NYS Music 20​17

Tag: Famoe.ly

  • 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.

  • Foolin’ Around with moe. at The Paramount

    On Saturday, April 1, at The Paramount, Buffalo-based moe. took April Fools’ Day to the next level by sonically messing with the minds of everyone in attendance.  The die-hard moe.rons in the crowd knew that an inevitable prank was coming in some form, but the anticipation led to an even more exciting Saturday night show.  Opening with “Defrost” the boys did not wait to get the venue dancing.  The historically rare instrumental was the third appearance of “Defrost” in 2017 and it was frequently played in 2016, leading fans to assume that this oldie-but-goodie is not just getting a dusting, but being taken off the shelf permanently.

    Moe. brought out the heavy hitters early with a transition into an epic “Brent Black” in just the second slot.  Al Schnier and Rob Derhak chiseled the signature song into form while Chuck Garvey used his guitar pick to work on the intricacies.  Garvey celebrated his birthday on Thursday night in New Jersey, and on stage he has been having his cake and eating it too during the entire 3-show run.  “Lost Along The Way” gave the already sweaty crowd a much needed breather which was followed by “Blue Jeans Pizza” off the decade old album, The Conch.  One of the more lovey-dovey moe. originals, “Pizza” found Schnier switching from guitar to minimoog allowing Garvey to take full leadership of the solo to the delight of the crowd.  The only annoying aspect of this part of the set was the crowd chatter being at an all-time high.  While I felt that the energy from “Brent Black” never went away throughout the entire set, there are times to talk and times to STFU.

    Jim Loughlin lead the tribal transition into “Bring It Back Home” as Schnier jumped back onto his guitar for some added flare.  Loughlin remained in the spotlight while Derhak and Vinnie Amico tag teamed the next tune, “Billy Goat” off the most recent release studio release, No Guts, No Glory.  The surfer-rock jam found on the Smash Hits release, “Tailspin,” got the crowd spinning around again.  The very impressive first set was praised throughout the break as moe. spanned their entire career in just seven songs.

    moe at the paramountThe April Fools’ prank ensued as soon as the 5-piece reentered the stage for the second set.  Over the 28-year career of moe., many different rumors have been spread describing the origin of the band’s name.  One rumor was that moe. is a simple acronym for “monkeys on ecstasy” and on April 1, 2017, the monkey was brought to life in one of the stranger moe.ments I have seen a long time.   As members began tuning up for the start of the second half of the evening a person dressed in a monkey costume with giant headphones appeared next to Amico’s drum kit, fist-pumping to what sounded like a mashup of “Plane Crash” and Beastie Boys’ “Brass Monkey.”  The odd display transformed the rock venue into an electronic dance club and judging by the smile on Derhak’s face, even the band got a kick out of the gag.  The prankster monkey seemed to fall into his own trap as he slipped and fell while trying to get off the stage.  They covered it up nicely as the “too f**kin’ high” primate took off the giant headphones and put them on Derhak’s head before exiting the stage.  Was the slip a set up or did the gag lead to an injury?  The world may never know.

    moe at the paramountAfter the shenanigans ensued, “Rainshine> Understand” got the show back on track.   As the light two-song combo fizzled out, a reggae-influenced intro to “Time Ed” got the room swaying back and forth.  The band had a few laughs during the line, “Born a monkey from the sky (monkey, monkey)” before Loughlin returned to business as usual during his flying trapeze percussion section.  Throughout the song, he switched back and forth from bongos to MalletKat to xylophone in harmonious fashion.  The final segue of the set occurred during a strung-out “Haze” into one of their more euphoric songs off Dither, “So Long.”  Every jam band has their own repertoire of songs that cuts to the core of their loyal fan base and mellows out the room.  “So Long” is a chameleon of sorts because while it can act as the fluffy cloud to space out the heavier songs, it can also get pretty intense on its own, which is exactly what happened on Saturday night.

    Schnier came out as he usually does before the encore to read some fan shout-outs.  On certain nights he has no problem deciphering what the writers are trying to say, but in Huntington after a night of debauchery, he seemed to struggle through the chicken scratch handwriting.  There was some light banter from Loughlin as he announced the next song was one that he wrote.  The dark lyrics and southern-rocking Widespread Panic-esque sound of “Don’t Wanna Be” is not really my cup of tea and with little head nodding in the crowd, I felt like there had to be one more crowd-pleaser to end the incredible weekend of moe. in the Northeast.  Sure enough, “New York City” was served as the entrée of the encore and considering many fans came to The Paramount on a train from the Big Apple, the famoe.us tune was well received.

