Formula 5‘s spring tour brought them to Manhattan’s East Village venue, DROM, on April 12 with support from other tri-state bands Goose, Animal Reporters and Bee The Band.
Setlist:
Breaking Glass, Blue -> Tangled Up In Blue+, The Clear* -> Booher’s Pass, Come Along
+ Bob Dylan cover
* Unfinished
Ghost Light kicked off the second leg of their debut tour on Wednesday, April 11. The scene’s newest supergroup, consisting of Tom Hamilton (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, American Babies, Brothers Past, Electron, and former Phil and Friends member), Holly Bowling, Steve Lyons (Nico’s Gun), Raina Mullen (American Babies) and Scotty Zwang (Dopapod), made their east coast debut at Brooklyn Bowl with support from Colorado favourites Magic Beans. Ghost Light’s show consisted of some favourites from Tom Hamilton’s past projects along with some fresh improvisations, and a couple of covers from The Stones and The Dead.
Magic Beans:
Set One:
Give Me Something Real, Mission -> Do Your Thing, Mr Scientist, Lewd -> Lost and Found
Ghost Light:
Set 1: Untitled Jam, Simple Gift of Man *, Streets of Brooklyn
Set 2: Untilted Song> Sway+> Lead Weight > Bullseye Blues
E: Jack Straw&
* Brothers Past Cover, First Time Played
+ Rolling Stones Cover, First Time Played
& Grateful Dead Cover First Time Played
This past weekend, Amy Helm kicked off her second annual Woodshed Residency Tour, a revolving run of shows that is split between three venues across New York State and Massachusetts. Night one was held at Albany NY’s The Hollow Bar, a return venue for Helm, and the ebullient and groovy kickoff show set the bar for the whole trip at a lofty height.
Each stop on the Woodshed Tour will feature guests that Helm has procured from her ever expanding roster of musical friends and colleagues. Rocking night one at The Hollow Bar was The London Souls guitarist Tash Neal, Chris Robinson Brotherhood bassist Jeff Hill, Woodstock-based guitarist and keyboardist Connor Kennedy, and Brooklyn-based Yuval Lion on drums. Just like the late Levon, her old man, Amy Helm seems to have an affinity for not only surrounding herself with incredible artists, but for getting the most out of them on stage. Together, the four-piece made for a seriously airtight jam session that on the one side played Helm’s originals very professionally, but on the other hand had a lot of daring and creative fun with a slew of cover tunes.
But Helm first dove into the former, offering confident and well received versions of songs from her first and latest album, Didn’t It Rain. “Odetta” and “Didn’t it Rain” opened the evening with a grand, almost spiritual feel. Later on, “Rescue Me” from this same album hit off with The Hollow crowd as much if not more than any other tune of the evening.
The show also included a whole mess of other covers, which as Helm has described is another element naturally built into the essence of the Woodshed Tour—Helm’s background has given her an affinity for tributing the rich and expansive americana songbook that makes up her musical universe. Every cover at the Hollow was appreciated in full, as Helm and her jam session put a shine on all of them. One of the first was a Mary Goshen cover upon which the band flexed out a breezy little jam, that eventually cascaded into an “I Know You Rider.” The apex of the evening clearly revealed itself after this in the uptempo version of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” for which Helm and crew gathered around one microphone. It imbued a stripped-down feel to the buzz of the night until Neal put a cool, Dick-Dale-style guitar solo on it.
One of the strongest delivered covers was a rousing take on “Michigan” by The Milk Carton Kids—a terrific songwriting duo of brothers out of California. The end of this one featured a frenetic and trilling guitar solo from Kennedy. Other gems included a Ronnie Hawkins tune, sung by, in Helm’s words, “one of the greatest singers of all time” (Richard Manuel), and a bubbly take on The Pointer Sister’s “Yes We Can Can,” which Helm clearly was hip-hop style verses.
For sure, Helm has implied challenges of stage fright throughout her past, but today it seems that on stage any supposed nervousness washes away pretty quickly. Every single time the music revved back up, almost uncontrollably Helm was persuaded by the energy of the band and the responsive crowd, and repeatedly took command of it all. She became the center of her little musical melting pot, and shined as a lead singer, as a troubadour, as a stage performer.
Helm and her bandmates hung out afterwards around The Hollow’s bar, trading stories with fans and taking photos. It encompassed the spirit that seems to be at the center of this Woodshed Tour, and The Hollow seems to be a no-brainer, choice spot for a tour of this musically rare nature.
