News had spread that frontman for Of Mice and Men, Austin Carlile, has stepped down from the band that he helped start up in Orange County, California back in 2009 due to his ongoing battle with Marfan syndrome. Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue in the body, making Carlile vulnerable to illness at a moments notice. Carlile stated that the disease, is now making it hard for him to scream, and could suffer permanent damage.
Carlile stated that he will continue to write music as he heals and rests in Costa Rica, where he now resides, and that the band would not seek a replacement, and continue as a quartet.
Hours after Carlile explained in a lengthy post on social media to fans about the reasons of his departure from Of Mice & Men, his bandmates, released this statement on social media:
Dear Of Mice & Men Fans, It’s with heavy hearts that we announce Austin’s departure from the band for reasons pertaining to his health. As many of you are aware, Austin suffers from a rare connective tissue disorder called Marfan syndrome & has been struggling with the physical demands of touring since the band began.
After his most recent series of surgeries at Stanford University Hospital, following the cancellation of our European headlining tour, his team of doctors informed him of the damage that performing, & more specifically his aggressive vocals, have been causing his body. They warned that if he were to continue on doing so, it would cause permanent & irrevocable damage to his spine & nervous system.
Following the advice from his team of specialists, Austin decided it best that he step away from the band & change his lifestyle to better his health. Though we’re heartbroken that he can no longer continue, his health has always been of utmost importance to us & we support him now in this decision & are proud of his perseverance over the years.
We’ve had an amazing & unforgettable past few years making music & touring the world together & the 4 of us look forward to sharing the next chapter of the band’s story with you. All previously announced shows will proceed as planned & we thank you for your continued love & support. We couldn’t do this without all of you! See you real soon.
-Aaron, Alan, Phil & Valentino
Carlile’s full Twitter statement can be read below. He touches all the grateful experiences he has had throughout his career, to the reason why he must step away from singing, and what the future holds.
In a sea of tourists, NYC inhabitants and phans with one phinger in the air hoping to score a miracle ticket for less than their internal organs, Madison Square Garden welcomed all walks of life back through its doors on December 30, 2016 for night three of Phish and their annual four-night NYE run.
The third night was most certainly a charm, as the foursome wholeheartedly delivered with their highly anticipated NYE gigs, bringing a juggernaut of material both new and old to the forefront of their explosive jams. The penultimate gig kept up with tradition of openers from both the 28th and 29th, kicking off with an acapella rendition of “Carolina,” leaving a sardine-packed and immensely energetic MSG crowd silent and still. Following the 28th’s acapella opener of “The Star Spangled Banner” and the 29th’s “Sweet Adeline,” “Carolina” found Trey, Mike, Page and Jon digging deep in their archives and offering their first bust out of the night–having not played the tune since 2003 at Greensboro Coliseum.
Phish “Blazed On,’ through the second set with crowd-favorite “The Moma Dance,” “Gumbo” and a fitting choice of “Cities” which had the whole building hypnotized on foot. ‘The Old Home Place,” eased into a “Bathtub Gin” scorcher, complete with arena rock vibes, dense jams and enchanting licks.
“Things People Do” served as the first “Big Boat” performance of the run, before launching into “My Friend, My Friend.” The first in a triad of Joy tracks sprinkled throughout the night, came fully equipped with face-melting jams and moody red and black lighting. The next track found every phan in the house shouting “Wilson” across a sea of wide eyes and color spectrum donut lights. A light-hearted “Sugar Shack” delighted the audience as the night’s second track hailing from Joy, before a fully-welcomed “You Enjoy Myself.” Complete with trampoline bounces and all, YEM closed out a magnificent first set for a thankful MSG crowd.
The second set magic quickly rolled out with a funky take on “Tweezer” which led into The Who’s 1969 Tommy track, “Sparks.” A crowd sing-a-long was incited on “Ghost,” until the Joy trifecta came to an end with “Light,” as things dove into a lengthy, swampy “Party Time” jam. Ease washed over the crowd with a soft take on “Wading in the Velvet Sea” just ahead of closing out the second set with another cover, The Osborne Brother’s “Rocky Top.”
Played last time in New York for a SPAC crowd, Phish encored with The Velvet Underground’s “Rock n’ Roll.” It felt more appropriately placed this time, however, in the city that front man Lou Reed often based his music on. A transcendent segue led into a fiercely received “Tweezer Reprise,” which closed night three with energy spiking through the roof.
Between page’s keyboard kinetics, phishman’s double down drumming, gordon bumpin’ bass slaps and trey’s fireworks across the fretboard, phish left little to the imagination. The beloved jam band has so far proven that they can cap off a year filled with an abysmal onslaught of celebrity deaths, political turmoil and environmental concern, making you forget all of the madness if only for a few hours. Tomorrow will end the NYE run and after three nights of unforgettable music at the world’s most famous arena.
