It’s no secret that the Disco Biscuits are touring, improvisational machines. The trance-fusion foursome offers their die-hard fan base countless opportunities to catch them on the road throughout the year, even if they tend to favor the East Coast, their home base in Philadelphia, PA and the renowned Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. What remains annually constant, is their long-running Montage Mountain mania. Camp Bisco is now boasting a ‘save the date’ and offering alumni pre sale tickets to bring your ass to the party, taking place from July 12-14, 2018.
After being held in a total of four different locations and taking a break in 2014, Magner, Barber, Brownie and Allen will bring their flair to Montage Mountain, with Scranton acting as the festival’s residence for the fourth consecutive year. While freshly crafted festivals are popping up each year, Camp Bisco managed to hold its own, on and off since ‘99. With its 16th festival and year in operation, the recurring party provides six Biscuits sets, mesmerizing laser shows, abundant art and camping, cool downs in the pool, 5k marathons, zany color wars and other activities over the course of three jam-packed days. Although hosted and heavily based around the Biscuits, fans favoring a multitude of genres, specifically electronic dance music, find their way to the mountain. In the past, favorable acts have included STS9, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Gramatik, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Lotus and more.
Partying isn’t the only thing taking precedence over the weekend, the quartet makes sure they give back to the community by promoting fundraising and food drives, having raised money for hurricane relief and even gathering young fans to register to vote.
An alumni pre-sale begins this Thursday, Dec. 21 at noon at the Camp Bisco website with the password: ALUMNI. You can catch The Disco Biscuits for the last time in 2017 at NYC’s Playstation Theater from Dec. 28-31.
The Camp Bisco 2018 lineup is still TBA but check out the official 2017 aftermovie and NYS Music’s coverage of last year’s fest here to hold you over:
NYS Music combed the state, across I-90 and I-87, up into the North Country and down into the Southern Tier, and has compiled a comprehensive list of all events coming up this New Year’s Eve. Make your plans for New Years Eve 2017 and say hello to a brighter 2018! (If we missed a show, email details to editors@nysmusic.com)
Buffalo and WNY
Join Intrepid Travelers and Folkfaces in their Buffalo hometown at Nietzsche’s. Event Link
Ring in the New Year at Buffalo Iron Works with Moon Hooch, Gnomedad & Honeycomb. Get your tickets in advance – this show is sure to sell out! Event Link
Aqueous has a Gorillaz-themed set planned for their bash at Town Ballroom. Event Link
Renown Pink Floyd Tribute band The Machine will be performing at Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls. Event Link
North Tonawanda’s Strand Theatre has Miller & The Other Sinners with special guest Cinnamon Jones. Event Link
Celebrate The New Year in Jamestown at Jamestown Eagles Club with the Kates Brothers Band. Event Link
Ithaca
Big Mean Sound Machine’s Big Mean New Year’s Eve will mean of night of getting down at Lot 10. Event Link
Get a double dose of folk rock at The Haunt with Driftwood. Event Link
Rochester and Finger Lakes
Rochester’s hottest new venue, Radio Social, has a hot show planned featuring harp-playing singer/songwriter Mikaela Davis. Event Link
Mosh your way into 2018. Floated Magazine is hosting a hardcore show a show at Bug Jar with REPS, The Weight We Carry, Kodivk, and Bone Mask. Event Link
Funk n Waffles Rochester: Dirty Blanket & Root Shock. Event Link
Anthology has two nights of fun planned. Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad plays both nights. On December 30 they’re joined by John Brown’s Body and Thunder Body. And on New Year’s Eve, they share the stage with Easy Star All-Stars (performing Dub Side of the Moon) Event Link
Syracuse and CNY
In Syracuse, Sophistafunk and Skunk City will rock out at Funk N Waffles Downtown. Event Link
Throughout Albany, Schenectady and Troy this New Year’s Eve, celebrate responsibly. Call for a free cab in the Capital Region during New Year’s Eve, courtesy of Martin, Harding, & Mazzotti LLP.
Twiddle will ring in the New Year, with a second performance at the Palace Theatre in Albany with special guest Giant Country Horns. Event Link.
