NYS Music 20​18

Category: Show Reviews

  • The Wood Brothers Warm The Egg on a Chilly Evening

    The Wood Brothers brought their tour to The Egg Performing Arts Center in Albany, NY. The sold-out crowd dealt with the return of winter to hear some of the newest songs on their latest album, One Drop of Truth. The album was available at the merchandise table before its official release date of Friday, February 2. The brothers, Chris and Oliver Wood, and Jano Rix mixed new tunes with a healthy selection of Wood Brothers standards. Although, the crowd seemed more than happy to explore the new songs.

    Before the evening was over The Wood Brothers brought out special guest Aaron Lipp from Rochester, NY and the opening band, The Stray Birds, to help out with the one-microphone part of the evening. The voices of The Wood Brothers and their guests blended in the solo microphone to create an “old timey” feel inside The Egg. The night also featured a Wood Brothers cover of the late Tom Petty’s hit “You Wreck Me.”

  • Strangefolk close out Northeast run at The Warehouse

    Strangefolk wrapped up their three-night run of New England on Sunday, January 21 at The Warehouse at FTC in Fairfield, CT. With Dave Diamond Band opening up the night, the crowd filtered into the 500 cap room early, crowding to the rail for Strangefolk, who continue to have a dedicated following more than 20 years since they started at UVM in Burlington. The group recently recorded a new song, and first since 1998, as the title track of the new Reid Genauer & Folks upcoming album Conspire to Smile.

    Setlist: Sinner, Fountain, Utterly Addled, Furnace, 40 Reasons, In Deep, Folka Polka -> Alaska, Elixir, Faces, What Say You?, So Well, Take It Easy on Me, Rachel, Lines & Circles, Sidestep Blues

    Encore: Westerly -> Lay The Dust -> Westerly

  • Greensky Bluegrass Takes Flight at the Egg

    Greensky Bluegrass returned to The Egg in Albany, NY on January 24 for their first East Coast show of 2018. The Michigan band was joined by Billy Strings, who opened the show with a selection from his 2017 album, Turmoil & Tinfoil. This sold-out crowd was treated to two sets of fantastic bluegrass on this “Casual Wednesday” with a number of egg jokes thrown in for good measure.

    greensky bluegrass egg

    The Quintet from Kalamazoo opened their first set with “Past My Prime,” which was greeted with a thunderous applause from the crowd. They followed that up with “Bringing In The Georgia Mail” and “Jaywalking.” Each featured a flurry of impressive solos with an eerie Dobro solo from Anders Beck. Both the band and the audience threw out egg jokes before and after launching into “Gumboots,” “Against the Days” and “Into the Rafters.” The bird jokes continued before starting “Reverend” and then following that with “Clinch Mountain Backstep.” The boys ended the set with “Nine Days” and fan-favorite, “Worried About The Weather.” This was the longest song of the set and received the loudest response from the fawning crowd.

    The beer line quickly faded as the lights dimmed, signaling the start of a magnificent second set. “Cryin’ Holy Unto The Lord” was the uplifting opener everyone needed to start dancing again. The highlight of the night was “All Four,” an 18 minute gem which featured a rousing jam that dazzled and amazed everyone in attendance. “What’s Left of the Night” was next and Michael Arlen Bont’s incredible banjo solo was spectacular. The band brought the jam down to an ephemeral lullaby before bringing it back up to finish the song and move into “Miss September.” This was the catchiest song of the night and Paul Hoffman really shined on Mandolin during this track.

    Greensky slowed things down with a spacey intro into “Bottle Dry,’ whose roaring peak was followed by the frenetic “Radio Blues.” The band’s fingers were a blur as they played each verse of this toe-tapping hit. The Egg received even more compliments during an appropriate “Casual Wednesday.” Anders came out and said this was an “Eggs-quisite room that was really Grade-A” and the crowd couldn’t agree more. Without missing a beat, they were off like a shot with “Broke Mountain Breakdown.” After some bombastic back-and-forth playing, they broke into a wavy, ambient jam before they brought it all back together with an effect-laden scorcher of a solo on the pedal steel.

