The 9-Piece powerhouse brought their album-release tour to The Root Cellar in Greenfield, MA on Saturday, April 15. Big Mean Sound Machine played their hearts out for two incredible sets for a crowd of locals ready to dance. They’re taking their groove back for a hometown throw-down in Ithaca, NY this Friday before taking a short trip down the east coast in early May.
Category: Media
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Big Takeover Releases Throwback Music Video for “Love Understands”
The Big Takeover, the funky roots and reggae group out of the Hudson Valley, have released the music video for “Love Understands,” off their recent album Silly Girl. The 80s throwback video features singer NeeNee Rushie, Chas Montrose (saxaphone), Rob Kissner (bass), Andy Vogt (trombone) and Kerry Shaw (guitar) and was directed by Crazy Gringo, Liz Paradise and Zach Thomson. The track is now available now on iTunes and on .
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Foolin’ Around with moe. at The Paramount
On Saturday, April 1, at The Paramount, Buffalo-based moe. took April Fools’ Day to the next level by sonically messing with the minds of everyone in attendance. The die-hard moe.rons in the crowd knew that an inevitable prank was coming in some form, but the anticipation led to an even more exciting Saturday night show. Opening with “Defrost” the boys did not wait to get the venue dancing. The historically rare instrumental was the third appearance of “Defrost” in 2017 and it was frequently played in 2016, leading fans to assume that this oldie-but-goodie is not just getting a dusting, but being taken off the shelf permanently.
Moe. brought out the heavy hitters early with a transition into an epic “Brent Black” in just the second slot. Al Schnier and Rob Derhak chiseled the signature song into form while Chuck Garvey used his guitar pick to work on the intricacies. Garvey celebrated his birthday on Thursday night in New Jersey, and on stage he has been having his cake and eating it too during the entire 3-show run. “Lost Along The Way” gave the already sweaty crowd a much needed breather which was followed by “Blue Jeans Pizza” off the decade old album, The Conch. One of the more lovey-dovey moe. originals, “Pizza” found Schnier switching from guitar to minimoog allowing Garvey to take full leadership of the solo to the delight of the crowd. The only annoying aspect of this part of the set was the crowd chatter being at an all-time high. While I felt that the energy from “Brent Black” never went away throughout the entire set, there are times to talk and times to STFU.Jim Loughlin lead the tribal transition into “Bring It Back Home” as Schnier jumped back onto his guitar for some added flare. Loughlin remained in the spotlight while Derhak and Vinnie Amico tag teamed the next tune, “Billy Goat” off the most recent release studio release, No Guts, No Glory. The surfer-rock jam found on the Smash Hits release, “Tailspin,” got the crowd spinning around again. The very impressive first set was praised throughout the break as moe. spanned their entire career in just seven songs.
The April Fools’ prank ensued as soon as the 5-piece reentered the stage for the second set. Over the 28-year career of moe., many different rumors have been spread describing the origin of the band’s name. One rumor was that moe. is a simple acronym for “monkeys on ecstasy” and on April 1, 2017, the monkey was brought to life in one of the stranger moe.ments I have seen a long time. As members began tuning up for the start of the second half of the evening a person dressed in a monkey costume with giant headphones appeared next to Amico’s drum kit, fist-pumping to what sounded like a mashup of “Plane Crash” and Beastie Boys’ “Brass Monkey.” The odd display transformed the rock venue into an electronic dance club and judging by the smile on Derhak’s face, even the band got a kick out of the gag. The prankster monkey seemed to fall into his own trap as he slipped and fell while trying to get off the stage. They covered it up nicely as the “too f**kin’ high” primate took off the giant headphones and put them on Derhak’s head before exiting the stage. Was the slip a set up or did the gag lead to an injury? The world may never know.
