Category: Manhattan

The Budos Band Strikes at Brooklyn Bowl
Slated for two nights at Brooklyn Bowl, the 9-piece Staten Island based Budos Band played to a small but excited crowd on Friday, April 1. Initially known for their instrumental funk and soul sound, The Budos Band has evolved into a darker and more psychedelic rock band.

This was evidenced on Friday night throughout their frenetic performance. Drum, bass guitar, and percussion beats were deep and the organ bellowed. The horn section blared a noisy sound while lead guitarist Thomas Brenneck chaotically worked his way around the stage with his guitar in perpetual motion; at one point he even wedged the head of his guitar between two amps to distort its sound.

The Budos Band is certainly unique – soulful afro-beats shaken and stirred with psychedelic hard rock. I had expected to experience a relaxed show with funky beats, but instead was greeted with an unconventional loud, frenzied night of music. The new sound of The Budos Band is upon us. Their fifth album, Burnt Offering, was recorded in Brooklyn and released in 2014 on Daptone Records.

The Budos Band:
Jared Tankel – baritone saxophone
Thomas Brenneck – electric guitar
John Carbonella Jr. – congas, drums
Mike Deller – organ
Daniel Foder – bass guitar
Andrew Greene – trumpet
Rob Lombardo – bongos, congas
Brian Profilio – drums
Dame Rodriguez – percussion
April 14, 2016
The New Mastersounds to Headline 3-Night Weekend at Brooklyn Bowl

The New Mastersounds have a simple mission: create and share an ebullient energy with a receptive audience. They’ve been accomplishing this swimmingly with their bouncy, funky instrumental grooves for a decade. New York City will have its chance to get down New Mastersounds-style for three consecutive nights at Brooklyn Bowl on April 14-16.

In the UK where there are no John Scofields or Galactics to create a rich jazz-funk jam tapestry, The New Mastersounds started out as a band filling that void with free reign. Nowadays they run widely in the US festival circuit and collaborate with Mike Dillon, Grace Potter, Maceo Parker and Art Neville. Their music is fast and relentlessly euphoric.

The Saturday date at Brooklyn Bowl will also include an afternoon family show for all ages beginning at noon, in addition to the show that evening. The matinee appearance has become a tradition for the band over their last two appearances in Brooklyn. The New Mastersounds first appeared at the Bowl in 2010, and three-night runs have occurred there at least once yearly since 2013. New York funk fans are doubtless hungry to have them back.

Brooklyn’s own Moon Hooch will support The New Mastersounds on Thursday, April 14. Their primitive dance music played in sax-sax-drums power trio format is sophisticated and provocative. In a league with other contemporary artists who blur the line between live acoustic performance and sleek electronica production, Moon Hooch have an unprecedented sound and an attitude that’s always carrying them into new musical territory. Aficionados will want to be there at 8 PM when they get the party started at Brooklyn Bowl, kicking off a three-night weekend with The New Mastersounds.

April 7, 2016
Wyclef Jean Takes on the Brooklyn Bowl, NY

Grammy winning artist Wyclef Jean brought the house down Tuesday night during his second performance at the Brooklyn Bowl. His DJ bumped the beats as Wyclef freestyled his way onto the stage mic in hand rhyming about Brooklyn, Haiti, politics and music…and even gave a shout out to the girl with the camera in the front row (that would be me!) He wowed the crowd with eccentric dance moves, multiple costume changes, instrument maneuvers, and guitar rifts with his teeth.

The Bowl was energized from the moment Wyclef set foot on the stage. Cell phone cameras were in the air the entire night and fans were dancing in the bowling lanes as he weaved his way through tracks like “911” and “Hips Don’t Lie.” During his new single “My Girl” with Sasha Mari, over 100 multi-colored flashing foam glow sticks were thrown into the crowd and fans from the front row were pulled onto the stage to dance with Clef and his backup dancers from Studio L Dance Co. A fan favorite, “Killing Me Softly” was performed by Canadian jazz, pop, and soul singer Nikki Yanofsky, whose big voice filled the room over the sound of the crowd belting out of the lyrics with her. Another special moment of the evening came when Wyclef welcomed his sister Melky onto the stage to perform a super soulful version of Leela James’ song “A Change is Gonna Come.”

It is evident why the Brooklyn Bowl added a second Wyclef show to their schedule. He is a passionate performer who lights up a room with his talents. He remains relevant to his fans and is always looking for the next big thing. Be sure to keep your eyes out for his new album Carnival III which is expected to release mid-September.

