With Twiddle‘s Tumbledown coming up July 29-30, NYS Music looks back on an interview with the Vermont foursome with Pete Mason at Summer Camp Music Festival. The band discussed the genesis of Tumbledown, the upcoming PLUMP 2 album, setlist writing as they reach new audiences across the country, and Norb’s heartburn. Filmed and edited by: Dave DeCrescente Photography
Tag: Plump
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Twiddle, Tauk, Holly Bowling and Matisyahu Combine for an Epic Night at The Capitol Theatre
Take the fastest rising jamband in recent years, add in a hot prog-rock band boiling over with talent, a classically trained pianist performing the music of Phish and The Grateful Dead, and a cross-genre reggae singer and you have the fixings for one of the best nights of live music The Capitol Theatre has seen this year, and that’s saying a lot., with Twiddle, Tauk, Holly Bowling and Matisyahu to credit.
The night began with Holly Bowling’s performance at Garcia’s, a benefit for The White Light Foundation, Twiddle’s charitable wing. Being that this was Garcia’s, Bowling offered a spirited mashup of “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot” > “Theme from the Bottom” > “Franklins Tower” and a full Terrapin Station suite. Phish’s “Taste”, a newer addition to her repertoire was full of energy, as was the set closing “Harry Hood”, which found Twiddle keyboardist Ryan Dempsey joining for the latter portion of the song, leading to true keyboard cavalry between the two who enjoyed the dual experience immensely as evidenced by their ear to ear grins.
The remarkable talent of TAUK is something that continues to translate well directly from their studio albums, with an exclamation point placed firmly upon their music in the live setting. Fans gaped in awe at the musicianship performing an opening hour long set. “Eleanor Rigby” -> “In Bloom” capped off their set, a familiar appearance in setlists, and one that beckons for more variety from this quartet who have immense talent contained within to stretch into unfamiliar territory.
While a sell out of the Capitol Theatre is a goal for any rising or established band, it’s not like Twiddle hasn’t played to larger audiences. The rally around the band by the fanbase created an electric feel with familiar faces everywhere, even of those who are uninitiated to the music or skeptical of the group. The fans, these ‘Twiddlers’ (among the variety of names they have for each other – Frends, Twiddiots, Twiddlenauts, etc…) are what draws in attention to the band, as much as the band itself does. Like any mass following of a musician, the community that rallies around them is reflective of the music, and the base has the emotive welcoming personality found in Twiddle’s music. There is a syncopation between the music and the fans, something observed last year after attending four Twiddle shows over three months.
The “Blunderbuss” opener caught many off guard, as it was a debut fresh from the upcoming Plump Chapter 2, and a tight instrumental at that. The “Polluted Beauty” jam was driven by Gubb’s bass and Brooke’s drums, with an impressive funk jam that developed in “Wasabi Eruption” that was a highlight of the first set. Then “The Box” showed up and built off that energy; the build and electronic tone is the reason why “The Box” stands out as one of Twiddle’s strongest jam vehicles.
The all too familiar reggae sound of Twiddle was front and center in the set closing “Lost in the Cold.” It served as the perfect song for Matisyahu to join on with vocals, an unforced and natural fit, after having expressed admiration for the band. Following his contribution to “Lost in the Cold,” he took off his jacket and upon getting fans on the floor to put their hands up, he unexpectedly stage dove into the crowd. You don’t see this at jamband shows, or really any non-punk/metal show for that matter. It was a headscratcher as we headed into setbreak, but the energy from the set hardly dissipated.
A five song second set opened with “Grandpa Fox,” a little proggy no nonsense starter. And when there was a need for funk to keep it rolling, there was a driving funk, like in “Apples,” which featured a Michael Jackson medley and a severe dub jam as well. You gotta like this song. “Snycopated Healing” chilled things out with music to sway to, but “Frankenfoote” picked things up. Dempsey played the keys with his toes on this light, traditional Twiddle song, and one that is easily accessible to rookie fans. The encore began with a truly gracious Mihali giving thanks to the moms in attendance as well as the fans who sold out the Capitol Theatre only an hour before doors opened. With that, fans were treated to a bouncy “Zazu’s Flight” > “Hatti’s Jam” and “When it Rains, it Poors.”
Throughout this truly enjoyable show, the one aspect that I kept returning to was that despite the great deal of talent in the band, both individually and collectively, there are some spots where they play too few notes and could fill in some space, as brief but critical as those spaces may be. A lot of notes isn’t a bad thing.
This show at The Capitol Theatre was enough to wash away any bias and open eyes to see that Twiddle is a reset button on the jam scene, one in which they are strong advocates for the rising stars of the next wave of live bands. The history, the venue, and the centrality of location right off Interstates 95 and 87 led to their biggest NYC area venue show to date. The Beacon is the new goalpost in the continued domination of the band in Northeast markets.
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Peaking Upstate: Twiddle Plumps Sold-Out Crowd
It was fitting to see a sold out Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park on Friday night for many reasons. Mainly, it signified maturity and growth for Formula 5 and headliner Twiddle, a jam-rock group out of Burlington.