    The boys will play four sold-out shows at The Sinclair before departing for the South to cover some ground in warmer territories.  The recently added set entitled “phil.moe.” at Lock’n was the latest news from the band, and from now until the special dead-inspired set, they will headline Summer Camp and the return of Moe.Down.  The bright future and booked calendar gives the moe.rons hope that while the band may be up for a good time and a few pranks, they are in no way ready to cool it down.

    moe. – 4.1.17 – The Paramount – Long Island, NY

    Set 1: Defrost > Brent Black, Lost Along The Way > Blue Jeans Pizza > Bring It Back Home, Billy Goat > Tailspin

    Set 2: Rainshine > Understand, Time Ed, She, > Sensory Deprivation Bank, George, Haze > So Long

    Encore: Don’t Wanna Be, New York City

    moe at the paramount

  • moe. Gets Meaty in Connecticut

    On a rainy Friday night in New Haven, Connecticut on March 31, fans gathered at the College Street Music Hall to see the jam titans moe.  The 5-piece appropriately opened the show with “Water” to a soaking wet crowd.  The cleverly placed tune off the 2001 album, Dither, served as a welcoming “hello” as suggest in the lyrics.  A gentle transition into “Hector’s Pillow” flowed like a river and soared with Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier exchanging guitar riffs to the delight of a rowdy crowd.

    If the line to get inside the venue wasn’t long enough, there was always the beer line to eat up more of your first set enjoyment.  Looking on the bright side, I was able to meet a middle-aged crew celebrating a 40th birthday and wearing matching hats that read “40 moe. years.”  Embracing the famoe.ly atmosphere, the birthday crew pointed out that drummer Vinnie Amico was also sporting the same hat during the show.  The “glass half full” attitude in the beer line worked well with the lyrics of “Okayalright,” the third song of the evening.  The classic tune off 2003’s Wormwood serves as a favorite for moe.rons of all ages and on Friday night, bassist Rob Derhak had the damp crowd singing along.

    The one-two punch of Skrunk> Lazarus generated high-energy power normally reserved for the second set.  Schnier was on fire while Garvey provided the gasoline to keep the flame glowing.  While Lazarus has been played for two decades, it wasn’t until the 2012 release, What Happened to the LA LAs that the band took the song to the studio.   Unlike the recorded version, which taps out under 4-minutes, moe. added a lift-kit to the monster truck of a jam in New Haven.  Serving up even more kickassery to close out the first set, “McBain” gave each member a moment in the spotlight and featured the peaks and valleys that die-hard followers of the band have come to expect over the years.

    The venue was treated to the sounds (and smells) of a good old fashioned Allman Brothers Band concert when moe. came back out for an epic cover of “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.”  Known as one of the most iconic classic rock instrumentals of all time, this early second set masterpiece saw Jim Laughlin go to town on his signature vibraphone during the peak of the jam.  After a crowd-pleasing “Buster,” my vote for second-set MVP took the vibraphone on another adventure during an extra-long “Chromatic Nightmare.”  This dizzying percussion piece seemed to be heavily Zappa influenced as the band attempted to recreate an acid trip at a carnival, and the crowd ate it up.

    The more straight-forward “Blond Hair and Blue Eyes” brought the venue back to a safe space before getting even deeper with “Faker.”  While “Chromatic Nightmare” is an example of the more psychedelic side of the quartet, “Faker” displays their talent for introspective lyrics and melodic compositions.  Those in attendance looking for the more heavy-metal moe. were treated to a killer “meat.” to close out the set.  “Elizabeth Reed” may have been the highlight of the early half of the set, but “meat.” took the group to an entirely different dimension.  It is rare to see a mosh pit form at a jam band show, but if it were to happen, it feels like “meat.” is the most moshable of them all.  Fans that prefer to cling to Al-side of the theater were treated to an up-close and personal look at the guitarist and he brought his shredding as close to the fans as possible.

    Perhaps as a nod to April Fool’s the following day, “Waiting For The Punchline” was delivered as the sole encore of the evening. The delightful bluegrass section of this number got feet stomping and hands clapping, and if I’m not mistaken, I believe I caught a few “yee-haws” before the end of the tune.  While it appeared that some of the moe.rons in the room would be making the trek across the Long Island Sound to see them again the following night in Huntington, those staying in Connecticut left the venue grateful for the well-crafted start to their weekend.

