Category: Regions

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
The Disco Biscuits Sell Out Debut Run at the Capitol Theatre
The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester is a venue that has earned itself a unique spot in the heart of American jam band culture. Being a regular stop for legends such as the Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa in the past, today the Cap continues its tradition of booking the cream of the progressive rock crop. The Disco Biscuits fit that role exquisitely, and it showed this weekend during their back to back maximum capacity shows on March 25^th and 26^th. With the New Deal opening on both nights, the bill would provide a trance-fusion treat that no fan of the band or the venue could deny.

There was an anticipatory energy crackling through the Capitol as the New Deal started the evening smoothly. The unique blend of catchy and accessible electronic rock served as an excellent warm up as the crowd settled in; swelling to a size that would worry the fire marshal as the opening act concluded. Giving a salute to one of the many gods to grace the same stage, the Disco Biscuits kicked it off in style with Frank Zappa’s “Pygmy Twylyte.” Zappa can lubricate anyone’s mood, and the song clearly got it going perfectly as the crowd brimmed with positive energy. “Spraypaint” always being a pleaser, the set promised to be an uplifting one as bassist Marc Brownstein had everyone feeling mellow for the transition into “Rainbow Song”. Maintaining the upbeat theme immaculately, “Spectacle” was followed promptly by a thundering “Helicopters” introduction that had everyone singing along. The set concluded with keyboardist Aron Magner’s crushing organ outro for the set-closing end of “Spraypaint”.

Guitarist Jon Gutwillig greeted us warmly to start the second set, with his fingers even hotter for the incendiary riffs of “Mindless Dribble”. A few people mentioned that the “Crystal Ball” that followed seemed to have a less lively jump than usual, and the set seemed to have changed course from the first. The Biscuits opted for their more contemporary sound when continuing with “Highwire”. Never before heard cover “She’s a Bad Mama Jama”, originally by funk forerunner Carl Carlton, continued to bring the show to a less engaging air. Intertwining back into “Dribble”, drummer Allen Acoin provided a thundering drum solo before the band broke into a haunting “Orch Theme”. The conclusion of “Highwire” would conclude the second set, with encore frequent “Frog Legs” leaving everyone with high hopes for the following evening.

This wouldn’t just be one more Saturday night in Port Chester, however. Sold out yet again but feeling cooler and more breathable on the floor, the boys started the first set with a “Shem-Rah Boo” fake out which dubiously changed key into “Bernstein and Chasnoff”. The Disco Biscuits were clearly locked and loaded for the evening yet again, breaking out “Bombs” like they had something to prove. The inverted “Shelby Rose” filled us all with delight, and served as a perfect segue vessel into the true gem of the entire weekend, “And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night”. Bringing it back to “Bernstein” before dismissing us to set break, where glowing faces abound chatted about the wholly satisfying experience we had all shared moments ago.

They set the bar almost impossibly high with the first set that night of the 26^th, and it seemed they would continue to exceed expectations with the beginning of “Hope” swooning us comfortably into the final set of the run. An inverted “Above the Waves” washed over the crowd as the band nailed the immensely technical composition. “Mr. Don” followed suit, leaving the impression that the closing set would be chalk full of Biscuits classics. This was not so, unfortunately, as they surprised us by playing LCD Soundsystem cover “Home.” The choice seemed lazy and out of place that late in the run; the consensus seemed to be that we all would’ve much rather heard a song written by the band themselves this close to the conclusion of their maiden voyage at the Capitol. Ending the fourth and final set of the run, the boys brought the “Helicopters” that was started during the first set of the previous evening in for a landing. The Disco Biscuits waved triumphantly as they returned for the encore “Caves of the East” adding a hip hop twist with a sample from A Tribe Called Quest’s “Check the Rhime” in salute to the late MC of the group, Phife Dawg, who passed earlier this week. Ending lightly with the last measures of “Mr. Don”, Brownstein ended the weekend by hinting that we should expect to see them again soon on the very same stage.

