NYS Music 20​18

Category: Jam/Progressive

  • The Big Mean BBQ expands to two days

    Big Mean Sound Machine is throwing their fourth annual music festival in Trumansburg. This year, they’re making The Big Mean BBQ a weekend-long event spanning Friday Aug. 24 and Saturday Aug. 25. Tasty musical morsels on the lineup include Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Driftwood, Black Castle (Elliot Martin of John Brown’s Body), Danielle Ponder, The Blind Spots’ Prince Tribute, Marco Benevento, Kat Wright, Blind Owl Band, Tenzin Chopak, Viva Mayhem, Rose & the Bros, Grey Gary and Honey Cave. Big Mean Sound Machine will jam with their friends on Friday night, and play a full set on Saturday. DJ Gourd will host a dance party both nights.

    In addition, they will host their first ever Big Mean Music Camp. Members of Big Mean Sound Machine are scheduled to be on hand for interactive workshops with festival-goers on Saturday morning.

    Listen to The Big Mean BBQ IV playlist, and see the schedules below. Tickets are available for each day or the entire weekend.

  • Eighth Annual Levitate Music Festival Goes Green

    The eighth annual Levitate Music Festival took place July 7 and 8, hosted by the Levitate Surf Shop at the Marshfield Fairgrounds. The two day event featured three stages, the Soul Stage (smallest), Style Stage (mid-sized), and Stoke Stage (main); each stage featured killer musicians, both local and national touring acts. The weather remained hot and sunny all weekend, which the festival aided with free sunscreen dispensers all across the grounds.

    levitate music festival

    One of the coolest parts of this year’s Levitate was their move towards an eco-friendly festival experience. Attendees could purchase metal cups to use at the Reverb water-filling stations, or at the many beer tents around the grounds, receiving a $1 discount for purchasing the cups. There were also several compost tents, and some food vendors even served their food on biodegradable plates. Spread across the grounds were numerous local food trucks, one of the most popular being the Sweet Tomatoes pizza truck, which constantly had a line longer than the bathrooms.

    Samantha Fish was one of the more surprising sets of the first day, bringing her soulful blues playing and outstanding voice to the Soul Stage, surprising many festivalgoers that were passing by. Immediately following her and her band’s performance was Vermont-native jam band Twiddle, who seemed to have drawn their fans from all over New England. The quartet played the recently dusted off “Frankenfoote,” much to the crowd’s bemusement, and clearly seemed to enjoy being back in their home field after their recent cross-country tour with Stick Figure. Robert Randolph & The Family Band brought their gospel-blues fusion sound to the Soul Stage following Twiddle’s performance, and among their many covers, brought out Samantha Fish for a fiery rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s famous “Voodoo Child,” which had the crowd dancing and singing along all the way back to the soundboard.

    Slightly Stoopid and Stick Figure brought their reggae stylings and roots music to the Style and Stoke stages before the main event of the fest, Trey Anastasio Trio, took to the main stage. Trey’s trio actually became a quartet for the set, featuring Ray Paczkowski on the keyboards for his second show back since the recent removal of a brain tumor. The quartet played a mixture of Trey Anastasio Band and Phish songs, opening with the uplifting summer jam “Blaze On,” a song about being carefree and keeping on, which fit the atmosphere of the fest well. Trey was visibly excited to be onstage, probably due to having just played in Central Park the previous night, and the forthcoming start of Phish’s annual summer tour. After a unique rendition of TAB’s “Cayman Review,” the group broke into even more Phish classics, such as the jam vehicles “Gotta Jibboo” and “Sand,” as well as the fan-favorite  “Farmhouse.” The highlight of the set was the segment of “Bug > Undermind > First Tube” at the end of the set, featuring the deepest jams of the night. After the usual climactic ending of “First Tube,” Trey came out with an acoustic to perform solo versions of the bittersweet love song “Waste” and the joyful “More,” and asked the crowd to cheer as loud as they could for Ray when the rest of the band came out. The deafening roar of the attendees seemed to embarrass Ray—-though they made Trey smile and laugh—and the group broke into their final song of the evening, “Push On Til’ The Day.”