    Things weren’t over yet as the band ended the second set with the Michael Jackson hit, “Beat It.” Mike Devol’s bass playing had everyone moving as this song got everyone out of their seats to end the set. As the crowd gave a standing ovation, Dave Bruzza welcomed Billy Strings out on stage to help with their encore. The audience went silent as all 8 players played an unplugged encore featuring the solemn “Tear Down The Grand Ole Opry” and the upbeat “Sunny Side Of The Mountain.”

    Setlist via PhantasyTour

    Set 1: Past My Prime, Bringing in the Georgia Mail, Jaywalking> Gumboots, Against the Days, Into the Rafters, Reverend> Clinch Mountain Backstep, Nine Days, Worried About the Weather

    Set 2    : Cryin’ Holy Unto The Lord (Rock Where Moses Stood), All Four, What’s Left of the Night> Miss September> Bottle Dry, The Radio Blues, Casual Wednesday, Broke Mountain Breakdown> Funk Jam> Beat It

    Encore: Tear Down The Grand Ole Opry* Sunny Side of the Mountain*

    * w/ Billy Strings Band, acoustic at the lip of the stage

  • Umphrey’s McGee celebrate 20 Years with NYC run

    Umphrey’s McGee celebrated 20 years together as a band over January 17-19 with a trio of shows at The Beacon Theater in New York City, alongside stops at Sirius/XM Studios and The Cutting Room to promote the group’s latest release It’s Not Us.

    Umphrey's McGee 20For the January 19 show at The Beacon, Umphrey’s added songs off It’s Not Us – “Remind Me,” “Speak Up,” “Looks,” and “The Silent Type” – into a setlist that featured a “JaJunk” sandwich in set 2, a monster version of “Hurt Bird Bath” (see video below) and Talking Heads’ “Making Flippy Floppy” with guitarist Oz Noy joining in.

    Set 1: There’s No Crying In Mexico > Remind Me, Anchor Drops > Day Nurse > White Man’s Moccasins > Speak Up > Mulche’s Odyssey, Making Flippy Floppy[1]

    Set 2: JaJunk > Push the Pig[2], Looks, Hurt Bird Bath, 2nd Self, Conduit, The Silent Type > JaJunk

    Encore: Bad Friday

    [1] with Oz Noy on guitar and Brendan on percussion and keys
    [2] with Jake on keys; with Lose Yourself (Eminem) jam

    On night 2 of the run, Umphrey’s dusted off part of Guns n Roses’ “Paradise City” inside of “Utopian Fir” (see video below) for the first time in nearly 1500 shows. Acoustic versions of “Memories of Home” and “You and You Alone” followed “Fir,” and were joined by the horns of Peter Apfelbaum (TAB, saxophone) and Mike Maher (Snarky Puppy, trumpet) for a vigorous combo of “Attachments” and Sturgill Simpson’s “Call to Arms.” Set 2 was a gift that kept on giving, with little room to breathe amid “Wappy Sprayberry” > “Wife Soup,” “August” and “The Linear” > “In the Kitchen.”

    Set 1: You Got the Wrong Guy > Spires > Walletsworth, Utopian Fir > Paradise City[1] > Utopian Fir > Memories of Home[2], You & You Alone[2], Whistle Kids, Attachments[3], Call to Arms[3]

    Set 2: Maybe Someday, Wappy Sprayberry > Wife Soup, In The Kitchen > Little Gift, August, The Linear > In The Kitchen

    Encore: Hajimemashite > Pay the Snucka[4]

    [1] one verse
    [2] with Jake and Brendan on acoustic guitars
    [3] with Peter Apfelbaum on saxophone and Mike Maher on trumpet
    [4] with Eruption (Van Halen) tease

    For the 20th anniversary show, Brendan Bayliss spoke from the heart from the stage, opening the show up by saying,

    “On behalf of the band and the crew, I just want to say thank you for the last 20 years. It’s still very surreal to us, and because of you our dreams became our reality, so thank you so much. Tonight we’re going to take you backwards through time over the last 20 years. We’re going to play a song that we debuted each year. We’ll start with something new and end with something old. And we hope you like it.”

