NYS Music 20​17

Tag: Tom Hamilton

  • Feeling Love at Camp Bisco Music Festival

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Mountain of Youth: The 5th Annual Susquehanna Breakdown Recap

    “And they’re off!” On Friday, May 19 the gates lifted in Scranton, Pennsylvania and campers raced to grab the flattest and grassiest space on the The Pavilion Lawn at Montage Mountain.  They were not there for the 142nd Preakness Stakes, which traditionally takes place in Maryland every third Saturday in May, but instead were celebrating a new bluegrass tradition, the 5th annual Susquehanna Breakdown. Some attendees dressed in jockey-like colors and patterns with ridiculous hats and clothing combinations.  Others wore graphic t-shirts splattered with band names like Cabinet, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Greensky Bluegrass and Phish.  By the beginning of the first set at 6:30pm, one thing was clear… everyone was there to place their bets on a winning weekend.

    The Dishonest Fiddlers, orchestrated by founder Dave Brown, are a Scranton local bluegrass act that switches up the bill every time they perform.  The lightweight and easy listening bluegrass invited campers to put down their tent poles and join in the music at the smaller “Breakdown Stage.”  Breakdowners were delighted to discover that Cabinet’s own fiddle player, Todd Kopec, was sitting in during the festival’s opening act.  The Dishonest Fiddler’s performance marked the first of many expected Cabinet sit-ins over the weekend, but that comes as no surprise as the festival is named after one of their songs!  Next up on the bill was the American-festival veteran Keller Williams.  It is hard to think of the word “bluegrass” or just “grass” in general and not think of the pumpkin pie hair-cutted freak bouncing around stage barefoot from instrument to instrument.  Once you have seen one Keller show, you have seen them all, but that doesn’t stop anyone from attending.  Keller Williams got his start in parking lots playing to the energetic crowds that gathered before the main attraction, The Grateful Dead.  For over 20 years, he has been marching to the beat of his own drum, guitar, synth and whatever else he decides to bring on stage.  The completely improvised sets travel through space and time reminiscent of a spun-out music junky that can’t decide which radio station to listen to as they station hop.  Keller closed his roots-filled funky set with a cover of Marian Hill’s “Down,” which lyrically is the most genius song to kick off a festival.  If you hate on modern pop music, give this one a listen.

    As the sun finally disappeared on Day 1 of the festival, the audience was treated to more Keller Williams for the first semi-official Cabinet set of the weekend entitled “Keller & Cabinet.”  Launching into the bluegrass traditional tune, “My Grass Is Blue,” got the fans boppin’ and air pickin’ before a cover of “Float On” by Modest Mouse.  As more and more non-camping 2-day-pass holders made their way into the venue, the atmosphere began to feel less like a backyard BBQ and more like a full-fledged festival.  The communal body heat kept everyone warm as “Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow” served as a reminder that Montage Mountain was home for the next 36 hours.  It wouldn’t be Night 1 of a festival without some minor technical difficulties.  After three minutes of tinkering, the stage was back on track and Cabinet allowed Keller to take the wheel for his originals, “Alligator Alley” and “Sing for My Dinner.”  Before the final track of the collaborative set, Keller commented that he wanted to do a reggae version of the upcoming tune but Cabinet insisted on playing it fast.  Much like Ricky Bobby in Talledega Nights, they wanted to go fast, and fast they went through Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab.”  Ironically enough, ambulance lights flickered through the crowd during the Winehouse cover as the first festival attendee maybe had too much too fast. Members of the crowd looked on in hopes that this would be the one and only emergency rescue of the weekend.

    On a brighter note, Cabinet came out swinging for their first major set of the weekend, tackling their catalog of reggae, bluegrass, roots and rock.  “The Smile” breezed into the first slot as the symbolic greeting tune of the evening.  “Hey Baby” gave Mickey Coviello’s guitar and Pappy Biondo’s banjo some focus in the spotlight and afterward they modestly commented it was “groovy as all hell.”  Pappy was once again the center of attention during their rendition of “Diamond Joe.” Building the song up with some fantastic peaks and valleys via JP Biondo’s mandolin and Todd Kopec’s fiddle, the 6-piece band transformed the poetic country tune into a jam-grass meltdown.  The “Diamond Joe” lyrics feature horses, betrayal and payback which are central themes in many old-timey tunes and Cabinet made this timeless piece their own to showcase their talent during this set.  The band mentioned that the crowd size was much larger compared to years past and I took it as a sign of festival growth, strength and some perfect weather.  The friendly fireside vibe of the Cabinet set was not complete without a singalong and “Pine Billy” served as a fitting choice.  The “way up on a mountain” lyrics got extra howls as families and friends belted out “Pine Billy” during the second half the short set.  “Sunday 60 Breakdown” finished off the set and the crowd significantly thinned as their beloved Cabinet went to get some rest before a big Day 2.

