NYS Music 20​17

Category: Beyond NYS

  • Hearing Aide: The Southern Belles ‘In the Middle of the Night’

    The sort of plasmic, shape-shifting rock and roll spawned by The Southern Belles of Richmond, VA, has been released to humans everywhere for their listening and dancing pleasure on August 5. Their third album, In the Middle of the Night, is oddly akin to Willie Wonka‘s three course dinner chewing gum, in that, through the consumption of one product, several flavors can be indulgently experienced in a brief period. At least by listening to this album, no one will need a swarm of oompa loompas to roll them to the juicing room… that we know of.

    This album dives deeper than their previous release Close to Sunrise, offering heavier jams, tighter instrumentation and an overall more spacious and grandiose sound. The Southern Belles is Adrian Ciucci (guitar), Tommy Booker (keys), Aaron Zarrow (drums), and Derrick Englert (bass). In the Middle of the Night was recorded at The Ward recording studio in Richmond.

    “Everywhere 1” floods the eardrums with runaway guitar like an antsy racehorse exploding out of the starting gate. In under a minute the tune relaxes before getting groovier, continuously arousing the listener’s curiosity. Ciucci’s vocal tone is a crosshatch of Motion City Soundtrack’s Justin Pierre and Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Adkins. The song culminates with an uplifting message of gratitude: “Everything I try to be, there’s someone there reminding me/ Life is grand, we’re so lucky/ And it’s amazing everywhere it takes me.” This closing sentiment is a suiting cap to the opening song of an album, almost an anthem to their success, four musicians converging, playing their brand of music together in a way no other combination of musicians could exactly replicate. Something to be thankful for.

    “Deja Vu” offers a more somber beginning, with higher octave backing vocals that emulate The Flaming Lips with a sea of airy voices echoing Ciucci. It shifts from whirring organ to bouncy guitar, offering an uplifting release from the heavier tone. “L.A. Moves” opens with delicate guitar and elements reminiscent of NY synth-rock band Jimkata. “Tryin” promptly brings the Vulfpeck vibes with playful keys before escalating into a rock-opera ballad replete with gospel-like vocals and undulating tempos. The album closes with “Everywhere II,” trickling in with calming water effects, muted organ and vocals with Pink Floyd connotations before Ciucci utters the heartening sentiment, “Just know in the end you’re gonna get where you’re goin, so take good care of your friends/ They’re the only ones who know you and the only ones who care so be kind and fair.” The song then picks up tempo and finishes on a high note with a cathartic swirl of guitar and pounding drums, bringing it full circle to the beginning of the album.

    In the Middle of the Night was officially released on August 5 at The Broadberry in their hometown. The single is being streamed via Soundcloud and their website, and can be heard on SiriusXM’s Jam On. The Southern Belles have been touring the East Coast leading up to the album release, and will hit the road again for their fall tour. They will be playing Saturday August 12 in Capon Bridge, WV at La La Land, followed by the Peace of Mind Fest in Halifax, PA on August 31.

    Key Tracks: Everywhere I, Tryin, Everywhere II

  • McLovins 2017 Fall Tour Stops in NYC, Rochester, Hannibal

    The McLovins dropped some initial tour dates for fall 2017, including three stops in New York this month including a stop at New York City’s Mercury Lounge for a Phish Baker’s Dozen after party.

    Hailing from Hartford, Connecticut, the McLovins have been making waves since their start in 2009 playing alongside big names in music like the Gin Blossoms, Buddy Guy and George Porter, Jr. They’re currently working on two EPs as a followup to their 2015 self-titled album McLovins, which should be released this fall.

    The McLovins fall tour starts tomorrow for a Phish Baker’s Dozen after party at the Mercury Lounge in New York City. The tour takes them up and down the eastern seaboard with several dates in Georgia and Alabama, closing out at Milkboy in Philadelphia on Nov. 22. In addition to tomorrow’s show, they play two other shows in New York. They hit up the Photo City Improv in Rochester on Aug. 17 and play the Big “G” Jam in Hannibal on Aug. 19. They also make a stop in nearby Erie, Pennsylvania on Aug. 12 at the Kings Rook Club.