    On the second day of the fest, the Style Stage featured a lot of the best acts. The day was kicked off by Spafford, a first timer at Levitate, who have been on fire all summer long. The group played a near-20-minute version of their heavy hitter “Blackfoot Funk,” and a stellar version of one of their newest tunes “Broken Wing,” the fast paced rocker that heavily showcases the rhythmic abilities of bassist Jordan Fairless and drummer Cameron Laforest. The group closed out the set with “Space Gadget,” a more progressive song that features the famous main melody of Inspector Gadget theme, a request made by a fan who recently released an Inspector Gadget pin. Following Spafford were Brooklyn’s favorite funk group, the 9-piece Turkuaz, who got everyone up and dancing in the warm summer heat. Their set featured the always-entertaining “Percy Thrills, The Moon Dog,” as well as the Sami Garrett-led “Tiptoe Through the Crypto,” a song that really exemplifies her impressive vocal range. After Turkuaz came the popular bluegrass group Greensky Bluegrass, whose set featured a couple sit ins from some big names. The first sit in had singer-songwriter Ryan Montbleau sitting in on Coolio’s magnum opus, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which had a bit of a Greensky flair on it. The whole crowd was singing along with the rap anthem, really enjoying the group’s interesting take on the song. The second sit in featured guitarist Brian Moss of Spafford on their original “Kerosene,” which was taken over by Moss towards the end with an impressive solo on his beloved guitar “The Raven.”

    Of all the big names that were featured on the main stage, Lake Street Dive stoke the show as always with their upbeat, soulful swing sound. The set showcased many of the group’s popular originals, including “I Don’t Care About You,” “Good Kisser,” and “Baby Don’t Leave Me Alone With My Thoughts,” as well as an impressive cover of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One.” Over on the Soul Stage, Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle hosted a “Mihali and Frends Community Jam” set to close out the festival, which featured a hefty lineup, including Eli Winderman and Rob Compa of Dopapod, Zdenek Gubb of Twiddle, Russ Lawton of Trey Anastasio Band, and many, many more. The set consisted mainly of covers, most impressively John Lennon’s “Stand By Me,” led by a guy named Hitch on acoustic guitar, and Alanis Morrissette’s classic “You Oughta Know,” led by Rob Compa, whose vocals were eerily similar to Morrissette’s.

    The eighth annual Levitate Music and Arts Festival was a major success, especially in the way of their green initiative. The festival will return next year and years to come, most likely with an even more impressive lineup and even better food. Check out the photo gallery below for a taste of what the weekend was like.

  • Prog-Alt band T@NE release debut single ‘Rock Joint’

    T@NE™, a progressive alternative band out of New York City this summer have released their debut single “Rock Joint.”

    T@NE is the name for musician, saxophonist, composer, producer and artist Arnold Tone Kaplan Lee. Along with bandmates Taber Gable (keyboards), Andrew Renfroe (guitar), Dan Pappalardo (bass), and Pete Manheim (drums), T@NE and crew are making music for the future. “Rock Joint” is a fantastic debut single and takes the listener on a progressive journey with segments of intricate jazz and rock that you can easily sink into. Lee says of “Rock Joint”: “I chose this track as the first single because before we release music that is more produced (and more post production), I wanted to release a track that has the vibe of us just rocking out and how we play in concert, so we went in the studio and did a take and this what we got.”

    T@NE has been performing in the New York City area, playing at venues such as Pianos, Arlene’s Grocery, and Rockwood Music Hall. Catch them on Sunday Sept. 16 at Arlene’s Grocery. Follow T@NE on Instagram and Twitter.

  • Dark Star Orchestra Through the Eyes of a non-Deadhead

    Despite an intense musical appetite, I have always struggled to understand the draw to major jam bands like Grateful Dead. So it was with an apprehensive but open mind that I ventured to Frontier Field Friday, August 3 to test the waters with Dark Star Orchestra, one of the most prominent GD tribute bands out there.

    Dark Star Orchestra

    This year marked their fourth annual stadium show at Frontier Field, and it’s something DSO and GD fans alike look forward to all year. In the past few months I have been exposed to various live recordings of GD shows throughout their career, but often felt the music had no memorable quality, like if it suddenly stopped playing in the background I might not even notice. I’ve also sought the wisdom of knowledgeable friends who have given their best effort to inform my musical appreciation of the jam scene, but still hadn’t gained much traction.

    With this chip on my shoulder, I walked into the stadium and became instantly optimistic. The setting alone is worth going to see DSO. With the stage nestled near home plate, it is surrounded by an impossibly green field, punctuated by some familiar players in the Rochester skyline, including the infamous Kodak building off to the left. Anyone with Rochester pride would seriously appreciate this venue.