    And with that, Umphrey’s McGee journeyed 20 years in reverse, starting with the recent debut “Half Delayed” and ending with their classic “All in Time.” In between, the band let loose with fan favorites and heavy hitters that have been developed into jam vehicles over the past 20 years, a dream setlist for Umphreaks and an impressive way to mark the start of their third decade performing together.

    Set 1: Half Delayed, North Route > Draconian, Similar Skin[1] > No Diablo, Comma Later > Puppet String[2] > No Comment > 1348, Gulf Stream

    Set 2: The Floor[1] > Eat[1] > Higgins[3], Bridgeless[1] > Ocean Billy > The Triple Wide > Ringo[4] > 40’s Theme

    Encore: All Things Ninja[5] > All In Time[6]

    [1] unfinished
    [2] incomplete
    [3] with Can’t You Hear Me Knocking (The Rolling Stones) jam
    [4] with Voodoo Child (Jimi Hendrix) teases; unfinished
    [5] intro only
    [6] with Divisions, 10th Grade, and Nachos for Two teases; also with Thunderstruck (AC/DC) tease

    Setlists via Allthings Umphreys

  • Circles Around the Sun finishes January Run at Capitol Theater

    Since their subtle debut at Fare Thee Well and their official debut at 2016’s Lockn Festival, Circles Around the Sun has been delighting crowds across the country. The band finished their 2018 January tour in Port Chester on Saturday, January 20 after a sold-out show at the Brooklyn Bowl the night before. The band’s third visit to the Brooklyn venue featured ‘Hola!’ as an opener and the Stella Blue Band, a Capitol Theater favorite, opening Saturday’s show with special guest drummer, Josh Dates from the Reflections.

    circles around the sun capitol
    Photo by Matthew Mendenhall courtesy of Circles Around The Sun’s press release.

    The quartet began their first ever Capitol Theater show with the first two songs from their 2015 album, Interludes For The Dead. The crowd gathered close as the band dove into ’Gilbert’s Groove’ and ‘Hallucinate A Solution’ before launching into their new song, ‘Chuck.’ This new track starts with a laid-back groove and plenty of blissful keys from keyboardist, Adam MacDougall. He and guitarist Neal Casal play off of each other while bassist Dan Horne leads them through each melodic key change in this fantastic new material.

    They continued the set with ‘Scarlotta’s Magnolias’ and ‘Saturday’s Children’ before ending with crowd-favorite, ‘Farewell Franklins.’ This closer had everyone smiling as much as drummer Mark Levy, who happily kept beat and grinned all night long. Neal and the boys ended the night and the tour with ‘Ginger Says’ and thanked everyone who came out before taking off. This may be the end of their first run of 2018, but the band has already said they will have more dates for us soon.

  • Freaks Ball: Then and Now

    Born from one man’s desire to unite the familiar-faced strangers seen at the shows he was regularly attending solo, the Freaks List has become one of, if not the most, influential internet groups in the jam scene, or any other scene for that matter.

    freaks ball

    A Long Island-based scientist named Aaron Stein was sick of going to concerts by himself and knew he couldn’t be the only one. Tipped off by the fact that each night, in each venue, for each band, the same fans were standing in the same rooms, in the same city. It was in response to this, that eighteen years ago this week, like-minded concertgoers across the greater New York City area were given a place to meet each other. The Freaks List was born, and with it came a now eighteen-year running party known as The Freaks Ball.

