NYS Music was blessed to sit down for a candid conversation with Nikki Glaspie, spokesperson and drummer for The Nth Power. Nikki first gained national attention drumming for Beyonce for five years. She has since worked with New Orleans powerhouse Ivan Neville in Dumpstaphunk and now has her own project, The Nth Power.
All this and more is discussed in the 47th episode of the Rochester Groovecast Podcast. Check out the link below for your listening pleasure!
Timestamp:
0:00: “Right Now” by The Nth Power
3:55: Introduction
5:45: Conversation with Nikki Glaspie
39:40: Conclusion
40:55: “Truth” by The Nth Power
Summer Camp Music Festival 2018 was a circus of strange artistic juxtapositions, wild forays into the outer limits of musical expression, and once-in-a-lifetime interactions between friends, new and old, both on stage and in the crowd. Jay Goldberg Events and Entertainment has fine-tuned this ever-growing event to highlight all the glitz and grunge that makes a proper music festival special, not to mention that the lineup, amenities and culture of Summer Camp continue to set the standard for what fans have come to expect at a major festival.
It was a smooth entry into Three Sisters Park for festival goers during the day on Thursday, and while traffic increased over the weekend, there was no painful gridlock or major incidents to report. It was fun to see the dramatic increase in campsites from Thursday to Friday, and more impressive is the way in which Summer Camp maximizes the grounds to comfortably contain so many attendees, stages, and facilities within a single, highly accessible loop.
While Thursday was essentially a bonus day of music before the headliners took over the main stages for the weekend, the first night of shows was nothing to scoff at as Beats Antique, Crosseyed and Phishless, Lettuce, Porn and Chicken, Steady Flow, Keller Williams, Yonder Mountain String Band and others took turns knocking it out of the park.
Crosseyed and Phishless had the Starshine Stage rolling, treating fans to Stevie Wonder and Pink Floyd covers and teasing them with “Fluffhead” throughout the set without ever playing the Phan favorite. Beats Antique followed on the Starshine stage, successfully bringing the crowd to a boil as twilight faded into neon. Lettuce’s Starshine Stage set was one of the most talked about shows of the weekend: a flawless masterwork of psychedelic funk that had the whole field moving in waves.
Porn and Chicken’s “in-your-face” dubstep set filled out the Vibe Tent for the first time, which also started the process of transforming one of the busiest dance floors at Scamp into a mud pit. Eliot Lipp, a veteran producer based out of New York, delivered a set of his unique precision flow dance grooves, keeping the young crowd moving on their toes, as the grassy floor continued to give way to mud.
The Camping Stage hosted shows throughout the day on Thursday, but it really got rocking at night. Space Carnival, from Ithaca, New York, played an exciting set of extended, spacey jams that had the growing crowd dancing. Louisville’s Quiet Hollers took the stage next, impressing listeners in their Summer Camp return. Scamp veterans, Steady Flow’s heavy gumbo funk attracted a slew of fans, and by the time they covered Dr. Dre’s “What’s the Difference Between Me and You,” the crowd was packed and everybody in it was straight coastin’.
It was the Campfire Stage, however, that set the tone for the weekend on Thursday night. The Kyle Hollingsworth Band delighted fans by welcoming Hollingsworth’s String Cheese Incident bandmate, Jason Hann, who was there to perform with EOTO, to the stage. KHB was joined later by living legend Keller Williams, who helped close out the set with “I Know You Rider.” Keller, who has played Scamp more times than anyone but moe., took to the Campfire Stage next for his own show. Yonder Mountain String Band, who was joined by Alie Kral, played a gorgeous set of traditional bluegrass, then dubbed it the “Yonder Mountain Sausage Party” and walked off stage, promising better ratios later in the weekend.
The VIP upgrade at Summer Camp is worth it for the exclusive sets alone, but the other amenities provided with it make it a great deal. The VIP sets on Thursday were not to be missed. Headliners Umphrey’s McGee played their first sets of the weekend, first an intimate umVIP set, which was then followed by a late-night Red Barn show that featured fan favorites “Slacker,” “Out of Order,” “Blue Echo,” and “Resolution” and a cover of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” Other VIP highlights included shows by Break Science, EOTO, and the one-off Nine Inch Nails tribute Nailed It!, featuring Eliot Lipp and members of Cherub, Umphrey’s McGee, and Zoogma.
Three Sisters Park was packed with people by Friday. Tents were being pitched deeper and deeper in the forest and green space was disappearing rapidly in the field. But as the weekend population of Chillicothe steadily rose, so did the jubilation in the air, and anticipation for everyone’s favorite artists.
Friday got off to a hot start as Keller and the Keels broke in the Sunshine Stage early in the afternoon. Moe. followed suit by breaking in the Moonshine Stage afterwards. Moe. opened their first set with Pink Floyd’s “Breathe,” worked through an extended “Puebla,” mirrored the stormy skies with an apropos version of “Haze,” and finally ended early when lightning shut down the festivities for the time being.
The rain held off after some brief showers, but from then on things got very complicated for fans as there were literally dozens of primo acts playing in competing timeslots, people had to pick and choose who they wanted to see and how long they wanted to stay. First Twiddle, Protoje, and Keys ‘n Krates battled for fans; then it was Yonder Mountain String Band, John Medeski’s Mad Skillet, and Con Brio who shared a time slot; the wealth of riches continued with Lettuce, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, and Organ Freeman playing at the same time; and finally SOJA, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and Nikki Lane made fans make yet another tough decisions on where to spend their time.
After the action packed evening, headliners Umphrey’s McGee launched into their first main stage set of the weekend. The set featured the debut of “Triangle Tear,” a song off of the brand new album it’s you, sit-ins by Lettuce members Eric “Benny” Bloom and Ryan Zoidis on The Police’s “Canary in a Coalmine” and “Booth Love,” who were then joined by pedal-steel guitarist Mike Racky for a cover of Sturgill Simpson’s “Call to Arms” which ended the first set.
Between UM sets, Tipper filled the Moonshine amphitheater to the brim with fans anxiously awaiting the Englishman’s Journey set, which featured a one-off collaboration with visual artist Steven Haman, adding elusive three-dimensional visuals to the mix as Tipper moved from downtempo ambience to uptempo grooves as the set progressed. It’s safe to say Tipper had a successful Summer Camp debut, as he absolutely packed the house, delivered a fire set, and left half the festival in exuberant reflection and wanting more.
Umphrey’s McGee returned to the Sunshine Stage and played a string of classics. They opened with “Ocean Billy,” followed with a “Remind Me” > “Miss Tinkle’s Overture” > “Wappy Sprayberry” > “Remind Me” sandwich. Nigel Hall, of Lettuce, then joined Bayliss and company on keys for “Den.” After a brief pause, UM encored with another 2018 debut, “Half Delayed,” followed by another classic, “Partyin’ Peeps.”
The parade of talent was hardly over after the headliners exited the stage on Friday night. In fact, the party went long into the night, but once again fans had to make some tough decisions on whom to see. Slightly Stoopid, EOTO, and Zoogma all played at the same time, as did R.L. Grime, The Funk Hunters, The Rumpke Mountain Boys, and Marco Benevento; and while Break Science and Zomboy played outstanding electronic sets at the Vibe Tent, Pink Talking Fish performed in the Soulshine Tent, and Buffalo’s Aqueous played a wild two-hour, six-song set at the Campfire Stage, letting Scampers feast on their deep exploratory improvisation. The set also featured a “Cliffs of Dover” bustout, playing it for the first time in 300 plus shows, and the debut of Oysterhead’s “Pseudo Suicide.”
The VIP lineup for Friday was even more ridiculous than Thursday. The special sets kicked off early, with Kyle Hollingsworth and Joel Cummins pairing up for a keyboard soiree. Keller Williams, the busiest player on the scene, did another set for the lounge while the rest of the stacked schedule included shows by Horseshoes & Handgrenades, Spafford, and The Werks, plus late-night Red Barn sets by moe. and Twiddle.
Regardless of which adventure one chose to explore on Friday, there was ample fun and too much brilliant music for one person to take in, so you couldn’t go wrong. But before any of it got started, I had the pleasure of speaking with Greg Ormont, vocalist and guitarist from Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, to bring you a bird’s eye view of the festivities. Fresh off of two sold out 930 Club shows in Washington, D.C. and a headlining slot for the sold out Domefest, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong arrived at Summer Camp riding a high wave. Greg’s energy ahead of the Pigeons show was evident, as he was jubilant in describing Summer Camp, saying “this festival is awesome because a lot of our friends play here. So it’s a reunion for the artists—our buddies Aqueous are here, I just saw the Main Squeeze last night—it’s nice to be around the water cooler with all the homies again and the crowd out here is wild. It’s a rowdy group of people who love music.” After Friday, I could not agree more.