Formula 5 has been working very hard lately, just wrapping up their first full tour. Led by Joe Davis on guitar, James Woods on bass, Matt Richards on keys and Greg Marek on drums, Formula 5 has quickly carved out its spot in the Northeast jam scene. It’s impossible not to draw the parallels between the four-piece and Phish, especially because the group formed while waiting in line to get tickets to a Phish show in 2009. Davis has studied Trey Anastasio and it shows in his precise, swirling, soaring guitar work
“Earthbound Tim” led way to “Pedro” which bled into “Excalibur.” Somewhere in the mix were “Down With Disease” and “Harry Hood” teases. “Floating,” “Epiphany” and a reprisal of “Earthbound Tim” closed out the show, leaving the hometown band exiting the stage with grins of approval.
Following a short break, Twiddle took the stage, backed by the Frendly Horns, which added a layer to the band not seen very much. Touring in support of their latest release Plump, Mihali Savoulidis performed using a new guitar at the show, which looked like a custom mix of a Stratocaster and a classic Guild and it sounded wonderful. It was the third show of the band’s Plumperdump winter tour.
“Gatsby the Great,” “Honeyburste,” and “Brick of Beauty”, which featured a “Shakedown Street” jam, started the two-hour set and it featured periods of extended jamming. The horns allowed Savoulidis and keyboardist Ryan Dempsey a layer of rhythmic space and both used it wisely, trading licks and staccatos before weaving their way into “Polluted Beauty” where bassist Zdenek Gubb took the lead this time and pushed the band, with the help of drummer Brook Jordan, through a funk excursion.
“Classical Gas,” “Be There,” “Complacent Race” and “Frankenfoote” closed out the set, with the audience singing along with seemingly every word.
For the encore, Twiddle had one final treat in store. Lowell Wurster, of Lucid notoriety, joined the stage to play the washboard on a version of “Did You Ever Look So Nice.”
This is the second year in a row Twiddle has sold out Upstate Concert Hall which has a capacity of nearly 1,300. Last year they did it with the support of Kung Fu. Formula 5 displayed it has the chops and dedication to continue to rise while Twiddle showed just how far they have come. It was apparent by the joyous mood outside the venue post-show that both these bands are just getting started and it’s been nice to watch them grow in the past two years.
Stream or download Ed Guidry’s recording of Twiddle’s set
Formula 5 Setlist: Earthbound Tim->Pedro->Excalibur, Floatin, Epiphany->Earthbound Tim
Twiddle Setlist: Gatsby The Great, Honeyburste, Brick Of Barley[1], Polluted Beauty, Classical Gas[2], Be There, Complacent Race, Frankenfoote
Encore: Did You Ever Look So Nice?[3]
Show Notes: This show was a part of the “Plumperdump” 2016 Winter Tour. The Frendly Horns were featured for the entire show. This was a sold-out show. Formula 5 opend the show.
[1] “Brick Of Barley” contained a “Shakedown Street” (Grateful Dead) tease.
[2] “Classical Gas” contained an “X-Files Theme” tease.
[3] “Did You Ever Look So Nice?” featured Lowell Wurster (Lucid) on washboard. -
Twiddle Releases ‘Plump’ Documentary
This past December, Twiddle celebrated the release of PLUMP. Fans of the band are now getting a unique glimpse into the story behind the music. The Vermont-based quartet has released an hour-long documentary that focuses not only on the music of PLUMP, but also a peek into the Twiddle fan culture.
Filmed by Collective Visions, the documentary mixes footage from their two sold-out shows at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston this past December, as well as interviews with the band and fans. The PLUMP documentary is currently available to view via YouTube:Twiddle hits the road in support of PLUMP on Feb. 18 in Portland, Maine. The Plumperdump Tour includes 10 shows in the Northeast as well as a stop at the Aura Music Festival in Florida. Additional spring dates are expected by the end of the month.
Twiddle Winter Tour Dates
Feb. 18 – Portland, Maine (Port City Music Hall)
Feb. 19 – Providence, Rhode Island (Fete Music Mall)
Feb. 20 – Syracuse, New York (The Wescott Theatre)
Feb. 25 – Buffalo, New York (Town Ballroom)
Feb. 26 – Clifton Park, New York (Upstate Music Hall)
Feb. 27 – New York, New York (Irving Plaza)
March 10 – Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
March 11 – Philadelphia, PA (Theatre of Living Arts)
March 12 – New Haven, CT (Toad’s Place)
March 13 – New Haven, CT (Toad’s Place)
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Twiddle Rings in the New Year with Three Album Run
Over three sold out nights in Burlington this New Year’s weekend, Twiddle played into the past, present and future of their musical catalog and continued to prove why they are one of the most talked about bands in the jam scene. The packed crowds at Higher Ground were treated to three very different nights of Twiddle. The band highlighted their three studio albums and substantiated that their latest release PLUMP is a showcase of where their live performance is headed.Twiddle roared in the New Year in vintage style. A “Gatsby the Great”-themed evening saw the band and fans dressed to the nines for New Year’s Eve. With several extended jams and a night packed with fan favorites, the band played their second studio album Somewhere on the Mountain in its entirety, while interjecting several non-studio fan favorites, including “Gatsby the Great” and “Hatti’s Jam,” throughout the sets.
