The Chillfam All-Stars will play a tribute to Michael Jackson on Aug. 5 at the Gramercy Theatre for an afterparty during the Phish Baker’s Dozen run. The band is a supergroup of familiar faces and includes Elise Testone, Jen Hartswick and Natalie Cressman of the Trey Anastasio Band, Alex Petropulos of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Danny Mayer of the Eric Krasno Band, Eric Gould and Richard James of Pink Talking Fish, Adrian Tramontano of Kung Fu, Matt Wayne of the Bobby Deitch Band and Rob Volo of Deep Banana Blackout. Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon.
Update 5/23/2017:
Turkuaz is the latest act to announce a Phish afterparty during the Baker’s Dozen run. They play Irving plaza on Tuesday, July 25. Tickets for their show go on sale this Thursday, May 25, at noon.
Update 5/4/2017:
Matisyahu, Atlas Road Crew and Strange Machines will all play afterparties following Phish’s Baker’s Dozen shows.
Strange Machines plays Wednesday, July 26 at Drom. Eggy opens the show. Atlas Road Crew hits up American Beauty on Friday, Aug. 4. Tickets for both shows are on sale now.
The Cutting Room sees Matisyahu on Wednesday, Aug. 2. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Friday, May 5 at noon.
Update 4/26/2017:
Pink Talking Fish, Holly Bowling and the Motet will all play shows around Phish’s Baker’s Dozen run at Madison Square Garden. Following Phish on Tuesday, Aug. 1, Pink Talking Fish plays as Pink Talking Fish Are Dead at the Cutting Room. They also play an after-party on Friday, Aug. 4 at the Gramercy Theatre. They board The Jewel for a pre-party booze cruise the next day, Saturday, Aug. 5. The cruise is at 2 p.m.
Holly Bowling brings her solo piano renditions of Phish and Grateful Dead songs to the Cutting Room on Saturday and Sunday, July 22 and 23 and Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 5 and 6. All her shows start at 4 p.m.
The Motet plays an afterparty on the first night of the run, Friday, July 21 at B.B. Kings.
Original Post:
When Phish comes to New York City, the party tends to start well before the shows and it always ends long after they leave the stage. As with every Phish run at Madison Square Garden, a slew of pre-parties and afterparties are planned for their 13 night Baker’s Dozen run at the storied arena.
Phish is set to play their historic 13 night run at Madison Square Garden beginning July 21 and ending on Aug. 6. CEG Presents has pre-parties and afterparties planned for just about every night of the Baker’s Dozen. Their run of shows kicks off a day early on Thursday, July 20 with Twiddle and Madaila. Twiddle finishes out a three-night run with a pair of Phish afterparties on Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22. All three shows are at Irving Plaza. Particle also plays an afterparty on July 21 at the Cutting Room. The DeadPhish Orchestra plays a 2 p.m. concert cruise on July 22 before the show.
John Kadlecik brings Jay Lane of Ratdog to join his band for a pair of afterparties on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 25 and 26. Both shows are at American Beauty.
The second weekend of the run has Dopapod playing two nights at the Gramercy Theatre on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29. Also on July 29 are Bonerama at Iridium and Torus and the Mushroom Cloud at Drom.
The final stretch of Phish shows see fewer afterparties. Zach Deputy hits up American Beauty after Phish on Wednesday, Aug. 2. Saturday, Aug. 5 has a pair of shows with Formula 5 at Lucille’s at B.B. King’s and Particle back at the Cutting Room for their “Director’s Cut.”
Tickets for all of these shows, except Dopapod, are on sale now. The Dopapod shows go on sale on Friday, April 14 at noon.
Vermont jam band Twiddle and Buffalo groove rockers Aqueous teamed up for a legendary weekend of music. Saturday March 4, not only marked Twiddle’s first two-night run at the historical venue, but also marked Aqueous’ debut. Saturday night was marked a sell out, while Sunday night ticket sales landed just under capacity.