    The evening was not over yet as late night funk trio Organ Freeman treated the mountain to an ass shaking dance party.  Drummer Rob Humphreys, organist Trevor Steer and Erik Carlson on guitar answered the age-old question “Won’t you take me to Funkytown?”    For those in attendance looking for poppy instrumental jazz or experimental and danceable funk, they found it right off the bat with “We’re On Our Way.”  The band tested out several new songs during their set and considering most in the audience didn’t know the names to their originals anyway, it was all new and exciting to us.  The first cover came in the form of Stanton Moore Trio’s “Pie Eyed Manc.”  It was clear that Moore’s sound has a strong influence on Organ Freeman as they worked their layered grooves into every jam they went into.  My one critique is that at 1:30 in the morning, instrumental jazz begins to all sound the same.  As many non-campers such as myself began exiting the venue, it was incredible to clearly hear the echoes of funk during the entire walk back to the parking area thanks to mountain’s valley walls, which acted as natural amplifiers.  The successful first night of music was complete and the main attraction was only hours away.  The Breakdowners were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of mandolins played in their heads.

    CABINET FRIDAY NIGHT SETLIST:

    A Smile, Treat Me So Bad, Hey Baby, Diamond Joe, Mysterio, Eleanor, The Dove %, Pine Billy, Sunday 60 Breakdown

    % Brief Power Failure occurred twice during The Dove

    KELLER WILLIAMS SETLIST:

    My Grass is Blue, Float On*, Ripped 6 Pack, Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow, AGWT Reprise (post Power Failure), Alligator Alley, The Tower, Sing For My Dinner, Rehab **
    * Modest Mouse Cover ** Amy Winehouse Cover  (Setlist credit: Rich Stoler)

    ORGAN FREEMAN SETLIST:
    We’re On Our Way, (New Track 1), Only If You Mean It, Putin And I Get Along Fantastic, Life’s A Bench, Reptile Moonshine, Pie Eyed Manc*, Change For A Nickel, The Green Green Grapes, You Said You Quit Drinkin’, (New Track 2), Verve, Byrd vs Fish, (New Track 3), Go By Richard, Not By Dick  ENCORE: Hit The Ground Running, Come out Swinging
    *- Stanton Moore Trio

  • The 5th Annual Susquehanna Breakdown: Affordable Scranton Bluegrass

    What can you do with $50 in Scranton, PA this weekend?  How about two days of incredible bluegrass, folk, and funk?  The 5th Annual Susquehanna Breakdown begins Friday, May 19 with local act, The Dishonest Fiddlers taking the stage at 6:30pm followed by most Deadhead’s favorite one-man band, Keller Williams, at 8pm.  Members of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s own Cabinetwill be joining Williams on stage for the 9:30pm “Keller & Cabinet” set which is sure to be full of surprises.  Cabinet will then take over the stage at 10:45 for the first of three weekend sets.

    When Susquehanna Breakdown was founded in 2013 by Cabinet and Live Nation Entertainment, their aim was to shine a light on the regional artists, farmers and craft vendors of Scranton, PA.  Over the years the festival has added bigger names and larger crowds to their Montage Mountain home, yet the tight-knit friendly vibe, cheap ticket price, and local sponsorship has remained.  While Cabinet continues to be at the nucleus of the event, bluegrass juggernauts, Greensky Bluegrass, have taken over 2017’s headlining slot at 9pm on Saturday night.   Other sets to check out on Saturday include Binghamton, New York’s Driftwood at 12:30pm, a daytime acoustic set from Cabinet at 2:15pm, the soulful folkie Wood Brothers at 4pm and Billy Strings tearing things up at 8pm!

