NYS Music 20​17

Category: Manhattan

  • Baker’s Dozen Night Two: The Strawberry Goo

    As the first weekend of Phish’s Madison Square Garden Baker’s Dozen residency rolls on, and with a memorable Friday night show already in the books, Saturday delivered another rousing two sets of music set to the tune of the next donut flavor of choice: Strawberry milkshake glaze. Once announced, speculation ran rampant as to what the band could pull out of its hat in order to comply with tonight’s theme.  Perhaps a rare Strawberry Alarm Clock cover?  An extended “Halley’s Comet” with strawberry jam?  As usual, The Phish from Vermont did not disappoint.

    phish bakers strawberry

    The show began with all four band members at the front of the stage in barbershop quartet formation as they debuted an a cappella version of one of the more popular cover song guesses of the evening, The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever.”  Those in the “Halley’s Comet” for an opener crowd were then quickly rewarded next with the standout version that followed, replete with thousands of delighted fans singing in unison about the preferred method of their strawberry goo intake.

    Things escalated quickly from there courtesy of a sterling rendition of “The Moma Dance” that was delightfully stretched out, showcasing the steady and patient jamming style the band has featured of late.  The “Breath and Burning” that followed was in the same vein and the normally straightforward reggae infused number took on an entirely different feel this evening with a complex and, at times, dark jam attached to it.  Bassist Mike Gordon took over on lead vocals for the next two songs, a typically energetic and rocking cover of “Funky Bitch” and the old school staple “Mound.”  To the delight of many, the first set continued with another Phish staple of yore, the rarely played “Foam” which is featured on the band’s first major release, Junta.  “Roggae,” always a popular first set selection followed before “The Squirming Coil” with Page McConnell’s signature piano solo capped things off. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0bdLdTJdKI

    Saturday’s second set kicked off with “Down with Disease” and its typical massive, psychedelic infused jam that seems to get deeper and more epic each time it’s played.  Only true musical nerds could have possibly guessed what was next as Phish brought out their second debut of the night, “Strawberry Letter 23,” a song first written by Shuggie Otis, popularized by a cover from The Brothers Johnson in 1977 and sampled endlessly in popular music ever since.  Before the shock of seeing this out of nowhere cover could wear off, Trey Anastasio’s opening guitar riff to “Birds of a Feather” rang through the Garden and sent the crowd into a frenzy, birds of a feather all singing and dancing in unison.  

    Another somewhat unexpected song selection followed with McConnell once again taking lead on the synthesizer fueled “I Always Wanted It This Way” which is found on the band’s most recent album, Big Boat. As the ensuing jam slowly winded down, a true bust out emerged with the first “All of These Dreams” played in over 250 shows which served as a true “breather” song.  The last segment of the second set was classic Phish in a nutshell.  The rhythm section of Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman initiated a “Split Open and Melt” that featured its typical dark, heavy improv section before eventually morphing back into the main riffs of “Down with Disease,” bringing the set opener full circle and leaving fans with mouths agape.  

    phish bakers strawberry

    To close out the set, Phish played a popular encore-like selection with another cover, this time The Rolling Stones’ sing along “Shine A Light.”  The actual encore was one for the books with “Peaches en Regalia” making an appearance there for the first time since the late 80s.  A fitting high energy but brief cover of The Talking Heads’ “Cities” followed before “My Sweet One” closed out the evening.  One of the highlights of the night was the extended pause at the end of the song that had everyone in attendance roaring in approval with a force so strong that it seemed to bring up the house lights – a fitting end to a most epic Baker’s Dozen ‘Strawberry’ show.

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Baker’s Dozen Night 2 – Strawberry

    Set 1: Strawberry Fields Forever[1], Halley’s Comet > The Moma Dance[2] > Breath and Burning > Funky Bitch, Mound, Foam, Roggae, The Squirming Coil

    Set 2: Down with Disease, Strawberry Letter 23[3] > Birds of a Feather, I Always Wanted It This Way[4] > All of These Dreams, Split Open and Melt > Down with Disease > Shine a Light

    Encore: Peaches en Regalia > Cities, My Sweet One

    [1] Phish debut; a cappella.
    [2] Unfinished.
    [3] Phish debut.
    [4] With Trey on Marimba Lumina.