Before the music got started on Saturday, I spoke with Rob Hauk, Dave Loss, and Evan McPhaden of Aqueous, who, having just played a dynamic late-night set a few hours earlier, echoed Scrambled Greg’s sentiments. It’s so refreshing to know that these brilliant musicians can appreciate a festival for the same reasons that so many of the fans do—of course, the music—but, as guitarist Dave Loss said of Summer Camp, “It’s like a homecoming. A lot of our friends are here and it’s always fun to play in the Midwest.” Drummer Rob Hauk added, “The fans out here like our edge.” It’s this humble vibe, paired with outsized talent, which makes the whole Summer Camp experience one to savor for fans and artists alike.
Like Friday, Saturday offered a full slate of insanely juxtaposed sets from so many strangely complementary artists. The Moonshine and Sunshine Stages hosted wildly diverse rosters of music all day long. Spafford, the rapidly ascending jamsters from Arizona, started the day’s proceedings on the Sunshine stage with a hot set. They were followed in the heat by the veteran Colorado jamgrass outfit Leftover Salmon, who kept it cool jamming on classics and fresh cuts from their new album Something Higher. Just to keep it interesting, organizers followed that up with Action Bronson’s set of hardcore, humorous rap. STS9 hit the Sunshine Stage next and sounded out a seriously sexy show replete with liquid grooves, tight rhythms, and danceable jams. Despite the heat, STS9 had the crowd dialed into the party throughout their show. While there were still the familiar rumblings of jaded Tribe fans hankering for the old days following the show, the band at present is at the height of their powers and continuing to progress as a unit.
Headliners Umphrey’s McGee finished out the night on the Sunshine Stage again on Saturday. The first set included classics like “Plunger,” “Glory,” “2×2,” and “Hurt Bird Bath,” plus the always bouncing Snoop Dogg track “Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None),” with percussionist Andy Farag on vocals. The sextet returned with a “Mulche’s Odyssey” > “It Doesn’t Matter” > “Mulche’s Odyssey” combo that led into the live debut of “Seasons,” another cut from it’s you. Other second set highlights included a smooth cover of Prince’s “1999” and solid takes on “Dump City” and “August.” A “Jajunk” encore concluded an eventful day at the Sunshine Stage.
The Moonshine Stage also featured crazy variety on Saturday. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to catch Mike Dillon in one of his various projects, it will come as no surprise that the Punk Rock Percussion Consortium he led at Summer Camp was the most unique show of the whole weekend. Being a percussionist extraordinaire, it only makes sense that Dillon brought the drum circle, a music festival campground staple, to the main stage. Featuring a number of special guests, the drum circle included about a dozen musicians simultaneously playing various percussion instruments on Mike Dillon’s original compositions. Indie-rockers Guster followed the Percussion Consortium, and vocalist Ryan Miller summed up the whole Scamp vibe, saying, “Thank you to the curators of this fucked-up, weird festival.”
The weirdness was in full effect as classic hip-hop foursome Cypress Hill took over the Moonshine Stage for their much anticipated set. The crowd was into the hits “Insane in the Brain” and “Dr. Greenthumb,” but there was also a deluge of in-and-out traffic for the show, as a number of the attendees only showed for a song or two just to say that they had seen Cypress Hill.
The crowd could not have been more different for moe.’s first set on Saturday. The amphitheater was packed with moe. fans who were delighted to be there and weren’t going any further than the next dance step took them. There was bliss in the air as the band opened with “Billy Goat,” featuring bassist Rob Derhak’s signature vocals and basslines. Ain’t nobody live forever, indeed, but everyone in attendance was grateful and ecstatic for Rob’s Summer Camp return. The first set also saw the band do fan favorites “Kids” and an adventurous version of “Rebubula.” The quintet came out blazing in the second set, covering Pink Floyd’s “Time” and “Breathe” before starting a saucy “Plane Crash,” which transitioned into a “Buster” > “Silver Sun” jam. To cap it off, the rockers encored with the end of “Plane Crash” before finishing with the debut of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.”
The Saturday late-night lineup was up to snuff as well, with The Werks crushing the long jams all night, with beaming versions of “OG,” “Headin’ South,” and “Going Round,” plus a tasty “Hard to Find” > “Lights Out” > “Hard to Find” sandwich. Meanwhile, Z-Trip and Liquid Stranger kept the Vibe Tent packed with people until the end of the night. Sun Stereo also pulled off one of the coolest tribute sets of the weekend with their Sun Stereo Battles the Pink Robots set, during which they played songs from The Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Once again the late-night VIP shows were stellar on Saturday, with Aqueous, STS9, and Keys n’ Krates all taking the stage.
Sunday’s schedule had absolutely no slack in it either: all of the headliners played, a handful of festival mainstays joined the fray, and a wealth of up-and-comers took to the stage. Longstanding, influential rockers Los Lobos played a crowded show under the scorching sun to start the final day on the Moonshine Stage, proving that they can still work their magic after all these years. Victor Wooten also made the most of his time at Summer Camp, playing three sets on Sunday. The Victor Wooten Trio set on the Moonshine Stage, featuring drummer Dennis Chambers and saxophonist Bob Franceschini, treated fans to some of the most fun and savvy musicianship of the weekend. J.J. Grey and Mofro added a set of bluesy originals and poignant covers, including John Anderson’s “Seminole Wind” and The Beatles’ “Hey Jude.” Tycho dropped in for a set of ambient electronica played before a large crowd at the Moonshine Stage.
Fittingly, moe.’s two Sunday sets closed out the Moonshine Stage in style. They opened the first set with the rocker “Seat of My Pants,” went back to the Led Zeppelin catalogue for a cover of “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do,” and finished the first set with a flourish, pairing “Lazarus” and “Moth.” Moe. returned with purpose, letting drummer Vinnie Amico lead the band into “Brent Black” which was followed by two gems, “Bullet” and “Kyle’s Song,” that had all the moe.rons singing along. “Four” > “Brent Black (Reprise)” concluded the set, but moe. was not about to stop there, as they encored with tasty takes on “New York City” and “Wind It Up,” putting the final touches on a heady weekend of music.
The Sunshine Stage was stacked with headliners all day Sunday. Umphrey’s McGee played their final set of the weekend, a concise show that saw two more it’s you debuts, “Xmas at Wartime” and “Push & Pull,” a funky “Mail Package,” plus a multi-layered chain-jam featuring “Bridgeless,” “Great American,” “Tribute to the Spinal Shaft,” “Whistle Kids,” and a cover of Toto’s “Africa.” (Weezer fans eat your heart out!)
Sunday was the hottest day of the festival, with temperatures climbing toward 100 degrees, but Greensky Bluegrass was able to match the heat with a sweltering late afternoon set of bluegrass, priming the massive crowd for the Phil Lesh shows that were to follow on the Sunshine Stage.
Phil Lesh is one of the original beacons from which music festivals draw inspiration and he has played at nearly every major festival and venue in America, so it was a great pleasure to witness his Summer Camp debut. He brought with him the Terrapin Family Band and a friend by the name of Eric Krasno, but there were many more surprises in store. Phil opened with a pair of classics, “Alligator” and “Brown-Eyed Women” before bringing Anders Beck from Greensky Bluegrass up to play on “Cassidy.” Next, Phil picked another one from the Pigpen-era songbook, playing a scorching “Mr. Charlie.” He then invited moe. guitarist Al Schnier to the stage to help with “Jack Straw” and Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” The first set closed with “Dancing in the Streets,” which had everybody moving in sync and ready for more Dead jams. When the band emerged for the second set, Al Schnier was once again on stage, playing lead on a sizzling “Shakedown Street.” Crowd favorites “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider” followed, but Phil was pulling no punches on Sunday and unleashed a beautiful “St. Stephen” > “Terrapin Station” combo, only to venture into a raucous “Viola Lee Blues” that drifted into a cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In the Free World” which ended the second set. In typical fashion, Phil returned with a donor rap honoring Cody, his liver donor, before encoring with Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour,” accompanied by JJ Grey and the Mofro horn section.