    The full schedule is posted and as in years past, the festival organizers have set the separate stage times so that attendees are able to catch a glimpse of every band with little to no overlap.  And did we mention the late night acts?  The funky West Coast trio, Organ Freeman, will be taking over the party on Friday night and the traveling powerhouse, Turkuaz, will be sending Breakdowners home after one more Saturday night set.  Sandwiched in between all this funkiness is Tom Hamilton’s Breakdown All Stars at 11pm on the second day which will be full of festival-wide collaborations.

    The Northeastern festival season is now upon us and this showcase might be the best bang for your buck you will find this year.  Whether you plan to attend on Saturday only or camp for both nights on the pavilion lawn, there is plenty to do and hear at this year’s Breakdown.  An eclectic collection of acts from around the country sharing the space with local bands and vendors makes this the perfect practice run for the rest of the summer’s events.  The Susquehanna Breakdown shares the same space as Montage Mountain’s larger summer extravaganza, The Peach Festival, but at a fraction of the cost.  While Scranton locals may consider Peach to be the big brother of the mountain’s two jam-heavy festivals, the Breakdown just hit another growth spurt and is ready to rival its older sibling in 2017.

    NYS Music had the chance to sit down with The Dishonest Fiddlers founder, Dave Brown to discover what makes “The Electric City” the perfect place for a breakdown…

    Ben Boivin: What is the concept behind The Dishonest Fiddlers and where did you first come up with this unique idea to play with different artists at every show?

    Dave Brown: Well, I played solo prior to forming the band and I still enjoy the solo sets very much but the band has given my music a chance to take a different shape and myself a chance to play with and learn from a lot of different musicians along the way.

    BB: What is your connection with Cabinet, the band that founded the Breakdown?

    DB: Well my introduction to Cabinet came maybe 4 or 5 years ago in Scranton.  I ordered lunch from Pizza by Pappa’s, and JP [Biondo] delivered it. I was not expecting him, nor was I expecting the pizza to have several bites out of it either. JP agreed to let me take a few bites of the next pizza he had to deliver, and after playing a few tunes I agreed we were square. Since then I started picking up my orders from Pappa’s and listening to Cabinet.  Lately I’ve been fortunate enough to have Todd Kopec, from Cabinet, playing fiddle with us and he’ll be on stage with me at the Breakdown too.

    BB: I know that you are on the road all summer and visiting many different festivals.  What do you feel is so special about the Susquehanna Breakdown?

    DB: The Breakdown has really evolved into something a lot of people really look forward too. I’ve met people from all over the country at the Susquehanna Breakdown over the years. I was a spectator at the first one and its definitely special to have the opportunity to be playing this year. It’s also nice that our family and friends have a chance to be there and share the day with us

    BB: What is the band you are most looking forward to seeing at this festival?

    DB: I recently had a show with Driftwood and I got a copy of their new album so I’m looking forward to hearing some of those tunes again.  I’m also interested in hearing Billy Strings for the first time.

    BB: What would you like to see for The Dishonest Fiddlers?

    DB: Well tours and new albums all sound great but mainly I want to keep having fun and keep writing music. If I can manage to keep enough air in my tires and the lights on at home, the rest will fall in place.

    Tickets for the Susquehanna Breakdown can be purchased at the festival or via Ticketmaster while supplies last.

  • JRAD Tears Up Brooklyn Bowl Board by Board in March RADness Finale

    It’s not every weekend that a Grateful Dead cover band sells out a three-night run at the Brooklyn Bowl. Two weekends in a row?  Unheard of.  Fantastical as it may seem, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) achieved this feat within mere seconds of ticket release; not to mention the opening night, March 9, was only their 100th show.  It all began with a “Beat It On Down the Line” that featured a 100 beat introduction to celebrate the occasion; and that’s exactly what Russo and the boys did that night and the next five.  Slapped it silly.  Beat it (forgive the pun) like a drum, all the way up and down those bowling lanes.  There was true magic in the air, that connective energy that comes once in a great while when everyone in the room is whisked away to somewhere undefinable.  The first five nights showcased some of the band’s favorites, including “Help on the Way,” “Music Never Stopped,” “Terrapin Station,” “Dark Star,” “St. Stephen,” “Playing in the Band,” and the list goes on.  Their first original, “Keeping it Simple,” was also debuted on the opening night, dispelling any such notion that JRAD is just a cover band.  Staying true to crescendo, the pinnacle of these almost equally spectacular evenings was the last night of the run, Saturday, March 18.  But hey, enough of my yakkin’.  Whaddayasay?  Let’s boogie!