    McLovins Fall Tour 2017 Dates
    Aug. 5 – Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
    Aug. 12 – Kings Rook Club, Erie, PA
    Aug. 17 – Photo City Improv, Rochester, NY
    Aug. 19 – Big “G” Jam, Hannibal, NY
    Sept. 1 – Port City Music Hall, Portland, ME
    Sept. 14 – Doc Taylor’s, Virginia Beach, VA
    Sept. 16 – The Whiskey, Wilmington, NC
    Sept. 21 – Dingus Magees, Statesboro, GA
    Sept. 22 – Nowhere Bar, Athens, GA
    Sept. 23 – The Thirsty Turtle, Macon GA
    Sept. 28 – Green Bar, Tuscaloosa, AL
    Sept. 29 – Zydeco, Birmingham, AL
    Sept. 30 – Bourbon Street, Auburn, AL
    Oct. 6 – Harvest Ball, Starks, ME
    Nov. 2 – The State Theatre, State College, PA
    Nov. 22 – Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA

  • Mountain Jamming: 2017 Peach Music Festival Preview

    It is not unusual in this day and age for a band to have it’s own festival. It is however, unusual, for a band’s festival to outlast the band itself. The Peach Music Festival, running August 10-13, 2017 was started by the Allman Brothers Band back in 2012. The band broke up for good a little more than two years later, but the festival lived on, featuring various off-shoots and solo projects of the band each year. 2017 has seen the untimely deaths of founding members Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks.

    But the festival lives on. It will again host performances from Allman-related bands, including Gov’t Mule (joined by guitarist John Scofield and other unnamed guests), Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, and the final performance of Les Brers. More importantly, will be the special, not-to-be-missed Peach Tribute to Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks, which will feature Chuck Leavell, Jaimoe, Oteil Burbridge Marc Quiñones, Duane Trucks, Devon Allman and many more family and friends.

    “Caterpillar sheds his skin to find a butterfly within…”

    Gregg and Butch, Berry Oakley and Duane Allman, and the Allman Brothers Band, will live on in the spirit of the Peach Music Festival. The bands invited this year will surely keep it very much alive. A who’s who of the world of jam, it is a lineup that is tough to top in a summer crowded full with festival goodness. The headliners Thursday through Sunday read like a 2017 jam band All-Star team: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead reinvigorate the music from the king of jam bands on Thursday night, My Morning Jacket will set the mountain ablaze with their rock torches Friday night, and southern jam titans Widespread Panic sneak their limited tour north of the Mason-Dixon line for shows on both Saturday and Sunday nights.

    Slip just below the top line and the names don’t get much smaller, with Mike Gordon fresh off Phish’s Baker’s Dozen run at the Garden, blues-guitar phenom Joe Bonamassa, and progressive jammers Umphrey’s McGee joining the ranks of the aforementioned Allman-related artists.

    The rest of the lineup is buoyed by smaller but well-established bands like Galactic, Steve Kimock, Greensky Bluegrass, Lettuce, The New Mastersounds, Keller Williams, as well as new rising stars like Aqueous, Cabinet, Spafford, The Record Company and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. At no point does this lineup’s bottom fall out however, it remains solid to the last dot.

    “First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is…”

    The Peach Music Festival will once again be held on Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA. Not only is it a naturally beautiful location, but it also includes a full and accessible water park with rides, slides and a lazy river. This is no ordinary waterpark, it comes equipped with a custom live music soundtrack running throughout the entire day of course! The mountain also includes a full restaurant, bar, and bathrooms, in addition to the usual festival fare.

    Once you bite into this Peach, the sweet juices will be flowing all weekend, but that large Allman Brother pit from which it grew, will continue to hold it all together. For daily or weekend passes, and all the information you’ll need to prepare for your time at the fest, visit the official festival site at thepeachmusicfestival.com. See you on the mountain, jamming!

  • Photo Gallery: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Celebrate 40 Years at Air Canada Centre in Toronto

    Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers made a stop on their 40th anniversary tour at the Air Canada Center on July 15. The veteran rockers played to a sold-out crowd of over 19,000.