The headliners were the highlight on Sunday, but the schedule was packed all day. Diplo played the final Moonshine Stage show, packing it one last time, and dropping the set of the weekend for a lot of Scampers. A number of bands growing in popularity, such as Backup Planet, Future Rock, Kung Fu, Mungion and Sun Stereo also performed throughout the day, plus the VIP stages hosted even more unique performances, including shows by Tyler Childers, Mike Dillon, Liquid Stranger, Tauk, Victor Wooten, and a special show by Everyone Orchestra. The Everyone Orchestra featured an All-Star lineup, with members of Umphrey’s McGee, moe., The Terrapin Family Band, Roosevelt Collier, Mike Dillon, and more, and was played in celebration of the Make-a-Difference Village—the extensive outreach program hosted by Summer Camp Music Festival that benefits a plethora of nonprofit organizations and good causes over the weekend.
While there were plenty of heartwarming moments at Summer Camp, one of the most heartening experiences was speaking with Aaron Ghitelman of HeadCount, an organization founded by the Disco Biscuits’ Mark Brownstein that registers voters. HeadCount is now in its fourteenth year of existence and continues to grow throughout the music scene and beyond, with a presence at more than 1,000 events per year. Not only are HeadCount volunteers handing out Bobo’s Oat Bars for music fans who register to vote at events like Summer Camp all across the United States, they are gaining significant support from the artists themselves. In speaking with Ghitelman, he said, “Al Schnier was one of the first artists after Brownie to get involved, which led to Bob Weir’s involvement.” Artist engagement with HeadCount is on the rise, too. David Byrne, Dead and Co., Jack Johnson, Lake Street Dive, Dave Matthews, and Phish have all played a role in supporting HeadCount. Look for HeadCount at Participation Row on Dead and Co. tour, at Lockn’ Music Festival, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn Steel, the Capitol Theater, SPAC, and many other venues this summer.
That’s a wrap on Summer Camp 2018! In a phrase, it was fireworks, calliopes, and clowns. The music never stops, so we will see you next year, Scampers, until then check out our coverage of all the summer’s hottest concerts in New York and beyond.
A group of fresh faces by the name of FLOTUS are taking over the Syracuse, NY music scene. FLOTUS, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Eric Thompson, keyboardist Ryan McKeown, bassist Blake Trexler and drummer Sean Ferguson, took home the glory at an annual Battle of the Bands competition held by Orange Music Group (OMGSyracuse) at Syracuse University.
This landed the group 6 hours of free recording time at SubCat Studios in downtown Syracuse. With this prize, the group has launched their first EP, Sundance, which is available for listening on Spotify and iTunes. FLOTUS has also just dropped their first ever music video, “Swim To Me,” which is linked below. This video is fun for the summer and features bright, bold visuals, with vocalist Eric Thompson shot singing along to the tune.
Brianna Skelly: Hi, guys!! How are we doing here?
FLOTUS: Hey, it’s going good!! It’s great to be talking to you.
BS: Great, it’s wonderful to become acquatinted with you all. Now, I’ve heard that the name “FLOTUS” was inspired by Michelle Obama’s Twitter handle. Would you mind telling me more about that?
BlakeTrexler: Yeah, of course. Well, the guys and I were messing around at practice one day, just tossing names back and forth and FLOTUS was thrown into the mix. We liked it. It’s actually become a running joke between the band. We like to switch up the acronym at our shows. Keeps things interesting.
BS: That’s so unique! So, how did the four of you meet?
Sean Thompson: Well, we’re all music majors at Syracuse University, so we all happened to meet by chance in a class, but Ryan and I went to the same high school.
BS: That’s amazing. What are your majors underneath music? Are you all majoring in performance or something different?
Ryan McKeown: Eric and I are sound recording technology majors. Blake and Sean are both majoring in music industry.
BS: Wonderful. Both great areas take up as a music major. Being students, do you find it hard to balance school work, shows, and band practices?
Eric Thompson: Time management is always tight, but we try our hardest to make it work and practice as much as we possibly can, even if we have to get together at night after classes. I think what helps us the most is that we became friends before the band formed. We met in class our first semester, and after that things came together. I think it’s important to have a personal connection with people you’re spending so much time with. There has to be a balance. Like, we’ll have practices where we need to buckle down and focus and then practices where we’re just hanging out while we play. Having fun with it.
BS: I think that’s important, too. A balance between work and play, if you will. You can’t have one without the other. Now, getting more into the music. Are there any venues or local cafés that your band frequents?
ET: Yes. We played our first gig as a band at Funk n’ Waffles. It was a good atmosphere. Super rough performance, but we made the most of it. We were opening for a friend and I went out on stage and I had to improvise for a long time. I just remember looking backstage and the guys couldn’t come out because this dude was telling us to move our car in this alleyway. It was definitely a gig the band won’t ever forget, but it was a good time in spite of everything.
BS: Wow, that’s rough. I’m glad it worked out in the end, though. Do you guys have a permanent vehicle?
SF: No. We’re trying our hardest to save for a van. We’re lucky that we have loved ones in our lives that care for us, but there have been times where we’ve had to load equipment into taxis. I even remember a number of times where we’ve had to walk with heavy amplifiers and drum sets to shows because we didn’t have the transportation available that we need.
BS: Now, that is some serious dedication to your music. I’ve never heard anything like that. Keep up with that ambition and it will take you extremely far.
BT: Thank you so much.
BS: Of course. So, your EP Sundance came out this February. What inspired your EP, if anything?
ET: Well, the opportunity came along because our group won a Battle of the Bands competition at our university. The prize was 6 hours of recording time for free. We couldn’t afford any extra time in the studio, so we buckled down and actually got the entire EP recorded within that 6 hour time frame. We didn’t have any time for many editing technicalities, either, so we ran the songs and the recording quality came out sounding very homemade. It’s extremely similar to what you’ll get from a live performance of ours. Also, where we go to school, it’s incredibly cold. I remember once we played a house show in an attic, and it was so cold that you could see your breath throughout the entire performance. It was memorable, though, not just because of the cold, but because of the atmosphere. I think that’s what is most important to our band and the main idea of this EP, as well. We like making light of things and remembering the sunshine when times are hard. We want everyone to find a place in our music and to find the sun beyond the clouds. That was the main inspiration behind it.
BS: That’s an incredible message to express to your listeners. Also, incredible time management skills. Getting an EP done in 6 hours is impressive. You’re an ambitious group of guys. You mentioned wanting everyone to find a place in your music. Is there a specific musical influence driving your band?
RM: I think we all have personal influences musically, but that’s what makes it work. Each of us brings our own individual style to the group.
SF: Right. We also try to make music that is accessible for everyone, whether you like jazz or rock or funk. We want to make stuff that real musicians can appreciate and we try to be versatile. We’ll cover any song. We want to have a place for everything and everyone inside of our music.
BS: I like the inclusive mindset. Being versatile is a smart move. Can your listeners expect an album on the horizon anytime soon?
ET: Our listeners can expect new songs. We plan on writing and touring lots over the summer. Our goal is to be touring all around the country. An album is definitely in our thoughts, but its a long-term goal.
FLOTUS is a great live group with terrific energy onstage and a terrific stage presence, as well. Linked below is a video of FLOTUS where you can find the group performing, as well as talking new music with CitrusTV. FLOTUS has plans of touring throughout the summer, and they are a great new group to give some attention in the coming months.
On Friday June 1, guitarist Tom Hamilton and pianist Holly Bowling will bring their acoustic duo project to The Capitol Theatre for what is sure to be a magnificent set of Grateful Dead material. The show is billed as ‘Acoustic Exploration of The Grateful Dead.’
Currently, Hamilton and Bowling are touring together with Steve Lyons, Raina Mullen and Scotty Zwang as the highly received jam outfit Ghost Light. Given that but also given both Hamilton and Bowling’s extensive backgrounds in bringing new life to The Grateful Dead songbook, this Capitol Theatre show should be one of those shows to get out and see at all costs. For more info, visit The Capitol Theatre’s website.
In our excitement for the show, NYS Music sat down with Tom Hamilton and discussed in depth the nature of improvisation in today’s modern music climate.
Miles Hurley: So I understand that you’ve been playing with Holly Bowling since her many sit-ins with American Babies. And then of course there’s Ghost Light, and now this duo project. What draws the two of you together musically?
Tom Hamilton: I’d say we both respect the idea of improvising, and of really trying to go places. And seeing how far away from an origin we can take things out. And we listen. The whole thing for me, and for a lot of people I think, when it comes to improvising, is listening to what each other is saying, and giving each other the time and space to say what they have to say, and then reacting accordingly.