  • Phish Goes Coconut: Night 1 of The Baker’s Dozen

    The buildup and anticipation for Phish’s 13 night ‘Baker’s Dozen’ run at Madison Square Garden hit a fever pitch on July 21 as the band kicked off the first of 13 shows with a coconut theme, free donuts, free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and a show full of surprises and deep jams with excitement stoked for the next 12 shows.

    phish bakers coconut

    Having not repeated a song during the first 5 shows of the run, heavy speculation among fans pointed to no repeats this run, with the band working new songs and side project covers into the rotation early. Alongside this was a ‘Coconut’ theme tonight, which was also the flavor of Federal Donuts handed out for free inside the venue this evening, all setting the stage for 12 more themed nights of donut flavored musical fun.

    “Shake Your Coconuts” debuted to kick off the run, an energetic tune with lyrics inciting the crowd to get moving, “Just keep on dancing now / Just keep on getting down / Just keep on having fun / This party’s just begun.” “Martian Monster,” “Timber Ho!,” and “555” raised the funk factor with “Pigtail” and “Halfway to the Moon” barely mellowing the crowd. Cheers grew throughout the peaks that came out of these longer than usual versions. The phenomenal duo of “Reba” > “Moorage Daydream” threw a dose of early 90’s old school jamming with an arena rock level drive to each. “Walls of the Cave” closed out a set that raised the bar for the 25 sets to follow. All throughout, Chris Kuroda’s new light rig took on a life of its own, floating above the band and adding another layer to the already stellar light show.

    The 16 minute “Tweezer” that opened up the second set grew patiently into an expansive jam, shifting into “Seven Below,” serving as a one-two punch to crank the second the set gears. “Billy Breathes” and “Sparkle” let the audience catch their breath for a moment before a TAB song “Everthing’s Right” took a spin for over 11 minutes and jammed nicely, fitting into the second sets of this tour more than any other debut thus far. A peaking “Slave” and “Suzy Greenberg” seemed to cap the set, but that was done with a cover of “Coconut” (the ‘Lime in the Coconut’ song by Harry Nilsson) done barbershop quartet style with Mike stealing the show. “Mango Song” and “Good Times Bad Times” paired perfectly with the two rocking sets that preceded.

    trey bakers dozen

    Tonight’s theme has been announced as Strawberry, and we’re not far from Central Park. Strawberry Fields Forever, anyone?

    Setlist via Phish.net
    Set 1: Shake Your Coconuts[1], Martian Monster, Timber Ho! > 555, Pigtail, Halfway to the Moon, Reba[2], Moonage Daydream, Walls of the Cave
    Set 2: Tweezer > Seven Below > Billy Breathes > Sparkle, Everything’s Right > Slave to the Traffic Light, Suzy Greenberg,Coconut[1]
    Encore: The Mango Song, Good Times Bad Times
    [1] Phish debut.
    [2] No whistling.

  • Interview: Escaper Unleashes Space Funk on Planet Earth

    Since last year, Brooklyn-based Escaper has been offering listeners a medium through which to contemplate the most practical methods for farming space worms. Or finally realizing that astronauts can create aliens by giving birth in space, or that there are so many cats on the internet because dog people go outside. Either way, Will Hanza of Escaper (bandleader/guitarist) took a moment to reflect on the creative spirit of making music that facilitates the contemplation of life’s most important questions.

    Photo Credit: Brian Edward of Sobokeh

    Ally Dean: The band members in Escaper have collaborated with a highly impressive assortment of musicians. Does Escaper come first for all band members? Is it a challenge for members to juggle this band with other collaborations and projects?

    Will Hanza: We are all proud of our past accomplishments, for sure! Scheduling is tough for any band, but we manage pretty well. There is a lot of creative opportunity surrounding each player, which is terrific! We all support each other’s other projects, which is really fun. Doing so only helps—rising tides raise all ships, and all that. One of the nice things about Escaper is that it was specifically designed to be a band where each member is able to be completely themselves, as players. For each of us, the band is a conduit of free expression, which I think lends itself to the higher levels we are able to get to as a team.

    AD: What do you think people most often contemplate as their minds wander to distant places under the melodic gaze of your music?