Aqueous made the most out of their debut weekend. The band’s hometown fan base came out in full support, with many AQ fans traveling to witness the group’s first shows at the Town Ballroom. Mike Abrahamson made the five hour drive from Hudson Falls, NY and commented, “I’ve never heard a crowd that loud for the opening band. It was insanity.”
Saturday night, Aqueous opened with the fan favorite “Strange Times.” Moving forward, the set progressed to a newer tune, the recently debuted “Second Sight.” “Numbers and Facts” took a highly talked about turn, when the band switched gears midway and debuted a cover of the NWA classic “Express Yourself,” featuring bassist Evan McPhaden on vocals with Twiddle bassist Zdenek Gubb on bass duties. McPhaden took to crowd surfing before returning to the stage to conclude “Numbers and Facts” with the band. Aqueous closed out their debut set with the high energy “Don’t Do It” from their EP Best in Show.
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Twiddle held nothing back on night one, instantly commanding the room with “Blunderbuss” an intense, high energy instrumental that is slated for release on the upcoming Plump – Chapter 2. Their Saturday night set was a varied list of fan favorites that spanned the band’s catalog including “Brick of Barley,” “Carter Candlestick,” “Indigo Trigger” and “Lost in the Cold.”
Twiddle also welcomed Aqueous guitarist Mike Ganzter for the Twiddle instrumental “Latin Tang.” Ganzter’s guitar work added an incredible layer of guitar harmonies. It also added an incredible layer of on-stage camaraderie. There is an evident level of musical respect and appreciation between the two bands that shines, specifically when Gantzer and Twiddle guitarist Mihali Savoulidis take the stage together.
The night concluded with Ganzter returning to the stage with McPhaden on synth. The pair sat-in with Twiddle for the Ray Parker Jr. hit “Ghostbusters.” The encore choice was inspired by a plaque in the venue, listing the site at one of Western New York’s most haunted buildings. Formerly known as the Town Casino and used as a speakeasy during Prohibition, employees of the Town Ballroom often report ghost sightings, unexplained sounds through the venue’s basement tunnels and the venue’s equipment often turning on without explanation.
Both bands used Saturday night’s momentum to launch a Sunday night burner. Aqueous came out firing, bringing a unique twist to some of their most beloved tunes. The night was kicked off with “Underlyer” and “Marty.” AQ then fired into an alternative funk version of “Eon Don” (nicknamed “Eon Ron”) before bringing on Twiddle drummer Brook Jordan for the David Bowie classic “Let’s Dance.” Vocals on the tune were handled by Aqueous drummer Rob Houk. Aqueous concluded their two-night run at the Town Ballroom with the high energy favorite “Origami.”
Longtime Buffalo fan Matt Shotwell enjoyed the band’s take on songs he’s heard at many previous shows: “Still can’t get over how they gave seemingly every song at least a slight reworking. New tempos, new licks and teases aplenty.”
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Sunday night proved that Aqueous is poised to move into larger venues. Their sound is built to fill a larger space. Abrahamson summed it up best telling NYS Music, “The boys absolutely commanded the attention of the room without hiccups. The sound was perfect in my opinion. It can be hard to upscale your sound to a bigger stage but they had no problem whatsoever.”
Their incredible use of layers and depth, enhanced by Lighting Director Ryan Bress, showcased an entire stage package that hometown fans have longed to see. Bress, also went on to light Twiddle both nights to rave reviews.
Twiddle brought high energy on Sunday night. The mellow mood established by first set opener “Subconscious Prelude” was quickly turned on its ear as the band turned the Town Ballroom into a dance party fueled by “Apples>Funkytown>Apples.” Set one also contained fan favorite “Gatsby the Great” and concluded with the instrumental tune “The Catapillar.”
Set two kicked off with “Earth Mama” followed by the moody and edgy combination of “Wasabi Eruption > The Box.” The four-song set concluded with “Syncopated Healing” featuring Ganzter on a quitar solo that had fans of both band’s talking. NYS Music Photographer Tim Merrill, who was shooting at the time even noted that “Gantzers solo during syncopated had me in tears in the pit. It was beautiful.” Ganzter returned to the stage with Twiddle for a Radiohead “Karma Police” encore.