April 4, 2016
Slothrust Shreds at Baby’s All Right in Williamsburg

Slothrust shreds. This past Saturday Slothrust (Leah Wellbaum on guitar/vocals, Kyle Bank on bass, and Will Gorin on Drums) played Baby’s All Right in Williamsburg with Diet Cig, the playfully charming pop punk duo from Upstate, New York and YUNG, the killer rock band hailing all the way from Denmark. The show was sold out, the music was powerful, and the whole venue seemed to hum with the undeniably infectious energy of being young and alive in Brooklyn.

Slothrust finished up a month long tour at Baby’s that night and closed out the show. Their tour hopped all over the country, including five showcases at SXSW. As I watched them set up I wondered if they were worn out from tour, burnt out from travel, the back to back shows, the van life. I thought maybe their set would be a bit sluggish. I was dead wrong. They were tight. They are always so incredibly tight.

To start, they hit the crowd with a jam that was heavy like a ton of bricks and by mid set had leveled things out with both “Magnets part 1” and “Magnets part 2”, dark yet delicate crowd pleasers. The whole performance was a perfect balance; new songs and old favorites that provided a trip through intimate, emotional lyrics that were delivered with captivating, deadpan vocals and guitar riffs that rip right through you. It can’t really be compared to anything else. Slothrust is it’s own kind of strange darkness. Straight up grunge rock that can get you all choked up without a single cliche lyric to be sung.

They closed their set with “Crockpot” which is a spot-on representation of who they are as a band. It’s a sample of the dichotomy the trio has mastered; soft yet strong, gentle but raw and raging. A spellbinding sweetness broken by a build up that makes the blood flow faster through your body. As “Crockpot” rang out, the back lights made perfect silhouettes of the three talented musicians responsible for making the packed house sing along at the top of their lungs. It was then that I truly realized the power of Slothrust. I wholeheartedly believe their future holds something huge- something great. If you haven’t heard Slothrust yet, listen to “Of Course You Do” (their latest album which is an absolute masterpiece), get yourself to their next show, or do both if you know what’s good for you.

April 1, 2016
Larry Kirwan and Friends Mark St. Patrick’s Day With Comedy, Tradition, and Rock and Roll

A sea of green pooled around the sides of Fifth Avenue as the world’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parade stepped off to much better weather than expected, bringing over 200,000 participants to the celebration, and for some marked a new era of inclusion in the festivities. As the crowds fizzled away along the cross streets near the end of the five hour parade to their quotidian ways, some green-clad merrymakers were staggering a bit early while others continued their St. Patrick’s celebrations into the evening.

With countless pubs and venues in an already bustling music town there were plenty of ways to carry on into the night. Right in the heart of Midtown at Times Square former Black 47 leader Larry Kirwan assembled an eclectic and energetic lineup of entertainment at the B.B. King Blues Club.

As the early settlers of the dinner crew finished up dessert, the Lia Fail Pipe Band out of Mercer County, NJ performed a short set of tunes including a rendition of “The Foggy Dew,” a folk song about the 1916 Easter Rising. This traditional intro to the night helped disposition the show before comedian and long time yellow cab driver John McDonagh took to the stage as emcee for the night. Cracking a few entertaining observational jokes about the character of NYC and about some national politics (to a few mixed reactions), McDonagh helped kick the energy up a bit in the crowd, almost like a comedian warming up the audience before a taping of The Tonight Show.

The first musical act of the night required the need to term the mix of entertainment as eclectic. Rising NYC hip-hop artist Rory K (Larry Kirwan’s son) celebrated the release of his second album Young Professionals that night performing a handful of songs. While the genre may have been a bit different from the rest of the night, Rory K’s struck some chords with the audience. His confidence in the lyrics and exuberant stage presence made for an entertaining set, and possibly a new sound for some folks at B.B. King’s. Rory K’s night wasn’t completely over after his set was finished as he stepped back out later on for a father-son moment providing some freestyling over a portion of “Fire of Freedom.”

Stepping back into a more traditional setting, Black 47 co-founder Chris Byrne was joined by Andrew Harkin and Brian Tracey as The Lost Tribe of Donegal. As resident NYC musicians performing regularly at Rocky Sullivan’s in Red Hook (Brooklyn), they brought a mix of toe-tapping jigs and reels along with original compositions and a cover of Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime” which blended a traditional sound with some rhythmic elements of modern rock music.