MH: What do find is different about improvising in a two-person setting as opposed to with a full band?
TH: Well the principle is always the same, and…well with the acoustic thing, there are just different variables, you know? The acoustic thing is interesting because, not only is it just two of us, but it’s an acoustic guitar instead of an electric guitar, and the pallet that I get to choose from is different. Different than what there normally would be with a band. So I guess it’s kind of doubly-different then. And I think for Holly, you could pretty much say the same thing, because in the band she’s using the keyboards, and not an actual grand piano. And there’s an enormous difference between the way she plays those two.
It’s like having any kind of conversation. The best kind of conversations a person will have, it’s not just the other person waiting to say what they want to say, it’s: “okay, I have heard what you’ve said, and I will retort.” A real back and forth. So with Holly and I, there’s a lot of respect, and a lot of listening.
MH: I got to catch Ghost Light’s show at The Acoustic in Bridgeport, and I could see what you’re explaining going on. Seeing the way you guys interact when building jams was almost as good as hearing it.
TH: Yeah, the thing I always try to stress is, let’s try to write a song right here on the spot. Let’s try to write a Radiohead tune right now. And see what happens, and if it goes somewhere it goes somewhere, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. It’s about making choices. I think that’s the difference between bands that can get around, and bands that kind of just noodle. It’s a thing of saying things with a period on the end, rather than a question mark. “You said this, so this is what I say.” You keep making things happen. And sometimes it’s complete dogshit, and that’s totally fine. That’s the point of it, that it can go either way, and I think people respond to that. I think that’s why people come, because it could be the greatest thing ever, or the worst thing ever, and they think, “I want to see which way it goes today.” As long as everybody’s making choices, it’s always going to be a good outcome.
MH: One thing I think is interesting is that Holly started out doing the tribute thing, and I remember asking her about writing her own music, which Ghost Light has now given her the opportunity to do. But this acoustic project and now The Capitol Theatre Show will almost kind of bring both of you guys back full circle.
TH: Yeah, you know The Capitol and the Dead are both that common thread between us two. When we were asked about doing this, we just said absolutely. For me, the thing that makes it super not a problem is that…as long as we’re still chasing original music. And I mean original music, not like, “oh I’m going to take music that’s pretty been written a thousand times and put different words over it,” or something. No, like original songs and doing original things. As long as we’re using our other time to doing that, and contributing to the lexicon, I think it’s great. It’s great that we get to have the best of both worlds.
MH: This will be another one of several different Dead related projects you’ve been involved with. I think there’s something to be said for the fact of people coming to see you tribute The Grateful Dead in not just one but multiple different projects.
TH: I mean it’s certainly flattering, I will say that. It’s an honor that people care. And we’re lucky enough that with that songbook, you can keep it fresh, as has been proven over the last fifty years. Those songs are living documents that are always going to be growing, and as long as you’re helping that, and keeping it moving in a forward direction, it’s a wonderful thing, and I’m glad to be doing it.
MH: Thinking outside the Dead, were there any particular music artists that you and the other members of Ghost Light have bonded over?
TH: The fun thing about Ghost Light, I think, is it’s five pretty different points of view. I mean, yes, there’s bands that we all agree on. Like Radiohead is fucking Radiohead. They’re the Beatles of our time, and The Beatles are The Beatles of everybody’s time. There’s certain truths you can’t escape.
But there is like…we do a couple of Rolling Stones tunes, and it’s not that I don’t like The Stones, but I wouldn’t have brought that it, and Holly did, and that’s awesome. I brought in a Derek and The Dominoes tune that we do, that probably nobody else in the band would’ve brought that in. Raina brought in this song called “Wild One” that’s just this awesome punk tune, that none of us would’ve thought of. Scotty brought in “Head over Heels” from Tears for Fears.
We all have our own place we’re coming from. That’s the thing that turns me on about the band, and about people in general. It’s a weird time we’re in that most people, through either social media or in social situations, they surround themselves with sicophants. Surrounding yourself with people that are just going to say yes, or agree with what you’re saying, or have the exact same tastes as you. Where it’s like, “well if you don’t listen to what I listen to or believe what I believe, then I can’t hang out with you.” And I get it, but it’s also bullshit, and you’re not going to bring anything new to the world, by a bunch of people just agreeing with each other. And this is bigger than just music I guess, but differing opinions need to touch each other to create a new opinion, to bring understanding and to broaden horizons.
Like, everybody in the band, we all got together because we all love Neil Diamond, okay? And, more than likely, we’re going to end up making a shitty version of Neil Diamond. Which, A) nobody needs, because nobody needs a shitty version of Neil Diamond, and B) Neil Diamond already exists, you know what I mean? I think, putting together this group of people, the fact that everybody is coming from five pretty different places, that’s what’s making this band good, and that’s why people are reacting to it. It’s not something that just like what already exists.
MH: I feel that we’ve reached a bit of an influx, in the sense that there’s so many bands out there today, doing the jam thing, but it’s getting harder to do that jam thing without sounding unoriginal.
TH: Well I think it is easy to do that, if you just work at it. That’s the thing. It’s harder, obviously. But who the fuck said it was supposed to be easy? If it’s easy then you get a lot of what’s going on, which is just a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy. If you look at JRAD, that’s five super different folks, trying to sound original every time they walk on stage. You know, for being a band that covers the Grateful Dead, I feel like we’re more original than a lot of bands going, because we openly say, “listen, the songs aren’t ours, but the jams are.” You have some of these jambands that claim to have original music, but it’s a Phish song with different words, or executed poorly.
And it’s hard, it’s not easy. When we were writing this Ghost Light record, I was banging my head against the wall for months and months. That’s the nature of the gig, you have to try and navigate through an ocean of stuff that’s already happened. This Ghost Light record, there’s a lot of tracks where I just think, this sounds like us. I’m really proud of it.
Rochester’s Jon Lewis Band is experiencing its fair share of notoriety on the heels of releasing their eighth album in four years, Get Wild Somewhere. In the month of May, lead singer Jon Lewis made the media rounds, appearing on WXXI’s Connections with Evan Dawson to talk about how streaming is impacting musicians, as well as on college radio stations WRUR and WBER, and the band opened the Rochester Lilac Festival.
Jon Lewis recently spoke with NYSMusic about the process of making music with his best friends, eeking out a full-time career in music and art, and the largest pizza he’s ever seen.
Amy Cavalier: What inspired this album? Why did you feel the need to fly out of Rochester to record this album?
Jon Lewis: After we finished recording our previous EP “Baby Brother,” we were given an amazing opportunity to record in our friend’s newly built studio in Los Angeles. With that in mind, we began to write and practice songs that were all intentionally constructed to be played and recorded live. We didn’t want to do any overdubs or try to manipulate our sound too much. This made it possible to record in a shorter period of time and also enabled us to make something that showcases all of our individual strengths. All the songs were written for this album. A totally fresh brew of tunes.
AC: Despite some major weather delays, you were able to record this in just a few days. What types of challenges arose and what did you learn from the process?
JL: This experience was insane. We were supposed to have a solid three to four days in the studio, but because of nearly two full days of weather delays, we only had a day and a half to record the album. In the end, we had prepped for such a thing and ended up recording the entire band live in one day. We never wanted to take a long time, and it almost seemed like Mother Nature was challenging our convictions and everyone in Jon Lewis band rose to the challenge.
We showed up ready to play, and everyone at the studio made it possible by prepping and being on-hand for the whole process. Plus, there was a brewery across the street, so we were well taken care of. We also ate the biggest pizza I had ever seen that had to be taken in through the loading dock door because it was too large to fit through the door.
AC: What was the idea behind the creation of the video for “Cinnamon Only,” the sixth track on Get Wild Somewhere? How long did it take to create? Do you plan to make videos for more of your songs?
JL: I animated the video entirely using colored paper and sketches I made. It took about a month from start to finish. I drew and cut out the characters, then photographed/animated them against a green screen. Then I put all the layers together to create something I like to call “Paper World.”
I’ve done several of these projects and it’s truly a joy and passion of mine. This video was created as I went; I started drawing a face and then thought, “she should be riding a motorcycle” and then when I drew that I thought, “and she should be accompanied by a wolf spirit guide” and then just kept drawing and writing as I went. The plot and story completely unfolded as I continued to work, just letting the song dictate the imagery. I will definitely be making more videos, just as soon as I get some time.
