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.
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
I met the lead singer of The Elementals about a year ago at the winter Battle of the Bands competition at Lovin’ Cup at RIT. I was there supporting my brother, before I even picked up a camera to shoot bands semi-professionally. While I wasn’t there for him, Dari Pryce of The Elementals put on a great show. Dari was in a different band at the time that is no longer together, but he has brought his talent and sound to The Elementals. Dari contacted me after my brother posted the pictures I took of his last show. Dari wanted me to come out and take pictures of his band and I accepted. buta pub
Dari introduced me not only to his new band, but also to Blake Pattengale; (a student at the Eastman School of Music) and the rest of his band; Red Beard Samurai. Blake and company were electric with a sound that was not only lively with fast spitting lyrics and great beats, but also with a funk sound coming from the trumpet and trombone. Red Beard Samurai has a unique sound and creative bars, but also sounds like some famous artists of whom you might have heard. When I listen to Red Beard, his lyrics remind me of rappers such as Little Dicky and some rappers of the ’90s. I also got a feeling that I was listening to the rapper Outasight who published a popular single called “Good Morning.”
Dari and The Elementals was energetic and the crowd was happy to the band. The vibe in the room was very lively as The Elementals rocked the house. Dari’s funky love songs were blasting through the speakers as the crowd enjoyed every minute of it. The amount of passion that was exhibited through Dari’s vocals was palpable. Watching those guys up close, you could tell how much fun they were having. Geraldo the trumpet player was laughing all throughout the set as he enjoyed playing with the band as a guest musician. Even though I knew Geraldo was not an original member of the group, he blended in perfectly with the rest of the guys. The lead guitarist (Zach Cullinton) was rocking through the whole show, eyes closed most of the time as he vibed to the room and the music. The bassist (Zach Cullinton) and drummer (Christos Dembeyiotis) brought veteran talent to the group of young kids and rounded out the band very well. After the group was done, they gathered for a group shot around the pool table. I can’t wait to work with both The Elementals and Red Beard Samurai again. Red Beard will be playing again at Buta Pub on April 20, and The Elementals will be playing at Three Heads Brewery April 19 and at Funk ‘n Waffles on May 12.
One of the best parts about living in Western New York is the guarantee that on any given weeknight you can catch mesmerizing performances by world class artists who dominate their niche. One night that might mean seeing the next up and coming jam band, and the next a jazz legend you never thought you’d see live. On Thursday, March 29, Buffalo was devoted to pure funk as Kung Fu turned Buffalo Iron Works into a contemporary groove factory.
Before Kung Fu took the stage and serenaded the crowd with their jams, Maryland-based funk/psychedelic band LITZ got things going early in the night with a unique sound of their own. The four-piece opener thoroughly engaged the audience by incorporating different wind instruments, deep funk grooves and an animated front man who sang like a combination of Steve Winwood and Greg Allman. The band clearly did their homework and it showed, as the crowd went wild for their rendition of “Shout” with a full “Let’s Go, Buffalo” call and response section. By the time Kung Fu took the stage, the crowd felt a collective euphoric buzz and was eager keep dancing.
Kung Fu got things going again with a grimy funk groove which picked up right where LITZ left off. Guitar player Tim Palmieri was quick to showcase his technical ability as he laid down a swirling, meditative solo which bounced sounds around the room like a ripple in a small pond. The murky green lights behind the band gave the impression that the crowd was being brought to Oz as the band made their way through the final verse.
Without missing a beat, the band quickly teleported the audience from Oz to 42nd street in 1977 with a gripping funk instrumental led by saxophone player Rob Somerville that can only be described as “street music.” Percussionist Adrian Tramontano held down the low end and hypnotized the crowd with exotic fills while the rest of the band took turns with individual takes on the song’s main theme.
As the set went deeper it was clear the band knew exactly what tricks to pull to have the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. The veteran funk group seemed to do everything right as they strutted along as one cohesive entity, making impressive shifts in tempo, dynamics and key. They nailed composed sections to difficult newer songs as if they had been playing them for years, and could turn on their improvisational prowess on the turn of a dime. Bassist Chris DeAngelis was clearly responsible for many improvisational peaks of the night, as he dazzled everyone in attendance, both on and off stage, with his natural feel for the groove and prodigious knowledge of the instrument.
The band only got tighter as the night continued, with keyboard player Beau Sasser keeping the rest of his bandmates on their toes by changing keys and tempos mid jam. It was clear that the band was constantly challenging both themselves and the audience throughout the show, giving the feeling that anything could happen at any point. While most of the night was rooted heavily in funk, it was obvious that the band was influenced by a wide variety of music from around the globe, creating an incredibly personal, indistinguishable sound. At one point, it felt like the band was leading an exploration of an Egyptian pyramid, and then suddenly without a warning they were in the middle of a Coltrane-esqe avant guard cyclone.
By the time Kung Fu finished up their last song and said their goodbyes to the crowd at Buffalo Iron Works, no one in crowd was ready to leave. They received a cheering ovation and came out for one more high energy ‘victory lap’ song which sent attendants home smiling and wishing they were returning for one more night of funk.