Black 47 last took the stage at the same place in Nov. 2014 with many somber emotions from fans after their final cover of “Gloria / I Fought the Law” and as Larry Kirwan took to the stage with his freshly assembled band there was plenty of cheerful delight to counter that nearly 18-month dejection. The band was made up of Kirwan, Coty Cockrell (keys), Deni Bonet (violin), Rene Hart (double bass) and former Black 47 bandmate Thomas Hamlin (drums). Joining the band for a few songs was multi-instrumentalist and virtuoso David Amram.

While nothing can replace the dichotomy that was Black 47 the cohesion on stage was remarkable. It was interesting to hear a handful of Black 47 tunes played with different instrumentation, particularly the keys and violin taking up the space where horns and uillean pipes were before.

The set list was comprised of several staples from the Black 47 catalog and a few new post-Black 47 songs penned by Kirwan. Of these songs, “Floating” had first made its debut this past fall at one of Kirwan’s solo acoustic gigs but now presented as a ballad defined that night by the beautiful sounds of Hart’s violin. Another new song hit the stage honoring Seán Mac Diarmada; dedicated this in memory of Sandy Boyer, host of “Radio Free Eireann” on WBAI, who recently passed away.

With the 100^th anniversary of the Easter Rising upon us, a theme of the night was the commemoration of the event. Though a minor element of the show, the songs “James Connolly” and “The Big Fellah” were part of the set in addition to the new song on Mac Diarmada. A Gaelic intro to “Big Fellah,” typically only sung on the studio version, brought the room down quiet before a distorted guitar cut through the silence. For “James Connolly,” an intuitive reaction from the crowd proves the power and legacy of the song.

Aside from the somewhat serious tone of the theme behind the show, there were many more fun moments throughout the night to bring back memories and excitement from the Black 47 years, particularly toward the end of the set with the booze-themed “40 Shades of Blue” and the former band’s MTV hit “Funky Ceili.”

Here’s looking forward to next St. Patrick’s Day in Manhattan.

Setlist:

Livin’ In America, Bas in Eirann, Big Fellah, Walk All The Days (w/ Chris Byrne), Fanatic Heart, Five Points, Camptown Races, Hard Times, Redemption Song -> Fire of Freedom (w/ Rory K), Floating, Sean MacDiarmada, James Connolly, Izzy’s Irish Rose, 40 Shades of Blue, Funky Ceili

Encore: Like a Rolling Stone

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March 31, 2016
Telegram at Pianos

Fresh from their appearance at SXSW and a packed week of NYC gigs, Telegram blazed, marched and paraded through a set of tightly wound, well-conceived, and – it must be said – extraordinarily loud songs at Pianos on Thursday, March 24. As a Brit myself I was heartened when the band, with their British accents and modest entourage, quietly streamed into the audience to catch the end of opening act Stephen Babcock and have a Stella or two.

I mention their entrance to the room, before they even got on stage, because their noticeability in a crowded room is pretty relevant: these guys, with leather tightly fitted and hair impressively styled, properly look like they are in a band. Once they are on stage, photographer Thom McKenna says to me, grinning: ‘One of the most English things I have ever seen.’ I agree, only to be caught off guard by the accent of frontman Matt Saunders as he introduces the band after their second song: ‘We’re from London’, he says, but his voice is not. A furrowed brow and a Google search later I confirm that Matt is, in fact, Welsh. It was the first of many times last night that my expectations were subverted by Telegram.

Telegram hurtled through their first couple of songs with bold assurance, gain-soaked instruments and a touch, I think it is fair to say, of glam-rock styling. It is tempting to lump Telegram in with a troupe of other ‘new psych bands’, as the Guardian did back in 2014, and as I had mentally done before even arriving at the show. But their third track of the night, ‘Inside/Outside’, with the its syncopated hi-hats and danceable snare cracks sharply glimmering through the mid-range overdrive, sets Telegram apart by the distinctiveness of their instruments and their musicianship. It cannot be overstated quite how loud the set was – one hopes for their sake that Matt, Pip, Moon and Cook wear ear-plugs on stage – but loudness does not equate to a hot mess. The guitar playing got pretty relentless at times, but it was always precise, with the rhythm often only hitting punchy downstrokes and the lead reverberating, echoing, and not ever, to my ear, muffling a note.