AC: How do you find the inspiration to keep coming up with new material on such a regular basis? What does the songwriting process look like for the JLB?
JL: The songwriting for the band has been an ever-evolving creature. In the beginning, I did a majority of the song writing, taking songs from my acoustic catalog and then translating them into a full band format. As time has passed, Dave Drago and I have become more of a battery for song writing. This new album is an example of how far we’ve come.
The inception of songs coming from Dave and myself, and then constructed and enlightened by everyone in the band. A true commutative effort. I still write quite a lot of songs specifically for my acoustic performances, as well as songs intentionally created for my alter-ego “Mr. Loops.” I am incredibly lucky to have different purposes for songs I write and that definitely helps the creative energy.
AC: You put out a very fun social media presence….your band seems like the kind of guys you could really just hang out with. Have you put thought into the image your band emulates? Or is this organic?
JL: Marketing and managing social media is a fun and yet also a very daunting task. I manage it all. Our band’s main purpose and function are that each member feels a no-stress and all-joy connection to the music. We are brothers and friends and family and without that feeling, we would not care to exist. It helps put out the right vibe and deep down that is because we feel it on a very real level.
AC: Your fans helped fund the recording of this album. Why do you think your fans are so willing to support you and eager to see you succeed?
JL: This album would not exist without the incredible love and support we got from our fans through our fundraiser. Once we decided to make the album in LA and to track it live, we knew this was the album to press on vinyl. We were successful after a few weeks time and that sent us to LA feeling so much positive energy, most certainly fueling our ability to overcome obstacles and make the music the best we could. I know our fans are invested in hearing what this journey has meant for our sound and how far we’ve come since our last release and I cannot wait to share it.
AC: If you could describe each of your band mates to a stranger (as a person and a musician), how would you describe them? And if they could describe you, what would they say?
JL: Dave (Drago, bass) is dad. He’s the reason any of the music exists as he has engineered/recorded and produced all of our albums in his studio 1809 Studios (link). He’s got vision, he’s upfront and he sees the infinite potential in a song and person unlike anyone I’ve ever met.
Jake (Walsh, drums) is our heartbeat. Consistent, positive and present, he has maintained the beat of the band since the very beginning. One of the most talented and empathetic human beings you can ever wish to meet.
Shawn (Brogan, lead guitar) is our hot sauce. His lead guitar licks and dissident sounds create the soul of our music. He’s technical and always creates a well-constructed lead lick. He’s “ride or die” and balances our sound and our group with energy and support.
Alex (Northrup, keys) is our bed. When Alex joined the band we knew we were finally comfy and complete. One of the most talented musicians I have ever met, he can pick up literally any instrument and make it sing. He’s technically proficient and also carries an edge of insanity that fits in with us so well. He’s a compassionate and amazing human.
Jon Lewis (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) I literally have no idea how the band would describe me but I would hope they would say something nice (or else).
AC: You are currently making a full-time living with music and performance art. Was this always your intention? What does it take to be a successful full-time musician in a small pond such as Rochester? Are there advantages to doing this here vs. in a bigger city with more competition?
JL: I am a full-time artist. I dropped out of college before I incurred any debt and went straight into the workforce. I worked sales for 10 years before building a foundation to quit and make art full-time.
It’s not easy, and I have to find new and innovative ways of making a living outside of just performing and making music. I do documentary film making for local historical societies, I animate and create music videos, and I perform music for kids as “Mr. Loops” – this combination has created an ever spinning wheel of work for me that keeps the dream of not going back to “work” possible.
If you want to chase a dream like this, you have to keep your eyes and doors open to different ways of being creative, and getting what you deserve for your creations. Rochester is certainly a more affordable place to live and play than larger cities, making this sort of crazy notion possible.
AC: Do you have a bigger vision for the Jon Lewis Band…not just to dominate the local Rochester music scene, but to make yourself known to a wider audience?
JL: I definitely keep an ever-expanding vision alive for my art and my music. I have very little expectations but I truly pour all of myself into every creation with the knowledge that there’s no way of knowing how long I will be lucky enough to be alive and make music. I would love to tour more, and still have many different adventures to take with performing.
AC: You recently traveled back to LA to audition for Blue’s Clues…how did that come about? Although you did not get a call back, what did you take from that experience?
JL: I sure did! After never being to LA as an adult I found myself there twice in a three month period. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to send my information and videos into Nickelodeon when I heard from a dear friend Malcolm Whitfield that they were looking for a new Blues Clues host.
They did respond, inviting me out to audition in person and I jumped at the chance. It was an amazing experience and one I will never forget. More than just the insanely cool audition experience, I was able to spend some serious quality time with my long-time friend Johnny McHone and soak up the sun more than we had a chance to when we were recording Get Wild Somewhere. I learned that, especially in LA, if you bring a positive and giving attitude to the city (no matter if you “win or lose”) that the city and life will repay you tenfold.
AC: How often do you perform as Mr. Loops? What other ways do you cobble together your living? Would you describe yourself as a starving artist? Or do you feel like you’re finally making headway?
JL: I perform regularly as Mr. Loops but would like to perform even more. I love to play music for kids and it keeps me silly and having fun in a business that can certainly be hard to manage. I find that the “struggle” of being an artist full-time greatly outweighs the “comfort” of a less rewarding career. I feel truly connected and alive making music and making art.
Steven Van Zandt, best known as guitarist in Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, is on the road this month with The Disciples of Soul for a tour benefitting TeachRock, the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation’s national initiative to bring music curriculum into middle and high schools across the country. His recent album Soulfire was noted by Billboard as taking fans “back to Van Zandt’s classic first album of gritty, greasy, horn-accented ‘60s-style rock and soul.” But one aspect of this tour that takes centerstage is the focus on teachers and the efforts by Van Zandt to bring Rock n Roll directly into classroom lessons and integrate this key aspect of American culture into educational curriculums across the country. As such, Van Zandt will be hosting workshops for teachers before each stop of the tour, bringing TeachRock that much closer to the classrooms in the towns on each stop of the tour.
NYS Music spoke to Van Zandt ahead of his latest show at the Playstation Theater in New York City to discuss the TeachRock workshops, why he wants to bring rock music into the classroom, and the teacher that had the most influence on him growing up.
Pete Mason: How did the idea for TeachRock Workshops come together, and what will teachers who take part expect from the experience?
Steven Van Zandt: We wanted to show our solidarity for the teaching profession, which is the most underappreciated and underpaid of all of our working classes. And they are under siege right now, on strike in several states and with good reason. So we decided to dedicate this tour to teachers and invite them to come to workshops in the afternoon where we will tell them about the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation’s music history curriculum, which we have been writing over the last 10 years and exists online, over 120 lessons right now at teachrock.org. We’ll be explaining the curriculum, which is built to assist them, and they will hopefully use it and spread the word and give us their feedback, we’re always improving it. They’ll also get a free ticket to that night’s performance. We’ll be doing that the rest of the year.
PM: What role do you see yourself taking on as you help to bring Rock history into the classroom?
SVZ: What we hope is eventually, if we have enough coverage, and we are in all grade levels and all schools, I’m hoping that artists who are on the road from any genre, from Hip Hop to Country, Jazz, Blues, you name it, can walk into any school and take part in a class. So our role is basically connecting the two things; connecting the artist with the education process. And it’s going to take a little while, but that’s one of our goals.
PM: Were there any particular teachers you had growing up who influenced who you are today?
SVZ: Yeah, we all have a couple of teachers we remember. I had Mrs. Wojciechowski, for my music class. Another big influence for me was our school librarian actually, who said to me, “You like this Bob Dylan guy don’t you?” And I said, “Yeah.” She says, “Do you know where he came from?” I said, “No.” So she gave me Allen Ginsberg books and poetry and Rimbaud and I was able to learn who influenced Bob Dylan and also got turned on to eastern philosophy through Allen Ginsberg, who was into Buddhism and then of course George Harrison with the Beatles would continue that with his interest in Hindu philosophy.
PM: You refer to teachers as ‘the most underpaid, underappreciated working class in our country.” How can your fans, and citizens in general, support teachers in their hometowns?