After the shenanigans ensued, “Rainshine> Understand” got the show back on track. As the light two-song combo fizzled out, a reggae-influenced intro to “Time Ed” got the room swaying back and forth. The band had a few laughs during the line, “Born a monkey from the sky (monkey, monkey)” before Loughlin returned to business as usual during his flying trapeze percussion section. Throughout the song, he switched back and forth from bongos to MalletKat to xylophone in harmonious fashion. The final segue of the set occurred during a strung-out “Haze” into one of their more euphoric songs off Dither, “So Long.” Every jam band has their own repertoire of songs that cuts to the core of their loyal fan base and mellows out the room. “So Long” is a chameleon of sorts because while it can act as the fluffy cloud to space out the heavier songs, it can also get pretty intense on its own, which is exactly what happened on Saturday night.Schnier came out as he usually does before the encore to read some fan shout-outs. On certain nights he has no problem deciphering what the writers are trying to say, but in Huntington after a night of debauchery, he seemed to struggle through the chicken scratch handwriting. There was some light banter from Loughlin as he announced the next song was one that he wrote. The dark lyrics and southern-rocking Widespread Panic-esque sound of “Don’t Wanna Be” is not really my cup of tea and with little head nodding in the crowd, I felt like there had to be one more crowd-pleaser to end the incredible weekend of moe. in the Northeast. Sure enough, “New York City” was served as the entrée of the encore and considering many fans came to The Paramount on a train from the Big Apple, the famoe.us tune was well received.
The boys will play four sold-out shows at The Sinclair before departing for the South to cover some ground in warmer territories. The recently added set entitled “phil.moe.” at Lock’n was the latest news from the band, and from now until the special dead-inspired set, they will headline Summer Camp and the return of Moe.Down. The bright future and booked calendar gives the moe.rons hope that while the band may be up for a good time and a few pranks, they are in no way ready to cool it down.moe. – 4.1.17 – The Paramount – Long Island, NY
Set 1: Defrost > Brent Black, Lost Along The Way > Blue Jeans Pizza > Bring It Back Home, Billy Goat > Tailspin
Set 2: Rainshine > Understand, Time Ed, She, > Sensory Deprivation Bank, George, Haze > So Long
Encore: Don’t Wanna Be, New York City
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moe. Gets Meaty in Connecticut
On a rainy Friday night in New Haven, Connecticut on March 31, fans gathered at the College Street Music Hall to see the jam titans moe. The 5-piece appropriately opened the show with “Water” to a soaking wet crowd. The cleverly placed tune off the 2001 album, Dither, served as a welcoming “hello” as suggest in the lyrics. A gentle transition into “Hector’s Pillow” flowed like a river and soared with Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier exchanging guitar riffs to the delight of a rowdy crowd.
If the line to get inside the venue wasn’t long enough, there was always the beer line to eat up more of your first set enjoyment. Looking on the bright side, I was able to meet a middle-aged crew celebrating a 40th birthday and wearing matching hats that read “40 moe. years.” Embracing the famoe.ly atmosphere, the birthday crew pointed out that drummer Vinnie Amico was also sporting the same hat during the show. The “glass half full” attitude in the beer line worked well with the lyrics of “Okayalright,” the third song of the evening. The classic tune off 2003’s Wormwood serves as a favorite for moe.rons of all ages and on Friday night, bassist Rob Derhak had the damp crowd singing along.
The one-two punch of Skrunk> Lazarus generated high-energy power normally reserved for the second set. Schnier was on fire while Garvey provided the gasoline to keep the flame glowing. While Lazarus has been played for two decades, it wasn’t until the 2012 release, What Happened to the LA LAs that the band took the song to the studio. Unlike the recorded version, which taps out under 4-minutes, moe. added a lift-kit to the monster truck of a jam in New Haven. Serving up even more kickassery to close out the first set, “McBain” gave each member a moment in the spotlight and featured the peaks and valleys that die-hard followers of the band have come to expect over the years.
The venue was treated to the sounds (and smells) of a good old fashioned Allman Brothers Band concert when moe. came back out for an epic cover of “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” Known as one of the most iconic classic rock instrumentals of all time, this early second set masterpiece saw Jim Laughlin go to town on his signature vibraphone during the peak of the jam. After a crowd-pleasing “Buster,” my vote for second-set MVP took the vibraphone on another adventure during an extra-long “Chromatic Nightmare.” This dizzying percussion piece seemed to be heavily Zappa influenced as the band attempted to recreate an acid trip at a carnival, and the crowd ate it up.