Join in on the mystique of Albany, at the Hollow Bar + Kitchens NYE Masquerade party with live music by The Late Shift, and Mirk. Event Link
The Albany Hilton will host a NYE ’80s theme party, with music by The Refrigerators. Event Link
A Pirate, and mermaid themed Shipwrecked party will take over The Desmond Hotel in Albany, with live music by The Audiostars, Skeeter Creek, and DeeJay Element. Event Link
Playing With Fire Band, along with many others, will perform at Bethlehem’s First Night, in Delmar. Event Link
Ring in the New Year at the annual First Night, in downtown Saratoga, where there will be a wide range of activities and live music. Event Link
Vapor Nightclub at the Saratoga Casino and Hotel, with feature the biggest balloon drop in the Capital Region along with music by The New York Players. Event Link
Motown will take over the Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, as R&B and Funk legends, The Commodores, are set to ring in the New Year in the Electric City. Event Link
Proctors Theater in Schenectady will hold their own Motown NYE bash with music by The Chronicles. Event Link
Soul Provider will rock in the New Year at the Rustic Barn Pub in Troy. Event Link
The Shop in Troy, along with other neighboring spaces, will host a Masquerade party with Burlesque performers and live jazz bands. Event Link
Hudson Valley
Kingston’s BSP Lounge will host Rubblebucket and local organist Marco Benevento. Event Link
Bearsville Theater will welcome Gratefully Yours on New Year’s Eve for a night of Grateful Dead music. Event Link
In Woodstock, check out The Big Takeover at Colony Cafe. Event Link
North Country
In Plattsburgh, The Monopole will host Groovestick for all night party with some Grateful Dead added in! Music starts at 10pm and goes until 6am. Event Link
Saranac Lake at The Waterhole will feature Annie in the Water and Nina’s Brew. Event Link
Westchester
Portchester’s Capitol Theatre brings in Colorado’s String Cheese Incident for 3 sets! Event Link
New York City
Brooklyn
They Might Be Giants at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Event Link
Brooklyn Bowl will host the legendary funk troupe Lettuce along with rising dance artists Jaw Gems. Event Link
Rich Medina presents HOME at C’mon Everybody in Brooklyn, performing house, rare groove and garage classics. Event Link
Soul Clap will keep the Crew Love real this New Year’s Eve with special live performances from rhythmic house duo No Regular Play and Afro-Futuristic pilots The Illustrious Blacks. Event Link
Budos Band will hit The Knitting Factory with Evolfo and Electric Citizen. Event Link
Bell House hosts The Rub NYE featuring DJ Ayres, DJ Eleven, Makossa Brooklyn Cookout and Prince Klassen. Event Link
Manhattan
Holly Bowling will perform her annual pre-show at The Cutting Room at 4pm on NYE. Event Link
Electric Love Machine hosts a FREE pre-party at American Beauty before Phish. Event Link
Gov’t Mule will host ‘The Rockin Mule Revue’ at The Beacon Theater, with special guests including Jackie Greene, Shawn Pelton, The Chronic Horns and The Better Half Singers. Event Link
Gramatik throws a dance party like no other at Terminal 5 on NYE. Event Link
Prefer Jazz to kick 2018 off? Try The Birdland Big Band at Birdland. Event Link
Three sets of Disco Biscuits await their loyal fans at The Playstation Theater in Times Square. Event Link
Macy Gray’s soulful voice will be singing the crowd into 2018 at Iridium Jazz Club. Event Link
John Digweed and Tara Brooks headline a bevy of DJs at Output. Event Link
and of course, Phish at Madison Square Garden. Event Link
Followed by and one final Phish After-party, this one with Kung Fu, Wyllys, Jerry Lounge Experience and more at American Beauty. Event Link
Pat DiNizio, founding member of New Jersey’s Smithereens, died Tuesday Dec. 12 according to a statement from his bandmates. He was 62. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Formed in 1980 in Carteret, New Jersey, DiNizio, Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken and Mike Mesaros strung together a series of popular alternative songs in the late ’80s and early ’90s that included “A Girl Like You,” “Only a Memory,” “Behind the Wall of Sleep” and “Blood and Roses.” The band’s charged power pop sound was informed by the early British Invasion bands and the early rock of Buddy Holly. DiNizio’s smooth baritone vocals provided the signature sound of the band while his beatnik-style goatee and flipped up cap, a signature look.
