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Catskill Chill Offers Fierce Line-Up at New Location

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

September 15, 2016
Hearing Aide: Dinowalrus “Fairweather”

An album created by a band with a, simply put, different name like Dinowalrus, is sure to hold something different musically. Their soon to be released album, Fairweather, set to drop September 23rd 2016, is definitely one of a kind. The band congregates loads of influences into one, light and airy yet powerful tone that skillfully uses contradicting sounds to create a psychedelic, electronic rock, punk dance voice. It pulls from a mouthful of influences and the album shows it, but it’s not distractingly busy in terms of instrumentals. One might even call it easy listening. Others will call it party music. And the fact that it’s not easily defined makes the album pretty special.

The group of eclectic musicians from Brooklyn started to dabble with their sound in 2008, releasing several albums and touring with a number of groups including Real Estate, Screaming Females and A Place to Bury Strangers. When asked what inspires their song writing process, they said, “Songs always start with a beat and bass line that moves us in a new and different way than anything we’ve done before, then layers of synths and guitars expand intuitively on top of that, finally vocal hooks and lyrics drop into our heads when we least expect it, usually while lulled into a trance by riding the subway around our hometown of NYC.”

A big part of their tone is the contradicting instruments. Their drums and bass lines are driving and pushing through measures non-stop. They’re tight, driving and consistent while almost all other aspects of their tracks are at first, unexpected. The synthesizers are legato; long and flowing. Same goes for their vocals. Visually, this album is a gargantuan wall of bass and beats with wisps of melodies and harmonies seeping through the cracks.

The first track, “Tides”, is quite different than the remaining songs, maybe to ease the listener into more intense sounds. It’s a feel-good song with a major tonality but the bass and drum tracks make it a bit more energetic. The sound of the track stays pretty consistent throughout, but pulls out some unexpected stops, like a fairly distorted guitar solo that keeps things interesting. But the formula seems to be repeated throughout the album.

This is not to say each song sounds the same. Each beat is different as well as the key and tempo, among other things, but the direction of the song is always locked in. In other words, one gets a sense of what the rest of the song will be like within the first 30 seconds of listening to it.

“Falling Into the Periphery” and “Plain Sight” are similar as well. The vocal hooks are what differentiates the songs if the listener isn’t fully invested in the track. Sometimes a synth or guitar lick will mark the different songs, but the beats themselves, although very important to the unique tone they make, lie dormant and simple in the recording.

“Guilty” is where things start to get a little more interesting. There’s a few subtle things like a few key changes and momentary deletes in the bass track to give the sound more perspective. One of the most unexpected parts of any of the tracks, is an incredible shredding guitar solo that comes from nowhere but is unbelievably fitting for this sound. There is also a very prominent vocal addition that simply sounds awesome all together.

“Light Rain”; Once again the guitar solo’s are the highlight of the track. They stand out the most, almost more than the synth and vocal hooks and it’s because the timbre doesn’t fit the electric and spacey sound that’s prominent throughout every song.

“Scarcity” is unique to the album right from the get-go. It’s direction is more unpredictable as compared to other tracks which is very refreshing. The harmony, being lead mainly by the guitar, is a very nice change of pace, giving the song more of a not so traditional rock band feel, while still having traces of electronic dance to it.

“Final Wave” is definitely an attention grabber because of how different it is from the synthesizer focused tracks. The vocals are also a tad less spacey but still sound flowing and the tone is more instrumentally organic. The sound isn’t as busy as previous tracks, which are a result of layers and layers of instrument recordings. “Compass Rose” is the same way. It’s more streamlined and simplified, a bit less intense, but still has the same effect of energizing the listener in a grounded way. The guitar solos are still one of the most grabbing parts of the track and the songs wouldn’t be as energizing without them.

“Silent Earth” reverts back to the timbre at the beginning of the album, soft sounds but powerful grooves. It doesn’t move in any direction and is fairly predictable but definitely puts the listener in a trance. The consistent sound is very encompassing and is best appreciated with a set of good headphones on because the sound circles around the listener’s head making for a not so energetic but interestingly deep track.

“The Painted Desert” offers an acoustic guitar based intro that is a nice change of pace for the electronically centered band. The intensity of the bass and drums cuts in and out to give some perspective which makes the chorus’s that much more appreciated because there’s an obvious peak rather than one long one.

The album is truly one of a kind with such a wide array of instrumental color and genre influence, but there are several songs that aren’t as engaging and energizing as the band may have hoped for. Granted, very few artists can achieve a perfect album. But the songs that find that perfect combination are definitely something worth listening to.

Key Tracks: Tides, Scarcity, Final Wave

September 15, 2016
Del & Dawg Come to RPI

Del McCoury and David Grisman – Del & Dawg – will perform a show at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in December.