    WH: Fun question. We do try to make transportive music. Hopefully, there are no constraints to where the mind wanders. Maybe it’s something transcendental and thought provoking. Maybe it’s, “pizza vs. tacos?” or, “why don’t cats like to swim?” Regardless, our duty is to move ourselves when we play, or we have little chance of moving the listener.

    AD: Do you form your own meanings for what the songs represent or do you prefer not to assign specific meaning to them?

    WH: The songs have taken on some meaning and ‘vibe’ as they have developed. Being an instrumental album, it is certainly more open to interpretation. That said, we call our song titles our one shot at “lyrics.” The songs and titles have developed into their own story line. The journey of escaping confinement is allowing one to be oneself without barriers, and only then is one truly able to unlock all doors and open themselves to many different realms. In the end, our hope is that the listener is able to find their own meaning in all of that.

    AD: Skeleton Key is your first album together. Have you all had separate recording experience before coming together for this?

    WH: Yes. We’ve all recorded/been part of other albums. All separately, except Will and Jay, who were both on the Kalen & the Sky Thieves album, Bluebird (also on Ropeadope). Johnny Butler was an original member of Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds and recorded with them. He also has credits with Beyonce, Randy Jackson and others. Adam Ahuja was also on the Ropeadope roster with his band The Flowdown before joining Escaper.

    AD: I read that you guys laid each track down in one take. Is that because you all had an exact goal and executed it perfectly on the first try, or because this style of music lends itself to a little flexibility and you could afford to have a little creative freedom, while still feeling satisfied with the end result?

    WH: A little bit has been lost in translation, as far as how we made this album, so this is a good chance to clarify how we went about our process. We recorded most of the album together in one day in the studio. We all played together, simultaneously, while isolated in different rooms, but with windows so we could see each other. This enabled us to best capture the synergy of playing live. Instead of layer upon layer, we all played together, lending the ability to also play *off* of each other, and inspire each other in the moment. Lift each other up in the moment. While a couple of tracks had some light layering for some orchestral effects, for the most part what you hear is the 5 of us just playing with each other at the same time. The music definitely lends itself to the flexibility of “how do we feel right now,” which we absolutely wanted to allow for in the studio.

    AD: As of now you have a few dates booked in July and just a couple in the Fall. Are you hoping to add more dates in support of the new album or are you not trying to tour too extensively just yet?

    WH: Oh yes. We had a great release show in NYC back in May and have played Brooklyn Bowl a couple times since the release. We’ve played around the northeast, from New England to Virginia. The late July/early August dates are mostly in New York state! We’re excited for the pre-Phish show at American Beauty in NYC on July 26. We’re also excited to be returning to some Hudson Valley favorite spots; July 28 at Snug Harbor in New Paltz, NY and August 4 at Olive’s in Nyack, NY. We haven’t released all of our Fall schedule yet, which will include a couple more festivals and bunch of dates in the northeast, in particular. We’ll continue to fill out our schedule for Fall, Winter and beyond! With the next album currently being recorded and mixed (and due for release in a few months), we’ll be on the road quite a bit. Stay tuned!

    Upcoming Tour Dates:
    7/21 – New Haven, CT – Pacific Standard Tavern
    7/26 – New York, NY – American Beauty NYC
    7/28 – New Paltz, NY – Snugs
    8/4 – Nyack, NY – Olive’s

  • Glazed and Confused: Phish’s Baker’s Dozen Preview

    It’s time to make the donuts.  Whether you like your songs sprinkled with bluegrass or deep-fried in funk, the Baker’s Dozen run is sure to be filled with surprises and innovative decoration.  The colossally ambitious 13 shows in 17 days will bring Phish back to the “World’s Most Famous Arena” for the first time this year.  Soft rock pianists like Billy Joel wouldn’t be able to handle the New York state of mind for this many shows in such a short period of time, but die-hard Phish junkies lucky enough to scoop up the full Baker’s package are foaming at the mouth!

    Hard to believe that Phish had only played Madison Square Garden a total of 13 times prior to the 3.0 era.  The 90’s saw the band transform from small venue jam band to arena-filling rock stars, and their initial visit to MSG in December of 1994 marked a significant new chapter in the band’s trajectory.