The tour continues this Sunday night with another set at The Hollow, among dates at other venues such as Marlboro’s The Falcon, Northampton’s Parlor Room, and NYC’s Rockwood Music Hall.
On April 7 Denver based powerhouse, The Motet, brought some serious funk out to Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA. With Front man Lyle Divinsky, and Guitarist Ryan Jalbert both being from New England, and with Boston’s own Strange Machines opening the night, this show had a hometown feel to it.
The sold out crowd was packing in fast as Strange Machines was getting into their set. The band fed off the crowd and played what seemed like a continuous set. The quartet rocked a seamless cover of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” and then into a Golden Rule > Remote Dream > Golden Rule. Remote Dream was a nice throw back to their 2014 album, Turn the Tide, while blending with Golden Rule, of their new album, Voice of Color.
The Motet came out to a sea of crazy Bostonians who only got wilder when Lyle opened his jacket to reveal his Celtics’ Larry Bird shirt. The band was high energy from the beginning and never seemed to slow down. Fan favorites “Keep on Don’t Stoppin” and “Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fed” were met with an uproar. The crowd was also happy to hear a couple new tracks from the group, along with recently released singles, “Get It Right” and “Supernova”. The guys played a long set, ending with a beautiful rendition of George Clinton’s “Knee Deep”.
The show in Boston was the Motet’s last of their Spring tour, and the band as of now has only one show between now and their Red Rocks headliner on June 2, which is the Sweetwater 420 Fest in Atlanta, Georgia. Check out pictures of both bands below via Zatchmo Lives Media.
Baked Shrimp
, one of Long Island’s best kept secrets, recently released their album Feast of Delight, showcasing the band’s various styles and genres, including multi-part compositions, radio-friendly pop songs and even a folk song in the single “Orpheus.”
Since forming in January 2017, Baked Shrimp has broken into the Long Island and NYC jam scene and, over the course of the past year, the high-energy rock trio have played unique shows across the Northeast and are looking to build on that success in 2018 with the release of Feast of Delight that puts front and center a distinct ’90s indie vibe.
“The Manatee,” a 10 minute gentle giant, gets heavy in the right spots, features elements of post-punk emerging throughout and gives off a Disco Biscuits feel with the continuous vibe built throughout. “Dick Turk” has wide ranging guitar play from Jared Cowen, a versatile stand out, especially on “Machiavellian” which contains guitar work that makes the song a distant cousin of Henry Mancini’s calliope in “Baby Elephant Walk,” building firmly and erupting for a fire-y ending.
“Orpheus” is the lightest fare on the album, but the acoustic sing along makes it a perfect single off the album and stands out just before the closing “Chimera,” which has a distinct Ominous Seapods feel, even if the bands are nearly 25 years apart, and a little dose of Talking Heads’ “Cities,” wrapping up an album that will be perfect for afternoon listening and dancing to late into the night this summer. Tune into Feast of Light below, on Bandcamp, and check out live shows from Baked Shrimp on Archive.org
Key Tracks: The Manatee, Machiavellian, Orpheus
BG the Boy Genius, a hip hop artist based in Albany, launched The PreVisual, a mixtape, on March 30 through Genius Minds. The project consists mostly of his poetic verses matched with already established instrumentals within the hip hop and pop industries. As a prelude to an upcoming album, PreVisual serves as a brightly lit roadside attraction in the path to future works. It’s also simply a strong sample of BG’s writing and vocal abilities.
The mixtape opens up with “PreVisual In Ya Ear,” in which a series of news program introduces the listener to a slew of current issues. Boy Genius rhymes over a soulful, old school beat just to establish a timeline. “You look confused. Have you read the news?,” he asks. This provides an excellent rhetoric for the rest of the album which discusses a lot of modern issues and social situations, such as presidency, politics, trends, financials and interpersonal relationships. “I’m just honest…when I’m making comments,” he says. Honesty is another concept which comes up in the emotional “Let You Down” (originally recorded by NF, David Garcia, and Tommee Profitt).
PreVisual covers a lot of modern musical ground, one track that jumps out of the fray is “Morning in America,” whose cadence mirrors a song of the same title by pop artist Jon Bellion. “We’re out of control, and everyone knows,” BG sings around a song about having children in a chaotic place, while trying to grow up himself at the same time. His lyrics fit the tune of the song better than the original artist, and “Morning” is not the only spot where this is the case.