    The band played mostly hits, but dropped in an occasional B-side or rare track. They kicked off their set by going way back to the first song off their very first album, Rockin’ Around (With You). Petty and the Heartbreakers took us on a ride through time which Petty described as “We’re going to pretend like this is a record spinning around up here playing our entire catalog and every now and then we are going to drop the needle.”

    Petty took fans through a history of his solo and the Heartbreakers catalog, including “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “You Don’t Know How it Feels,” softer hits like “Wildflowers” and “Crawling Back to You.”  They ended the evening with fan favorite, “American Girl.” Check out the photo gallery below.

  • Swimmer Dives into Second Pool of Summer Tour Dates

    There’s only one way to cool yourself down on these thermal, mid-summer nights and that’s to let loose and do some swimmin’. Vermont outfit, Swimmer, resides just a stone’s throw away from New York in the jam-centered, musical hub that is Burlington, VT. As a well-known Burlington band having held an impressive residency slot at Nectar’s and previously opening up for the likes of Dopapod, the quintet made it a point to splash into unexplored territories, cities and states in order to further their rising presence in the jam community.

    Welcoming the conception of their first-ever U.S. tour, the guys already completed stint one with stops across the Northeast. They hit NY specifically, with a July 2 show at Silvana in Harlem and a July 7 gig at Arlene’s Grocery in NYC before they dipped their toes into WV, NC, VA and DC. Their second voyage will see more NY dates, beginning with back-to-back stops at Plattsburgh’s Retro Live on Aug. 3 and Buffalo’s Neitzsche’s on Aug. 4 while gearing up to make their first appearance out West in Muncie, IN, Boulder and Denver, CO. They’ll return to MA and ultimately their Burlington swim hole for an appropriate tour closer at Nectar’s and a festival stop at Beaver Fest from Aug. 25-26.

    Heavily influenced by artists such as Phish, Frank Zappa and The Disco Biscuits, Joe Agnello (guitar/vocals), Matt Dolliver (keys/saxophone), Cotter Ellis (drums/vocals), Paul Klein (guitar) and Jack Vignone (bass), encompass an encyclopedia of jam, progressive and experimental rock styles, blending them together to create a waterfall of elements all their own. Troy Rosenberg was recently introduced to the Swim team to manage stellar light shows to supplement Swimmer’s engaging and improvisational live performances.

    Summer tour has given Swimmer the platform to promote their latest album, No Shape. The release compiles tunes they’ve been delighting fans with for quite some time, such as “Undercover Junkie,” while introducing fresh tunes for fans to float in, like fan-favorite “Godmeat” and “Schwack,” featuring Nate Reit on trumpet. No Shape gives any new swim-fan an in-depth look as to what the group is all about. As any jam band fan would explain, the full experience resides within the magical atmosphere of their live shows. The band’s ability to roll out extensive jams within any given song makes for a unique gig each night, always keeping the crowd fully engaged with a toss up of treats. For more of Swimmer’s live shows and to listen to their studio work, be sure to visit their Bandcamp.

    If you don’t know these guys, catch them on the second leg of their summer tour. Get acquainted, get aquatic and check out their tour dates below!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN_zXtHSbAI&feature=youtu.be

    Summer 2017 tour dates part 2:

    Aug. 3 – Retro Live – Plattsburgh, NY

    Aug. 4 – Nietzsche’s – Buffalo, NY

    Aug. 5 – Be Here Now – Muncie, IN

    Aug. 10 – The Lazy Dog – Boulder, CO

    Aug. 12 – Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom – Denver, CO

    Aug. 17 – Thunder Road Music Club – Somerville, MA

    Aug. 18 – Nectar’s – Burlington, VT

    Aug. 25 – Beaver Fest @ Historic Memorial Hall- Wilmington, VT

  • Jay Peak Ski Resort Welcomes Jeezum Crow Fest For Its Fourth Consecutive Year

    The fourth annual Jeezum Crow Fest at Jay Peak Ski Resort began with a rainy and windy start on Friday, July 14, though many locals and out-of-towners braved the elements for a night of great music at the Stateside Amphitheater. Though construction prevented as many vendors from setting up shop as in previous years, there were still a few staples of the community, such as Miso Hungry, an authentic ramen shop and a tie-dye stand, where children were taught how to make their own tie-dye shirts. The rainstorms were scattered, with blue sky peaking through the clouds fairly often.