    Phish had outgrown their tank by the mid-90’s and iconic Manhattan venues like The Wetlands Preserve were now reserved for bands following in their footsteps.  That same winter night in 1994 saw New York’s own Moe. play the first ever post-Phish Wetlands after party (Moe. plans on reprising their role as keepers of the party for the first night of the Baker’s Dozen run at the Playstation Theater on July 21st).

    The original New Year’s Eve show at The Garden in 1995 is regarded as one of the best performances in Phistory and started the tradition of theatrically pranking the New York City crowd at each of the three 90’s New Year’s Eve gatherings (1995, 1997, and 1998).  In the era where “cowfunk” reigned supreme Phish reintroduced “Sneakin’ Sally” and busted out Eric Clapton’s “Crossroads” to a capacity crowd during their 1997 NYE Run.  On their final MSG show of the 1.0 era, Phish opened up with Prince’s “1999” to close out the year 1998 and the room swung back and forth as the band used “The Hose” to water The Garden in glorious fashion.

    After a dozen epic MSG performances in the 90’s, Phish returned to their home away from Nectar’s for their first show after hiatus on New Year’s Eve, 2002.  The boys surprised followers by only playing one night instead of their usual multi-night Garden run, which created one of the most desperate ticket searches for their dedicated fan base.  The tipsy, groggy and short lived 2.0 era created a buzz reminiscent of their New Year’s Eve festival just three years earlier in South Florida, but they did not live up to the incredible Phish that phans had come to expect and only played one measly show at the Garden before their unfortunate “breakup.”

    Just when everyone thought they would never get to swing from the rafters at an MSG Phish show again, the sky divided and the good Lord shined a light back on the midtown arena in December of 2009. Phish 3.0 was ready to knock three early December shows out of the park and although those years did not produce many jam heavy second sets, the energy in the venue was well worth the ticket price.  Since rising from the dead in 2009, the band has played 26 times at The Garden (that’s two baker’s dozens for those keeping count).  We have seen them ride in on a giant “Meatstick” to ring in 2011 and host a wonderful “Garden Party” on New Year’s Eve 2012.  They created a “Steam” dream in 2011, plunged below the waterline full of cats and dogs in 2016 and jammed an incredible “No Men In No Man’s Land” between beams behind a funnel-shaped screen in 2015.  Throughout each and every performance at the Garden, the band and the crowd give “IT” 110%. The 39 shows have created memories that will last a lifetime, but seeing that they are about to embark on 13 more, it appears that we are just getting started.

    “The city that never sleeps” may or may not be prepared for the amount of Phishery about to take place at the end of July into August, but there are a bunch of venues that are ready.  The official Baker’s Dozen Headquarters, American Beauty NYC, will be hosting unique events for phans on each of the 17 nights, including the nights that Phish has off.  Rest assured that your trip is short from Madison Square Garden to American Beauty, located only one block away on W. 30th Street and 8th Ave.  The venue plans to recreate one of the best parts of Summer Tour, the Phish lot, on the second floor which they have entitled “The Jerry Lounge.”  If you have post or pre-show munchies, American Beauty also offers free personal pizzas with every beer purchased, and their craft list is impeccable. If you want to keep your mind fresh after nights of partying, the bar will be hosting Grateful Dead and Phish trivia nights (Monday 7/24 & 7/31) for out-of-towners and locals alike.  Lastly, check out the venue’s event calendar to stay on top of all the late-night parties, including a birthday celebration for Jerry Garcia on August 1st.  Doors open for all pre-parties at 3pm and at 11:30pm for post-parties.

    American Beauty is the same place that Jon Fishman used dildos as drumsticks during his side-project late night performance with Touchpants a few years back, so you know this place knows how to party.  Phish’s ever-growing artist community, PhanArt, is also coming to your town to help you party down. With the unique blend of artists selling everything from pins and prints to socks and hoodies, they are hoping when you get to your next show, you’ll be better dressed.  PhanArt will be setting up one of their popular art shows at American Beauty on July 29th starting at 3pm with pre-Phish help from Space Carnival.  If you are unable to pick up PhanArt work on the 29th, stop by Hotel Pennsylvania on July 22nd or August 5th, starting at noon.