    It’s refreshing that DSO plays slightly more uptempo than a lot of the GD recordings I’ve heard, so the music is more lively. Oh- and they can sing. It’s so frustrating when off key vocals distract from an otherwise enjoyable song. This has always been one of my biggest complaints with jam music.

    In terms of the setlist, more seasoned fans know if you hear “China Cat Sunflower,” you’re gonna hear “I Know You Rider” right after. Same with “Lost Sailor” and “Saint of Circumstance.” I didn’t know the songs well enough to recognize them at the show, but I did recognize that “The Music Never Stopped” and “One More Saturday Night” were both really fun to dance to. I feel accomplished to finally appreciate a couple songs from their extensive catalog without a serious fan explaining why I should. It feels like a rite of passage in terms of understanding this music better.

    Even when things got noodly, it didn’t drag on incessantly as jams often can. For a long time I’ve thought musicians noodling on stage and fans noodle dancing in the crowd was just plain funny. It’s hilarious to me that a silly food describes both technical musicianship and the wiggly dance moves of the people who worship this music. It was too easy to make fun of and I couldn’t take it seriously. I can get down with a quick little jam, but I never understood how the crowd tolerated prolonged noodling where the music sometimes doesn’t even make sense or can go off on boring tangents. But that’s the nature of jamming- sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s more difficult to make something sound good having never practiced it. It’s taken me a long time to accept this when all I want at a show is to be blown away by the music.

    Interacting with the crowd at DSO also enhanced the experience. The incredibly welcoming crowd swiftly facilitated making friends with total strangers in the beer line or in the bleachers. Of all the music genres, this one encourages a sort of carefree dance expression you can’t find everywhere, and it’s definitely contagious.

    I may still will never be a Deadhead, but I’ve been a music fanatic long enough to warrant some investigative reporting. I will continue seeking to better understand my own misgivings with jam music and to appreciate some iconic music of our history.

    Set 1: Alabama, Bucket, West LA, Memphis Blues, Lazy River Road, Esau, Blow Away, Ramble On, Sunrise, Music

    Set 2: China Cat > Rider, She Belongs To Me, Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance > Drumz > Dear Mr. Fantasy > Throwing Stones > World To Give > Saturday Night

    E: Mr. Charlie, C’est La Vie (You Never Can Tell)

  • Photo Gallery: Twiddle’s Tumbledown

    Bernie Sanders, Kat Wright, Grahame Lesh and a few rainstorms were on hand for Twiddle at their third annual Tumbledown, held at the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival in Burlington, VT over Friday July 27 and Saturday the 28. Thunderstorms on Friday meant that Twiddle’s second set was shelved until the next day, and even with some bad weather showing up Saturday, they still managed to get all three sets in.

    Twiddle welcomed special guests Kat Wright for a breathtaking performance of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Mihali’s GEM counterparts Grahame Lesh and Elliot Peck (Midnight North) joined Twiddle for the final set’s “Lost in the Cold,” “Hatti’s Jam” and “When it Rains it Pours.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bly6T1gntlf/

    However it was the second set on Saturday that was the most unique of the weekend. Known by fans now as ‘Orlando’s Set,’ the 7 song set featured “Orlando’s” appearing four times in the set with 6 other songs intertwining. The song “Orlando’s” talks about a bar, and each of the three verses discusses a couple of characters who come into the bar. In this case, “Jamflowman” and “Hattibagen McRat” were mentioned, and both songs were then played in the first break of “Orlando’s.” Following “McRat,” the band returned to “Orlando’s,” introducing “Frankenfoote” and “Tiberius” before performing those two and returning to “Orlando’s” once again. The last characters introduced were “Carter Candlestick” and “Cabbage Face” which were performed before the ending of “Orlando’s” closed the set. A spark of genius flowed through this character laden set, something unique not just to Twiddle, but indeed they did it first.