    Friday’s music kicked off with the return of The Mallett Brothers Band, who performed in the Foeger Ballroom last winter. The Brothers brought their blend of folk, rock and Americana to an eager crowd, successfully melding several genres into their sound, a snug fit for Jay Peak, whose locals exhibit a propensity for the folkier side of music. They were followed shortly after by a local favorite, one of Vermont’s hardest working musicians, Seth Yacavone of Morrisville, Vermont. Better known for his work with Dead Sessions, an extremely active Grateful Dead cover band, Seth Yacavone and his power trio played a set full of originals, showcasing his incredible chops on the guitar, as well as an affinity for the edgier side of rock music. They performed several cuts from their latest album, entitled Shovel Down,  artfully creating a sound that drew influence from both funk and hair metal, bringing some much needed energy to the mountain.

    Friday night’s headliner, Pink Talking Fish, did not disappoint the growing crowd, with their expertly interwoven sets that featured the timeless music of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish. Right out of the gates, they got the crowd moving with Phish’s “Possum” which flowed seamlessly into “Breathe” by Pink Floyd into the dark and funky “Slippery People” by Talking Heads. Pink Talking Fish’s true merit lies in their ability to integrate riffs and progressions from each band and incorporate them into their jams, playing each song faithfully to the source material, but still managing to find inventive new ways to tweak the music and keep it interesting for the audience. A blend of hits and obscure gems were played, with the band diving into some deep Pink Floyd cuts as well as the rare Phish tune “Colonel Forbin’s Ascent.” This reporter may have had to wipe a tear or two from his eye when Floyd’s “Fearless” was played, and the whole crowd sang along while the band encored with a mash-up of “Tennessee Jed” and “Ocelot” that concluded with the iconic “Bathtub Gin” riff.  Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the late-night act, the Balkun Brothers were unable to perform in the Bullwheel Bar, but attendees took to the parking lot and partied the night away regardless.

    jeezum crow festFestivities began again at noon on Saturday with Lionize, who had been added to the bill relatively late. Though many Jeezum Crow attendees were still sleeping off the previous night’s shenanigans, Lionize performed energetically for a small crowd in the bright sun, which starkly contrasted Friday’s gray skies. More concert-goers began to trickle in as Rick Redington & the Luv (another Vermont local and staple of Franklin County and the Northeast Kingdom) took the stage, delivering a mellow and enjoyable set.  Soule Monde followed next, and truly blew the minds of the audience with their ability to sound like a full orchestra, despite just being a drummer and an organ player. Their flavor of heavy jazz-funk with just a little bit of rock  impressed existing fans and newbies alike, as the duo displayed some impressive musical ability. Soule Monde is comprised of Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski of Trey Anastasio Band fame. Eric Gales Band performed after that, bringing some heavy funk to an already-energetic crowd. He closed his set out with an instrumental, psychedelic version of “Don’t Fear The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult. The Infamous Stringdusters took the stage afterwards, bringing the predominantly Vermont-based crowd their daily dose of traditional bluegrass, with a modern twist. Full of explosive energy, the Charlottesville, Virginia-based outfit plucked and crooned for nearly two hours, and even invited Todd Park Mohr, Big Head Todd of Big Head Todd and the Monsters, to perform a song.

    jeezum crow festBig Head Todd took to the stage for an impressive set that blended their older tunes with several new tracks from their last album, released in 2014. A bluesy, rocking set that incorporated southern rock and country as well, Todd Park Mohr showed Jay Peak his guitar-playing skill as well as his fantastic, Stevie Ray Vaughn-esque voice, which was well-suited to the older crowd. Jeezum Crow collectively swooned during their rendition of their original song, “Bittersweet,” and sang along and swayed with a soaring encore of the classic rock hit, “Hey Joe.” Big Head Todd and the Monsters formed in the early eighties, saw some fame in the mid-to-late nineties, and are seeing a resurgence now with the release of the album Black Beehive and an extensive tour.