All things considered, the Biscuits’ inaugural weekend at the legendary Capitol Theatre left the crowd flying high. Returning to our homes and hotels, with sleep came dreams of what may be just around the corner for the new alliance between the band and the theatre.
03/25/2016 • Capitol Theater • Port Chester, NY

Set 1: Pygmy Twylyte> Spraypaint> Rainbow Song, Spectacle, Helicopters¹> Spraypaint

Set 2: Mindless Dribble> Crystal Ball, Highwire> She’s A Bad Mama Jama²> Mindless Dribble> Orch Theme> Highwire

Encore: Frog Legs
1. Unfinished
2. First time played
03/26/2016 • Capitol Theater • Port Chester, NY

Set 1: Jam¹> Bernstein And Chasnoff> Bombs> Shelby Rose²> And The Ladies Were The Rest Of The Night²> Bernstein And Chasnoff

Set 2: Hope³> Above The Waves²> Mr. Don> Home> Helicopters

Encore: Caves of the East⁴> Mr. Don
1. With ‘Shem-Rah Boo’ teases
2. Inverted version
3. Unfinished
4. With “Check the Rhime” (A Tribe Called Quest) sample
April 1, 2016
Bernie Sanders to Appear on Forthcoming Phish Studio Album

With news this week that Phish has wrapped up recording of their latest studio album in Nashville, a source close to NYS Music has revealed a new piece of information regarding the album. A little birdie has provided unconfirmed, unsubstantiated rumors that can be declared plausible given the unfolding of information thus far.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was seen leaving a Nashville rehearsal studio with drummer Jon Fishman twice in the few days of down time the candidate had between his East Troy, WI rally and Brooklyn, NY rally.

The source close to NYS Music offers that the visits Sanders made to the rehearsal studio with Fishman were collaborative beyond politics. This suggests that the friendship cultivated between Sanders, Fishman, and the Phish community has led the Senator to contribute to the album on a creative level. It could be possible that Sanders offered backing vocals on a new song, much like his early work on Phish’s first album, Junta, where he provided harmony on the “washuffizidrivemetofirenze” portion of “You Enjoy Myself.”

Sanders, when reached for comment, would not comment on the album, but suggested his campaign would “Keep it rollin” all the way through to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July.

Earlier this year, Fishman had performed at a rally in Durham, NH and has previously spoken out o-phish-ally in support of the Vermont Senator. On the other hand, Sanders provided the claim that Phish has “made New England proud. They are one of the great bands, have been one of the great bands in this country.”

Showing off his vocal chops, Sanders has previously recorded “This Land is Your Land” for an album released in 1987 and recently stood beside Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig to share in the verses of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”

Sanders would not be the first Democratic Presidential field to have had a notable hand in music. Among him are former 2016 candidate Martin O’Malley (guitar – the band O’Malley’s March), Woodrow Wilson (violin), Harry S. Truman (piano), Andrew Jackson (banjo), Barack Obama (lyrics), and Bill Clinton (tenor sax).

Stay tuned to NYS Music for the latest info on Phish’s upcoming album and Bernie Sanders’ recording chops.

April 1, 2016
Albany Tulip Festival Announces 68th Annual Lineup With Langhorne Slim and Tokyo Police Club

Returning this May for its 68th year is Albany’s signature spring event, the Tulip Festival. And with the 2016 schedule of events is an impressive lineup of artists featuring Langhorne Slim and the Law and Tokyo Police Club and local acts like Victory Soul Orchestra, Bear Grass and Of the Atlas.

The two-day weekend festival held in historic Washington Park is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 7 and 8.

Throughout the Mother’s Day weekend celebration, the 81-acre park will transform into parade grounds featuring two stages and vendor setups, with tulip beds bursting with more than 140,000 tulips in 150 varieties.

The festival prides itself on being a celebratory showcase of local culture and business. This year’s event partnered with nearly 100 artisans who will be on hand selling handmade crafts, fine arts and diverse foods, and others giving green-living demonstrations and constructing a live performance painting.

A family friendly KidZone will also be onsite to entertain children with interactive music, magic and arts activities and a School of Rock tent, showcasing the community’s talented youth.

In traditional Dutch fashion, the Tulip Festival kicks off with the annual “street scrubbing” procession from City Hall; a carillon bell concert will sound off the ceremonial beginning. At noon Friday, May 6, the Capital City’s corridors will be swept clean by the Dutch Settlers Society — in traditional dress — before Mayor Kathy Sheehan delivers the opening proclamation.