Phish, December 30, 2016, Madison Square Garden, NY, NY
Set 1: Carolina, Blaze On, The Moma Dance > Gumbo > Cities, The Old Home Place, Bathtub Gin, Things People Do, My Friend, My Friend, Wilson, Sugar Shack, You Enjoy Myself
Set 2: Tweezer > Sparks > Ghost > Light -> Party Time Jam, Wading in the Velvet Sea > Rocky Top
Over the weekend, renowned Port Chester, NY venue The Capitol Theatre featured a double dose of Twiddle with supporting acts both nights. RAQ warmed up the audience as the opener on Friday. Funky, fast beats filled the air as the group busted into their grooves. Keyboardist Todd Stoops laid out thick jams while guitarist Chris Michetti was locked in and drove out crisp notes throughout. Psychedelic undertones meandered around the melodies of their set. RAQ kept things interesting as they took off right out of the gate with a solid, energetic jam before cooling things off with playfully gentle tunes, ensuring that fans coming in from the cold were warmed up properly.
After a brief break, Twiddle took to the stage, opening with “Daydream Farmer,” a tune that was stacked with jammy goodness. Adrian Tramontano of Kung Fu sat in on percussion for the entire evening. Their first set included everything from quick paced tunes, down and out funky vibes and jazzy melodies. Twiddle had a little something for everyone, keeping the crowd energized by the fluidity of music being thrown at them.
Second set was nothing but magical. Surprises peaked in and out, with Ryan Dempsey’s lone piano kicking things off as they flowed into “Indigo Trigger.” “Classical Gas” morphed seamlessly into an unexpected “Carol of the Bells” Christmas song. Stoops came out to join on keys during “The FRENDS Theme” which was sandwiched between “Tiberius.”
The evening closed out with an encore that audiences at any show always jokingly request yet never hear. “Freebird” brought out the lighters in the air around the venue. Todd Stoops, Chris Michetti and Scotty Zwang of RAQ joined the band on stage for this killer finale on night one. Night two was sure to bring out even more musical treats.
Encore video courtesy of William Corcoran:
Saturday night’s show brought Burlington, Vermont based band Madaila to the stage, opening the evening with “Nature.” Their bright white outfits, lined randomly with pink, gold and black striping, wowed the audience when they stepped on stage. This synth-heavy psych pop band that touched upon an 80’s style era sound, and reminiscent of harmony work that hinted of the Bee Gee’s, spilled out energy from the minute they stepped on stage. Guitarist Mark Daly busted into an intense jam that brought the house down during “Secret,” while keyboardist Eric Maier added the spicy musical flavor throughout the entire set. If you’ve never seen this band live, make sure to catch them as they will not disappoint. They are a band to watch in the coming year.
After a quick break, Twiddle took to the stage and busted into “Subconscious Prelude,” taking the tune into a trippy jam mid-song while teasing Papadosio’s “Find Your Cloud.” The group took the crowd on a ride around the tones filled with Dempsey’s heavy keys and Mihali Savoulidis’ intense guitar. A solid backline of in the pocket drums were provided by Brook Jordan, with Tramontano once again supporting on percussion throughout the night.
A stretched out “Doinkinbonk!!!” sandwiched “Too Many Puppies” before easing right back into “Doinkinbonk!!!.” Dempsey kicked into high gear, providing a trippy key session during the fast paced tune, rolling the melody right along.The venue roared with cheers from the crowd as driving guitar notes brought the energy to soaring heights. Tasty jams with dancing grooves settled in for the long haul during first set. The crowd was pumped as funky beats flowed in and out during “Latin Tang.” Meanwhile, colorful images splashed around the walls and ceiling of the Capitol, offering visual stimulation that heightened the musical journey during the evening.
The stage cleared as the drum and percussion section eased into a steamy solo, while Dempsey and bassist Zdenek Grubb literally laid out on the floor, gently adding in bass as the jam progressed. The performance was smoking hot. Guitarist Wiley Griffin, of Teddy Midnight, accompanied the band during a smashing “Complacent Race,” helping to bring set one to a close.
Second set opened with “Cabbage Face.” Dreamy bass bombs burst mid-song during “Mamunes the Faun,” keeping the audience on their feet. The double dose of Twiddle encored with “Beethoven and Greene,” ensuring fans danced off every last bit of energy in their core. Simply put, Twiddle gave the audience everything they had during the two-night run and the fans walked away on a high note with most leaving the venue plastered with beaming smiles from ear to ear.
For more information on Twiddle, please visit their official website.