    jeezum crow festAfter the Monsters played their closing notes on the main stage, festival-goers were delighted to see Burlington-based band Barika, whose sound almost defies description. Incorporating a sitar-like West African instrument called a N’Goni, Barika played their late-night set in the intimate Bullwheel Bar, the perfect closer to the weekend. Their highly-danceable sound is made unique by the West African influence of Craig Myers, who has performed with Mike Gordon of Phish and Burlington greats Rubblebucket. Their music, which would already be an exciting blend of styles ranging from reggae to funk to afro-beat, is bolstered by the use of the N’Goni, which is best described in appearance and tone, as a cross between a banjo and a sitar. They also incorporate drums, bass, guitar, keys, trombone, and baritone into their multi-faceted sound. They ended their set close to 2am, and then took to the parking lot to mingle with a very satisfied group of concert-goers.

    jeezum crow festThough the absence of Dark Star Orchestra for the first time since the festival’s induction and nasty weather on Friday may have hurt attendance somewhat, Jeezum Crow managed to assemble a very eclectic group of musicians and bands, for a weekend that truly unites the many communities that border Jay Peak Resort. Visitors new to Jay Peak and families that have lived on or near the mountain for years enjoyed one of Jay Peak’s biggest musical attractions.

  • Phish in Pittsburgh

    Phish played the intimate Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh on Thursday. The small indoor arena on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus was a nice respite from the scorching heat outside. Fresh off the band’s opening run in Chicago and a one off show the night before at a similar style arena in Dayton, Ohio, the band offered up a unique show featuring some bustouts, new songs and jam or two in unexpected places.

    The crowd was locked in and was giving back the energy, which was first very apparent during one of the better versions of “The Divided Sky” in quite some time, with the crowd completely losing it during the pause. The first set ended with “Prince Caspian”. It seemed like it would be a standard set closer but the band decided to give the Magnaball Caspian a run for its money and they took it deep. The jam first sounded like it could have came straight out of Maganaball’s Drive-In jam, before picking up speed into a Pink Floyd-like groove before it escalated into some soaring solos from Trey.

    After getting things started back up again with a “Punch You In The Eye,” the band played the Trey Anastasio Band song “Mr. Completely” for only the second time. This was the jam of the night as the band played patient and loose while drummer Jon Fishman was the backbone, keeping it driving forward with momentum. This kind of relaxed jamming from the band usually doesn’t happen until the middle or end of the tour so it was very promising to see. Next up was a pairing of the rarely played but often loved “Mercury” into a new song called “Come Together.” They then went into a more song based portion to end the show, with solid versions of “Contact”, “Steam” and “Backwards Down the Numberline” being the highlights.

    Phish heads nest to New York City for their 13-show residency at Madison Square Garden.

    07/19/2017 • Peterson Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA
    Tour: 2017 Summer Tour
    Set 1: My Soul, NICU, Halley’s Comet, Undermind, The Divided Sky, Marissa, Home,Prince Caspian
    Set 2: Punch You in the Eye, Mr. Completely, Mercury> Come Together, Contact, Axilla,Steam, Backwards Down The Number Line
    Encore: Things People Do, Bug, Rocky Top

  • Feeling Love at Camp Bisco Music Festival

    Camp Bisco has become the premier electronic music festival in the Northeast (RIP Mysteryland) and continues to showcase the talents of rising jamtronica, EDM, DJ and jam band acts throughout the weekend while host band The Disco Biscuits play 6 sets for their fervent flock of fans who love to make it a point to attend the Scranton, PA festival year in, year out.

    camp bisco music festivalThe weekend got off to a hot start on Thursday with two NYS artists, Turkuaz and Break Science, dropping some funk on opposite sides of the venue, each to a widening crowd as their set progressed. In Electric City, Gramatik put forth a politically charged set that featured strong support for Net Neutrality with graphics supporting the fight for a free and open net roadcast throughout much of the set behind Gramatik. The crowd cheered on the sentiment, one that affects anyone who streams music, let alone uses the Internet. When the Disco Biscuits hit the stage, the crowd was amped up for the first of six sets this weekend, kicking off with a triple-decker “Astronaut” that included “Run Like Hell” and “Digital Buddha” inside. “Reactor” > “Portal to an Empty Head” (inverted) > “Reactor” followed, raising the bar as the set continued and capping the sole set of Thursday with an apropos “Home Again.” Griz meanwhile kept the crowd dancing late with infectious future funk and electronic that complemented the Biscuits and Gramatik perfectly, kicking off the weekend in the perfect way.