    July 27 setlist via Phantasytour
    Set 1: White Light1, Drifter, Doinkinbonk!!!, Syncopated Healing

    1 Bernie Sanders introduction

    July 28 setlist via Phantasytour
    Set 1: Blunderbuss, Second Wind, Dr. Remidi’s Melodium, Polluted Beauty1, Hallelujah2
    Set 2: Orlando’s> Jamflowman> Hattibagen McRat> Orlando’s> Frankenfoote> Tiberius> Orlando’s> Carter Candlestick> Cabbage Face> Orlando’s
    Set 3: Lost In The Cold3, Apples4, Hatti’s Jam5,3> When It Rains It Pours5,3

    1 w Taz
    2 w Kat Wright
    3 w Grahame Lesh
    4 Smooth Criminal tease
    5 w Elliot Peck

  • Phish wrap up West Coast shows, head East with eyes on Watkins Glen

    Phish is back and headed east for the second half of their summer tour, which found them kicking things off in Stateline, NV on July 17 and 18. Over the course of nine West Coast shows and a show in Austin, TX on Tuesday night, Phish has dusted off some rust, debuted a few tunes and delved deeper on jams as the tour has progressed, more or less how the past few tours have gotten started.

    There have been some high water marks: “I Always Wanted it This Way” from Stateline, “Simple,” “Wombat,” “Crosseyed and Painless” and “Chalkdust Torture” from The Gorge, “A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing” > “Mercury” > “Carini” and “Set Your Soul Free” from Bill Graham in San Francisco, “Kill Devil Falls,” “Gotta Jibboo,” “Fuego,” and “Soul Planet” from The Forum in Los Angeles, and “Everything’s Right” > “Down with Disease” from Austin360 Amphitheater. Debuts of “Set Your Soul Free,” “Infinite” and “Keepin’ it Real” have been welcomed by the fans, and teases from the band have been subtle but wide ranging, more so than previous tours. “Little Drummer Boy” and “Theme from S.W.A.T.” have shown up on multiple occasions, as well as “There is a Mountain” (Donovan), “Celluloid Heroes” (The Kinks), “Heartbreaker” (Led Zeppelin), and “Time Loves a Hero” (Little Feat) all making appearances ever so subtly throughout the shows.

    There have been some head-scratchers too. The entire first set of Austin sounds like it looks on paper – a directionless smattering of usual first set options, but then second set they charge out with 36 combined minutes of “Everything’s Right” and “Down with Disease.” After a fiery “Tweezer” > “Golden Age” at The Gorge, and with the band dialed in, Trey dropped in a “Farmhouse;” the ripcord could be heard down the Columbia River valley for miles. Maybe they are throwing fans curveballs throughout the shows to keep fans on their feet, keeping things uneven, a stark contrast to 2017 when the band felt dialed in after just a few shows and went on to a historic Baker’s Dozen run of shows at Madison Square Garden. Perhaps they’re just getting warmed up and starting to catch fire the closer they get back to the usual stomping grounds of the East Coast. Or maybe they just play whatever they want, and at times hit a sweet spot of jamming that reaffirms their place on the Mt. Rushmore of Jam.

    So what can we expect from Phish for the next 8 shows before they return to Watkins Glen for their 11th festival, Curveball? For one thing, a variety in the setlists – few songs have been repeated more than twice, and those are jam vehicles such as “Down with Disease,” an effect of the no-repeat Baker’s Dozen where the band played 237 different songs over 13 shows. They went five and a half shows without a repeat to start the tour, and the selection has been the most variation seen this far into tour, ever.

    And what about at Curveball? With the music and art installations at Phish festivals always well-guarded secrets, fans have begun to speculate that Phish play 9 sets, or 9 innings of music, with a possible ‘Casey at the Bat’ tie-in. Phish always packs a little something extra for their festivals, and Easter Eggs among the art on the grounds and hints in the song selection could give fans an idea of what to expect. Still, a Phish festival is a Christmas present wrapped in a ball of mystery, and that surprise is always worth the wait.

    Phish next hits Alpharetta, GA, at a fan favorite venue located in the northern Atlanta suburbs and also one of the smallest venues of the tour with capacity of only 12,000. Then it’s off to Camden, NJ for two nights at BB&T Pavilion on August 7-8, then they head down to Raleigh on Friday, August 10 before heading north to wrap up the pre-fest end of tour at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD August 11-12. Curveball gates open on Thursday, August 16 and the music kicks off on Friday.

    Stay tuned for more coverage from NYS Music of past Phish festivals and upcoming shows, as well as daily reviews and photos from Watkins Glen. Setlists and teases courtesy of Phish.net. Donate to the Mockingbird Foundation and support music education throughout the country.