The bassist, Moon, is normally at the sonic frontier of the band’s sound. This is the case with their cover of Bowie’s ‘Heroes’. The bass is the backbone of the cover, and it does not fail to please the audience. The cover may well have been the highlight of the evening, which is no bad thing; nonetheless, it does make me wonder what it is about the song that makes it stand out just slightly above the rest of the band’s set. Perhaps it is the sheer spaciousness of ‘Heroes’, the way it demands that whoever is playing it give it room to breathe. Telegram’s sound can occasionally get so intense that they miss opportunities to let melodies expand, for ideas to soar and grow, as they instead move swiftly on to the next raging chord. As Telegram moves forward, I wonder if they will try to make room for more of whatever it is they managed to capture in that Bowie cover.

On Friday, March 25th, Telegram played at Brooklyn’s Shea Stadium. I am jealous of anyone who could make it and catch this forceful and impressive band on their last evening in New York City. Here’s hoping they return soon.

March 31, 2016
Plenty of Treats for Fans in moe.’s NYC Run

moe. pulled out some excellent segues and rare songs for their St. Patrick’s Day run in NYC.

The weekend started off St. Paddy’s Thursday with an intimate show at a smaller venue, Stage 48. The concert hall opened three years ago and has a capacity of about 1,100, with a horseshoe-shaped balcony area around the top, multiple bars and plenty of room for dancing.

The boys didn’t waste any time getting into it, launching into a nearly half-hour-long “McBain” to start the show, which then slid into “Down Boy.”

When guitar player Chuck Garvey took to his talk box in “Happy Hour Hero,” he sang into it a holiday wish for the crowd: “Happy St. Patrick’s Day you guys,” “I hope you have a very nice St. Patrick’s day. I hope you get real fucked up.”

The band then played “Downward Facing Dog,” but they didn’t finish it; instead they transitioned into “Deep This Time” to end the set. DFD is broken into two distinct parts, so it’s perfect to break up within a show, but it doesn’t happen often, if ever.

At the end of the set, bassist Rob Derhak, who had been coughing here and there throughout, made it pretty clear how he was feeling: “Thanks folks, I’m going to have to go get a blood transfusion, because that was like a four-hour first set.”

The second set didn’t let up, though. It was a festive ride from the opening notes of “Billy Goat” all the way through the set to the apropos “New York City.” The set only stopped once, after going “all the way down to the bottom” with “The Pit” then finishing up “Downward Facing Dog” with the part that gets dark and guitarist Al Schnier nearly growls out the lyrics.

After taking a quick breath, the band dove into the creepy-yet-whimsical “Bearsong,” which transitioned into Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive.” Then the whole thing became a “The Pit” > “Tubing the River Styx” sandwich before going into “Farmer Ben.” Percussionist Jim Loughlin didn’t venture out from behind his setup as he often does when he’s singing a song, but it didn’t take any energy out of the crowd favorite that’s on the rarer side. The song always breaks down into a few covers, and this Ben had some very appropriate treats: “If I Should Fall From Grace With God” by the Pogues, “Shipping Up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphy’s, and moe.’s own traditional Irish-sounding tune, “Raise a Glass.” The band played the full RAG and didn’t finish Ben before going into “New York City.”

The encore featured some neat play with lyrics. moe. started with Neil Young’s “Down By the River,” which they hadn’t played since 2002, then played their own “Wind It Up.” “River” begins with the phrase, “Be on my side. I’ll be on your side,” and WIU both starts with similar lyrics and ends with a repetition of that phrase.

3/17/16 Stage 48 setlist:

I: McBain > Down Boy, It >(nh) Smoke, Rise > Happy Hour Hero, Downward Facing Dog > Deep This Time

II: Billy Goat > Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Downward Facing Dog, Bearsong > Interstellar Overdrive > The Pit > Tubing The River Styx > Farmer Ben > Raise A Glass > New York City

E: Down By The River > Wind It Up

Farmer Ben jam section: Ben> If I Should Fall From Grace With God > Ben > Shipping Up to Boston > Ben > Raise a Glass

On Friday, the fun moved to PlayStation Theater in Times Square. The band played the same venue in March 2015, but it was called the Best Buy Theater back then. This show kicked off right with “Yodalittle,” and the first set also featured a great “Puebla.”