Del and Dawg – Jason Charme photography

Fifty years ago, Del McCoury and David Grisman played their first ever show together at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute back in 1966. They return to RPI at EMPAC on Dec. 10 to share music and stories celebrating their 50 years together.

McCoury and Grisman, affectionately known together as Del and Dawg, have each become bluegrass legends in their own right. McCoury had his start playing banjo for Bill Monroe in the early 1960s. He went on to form his own band, serving as an influence for many acts, including Phish and the String Cheese Incident. In 2008, he started his own bluegrass and folk music festival, DelFest, which has been held every year since in Cumberland, MD.

Grisman got his start as a member of the Even Dozen Jug Band. He went on to form a close friendship and well-known musical partnership with Jerry Garcia. He still performs regularly with the David Grisman Quintet and the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience.

Tickets for the Del & Dawg show range from $36 to $59. They go on sale this Friday, Sept. 16 at 9 a.m.

September 14, 2016
Hearing Aide: The Devyl Nellys ‘Delicious Business’

New York City-based funk-pop band, The Devyl Nellys, recently released their newest album, Delicious Business in August. The band formed in 2011 and released their major label debut in 2014. They are constantly touring and have a handful of dates in Pennsylvania and Virginia in November and December.

Delicious Business kicks off with the title track. “Delicious Business” is full of a slow funk groove, reminiscent of Parliament Funkadelic, that sets the tone for the album. It’s followed up by “Rodeo Qween,” which features KC & the Sunshine Band on the track. Impromptu dance parties are bound to pop up wherever this ’70s-sounding funky disco tune is played.

“Hustle” and “Baad Seed” stray from the funk with their straight-up rock roots, both with a southern vibe. “Baad Seed” could be straight out of Texas both with the sound and the bad girl vibe to the lyrics. The band returns to the funk with “Love Suckaa,” which features Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band. More slow funk groove, similar to the first track, backs lyrics about a bad love.

The album ends with a quick upbeat funky rock song, “Bloody Merry.” It’s short and sweet and a perfect ending to an overall fun album.

Delicious Business is a fun, funky album that has a little something for everyone, from rock to funk to disco, listeners will be bopping around wherever it’s playing. The album can be streamed on the Devyl Nellys’ Soundcloud page. Keep updated on their tour on their website and Facebook page.

Key Tracks: Delicious Business, Rodeo Qween, Baad Seed

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gal42b11Qm0[/embedyt]

September 14, 2016
Helmet, Supporting New Album, Hits the Road with Local H

Helmet recently announced touring plans for the band’s upcoming Dead To the World U.S. tour through the month of November and most of December. The tour finds the veteran alt-metal band playing thirty-six shows inside of forty-five days in support of their brand new and eighth studio album Dead To The World, scheduled for release on Oct. 28, days before the tour kicks off. Helmet brings along a special guest to open shows on the tour in two-man band Local H.

The venture kicks off in Bloomington, IL at the Castle Theatre on November 3, and concludes at Delmar Hall in St. Louis, MO Dec. 17. New Yorkers can catch the “Unsung” rockers at the Highline Ballroom in NYC on Nov. 12, and Nov. 13, at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn.

Helmet was formed in 1989 in New York City by frontman/lead guitarist and only surviving original member Page Hamilton. Hamilton moved from Oregon to New York, where he studied jazz guitar at the Manhattan School of Music.

Helmet’s Dead To The World Tour Dates:

Nov. 3 – the Castle Theatre – Bloomington, IL
Nov. 4 – Saint Andrew’s Hall – Detroit, MI
Nov. 5 – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, CA
Nov. 6 – the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern – Cleveland, OH
Nov. 7 – Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
Nov. 9 – World Cafe Live – Philadelphia, PA
Nov. 10 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA
Nov. 11 – THE MET – Pawtucket, RI
Nov. 12 – Highline Ballroom – New York, NY
Nov. 13 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY
Nov. 15 – Black Cat DC – Washington DC
Nov. 16 – Visulite Theatre – Charlotte, NC
Nov. 17 – Motorco – Durham, NC
Nov. 18 – the Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
Nov. 19 – Jack Rabbits – Jacksonville, FL
Nov. 20 – State Theatre – Saint Petersburg, FL
Nov. 22 – Revolution Live – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Nov. 23 – the Social – Orlando, FL
Nov. 25 – the White Oak Tavern – Houston, TX
Nov. 26 – Mohawk Austin – Austin, TX
Nov. 27 – Gas Monkey Live – Dallas, TX
Nov. 29 – Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ
Dec. 1 – the Roxy Theatre – Hollywood, CA
Dec. 2 – Casbah San Diego – San Diego, CA
Dec. 3 – Discovery Ventura – Ventura, CA
Dec. 4 – the Independent – San Francisco, CA
Dec. 6 – Dante’s – Portland, OR
Dec. 7 – the Crocodile – Seattle, WA
Dec. 9 – the Pub Station – Billings, MT
Dec. 10 – Marquis Theatre – Denver, CO
Dec. 11 – Slowdown – Omaha, NE
Dec. 13 – recordBar – Kansas City, MO
Dec. 14 – Fine Line Music Café – Minneapolis, MN
Dec. 15 – High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI
Dec. 16 – Metro Chicago – Chicago, IL
Dec. 17 – Delmar Hall – St Louis, MO