Video courtesy of William Corcoran:
Twiddle 12/16/16,The Capitol Theatre
Set 1: Daydream Farmer, Beehop>Dr. Remidi’s Melodium#>Beehop, Jamflowman, Moments, Honeyburste
Set 2: Indigo Trigger, Classical Gas@, Tiberius > The FRENDS Theme^ > Tiberius
Encore: Freebird$
# Teased Primus’ “Southbound Pacaderme”
@ Included “Carol of the Bells” jam
^ Featured Todd Stoops on keys (RAQ)
$ Featured Chris Michetti on guitar (RAQ), Todd Stoops on keys (RAQ), and Scotty Zwang on drums (RAQ)
Twiddle 12/17/16, The Capitol Theatre
Set 1: Subconscious Prelude*, Doinkinbonk!!!>Too Many Puppies>Doinkinbonk!!!, Latin Tang, White Light, Complacent Race%
Set 2: Cabbage Face, Gatsby The Great, Mamunes The Faun, Every Soul
Encore: Beethoven and Greene
* Teased Papadosio’s “Find Your Cloud
% Featured Wiley Griffin on guitar (Teddy Midnight)
A double header of Vermont jammers treated a Massachusetts crowd to a night of improvisational grooves, saxophone sit-ins and Christmas carol teases in true holiday fashion at Thunder Road Music Club & Rock n’ Roll Bistro. Vermont’s own RAQ, restocked with a reputable drummer in the scene, teamed with an up and coming group, Swimmer, who share roots in the same town of Burlington. Both drew an impressive gathering of fans both local and branching across the Northeast, making it safe to say many left the MA venue newly admitted “swimmers.”
The progressive rock-fusion quintet based out of Burlington, took the reigns early in the night, kicking things off with a kinetic performance that displayed a melting pot of genres over a six-song set list. Carefully crafted, it brought forward original compositions intertwined with covers of some of their largest musical influences, Frank Zappa and Phish. The night found mesmerizing flair from keys player Matt Dolliver, bassist Jack Vignone, guitarists Paul Klein and Joe Agnello, who swapped vocals with man behind the drum kit, Cotter Ellis. Original and innovatively named tracks “5 Seed and Feeble,” “Godmeat” and “Sea Cerebral” truly portrayed the unique sound Swimmer bears to those who have never been introduced to their music–seemingly effortless tight grooves, progressive journeys and charismatic originality.
Highlights of the set instantly point towards Matt Dolliver as he delighted the audience with smooth saxophone performances and Swimmer’s conquering of Frank Zappa’s “Pound for a Brown” > Phish’s “F*ck Your Face” > “The Impossible Engineer,” an original track that ended the set with high-energy and roars of approval.
RAQ certainly came baq and kept the crowd fully captivated throughout a two-set performance. The audience and RAQ members alike were elated with the fact that former Dopapod drummer Scotty Zwang, has completed the final piece in their lineup puzzle–one that has proven to be tossed up in the past and especially interwoven with Kung Fu. Todd Stoops was nothing short of vocal, proudly admitting from behind the keys that Zwang is the “best drummer they’ve ever had” as he corralled multiple rounds of applause throughout the first set, which included “Bootch Magoo,” “Clamslide,” “Bobs Your Uncle,” “Crazy Tonie” and “Gabvonie.” Before heading offstage for a 15 minute reprieve, RAQ incited a sing-a-long on fan-favorite “Walking in Circles.”
Also displayed on two TV’s hanging above head at a full-stocked bar, the second set of the performance found a few dressed in Christmas colored velour and blazers in the holiday spirit as their atmosphere quickly turned into a reggae sound-tracked snowglobe. RAQ dove into Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It” before taking on a string of Christmas classics from “The Little Drummer Boy” and “Joy to the World,” to “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer,” which paired nicely with the “Deck the Halls” ornament and garland decor at Thunder Road. Newly confirmed “swimmer,” Stoops, re-introduced Matt Dolliver to the stage after approaching him in the crowd between set changes. An impromptu sit-in on Men at Work’s “Who Can it Be Now?”ultimately brought down the house.
Swimmer will resume gigs after the holidays with their first 2017 appearances across Clear River Tavern, Showcase Lounge and The Snow Barn in Vermont before heading to Stella Blues in CT. RAQ ended their trifecta of North East comebaq performances, with stops through The Westcott Theatre in Syracuse, a penultimate gig with Twiddle at Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre and last night’s Thunder Road wrap up. Saturday night alone determined that both groups have big moves on the horizon for the upcoming new year.
On Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, the 59th annual Grammy awards commence. Some artists will be catapulted into stardom with their first Grammy win, while some artists will climb towards becoming music legends, and other artists will add another award or awards to their already growing legacies.
With the Grammys right around the corner, NYS Music wanted to pay homage to all the homegrown New York musical talent, and others who have sought out the state of New York to help jump-start their musical careers and call the state home.