    In the early years, The Freaks list has was credited with jumpstarting the popularity of such acts as Robert Randolph and the Family Band and The Benevento/Russo Duo. The list’s members began talking about these emerging acts popping up in the New York City club scene, and having them play the annual The Freaks Ball. Scott Metzger’s RANA, The New Mastersounds, Apollo Sunshine, Chris Harford & the Band of Changes (featuring Dean Ween), The Squad (a variation of Lettuce), Ollabelle, Tom Hamilton’s American Babies, Skerik, Mike Dillon, Anders Osborne and more were all featured in the yearly Freaks celebration within the first decade of conception. The event had been held in venues such as Tribeca Blues, Southpaw, The Bowery Ballroom, and Sullivan Hall just to name a few. In more recent years The Freaks Ball has called Brooklyn Bowl its home.

    freaks ball

    Freaks Ball XII featured the Freaks Ball-Stars that included Eddie Roberts (The New Mastersounds), Joe Russo, Marco Benevento, Ron Johnson (Warren Haynes Band), Eric Deutch and special guests Eric Krasno, Scott Metzger and Warren Haynes. Also in 2012 Bustle In Your Hedgerow (Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, Dave Dreiwitz & Scott Metzger) paid an absolutely astonishing tribute to Led Zeppelin. After putting together a seemingly impossible lineup to top XII, the 2013 Freaks Ball would bring Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, Dave Dreiwitz & Scott Metzger together again for what was meant to be a one-off tribute to the Grateful Dead. They called it Joe Russo’s Almost Dead. And so it was, some thirteen years after giving The Benevento/Russo Duo and RANA an opening spot behind Robert Randolph and the Family Band at the Bowery Ballroom, The Freaks Ball would birth what we are now simply calling JRAD. Maybe you have heard of them?

    In the last handful of years, The Ball would feature JRAD two more times as well as WOLF!, Stirrers (Eric Krasno, Neal Evans & Joe Russo), Superhuman Happiness, and last year hosted just the third Benevento/Russo Duo performance since 2010. Boasting a resume as strong as this, one can only ask themselves, “what could possibly come next?” On Friday, January 19th The Freaks got their answer.

    freaks ball

    This year’s Freaks Ball was headlined by the Neal Casal-led, Grateful Dead-inspired group from California and Colorado, Circles Around The Sun. The Westcoast psychedelic improvisational group drew support from Brooklyn-based DJ Kevin Kendrick, as well as a rare appearance from the band Hola! featuring none other than (you guessed it) Joe Russo and Scott Metzger alongside Andy Hess, and Avi Bortnick. It is safe to say that Circles Around the Sun, Hola!, and DJ Kevin Kendrick are not acts to pass on if given the opportunity. None of them have extensive touring schedules in 2018. All have them have just been added to the elite roster of bands and musicians chosen by The Freaks, for The Freaks.

  • Spafford Tears Apart Buffalo Iron Works

    For the past couple of years, the Arizona native rock/jam band Spafford has been the talk of the town. With a seizure inducing light show, dual-set mind altering jams, and a cast of imaginative, highly-skilled musicians, it is no wonder why an old factory-converted music hall down by the canal was packed nearly to capacity on a chilly Thursday winter night at Buffalo Iron Works.

    The up and coming funk-folk band Goose set the stage as they performed an opening set which undoubtedly expanded their fan base. The venue was slowly filling up as Goose started up, and they welcomed attendants with a light reggae groove which transformed the northern ice chest into a breezy paradise. Heads were bobbing, hips were swinging, and by the third song the venue was so packed there wasn’t enough space to wave down your friend at the bar.

    spafford iron worksGoose’s set ranged from reggae dance numbers to upbeat funk to intense, guitar-driven peaks. Their well-crafted songs and impressive vocals bode well for their future in this competitive jam scene. By the end of their set, the crowd was so enthralled they nearly forgot they were there to see Spafford. It was like having a delicious shrimp appetizer that filled you up and left you smiling, completely forgetting about the filet mignon you ordered. Thankfully once the meat comes out you always find room for more and savor every bite until there is nothing left, and that is exactly the way Spafford delivered.

    By the time Spafford went on there was hardly any room to stand on the dance floor. Electricity surged through the air as newcomers awaited their first experience of the highly-anticipated musical experience, and veterans stood eager to re-enter their happy place. There is no doubt this small venue is not going to be large enough to hold them the next time they come back to Buffalo, especially if they come on a weekend night.