Taking the main stage at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday is 518 indie jazz-pop favorites the Parlor followed by Canadian quartet Tokyo Police Club at 3 p.m and folk-rock group Langhorne Slim and the Law at 4:30 p.m.; Slim and his band recently released The Spirit Moves. Sunday’s main stage eases listeners into the day’s musical lineup with acoustic tunes from Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys at 1:30 p.m., Rochester’s young guitar hero McKinley James at 3 p.m. and Jonathan Edwards at 4:30 p.m.

The celebrated Tulip Queen Coronation, with a performance by the acclaimed male chorus group, the Mendelssohn Club, will happen on the local 518 stage on the festival’s first day. Solo artist Olivia Quillio will hit the stage after the noon kickoff, followed by indie rockers Carl Daniels and the Black Box at 2:15 p.m., instrumental collective Victory Soul Orchestra at 3:30 p.m. and fusion group the Stockade Kids at 4:45 p.m. The Tulip Festival’s final set of native acts features bluegrass veterans Red Haired Strangers at 1 p.m., the homespun folk-rock of Bear Grass at 2:15 p.m., and Catskills’ Of the Atlas at 3:30 p.m. Power-rock group the Last Conspirators cap off Sunday with a 4:45 p.m. show.

The event is free and open to the public and includes shuttle transportation to several parking locations. Glass containers, animals or other pets, tobacco, alcohol and video recording will not be permitted. For more information, call 518-434-2032, visit the Albany Events website or follow albanyNYevents on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

April 1, 2016
Cohoes Music Hall Reopening via Palace Theatre Management

The Times Union reports that the Palace Theatre in Albany has taken over management of the oft-maligned and forgotten Cohoes Music Hall. This effort is projected to bring in more 40,000 visitors to the historic venue built in the 1870s.

Effective in September, the Palace will supervise operations and programming at the city-owned music hall, while Cohoes will pay for maintenance, insurance and other costs of the building, with a portion of tickets sales going directly to the city.

Cohoes Music Hall boasts 385 seats, a prime size given that similar local venues the Egg (980 seats), Proctors (2,700) and the Palace (2,700) are much larger. The music hall’s size will allow for smaller, more intimate shows to take place in Cohoes before moving up to the larger area venues.

Potential performances and events at Cohoes Music Hall will include film screenings, programs by Palace partners Park Playhouse and Albany Symphony Orchestra, as well as family events. Upcoming events at the Music Hall this spring include:

Friday, April 1 – An Evening With New Riders of the Purple Sage

Friday, April 22 – Amy Helm with special guest Connor Kennedy and the Minstrel

Wednesday, May 11 – Alejandro Escovedo with special guest Lucette

More info on all shows, presented by Guthrie/Bell Productions, can be found at
www.thecohoesmusichall.com.

March 31, 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

[FinalTilesGallery id=’708′]

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
Dope Announces Fan Funded Reunion Tour

Add Dope to the list of bands making a reunion run in 2016. The band plans to tour to more than 45 cities across North America inside of two months. The Die Mother Fucker Die reunion tour will consist of the classic Dope lineup that includes Edsel Dope (vocals, guitar), Acey Slade (bass), Virus (lead guitar) and Racci Shay (drums).

Dope’s North American portion of the tour was successfully crowdfunded by fans who pre-ordered the band’s first-ever live album on dopereunion.com. The album will only be available through the band’s site and will not be available on online music stores like iTunes or retail stores anywhere. The band’s goal is to raise enough money to tour overseas, to places in the United Kingdom, Australia, Asia and Europe.

With some dates still to be announced, Dope will come through New York state on Oct. 9 at the Montage Music Hall in Rochester, and Oct. 13 at Revolution Hall in Amityville.

Cameras will be rolling as the band will record the entire tour for the first-ever Dope live DVD. The DVD will also include past backstage footage, unreleased music videos, and never before seen clips.