Taylor Cauwels, who traveled both nights from Rochester, summed up the feelings of a lot of fans at the conclusion of the weekend. She told NYS Music, “So thankful for this band and the medicine they provide. I leave every show with more “frends” than I came with. The amazing feelings that radiated throughout the Ballroom were almost overwhelming. My cheeks still hurt from smiling so much.”
Gantzer left the weekend feeling supported by their local fan base. “I feel a true sense of pride and admiration for our fan base at this moment in time,” he said. “Our hometown crowd really brought it (as they always do), and the weekend was full of absolute magic because of their incredible energy and excitement; it was a shared experience and one that I’ll likely never forget.”
The weekend was not only a success for Twiddle and Aqueous, but also for the Twiddle fan funded organization The White Light Foundation. The charity held its first event in Buffalo successfully raising money for two Western New York charities, Crisis Services and Going to The Dogs Rescue.
Ganzter noted that, “We also have been having THE BEST time with the twiddle boys and their awesome crew, so we’re psyched to keep this momentum going with them on and off stage!”
Twiddle and Aqueous hit the road together again and head to Keene, New Hampshire on March 17 and March 18. The two bands will also be making stops together in Stroudsburg, PA and Washington, D.C. before concluding their shows together at the Playstation Theatre in New York City on March 31 and April 1. Aqueous was also recently announced on Twiddle’s Festival Tumble Down which will be held in Burlington on July 28 and July 29.
Twiddle Setlist via uTwiddle.net
Saturday 3/4/2017 Set 1: Blunderbuss, Polluted Beauty, White Light, Brick Of Barley, Carter Candlestick
Set 2: Wildfire, Indigo Trigger, Dr. Remidi’s Melodium, Latin Tang[1], Lost In The Cold Encore: Ghostbusters[2]
Show Notes: [1] “Latin Tang” featured Mike Gantzer (Aqueous) on guitar. [2] “Ghostbusters” featured Mike Gantzer (Aqueous) on guitar and Evan McPhaden (Aqueous) on bass.
Sunday 3/5/2017 Set 1: Subconscious Prelude, Apples -> Funky Town -> Apples, Gatsby The Great, Dusk ‘Til Dawn, The Catapillar
Set 2: Earth Mama, Wasabi Eruption -> The Box, Syncopated Healing[1] Encore: Karma Police[1]
Show Notes: [1] “Syncopated Healing” and “Karma Police” featured Mike Gantzer (Aqueous) on guitar.
Aqueous setlist via – aqueousband.com
Saturday 3/4/2017 Set 1: Strange Times, Second Sight, Numbers and Facts > Express Yourself1 2 3 > Numbers and Facts, Don’t Do It
Show Notes: 1NWA cover, Aqueous debut 2 Evan rapping (Last Evan rap – 2013/5/11 436 shows)3 Gubb [Twiddle] on bass, Donkey Kong theme in DDI, Post rapping Evan crowd surfed. #rockstar
Sunday 3/5/2017 Set 1: Underlyer > Marty, Eon Don > Let’s Dance1 2 > Complex Pt. I, Origami
Show Notes: 1 Rob on vocals 2 Brook Jordan [Twiddle] on drums, Let’s Dance last played 2016/8/11 67 shows
Catskill Chill festival lovers received a disappointing announcement that the fest is going on hiatus for 2017. Fans have been waiting for an announcement on 2017’s Catskill Chill Festival since the stage lights extinguished on 2016’s festival Sept. 25. Hoping for a lineup and date announcement for 2017, fans received the opposite news instead. Festival lovers can only hope the festival returns in 2018.
After seven years, Catskill Chill will take a hiatus in 2017. In a post to fans on social media, the Chillfam team reflected on how the festival brought people together and the one of a kind atmosphere that the festival created. The Chillfam team also thanked everyone from fans, vendors, bands/artist, volunteers, venues, promoters and media, who have supported the festival since its inception in September 2010.