Many recognizable, and upcoming artists born and raised in New York that have been nominated for a Grammy award include, Brooklyn native Barbara Streisand for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway;Long Island natives De La Soul for Best Rap Album, And the Anonymous Nobody;New Hartford resident Joe Bonamassa for Best Traditional Blues Album, Live at the Greek Theater and from the Bronx, Fat Joe, for Best Rap Performance, for the single “All the Way Up,” which also features Remy Ma, French Montana and Infared.
New Hartford’s Joe Bonamassa performing at Red Rocks earlier this year.
Other hometown nominees include: Little Louie Vega (Bronx ), for Best Dance/Electronic Album, Louie Vega Starring…XXVIII; guitarist, composer, and arranger Chuck Loeb, (Nyack), for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, Unspoken;Brady Rymer and the Little Band that Could (Southold), for Best Children’s Album, Press Play;Sofi Tukker (NYC) for Best Dance Recording for the track “Drinkee;” Catherine Russell (NYC) for Best Jazz Vocal Album, Harlem on My Mind;John Coltrane’s son Ravi (Long Island) for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, “In Movement;” Claire Lynch (Kingston) for Best Bluegrass Album, North by South;Bob Mintzer (New Rochelle) for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, All L.A. Band;Andy Gonzalez (Bronx) for Best Latin Jazz Album, Entre Colegas and Steve Gadd (Rochester) for Best Contemporary Instrumental AlbumWay Back Home: Live From Rochester, NY. Gadd is also James Taylor’s touring drummer.
Kingston’s Claire Lynch
Many artist have ties to New York and though not born in the state, some call it home. Some of these artists include one of the hottest duos on the EDM scene, The Chainsmokers, who are French-born, Westchester-raised Alexander Pall and Andrew Taggart, a Scottish native raised in Maine and a Syracuse University graduate. After graduation, Taggart was part of the SU Music Business program before taking DJ gigs in NYC where he would eventually meet Pall. The Chainsmokers are nominated for Best New Artist, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their single, “Closer,” which also features Halsey on vocals, and for Best Dance Recording for their single, “Don’t Let Me Down,” which features the singer Daya.
Bob Dylan, the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature recipient, used to reside in New York and wrote many of his most influential music while living in Woodstock. Dylan is credited with helping to create the folk scene in Greenwich Village. His contributions stand among some of New York’s most significant musical pieces. Dylan is nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Fallen Angels, and for Best Historical Album, The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol.12 (Collector’s Edition).
Before his passing on Jan. 10, 2016, David Bowie had a residence for many years in Woodstock. Bowie is nominated for five Grammys including Best Rock Performance, Blackstar, Best Rock Song, “Blackstar,” Best Alternative Music Album, Blackstar, Best Recording Package, Blackstar, andBest-Engineered Album, Non-Classical, Blackstar.
Other New York transplants nominated for Grammy awards include Snarky Puppy, for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Culcha Vulcha. You can read NYS Music‘s review of this album here. Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Real Enemies, andPatti Smith for Best Spoken Word Album, M Train.
Snarky Puppy performing at Syracuse’s Landmark Theatre earlier this year.
Hailing from the same stomping grounds as jam aficionados Phish comes a unique, five-piece outfit known as Madaila. Fresh off the heels of their sophomore album release, Burlington, VT natives Mark Daly, Willoughby Morse, Eric B. Maier, Dan Ryan and Jer Coons, will make their Capital Region debut at Putnam Den on December 16. Their 2016 release Traces hit the public just over a month ago on November 4 , following up their explosive inaugural effort, 2015’s The Dance.
Although Madaila doesn’t fully embody the typically “granola” association of Vermont musicians, they take their roots and expand on them in a way that makes their sound and image truly unique. Members of the band run the local Future Fields studio, a musical hub in the midst of Burlington where The Dance was crafted. Their catchy and synth-heavy tunes undoubtedly display their musical intelligence.
At one moment, vocals can be reminiscent of Justin Vernon in Bon Iver paired with electronic nods to Passion Pit and Tame Impala. The next moment, however, will toss you into a thirty second jam reminiscent of their geographical origins. Throughout their music videos, the group has honed the talent of playfully moving between serious musical elements and all-out splashes of fun, knowing how to take their craft seriously, but not necessarily themselves. Many videos like “I Know” and “Give Me All Your Love” find band members dressed head to toe in eye-popping color schemes and patterns, resembling anything from an 80s dance party to a Lisa Frank fashion show.
These psych-pop steamrollers on the rise have curated a generous amount of buzz in a short amount of time and have plans to kick off their first gig in a string of six at the Den. More NY dates follow at Port Chester’s famed Capitol Theatre and Arlene’s Grocery for an extra Phishy NYE run after party. This year comes to a close with two New Year’s stops at hometown venue Higher Ground on December 30 and 31, following the legacies of fellow VT musicians Grace Potter and Twiddle who have filled the same slot in previous years. Madaila kick off 2017 with January appearances at the Press Room in Portsmouth, NH and StageOne in Fairfled, CT.