In addition to his work with the Smithereens, Pat DiNizio released several solo albums, produced an independent film, King Leisure and dabbled in politics, running for a U.S. Senate seat from New Jersey on the Reform Party ticket in 2000. He finished fourth in that race.
DiNizio had recently suffered health issues from a series of falls that injured his back and neck. The most recent fall in September prompted the singer to reassure fans he was on the mend in a post to the band’s Facebook page,
REPORTS OF MY DEMISE HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED! I SUFFERED A BAD FALL IN THE HOME THE OTHER DAY AND INJURED MYSELF, BUT TRUST ME, I’M NOT ON MY DEATHBED OR ANYWHERE NEAR IT:-I AM HURT, HOWEVER, RECEIVING GREAT MEDICAL CARE, BUT HAVE BEEN ORDERED BY MY PHYSICIANS TO TAKE SOME TIME OFF TO INSURE A COMPLETE AND HEALTHY RECOVERY, SO,,WE’VE GOT TO TAKE SOME TIM E OFF FROM THE ROAD SO THAT I CAN GET BETTER, WE’LL BE RESCHEDULING A FEW DATES SO THAT I CAN HEAL PROPERLY.
The band mourned the loss of their bandmate Tuesday night, “Our journey with Pat was long, storied and a hell of a lot of fun. We grew up together. Little did we know that we wouldn’t grow old together.
Goodbye Pat. Seems like yesterday.”
Vermont based jam band Twiddle has announced their headlining debut at famed venue Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado. Twiddle will perform two sets on Star Wars day, Friday, May 4. Twiddle will also share the stage with California based roots/reggae/dub outfit Stick Figure. Florida based world beat/indie band the Hip Abduction will play in support.
Twiddle has graced the Red Rocks stage twice in support of String Cheese Incident (2015) and the Disco Biscuits(2016). Their 2017 show with moe. was cancelled after moe. announced a hiatus while bassist Rob Derhak underwent treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer.
The announcement comes as Twiddle hits the road in 2018 along with Stick Figure and Iya Terra for sixteen dates. Twiddle has had a stellar year in 2017 and continued to make headlines. The year was highlighted by a showing on the Billboard charts as their much-anticipated release PLUMP debuted at #6 on the Alternative New Artist Album charts and a sit-in from Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh at the band’s Tumble Down Music Festival.
Self-taught musician Scott Woodruff writes, produces and records under the moniker, Stick Figure. Woodruff tours with a full band to craft his live shows. His latest release, Set in Stone, has solidified the musician’s vision of a new melodic subgenre.
The Hip Abduction toured in support of Twiddle during August and September of 2017. The vibrant St. Petersburg, FL-based collective celebrates a mutual appreciation for West African and early Jamaican reggae/dub music.
Twiddle Fan Club and AEG presales are available online as of the announcement. Several pre-sale VIP packages are available with options including a special VIP performance at Red Rocks on Thursday, May 3. General on sale goes live on Friday, December 15 at Noon EST.
Tucked away in the mill towns of Western Massachusetts lies the village of Millers Falls. You’d never think that in this little nook of New England is a quaint studio that puts out some amazing music. Iron Wax Studios is the dream-child of the one and only, Alan Evans and his wife, Kim. When people talk about Alan Evans, you’ll usually hear about his long list of projects and sit-ins. From his roots with his also musically-talented brother Neal Evans of Lettuce, through Soulive and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, up until now with Brothers, his band with his brother and Oteil and Kofi Burbridge. What you might not hear about is his work behind the scenes. Alan has been interested in engineering and producing music since he was very young.
Alan Evans Playonbrother
Alan Evans: Neal and I had a band way before (Soulive), called Moon Boot Lover. I started playing when I was 11, and I’m 43 now. I started going on the road when I was 14 or 15, and I started engineering when I was 14 or 15, something like that… It was a PV 12 channel mixer, and a Harman Kardon, TD-202. I can’t believe I even remember that [Laughing]… And then I borrowed my friends ADAT, and that was kind of mind-blowing, and then I got my own. Actually, the first Soulive album was recorded on an ADAT a long time ago.