One thing the festival promoters did not state in the post was why the festival would not take place, just stating that they needed to take a step back and that they will be be announcing Chillfam parties throughout the northeast real soon.
Many jamband favorites have played the festival throughout the years including Mike Gordon, George Clinton & Parliamant/Funkadelic, Greensky Bluegrass, Lettuce, moe., Twiddle, Dopapod, Kung Fu, Nth Power, Papadosio, and Pink Talking Fish to name a few.
Below is the festival’s statement issued through Facebook regarding the hiatus:
Twiddle has announced the 2017 lineup for their second annual Tumble Down music festival, held on the Burlington, Vermont waterfront, will include Fruition, Madaila, Aqueous and more.
Tumble Down, Twiddle’s music festival returning to Waterfront Park in their hometown of Burlington, Vermont July 28 and 29, features four sets from Twiddle along with sets from Americana/bluegrass act Fruition, Burlington psych pop band Madaila, Buffalo jammers Aqueous, and San Francisco-based Midnight North. The festival also features daytime sets from New York based acts Lucid and Teddy Midnight, along with Strange Machines, Holly Bowling and Vermonters Navytrain and The Mangroves.
In addition to the waterfront festival, Tumble Down features late night performances each night. July 28 will see the Everyone Orchestra, conducted by Matt Butler and featuring Holly Bowling along with members of Twiddle, Fruition and Midnight North, at Higher Ground, while lespecial and the Pitchblak Brass Band play Club Metronome. On July 29, Mihali and Friends play Higher Ground, and Gang of Thieves with Backup Planet are at Club Metronome. All the late night shows start at 11 p.m. The Higher Ground shows are all ages and are $18 in advance or $23 at the door, while you must be 21 or over to attend the Club Metronome shows, which are $10.
Tickets for Tumble Down 2017 and all the late night shows are on sale now. A two day pass for Tumble Down costs $63.
It had been quite a weekend for music in Albany thanks to the work of beloved promoter Greg Bell. Jamtronica founders, Particle, brought the heat to The Hollow Bar and Kitchen Friday, February 17 , followed there by Reed Mathis and Electric Beethoven Saturday, February 18. By Sunday evening, the fatigue of the long weekend had set in. But as committed fans, we got up, got dressed and headed up 787 to The Cohoes Music Hall to see Gubbilidis.
The Twiddle side project, consisting of Mihali Savoulidis and Zdenek Gubb, was both upbeat and positive – the cup of Joe needed to energize this Sunday evening crowd. The added espresso shot was the venue itself. Having only recently come under management by The Palace Theater in Albany, many in attendance were visiting The Cohoes Music Hall for the first time. Built in 1874, the historical theater is the perfect size venue for shows too big for venues like The Hollow, but ones that would be dwarfed by the The Palace Theater. It boasts decorative details and grandeur but the wooden benches, floors and walls give the feeling of an old-timey, western saloon. The environment is thoroughly refreshing for Capital Region music fans growing bored of the same venues night after night.
Using a loop pedal to layer the elements, Gubbilidis created the sound of a full band. Kicking off the evening with “Apples,” a Twiddle mainstay, Mihali beat boxed to create the percussion while Zdenek played his bass in such a way you’d think it was a lead guitar. “Every Soul” allowed the duo to get serious for a few minutes before letting the silly return with a funky “Brown Chicken Brown Cow.”
Mihali and Zdenek welcomed Scott Hannay of Mister F to the stage. The 8-bit keys and synthesizer were loud and high pitched but added a fun, video game vibe to Blues Traveler’s “Run Around.” Hannay continued his sit-in for “Mamunes the Faun” before the trio paused for a set break.
The second set featured an exciting mashup of “No Woman, No Cry,” “Glycerine,” “Farmhouse,” “Wagon Wheel” and “One Day.” Hannay returned to the stage for a cover of ALO’s “Barbeque” and Twiddle’s iconic “Jamflowman.” Zdenek nailed the bass solo and Mihali cranked out the guitar riffs, making this the highlight song of the evening. The second set wrapped up with “Hattibagen McRat,” a touching tribute to Mihali’s late friend.