Honest Folk has been around for almost exactly two years, and they’ve been itching to book San Francisco’s Marty O’Reilly and the Soul Orchestra ever since. The dream became reality on Tuesday night at Good Luck, and it was well worth the wait.
More than midway through their show, lead vocalist and guitar slinger Marty O’Reilly apologized that they weren’t playing straightforward folk music. Of course, no apology was necessary. The crowd had already been moved to multiple standing ovations and were visibly having a hard time containing their gyrations to the confines of their seats. No apology was necessary, regardless, because their music was their music and no one in the room was there to judge its purity. While the promoter’s name may be Honest Folk, the ‘folk’ could just as well refer to the people, not the genre. That is, the people who book the shows, the people who support the shows, the people who attend the shows and the people who play the shows, honest folk one and all.
And what about their music? Genre-less for sure. We know so far that it isn’t exactly folk. It’s also bluesy, but not the blues, soulful but not soul, and rocking but not rock. O’Reilly’s band mates, Chris Lynch on fiddle, Ben Berry on upright bass and Matt Goff on drums and percussion, aka the Old Soul Orchestra, are old souls pumping with new blood. The band’s origins stem from the blues which certainly shines through. But even in covering some traditional blues, like Muddy Waters’ “Smokestack Lightning” or Skip James’ “Hard Time Killing Floor,” the lyrics are the same, but the music is rewrote to give them a freshness all their own.
The band is touring behind their recently released album Stereoscope, a labor of love that was years in the making, featuring songs conceived of from a cabin in picturesque Santa Cruz, California. O’Reilly’s emotional and weathered voice could evoke those landscapes on new ones like “Stereoscope,” “Ghost” and “Let the Wind In,” though they were being played on a drearily rainy and cold day in Rochester, New York. The cozy and dimly lit brick confines of Good Luck made for just as perfect a setting for the rich tapestries being constructed between the finger picked guitars and vibrantly ethereal fiddle. Goff’s drums, which meandered between intricately understated and invigoratingly punctuated, and Berry’s bass boomed and moaned at all the right junctures. They weren’t afraid to let the music take control of the band. The reins were loose and the tunes stretched their legs, arriving at some rather brilliant moments, delighting the band and audience alike.
The show finished, as most of these shows seem to these days, with the band leaving the stage to join the audience, unmic’ed. Chairs were pushed aside and space made for the four members to play from the floor, as they broke into a stirring rendition of “Cold Canary Gaslight” off of their Pray for Rain album. The audience got to join in on the music-making fun with a finishing singalong of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Up Above My Head.”
Hopefully it doesn’t take another two years to get these guys back to Rochester, but if it does, at least we know it’ll be worth the wait.
Lettuce and The Motet finished up their two-night stand at The Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY on Saturday, March 24. The Motet’s high power, high energy brand of in-your-face-funk started the night off on the right foot. They were joined on stage by percussionist extraordinaire Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy, Ghost Note), adding an extra layer of rhythm to their already robust sound. Lettuce and The Motet capped the run off with a set of deep funk jams and crowd hyping beats. They came complete with a few musical twists and turns including a quick version of Biggie’s “Juicy” and encoring with Rick Jame’s “Mary Jane”.
Set List
Moetet:
Own It, Damn, Supernova, Fountain, Keep On, Conatagious, Handcuffs, Get It Right
Lettuce:
Mt Crushmore, Lobbiest, Blaze, Prince SMZ, Purple Cabbage, S.L.A.P., Lettsanity, Gogo (Juicy), Gang Ten, 116th, Chief It Up, Moksha, Trap
Encore:
Mary Jane
Lespecial made their return to Brooklyn on Friday, March 23. It’s been five months since they had the release party for their latest studio album, Cheen, in Brooklyn last October. The Knitting Factory opened their doors at 11:00 p.m. for an “after midnight” show, but in true New York City fashion, the room didn’t fill up till around a quarter to 1. Also in true New York City fashion, the fans came to rage! Lespecial brought the Williamsburg crowd into the early hours of Saturday morning with a set that ran a gauntlet of musical genres. Their original songs contain influences from everything from hip-hop to metal and everything in between. Fittingly, the songs they covered on Friday ranged from Black Sabbath to Cardi B. With an arsenal of talent, high energy and a sound to call their own, Lespeical continues to be on the “must see shows” list.
Set List:
(Mars Attacks Theme Intro), Donut Ghost House I, Jackwise>DnB> Jackwise, HMU*> The Vessel, March of The Pigs> Piggy•, Fruit Wolf Dance> 21st Century Iron Man+> Fruit Wolf Dance, American Life#, American Apocalypse, Fanfarra % > Pray For Me~, Donut Ghost House II, Wake Up! @ > Sound That We Do> Bodak, Yellow¥, Gallows Hill
E: Onlookers, National Anthem£
* Space Jesus
• Nine Inch Nails medley
+ King Crimson/Black Sabbath mashup
# Primus
% Sergio Mendez
~ Kendrick Lamar
@ Zion I
¥ Cardi B
£ Radiohead