  • Woods Fest Music Festival Announced

    The first Woods Fest Music Festival is happening at the Woods Valley Ski Area in Westernville, just north of Rome, on Aug. 18.

    Woods Fest Music Festival

    This festival features not only legendary acts but also up-and-coming bands from throughout Central New York. It strives to bridge the Utica-Rome and Syracuse music scenes for one day of family-friendly fun. It will be spread across two stages, the outdoor stage provided by the City of Rome and the inside stage at Tap Room 46 in the chalet.

    The initial lineup of artists scheduled to perform includes: Los Blancos, The Old Main, Les Brers, Mike Powell and John Hanus from the Black River, Nick Piccininni and Jason Barady from Floodwood, the Ron Spencer Band, the Live and Breathe, Remsen Social Club, Follow the Muse, Pocket Change and Work Related.

    Woods Fest Music Festival
    The Old Main

    In addition to these musical acts there will also be yoga from Alanna Bone of Just Breathe Yoga Studio, inflatables from Varano Super Jump and several area food trucks. The festival was created by Woods Valley Ski Area and Copper City Brewing Company, in association with Oneida County Tourism, the Heart of New York Beverage Trail and NYS Music.

    The Heart of New York Craft Beverage Trail will also be present at the Woods Fest serving drinks from 16 Stone Brew Pub from Holland Patent, Woodland Farm Brewery from Marcy, Copper City Brewing Company from Rome, Villa Verona Winery from Verona and Prospect Falls Winery from Prospect Falls.

    The festivities start at 11:00 a.m. with the gates open at 10:00 a.m. and the music will run until approximately midnight. Tickets for the first Woods Fest Music Festival are now available online through the Woods Valley Ski Area website . Advance sale tickets are $20. Day of the show tickets are $25. Children 12 and under are free with accompanying adult(s). Tickets may also be purchased at Copper City Brewing Company and the Snubbing Post in Rome.

    Woods Fest Music Festival
    Los Blancos (Photo: Brian Cornish)

    For more information on the Woods Fest Music Festival , please visit the Woods Valley website or Copper City Brewing Company’s website.

  • SiriusXM announces limited run Phish channel

    SiriusXM recently announced the latest channel addition to their satellite radio lineup, Phish, which will be taking over Jam On’s Channel 29 for a limited time.

    It’s not uncommon for notable acts to receive channels on SiriusXM. Some of the acts who have them include, the Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty and U2 but Phish has been a highly anticipated by Phans to have their own dedicated station.

    Phish’s time on Jam On’s Channel 29 starts on Friday, Aug. 3 and runs through Wednesday, Aug. 15. On Thursday, Aug. 16 – Sunday, Aug. 19 Channel 29 will air a simulcast of festival radio, The Bunny from Phish’s Curveball festival in Watkins Glen before Jam On returns to the airwaves on Monday, Aug. 20.

    The Phish Radio channel will include music from the entirety of the band’s career including live cuts, studio tracks, unreleased demos, songs from the group’s influences and exclusive commentary from members of the quartet.

    Phish Radio is set to launch at 12 p.m. ET this Friday with an“Ask Trey” section featuring Trey Anastasio’s responses to questions asked by listeners from a call SiriusXM put out earlier in the year. On Friday night, Phish Radio will air a live broadcast of the quartet’s performance at the Verizon Amphitheater in Alpharetta, GA.

    For more information visit SiriusXM’s website.

  • Peach Music Festival Showcases Many Talented Bands

    This year’s Peach Music Festival started off warm and sunny, leaving festival goers excited for the music to come. The beautiful sprawling landscape of Montage Mountain made the fest feel cozy, but grandeur, and the friendly crowd made for a pleasant festival experience.