    If a Baker’s Dozen isn’t enough and you need more Phish in your summer diet, the tour starts this week at Northerly Island in the Chicago and runs through Dayton and Pittsburgh before hitting the Big Apple.  The Vermonters are finally going down to the central part of midtown Manhattan and excitement meters are about to reach 2009 Hampton “Fluffhead” levels.  Jaded tour veterans can sit back and reminisce about wearing their patchwork pants and mushroom cuts to all those insane 90’s shows, but let’s face it folks, there’s a golden age coming around and it begins on Friday, July 21st.  Glaze on.

  • Webster Hall Closing for Extensive Renovations Next Month, See Schedule of Final Shows and Club Nights

    Webster Hall will be closing for renovations. Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment and AEG Presents bought the historic Manhattan night club and concert hall from longtime owners the Ballingers earlier this year. The final performance will be held on August 9. Shows which had been scheduled after that date have been moved to other venues.

    I highly recommend that you all stop by before the end of this era to pay your respects to the Ballingers and the building for providing us with a lifetimes worth of memories.” – Gerard McNamee, Manager.

    The Wood Brothers at Webster Hall – Photo: Thomas McKenna

    Upcoming Shows:

    July 13 – Myles Parrish – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 14 – Taking Back Sunday – Webster Hall -SOLD OUT-
    July 14 – Danny Delavie, Cook Thugless, DAZED, Killing H8 – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 14 – Girls + Boys ft. Bro Safari – Webster Hall
    July 15 – Taking Back Sunday – Webster Hall -SOLD OUT-
    July 16 – Teemonee Twizz E. Luxe Manic Ak40devin Chris Shine Ayanna Martine – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 17 – SOB X RBE, G. Perico, OMB Peezy, Cuz Lightyear – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 19 – The Color Morale The Plot In You Dayseeker Picturesque Restless Stre – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 20 – Promise of Redemption ft. Shane Henderson of Valencia, Best Ex – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 21 – Punchline – 20th Anniversary Tour – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 21 – Girls + Boys ft. Brillz, Jvst Say Yes, Ducky, GLD – Webster Hall
    July 22 – Roska, Back To Life, Jergo – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 22 – Phora – The Marlin Room at Webster Hall
    July 22 – Gotham ft. Feed Me – Webster Hall
    July 24 – AJ Mon – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 25 – Citizen Zero – Studio at Webster Hall
    July 25 – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: Let’s Face It Twenty Years Later – Webster Hall
    July 26 – Make Them Suffer, Enterprise Earth, Spite – The Marlin Room at Webster Hall
    July 27 – Dalton Rapattoni, The House On Cliff w/ Special Guest Lauren Carnahan – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 28 – Like Moths To Flames (Performing When We Don’t Exist in its entirety) – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 28 – Girls + Boys ft. Graves & Uffie – Webster Hall
    July 29 – Alessandro Cortini, Telefon Tel Aviv, Richard Devine, PJay, Alex English – The Marlin Room at Webster Hall
    July 29 – Bonelang, Brandon Markell Holmes, Vesper, Poetic Thrust – The Studio at Webster Hall
    July 30 – Summer Slaughter: The Black Dahlia Murder, Dying Fetus, The Faceless and more – Webster Hall
    July 30 – Daniel J. Watts’ The Jam: Only Child – The Studio at Webster Hall
    Aug. 1 – Current Swell with Current Swell – The Studio at Webster Hall
    Aug. 2 – Aaron Cohen – The Studio at Webster Hall
    Aug. 2 – Rag’N’Bone Man – Webster Hall: The Final Shows – Webster Hall
    Aug. 2 – HOT IN HERRE That Wavy 2000’s Party ft. Sponge The Jawn, DJ Yung Neil – The Marlin Room at Webster Hall
    Aug. 3 – 070Shake – Webster Hall: The Final Shows – Webster Hall
    Aug. 4 – Allegory, Caye, Johnny Drama – The Studio at Webster Hall
    Aug. 5 – Just Surrender, Rare Futures, latewaves, Young Thieves – The Studio at Webster Hall
    Aug. 6 – Alesana Eyes Set To Kill, Lakeshore Alteras, The Amatory Murder – The Studio at Webster Hall
    Aug. 6 – Galactic Empire – Webster Hall: The Final Shows – The Marlin Room at Webster Hall
    Aug. 6 – Good Charlotte – Webster Hall: The Final Shows – Webster Hall
    Aug. 8 – Michelle Branch w/ Haerts – Webster Hall: The Final Shows – Webster Hall
    Aug. 9 – Marateck (Record Release Show) GRID, Kraus – The Studio at Webster Hall

    For Ticket Information, visit Webster Hall’s website. Webster Hall t-shirts and hats are still available online or on site.