    The crowd exploded as the band picked up their instruments and created an airy soundscape as guitar player Brian Moss weaved delicate jazz licks over the building sound. Drummer/percussionist Cameron Laforest began to speed things up as the band followed and pushed their way to an intense bliss peak. Just the first song in and it was obvious they were here to make a statement as the song “The Postman” transformed again into an alien-funk abduction. Keyboard player Andrew “Red” Johnson pushed the jam further and further as they built a detached groove with all members contributing, careful not to step on each other’s toes. Endlessly rising, the high energy jam reached a sensational zenith and on the turn of a dime, was brought back to the instrumental verse accompanied by a roar from the crowd.

    “Backdoor Funk” followed the impressive opening number with a dirty, shadow-like aura as bass player Jordan Fairless took first swing at the vocals. The dark funk number saw Johnson layering vibrant chords while Moss bent his strings like he was breaking a chicken’s neck. The lights, controlled by lighting director Ben Factor, spun with the out of control jam and strapped the audience onto an out of control merry-go-round whirling through multiple dimensions. Eventually the ride stopped, and thankfully there were no casualties (though one girl did have to be taken out for an unrelated matter…), as the band fell back into the final verse.

    A bubbly rendition of “The Remedy” came next and gave the crowd a chance to catch their breath as they floated down the smooth river of sound the band conceived. The frothy raft ride didn’t last long however, as the band brought the jam into pure chaos to finish the number. A familiar rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Feel Like a Stranger” came next and featured the crowd singing along with the chorus. However, with Spafford nothing is truly without their own personal touch as though the solo was kept within the realm of song, the band created a distinct jungle of madness that would have made even Garcia nod his head with approval.

    The rock-infused ska number “Diana” brought out the rowdiness of the crowd once again before the band went into their last number of the set, “People.” They took their time building the jam in “People” as all four members communicated well with each other. They built the jam to reach the sky, and within a matter of seconds dropped it to a pit of nothingness. One of the major strengths of the band is their control of tempo and dynamics, and they demonstrated that impeccably. As they worked their way down, every member of the band left the stage leaving Johnson alone to deliver an eloquent outro solo, thus leaving “People” unfinished at set break.

    When the band came back for the second set, the crowd was even more unruly than before. They picked up right where they left off and began the second set at the solo of “People.” If there’s a better way to start a set then the middle of an intense bliss peak I’d like to hear it. “Plans” came next and displayed their diverse influences with a Latin-inspired groove. That did not last long, however, as “Plans” saw some of the most impressive jamming of the night. It jumped from high-speed guitar solo, with Moss’s fingers moving so fast it was as if he would have imploded had he stopped, to a slow, spacey crowd-teasing vamp, and eventually made its way to a tribal drum inspired, high tempo space freak-out which left everyone in their room both amused and disoriented.

    The band played around with tempo once again as they continuously shifted the speed of the funky “Virtual Bean Dip.” The groove shifted from an passionate peak to a quiet lullaby, back up the roller coaster to a boiling hallucinogenic realm as multi-colored prison spotlights bounced around the stage. Out of the delirium came the chipper “Galisted Way,” which gave the crowd another chance to gain their bearings. They kept the positive vibes going with “Crazy,” a song that is reminiscent of being at a waterfall on a summer day. Light-hearted as it may be, the solo by Moss lead to a confetti-cannon explosion of sound before they ended the final verse on another high note.

    The last song of the set, and second cover of the night, Tears for Fear’s “Mad World” featured some of the most exciting moments of the night. The song proper was a time capsule back to the eighties, complete with sweaty men with bad dance moves, until the fat bass line hooked up with the increasing robot noises spewing out of the guitar and worked their way into a more futuristic boogie. As the rattling guitar pulled away from the ‘80s dance number the band once again connected to build tension. The more they built it up the more it felt like they were filling a balloon, and everyone held their breath until it popped. After overfilling two times over, the band finally released, and the crowd was ecstatic. The set was over, but no one was quite ready to leave.