This Friday, doors open at 8:30PM with a 9:30PM show to follow for an 18+ crowd. Tickets are $10 with $5 surcharge for those under 21. If you are unfamiliar with Madaila, quickly become acquainted because their Putnam Den debut is not one you want to let fall through the musical cracks. Frontman Mark Daly and Madaila management/production/keys player Eric Maier lent some time to NYS Music to detail their latest album, how to correctly pronounce “Muh-dey-luh” and, of course, how being a phan helped shape their musical journey. ‘Madaila doesn’t sound a lot like Phish, but we are super weird people who resonate with the example they’ve set.’
Alyssa Ladzinski: For those who don’t know your music, what would you like them to know about you?
Eric Maier: We call our music “psych pop”. We like it to be at times catchy and at times exploratory. Our live show is important to us. We’re from Vermont! We make our music at the studio we run in Burlington, Future Fields.
AL: How was recording your 2016 release Traces different than the process of 2015’s debut of The Dance?
EM:We made The Dance before we put our live band together. Mark played every instrument, which was annoyingly impressive. Haha. Jer and I produced the record. We had input into the sound, but it was much more the product of Mark’s wild imagination. Traces also started in Mark’s freaky brain. But we made Traces after having been a band for a year and the record reflects that. Mark’s writing and arrangements were influenced by the growth and cohesion we have developed on stage. And, more directly, each of us plays on the record in ways that display our musical personalities. All of us see our responsibility as being to help “nurture” something birthed in Mark’s mind. Traces reflects a more mature version of that!
AL: Explain what it was like creating this album in Future Fields studios in the familiar territory of Burlington, VT. What were the pros/cons of recording in a place you call home?
EM: Future Fields is our musical home. The studio has grown in and around Madaila. Jer, Willoughby and I are the three owners. We rehearse there. Keep our stuff there. And have made both records there! It’s hard to separate the two! It’s definitely crucial to feel comfortable in your creative environment. Another huge plus is being able to spend as much time working as we need, without worrying about budget. We’ve thought about trying a new environment for the sole purpose of getting out of our comfort zone. Mark’s creative process for composing Madaila’s music has always been about pushing himself into new contexts and out of his comfort zone. So we may try and explore that idea in the future by mixing it up. As it were. But for now, we have everything we need and the price is right!
AL: You have some pretty interesting music videos and I love how much fun you have with them. How do you come up with the video concepts?
Mark Daly: Well, a lot of the videos conceptually come from the combined powers of our very good friend Mike Mooney, founder of Hammer and Saw Films, and myself. A pair of other collaborations have come from a few amazingly talented friends in Burlington.
We’ve been so lucky and blessed with having a close friend like Mike to help produce, create and shoot a number of videos for the band. It’s a super collaborative and close relationship that helps the entire vibe and environment of our videos. It’s definitely obvious we are having fun, and that’s always been a part of the energy surrounding our band. We are extremely passionate and serious with what we do and our goals, but at the same time we try to always be ourselves and not take things tooooo seriously. Mike and all of us also really like videos with an arc and a theme to it, that tell a story. That’s been a catalyst in a bunch of our videos.
We like our videos to be eye catching and loose and playful in order to produce a unique outcome, but also because that’s honest to who we are as a band. It’s all a part of the Madaila nucleus.
We have a new video coming out very very soon and it’s probably the weirdest and most fun video yet so stay tuned!
AL: Outside of playing music, how else do you explore and express your individual creativity?
MD: Music is where we predominantly express our creativity, but it also acts as a platform, or spring-board, that allows us to access several other ways to express ourselves. Whether that’s acting, being a salesman, making art, writing, etc.
I love writing music as much as possible, but acting has probably been the most active realm of creativity within me aside from that.
I love making videos and being different characters – just something I’ve done since childhood. It’s all part of loving to entertain I guess. It’s almost more natural to play an outlandish character than to be myself or act normal on camera. Several aliases have helped promote Madaila and Madaila shows over the years. Sometimes there are even appearances at the show or on stage. Music and comedy are two great fucking things and that’s that!
AL: What’s one, or two bands, you would love to set up a tour with that you haven’t had the chance to?
EM: We love the band Vulfpeck and could see ourselves fitting well with them in that happy land between jazz and pop. Rubblebucket are old friends and would also work well. We also love Lucius and think that would be a cool pairing! It’s funny for us since we inhabit a bit of a middle ground between indie rock and jam worlds. We’ve had a great time collaborating and playing shows with our old friends Twiddle, who are also from Vermont. There are so many possibilities for putting bills together. For us it comes down to being turned on by a band’s music, whatever it sounds like. It also makes a huge difference when you hit it off as people. When you connect on a personal level everything is more fun!