  • Photo Gallery: Aqueous Welcomes Joel Cummins and Jake Cinninger to Highline Ballroom

    After a 30 minute set at Summer Stage, Buffalo’s Aqueous headed to Chelsea for a post-Umphrey’s show at The Highline Ballroom. Aqueous was joined tonight by Jake Cinninger and Joel Cummins, who joined the band for a majority of their set. After “Uncle Phil’s Parachute,” Jake and Joel hit the stage during “Don’t Do It,” and joined on a debut of Umphrey’s “Booth Love,” Radiohead’s “National Anthem,” and Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne.” To close the night, Aqueous performed ‘just one more song’ with a 40+ minute “Random Company” > “Numbers and Facts” > “Random Company” and an encore of “Origami.” Umphrey’s and Aqueous seem like a natural pairing, one that we hope to see again later this fall.

    Set: Skyway, Uncle Phil’s Parachute¹ > Don’t Do It¹ ² > Highline Jam², Booth Love² ³, National Anthem², Strange Times², Kid Charlemagne², Random Company > Numbers and Facts > Random Company
    Encore: Origami
    ¹ Unfinished
    ² Ft. Jake Cinninger and Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee
    ³ Aqueous debut, Umphrey’s McGee cover

    Setlist via Aquiantances

  • Audience Gets Wet and Keeps Dancing at Umphrey’s McGee in Central Park

    Central Park’s Summer Stage has quite the lineup this summer, with the centerpiece being a double bill of prog/jam goodness in Aqueous and Umphrey’s McGee on July 7.

    Aqueous performed just two songs, “Second Sight” and “Kitty Chaser,” in their 30 minute, all-too-short set to start the night, but that would be remedied by their post-show later this evening. Umphrey’s opened up their set with some technical issues, doing a double take on “Bridgeless” as a result. After the second attempt, the band played “Miss Tinkle’s Overture,” hinting they were slightly pissed off but pressed on with “2×2” and “Dump City” which highlighted the rest of the set, and the final segment of “Bridgeless” finishing the first set.

    Much like their Midwest counterparts playing in the Bronx this evening, Umphrey’s began to heat up when the rain cleared. Jams blossomed through the encore with two huge sandwiches in their second set. “Plunger” opened, as did the skies during “Utopian Fir” which had a “Whole Lotta Love” tease, as well as “Driven 2 Tears” which segued back into “Fir.” If the crowd wasn’t already wet, “Mantis” > “The Triple Wide” > “Mantis” took care of that. An encore of “Rocker Part 2” capped the night and sent the fans streamed out of a moist Central Park and headed to the Highline Ballroom where Aqueous and Umphrey’s would join forces for the after show.

  • Hearing Aide: Escaper ‘Skeleton Key’

    Brooklyn-based band Escaper recently released their debut album, Skeleton Key. Escaper consists of Will Hanza on guitar and vocals, Johnny Butler on saxophone, Adam Ahuja on keys, Jay Giacomazzo on bass and Andrew Nesbitt on drums. This seven track album takes listeners on an unpredictable stroll through exploratory tones, multicolored rhythms and colorful melodies full of airy notes that leave songs wide open for improvised jams to be interjected during live performances. A unique element to this record is that the band laid down all the tracks in one day, with one take each, at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, NY. Each musician simultaneously played in separate rooms, beautifully capturing the raw essence of a live performance.

    The first track, “Skeleton Key, Pt. 1,” eases listeners into the album by playfully winding back and forth between light, jazzy beats and kaleidoscopic intonations. Picking up the energy, “Mutiny” lays out the vibes with heavy drums, deep bass and extended guitar notes that wrap around jazz infused keys and saxophone tones that linger on the edges of euphoric spaces, creating a relaxed mood for the listener.