September 14, 2016
Aoife O’Donovan Coming to Geneva Friday Night

As a part of the Smith Opera House’s Club Series, Dan Smalls Presents brings Aoife O’Donovan to Ravines Wine Cellars this Friday night. O’Donovan is touring behind her sophomore solo effort “In the Magic Hour” released early this year, of which the New York Times wrote: “Sweetness and sadness find a tenuous balance in [her] voice — and in the songs on her second album…evokes the reverberant chamber pop observations of Grizzly Bear…[and] the lush austerity of Alison Krauss.” This week she also released a live album, “Man in a Neon Coat: Live from Cambridge,” which was recorded on one night this April at The Sinclair.

Singer/songwriter Aoife O’Donovan is best known for her work in the Boston progressive folk band Crooked Still. She has also been featured with Yo Yo Ma’s The Goat Rodeo Sessions and has made multiple appearances on Prairie Home Companion. At the top of picturesque Seneca Lake, at a beautifully sloping vineyard, amongst award-winning wines, there might not be a better setting to hear O’Donovan‘s sweet as honey vocals and airy harmonies.

Pittsburgh’s Brooke Annibale will open the evening showcasing her own evocative and timeless song craft. The music will get going around 8pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the Smith Opera House’s web site. Ravines Wine Cellars is located at 400 Barracks Road in Geneva.

September 13, 2016
Holly Bowling Announces New Album Date, Tracklist for “Better Left Unsung”

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

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

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

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

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

Original post:

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

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

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

Holly Bowling Upcoming 2016 Dates:

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

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

September 13, 2016
Rock and Remembrance: Umphrey’s McGee Pack Saranac

Poor souls centered in the selfish earth
How could silence for what suffers worth
Old worms shall never reach these excesses
Define terms to lease you to another friend.
— “The Haunt”

On September 11, 2001, the world changed forever. That same night, Umphrey’s McGee performed at a venue in Ithaca called The Haunt, a Central New York venue well known to all up-and-coming bands. While Umphrey’s was still in the midst of finding its footing in rock and roll, the band showed that the events of that fateful day were not lost on them, as they penned a song called “The Haunt” which sums up the band’s feeling about the terrorist attacks that crippled the World Trade Center in New York City.

Fast forward almost 15 years to the day, and that band which headlined The Haunt was taking the stage not far from Ithaca, at the Saranac Brewery in Utica. The band with the technical prowess of a jazz master and the gleaming intensity of the best of the prog-rock world showed a crowd of about 1,000 thirsty fans that they haven’t forgotten what happened that night by performing a somewhat haunting rendition of the song about halfway through their opening frame.

Heading into the show, the usual Umphrey’s circus of dedicated fans was gathered outside the brewery, preparing for the night ahead. Being on the home turf of their good friends in moe., Umphrey’s delivered a very straightforward performance that won’t stand out among the best in the band’s history, but certainly satiated a hungry crowd.

“Slacker” and “Linear” > “The Floor” set the tone for a night filled with syncopated guitar from axemen Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger, before the pairing of “Uncle Wally” > “Higgins” provided a somewhat funky — for Umphrey’s, anyway — danceable breakdown.

That’s when they launched into “The Haunt.” A guy standing next to me leaned over and tried to explain the significance of the tune, but I could only make out some of his words, prompting me to look into it. The impassioned song seemed to provide the crowd a reflective period in the show to remember the lives lost in the senseless tragedy 15 years ago. “The Haunt” then gave way to “Miss Tinkles’ Overture,” which closed out the set.

During setbreak, I took a walk around the backstage area, and noticed Al Schnier, moe. guitarist, trotting around, making me believe a sit in was imminent. That would turn out to be false, but at least it kept me guessing throughout the second set, which featured more guitar-heavy material, but with a bit more improvisation than the earlier set.

“Hunt Bird Bath” and “Intentions Clear” > “Upward” were both upbeat and spot-on, but it seemed the crowd had thinned out a lot during setbreak. Maybe the locals who wanted to check Umphrey’s out decided to end their night, because the fans who remained were deeply into this set.