The more straight-forward “Blond Hair and Blue Eyes” brought the venue back to a safe space before getting even deeper with “Faker.” While “Chromatic Nightmare” is an example of the more psychedelic side of the quartet, “Faker” displays their talent for introspective lyrics and melodic compositions. Those in attendance looking for the more heavy-metal moe. were treated to a killer “meat.” to close out the set. “Elizabeth Reed” may have been the highlight of the early half of the set, but “meat.” took the group to an entirely different dimension. It is rare to see a mosh pit form at a jam band show, but if it were to happen, it feels like “meat.” is the most moshable of them all. Fans that prefer to cling to Al-side of the theater were treated to an up-close and personal look at the guitarist and he brought his shredding as close to the fans as possible.
Perhaps as a nod to April Fool’s the following day, “Waiting For The Punchline” was delivered as the sole encore of the evening. The delightful bluegrass section of this number got feet stomping and hands clapping, and if I’m not mistaken, I believe I caught a few “yee-haws” before the end of the tune. While it appeared that some of the moe.rons in the room would be making the trek across the Long Island Sound to see them again the following night in Huntington, those staying in Connecticut left the venue grateful for the well-crafted start to their weekend.
Set I: Water > Hector’s Pillow > Okayalright, Skrunk > Lazarus, Little Miss Cup Half Empty, McBain
Set II: In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed, Jazz Wank > Buster >Chromatic Nightmare, Blond Hair And Blue Eyes, Faker > meat.
Encore: Waiting For The Punchline
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UFO and Saxon Invade Penn’s Peak
On Saturday April 1, 2017, the only fools were the ones who did not get a ticket to the UFO-Saxon concert at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, PA. Close to 2000 fans, mainly middle-aged men clad in leather and denim jackets donned with classic rock and roll patches, attended the sold out rock show at the scenic concert venue in the heart of central Pennsylvania near the Pocono Mountains.
The Penn’s Peak show was the second to last on this classic US tour before heading to Europe to begin the summer festival season. Both Saxon and UFO have storied careers spanning decades with a diehard and loyal fanbase.
Newcomer, Jared James Nichols, opening for Saxon and UFO, took command of the sold-out crowd on April Fools’ Day. Solo artist, Nichols, opening for this tour has taken the music industry by storm. Recently coming out of a t0ur with Zakk Wylde, the trio of bassist Erik Sandin and drummer Dennis Holm have landed another killer gig opening for the British heavy metal legends Saxon and UFO supporting them on this tour. Having one release under their belt, Old Glory and the Wild Revival, their bluesy hard rock was energetic and infectious with an edgy rock sound and stage presence that was perfect for warming up the fans. Keep an eye on these guys. I am glad I caught them when I did as they are definitely making waves and going places. I especially love the fact he plays guitar with his fingers and without the use of a pick. Another very cool rock and roll move.
Following the shredding guitar work of opening act Jared James Nichols, Saxon stormed the stage in true classic metal style. Frontman Biff Byford, guitarists Doug Scarratt and Paul Quinn, bassist Nibbs Carter and drummer Nigel Glockler gave the fans a thrilling ride down metal lane, with their set consisting of classic 80’s Saxon songs along with a handful of their current material off Battering Ram. The thundering bass and bottom end had the peak shaking its foundations while the dueling guitar work of Scarratt and Quinn were as tight and fluid as you would expect from this classic guitar, heavy riff driven band. Saxon opened their set a little after 9 p.m. with the title track “Battering Ram” off their latest release, following with “This Town Rocks,” off Power and the Glory, and finally, the 3rd song, “Sacrifice.”
Byford sounds better than ever, looking energetic and youthful despite his age. Wearing a long black medieval style buttoned down jacket, he had no problems head-banging with his long blonde locks flailing. He worked the stage like a master frontman, all while maintaining constant interaction with the crowd acknowledging the fans and talking about living for a brief period of time in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Midway through the set, Byford gave the fans the opportunity to choose what song they wanted to hear, giving them several options to choose from including “Never Surrender,” “747 (Strangers in the Night)” or “And the Band Played On” while paying tribute to legendary British rocker Lemmy Kilmister. Closing out their seventy-five-minute set were the classics “Crusader,” “Denim and Leather” and “Princess of the Night.”