All three men returned to the stage to encore with The Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon,” which featured a thrilling solo by Hannay and intricate and powerful guitar riffs from Mihali.
Set 1: Apples, White Light, Every Soul, Brown Chicken, Brown Cow, Run Around*, Mamunes the Faun*
Set 2: Rivers Drift, No Woman No Cry/Glycerine/Farmhouse/Wagon Wheel/One Day, Zazu’s Flight, Barbeque*, Jamflowman*, Hattibagen McRat*
moe. and Twiddle have announced a co-headlining show with special guest Pigeons Playing Ping Pong on August 13 at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO.
The weekend will kick off at Boulder Theater with moe. and Twiddle trading off acoustic and electric sets on August 11 and 12. Tickets go on sale February 17 through moe.org and Twiddlemusic.com
Multi-day, VIP and GA tickets will be available Friday, February 17.
The eclectic Everyone Orchestra performed a three-night run in Colorado, with the first night of the small tour at Warren Station in Keystone on January 12. The intimate venue positioned at the base of the ski resort was the perfect place for the group to host their jam filled night. This show’s all star line up conducted by Matt Butler, included Shira Elias and Josh Schwartz of Turkuaz, Chuck Jones and Eli Winderman of Dopapod, Eddie Roberts of the New Mastersounds, Michael Travis of the String Cheese Incident, and Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle.
The enthusiastic crowd danced the night away and sang along as the super group performed many jams guided by the project’s creator, Matt Butler. The lively night ended with a reggae tune which got the whole crowd singing “Keystone let the snow fall.” The group performed the next two nights in Denver and Fort Collins.
Vermont-based jam band Twiddle packed the Palace Theater in Albany with a near capacity crowd on NYE. Fellow Vermont two piece Soule Monde and Buffalo groove rockers Aqueous opened in support.
photo by Steven Rauch
Twiddle pleased fans with two sets of music. The night opened with Twiddle’s most recent song “Moments.” The first set also included “Blunderbuss,” the band’s newest instrumental piece, which was debuted this past May at the Capitol Theatre. Twiddle’s first set also included fan favorites “Lost in the Cold,” “Doinkinbonk,” and first set closer “Apples.”
Twiddle took to the stage just before midnight with the members of Soul Monde and Aqueous to ring in the new year with “Auld Syne Lang”. As the clock struck midnight, fans in the venue’s balcony lobbed hundreds of green and purple balloons onto concert goers on the venue’s lower level. Everyone also stayed onstage for a rendition of ALO “Barbeque”. The second set also included an extended version of “Polluted Beauty,” “Jamflowman” and “Frankenfoote.”
Twiddle returned to the stage for their encore with Aqueous’ Mike Gantzer and Dave Loss, as the band debuted the classic hit “Layla.” Although the band is often know for teasing the tune, it was the first complete performance of the song.
The Albany performance closed out a stellar year for Twiddle, who continue to develop a growing fan base, perform sold out shows and grow into larger venues as well as their own festival Tumble Down, which will enter its sophomore year this summer.
photo by Steven Rauch
2017 is already shaping up to be another stellar year for the band. Announced dates include a January stint on Jam Cruise as well as the Jungle Jam in Costa Rica in March. Twiddle hits the road with Aqueous in support for several dates including multiple two night runs in February and March. Twiddle is on a short respite until the end of the month.
Setlist:
Set One: Moments, Doinkinbonk!!!!, Lost in the Cold, Blunderbuss, Daydream Farmer, Dusk til Dawn, Apples
Set Two: Auld Lang Syne (with Soule Monde and Aqueous) BBQ (with soule Monde and Aqueous), Polluted Beauty, Zazu’s Flight, Jamflowman, Frankenfoote
Encore: Layla (with Mike Gantzer and Dave Loss of Aqueous)
The 