    Set I: Water > Hector’s Pillow > Okayalright, Skrunk > Lazarus, Little Miss Cup Half Empty, McBain

    Set II: In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed, Jazz Wank > Buster >Chromatic Nightmare, Blond Hair And Blue Eyes, Faker > meat.

    Encore: Waiting For The Punchline

  • Moe. Tour Springs Up in the Northeast

    One of New York’s most popular homegrown jam bands will embark on their 2017 Spring Tour with a brief Northeastern run this week.  moe. hits the road on Thursday, March 30th at The Wellmont Theatre in New Jersey for the first time since 2012.  The 5-piece will close out the month on Friday the 31st at the College Street Music Hall in New Haven, CT before celebrating April Fool’s Day at The Paramount in Huntington, NY on Saturday.

    All three of these venues are easily drivable or trainable from NYC, where fans have been clustered since the band’s origin over 20 years ago.  Speaking of cities where moe.ron’s like to dance, the short and sweet Northeast run will end with a four-night residency at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA. The max capacity at this Harvard Square establishment is only 525 people making it a space normally reserved for up-and-coming bands, not veteran acts capable of packing much larger venues. If you were lucky enough to score tickets to one of these four sold-out shows from April 5th-April 8th, you are in for a real treat!

    Moe. will head south in April for a handful of shows before they kick off their annual festival season with headlining performances at Summer Camp in May and the return of Moe.Down at the end of June.  Another well-known jam band from the Northeast will host a “Baker’s Dozen” run in July at Madison Square Garden and Moe. already has extra special plans for a late-night celebration on the opening night.  They are “coming home again” to New York City on July 21st for an after party at the PlayStation Theater that is not to be missed.

    “Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s Party!’” -Robin Williams

  • moe. Knocks Out Two Back-to-Back Sold Out Shows at Higher Ground and Calvin Theatre

    Friday Feb 3, moe. brought some explosive energy to the Higher Ground in Burlington, VT for the first of two sold out shows.   As a popular and intimate venue, the crowd packed the venue like sardines in a can and quickly connected with the band making for a heater of a night.   It can’t go without mentioning that Burlington has one of the best selection of breweries in the northeast and Higher Ground serves a lot of them on tap.

    As attendees gulped down the micro-brews, the band warmed up with a solid “Captain America” featuring a tight solo from Chuck.  As they jammed a bit, Vinnie shifted drum rhythms to a slightly quicker speed, allowing a smooth transition into the funky “Akimbo.”  While tuning up their instruments, Chuck took to the microphone to comically introduce themselves saying, “Hello Everybody, we are moe. and we are not from Vermont.   But, we like Vermont.  We are Vermont-curious.” before counting off their own gloomy “Brittle End.”

    The Instrumental “CalifornIA” came next with a playful boost of energy as Al took his turn with a ripe solo that unfolded to an unforgettably extended “Bring You Down.”  Taking a brief moment, the band then invited Jamie Masefield to the stage to sit-in on mandolin for the remainder of the first set.   Vinnie began the traditional “stick-count” and intro for “Happy Hour Hero.”   When the bridge arrived, Chuck graciously gave Jamie the reins of the solo giving the song an earthly bluegrass feel.  Not too long into the jam, Jamie persuaded Chuck to share finger-picking licks with him while the rest of the band kept a steady pace, gradually picking up momentum.   When the groove was satisfied, they collectively segued into a steamy “Silver Sun” to end the set.  Before taking a break, Al whimsically gave praise to Masefield with “One of Vermont’s natural resources!”

    Returning to the stage, Garvey heckled Rob a little bit to get “ready to rock” by hilariously improvising a brief song with the remaining members. They quickly jumped into a pumped up “Puebla” featuring some technical fretwork by Chuck, who seemed to be the shining bright that evening.  Without a huddle, they thumped into “Crab Eyes” with a fantastic solo by Al.  Next came a massive “Yodelittle > Down Boy > Yodelittle” sandwich featuring some stellar bass grooves by Derhak.  Jim and Vinnie percussively attacked “Y.O.Y.” with a vengeance as they transitioned into a fiery “Water” to end the set.  With minutes left of the show, moe. rocked out Pink Floyd’s “In The Flesh” while Loughlin stepped up to the mic and belted out the lyrics.   The ensemble then propelled the brimming Higher Ground with the sing-a-long favorite “Plane Crash,” to conclude the show.