AL: Do you guys practice any pre or post show rituals?
Both: Yes. 🙂
AL: Favorite musical purchase or release from 2o16?
Both: The new Frank Ocean. New Bon Iver. Solange! Chance The Rapper.
AL: What’s the most interesting pronunciation of your band’s name that you’ve heard?
EM: Oof. Let’s start by clarifying that it is “Muh-dey-luh”. Haha. We didn’t anticipate the pronunciation being a problem but it’s a weird combo of letters for people. We’ve seen at least 6 different spellings and a variety of pronunciations. The most common is “Madalia”, which adds a syllable by switching two letters. “Madala” might be the most renegade since it just eliminates a letter altogether. Great question! This comes up a lot.
AL: You’re playing a Phish after party in NYC on 12/28–how does it feel to get the opportunity play for a crowd of people who share love for the biggest band out of Burlington? I also have to know, what are your favorite Phish songs? Or album if that makes it easier.
EM: Yay! It feels great. We are proud to be part of a wonderful tradition of Vermont bands. The scene in Burlington is unreal. And we truly appreciate the history. We look up to Phish a ton for the way they built their band by focusing on their live show; on sustainable growth; on being true to their sound; on putting music first; and on embracing the various weirdnesses that make them who they are. Madaila doesn’t sound a lot like Phish, but we are super weird people who resonate with the example they’ve set.
As far as Phish’s music itself, people tend to take it or leave it. Which is fine. Mark and I are the Phish heads. Our first band was a jam band that we started (oof) 12 years ago. Pale Moon! We wanted to be Phish. We had dreams where we got invited on stage at SPAC. Haha. Hey! It could happen.
In terms of favorites. I lose Phantasy points for saying this but I’ve always gotten down with the 90s albums. Running a studio myself I love that expressive environment. I also love the track order on certain records, like A Picture Of Nectar. Live, I’m a sucker for the upbeat major jams like Antelope & Chalkdust.
MD: Growing up in Vermont and being a musician, it’s super hard NOT to know Phish or been influenced by them. Trey was probably the first person to make me want to play guitar. Because of that Divided Sky – the Junta version – and any Reba jam might be my favorite Phish moments. But there are a lot of them. If I had to list a few more off the top of my head… Trey’s solo at the end of Chalkdust Torture on A Live One, and I always love a good Harry Hood or Fluffhead. I feel like a hippy all over again. Haha.
AL: What are your personal favorite tracks on Traces. Do you have a least favorite?
EM: We love all of our babies. Haha. Well, we developed a great relationship with “Secret”, which we played live before the record was recorded. We’ve really had fun recently with “Excelsior”. The live format is where we encounter these songs most often, so that tends to shape how we feel about the songs.
MD: Ditto to what Eric said in “Secret” and “Excelsior.” Another favorite of mine has always been “Spring.” It just really gets me emotionally and is such a poetic and powerful song. We are currently and finally in the process of getting the crazy, long and challenging “Nurture” live ready and I have a feeling it will become an extremely fun, cosmic and energizing song to play live.
AL: Who are some of your musical influences/heroes that people wouldn’t guess based on your music?
EM: Well, Phish, as mentioned! Mark and I both love jazz music. We were just talking about McCoy Tyner yesterday. I love Monk. Miles Davis & John Coltrane are two musical heroes. But both of us have a pretty insane width in what we like. I love what is happening with Sturgill Simpson & the alt-country movement. Jer got me into Chris Stapleton as well. Willy is the master of the indie rock realm. The two of us geek out on PWR BTTM, Alvvays, & King Tuff. He and Jer also venture into the world of metal & both have pop punk histories. Dan is the deepest into jazz – especially modern jazz – as well as old school hip hop. Yeaaaah. We’re all over the place!!!
AL: Which bands have been on your radar recently? Any up and coming bands from Burlington we should keep on our personal radars?
EM: Burlington is such an amazing scene. Running the studio also gives us an amazing view into various subcommunities here; aaaand somewhat of a responsibility to not play favorites. Haha. I will say that we worked hard assembling the lineup for our NYE run at Higher Ground, and that each of those bands are artists we love listening to; love hanging out with; and see having the potential to blow the f*** up. Those are: Arc Iris; Lux Deluxe; smalltalker; and Jeff Beam!
AL: Eric, how do you balance time between keys, production and management? Are you often overwhleed or have you perfected the skill of wearing many hats by now?