SVZ: Well the most immediate way is to vote for bigger budgets for education in general, but certainly for their salaries. I mean the average teacher’s salary is something like $40,000 a year. Somewhere in that neighborhood. And then you read stories about teachers out of that meager salary buying pencils or buying paper for students or buying books out of their own money, which is just a travesty that needs to be dealt with. And I just think we should have an appreciation day, better yet an appreciation hour every day, something where we acknowledge that these people are on the front lines of creating our society. So we just need to be more aware of that and do what we can to support them. If they go on strike, they’re going on strike for a good reason. Show support for them and talk to the government, talk to whoever they’re dealing with in any given situation, and show support on the teachers’ side.
Little Steve and the Disciples of Soul: TeachRock Tour 2018
May 1 – Ridgefield, CT – Ridgefield Playhouse May 2 – New York, NY – Playstation Theater May 4 – Albany, NY – The Palace
May 5 – Morristown, NJ – Mayo PAC
May 8 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall
May 12 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
May 13 – St. Louis, MO – River City Casino & Hotel
May 15 – Nashville, TN – CMA Theater
May 16 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage
May 18 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock
May 19 – Clearwater, FL – Capitol Theatre
May 21 – Mobile, AL – Soul Kitchen
May 23 – New Orleans, LA – House Of Blues
May 25 – Austin, TX – Paramount
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Bella Anastasio, one of Trey and Sue Anastasio’s two children. She was kind enough to answer some of my questions and genuine beyond measure; our meeting turned into six hours of hanging out and a new friendship. For a band with a following as large and rabid as Phish, who have been together for 30+ years, they have managed to stay fairly off the public radar. As a collective whole, they have also managed to allow their children to live normal, peaceful lives out of the public eye. I wanted to get a glimpse of life behind the scenes.
Michelle Leigh: Do you personally play any instruments?
Bella Anastasio: I play around on instruments often, but I don’t really play any specifically or very well.
ML: I have seen some of your artwork, and it is really good. What are you hoping to do with your love of art? I know that you designed some shirts to help Tortola after the hurricane.
BA: I could teach art or art history, but my dream job would be to become a museum curator. I would love that! It is a very hard job to get, but I am hopeful. I have never sold any of my pieces because I feel as if I don’t ever finish them. However, the shirts I designed and sold have raised about $1,300 for the One Love BVI. It is a charity helping all the British Virgin Islands with building materials to get housing and important establishments back up and running.
ML: Why Tortola?
BA: My family has been going to Tortola since before I was born. We used to spend weeks there every year until Eliza [sister] and I got older and couldn’t miss school. In my head, it’s a magical place where we created many family memories nearest and dearest to my heart. The people are so kind and welcoming, and many became family friends. None of us wanted to just sit around and let the people there suffer. We needed to at least try to help in some way, especially after everything they had done for us over the years. Tortola has brought so much light into our lives, and it hurts to think of the wonderful people who live there hurting.
ML: What is on your phone that you walk around listening to?
BA: I really enjoy podcasts and Broadway music. I listen to them often while I am walking to class or around town.
ML: When you were growing up, did you and your sister travel with the band?
BA: During the summers we would, but during the year we were at home with our mom and in school. The younger kids of the band certainly have a lot more fun stuff to do now than my sister and I did. They get bounce houses! It’s very different than it used to be.
ML: What do you think about people bringing their kids to shows?
BA: I think it depends on the venue, but at the right place I think it’s great! Some shows and venues I just do not think were meant for young kids. But at the right venue it’s wonderful.
ML: When you and your sister were little, what did you get in trouble for?
BA: We were actually pretty good kids and didn’t get in trouble much, but if we were doing something they didn’t like, they would always say, “It isn’t cute! Knock it off!”
ML: What is the strangest thing you think Phish fans do?
BA: So many fans feel like they know everyone and everything about the band. It’s odd.
ML: Do you have any funny band stories you’d like to share?
BA: A fan made a list ranking their songs 1-300. They [the band] decided they didn’t want to know #1 or #300; they only wanted to know #150 (which was “Ocelot”). Knowing #1 or #300, or even #2 or #299, would probably mess with you.
ML: What about funny dad stories?
BA: When my dad was asked to participate in the Grateful Dead’s ‘Fare Thee Well’ tour [replacing Jerry Garcia in the reunion shows], he was ecstatic! He was on a group text with the other members in the band. He looked like a little kid, he was so happy. He used to follow the Dead, so that was a huge deal for him.
ML: What is your favorite Phish song?
BA: Currently, I am really into “Character Zero.” It had never really been on my radar before, but now I am currently really loving it.
ML: What is your least favorite?
BA: I don’t know that I have a least favorite but probably the older, rarer stuff from the earlier albums. I prefer the more upbeat, funky songs.
ML: What other bands do you enjoy listening to?
BA: The Dead; Ween; Vulfpeck; The Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’s; Sinatra; Bob Marley; and Aretha Franklin to name a few. I like a wide variety of music.
ML: What is your guilty music pleasure?
BA: One Direction. I had a roommate that was obsessed with them; she listened to them constantly!
ML: What do you think people would be surprised to know about your family?
BA: Probably that we really enjoy going to musicals together, and we are a very close family. Also, that both of my parents are completely sober and have been for awhile. My mom first and then my dad. My parents live a fairly quiet life and enjoy it that way.
ML: What about your dad?
BA: He is very healthy, meditates, and would go home after The Bakers Dozen [13-night residency at Madison Square Garden] and eat kale chips to unwind. When he’s not on tour, he’s in bed by, like, 8 p.m. and up at 5 a.m.
ML: What is your favorite show as a fan?
BA: Probably December 30, 2017. I was expecting it to be a low-key mellow night, and it was anything but! I assumed they would be saving up for New Year’s, but that whole show was incredible. (Leigh: As a fan, I must agree that it was a fantastic show!)
ML: What do Phish fans do that you hate most?
BA: It is difficult when people talk about not liking certain songs. For me, some of those songs have deep meaning; they are about my family. I also do not like when people say, “Oh, that’s dad music.” Well, they are in their 50s and they are dads! They aren’t 20 years old anymore, eating acid and running around on stage. Also, I really can’t stand the entitlement, fans claiming “their space” (to read more of my thoughts on that issue) and just not behaving the way the scene is supposed to. Fairly recently and on a few occasions some of the family members have tried to come into the General Admission area either as part of a gag during a show or just to be near their family, sadly some of the fans were awful. It was “their space.” (Leigh: remember fans, next time you are at a show, you truly do not know who you are sharing the groove with. We are all in this together!)
ML: What do you love most about the scene?
BA: The people. Although it is a primarily male crowd, the women I meet are fierce! Most of them are just incredible and full of love. I have become very good friends with some amazing women I met in the Phish scene.
During my time with Bella, she took me to Nectars and told me the story of her parents meeting there … how her dad asked out her mom while they were both young and in college and the love story that followed. Bella beams with joy when she speaks of her family, and you can feel the love and admiration she holds for them. She told me she didn’t think it would matter what she or her sister grew up to do for a living because her parents would still fully support them and want to hear every last detail of their lives. Bella is charismatic and has a wonderfully down-to-earth nature. To know her is to love her, and Trey and Sue should be very proud.
Although Bella didn’t become a true “Phan” until somewhat recently (in Phish tour years) she tours just like you and I believe it or not. She works on the budget and logistics months in advance, picks and chooses which shows she is able to attend while working around her life responsibilities. I would think she “could” tour differently but she chooses not to and seems to love it just the way it is. That is part of what makes Bella who she is. There is no entitlement, no expectations, no claiming of “space” (although I am sure she could). For a child that has grown up surrounded by one of the most fanatic fan bases she understands what this scene is supposed to be about. It is very refreshing to meet a 3.0 generation tour kid who is at heart and soul a 1.0 on the scene.
If you would like to purchase one of Bella’s unique shirts, visit her shop, with all proceeds benefitting One Love BVI.
I first caught Hartley’s Encore late last year when they performed at Guthrie Bell’s 25th anniversary show at The Hollow. Funk is on the rise in Albany, and Hartley’s Encore honed in on the reason why – the influence of funk forefathers Soulive whose albums are influencing the next generation of funk musicians. Their self-titled debut album is an alive EP, all killer, no filler.
The core of Hartley’s Encore – Luke Malamood, Jeff Nania and Chris Oliver – graduated from Guilderland High School in 2003, but their playing together goes back to the early 90’s when they were in first grade and Luke learned to play piano at Jeff’s while Jeff was learning trumpet. The core of Hartley’s Encore, Luke Malamood (keys/vocals), Jeff Nania (saxophone) and Chris Oliver (guitar) sat down with NYS Music to get behind the band name, talk about their early introductions to funk and their love of Soulive.