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The part I found most fascinating about this is that for everything Evans has his hands in on stage, his influence behind the scenes is bigger, much bigger. I decided I wanted to make this side of the curtain available to the world. I approached Evans with an idea: a series or featured article where NYS Music captures the behind-the-scenes life of artists and the engineers who fine tune their sound. He was incredibly excited about the idea, and allowed me to come to the studio for an interview, which basically became an incredibly fun and engaging conversation about music and life.
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Zach Culver: This is a part of the music world no one ever sees, and I especially love this. I’m not a musician, so I don’t get to see this ever. And I’m a huge fan of the artists that are coming through, and yourself, so this is something I’d love to share with people.
AE: I particularly would be into that just cause, I’ve always been a fan of non traditional… I don’t even know if you could call this a traditional recording studio. I guess it is, maybe.
ZC: Yeah, every one is different, even bigger ones, some are just huge rooms, you know, with that one spot with the best acoustics. But then, even this one is bigger than some I’ve seen, where it’s just a mixing board and a closet that people get in one at a time and play.
[Laughter]
AE: Exactly, exactly.
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When you walk into the studio, you’re taken back for a second. When you see the movies, or the giant studios that produced our favorite classics, you think of a massive mixing board with thousands buttons and channels. You see a huge room with a single mic in the center where the pop singer can swing their arms up and down as they hit that high note. Iron Wax is not that studio, and you realize immediately that that’s exactly what Alan Evans wants it to be. It feels like home.
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AE: I like to make it feel warm and…
ZC: Fun.
AE: Yeah! Exactly. I want to make it feel like it’s not a recording studio. They’re just hanging out in their living room.
ZC: Like they’re just coming in and jamming.
AE: Yeah, and then when you hit playback you’re like, “wow, that sounds great.”
ZC: Because of that kind of atmosphere, you’re going to get the best out of people… You’ve gotta catch them when they’re not paying attention, because that’s when you get their real personality.
AE: Exactly. We’ll just have a lot of fun, just hang out. My vibe, as you can see, as it’s always been, is I prefer not to have a control room.
ZC: Yeah, you wanna be with the band. And getting to connect with the band like that…
AE: Like if I’m in the room grooving, I’m feeling it. If you’re on the other side of the glass having fun and they’re over here, they don’t know what I’m thinking… I’d much rather be a part of it… It all comes down to creating a comfortable environment for people to create.
I love being a part of something that’s not about me. I love being in the room when something is being created, when something is being realized. When I hit play, and they say “that’s what we’ve been wanting,” that’s such an amazing feeling. I love being on stage and playing my music, but there’s something really special about helping someone with their thing.
ZC: How long have you been here at Iron Wax?
AE: In this spot? Almost two years. Actually, the very first session here was The Brothers, and that was February two years ago. Immediately before this, all this was at my house. That was insane, having a studio at home. I did all the [Alan Evans Trio] stuff. I mixed a bunch, and before that I was down in Hatfield [Massachusetts]. I did a bunch of stuff there… I definitely get focused when I get in here. As much as I like the idea of a big studio, and I don’t know if it has to do with the style of music I’m working on, or if it’s just my vibe, but I try to make things sound smaller, or things end up sounding smaller; not in a bad way, but just tighter. Some people really dig the explosive sound, like drums or something, but, I listen to all my favorite albums, and it’s not that at all. All this [equipment] should be in the background. You shouldn’t notice the microphones. Who cares what mic or pre-amp you use. It doesn’t matter. Really in the end, it’s about the song. I can get a lot of people in here, its kind of crazy. The biggest band I’ve had in here, are these cats from London, Crowd Company, an 8-piece group, and pretty soon I’m having a ten piece coming through, Aztec Sun, from DC. Super killer band.
ZC: I really love who’s coming through here, not only because they’re some of my favorite artists, but they’re also some of my favorite people. I’ve met a few of the guys from Harsh Armadillo. They’re so much fun, and they have a lot of personality.
AE: Those cats blew me away. Kim told me this band from New Hampshire is coming through to work with us. So I checked them out, and they sent me some demos, and stuff they wanted to record, and it was cool. And, I don’t know what happened, whether I missed something which I don’t usually do, but when they came in here, I was like, “Woah.” They were ridiculous, man. [Laughing]… There’s a reason why they wanted to come here, and man, I’m really glad they did.