Another notable song is “Bank Account,” a perpetually annoying, yet strangely catchy number by 21 Savage. “I got 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, none, zero fucks to give,” BG raps, eloquently (possibly accidentally) stating how many people feel about the original track. Regardless, this and all other songs on the tape communicate a clear command of language and poetry.
Overall, PreVisual is a win for BG the Boy Genius as he displays mastery over his field, but does not need to say much for his abilities — they speak for themselves. Part of this is the teamwork that went into the project. Along with his own versions of already popular songs, BG credits both Phoenix, the producer, with production and engineering; as well as Travis Manney who performs on the seventh track, “Trav’s Interlude.” Other producers included Fat Cat and Blanco. If PreVisual is just a prelude to other upcoming projects, BG has set the bar high for his future, and he even leaves the listener with an idea of what to do if he doesn’t meet this bar. “If this album trash, all my fans, you can leave me,” he commands. PreVisual gives a lot, but leaves enough to the imagination for what listeners can expect in the future.
The PreVisual can be streamed through SoundCloud.
Key tracks: “Let You Down,” “Morning In America,” “Bank Account.”
With only a few shows left on their current run opening shows for Fozzy, Southern California rockers, Joyous Wolf, made their first stop ever in Upstate New York, at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park Wednesday, April 4.
Joyous Wolf were slotted in the middle of the lineup right before Through Fire and Fozzy. As each band member took their position on stage, frontman Nick Reese, slowly paced the stage while giving the crowd a deep dark stare as he slowly panned through all the fans in attendance with his eyes.
The band opened with their song “Mountain Man.” As soon as the song dropped, Reese went from a cool calm zen state, right into an acrobatic, charismatic performer on cue, even hitting a full front flip and split before showing off his moves like Jagger. The small stage at Upstate Concert Hall was not big enough for Reese.
Joyous Wolf’s performance of their song “Turning Blue,” sends chills live. The bands musical arrangement along with Reese’s powerful grunge meets blues vocals and facial expressions can make any concert goer watching feel the band’s passion for music. Reese’s vocals had that old 90’s grunge sound to it. He’s a cross between Scott Weiland and Chris Cornell. Reese especially channeled his inner Chris Cornell while performing “Turning Blue.”
During the bands performance of their new song “Witch Doctor,” guitarist Blake Allard showed off some of his impressive skills on the hammer. Drummer Robert Sodaro would not be upstaged with a brief drum solo.
Formed in 2014, Joyous Wolf has been recently signed to Atlantic Records Road Runner division this past March. They will continue touring through the summer when they refuel and hit the road with Adelitas Way on April 12-19, and a extensive run with Blacktop Mojo April 21-June 13. Joyous Wolf will appear at several of the year’s major annual rock festivals including Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, and Rock USA.
After the show, I caught up with singer Nick Reese. While captivating on stage, he is very humble and down to earth off stage, during our small chat. He was very compassionate when talking about his bandmates. He stated that after several years trying to make it, especially the last 3 years, he couldn’t have asked for better bandmates than the ones he has now. Reese said, “Not only are they really great musicians, they are like brothers to me. I would put them up against anyone.” He went on to say that Fozzy guitarist Rich Ward, said that he wouldn’t mess with bandmate and guitarist Blake Allard when it comes to playing. When talking about getting signed by Road Runner, Reese couldn’t express enough how hard he and his band worked to get there and is very grateful for the opportunity the label has given them.