    As the crowd cheered for more, the band left the stage for only a couple of seconds before ending the night on the high-energy, short singalong “Salamander Song.” The band thanked the crowd, but the yells and cheers made it obvious who was truly thankful after that performance.

    Setlist: 

    I: The Postman, Backdoor Funk, The Remedy, Feel Like a Stranger[1], Diana, People[2]

    II: People[3], Plans, Virtual Bean Dip > Galisteo Way, Crazy, Mad World[4]

    E: Salamander Song

    Notes:
    [1] Grateful Dead cover
    [2]Unfinished – Red Outro
    [3] Ending Only
    [4] Tears for Fears Cover

  • Ominous Seapods reunite for first shows since 2011

    It’s been six years since the last Ominous Seapods show, but after two sell out shows in Cohoes and a first time performance at Brooklyn Bowl, you’d be remiss not to wonder why they don’t reunite more often. With fans flying in from as far as the Carolinas, Germany, and the west coasts of America and Australia (where gitarist/vocalist Dana Monteith has made his home in Perth), three impressive reunion shows found audiences reuniting and excited for all that was in store. As Mike Wren mentioned in passing that night “Every so often, it’s a bookmark you come back to,” and perhaps that best describes the audience support and reverence for the Seapods. 

    ominous seapods reuniteThe Ominous Seapods have a lasting legacy of influence on musicians in the jam scene. They are held with reverence by fans and music journalists who are still enamored (and rightly so) by the jam scene of the ’90s, and continue to inspire awe and musicians today. Promoter Greg Bell of Guthrie/Bell Productions spoke on January 12 about his history with the band dating back to 1992, and was all smiles throughout the night, having brought back to Albany the elder statesman of the jam scene. Despite it being a warm night outside, it was far from a warm up night inside, as the band hit the ground running and hit all the marks, right off the bat.

    Cohoes Music Hall was the perfect venue for this show, as it has been for Max Creek, Garcia Project, and soon Turkuaz and Melvin Seals with JGB. The fourth oldest music venue in New York, the 1871 hall has undergone a transformation in the past two years and become an excellent show location that fits perfectly between clubs like The Hollow and Putnam Den, and larger rooms such as The Egg. So with two sold out shows, bassist Tom Pirozzi’s 50th birthday and a reunion of Plattsburgh Mutants on tap, the Music Hall was abuzz early thanks to Stone Brewing’s DidgeriDoom IPA, a nod to Monteith, who moved to Perth, Australia following the last Seapods show in 2011 at Valentines. Monteith also sported an AC/DC shirt, perhaps a subtle reference to their then-final show where they performed “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll).”

    Opening up with “I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon,” the first big jam of the night came from “Theme for Another Enlightened Rogue” and the segue into “The Guide to Roadside Ecology” with Dana getting down to business early, and often. A few acoustic numbers came next, notably “Branch’s House” which grew smoothly into “The Pull from Adirondack Blue” and “Waiting 4 the Bomb to Drop” and Pirozzi and guitarist/vocalist Max Verna driving the set ending sandwich of “Sally” > “Cali” > “Sally.”

    The energy continued to flow out of the setbreak with “Leaving the Monopole” getting checked off everyone’s ‘must hear’ list. The Seapods’ signature song still finds fans today who visit the ‘Single Stick’ in Plattsburgh and explore the lore that influenced the band’s writing. A debut of “Cumberland Blues” caught a few off guard, but it was pleasantly surprising that the band chose to throw a new cover into the mix this weekend. The jam of the set was around “Schizophrenic Rain,” which bookended “Oberon and Titania” and “Passengers En Route” and served as the most fluid and dialed in portions of the night, with a keys/bass/drums jam in the midst of the medley. A rockin “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley” kept the flow of the night going, with “Hey Donnie Osmond” closing the set out. An encore of “That’s How they Got Along” and “Michael Murphy 3” left a great deal of tunes in the tank for Saturday night.