EM: I love being able to split time between different worlds. It can be overwhelming but I have great support on both the art and business sides – people I can rely on and trust! Like Madaila’s manager Mark Balderston! The business side of Future Fields grew out of a frustration with the challenges of our industry. I didn’t expect to like that realm as much as I do. It’s challenging & creative in its own way! And it’s mostly about connecting with other people, which I love. When that starts to drag a bit it’s not too long before I get to go down the hall to the studio and enter a different headspace; or play a show! It’s a privilege to get to push myself in multiple spheres.
AL: Mark, when you find yourself stuck on writing song lyrics, what are your go to methods to get your creative juices flowing?
MD:I wish I could tell you but it would be too inappropriate!… Just kidding.
Lyrics are definitely the hardest part of the songwriting process for me. It most often comes last but there are times when a line will stick during the scratch vocal because it just sounds good and flows well. I almost always have things I want to say, but it’s getting them to fit logically and rhythmically within a song’s meter that’s often the challenge. If I’m stuck on a lyric I try to move on to something else rather than beat a dead horse. There’s always another part to add or another song to start. But I think I write my best lyrics in the morning with a cup of coffee and a clear head. My fianceé and I just bought a house this past summer and the 3 season porch, with the morning light pouring in, has been a really peaceful and productive space so far for writing lyrics and music.
After a two year hiatus, moe.down is a go for 2017. Last year the band announced that, for the second consecutive year, moe.down would not take place but have never outright dismissed the fact that it would return. Today’s announcement puts the conjecture to rest. moe.down is returning to its original location, Snow Ridge in Turin, NY June 30 – July 2.
The July date marks a departure from previous moe.downs, which traditionally took place over Labor Day weekend, a weekend, as any upstater knows, that can bring weather ranging from excessive heat to cold rain, sometimes over the course of one day. The July date should make for a more pleasant weekend experience for fans.
Past moe.downs have seen the band perform six sets throughout the weekend as well as sets with side projects such as Al and the Transamericans, Ha Ha the Moose and Floodwood. The festival is known for attracting artists typically not seen at jamband festivals. Past performers have included Violent Femmes, They Might Be Giants, Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven and Meat Puppets.
Early bird tickets, VIP and RV passes for moe.down 16 go on sale Friday, Dec. 16 at noon ET. Three-day general admission tickets are $130 in the early bird allotment. For more information, visit moe.’s website.
On October 10, 2016 Allen Stone got up close and personal with his fans at the Musikfest Cafe in Bethlehem, PA with Jason Holt on the drums, Steve Watkins on the keys and Moorea Masa as a back up singer. This venue succeeded in creating an intimate environment for Allen Stone to share his music and personal life stories with everyone who attended.
This intimate night with Allen was called “My Favorite Songs, Favorite Stories” which perfectly described the night, sharing many great stories about his journey as an artist including his travels to paris and spontaneously sky diving with his friends, trying rice tempura balls for the first time, opening for Stevie Wonder and his personal insight on life and love. If you haven’t heard his music yet, or seen him on stage check out his music and upcoming shows here.
With the holiday season rapidly approaching, Avenged Sevenfold has decided to play Santa Claus, and give A7X fans an early Christmas present in the form of the band’s new seventh studio album The Stage. The music world was going crazy after the band’s virtual performance on top of the Capital Records building in Los Angeles on Oct. 27.
An announcement that the band was working on a new CD would have been great news, but with all the hints that A7X has been showing the past couple of weeks, fans had a feeling something huge was around the corner.
Others in the music business have released an album in this fashion before, but only through a digital media source. Avenged Sevenfold fans can head right out and pick up a physical copy of The Stage at any record store.
Since the announcement, Sirius/XM Octane has been playing tracks off the new album with intro’s by A7X frontman M. Shadows. Shadows recently had an interview with Sirius/Xm’s rock and metal DJ Jose Mangin, to talk about how the release came about.
Mangin showed some love to A7X for breaking the mold for an album release. He asked Shadows the reason why the band decided to go this route to release the new album:
There’s a million reasons, but I guess the most prominent reason would be just the lack of, you know, originality in the way people are releasing records these days. The internet is so quick, things happen instantly. When your parents have iPhones, and they know everything that’s going on, you know everyone is connected and you can do something like this and the word is gonna get out there. A lot of it has to do with our boredom of having to go through three to four singles before you get to the record release, and then three months later it’s finally out, and all the excitement is gone. We just wanted to give the fans the cherry on top right off the bat and just say, here it is. You thought that we were messing around for a year, but we’ve been working.
A lot of bands, you’re hearing what people are saying. You know their reviewing this, you’re hearing the vibe of the record before you even get to hear the music and that’s just wrong to me. Like I want people to make their own decision. Listen to the music and figure it out for yourself instead of being fed the press release. Like, this is what its going to sound like and it’s our favorite most melodic heaviest thing ever. It’s just so boring at this point.