Saxon Setlist: Battering Ram, This Town Rocks, Sacrifice, Power and the Glory, KQueen of Hearts, The Eagle has Landed, Dallas 1PM, Heavy Metal, Thunder, Crusader, Wheels of Steel
Encore: Denim and Leather, Princess of the Night
Headliners UFO took the stage around 10:30 for over a ninety-minute set wrapping up at close to 12:15 am. Touring in support of their 2015 studio album A Conspiracy of Stars, UFO had the crowd from song one. The last time I saw UFO was in 1983 when they opened for Ozzy at the Broome County Arena in Binghamton, NY. Having never really listened to UFO that much, I did recognize many of their songs on the set. Opening their set with “Mother Mary,” “Long Gone” and thirdly “Run Boy Run” I was immediately impressed with the tightness and cohesiveness of the band that formed back in 1969. The energy was infectious and mesmerizing as the only two original UFO members Phil Mogg and drummer Andy Parker along with keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Paul Raymond, guitarist extraordinaire Vinnie Moore and bassist Rob De Luca, never missed a beat and were in the pocket from the first note throughout the almost two-hour long set.
Mogg, a 50 year veteran of the stage knows how to work the crowd. He is very adept at keeping the fans attention, using humor, history lessons and rock and roll charm. At times he would crack jokes about his beautiful baldness and comparing his age to that of some of the guys in the crowd that were lucky enough to still have hair, albeit, grey. Mogg, pushing 70 years old, remains ever youthful and spry onstage while captivating the crowd delivering the classic UFO sound that fans have loved for close to five decades.
With a catalog of almost 50 years of material to choose from, including hits from the classic albums Lights Out, Obsession, Strangers in the Night, and more, it was no surprise they played for almost two hours solid as the fans remained for the encore numbers.
UFO Setlist: Mother Mary, Long Gone, Run Boy Run, Lights Out, Baby Blue, Only You Can Rock Me, Let it Roll, Burn Your House Down, Too, Hot to Handle, Messiah of Love, Love to Love, Rock Bottom
Encore: Cherry, Doctor Doctor, Shoot Shoot
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Formula 5 Releases Studio Video of Upcoming Album ‘All Points North’
NYS Music stopped by Over It Studios in Albany this January and February to catch Formula 5 in the studio recording All Points North, which will be released on April 14 on F5Jams.com. F.Cavone Productions filmed and edited this look at Albany’s rapidly rising jam band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqS9sBhJhlg
Themes of death, rebirth, and moving on make All Points North a more introspective album than the band’s previous studio efforts. It also marks a new direction for the band’s sound. Guitarist Joe Davis reflects on the final product, “I think “Q&A” and “Excalibur” are on ode to the old band, having been written by myself and (former keyboardist) Mike McDonald. It’s like a final farewell to the old, mixed in with new styles, such as with “The Birch Tree,” “Do Tell,” “Figure Out a Feeling,” “Trout Waters Pt I & II” and “It Goes…;” that old jammy style is still in us but it’s more mature and reigned in.”
All Points North was produced, recorded and mixed by Bryan Brundige at Overit Studios in Albany, NY and Mastered by Michael Schoonmaker at Gigantic Mastering. All Points North will be released by Formula 5 on all platforms on April 14 and be available for streaming on F5Jams.com and JEMP Radio.Formula 5’s Spring Tour brings them throughout the Northeast, bookending the tour with performances at music festivals Rock n Roll Resort and Disc Jam. In between the band hits familiar Northeast markets with artists including Dead Phish Orchestra, Mister F, Litz, Space Carnival, The Other Brothers, Relative Souls and more. Formula 5 will have a pair of album release shows on April 14 at Pacific Standard Tavern in New Haven, CT and on April 15 at Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs, NY.