ZC: What brought you to this area?
AE: Kim and I were down near Woodstock, NY and Kraz joined [Soulive] and when we got going, he said his mom had a vacation home up in Vermont, and so she said we could live there. We paid maybe fifty, a hundred dollars a month, huge house, hundred acres. We were just kickin’ it up there, so when we were starting, we could do a lot of gigs and travel a lot, and not worry about living expenses. So once we started making money, Neal and Kraz moved to Northampton and then from there down to Brooklyn, and I had no desire to go back to New York. I lived there for a long time in the early 90’s. So Kim and I were just kicking it up there in this huge house, and we found out we were gonna have our first kid, and we had to drive over an hour to get to, like, Keene to see the doctor, we were just like, this is not gonna work… we started looking for places and we looked at a place in Greenfield, and then found a place in Deerfield, and that’s where we ended up.
ZC: You just started Matador Soul Sounds. That was about a month or two ago, you did your first show.
AE: Yeah, at Brooklyn Comes Alive. That’s been a lot of fun. I was actually just talking to Eddy (New Mastersounds) earlier today. We’ve got some shows coming up in the spring, going on tour in march, right after I get back from London with Soulive, I go on tour with Matador for like three weeks. They’re some fun cats to hang out with. You know just, hanging with like minded people.
ZC: That’s easy in this industry to find that. Everyone is so welcoming… and doesn’t have a bad bone in their body.
AE: I mean that’s the really cool thing about the time we’re living in… there’s no reason to not be cool.
“Life’s too short to not be cool”
Alan at Iron Wax, Photo Credit: Kim Evans
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ZC: Back in the 90’s, you played with Oteil Burbridge a lot, which I feel like a lot of people would never know that. You just came out with Brothers, with your brother Neal (Evans), and Oteil and Kofi (Burbridge). What’s it like working with them?
AE: So Oteil and I met way back in the day with my old band Moon Boot Lover. We met in like, ’93 or ’94 when he was playing with Aquarium Rescue Unit, we used to do a bunch of shows together. We talked about actually doing something, the four of us, but its just tough. Oteil and Kofi, they’re just special dudes. you know, its crazy, when the four of us play together, its hard to describe. Because you know, Neil and I have always had like this, telepathy type s***, but with them it’s the same thing! Like we all know where each other is gonna go, and it’s just really special. They’re just the nicest people, really in tune with, just, something else.
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ZC: You’ve worked with so many people over the years. I mean, the list is never-ending. Is there anyone you wish you could work with, either A) you never got to, or B) Never could get around to?
AE: Those are always hard for me to answer, because I always find that the unexpected sit-ins or, whatever you want to call them, connections that are made, are always the best. They’re organic… but with that said, years ago we got invited to play a party at Paisley Park. Prince wanted us to come play—like some friends of ours had done it before and we were all gonna go. He had these parties, a couple a year maybe, and we just thought it was going to be amazing. And, for whatever reason, he ended up having to cancel the party, and we were saying “well, that sucks but I’m sure we’ll connect at some point,” but it never happened. And Pete Shapiro (Brooklyn Bowl) was always saying we should get Prince for Bowlive. And that really would’ve been pretty special. It could’ve gone either way… That’s definitely one cat that I would’ve loved to be around just for even ten minutes just to soak up that kind of energy.
AE: Like, Stevie Wonder sat in with us years ago. It was the end of the show and we left the stage and someone said “Stevie wants to come sit in” and I had no idea he was even at the show [Laughter]… so he comes out and Stevie is in between me and Kraz. And dude, that was the first time I’ve ever seen him live, and it was just crazy… He came out, played harmonica and just killed it. And then was feeling good and started singing, I mean he was right next to me. And to just see him—not just hear him but to see him sing. I mean he used his entire body, down to his toes. It was crazy man, crazy. I remember [Ryan] Zoidis and I went across the street to this party, and his whole vibe was all over us. It was the craziest thing. It was just this cosmic, like, aura and it rubbed off on us for a little bit.
But to answer your question, Prince.
