Tag: floodwood

Tony Markellis Keeping Busy

Bassist Tony Markellis, best known for his work with the Trey Anastasio Band, The Mamas and the Papas, Paul Butterfield, David Bromberg, and his own group, the jazz ensemble Kilimanjaro, will be playing a host of local shows in the Northeast to close out 2016.

On Sunday, Dec. 4, Markellis will join the Burns Sisters, a folk duo from Binghamton, performing their holiday show at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs. Then, on Friday, Dec. 9, he will return to Caffe Lena with Jeanne O’ Connor and the New Standard to treat Saratoga Springs to fresh renditions of classic hits from the 1960s and 70s. Next, performing with moe. drummer Vinnie Amico’s side-project, the progressive newgrass outfit Floodwood, Markellis will travel to Wilkes-Barre, PA for stops at the Jazz Café on Saturday, Dec. 10, and for a private concert on Sunday, Dec. 11.

Markellis returns to New York, rejoining the Burns Sisters for their holiday shows at the Hangar Theater in Ithaca on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 16 and 17, and at Six on the Square in Oxford on Sunday, Dec. 18. Lastly, in bringing 2016 to a close, Markellis will reunite with his longtime running mates in Kilimanjaro for a New Year’s Eve performance at the First Night Burlington festival.

And don’t miss a chance to see Markellis with the Trey Anastasio Band this upcoming spring. New York fans will get first crack at TAB tour with two Capitol Theatre shows on April 14 and 15.

December 1, 2016
Buffalo Scores Big with Two Nights of moe. at Town Ballroom

It had been well over a year since moe. graced the Town Ballroom stage, when they arrived at Buffalo this past weekend. With their annual 2-night stay, fans were happy to have the band “home” again and this time with a last minute opening act Floodwood, featuring Vinnie Amico, Tony Markellis, Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni, and Chris Eves. Floodwood picked, kicked, and hollered with delight to a sold out anxious crowd, which included an original debut by Eves, titled “Green and Blue” featuring some warm vocals and smooth fiddle. This top-notch group flooded the room with enough hip-swinging rhythms to warm up any venue in western New York.

Night one started off rocking with “Rainshine,” a straight-forward rock song, not played enough in rotation. Without “huddle,” Rob led the group into “Jazz Wank,” segueing into a more than an hour long “Buster” sandwich including a seamlessly paired “Lazarus > George” and Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” Garvey captivated listeners with his silver-tongued vocals as Schnier lead out the solo with lust and emotion. Since their late-night tribute set at The Peach Fest, the guys have been working more Floyd tunes into their sets for the Fall tour.

Second set sluggishly took off with “Lost Along the Way,” picking up momentum during the instrumental section. The crowded Town Ballroom was then treated to a thick tasty “MEAT” sandwich, doubling up for the evening. The peak of the evening was surely this mamma-jamma, stuffed with tight-fitted solos from each member during “Akimbo” and “Silver Sun.” Topping off the night, Loughlin delivered radiant vocals on Frank Zappa’s “Cosmik Debris,” a tune first debuted at last years Halloween show in Philly.

Sparing little time and energy on Saturday, moe. returned to the stage of the Ballroom and hit-the-deck running with “Blue Jeans Pizza.” Chuck took it upon himself to set fire during the jam, enough to slap a consistent smile on Rob’s face for the duration. Al’s fun piano chops held together an interesting yet playful segue jam before switching to guitar for “Mexico,” which led into Merle Haggard‘s “Mama Tried.” Having only played that twice as a band (Once in 1997 and again last April), the majority of the audience sang along and danced their cares away. Acknowledging the culminating energy, Garvey simply stated “Round 2.”

Next, came a massive “Opium” containing plenty of sustained twang-ish slide guitar work, carried over by Chuck from the previous tune. A lengthy version allowed Vinnie to change up drumming styles, easing his way into “Understand.” Garvey took to the voice box for an honorable rendition of David Bowie’s “Fame” followed by “Same Old Story” to round off the first set.

Commencing the second set with “In the Flesh,” moe. proved how much they’re enjoying playing Pink Floyd as well as utilizing Jim’s voice. Given the opportunity, the ensemble intensely kicked up the energy with “Spaz Medicine.” Next came the last “sandwich” of the weekend with “Yodelittle > Down Boy > Yodelittle” featuring some notable lighting work by Pulse Lighting‘s own Justin Casey, who’s been having too much fun with the Clay Paky B-Eyes and Chauvet Rogue R1 FX-B series lights. After a brief pause, Garvey worked up some slide guitar again for “Shoot First” before segueing into an impressive “Billy Goat > Kids.”

Just before moe. took to the stage one last time, Schnier proceeded with the nightly “Al.nouncements” tradition. Unable to resist, he riled up the Buffalo crowd asking “So, here’s the question, are we gonna win tomorrow?” referring to the Bills vs. New England Patriots game on Sunday. With some New England fans scattered throughout the audience and on stage as well, the response was a little heated tho undeniably entertaining as Al had to explain that Bills Nation lasts year-long. moe. finished up their two-night “hometown” run with “Not Coming Down” and “Spine of a Dog,” giving Buffalo another win of the weekend.