    Friday started with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong on the Above the Waves stage, but given the immense rain that came down in the middle of the night, some fans were drying out before getting wet with PPPP while others said ‘funk it’ and headed down to throw down with Baltimore’s finest and Manic Focus shortly thereafter. Beats Antique’s mystic gypsy affair wowed a curious crowd on the main stage at Electric City, warming up the audience for Disco Biscuits who played a nearly nonstop set, working a “Munchkin Invasion” around “Orch Theme,” “Voices Insane,” and an inverted “And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night.”

    Amid all the music the first half of this day was the 12th annual Camp Bisco Color War at the Lazy River, pitting Biscuits fans against Bassnectar fans in a friendly competition that featured volleyball, limbo, a spelling bee, a bacon-off featuring delicious bacon-infused concoctions, water slide races and a scavenger hunt to cap the day off. Purple Reign ruled the day once again, but all four teams – Greenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bassheads 808 and New World Orange – put in a valiant effort in an all too-close race surely to bring out the competitors next year with an even greater desire to bring home the trophy.

    camp bisco music festivalThe Biscuits kicked off their second set with “Solstice,” not played since May of 2007 and threw in “Spacebirdmatingcall” with “Gangster” worked in between. Out of “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.,” a perfect song to keep energy flowing, was a jam that drifted into an instrumental version of Prince’s “Controversy,” perhaps an homage to Purple Reign’s victory earlier in the day, but quite possibly one of the biggest surprises of the weekend thus far. Bassnectar’s set followed and drew an immense crowd to Electric City, with fans standing on seats and throwing down in unison as Lorin’s hair and hands flowed across knobs and laptops, creating a tremor of music that didn’t stop for 90 minutes. Late night on the Above the Waves stage, Twiddle welcomes Tommy Weeks from Sophistafunk to the stage for “Latin Tang” and Aron Magner for “Mamunes The Faun,” with Shpongle following behind for a hillside packed to the top for one final throw down of the evening.

    Saturday at Camp Bisco proved to be the best day, weather wise, of all three days. And with three sets of the Disco Biscuits punctuated with Pretty Lights Live Band, The Floozies and Action Bronson, loyal fans seemed to save some energy for the headlining events.

    The Werks alter ego “Werktronic” delivered a stellar set at the Above the Waves Stage on Saturday afternoon. The band sported white bunny suits, the kind you’d see workers wearing in a clean room at NASA. The electronic set was the perfect match for Bisco. A somewhat harder jam band with synthesized dance beats and auto tuned vocals meant rage time for both swimmers in the wave pool and dancers on dry land. Coming off his earlier set with Electronic Beethoven, keyboardist Todd Stoops sat in, adding even more flare to the unique set.

    Bisco enthusiasts, while leaning toward electronic music, are also fans of rap, good rap. Enter Action Bronson on the Electric City Stage. The former chef turned rapper delivered a larger-than-life performance. Seemingly everyone in the crowd knew the words and enthusiastically spouted it out right along with the Fuck, That’s Delicious TV personality. During “Acting Crazy,” the energy both on stage and in the crowd could have blown the tent top off that pavilion.

    camp bisco music festivalBack over at the Above the Waves Stage, Escort worked the crowd with their charismatic front woman Adeline Michèle. Her rainbow sequined shorts caught the eye of many as she popped and locked all over the stage, pausing only to occasionally pick up the guitar. They concluded their set with fan favorite “Cocaine Blues,” a song sampled by many bands in various genres.

    Just like a ping pong ball, we bounce back once again to the Electric City Stage just in time for The Disco Biscuits’ first set of the day. More hip-hop was incorporated in this set, opening with “Caves of the East” with the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song teased in before slipping into “Loose Change.” “Bernstein and Chasnoff” sandwiched an inverted and enthusiastic “Highwire” and “Tempest” before the set ended with “Mulberry’s Dream.”