As an album Somewhere on the Mountain evokes the party, so it was fitting that Twiddle chose to play all 12 tracks on the biggest party night of the year. “Doinkinbonk!!!” into “Apples” became a 40-minute dance party/sing-along to two of the band’s most infectious songs. During “Apples,” Soul Monde’s Russ Lawton (drums) and Ray Packowski (keys) joined the band onstage while Twiddle’s Ryan Dempsey showed off his skills on the marimba. A dual drum performance between Lawton and Twiddle’s Brook Jordan added an unexpected element to the song, making it one of the evening’s most talked about moments.
The first set closed with “Syncopated Healing” from the band’s most recent studio album PLUMP and a special guest appearance from Dempsey’s father, Stephen Dempsey, on saxophone. The song’s placement on night one was a bit of a red herring, as to not spoil the puzzle of what nights two and three would contain.
The second set saw a weaving of non-Twiddle moments, including a tease of Phish’s “Divided Sky” as well as a meaty jam of Daft Punk’s “Robot Rock,” in the middle of a nearly 20-minute version of “The Box.” The night ended with a more mellow approach as Twiddle cooled off the crowd with “Beethoven and Greene” before ending with a “Gatsby the Great” Reprise.While Twiddle rang in the New Year with a contagious groove, they started Friday night’s New Year’s Day performance with a glimpse into the band’s future. Joined on stage by “The Frendly Horns,” featuring Rich Williams (tenor sax), Adam Sawyer (trombone) and Chazz Canney (alto saxophone), the band once again intertwined non-studio songs among the tracks of their third studio album, PLUMP.
The album’s opening track “Complacent Race” was debuted live for the first time, while the album’s horned tracks were brought to life for fans for the first time. It’s one thing to upgrade your band’s sound in the studio, but live the task is more difficult to pull together. If the sound on PLUMP is where the band sees their musical direction, they managed to prove two things on Friday night. First, that this newly debuted, polished studio sound is not outside of their ability to reproduce live. And second, that even PLUMP’s polished studio tracks have space to expand.
“Polluted Beauty” and “Indigo Trigger” were launched into deep, nasty funked-out vehicles for the band to showcase where this newer material can go. On the other side of the coin, the band’s ability to weave tracks like the bluegrass-rooted “Hattibagen McRat” or the instrumental “Latin Tang” so seamlessly into the album’s mix show that this new material holds just as much of a viable place in Twiddle’s live show as does anything else they play.
By the end of night two, many fans had started to put the puzzle pieces together. So on Saturday night, it was no surprise that the evening began with the opening track from Twiddle’s debut studio album, Natural Evolution of Consciousness, titled “The Catapillar” and ran through the album’s first four tracks before closing out the first set with two unrecorded gems “Earth Mama” and “The FRENDS Theme.”
Night three contained less songs, but longer jams and more guest appearances. “The FRENDS Theme” featured Jack Mitrani (Frendly Crew) on electric guitar and vocals. Scott Hannay from Mister F (keys) and Jamie Armstrong from Lucid (saxophone) sat in during the second set opener “Tiberius,” while the second set closer “Frankenfoote” featured Lucid’s Lowell Wurster on washboard.
While the three day run didn’t include much in the way of catalog rarity, what it lacked in surprise it more than made up for in production value. Twiddle demonstrated a growth in technical skill and creative staging. Their studio polish appears to be rubbing off into their live performance with precision, turn-on-the-dime transitions and unique musical moments. The latest addition of Evan Antal as Lighting Director (Zed’s Dead, Kendrick Lamar) on this three-day run elevated the overall show experience.What’s most striking and noticeable about Twiddle’s growth is the rather intense development and involvement of their fans within the growing community. Fan artists continue to develop and execute inspired art from prints, clothing, pins and other merchandise that seem to be moving the band’s name further into the masses. Friday and Saturday nights saw a strong presence by the band’s fan-founded charity the White Light Foundation—all signs that Twiddle has an army of dedicated fans behind them.
While some jamband fans debate the validity of Twiddle’s increased fan base and continued success, the band managed to show that over a three-night run in their hometown they are diverse, growing and paying attention to the details. All three nights sold out nearly a month before New Year’s Eve, evidence that Twiddle is quickly outgrowing the smaller venues their fans have grown comfortable seeing them in.
As Twiddle prepares for its 2016 “Plumperdump Tour,” the small run of mostly 1,000-plus ticket theaters may be a sign that you won’t be seeing the band in smaller, more intimate venues again anytime soon. A good thing for the long list of fans clamoring to get into the band’s most recent sold-out shows for the majority of this past fall and winter tours.
Twiddle heads out on Jam Cruise 2016 on Jan 6. The band will be on a short hiatus before kicking off the Plumperdump Tour in Portland, Maine, on Feb. 18. Spring dates are expected to take the band back out west and look to be announced in the coming weeks. Recent announcements include Twiddle slated to open for The Disco Biscuits at Red Rocks on June 4.
Photos courtesy of Greg Horowitz Photography
Recording of 12/31, 1/1 and 1/2 are available at Archive.org.