“Bridgeless” > “Day Nurse,” “Mail Package,” “Resolution” and a segue back into “Bridgeless” was classic Umphrey’s, with dueling guitars, a drum solo and a somewhat rare keyboard jaunt from Joel Cummins.

Just before the “Hollywood Nights” encore, bassist Ryan Stasik gave a short speech about how moe. had influenced the band in their infancy, and even brought out Schnier to wave to the crowd in a show of support. Overall, the show was very well done, with minimal miscues, but there was a bit of creativity lacking, however there was no questioning the band’s soul. It was worth the drive, the total lack of sleep heading into work the next day and the ringing in my ears from being way too close to one of the stage speakers.

Setlist:

Set 1: Slacker, Linear >The Floor, Uncle Wally > Higgins, The Haunt > Miss Tinkles’ Overture
Set 2: Hurt Bird Bath, Intentions Clear > Upward, Bridgeless > Day Nurse, Mail Package, Resolution >Bridgeless
Encore: Hollywood Nights

September 13, 2016
Vulfpeck and Friends Celebrate a Funky Friday at Brooklyn Bowl

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

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

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

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

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

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

September 12, 2016
Umphrey’s McGee to Release Mashup Album ‘Zonkey’
Jamrock veterans Umphrey’s McGee are set to release a new album, Zonkey, on November 11, thus bringing the band’s eight-year Halloween tradition of live mashups to the studio. The mashups cover tunes that span 40 years of music history and a plethora of genres, featuring spot-on renditions and fresh arrangements of classics by the Beastie Boys, Beck, Chicago, Eurythmics, Metallica, Michael Jackson, Talking Heads, Rage Against the Machine, The Weeknd, Ween, and many more.

Check out the spooky, elusive, crucial first track “National Loser Anthem” here.

Following in a longstanding tradition of fan-centric offerings, which includes UM Bowl, the Hall of Fame series, the Headphones & Snowcones experience, and Reel to Real, Zonkey promises to be yet another achievement in the Chicago-based sextet’s quest to bring relentless rock and peerless innovation to the jam scene. In what’s become an increasingly digital live music scene, the mashup concept not only draws on the fluid juxtapositions of the remix revolution, but also re-imagines the traditional blues medley, in that there are no samples used on the album. In the words of keyboardist Joel Cummins, “Zonkey clearly pays homage to some of our favorite artists & songs. While we’ve tried to reproduce the spirit of the original compositions & recordings, we’ve also tried to have some fun with the takes as we’ve often combined seemingly dissimilar musical elements to create a new vibe altogether.”

Fans who pre-order Zonkey on CD or digital download are eligible for a limited time to receive one of 200 signed CDs. CD pre-orders will also come with an mp3 of each track. Plus, Umphrey’s McGee has selected artists to create a limited edition pin for each song.

Visit Umphrey’s McGee’s website, FB page, and Soundcloud for tour dates, tickets, downloads, and more.

ZONKEY Track Listing
1. “National Loser Anthem” “National Anthem” (Radiohead) + “Loser” (Beck) + “In The Air Tonight” (Phil Collins)
2. “Life During Exodus” “Life During Wartime” (Talking Heads) + “Exodus” (Bob Marley) + “City of Tiny Lites” (Frank Zappa) + “25 or 6 to 4” (Chicago)
3. “Can’t Rock My Dream Face” “Rock With You” (Michael Jackson) + “Can’t Feel My Face” (The Weeknd) + “Dreams” (Fleetwood Mac)
4. “Sad Clint Eastwood” “Sad But True” (Metallica) + “Clint Eastwood” (Gorillaz)
5. “Electric Avenue To Hell” “Highway To Hell” (AC/DC) + “Electric Avenue” (Eddy Grant) + “The Triple Wide” (Umphrey’s McGee)
6. “Ace Of Long Nights” “Ace of Spades” (Motörhead) + “It’s Gonna Be a Long Night” (Ween)
7. “Sweet Sunglasses” “Sweet Dreams” (Eurythmics) + “Sunglasses at Night” (Corey Hart) + “Electric Feel” (MGMT)
8. “Strangletage” “Stranglehold” (Ted Nugent) + “Sabotage” (Beastie Boys)
9. “Come As Your Kids” “Kids” (MGMT) + “Come As You Are” (Nirvana) + “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” (Dead or Alive)
10. “Frankie Zombie” “Thunder Kiss ’65” (White Zombie) + “Relax” (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) + “Have a Cigar” (Pink Floyd)
11. “Bulls On The Bus” “Bulls On Parade” (Rage Against the Machine) + “Mark On the Bus” (Beastie Boys)
12. “Bittersweet Haj” “Hajimemashite” (Umphrey’s McGee) + “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (The Verve)
September 12, 2016