The second set began with the band’s second time ever playing “Cosmik Debris,” a Zappa cover that moe. debuted at their Halloween show in Philly. That gave way to a string of songs lasting nearly or more than 15 minutes each, the highlight of which was “She.” The set ended with “Suck a Lemon,” which the band hasn’t performed since 2014, and they encored with “Bodhisattva,” a Steely Dan tune moe. hasn’t played since 2003.

3/18/2016 PlayStation Theater setlist:

I: Yodelittle > Blue Jeans Pizza, Puebla > Bullet, Calyphornya, Gone, Queen Of Everything

II: Cosmik Debris, Silver Sun >(nh) Kyle’s Song > Opium, She, Suck A Lemon

E: Bodhisattva, Mexico

Returning to the Playstation Theater on Saturday for the final night of the run, the revived audience welcomed moe. back to the stage with cheers and hands-full of beers. With a quick entrance and a 4-count, the evening blasted off with a rocking, short but sweet “The Ghost of Ralph’s Mom.” The highlight of the first set was the tasty “Brent Black” sandwich that included two fan-favorite covers from last year, House of Pains‘ “Jump Around” and “The Imperial March” from Star Wars. As the intermission approached, some fans filtered outside into the streets of Times Square and some took to the media center of the theater lobby to play the few select Playstation console games mounted to walls.

Set two came in easy with “The House of the Rising Sun,” which set a mellow mood for the “Lazarus” that followed. Special guest Suke Cerulo, from NY bands Lynch and Conehead Buddha, joined the group for a jammed out “Moth,” allowing Suke to explore the fretboard of his six-string guitar for the better part of ten minutes. That song is what the crowd needed to be picked up into full dance-mode again and Cerulo delivered with class. As the song ended, Suke waved to the grateful moe.rons and exited the dimly lit stage as Chuck melodically picked his way into “Rebubula.” It seemed as though the setlist for the evening was hand picked by Rob, since most of the songs were either written/sang by him or rhythmically driven by the bass guitar.

Before the encore, Al came out to sound off a few of the Al.nouncements for the night. Since some of the songs ran a tad over length and the “Hard” curfew was only a few minutes away, Rob hilariously slapped the scribbled on pieces of notebook paper out of Al’s hands and apologized to the audience saying, “Sorry. Blame me, blame me,” The crowd took it in stride and cheered as moe. executed an emotional “Ziggy Stardust” by the late David Bowie. A song which has become increasingly popular amongst the crew and community since Bowie passed away.

3/19/2016 PlayStation Theater setlist:

I: T.G.O.R.M., George, Blond Hair and Blue Eyes, Brent Black > Jump Around > Brent Black > The Imperial March > Brent Black

II: The House of the Rising Sun, Lazarus > Ricky Marten > Time Ed, Moth, Rebubula > Four > Rebubula

E: Ziggy Stardust

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March 30, 2016
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Keeps Brooklyn Bowl Buzzing

To an interloper who missed opening night, witnessing Joe Russo’s Almost Dead at Brooklyn Bowl on Friday, March 25, could have been a bit like waking up on top of Mount Everest without knowing how you got there. Usually concertgoers stay alert for the peak moments of concerts that become precious memories. Night two of this sold-out three-night run felt like one big peak of something larger.

As a general rule JRAD plays Grateful Dead songs with all the force of a careening steam engine about to jump the tracks. On this night the band proved that they don’t even require a recognizable song structure to reach that energy level, as the opening improvisation dialed right in to the crowd-animating zeal cooked up the previous night.

Perfectly in line with the band’s signature ability to tear the Dead’s material away from its original context and invigorate it with original spirit, a five-piece horn section appeared at the start of “Hard To Handle” to add unprecedented texture and heat to the tune. Having set the tone for a night of “big band” Dead music, the dynamic of the Otis Redding-cover opener was balanced out with more Garcia flavor in “Franklin’s Tower”. “Feel Like A Stranger” took an abrupt dive into a spacey, bass-driven groove that quickly became the foundation of a jazz piano exposé by Marco Benevento. A spicy hot trumpet solo was a highlight of “Help On The Way,” which gave way to a particularly outlandish and adventurous “Slipknot!” A very carefully executed transition brought “Althea” to the fore in place of “Franklin’s,” which had already appeared in inverted position earlier in the set.