Pete Mason: Where does the band’s name originate from?
LukeMalamood: It comes from the time Chris and I were working on this project in fall 2016 and Titanic was on TV and my daughter was watching it and as the ship is sinking, the band keeps playing even as they know they are going to their certain death, but it provided relief for those who were trying to survive. The band leader, Wallace Hartley, is the one who says ‘it’s been an honor and a privilege’ and it was easy to find some info about him. In a loose way, this is right around the time we’re gearing up for the craziest presidential election ever, and people were saying the world is coming to an end, so Hartley’s Encore is a loose tribute to the band and bandleader and we think it’s important that we do what we do.
Chris Oliver: For me, the encore thing, when we decided on it, it was real in an historical sense, but Luke and I have played together for years, and he and I reuniting was its own encore. So it made sense to have the name Hartley’s Encore.
PM: What was the experience like working with Alan Evans (Soulive) at Iron Wax Studios?
Jeff Nania: We did the second Chronicles album with Alan and one thing I like about this approach is that he doesn’t make you try to sound a particular way, he has the mics and know-how to make you sound the best. Before having heard us, because we didn’t have any recordings yet, he asked for three records we really liked that he could use to get a vibe for our sound.
CO: Tower of Power Tower of Power, The Meters Rejuvenation and Dr. John Desitively Bonnaroo were the three we shared, and it’s pretty clear to some extent that we wear our influences on our sleeve. When we got there, he said ‘give me a year’ to reference, and I said “Whatever year ‘Hey Pocky Way’ came out.” (1988) Alan was pretty hands off and wanted to make us sound as good as he could. I was pretty intimidated from a musical standard but I went in there and he lets you go in there and do you. He prioritizes the artist remaining true to who they are, and as a guitar player and songwriter we were allowed to go in there and just be us.
LM: There was an intimidation factor working with Alan that grew out of the first time I saw Soulive in October of 2003. We had just graduated from high school and a bunch of our friends had gone to Bonnaroo and everyone was all about Soulive. When we went to see him, it was incredible seeing any of them. Neal Evans is my hero, he has to be one of the funkiest dudes on the planet. His left hand I would put up against any bassist in the business. When Neal was active in Lettuce, even with Jesus Coomes who’s a monster bassist, Neal was also hold down the bass parts. Even though I’d met Neal and Alan, it felt like hallowed ground just being there with Neal’s brother. It was like hip hop beats with jazz and funk. He was probably the biggest question mark having met Neal and (Eric) Krasno in the past, but Alan I didn’t know too well. He was the coolest guy and I couldn’t have asked for this experience to be any better and professional. I got to play on one of Neal’s organs and he was the coolest, sweetest dude. Justin Henricks had a great experience working on the Wurliday record so it was a no brainer for us to work with him. He met and exceeded our expectations. Both Wurliday and Hartley’s Encore had the album mastered by Brad Smalling at EverGroove Recording Studio, so two funk bands from the Albany area got the same treatment done on their first albums.
PM: What were the early funk experiences that tipped you towards making genre of music?
CO: I was probably the last person to get on the funk train. When I moved back to Albany a few years ago, Luke sent me a Meters album and “People Say” was the one that hooked me.
LM: I have been obsessed with Soulive since I first saw them play at Rev. Hall in the fall of 2003. Are they a “funk” band per se…I mean, I hate labels in music to begin with. Plus, I’ve yet to read a definition of the word “funk” anywhere that I can wholeheartedly endorse. To me, with funk, it’s like, I know it when I hear it. Soulive is jazz, soul, hip-hop, and of course, funk. More importantly, I look at Soulive, and their cousins Lettuce (really the whole “Royal Family”), plus probably Dumpstaphunk and Galactic, as the godfathers of the growing modern funk/soul scene, as it currently exists. I was in college from 2003-2007, at Villanova, right outside of Philly. Between being at home and being away at school, with all of the incredible Philly venues at my fingertips, I got to see all of these modern funk/soul godfathers when I was relatively young, and I listened to them a lot (Jamiroquai too). Those guys never shied away from celebrating their influences, so through them, I got really turned-on to a lot of the funk/soul OGs: James Brown, Parliament/Funkadelic, Stevie Wonder, The Meters, Earth, Wind & Fire, Tower of Power, and Average White Band, to name a few. Of course I had heard “Cold Sweat,” “Superstition,” “September” and even “Cissy Strut” before, but these modern godfathers really wet my appetite to go back and dig in some more.
Then, (though I’d spent one boozy night in NOLA with some buddies during my senior year in college), my first real trip to New Orleans was in March 2009, a that trip changed my life (in more ways than one). Among other things, I made my first trip to the Louisiana Music Factory, a legendary record store in New Orleans, and got my hands on my first Meters record, which I believe was Rejuvenation. As one of my favorite singer/songwriter/pianist/keyboardists, Jon Cleary, has said, “Funk is the ethnic folk music of New Orleans,” and once I got my first real taste of that, being down there, I was hooked. Ever since then, with multiple trips back to New Orleans, countless nights at Brooklyn Bowl (especially for Bowlive!), and really me just digging deep into the genre, I’ve connected the dots between the modern funk/soul godfathers of today’s scene and the OGs. I am now way down the funk/soul Rabbit Hole, have been for years! It feels real good in here, and there’s a lot of love to go around, so I’ve got no plans of coming out any time soon!
JN: I think I discovered Soulive in my sophomore year of high school. When I was younger my dad was a jazz head and I was constantly listening to jazz in high school, especially Blue Note records which was legendary label, with Wayne Shorter and Coltrane’s most famous albums. I was dating a singer/songwriter who she worked at Coconuts in Stuyvesant Plaza and she gave me a handful of CDs. There were two that popped out – Medeski Martin and Wood’s Shack-Man and The Dropper. Soulive Turn it Out was the first record I had heard of theirs. I dug it at the time because Blue Note was putting out some new jazz and I was coming at it from a new angle.
PM: What has the Albany reception been like, having only started out a little more than a year and a half ago?
LM: I’d give credit to Justin (Henricks) who started the Funk Night at City Beer Hall (ed note: now held at Parish Public House) that started to be a time when I could get out to see live music again after having two kids. Much like funk night, the reception has been pretty consistent and incredible as we’ve had max capacity shows and shows with like seven people there. In the funk and soul genre, we’ve only had a jam band thing in Albany and that overlaps to the funk scene, as well as an Indie scene. I think there is a healthy scene here in Albany and we can do it with the best in terms of being a small city. There are a lot of things that go into the reality of venues on given nights. Early on, we leaned heavily on friends and family to turn out. But gradually, slowly, we started to organically make some fans, the kind who keep coming to shows and we know by name. We were lucky enough to have Greg Bell add us to some big shows, including his 25th anniversary show. Slowly but surely, we started to see some people organically catching onto this, and that’s really what I think our goal would be – play once or twice a month and get people out to the show and have a celebration.
CO: Both Luke and I will admit we are better songwriters than musicians. When we put our heads down and kept getting big on our own, Jeff took us under his wing, and given his playing in the region for the past seven or so years, we started to meet musicians and people who were in the scene and it kind of allowed us to get to where we are now and it helped us tremendously. I got out to see Justin Henricks and people who were doing it in Albany and that connection came from Jeff.
LM: this is a snapshot of who we are now, and we can attribute it to people like Greg Bell putting us on shows and NYS Music giving us some love and helpful in getting us to be able to be welcomed in this community.
Hartley’s Encore released their self-titled debut album on April 20 and will have to album release shows in coming weeks. Catch them at The Hollow on Friday, April 27 with Victory Soul Orchestra and at Bowery Electric on May 18 with Sauce on the Side. At both shows, Luke, Jeff and Chris will be joined by a rotating rhythm section of Josh Gordon and Brad Monkell (bass), Mike Gilet and Erik Pravel (drums), Phil Chow (trumpet), and Alex Gonzalez (percussion). Hartley’s Encore is now available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Andrew Gabriel sits for a picture in front of his desk. It’s the hub of his music studio. The tools of his trade sit upon its surface in precise symmetry. The flat screen monitor shines with Ambassador Music Group embossed in white against a royal blue field. Below it sits the ivory and ebony keyboard flanked to its left by his daily planner. The distance between the planner and the keyboard is equidistant with the space between the planner and the edge of the desk. His iPhone sits centered in front of it.