With Adelitas Way:
04-12 – Scout Bar – Houston, TX
04-13 – Come and Take It – Austin, TX
04-14, Jakes – Lubbock, TX
04-15, Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX
04-16, Lava Cantina – Colony, TX
04-17, XR Club – Amarillo, TX
04-19, Launchpad, – lbuquerque, NM
With Blacktop Mojo:
04-21 – Las Rageous Festival – Las Vegas
04-27 – Welcome To Rockville – Jacksonville, FL
05-02 – Mainstage – Morgantown, WV
05-03 – Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA
05-04 – Carolina Rebellion Festival – North Carolina
05-08 – The Forge – Joliet, IL
05-10 – Route 20 Outhouse – Racine, WI
05-12 – Cheers Pub – South Bend, IN
05-12 – Northern Invasion – WI
05-15 – Spicoli’s Grill/The Reverb Rock – Waterloo, IA
05-16 – The Shoverlhead Saloon / Hyped Up – Danville, IL
05-17 – Fubar – St. Louis, MO
05-18 – The Warehouse – Clarksville, TN
05-19 – Sidetracks Music Hall – Huntsville, AL
05-20 – Rock On The Range – Columbus OH
05-23 – Jakes Backroom – Lubbock, TX
05-24 – ock House Bar – El Paso, TX
05-25 – The Green Room – Flagstaff, AZ
05-26 – The Slidebar Rock and Roll Kitchen – Fullerton, CA
05-31 – he Knitting Factory Concert House – Spokane, WA
06-01 – 3rd Wheel – Lewiston, ID
06-02 – Perham Hall – Zillah, WA
06-03 – Analog Cafe & Theater – Portland, OR
06-04 – El Corazon – Seattle, WA
06-06 – Diamondz Event Center – Jerome, ID
06-07 – The Gem – Idaho Falls, ID
06-08 – The Knitting Factory Concert House – Boise, ID
06-12 – The Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
06-13 – Streets Of London – Denver, CO
07-13 – Rock USA – Oshkosh, WI
Boston’s seven-piece phenom Ripe attacks funk-infused rock, groove, jazz, R&B and even ska, with passion, precision and purpose, leaving a wake on the dance floor with their debut offering Joy In The Wild Unknown. The album, due out April 6th, is a reflection the highs and lows of life and the musical connectivity in between. With uplifting tracks like Little Lighter, playful songs like Stanky, and songs about love like Downward, Joy leaves an indelible mark.
Ripe’s unbelievably tight jams , genre-bending originality and rapidly growing fan base have helped them rack up over one million Spotify streams with their fan-favorite Goon Squad, over 15,000 followers on Facebook, and landed them on the bill at venues like the House of the Blues, the Roxy Theater, and Levitate Music Festival in July in the coming months.
Lead vocalist Robbie Wulfsohn’s distinctive and likeable chops allow him to stand on his own amidst the outstanding musicianship of Tory Geismar (guitar), Jon Becker (guitar), Sampson Hellerman (drums), Josh Shpak (trumpet), Calvin Barthel (trombone) and Nadav Shapira (bass). All seven members graduates of Berklee College of Music, this dynamic and well-oiled music machine can easily appeal to the masses and fit into any scene, from festivals to clubs and beyond!
With two EP’s, Hey Hello and Produce the Juice, under their belts, Ripe launches straight into a musical holiday from the first track of their first full-length album. Simmering bass lines set the stage to usher in Wulfsohn’s powerful opening lines, while funkified guitar licks and a three-piece horn section glue it all together for a polished finish in “Little Lighter.”
“Downward,” the fourth-track on the album, produced by Cory Wong of Vulfpeck, mixed by five-time GRAMMY-Winner Joe Visciano and mastered by Randy Merrill, reflects the duality of love with its catchy chorus:
This love keeps pulling me downward
Pulling me downward
And I don’t mind the fall
The fifth track, “Stanky,” swaggers onto the scene with the instruments a funky game of cat and mouse between the bass and horns, with help from the guitar to create a unique syncopation that packs a powerful musical punch.
Ripe’s debut offering, Joy In The Wild Unknown, may be a studio recording, but it’s basically propaganda to get you out to one of their live shows. The good news is they’re about to hit the road for an extensive US tour to promote their latest album and there’s a good chance they’ll be coming to a city near you! Be sure to bring a toy to donate to the band’s efforts to collect toys for the local Boys & Girls Clubs of America (link) and give their new listen before you hit the show!
Key Tracks: Little Lighter, Downward and Stanky
As spring arrives, so does the release of Bumpin Uglies latest studio release Beast from the East. The twelve track collection drops Friday, April 6 just as most of the country begins to wake from it’s winter slumber. And Beast from the East is the perfect soundtrack to that ready awakening. Packed full of reggae beats, ska energy and punk attitude, Bumpin Uglies unveil the type of album that’s perfect for telling winter to buzz off.
Beast from the East marks the band’s fourth full length studio album. But more importantly, it also marks the band’s first release with keyboardist Chad Wright, whose arrival took the band from trio to quartet when he joined in December of 2016. While the album still showcases guitarist and vocalist Brandon Hardesty’s trademark catchy songwriting and clever lyrical poeticism, the addition of Wright rounds out the Bumpin Uglies sound. And that is this releases major win. Beast from the East showcases not only the band’s growth but also the band’s potential. And despite how Hardesty may lament that he doesn’t “write songs for the radio” in the aptly titled track “Radio”, Beast from the East is full of tunes that reveal otherwise.