    “Lighthouse” throws out crunchier funkadelic rhythms, begging the listener to sway back and forth to the beat. Punchy keys start out this refreshing track before flowing into a combination of jazzed out saxophone and trippy guitar. Once again, deep bass and tight drums keep the musicians in line throughout the melody. The fusion of so many genres puts Escaper into a unique category, blurring the lines between the jazz and jam scenes.

    A slow building “Night Crawler” is fully stocked with short bursts of brisk notes that tap dance their way through the tune, picking up varying musical elements that effortlessly move around the sweet-sounding melody. “Narwhal” glides around smooth jazz beats that flow on the edge of picturesque tones merged by the guitar, sax, and keyboard.

    The album wraps up with “Skeleton Key, Pt. 2” in a way that highlights breathy sax and a splashy guitar/key combo before an energetic “Castles” brings the music to a close. Overall, this debut album is filled with fluid compositions that will come alive during live performances due to the spacious range left open for improvisational play. A solid package of laid back, uncomplicated tunes that seamlessly run the gamut from jazz to jam with  touches of psychedelic grooves that will ease any listener into a relaxed mood.

    For more information regarding Escaper and their new album, along with tour dates, please visit their official web site.

  • NYS Music’s Guide to Baker’s Dozen Pre and Post Shows

    Phish’s Baker’s Dozen of shows at Madison Square Garden starts in just two weeks, and with 13 shows spread out over 17 days, the marathon of music won’t be relegated only to the ‘World’s Most Famous Arena.’ Pre and post show events can be found on virtually every day surrounding the Baker’s Dozen. For phans looking for a complete list of what New York City holds for Phish fans both before and after each night of Phish, NYS Music presents our handy Baker’s Dozen guide. Save the images, share with friends and rest up – this will be a musical endurance test like no other!

  • Dead and Company Play Perfect Sets During Return to Citi Field in New York City

    Dead and Company’s third tour made its way to Citi Field on June 24 while the Mets were away in San Fransisco, defeating the Giants by a score of 5 – 2. The summer evening weather made for a spectacular night of music with a packed stadium.

    The long-standing game of guessing the show opener was on the tongues of many before the 7:30 downbeat and, regardless of incorrect guesses, “Dancing In The Streets” (which debuted earlier this tour) got the Queens crowd moving to the pace of the night. The relaxed but fun set continued on with the likes of “Jack Straw,” Tennesse Jed” and “Cold Rain and Snow” among others. Dead and Company jumped the gun by capping off the set with the party-rousing “One More Saturday Night,” more often seen in the second set of a Dead show.

    As the second set rolled onward from the beautiful “Scarlet Begonias” opener, they let Oteil sing, as some t-shirts have said. Burbridge has been making more of a vocal appearance on this tour and took the lead on singing “Comes a Time,” making for a spectacular performance of the song coupled with Mayer’s atmospheric noodling on Dead and Company’s debut of that song. Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzman put on a unique rhythmic soundscape for the drums/space break which was integrative of acoustic and electronic sounds and instruments including Hart’s multi-string, one-note Beam.

    The encore was truly something special for the New York crowd. The familiar opening riff of “Touch of Grey” rang through the crowd noise as the projection faded to the b-roll live footage of the synchronized light show atop the Empire State Building across the East River in Manhattan. Without much of a skip the happy feels were capped off in a rock-and-roll fashion with “Johnny B. Goode.”

    Dead and Company’s two night run at Citi Field last June was a good showcase of the chops of a Grateful Dead family lineup who had only been on tour for about one and a half years at that point. In this year’s single show at Citi Field, Dead and Company showed an ever-flourishing presence of musicianship on stage miles ahead of the band’s debut shows in Albany and NYC in the fall of 2015, which even then were noteworthy.

    Setlist:

    Set 1: Dancing In The Streets > Jack Straw, Here Comes Sunshine, Tennessee Jed, Cold Rain and Snow, Bird Song > One More Saturday Night

    Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Viola Lee Blues, Estimated Prophet > Comes A Time > Eyes Of The World > Drums/Space > The Other One > Morning Dew

    Encore: Touch Of Grey > Johnny B. Goode