Dope’s “Die Mother Fucker Die” tour dates:

09-13 – DNA Lounge – San Francisco, CA
09-14 – Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR
09-15 – The Rickshaw – Vancouver, BC
09-16 – La Tropicana – Pasco, WA
09-17 – Studio Seven – Seattle, WA
09-18 – The Palomino – Spokane, WA
09-19 – The Falls Venue – Idaho Falls, ID
09-20 – Herman’s Hideaway – Denver, CO
09-21 – Sunshine Studios – Colorado Springs, CO
09-22 – Sokol Underground – Omaha, NE
09-23 – The Ready Room – St Louis, MO
09-24 – The Cabooze – Minneapolis, MN
09-25 – Val Air Ballroom – Des Moines, IA
09-26 – TBA
09-27 – The Reverb – Waterloo, IA
09-28 – Live On Main – Stevens Point, WI
09-29 – Every Buddy’s – Chippewa Falls, WI
09-30 – Music Factory – Battle Creek, MI
10-01 – Machine Shop – Flint, MI
10-02 – TBA
10-03 – Realm – Toledo, OH
10-04 – Concord Music Hall – Chicago, IL
10-05 – The Agora – Cleveland, OH
10-06 – Park Street Tavern – Columbus, OH
10-07 – Chameleon Club – Lancaster, PA
10-08 – Sherman Theater – Stroudsburg, PA
10-09 – Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY
10-10 – Sneaky Dees – Toronto, ON
10-11 – Mavericks – Ottawa, ON
10-12 – TBA
10-13 – Revolution Hall – Amityville, NY
10-14 – TBA
10-15 – Fish Head Cantina – Baltimore, MD
10-16 – TBA
10-17 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
10-18 – TBA
10-19 – Dirty Dog Bar – Austin, TX
10-20 – Scout Bar – Houston, TX
10-21 – Trees – Dallas, TX
10-22 – Aftershock – Merriam, KS
10-23 – 89th St. Collective – Oklahoma City, OK
10-24 – TBA
10-25 – The Juggernaut – Gallup, NM
10-26 – Club Red – Phoenix, AZ
10-27 – Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
10-28 – Counts Vamp’d Las Vegas, NV
10-29 – The Grove – Anaheim, CA
10-30 – The Whiskey – W. Hollywood, CA

March 31, 2016
Lets Fool Around in Saint Augustine

Hurry! Lettuce and Griz will be headlining the inaugural Fool’s Paradise April 1st and 2nd! The festival will be celebrated at The St. Augustine Amphitheatre which is located in the oldest city in the United States and is famous for its Spanish style architecture. Located just an hour from Jacksonville and Gainesville and just two hours from Orlando, Fool’s Paradise could not be in a more picturesque and ideal location. The festival is hosted by Purple Hat Productions and Live For Live Music and is sure to be an amazing two day funk filled event. So pack your dancing shoes and come be part of the beginning of something spectacular! The music begins Friday at two’olock on the Shipwreck Stage.

There will be two stages, one of which is the Amphitheatre and the other is The Shipwreck Stage. There will also be late night sets by Vulfpeck and Break Science at the nearby Elk’s Lodge on Friday then Goldfish and a Fools of Funk Superjam on Saturday. Tickets to the late night sets are sold in a limited quantity and as a separate from the main event. There is also more late night music just two miles away at “Fool Moon” which is a staple in the St. Augustine music scene. Featured late night artists are Jacksonville’s own Herd of Watts, on Friday and Saturday, Gainesville’s Morning Fatty and Manyfest will play Saturday and Orlando’s Groove Orient will close out the night. Camping is available in an offsite location but all passes are limited. There are also a select amount of vip hotel packages. Which are available on the “Fool’s Paradise” website.

This festival is reminiscent of Jam Cruise because it offers fun excursions with the performing artists. There will be mini golf with Lettuce’s Adam Deitch and Jesus Coomes on Saturday at one o’clock, Sailing with The Shady Horns and Shmeemans at noon and also a zipline adventure with Break Science’s Borhahm Lee at twelve-thirty. All excursions are sold separately from the main event and the tickets are going fast!! There will be limited parking but fortunately there are many cab companies and Uber available.

Now that the basics have been covered, let’s get to the fun part, the music! Yes! finally Lettuce and GRIZ will be collaborating during the second half of GRIZ’s Friday night set in the ampitheatre. The remaining line-up also promises exciting funky fun times for everyone. There’s Chris Robinson’s Soul Revue featuring featuring George Porter Jr of The Meters, with Ivan Neville, The Nth Power, Goldfish, Corey Henry of Snarky Puppy, Marvel Years, Brasstracks, Herd of Watts. The Groove Orient, Morning Fatty and Love Chunk.

So pack your gear and prepare yourself for an awesome two days of music, and good times! Tickets are available on the website, and The St. Augustine box office.

March 31, 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