[Laughter]
ZC: What are you looking forward to, going into 2018?
AE: Definitely the release of the Matador Soul Sounds album. We put out this little single, two songs or something. The full album is coming out, I’m doing some touring with that, and then obviously, the new Soulive thing, because it’s been a long time.
ZC: I was gonna say, looking through, I know you took a year off for Bowlive, and came back this year, and everyone was like, what was that? Are you done? Everyone had faith but, your last album was 2012?
AE: Yeah that sounds about right… we’re definitely not trying to push Soulive too much, cause we’ve been playing these tunes for a long time. We wanted to have some new s***, some new stuff to talk about. So we were just chillin’ until it came out… and all of a sudden it was like, man, we need to put something out, cause we just went to Japan, and we had a great time there… so finally we’re gonna get together and record.
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Evans is a true pioneer of the industry. He really does it all and has an influence in so many bands, and genres. Later this month Soulive will be coming to Iron Wax to start fresh on a few new tracks for the world, and Evans was gracious enough to let us return to document the occasion. This will be an inside look at how the band writes and interacts with each other, something that fans rarely get to witness.
Stay tuned for more from “Behind the Iron Wax Curtain.”
Friday, December 1st, the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA hosted a sold out Pigeons Playing Ping Pong show. “One of the fastest sellouts we’ve ever had,” exclaimed Greg Ormont, rhythm guitarist and front man of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. The crowd was surging for both sets in the packed club, the band feeding off their energy. You could see it in their eyes as they belted out heavy jams.
Their cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” was met with a very positive scream from funk-hungry fans. Their set list was a “flocker’s” wet dream, keeping them in motion for the whole night. Even during the set break, it seemed like the dance floor was still in rhythm. After two incredible sets, the quartet ended with a long, dark and heavy “Live It Up” encore.
Pigeons is closing their “Pizazz” tour this weekend in Philly at the TLA and Pittsburgh at Mr. Smalls Theater on December 8 and 9. They close the year on a high note with two shows in Cleveland at Beachland Ballroom December 29 and 30, and end with a bang at Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky on New Year’s Eve.
Chris Frantz, founder of the Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, and one of the curators of the emerging artist series, interviewed Pierce Fulton to learn more about his roots, influences, and connection to Fairfield, Connecticut.
Chris Frantz: We are looking forward to your upcoming show at FTC in our Emerging Artists Series. Have you ever been to Fairfield, CT before? Have you ever performed here?
Pierce Fulton: I’m really looking forward to it too!! And it’s funny because I was born in Bridgeport, CT! I lived in Fairfield until I was 9 and then moved to Vermont for middle school, high school and
college. A very large majority of my family lives in Fairfield so it’s always still felt like home and playing at FTC will be my first time playing in Fairfield which is big for me! The fact that it’s an all
ages show means my entire extended family can come and see me play, young cousins, aunts, uncles etc!
CF: How would you describe your musical style at the moment or do you prefer to avoid categorization?
PF: Well a majority of my music falls under the Progressive House categorization, which is totally accurate and I’ve mostly made Progressive House over my years pursuing music full time. I’ve been playing music my entire life though; well before producing electronic music I was playing guitar in bands and picking up various instruments in school music classes. 3 years ago, after I’d
established myself in the electronic scene a bit, I decided to bring back those early influences by injecting more recorded music into my electronic songs. The combination is what I describe as “electronic music with a live band feel” because typically I play and sing all of the recorded parts on my songs so it’s basically a band of myself with featured vocalists from time to time.
CF: Do you have any musical heroes, influences or mentors that people should know about?
PF: Like my past, my influences totally come from opposite sides of the spectrum. I was very fortunate to be raised by parents that have an excellent ear for music. My childhood was filled with the Rolling Stones, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, and lots of really timeless rock music. And on the flip side, what got me into electronic music were artists like Eric Prydz, Above & Beyond, Paul Kalkbrenner and a lot of the more melodic house and trance sounds that came out of 2007-2010. After years of experimenting and teaching myself the ins and outs of producing and engineering on the computer, all of those influences started blending together unintentionally.
CF: How do you feel about protest music and people expressing their political views in song?