    Following onto the next night, moe. topped-off the first part of their winter tour with one more sold-out performance at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, Massachusetts.  Oddly, the Marquee sign on the front of the building was only half lit, highlighting the word “Vin,” which must have been some sort of foreshadowing of the performance that was about to unfold.  The theatre quickly filled as fans were anticipating a fun-filled, top-notch performance.  Shortly after their initial start time, members of the group embraced the stage and warmed up with “Defrost > Waiting for the Punchline.”  Next came the new Rob-sung “Prestige Worldwide” which included a knarly performance by Jim.  moe. then brought the mood down a couple levels with the fan-favoirte “Four” before segueing into the booty-shaker “Seat of My Pants.”  During Al’s quaking solo, the crowd went ballistic as he played his guitar against the top of a fan’s head, using it as a slide.   Moe. then churned up a mega “McBain” to round up the first set.

    There’s really only one thing to say about the second set, Non-stop Party!  Simple as that.  moe. played a monstrous triple-decker “The Pit” bundled with a conga-filled jam in”Deep This Time” and a 25 minute “Recreational Chemistry.”  But, it didn’t stop there.  The segues were endless as every member was firing on all cylinders and Garvey’s fierce guitar work on “Bullet” was dangerously captivating.   Jim displayed a colorful vibraphone solo that led into a percussively dominant “Brent Black” and featured an intense drum jam with Vinnie joining Jim on his congas and timbales!  At this point, the audience was sucked into the energy of the duo’s performance, cheering and hollering with excitement as some recorded it with their phones for future reminiscing.  As Vinnie jumped back on his drum set, Rob emerged from stage-side and entertained the audience with a beefy bass solo.

    Before the band continued with the encore, Al traditionally took a few minutes to interact with the fans with some announcements.  Giving fans a heartfelt “Letter Home” and “New York City” was a great way to bring the tour to a close before they pick back up in a few weeks.  Before everyone began filtering out, Rob took to the mic one last time to request a quick photo.   In doing so, he convinced half of the venue to give their photographer, Paul Citone, the middle finger from behind the band.  Once again, proving this band to be one of the best in the business!

    Higher Ground – 2.3.17

    Set I: Captain America > Akimbo, Brittle End, CalifornIA > Bring You Down, Happy Hour Hero* > Silver Sun*

    Set II: Puebla, Crab Eyes, Yodelittle > Down Boy > Yodelittle, Y.O.Y. > Water

    Encore: In The Flesh, Plane Crash

    *w/ Jamie Masefield

    Calvin Theatre – 2.4.17

    Set I:  Defrost > Waiting for the Punchline, Prestige Worldwide, Four > Seat of My Pants > McBain

    Set II: Tubing the River Styx > The Pit > Deep This Time > The Pit > Rec. Chem. > The Pit > Bullet > Brent Black

    Encore: Letter Home, NYC

  • moe. Speaks at Penn’s Peak

    Nestled in the hills of eastern Pennsylvania sits a popular music venue that welcomes all genres of artists and is accompanied with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.  Penn’s Peak has hosted a vast array of talent from country stars to rock legends of sorts.  On Thursday, Feb 2 they welcomed the beloved moe. for the first time in their career.

    There was an abundance of energy as the venue staff and fans were excited to see them at the peak.   Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, the inside of the building appeared as if you were walking around the inside of Noah’s ARC, constructed with large wooden beams and beautifully polished wooden floors.  These features were significantly enhanced with beautiful lighting by Pulse Lighting’s own lighting designer, Justin Casey.

    moe. took to the stage with some pep in their step and busted out of the gate with an energetic “Spine Of A Dog” that seamlessly segued into “Spaz Medicine.” After Al finished a ripping solo, the mood was reduced enough to flow into Tori Amos’ “Cornflake Girl.”   The remainder of the first set was a monstrous segue that started with “Timmy Tucker” and featured the fairly new instrumental, “Montego.”  Highlights of the second set include a long awaited “Stranger Than Fiction” followed by a juicy “Rebubula” sandwich that included “Jazz Wank” and “Buster.”  As the guys took a short encore break, they re-emerged after the Al.nouncements and capped off the night with “Downward Facing Dog” and David Bowie’s “Fame.”

    Set 1:  Spine of a Dog > Spaz Medicine > Cornflake girl, Timmy Tucker > Hector’s Pillow > Montego > Mar Dema > Okay Alright

    Set 2: Do or Die, ZOZ > Moth, Stranger than Fiction, Rebubula > Jazz Wank > Buster > Rebubula

    Encore: Downward Facing Dog, Fame