JRAD really showed Brooklyn Bowl what they’ve got as an original musical collective in the ensuing extended group improvisation, which called to mind Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis and was shaped by contributions from all band members. Lightning-fast fingerwork from Scott Metzger and trippy guitar skwonking by Tom Hamilton finally coalesced into an incredible whirlwind of a set-closing “The Other One”.

The second set began with a pair of punchy rockers, the mid-’60s novelty “Cream Puff War” kicking things off and “I Need A Miracle” regaining that steamrolling momentum established in set one. The gentle majesty of “Lady With A Fan,” embellished on this evening by beautiful flute parts, asserted itself at this juncture. The presence of the horn section recalled the orchestral flourishes on the studio recording of “Terrapin Station,” but the arrangement was something new and in harmony with JRAD’s high-intensity approach to this anthemic song. The cathartic, celebratory mood prevailing at this point was given some funky motive force with “Dancing in the Street”. A full-throttle “Cumberland Blues” brought the set to an end. A “Sugar Magnolia” encore inspired both daydreaming about springtime sunshine and anticipation of the third and final show to come.

The middle night of this Brooklyn Bowl run was notable for its expansive variety of soloists, with members of the guest horn section frequently stepping into the spotlight. Dueling exchanges of riffs between JRAD members heightened the ferocity of certain jams. Russo seemed determined to bolster every one of his nine fellow musicians onstage with muscular and relentless drumming, often accompanied by ecstatic facial expressions. The audience responded approvingly, to say the least, to this group as it payed homage to a legendary band with both humor and finesse. After an opening night featuring cover song debuts from outside the Grateful Dead repertoire and a follow-up show embellished with brass, it’s anybody’s guess what’s in store for round three.

Setlist:
Set 1: Hard To Handle > Franklin’s Tower > Feel Like A Stranger > Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Althea > The Other One
Set 2: Cream Puff War > I Need A Miracle > Terrapin Station > Dancing in the Street > Cumberland Blues
Encore: Sugar Magnolia

March 30, 2016
March Madness 2016: And the Winner is… Sprocket!

At midnight on Sunday night, NYS Music closed the polls on another successful March Madness. With only a handful of votes separating Capital Region blues rockers Sly Fox and the Hustlers, and Brooklyn’s best kept secret, Sprocket. When the dust settled, Sprocket had 51% of the final vote in this year’s March Madness. It was truly a case of every vote counting and the NYC jam community stepped it up.

The quartet got their name from the dog in Fraggle Rock, and includes members Thomas Tompkins, Nate Rosler, Dan Haller, and Angelo Miliano. They have been around since 2011 but it wasn’t until last year that they ventured out of the Big Apple. Besides playing a few key shows in Upstate New York, Sprocket also played to a sold out Hard Rock in Chicago during Fare Thee Well last summer.

As far as March Madness was concerned, the band didn’t know they were even in the tournament at first. Tompkins said, “I saw the bracket come up on my (Facebook) newsfeed and thought, ‘It would be cool to be a part of that,’ automatically thinking we weren’t. Then saw we were. That was pretty awesome.” Haller added, “We were honored, frankly. We know, respect and have had the pleasure of playing with a bunch of the bands in our bracket, and were honored to be in such great company!”

Fueled by social media votes started coming in, Sprocket had to face Tim Britt from the Utica area in the first round and Buffalo’s Second Trip in the second round to make it onto the Sweet Sixteen.

Dan Haller commented on the support Sprocket got from it’s dedicated followers, “It was really fun to get our fanbase engaged in spreading the word about the contest. We were pulling for a bunch of bands in the tournament, including Sly Fox and The Hustlers, who we squared off against in the finals.”

In the Sweet Sixteen, Sprocket narrowly escaped the round with 53% of the vote over Saratoga’s Let’s Be Leonard. That win had them faced off against Northern Faces and a win carried them into the Final Four.

Tompkins has spent the time to listen to every band in the tournament and there are already plans in the works to play with a few of them. “I really enjoyed the energy and vibe from Sly Fox, which was that you know you’re going to have a good time seeing them. After that I reached out to Gary.” Haller added, “Plans are even being made for us to share the stage in a few months.” Tompkins gave props to the tourney, “The contest has been helpful already in getting the name out there.”

In the Final Four, Sprocket faced off against Big Mean Sound Machine from Ithaca, before going toe to toe with Sly Fox and the Hustlers in the Finals.