PF: I think it’s both very good and very bad. There are a lot of issues that people are too afraid to even think about, let alone talk about, and to be able to express that with music is so powerful in the really good way. But then I think about all of the mixed messages that one person can take in between the media, the art world, their family, friends, colleges, etc. Anyone’s opinion can get in front of millions of people these days so it scares me to think about how many are flying around the internet and how people who have a hard time having their own opinion might latch onto someone else’s.
CF: What can people expect from your show production wise?
PF: So I’ve been building up to a tour like this since I first started sprinkling live instruments into my electronic music. I’ve been collecting gear, learning live show tips, and slowly preparing my
songs to be played live rather than on turntables for close to 3 years. I even did some mock up sets in private years ago just to test techniques out that I was positive I’d one day turn into my actual show. And that was all just preparation for the past 3 months that I’ve spent deconstructing my entire catalog for a completely live and unique show experience each night, programing a light show that is tied to each musical element of each individual song (which means I can rearrange my set at any given moment wooo!), and simply practicing playing and singing my songs. As I said, I’ve been planning to make my show like this for a very long time so I’m putting 110% of myself into this tour and so far it feels incredible.
Join Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, and record producer Peter Katis for Pierce Fulton and NVDES’ debut in The Warehouse on Monday, November 27. Tickets, information, and samples of the music can be found at Fairfieldtheatre.org.
Boston is an amazing city in which to spend a three-night stint of one of your favorite bands. Starting Thursday, November 9, Twiddle fans rolled into bean-town for what will go down as a legendary run at the Paradise in Boston. All three nights sold out before doors opened the first night, something Twiddle fans are starting to get used to. The entire weekend was full of very unique set lists, weaving songs together for what felt like an entire set. Broccoli Samurai, Mister F, and Annie in the Water were the openers, and each band started the nights off with a bang.
NYSMusic was not present Thursday night but the setlist can speak for itself.
Set One: Peas and Carrots, Syncopated Healing ext, Second Wind > Apples > BBQ > Apples > Second Wind, Subconscious Prelude > Indigo Trigger > Subconscious Prelude
Set Two: Gatsby the Great > Purple Forest > Gatsby the Great, Ricky Snickle, The Catapillar, Jamflowman
Encore: Eyes of the World
Mister F began Friday night with a huge hour long set pumped full of heavy electro-funk. Their intense jams brought the crowd to life as the Paradise started to fill up. By the time they ended, the room was surging.
Twiddle came out to a roaring crowd, starting the night off with “Blueberry Tumble.” The first set was filled with songs from their most recent album, Plump 2, ending with a beautiful “When It Rains It Pours.” After intermission, the band played a very classic set, intertwining some of the best originals, and finishing off with a very rare “Tiberius” Encore.
Set One: Blueberry Tumble, Enter, Orlando’s > Nicodemus Portelay > Polluted Beauty > Nicodemus Portelay > Orlando’s, When It Rains It Pours
Set Two: New Sun, Dr. Remidis Melodium, Mamunesthefawn > Save Tonight > Mamunesthefawn*, >Brick of Barley > Carter Candlestick > Franklin’s Tower > Carter Candlestick
Encore: Tiberius (with extended jam)
If there was one thing I would take from the weekend, it’s don’t sleep on Annie in the Water. The energy that came off that stage was going to be tough to follow. However, if there was a second thing I took away from this run, it’s that Twiddle has reached a completely new level of music interpretation and improvisation. They came out of the gate hot with a very heavy “Blunderbuss,” getting the crowd pumped immediately. The first set was very fast paced and made you never want to stop dancing.
The second half of the night was more of a relaxed set, with a beautiful “Amydst the Myst” to start the last opener. Towards the end, a very special guest came out to play with the band. Billy Comstock of Annie in the Water was originally Twiddle’s bassist and wrote one of the group’s most memorable songs, “Latin Tang.” The current bassist bowed out for a bit so the OG quartet could rock out for an incredible Tang we won’t soon be forgetting.
Set One: Blunderbuss, Lost in the Cold > Drifter > Dr Remidis Melodium >Lost in the Cold, Doinkinboink > Drifter
Set Two: Amydst the Myst, Beethoven and Greene, Earth Mama, Latin Tang*, Zazu’s Flight
Encore: Ricky Snickle
The weekend was full of love and energy. Fans came together as a family of strangers and friends. You can see the guys in NY coming up, with a show on Long Island and two nights at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Remember, relax and dream and love relentlessly.