    On Saturday, The Floozies duo finally got a chance to play together at Montage Mountain. Last year at The Peach Music Festival, The String Cheese Incident’s Jason Hann filled in for drummer Mark Hill whose wife had just gone into labor. While that set was enjoyable and impressive given the last minute throw-together, fans got the full Floozies experience at Camp Bisco. The brothers take sampling to another level while adding their own live guitar, auto tuner and drums intermittently. The crowd came alive with endless beach balls and totems for songs like “Pimp Juice” and “Funky Jesus.” Cats in outer space with laser beam eyes danced across the screen behind them while a fan in the crowd proudly waved a handmade flag with the words “Fuck Trump” scribbled across it.

    camp bisco music festivalBack to the hosts, The Disco Biscuits, for their second set of the day and fifth of the weekend. Opening with “Morph Dusseldorf,” they moved into an inverted portion of “Above the Waves.” Their newest song, “The Champions,” ended with guest guitarist and friend Tom Hamilton who helped usher in the phenomenal cover of Bob Marley’s “Exodus.” The set then circled back to “Above the Waves” and “Morph Dusseldorf” with a confetti cannon raining paper on fans during the climax of the morph jam.

    Pretty Lights Live has moved away from the funk and towards the darkness, as shown by their performance Saturday night. The majority of the set sounded as though Derek Vincent Smith and friends were striving for the most epic, apocalyptic sound they could put together, which does work if that’s what you’re into. The live band mixed in with the prerecorded music allows the group to keep each show unique. Notable songs included unreleased tracks such as the cover of Run DMC’s “It’s Tricky” as well as “You Get High.” While impressive in its own right, there seemed to be a divide on the satisfaction within the audience. Avid PL fans seemed happy with the new direction while others felt the wind taken out of their dance sails.

    The sixth and final set from The Disco Biscuits began with a thank you from Marc Brownstein to the fans, workers and crew at the festival. It truly is impressive the amount of planning and logistics that goes into an event of this size. The reggae seemed to carry over from their previous set with a dub version of “Mindless Dribble” that lead into a jam heavy “Helicopters” and then into a never-been-played instrumental cover of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.” The kaleidoscope of lights along with the familiar tune was fuel for the crowd who seemed to turn up the energy level on this last night of Bisco. “Tricycle” and “Air Song” came next before returning to a climatic “Helicopters” to end the set.

    Brownstein once again thanked the fans and took one more family Camp Bisco photo with the fans. The cheers of the crowd then drew them back in for one more, encoring with “Spraypaint” to end the weekend.

  • Levitate Festival Brings The Rythym To South Shore

    Levitate Music Festival said this year there would be two days and it was groovy. July 8 and 9 in Marshfield, MA, this little grassroots festival brought thousands of fans to the fairgrounds for some of the best and brightest names touring today.

    Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad had people going ape in the pits to start off on Saturday. The good tunes kept rolling as New Orleans’ own Rebirth Brass Band brought that southern jazz you never knew you needed. These Grammy winners didn’t become a NOLA institution by accident. You can’t help but get down to this kind of funk. I was a little disappointed to find that Mihali & Friends was dueling with Rubblebucket, but the festival was so well organized that I was able to move between stages with ease to make sure I captured as much of the magic as possible. Deer Tick and The Revivalists were followed by the first set of Umphrey’s McGee. A heavy dose of Umph goodness echoed over a packed crowd. The guys took a quick break to let local-legends Stick Figure tear up the main stage, and then returned with a jam-heavy second set that took over that little fairground. The headliner for the night was the legendary Dispatch, and the rails were surging as they rocked the crowd til the sun had finally set on a magnificent first day.