The sight implies that a systematic methodology is at play, contrasted by the two unfastened buttons on Gabriel’s polo shirt. Perhaps it’s a conscious effort to preserve the acoustics in the room. Maybe it’s the side product of his years meticulously hitting the right points on the snare drum. Or, it could all be that from a mind molded by applied mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. Nonetheless, it is an embodiment of control, something of which he is relinquishing.
As Gabriel sits down for an interview, he is days away from taking a leap. He is quitting his job to spear headlong into a dream of opening his studio and pursuing a music career; one that, up until this point, was a 12-hour-a-day gig on top of his eight-hour days as an information technology manager for Community First Credit Union. The order of living in the corporate world will be tossed aside, and he is as excited as “a kid who’s a week away from summer break.”
Andrew, and his wife, Rose Gabriel are the marketing and managerial team behind the recent success of local musician Sydney Worthley — who has taken last year’s performance at Tulip Fest and, on the strength of her debut album Strong, has moved on to a scheduled appearance at Mountain Jam in June. The Ambassador Music Group also represents local recording artist Michael Razzano.
The Ambassador Music Group is now a full-time endeavor, with a recording studio that caters to musicians and vocal talent. It’s a dream job that Andrew has held on to since his days as a musician in the San Francisco-Los Angeles West Coast megalopolis. Rose describes her husband as “determined.” Tenacious may be more appropriate. Once Andrew has an idea in his head, Rose said he is determined to see it through.
Since moving from the West Coast more than two years ago, Andrew has worked his day job as a programmer, and pursued his passion for music in the evening. That passion led him to working relationships with David Bourgeois of White Lake Music & Post studios and WEXT program director Chris Wienk. Ultimately, Andrew worked as an intern at Overit Studios, with the help of Adam Clairmont. Andrew shares those names as he describes the Capital District’s music scene as a “community.”
“The community aspect of the music scene here is unlike anywhere I’ve been,” said Andrew. “It’s unlike Los Angeles. It’s unlike San Francisco Bay area.” The amount of talent in the area scene is “crazy.” And, unlike the West Coast, the players within it are not fighting each other to gain attention. “The folks that we’ve worked with are always willing to help out. It’s not like cut-throat competition, where folks are trying to sabotage other folks. … The scene here tries to make the scene grow.”
Last May, Andrew’s first client, Sydney Worthley, took to the Washington Park stage for Albany’s annual Tulip Festival. Outside of talent shows across the Capital District, it was the teen’s first performance before a crowd. She was already at work writing songs for what would be her debut release “Strong.” For the first time, Worthley could see strangers snapping pictures and capturing videos on their phones as she performed.
Worthley dropped her CD the following September. All 14 of her songs presented within a slick, high-gloss plastic CD cover. Radio play followed, as did an invite to perform at the lineup announcement for Saratoga Springs’ annual First Night. A meeting with WDST-FM in Woodstock opened yet another opportunity. The station organizes one of the largest three-day music festivals in New York.
“Sydney would be a good fit for Mountain Jam,” Andrew recalled saying, recognizing the chance to keep momentum moving. Rose recalled it took more persistence than that. That attention to detail, and Worthley’s climb within the local music scene, helped.
The Gabriels hope to take success and pay it back through outreach programs. Last October, the couple helped raise funds and goods to assist the more than 2,800 households victimized by a firestorm that swept through Santa Rosa, Calf. AMG delivered more than 3,000 respirators, and raised money to help replace backpacks, jackets, shoes and lunch boxes for local school children. That focus to help give others a boost on to their own feet translates back to the Gabriels’ goal for our music scene.
“I think there’s potential for something bigger to happen in the music scene, here, in Albany,” said Rose. “And, we’re on the brink of making it bigger than what it is right now. I think we’re all trying to make it happen.”
This article was originally published by The Spot 518 and is the property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYS Music. TheSpot518 and NYS Music work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.
Will Hanza, guitarist of Escaper has been enjoying the success of the group’s sophomore release Edge Detection and still buzzing about meeting Jon Fishman. Hanza spoke to NYS Music about the songwriting style that encompasses their new album, Escaper’s summer plans and jazz influences that create a monolithic jam fusion sound.
Pete Mason: What was it like opening for The Mallett Brothers Band and Jon Fishman?
Will Hanza: Well, we’ve sort of become regulars at Brooklyn Bowl, it’s our home venue really, and recently opened for Electric Beethoven. Working with the folks at Brooklyn Bowl is great, the sound and Vic Cornette on lights is a musician himself and he really works with you. This was our most jammiest show yet, opening the songs up in the moment in a way that keyed us into the improv we should be doing, avoiding meandering and allowing the moment to take over and launch from there. The reaction to the set was great on Thursday (April 12th). The Mallett Brothers are a really great band, and watching Fishman drum from side-stage was a treat. He was nice enough to say that he liked Escaper and that we had that Pink Floyd kind of vibe, which pretty much made my year.
PM: What musical influences came through in the production of the Edge Detection?
WH: The band comes from some diverse backgrounds, including myself who has a father who is a jazz musician, plus Zeppelin and Hendrix are in me. Lettuce and TAUK and more instrumentally oriented bands in the scene – we don’t want to sound like them, but they’re paving the way for what things fans are into, particularly instrumental music. Johnny Butler comes from Coltrane and jazz. Adam Ahuja comes from a pretty heavy jazz background, and is really into Mahavishnu Orchestra. For lack of a better word, this allows for a fusion of sounds, and that comes from combining jazz, classic psychedelic rock, funk rock, and I think it comes together cohesively in the process of what we take with these songs.
Some of the songs on Edge Detection were written out of live jams. We hear them and cultivate them from loose jams that we’ve been digging. We ran out of songs at one of our first shows in January 2016 at B.R.Y.A.C., so we played and improvised, which led to some of these songs being born, including the first two tracks on the album, “Secret Weapon” and “Rare Form.”
PM: What was Escaper’s songwriting process for Edge Detection?
WH: The well rounded sound comes out of that process where we start with a groove, like Jay will start with a bass line, then the keys will add in, then the drums … it’s a little loose at the start, and soon a whole beast is starting to get formed as we go back and listen and see what parts work best. We don’t write songs and then ask everyone to learn it – Escaper builds on the idea that this is everybody’s band, and everyone gets equal credit on the songwriting. I want everyone to feel that this is their band and their music. I am honored to play with the cats I get to play with, not the least because they are invested in the music as much as I am. It’s a challenge and exciting to have a bunch of collaborators create music that you could never do on your own. We all recorded simultaneously in the studio, which gives that sense of synergy and react to each other in the moment, rather than layering things over and over.
PM: How was the reception to Edge Detection and what did you learn from the recording process and release of the album?
WH: The response has been very nice, very strong. We’ve only had a handful of reviews but they’ve all been positive and hey reflect our growth since the first album. The recording process was similar to the last album Skeleton Key and we have found recording in the Bunker Studio in Brooklyn with engineer John Davis (Lettuce, Black Keys) to be our spot and we’ve found a great relationship working with him. He’s brilliant, has a good bedside manner and while we were in there recording, we felt very at home. He’s taken time to get to know us as players to squeeze a better performance out of us while keeping the recording efficient and everything flowing. I don’t know we’d do much different on the next album, but we might add some vocals on the next one.
PM: Where are fans going to be able to see you over the next few months?
WH: We sort of kicked off the festival season playing Rock n Roll Resort, and we’ll do a couple club dates mixed in, but we’re doing a decent amount of festivals – Grateful for Spring in Mountain Sky, PA, then Elements Lakewood, Lakewood, PA on Memorial Day weekend. Disc Jam is definitely one of the highlights on our schedule coming up in early June. We’re doing Bear’s Picnic and Mazzstock in August. Being invited to play any festival is an honor and opportunity that is a great way to pollinate our music in these various places and that can only help us into a touring schedule in the fall in New York and Pennsylvania. It’s all about getting the music out there like Johnny Appleseed – the more that can enjoy, the happier we are.
This landed the group 6 hours of free recording time at SubCat Studios in downtown Syracuse. With this prize, the group has launched their first EP, Sundance, which is available for listening on Spotify and iTunes.
Jon Lewis recently spoke with NYSMusic about the process of making music with his best friends, eeking out a full-time career in music and art, and the largest pizza he’s ever seen.
NYS Music spoke to Van Zandt ahead of his latest show at the Playstation Theater in New York City to discuss the TeachRock workshops, why he wants to bring rock music into the classroom, and the teacher that had the most influence on him growing up.
Pete Mason