Friday Night Photos by Tim Merrill

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Saturday Night Photos by Jim Houle

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October 4, 2016
Tony Markellis Spring Schedule

Bassist Tony Markellis keeps himself quite busy this spring when he is not touring with the Trey Anastasio Band. He is scheduled to play a number of shows throughout New York and nearby this spring.

Markellis, of Saratoga Springs, recently joined Floodwood, the bluegrass side project of moe.’s Vinnie Amico. He’ll join them at many shows throughout New York, starting this week. He also plays with a variety of other musicians in the area and can be seen throughout New York, primarily in the Capital Region.

He joins Grateful Dead tribute band Dead Set on May 20 at the Westcott in Syracuse. He will also be at Summer Camp Music Festival with Floodwood. His full set of dates can be seen below.

Tony Markellis spring dates:
Thursday 4/28 – Floodwood – Nectar’s, Burlington, VT
Friday 4/29 – Floodwood – The Hollow, Albany, NY
Saturday 4/30 – Floodwood – Garcia’s, Port Chester, NY
Sunday 5/1 – Caffè Lena Folkathon Benefit with Jo Henley (3:30 p.m.), Michael Jerling (7:45 p.m.), New Standard (8:30 p.m.) – Saratoga Springs, NY
Thursday 5/12 – Floodwood – NaNola, Malta, NY (9 p.m.)
Friday 5/13 – Melick, Maul & Markellis – First Reformed Church, Selkirk, NY
Saturday 5/14 – Jeanne O’Connor and the New Standard – One Caroline, Saratoga Springs, NY (9 p.m.)
Wednesday 5/18 – Michael Jerling – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs, NY (7 p.m.)
Thursday 5/19 – Floodwood – Abilene, Rochester, NY (9 p.m.)
Friday 5/20 – Dead Set – Westcott, Syracuse, NY
Saturday 5/21 – Jay Barady & Nick Piccinnini – Oneonta Theater, Oneonta, NY
Wednesday 5/25 – Jo Henley Trio – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs, NY (7 p.m.)
Thurs-Sun 5/26-29 – Floodwood – Summer Camp Festival, Chillicothe, IL
Wednesday 6/1 – Jeanne O’Connor Trio – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs, NY (7 p.m.)
Thursday 6/2 – Floodwood – Outer Space, Hamden, CT
Friday 6/3 –Floodwood – Smoke Signals, Lake Placid, NY
Saturday 6/4 – Floodwood – Taste of Syracuse, Syracuse, NY (7 p.m.)
Wednesday 6/8 – Bob Warren – Little Theater on the Farm, Ft. Edward, NY
Thursday 6/9 – Floodwood – NaNola, Malta, NY (9 p.m.)

April 27, 2016
Perfect Medicine for Winter Blues: Bluegrass with Floodwood

The year was 2012 and it was my first Utica Music and Arts Festival. Asked to cover the festival by a friend who knew I enjoyed taking photos of bands, I dove right into the deep end of the pool of venues on Varick Street not quite knowing what to expect. The diversity of music was amazing as the festival featured several venues throughout the city and artists from all over the country playing music from all genres. For me, this sensory overload had been an eclectic introduction to what would become a new passion for me – music photography. It being the final evening of the three day event, I followed the crowd as they dispersed to the hub of what was the final show of the festival to be held at the Hotel Utica. Little did I know, this would be my introduction to a band that would quickly become a new favorite.

The crowd seemed eager and excited for the final show to begin. Although I wasn’t sure what type of music this Floodwood played, I felt a sense of excitement in the room that piqued my curiosity. Making my way to the front, which wasn’t an easy feat, I positioned myself front and center for the best access to these five musicians. Given the green light to make my way in and around for crowd shots from behind the stage, I was excited to see what was in store and hoped to get some good shots.

As the music began it was as though a bell went off for me. Already a music lover of all things Celtic and all things country, this bluegrass sound mixed the two sounds I loved so much, the banjo and fiddle. And so began my love and appreciation of bluegrass music. Bluegrass wasn’t new to me as I was raised during a portion of my childhood in the heart of Tennessee. Bluegrass was prevalent there, but country music was beginning to become increasingly mainstreamed and less “picking and grinning” as Buck Owens and Roy Clark coined. So this reintroduction was welcomed and so much more appreciated than those days of my childhood. Playing the heck out of the set, the crowd didn’t allow the band to stop until more than three hours had passed. It wasn’t until the management put their foot down that the music stopped and crowd dispersed. It was the perfect closing to an amazing weekend of music in the city of Utica.

Fast forward four years and several shows and festivals later and I find myself in the village of Clinton on a December evening at the Kirkland Art Center, a venue that often features some amazing music. This sold out show was a highlight in my hectic month, and with some new additions I was anxious to see the new chemistry of the band. Original members Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni, and Vinnie Amico (moe.)were joined this evening by Chris Eves from Castle Creek, and Tony Markellis from the Trey Anastasio Band. The chemistry they shared was as though they were meant to be. Not missing a beat, this group certainly knows how to get the feet moving and the hands clapping along as they pick and grin. Their individual talents are outstanding, and together they are beyond exceptional.

I highly suggest you take in a show soon this winter if you haven’t yet been introduced to Floodwood. You can thank me later for helping you beat the winter blues as I’ve never left a show without a huge smile on my face. #musicismedicine

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January 29, 2016