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Premiere: Wild Adriatic’s Music Video for ‘Come Back Baby’
Wild Adriatic premieres today their video for ‘Come Back Baby,’ off their latest album Feel. Drummer Mateo Vosganian shares a little on the making of the video:
“For this video we had the idea of involving the local community a bit more and put out a call for local young theater students to cast in this video. We ended up working with kids from Ballston Spa and had such a great time shooting with them. They were, of course, way more professional than we were on set and committed a whole weekend of their lives to making a fun video with us. Everything related to the video stems from our home community. Our friend Josh Casano is a band director at Oneida Middle School and connected us with the school principal who agreed to let us shoot there. Our friends Chromoscope Pictures are based in the Troy area and directed, produced, and edited this project. All in all it ended up being a super fun concept and we loved being able to sneak nods to some of our heroes into it.“
Tour DatesWild A Tour Dates3/31 – Nectar’s – Burlington, VT4/01 – Port City Music Hall – Portland, ME w/ The Maine Youth Rock Symphony4/07 – Parlor Newport – Newport, RI
Wild Adriatic & Leopold & His Fiction Tour4/11 – Baby’s All Right – Brooklyn, NY4/12 – Coda – Philadelphia, PA4/13 – Daryl’s House – Pawling, NY4/14 – The Haunt – Ithaca, NY4/15 – Dogfish Head Brewing – Rehoboth Beach, DE4/16 – Rams Head Baltimore – Baltimore, MD4/18 – Broadberry – Richmond, VA4/19 – MotorCo – Durham, NC4/20 – The Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC4/21 – Ashley Street Tavern – Augusta, GA4/22 – Sweetwater 420 Festival (Just Wild Adriatic)4/25 – Empire Control Room – Austin, TX4/26 – Gas Monkey – Dallas, TX4/27 – House of Rock – Corpus Christi, TX4/29 – Limelight – San Antonio, TX5/02 – Atomic Cowboy @ The Bootleg – St. Louis, MO5/05 – Schubas – Chicago, ILWild Adriatic Summer Tour5/26-5/28 – Summercamp – Chillicothe, IL6/1-6/04 – Hazelnut Hang – Isle of Palms, SC6/30-7/02 – moe. Down – Turin, NY -
Gin Wigmore interviewed by Recess with Spinelli
Originally hailing from Aukland, New Zealand but now residing in Los Angeles, USA, Gin Wigmore is known for her powerful vocals and melodies.
Listen to the interview with Gin Wigmore by Alexander Spinelli/Longbow Media/Recess with Spinelli:
Ms. Wigmore originally came to my attention while I was in London, England in 2012. While surfing the channels on the (in the local vernacular) “telly,” I stumbled on a James Bond, “Skyfall” commercial featuring Gin’s song, “Man Like That,” off here 2011 release “Gravel & Wine.” At this point, I was as Peter Pan may say, ‘hooked.’
Gin Wigmore at the Hollow Bar and Kitchen in Albany, NY Ms. Wigmore’s 2013 release, Blood to Bone lived-up to her reputation and in fact, ever solidified her growing American fanbase, with songs such as “Written in the Water” and “New Rush.”
Back in December, Gin came to Hollow Bar and Kitchen, in Albany, NY to a packed audience in support of her upcoming album and newly released, bold single “Mercy.”
I interviewed Ms. Wigmore ahead of the show, during which she speaks of her musical progression, move to California, the upcoming album and much more!
You can also listen to the full radio broadcast here:
Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on WSPN in Saratoga Springs, NY on 91.1FM and on Hoxton FM in London, England every Wednesday 11pm-1am GMT 6pm-8pm EDT
Follow Recess with Spinelli:
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Yarn Performs at Albany’s Parish Public House
Brooklyn, NY based Yarn stopped by Albany’s Parish Public House on Thursday, March 16, and played to an excited “home” crowd. Yarn boasts not one, but two capital region members. Band leader Blake Christiana is from Schenectady, NY and Trevor MacArthur on vocals and guitar is from Clifton Park, NY. The crowd was excited to hear many of the songs from their 2016 release This is the Year, as well as old favorites. They closed out the evening with Jim Croce’s “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” leaving the stage to join the crowd for very well received last song.