    Setlist, January 12, 2018
    Set 1: I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon, 1/4 lb. Hot Dog, Theme For Another Enlightened Rogue ->
    The Guide To Roadside Ecology, Millworker’s Lament*, Long Black Veil**, Guardian Angels*** -> Candy Cane Flame***, Branch’s House**** -> Jam -> The Pull From Adirondack Blue, Waiting 4 The Bomb To Drop, Sally Simpson -> First Day In California ->. Sally Simpson,

    Set 2: Econobrain intro^ -> Old GP, Leaving The Monopole -> Counting Time -> Cumberland Blues^^, Schizophrenic Rain -> Oberon And Titania -> Passengers En Route -> Schizophrenic Rain -> Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley, Hey Donnie Osmond

    Encore: That’s How They Got Along, Michael Murphy 3

    *Max solo acoustic
    **Lefty Frizzell cover, first time played, without Mangini, Verna on acoustic guitar and Pirozzi on upright bass
    ***Verna on acoustic guitar
    ****Monteith on acoustic guitar
    ^with Doug Burns
    ^^Grateful Dead cover, first time played

    Entering night two with much colder weather at their back, fans returned to Cohoes Music Hall sporting a variety of flannel on par with an L.L. Bean outlet.  “Jet Smooth Ride” lifted the crowd up and into the night. “Cary Suite” and “Final Destination” had the band finding the pocket and staying there, jamming without the drawback (or benefit, if you will) of ADD. The jams were even more on point and didn’t let up or evaporate before their time. The set ending pair of “Anything is Possible” with Monteith on egg beater and “Blackberry Brandy”

    A second set that flowed freely was on tap, starting with a more than 15 minute “Jump for Joy” opener. Monteith took some time to mention how hard it was for him to leave Perth to get to New York for these shows, but expressed casual gratitude for the response from fans. A string of segues led to a 12 minute “John Henry’s Hammer” and a second “Pull from Adirondack Blue” in as many nights. “Bong Hits and Porn,” one of the best song titles ever, was slid into a sweet groove and held on for nearly 15 minutes and found Monteith back on eggbeater.

    For the final song of the night, Pirozzi took over on guitar for “Ship,” and led the crowd in the sing-along. With fans cheering for one more, my friend David leaned over and said “You can’t finish the weekend without “Leaving the Monopole,” and lo and behold, they would not. Once again, we got the Seapods tune, and the fans who were only there that night revelled, danced and sang the words as easily as they did in 1995.

    Setlist: January 13, 2018
    Set 1: Jet Smooth Ride, Cary Suite, Final Destination > She Makes the Journey, Serpents in the Sand, Railyard Scene > Somedays > Stephen O’Rourke > The Fiesta, Anything Is Possible (w double Eggbeater jam) > Blackberry Brandy

    Set 2: Jump For Joy, Sad Corner > What’s the Buzz, Keep in Mind > Waiting Room > Gunshot Static > John Henry’s Hammer > The Pull from Adirondack Blue, Bong Hits & Porn*

    Encore: Ship, Leaving the Monopole
    * with Monteith on eggbeater

    For the final set of the reunion, a performance at Brooklyn Bowl was the perfect closing to the weekend. Owned by former Wetlands owner Pete Shapiro, having Ominous Seapods perform at Brooklyn Bowl brings them full circle and to a stage built on the shoulders of former Wetlands staples like themselves. The performance was an opening slot for the Zen Tricksters, and would be a distilled, “best of” set compared to the previous two shows. Fan Gabe Sasso noted that the crowd ate up how tight the band sounded, with one standout highlight “Josephine’s Grand Motion” which was not played the previous two nights. And with the final note of “Bong Hits and Porn,” Mutants are back to waiting for the next reunion shows to be announced, and based on response from these shows, one would hope it will be less than six years between shows.