The albums lead track “Could’ve Been Great” switches between edgy guitar riffs and punctuated drums to whimsical reggae cadences with lively keys. In contrast, Beast from the East closes with the acoustic soul-searching tune “Optimism in F#”. And sandwiched in between these two songs are ten tracks that prove Bumpin Uglies is more than just a white boy reggae outfit. Beast from the East reveals there are many vastly different sides to this band; all locked, loaded and ready to delight the band’s Uglies Nation fanbase while poised to hook new fans along the way.
Prior to the release of Beast from the East, Bumpin Uglies treated their fans to a smattering of sneak peeks including “All in Stride”, “Hard Liquor”, “Budtender” and “Crazy”. While “All in Stride” showcases Hardesty’s ability to write mantra style lyrics that hook you into singing along because you feel like you have been in his shoes, “Hard Liquor” flips you into party mode. It’s still a song you want to sing along to, but it’s also the kind of song you want to play while hitting the McDonald’s drive-thru at 3am after a night of debauchery.
“City by the Bay” pays homage to the band’s Chesapeake Bay roots. The song is subtle, with the punchy horns and mellow timing that takes the listener on a starry-eyed musical journey as Hardesty remembers his past. In contrast “Crazy” rides the upbeat drive of 3rd wave ska tradition while lyrically the song examines the drama and uncertainty of a dynamic romantic relationship.
While much of Hardesty’s lyrical content can be described as introspective self-realizations, in tracks like “Apathy” or “Officer O’Herlihy”, he doesn’t shy away from writing lyrics intend to incite questioning of authorities or provoke inciteful thought. We are reminded that “freedom’s like a muscle, when not exercised it’s lost” as Hardesty encourages the listener to challenge what we are told, educate ourselves, and “read between the lines.”
Beyond the A+ plus lyrical content, Beast from the East also showcases wonderful song structure, thoughtful musicianship and tasteful songwriting. Bumpin Uglies beautifully melds key elements of reggae, funk, rock, punk, ska and pop while paying homage to the original inspiration. Anchored by the impeccaible rhythm section of drummer TJ Haslett and bassist Dave Wolf, the duo lays a solid foundation on which Hardesty and Wright blend a cascade of genres.
Wisely placed vocal harmonies only enhance Hardesty’s vocal chops, which sit on top of the band’s music like milk and honey. In a time when the world’s music charts seem to be engulfed in autotune, mumble and a general lack of diction, Hardesty’s rich tone makes you listen. He has a point of view and he wants you to hear it.
Beast from the East was recorded at the Annapolis Audio labs in Annapolis, Maryland. The album was produced by Howi Spangler, vocalist and guitarist for the alternative alt-rock outfit Ballyhoo. The album is available for pre-order on iTunes and Spotify.
Check out Bumpin Uglies tour this spring where they will share the stage with Sublime tribute band, Badfish.
Key Tracks: All in Stride, Hard Liquor, Radio
Masters of dark synth pop Soviet Dolls strike again with their new EP Hunters. In a mere four tracks, the Rochester band flaunts their prowess at delivering decadently dark and sensual lyrics shrouded in seductive glittery electronica.
Soviet Dolls make no bones about their intentions to seduce the listener, starting from the first lines in the title track. “We are the hunters, we make sacrifices. We leave our mothers, cause we have appetites,” croons singer Alexandra Wendt in her deliciously sultry voice. Pulsating beats pound out beside undulating rhythms which swirl together to entice the listener into a mesmerizing hypnotic state.
In subsequent tracks, Soviet Dolls continue to marry supernatural reveries and pop electronica in a way that will delight fans of new wave acts like Echo and the Bunnymen, The The, and The Cure who are looking for something fresh and new. The gothic storylines also hearken back to classic themes of glorification of eternal life, the thrill of the hunt, and falling in love with a phantom. Hunters is the perfect pick to listen to on a night prowling the town, or indulging in the guilty pleasure of reading goth novels.
Follow Soviet Dolls on Facebook, and find Hunters on Bandcamp.
Key Tracks: Hunters, Ghostlover