After Mangin plugged all the ways on media you can hear the album, he wanted to confirm that fans could purchase a physical copy immediately from retailers. Shadows replied:
Well that’s the craziest thing, Props to Capitol Records for being able to pull that off. This is the first surprise release that actually has a physical release with it. You know when you talk about Radiohead or Kanye (West) or Beyoncé, it was all digital, but we’ve been able to sneak records into the stores. So you can go anywhere and pick it up now.
After joking with Shadows about hiding the new album with a fake cover or labels, Shadows confessed, “We definitely had some fake labels going around, and we also had (Chris) Jericho’s fake album title.”
A7X set up pop up shops in New York and Los Angeles over the Halloween weekend to celebrate the release and for fans to get their hands on some A7X merch.
The Stage Tracklist:
01. The Stage
02. Paradigm
03. Sunny Disposition
04. God Damn
05. Creating God
06. Angels
07. Simulation
08. Higher
09. Roman Sky
10. Fermi Paradox
11. Exist
Justin Bieber had another meltdown of sorts during a performance on his Purpose World Tour in Manchester, England Sunday night, E News reports. Having had enough with fans screaming in between songs, Bieber addressed his overzealous Belieber’s sincerely to please calm down. After the crowd seemed to ignore what the singer was saying, Bieber dropped the mic as he walks off stage.
He returned a minute later to again sincerely address the crowd and explain that he wanted fans to tone it down a bit so he can connect with them more. As fans still screamed, Bieber went on to say that he won’t talk anymore and that he is just gonna play music because the crowd can’t handle it.
The pop star had the same thing happen to him in Birmingham days earlier, and had to address the crowd about their noise level, asking them if they could relax for two seconds. He also said to the crowd that he is two feet away and that their screaming is obnoxious.
Many videos of the incident in Manchester have hit social media. Bieber stated before he walked off the stage:
I appreciate all the support. I appreciate love. I appreciate the kind things. But the screaming in these breaks has got to stop. Please and thank you. I don’t think it’s necessary when I’m trying to say something and you guys are screaming.
After a quick breather, Bieber returned and told the fans:
I’m not quite sure, you know, why you guys came tonight. I hope it was to enjoy our company as well as me enjoying your company. I feel like I wanna connect with you. The point of the no-screaming thing is that when I’m looking at you in the eyes you know that we’re actually having a moment and having a connection. It’s not that I’m trying to be an asshole, it’s me just simply wanting to have a moment. Manchester, you are awesome. We’re just going to do the music. Obviously Manchester just can’t handle it, so let’s do the music.
In other Bieber news, DJ Mags 2016 #1 DJ in the world, Martin Garrix will join Bieber’s tour on all Australian dates in 2017. This past May, Bieber announced on his Instagram that he will no longer take pictures with fans. He posted:
If you happen to see me out somewhere know that I’m not gonna take a picture I’m done taking pictures. It has gotten to the point that people won’t even say hi to me or recognize me as a human, I feel like a zoo animal, and I wanna be able to keep my sanity.
Carlile stated that he will continue to write music as he heals and rests in Costa Rica, where he now resides, and that the band would not seek a replacement, and continue as a quartet.
The third night was most certainly a charm, as the foursome wholeheartedly delivered with their highly anticipated NYE gigs, bringing a juggernaut of material both new and old to the forefront of their explosive jams. The penultimate gig kept up with tradition of openers from both the 28th and 29th, kicking off with an acapella rendition of 
Phish
“Things People Do” served as the first “Big Boat” performance of the run, before launching into “My Friend, My Friend.” The first in a triad of Joy tracks sprinkled throughout the night, came fully equipped with face-melting jams and moody red and black lighting. The next track found every phan in the house shouting “Wilson” across a sea of wide eyes and color spectrum donut lights. A light-hearted “Sugar Shack” delighted the audience as the night’s second track hailing from Joy, before a fully-welcomed “You Enjoy Myself.” Complete with trampoline bounces and all, YEM closed out a magnificent first set for a thankful MSG crowd.
The second set magic quickly rolled out with a funky take on “Tweezer” which led into The Who’s 1969 Tommy track, “Sparks.” A crowd sing-a-long was incited on “Ghost,” until the Joy trifecta came to an end with “Light,” as things dove into a lengthy, swampy “Party Time” jam. Ease washed over the crowd with a soft take on “Wading in the Velvet Sea” just ahead of closing out the second set with another cover, The Osborne Brother’s “Rocky Top.”
Between page’s keyboard kinetics, phishman’s double down drumming, gordon bumpin’ bass slaps and trey’s fireworks across the fretboard, phish left little to the imagination. The beloved jam band has so far proven that they can cap off a year filled with an abysmal onslaught of celebrity deaths, political turmoil and environmental concern, making you forget all of the madness if only for a few hours. 