    The 18th began with the same vim and vigor as any other night of the run, blasting straight into an impromptu “Promised Land” in salute to the late great Chuck Berry, who passed earlier that day.  California clearly on their minds, “Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion” joined the party to begin the segment that would play right out to the end of the set.  “Hell In a Bucket” took us on an enjoyable ride, with a dripping, melting psychedelic jam; quite uncharacteristic for the tune, but it seemed exactly in its place.  Guitarist/vocalist Tom Hamilton belted out an immaculate “Here Comes Sunshine,” which transitioned seamlessly into a downright dirty version of the Allman Brothers’ “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.”  A gut busting solo from none other than Joe “Bombs” Russo brought us in for the landing of “Here Comes Sunshine,” as saxophonist Stuart Bogie rejoined the boys for a quick jam into “Ruben & Cherise.”  The horn added quite a nice depth to the ballad, and stayed on through a tricky segue into “Viola Lee Blues,” which flirted back and forth with a “China Cat Sunflower” fakeout that slammed right back into “Viola.”  It isn’t a sad song, by any means; but the peak sound that only JRAD can achieve brought more than a few tears to this grown man’s eye.

    The second set began with a spaciously comfortable jam that ran out into a smokin’ “Casey Jones” that melted more than a few dome glaciers, followed swiftly by a sultry bass solo from one Oteil Burbridge.  You may recognize the name from last summer’s Dead & Company lineup, but make no mistakes; this was no haphazard supergroup cameo.  Oteil didn’t only hold his own throughout the weekend, he stood out as a uniquely exuberant personality in the RAD’s stage presence.  His vocals offered a fresh flavor, and I for one was near jealousy of that old school wood grain Gibson SG bass as he plucked and caressed it with expertise unmatched.

    Guitarist/vocalist Scott Metzger and keyboardist (and the mind behind the Marcorita) Marco Benevento soloed off of each other in some engaging call and response that transitioned into a rigid “Jack A Roe.”  Stuart came back out for a nearly 20-minute “Dancin’ In the Streets,” in a rendition of the classic that left listeners slackjawed in a stupefied awe.  The music began to deliver that tangible feeling mentioned earlier during this point, that glow in the pit of your stomach that only rears its head when something extraordinary is around the corner.  The segment concluded with an absolutely inspiring “Franklin’s Tower,” as shouts of ‘Hey brother, woah brother!’ were greeted with hugs and big-eyed smiles all around.  One of the standout stand alones of the run began with a tease of Led Zeppelin’s “That’s the Way,” with an almost malicious turn into “Let It Grow.”  Scott Metzger’s vocals offered an eerily perfect replication of old Bob’s ballad, with boilin’ hot licks to match.  Several Talking Heads teases sneaked their way into the jam, including but not limited to “Psycho Killer” and “Girlfriend is Better” before “Let it Grow” drew to a close.

    “I Know You Rider” is one of the most frequented Dead covers, but this rendition was anything but cliche.  It was the culmination of the entire weekend, one last pinnacle of raw rock and roll.  Before the last chords were strummed T Hammy let loose on one of those signature squealing bends and the whole place just went ballistic; a sound reminiscent of the shrieks later heard from the mouths of teen-aged babes that he so competently slays post show.  After a few warm words from Pete Shapiro wishing one of his longtime managers at the Bowl farewell, the boys returned for the final encore of the weekend.  Closing in on 1AM, a breathtaking “Brokedown Palace” had the entire place feeling beyond sentimental, as wishes of fare you well lofted above quiet, attentive listeners.  The a cappella “We Bid You Goodnight” had the place even quieter; the least crowd volume I’ve ever heard in a venue by far, never mind on a Saturday night.  Having played it last in October of 2015, it was an unimaginably beautiful moment for those who stayed the entire run.

    JRAD seems to have this stigma attached to them throughout most of the jam scene; too fast technical for the old heads, too much Dead for a lot of youngsters.  This weekend seemed a little different, a bit more like a “typical Dead show.”  Fans by the dozens hopelessly searching for sold out tickets as you walk in, folks from all ages and walks of life inside instead of a specific demographic, drunk old dudes hitting on our uncomfortable girlfriends..it really had the whole 9, as it were, and dare I say the whole 10!  Regardless of what you may have heard, just remember that this group of musicians is doing what they do live better than any other group on the current “jam” circuit.  Period.

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