan
    July 26 – Janet Jackson
    Sept. 3 – Zac Brown Band with Drake White and the Big Fire
    Sept. 8 – Heart with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Cheap Trick

    https://youtu.be/pJ9Hmy3fPK8

  • Sunday Night Legends: Dave Mason and Leon Russell at The Egg

    Watch the Oscar’s or go see live music? Leo and Chris Rock or Leon Russell and Dave Mason? It wasn’t a close call when The Egg announced the pairing of two legendary musicians from the 60s who have continued to create and perform music to crowds for nearly half a century.

    leon russell dave masonDave Mason (no relation) got the night started with songs spanning his career, featuring solo work and songs written during his time with Traffic. A darker “Dear Mr. Fantasy” came early in the set and was hauntingly bluesy, a theme reprised throughout the set. An extended blues jam was patient and went beyond with Johnne Sambataro (guitar) and Anthony Patler (keys) taking requisite solos; they synced up well and carried the song through its motions without a need to rush. “Good 2 U” came from a certain era of 70s rock that is smooth, accessible and engaging without being too jazzy or improv reliant. The set closed with “Feelin’ Alright,” rearranged slightly for a darker vibe, as well as the encore of “All Along the Watchtower.”

    leon russell dave masonThe only subpar aspect of Mason’s set was the backdrop for the band. What amounted to a computer screen broadcasting behind the band was basically a billboard for albums and dated promo for the artist as though he was just getting around to branding himself in 1995 and never updated his ad set. There were some albums, cover art and his music catalog along with some old photos, but it felt as though Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam could have used a much more psychedelic feel to their stage presence, beyond the music.

    After a short change over, Leon Russell took to his white grand piano to perform Elvis’ version of “I Got a Woman” and didn’t hesitate to keep playing the hits. “Rolling in my Sweet Baby’s Arms” and “Let the Good Times Roll” fit the label of not soft rock yet not hard rock. It was Goldilocks rock:  just right. Russell told stories about playing The Concert for Bangledesh at George Harrison’s behest and performing in Woodstock for Bob Dylan, including on “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall.”

    A classic country version of “Wild Horses” was highlighted by the pedal steel of Beau Charron who was versatile on the keys and mandolin over the course of the night. “I’ve Just Seen his Face” by The Beatles had a Widespread Panic sound to it which was followed shortly after by a remark about the All-Star Mad Dogs and the Englishmen set that he performed at Lockn’ Festival this past September. “Delta Lady” and “The Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen” both reminded me of that powerhouse set with Tedeschi Trucks Band, Chris Robinson and the singers from the original album, all of which Russell spoke highly of in reminiscing. “Roll Over Beethoven” served as the final song of the night, and while a dual encore of Dave Mason and Leon Russell would have been great, there were no complaints to be had from a night of classic rock at The Egg.

  • American Babies Raise the Dead in Albany

    On Thursday, February 25, those willing to boogie down on a school night took to the Hollow Bar and Kitchen in Albany to see Tom Hamilton’s American Babies. Considered to be “the hardest working man in show business,” Hamilton proved once again that this hard work pays off. The crowd, while somewhat sparse considering the talent on stage, was thoroughly impressed as evident by cheers, dancing and plenty of “Hamilton’s the man” exclamations.

    ER.COKER-AMERICAN.BABIES_08

    The evening began with opening act Bump, a three piece ensemble with Americana sounds similar to that of their headliner. American Babies rhythm guitarist Justin Mazer joined the trio for a rendition of “Angels from Montgomery,” which was as rocking as it was sweet.

    American Babies played “What Does it Mean to Be” early in their set, a song from their new and still unreleased album, An Epic Battle Between Light and Dark, which kept the crowd as equally intrigued as it was satisfied. The song is about not feeling your age or what society tells us we should feel like at a certain age; the album is set to release on March 18.

    ER.COKER-AMERICAN.BABIES_07

    The rest of the set was cover heavy and was surely influenced by Hamilton’s experiences in his other projects. “State Police” and “Let’s Start a Gang,” both Brother’s Past songs, provided opportunities for spacey yet upbeat jams. Directly following this was several Grateful Dead covers including “Big River” and “Cumberland Blues,” in which Mazer delivered the solo of the night.

    ER.COKER-AMERICAN.BABIES_05“Buckle in, we’re just getting started,” Hamilton tells the crowd as he took off his pin-decorated jacket to reveal a black t-shirt with the text “9:30” in large white letters, likely from the famed club in Washington D. C.  Drummer Al Smith also changed out a cymbal in preparation for what was to come.

    They picked up with another Grateful Dead song, “The Wheel” which led into the American Babies’ version of “Jolene” and then back into “The Wheel,” adding depth to the familiar sound and inches to my perma-grin.

    The Babies then did another cover, this time Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City,” but again adding something to it all their own.

    Throughout the set, Hamilton seemed to have chemistry with every member of the band. Smith and Bassist Mark Sosnoskie looked to him as a leader, awaiting cues for their next move while he and Mazer bounced back and forth taking turns as the star. His professional chemistry was only amplified by that of the romantic sort with guitarist Raina Mullen. They harmonize well on stage and off it as well as a couple.

    The night ended with even more Dead, “Deal,” and I’m just left thinking how much Hamilton really sounds like Jerry Garcia at this point. Clearly, his work with Billy and the Kids and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead has become ingrained in his repertoire. If for any reason John Mayer stops playing with Dead and Company, Tom Hamilton is the obvious choice to step in.

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’633′]