NYS Music along with Positive Mental Trip present 13 Jam for Tots shows throughout New York State (and one in Connecticut) to help those most in need this holiday season. Fans who attend any of these shows are encouraged to bring an unwrapped gift for a child age 2-12.
Eight bands are part of the Jam for Tots lineup this year, a charitable effort that brings live music and holiday season charity. Luke Weiler (Positive Mental Trip) has brought this series of shows to venues around Northeast, and has been expanded this year to span across New York State and includes 87/90 artists Intrepid Travelers, Cousin Earth, Formula 5, Space Carnival, Gowanus and Let’s Be Leonard, as well as Funkworthy and Chinatown Lights.
Bring an unwrapped gift for a 2-12 year old and the gifts will be gathered by USMC representatives. Give back to those most in need this holiday season and enjoy a great show at the same time!
Tedeschi Trucks Band side project Whose Hat Is This? is set to make its first tour down the east coast. The six night tour brings them from New York City down to the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Whose Hat Is This? is made up of Tedeschi Trucks Band members Tim Lefebvre on bass, Kebbi Williams on saxophone and JJ Johnson and Tyler “Falcon” Greenwell on drums. Their shows combine elements of jazz, funk and electronica into completely improvised sets. Their self-titled debut album was released in April.
The tour kicks off on Dec. 4 at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall and continues for six consecutive nights down the coast until they close it out on Dec. 9 at Gate City Brewery in Roswell, Georgia. This tour sees the band coming off two sold out shows at New York City’s 55 Bar in October. The only other Northeast show is Dec. 5 at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia.
The tour was booked with assistance from Craft for Causes who partner the craft brewing community with live music ventures for charitable experiences.
Whose Hat Is This? East Coast Tour Dates Dec. 4 – Rockwood Music Hall – New York, NY
Dec. 5 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
Dec. 6 – The 8×10 – Baltimore, MD
Dec. 7 – Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC
Dec. 8 – The Pour House – Charleston, SC
Dec. 9 – Gate City Brewery – Roswell, GA
Ring in the New Year at Buffalo Iron Works with Moon Hooch, Gnomedad & Honeycomb. Get your tickets in advance – this show is sure to sell out! 
Capital District
DiNizio had recently suffered health issues from a series of falls that injured his back and neck. The most recent fall in September prompted the singer to reassure fans he was on the mend in a post to the band’s Facebook page,
Twiddle has graced the Red Rocks stage twice in support of String Cheese Incident (2015) and the Disco Biscuits(2016). Their 2017 show with moe. was cancelled after moe. announced a hiatus while bassist Rob Derhak underwent treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer.
Their cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” was met with a very positive scream from funk-hungry fans. Their set list was a “flocker’s” wet dream, keeping them in motion for the whole night. Even during the set break, it seemed like the dance floor was still in rhythm. After two incredible sets, the quartet ended with a long, dark and heavy “Live It Up” encore.
Chris Frantz: We are looking forward to your upcoming show at FTC in our Emerging Artists Series. Have you ever been to Fairfield, CT before? Have you ever performed here?
NYSMusic was not present Thursday night but the setlist can speak for itself.
If there was one thing I would take from the weekend, it’s don’t sleep on 
The second half of the night was more of a relaxed set, with a beautiful “Amydst the Myst” to start the last opener. Towards the end, a very special guest came out to play with the band. Billy Comstock of Annie in the Water was originally Twiddle’s bassist and wrote one of the group’s most memorable songs, “Latin Tang.” The current bassist bowed out for a bit so the OG quartet could rock out for an incredible Tang we won’t soon be forgetting.
Eight bands are part of the Jam for Tots lineup this year, a charitable effort that brings live music and holiday season charity. Luke Weiler (Positive Mental Trip) has brought this series of shows to venues around Northeast, and has been expanded this year to span across New York State and includes 87/90 artists Intrepid Travelers, Cousin Earth, Formula 5, Space Carnival, Gowanus and Let’s Be Leonard, as well as Funkworthy and Chinatown Lights.