What’s next for Sprocket? There are discussions of starting a Brooklyn-based festival for a contingent of bands from the city. And sometime in the future there are dreams of hopping on the “Sprocket Rocket” and playing a show on the moon. There are also plans on a second record and hopes to see the band at a few festivals this summer.

Upcoming Shows:
4/13 at Goldsounds in Brooklyn with Eminence Ensemble
6/6 at Brooklyn Bowl w/ The Jauntee and Tweed

March 29, 2016
Update: Project/Object Cancels Spring Tour

Announced this afternoon via Facebook, the Frank Zappa Tribute band Project/Object is postponing their April 2016 tour dates until further notice. The cancellation comes due to the ongoing health issues surrounding the group’s production assistant-social media manager-merch seller Robin Gelberg, who survived a tragic car accident about a month ago near Shelby, NC; she is the partner of the band’s guitarist Andre Cholmondeley. According to Cholmondeley’s post, this is the first time Project/Object has cancelled concerts during his time with the band since the 1990s. A support page has been set up for Gelberg through GoFundMe.

Project Object2:58 pm For Immediate ReleasePROJECT/OBJECT TOUR POSTPONEDIt is with a heavy heart that I have to…

Posted by Andre Cholmondeley on Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Original story:

On April 14, Project/Object will bring the sounds of Frank Zappa back to life on stage at The Hollow in Albany.

The alumni-based Zappa tribute band, featuring Ike Willis and Don Preston, is touring the Northeast this spring in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Zappa’s debut album, Freak Out! Willis’ booming baritone vocals and rhythm guitar appeared on Zappa band tours and albums from 1978 to the final FZ tour in 1988. Preston, a well-known synthesizer and jazz pioneer, played on the Mothers Of Invention records until 1974’s Roxy and Elsewhere; he has also scored soundtracks for feature films like Apocalypse Now.

The tour kicks off in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on April 7 and makes stops in Marlboro the following night before shows in Brooklyn, Buffalo, Rochester and closing out in Teaneck, New Jersey, on May 1.

Each show this tour will feature two sets of Zappa music with Willis and Preston; the Boston show is double billed with Consider the Source. And this April run continues the voter registration partnership with HeadCount, as shared on Twitter last month:

Project/Object on Tour APRIL 2016! We’re happy to continue the Zappa Tradition: VOTER REGISTRATION with @HeadCountOrg at shows! @guitartour

— Project Object (@ProjectObject) February 29, 2016

Project/Object: The Music of Frank Zappa has toured the United States, Canada and Europe during its 20-year existence. The group was founded in the 1990s by guitarist Andre Cholmondeley as a tribute to Zappa, who died of cancer in 1993 at 52. In 2015, Willis and Denny Walley came out of retirement for a special tour in celebration of Zappa’s late ’70s catalog, playing several shows in New York state. Alongside Willis (guitar, vocals), Preston (keys, vocals), Cholmondeley (guitar, vocals) and Walley (bass), the group will include musicians Ryan Berg (drums), Kendall Scott (keys, synths) and special guest Rich Rakowski (sax) at select shows.

Tickets for the 9 p.m. show at The Hollow are on sale through the venue’s website, along with passes for Brooklyn’s The Hall, Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo and Rochester’s Lovin Cup. Project/Object’s show at The Falcon in Marlboro does not require a cover charge for live music, but donations are appreciated. See the full tour dates below and visit the band’s website for more venue and ticket sales information.

Project/Object Spring 2016 tour dates:

4/7 – The Acoustic – Bridgeport, CT
4/8 – The Falcon – Marlboro, NY
4/9 – House of Independents – Ashbury Park, NJ
4/10 – Iron Horse – Northampton, MA
4/12 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT
4/13 – The Middle East – Boston, MA
4/14 – The Hollow – Albany, NY
4/15 – The Hall – Brooklyn, NY
4/16 – Arch St. Tavern – Hartford, CT
4/17 – American Brewing Company – Harrisburg, PA
4/19 – The 8×10 – Baltimore, MD
4/20 – Club Café – Pittsburgh, PA
4/21 – Radio Radio – Indianapolis, IN
4/22 – Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI
4/23 – Martyrs – Chicago, IL
4/26 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
4/27 – The Tralf – Buffalo, NY
4/28 – Lovin Cup – Rochester, NY
4/29 – Havana’s – New Hope, PA
4/30 – River St. Jazz Café – Wilkes Barre, PA
5/1 – Mexicali – Teaneck, NJ

March 29, 2016