    Guitar prodigy and singer/songwriter Quinn Sullivan really impressed to start off Sunday. The teenage phenomenon has made a true name for himself in his short career. It was a treat to see him and his star-packed band play a hometown show. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong opened the main stage with their insanely contagious energy and funky jams that cannot be matched. Once “Melting Lights” was done melting everyone’s brain, Ripe followed on the Style Stage. This funk/pop group has completely taken this scene by storm with Robbie Wulfsohn’s sassy and soulful presence. Their cover of Ellie Goulding’s “On My Mind” is one of those songs that you can play on repeat for an hour… at least. Trevor Hall and JJ Grey & Mofro had the pits screaming so loud I thought my ears were gonna burst. Vermont favorites, (and yours), Twiddle blew the fans away and blanketed them with dreams and relaxation. You couldn’t help but sing along when they played their new song “Orlando’s.” The Style Stage was closed out with the hottest folk-rock band out there right now, in Lake Street Dive. The reggae legend, Ziggy Marley closed out the festival in pure style. The festival could not have ended on a higher note. Check out the pics from Zatchmo Lives Media and remember to Dream Big, Live Bigger.

  • Vans Warped Tour Caters to Hardcore in Connecticut

    Dust, blood, sweat and smiles don’t begin to describe a typical day at summer’s largest traveling music festival. Currently in its twenty-third year, the Vans Warped Tour returned for fans of all genres to enjoy their best day of the year on July 9 in Hartford, CT.

    Originally created by founder Kevin Lyman as a festival for alternative rock music, the tour has adapted in it’s over 20 years of activity to cater towards a variety of music genres. This year, the tour made an effort to reign in metal and hardcore fans by featuring bands such as GWAR, CKY, Hatebreed, The Acacia Strain, Municipal Waste, Anti-Flag and Carnifex.

    Alongside these musicians, bands such as Bowling For Soup, Goldfinger, Jule Vera, Streetlight Manifesto, Watsky, Neck Deep, Alestorm and Plain White T’s worked to showcase the festival’s diversity in musicians.

    Besides showcasing bands and musicians such as the popular Andy Black, Never Shout Never, Beartooth and Dance Gavin Dance, the festival also had a knack for highlighting up-and-coming bands and bringing them into the spotlight. With this year’s Full Sail Stage, Knocked Loose, Trophy Eyes, Movements and Boston Manor are a few of the bands on the rise that were able to give everything they had to their performances.

    Although the main stage bands tend to bring in the largest crowds at the festival, this year fans should focus their attention on the Mutant Party Zone, the set of two stages side-by-side labeled Mutant North and Mutant South. The two stages which focus more on heavy music, held hidden treasure performances by some bands that shouldn’t be missed.

    Blessthefall, the five-piece metal band from Arizona, put on a genuine performance that kept fans entertained from start to finish. Whether it’s frontman Beau Boken jumping into the crowd to sing with his fans, or guitarist Elliot Gruenberg jumping and getting in fans’ faces with his guitar, Blessthefall were a highlight of the Vans Warped Tour lineup this year for many reasons.

    Even for Warped Tour attendees who don’t enjoy heavier music, Blessthefall  are a must-see band on this year’s tour.  The consistent energy from every member of the band make watching Blessthefall a genuine pleasure. Besides the fact that they don’t miss a beat, there is not a moment of silence during their set. They will go out of their way to make sure everyone in the audience is noticed, and thoroughly entertained. Where some musicians may get on stage and play their instruments, Blessthefall showcase what a performance really means.

    Another band that knows how to perform for their fans is Gwar. Fans will find themselves in a sea of fake blood while watching the legendary rock band takeover Warped Tour. Opening sets with a decapitation and then blood spewing onto the audience leaves nothing but smiles on fans faces as their white clothes turn into light shades of red.

    The crowd became filled with smiles as fans chanted, “God what an awful racket,” and went out of their way to have their white t-shirts they bought for the show covered with blood. For the sake of the experience, make sure to watch Gwar on the Vans Warped Tour. Depending on where you stand, you will leave with minimal blood on your clothes, and an understanding of why Gwar are a once in a lifetime rock group to see.

    Whether you’re a fan of pop, rock, heavy metal or rap, the Vans Warped Tour has you covered for a good time. For fans that attend to see multiple bands they adore, they will get their money’s worth for an entire day of meeting and watching their favorite bands they may not get the chance to see elsewhere. Although it’s difficult to get the entire Warped Tour experience in one day, you’ll understand why it continues to be the longest running music festival in the country, and continues to dominate the music scene as the must-see music festival of the summer.