    Setlist, January 14, 2018
    Set 1: Blackberry Brandy, Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley, The Guide To Roadside Ecology, Michael Murphy 3, Josephine’s Grand Motion, Sally Simpson > First Day In California > Sally Simpson, The Pull From Adirondack Blue, Leaving The Monopole, Bong Hits And Porn

  • JRAD sells out three nights at The Capitol Theatre

    Joe Russo’s Almost Dead started off 2018 with a string of sold out shows at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY this past weekend. The band debuted six new songs during the run and teased countless more throughout the weekend.

    Friday’s show kicked things off with an intro Jam that made its way into “Brown Eyed Woman” and an extended “Jack Straw.” “Shakedown Street” with a “Here Comes Sunshine” Jam to close the first set is a must-hear if you weren’t at the show. The second set opened with “Rosa Lee McFall,” a Charlie Monroe cover that the Grateful Dead played 18 times throughout their career and last on 10/27/80. This set also featured JRAD’s first “Atlantic City” since 4/28/17.

    The boys came out swinging on Saturday with a debut each time they came on stage. “Pride of Cucamonga” was well-received in between “They Love Each Other” and “Playing In The Band” in the first set and Led Zeppelin’s “Your Time Is Going To Come” flowed from a fantastic “I Need A Miracle.” They saved the best for last with an encore starting with a Marco Benevento solo into Chuck Berry’s “The Festival.” Marco took the lead on this song about a music festival featuring The Band, The Who, CCR, The Beatles, Hendrix, Joplin and of course, The Grateful Dead.

    Sunday closed the weekend with two more debuts and the return of Stuart Bogie for a number of songs. He last joined up with the band during their October Brooklyn Bowl run and he especially shined during the debuts of “Chinatown Shuffle” and Dr. Feelgood’s “She Does It Right” during the encore. However, the highlight of the night was the “Dancing In The Streets” that ended the second set. It was spacey 27 minutes of bliss as the band teased Dire Straits as well as others to end the last full set of the weekend.

    Joe Russo’s Almost Dead returns to New York on March 15 in Syracuse and March 16 in Albany.

    Tune into the shows on Relisten Friday 1/12/18, Saturday 1/13/18 and Sunday 1/14/18

  • Black Label Society and Corrosion of Conformity roll into Clifton Park

    Black Label Society along with Corrosion of Conformity and EyeHateGod performed at the Upstate Concert Hall Sunday, January 7. With the venue near full capacity, Zakk Wylde and his band of brothers played a high energy show pleasing fans old and new.

    Black Label SocietyBlack Label Society opened the show with the fast paced “Genocide Junkies,” following up with “Funeral Bell.” Zakk Wylde made no hesitation to melt the crowd’s faces off from the beginning all the way through the whole setlist including crowd favorites “Suicide Messiah” and “Fire it Up.” Later this month, Black Label Society’s new album “Grimmest Hits” debuts. Do not get confused. This is not a greatest hits album.

    Black Label SocietyBlack Label Society brought along Corrosion of Conformity for the tour. Fans in the area were happy to see Pepper Keenan and Corrosion of Conformity back in Clifton Park. From crowd favorites to new songs, Corrosion of Conformity had a song for everyone. They have a new album coming out January 12th called No Cross No Crown. Corrosion of Conformity got the crowd singing with “Albatross,” followed that with an introduction of the rest of the band, before ending the show with “Clean My Wounds.”

    Black Label Society

    Black Label Society Setlist: Genocide Junkies, Funeral Bell, Suffering Overdue, Bleed for Me, Heart of Darkness, Suicide Messiah, All That Once Shined,  Room of Nightmares, Low Down, Bridge to Cross, In This River, The Blessed Hellride, Fire it Up, Concrete Jungle, Stillborn

    Corrosion Of Conformity Setlist: Bottom Feeder (El que come abajo), The Luddite, Seven Days, Vote With a Bullet, Long Whip/Big America, Who’s Got the Fire, 13 Angels, Broken Man, Albatross, Clean My Wounds.

    Black Label Society

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