    The festivities kicked off on Thursday, July 19 with blues rock outfit The Marcus King Band, the progressive blues band that the virtuosic King put together to support his impressive playing. The group knew they needed to warm up the crowd for Pennsylvania favorites, Cabinet, and delivered a performance that everyone was buzzing about online immediately after. Cabinet’s set at Peach was their only performance of 2018, and they absolutely crushed it. The members were seemingly enjoying themselves and the wild response from the crowd only made them more energetic, closing the set with a half hour of jammed out older tunes.

    peach music festival

    Following Cabinet were Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, the funk quartet from Baltimore that have been making big moves in the jam scene, most recently their first ever Red Rocks performance opening up for moe. a few weeks ago. The group offered some stellar versions of their bigger songs, namely “Porcupine” and “Lightning,” which featured the aforementioned Marcus King, who seemed to fit right in with the group and jammed along with them comfortably. After a set from Vermont rockers Twiddle, the Brooklyn-based 9-piece funk outfit Turkuaz took the stage for the first late night performance of the weekend. The group had everyone in the pavilion dancing, playing their big hits like “Percy Thrills,” “The Moon Dog” and “Nightswimming,” as well as a fairly true to the original cover of the Talking Heads’ “Slippery People.”

    Friday featured performances from the likes of moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band, Leftover Salmon, Magic Beans, and more. Some of the highlights of the day were Phil and Grahame Lesh sitting in with Twiddle + Frends for “Bertha > Subconscious Prelude,” and the classic Grateful Dead tune “Eyes of the World,” which must have converted a few older heads into Twiddle fans. NY favorites moe. came on the Peach Stage next, and delivered a stellar set that may have been the best of the weekend. They did what moe. does best, starting the set off with a nasty “Brent Black > Billy Goat > The Pit > Tubing The River Styx > George > Down Boy,” jamming in and out of each song with the ease and patience of a master woodworker whittling a wood block into a beautiful flower. The set also featured two fantastic covers, The Band’s classic “Ophelia” featuring the Turkuaz horns, and Rush’s “Tom Sawyer,” led by Jim Loughlin on vocals, as well as the post-hiatus Chuck tune “New Hope For The New Year.”

    peach music festival

    Leftover Salmon took over the Mushroom Stage as the evening started to roll in, bringing forth their sweet bluegrass stylings and laidback rock tunes. Many attendees made use of the hill behind the soundboard to watch the last glimpses of sunlight dip down behind the sprawling landscape as the band played the soundtrack of the sky down below. Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band were the second to last band to play the Peach Stage, performing a set full of Grateful Dead classics, such as “China Cat Sunflower,” “Bird Song,” and “Sugaree.” “Bird Song” and the second part of “The Other One” featured Karl Denson on the flute, serving as a warm up for his upcoming late night set on the Mushroom Stage. Over on the Grove Stage, Denver-based space funk band the Magic Beans were laying down grooves for the ages. The Beans were one of a few acts to perform multiple sets, the first being a regular set and the second a “late night dance party jam” set, which featured an outstanding cover of Prince’s “I Wanna Be Your Lover” with some of the Funky Dawgz Brass Band horns. Umphrey’s McGee performed a late night set on the main stage, and performed an impressive 17-minute “Ocean Billy” into a 23-minute “Utopian Fir,” as well as “Attachments” with the Turkuaz horns.

    Saturday was the biggest day of Peach Music Festival, featuring sets from the likes of Aqueous, Ghost Light, moe. + Little Feat, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and Spafford. The inclement weather made attendees a little damp but for the most part the rain didn’t get too heavy. One of the many highlights of the day was Aqueous performing the classic “Power of Love” by Huey Lewis with the Turkuaz horns. Ghost Light performed 2 sets, the first a VIP set that featured a 45-minute version of their original “Lead Weight,” and the second a segue fest of all original and American Babies tunes. The set opened with the upbeat “If You Want It,” also featuring the Turkuaz horns, and later on the Raina Mullen-led “Diamond Eyes,” a truly breathtaking song that was a joy to hear live. After Ghost Light, moe. + Little Feat took to the main stage to perform cuts off of Little Feat’s famous live album Waiting for Columbus. Al Schnier served as the supergroup’s leader, and different members of moe. circulated in and out throughout the set. The group performed a stellar version of “Spanish Moon,” and the fan favorite “Don’t Bogart That Joint.” Joe Russo’s Almost Dead took over the main stage for the next three hours, performing two sets full of choice Grateful Dead and GD-related tunes. The group opened up with the Garcia-penned “Cats Under The Stars,” and performed a great version of “Row Jimmy.” The second set featured an impressive “Estimated Prophet > Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo > Eyes of the World > Minglewood Blues,” which had the whole pavilion up and dancing.

    peach music festival

    The big Saturday late night sets were Dark Side of the Mule and Spafford. Dark Side of the Mule featured cuts from all over Pink Floyd’s catalog, from the nearly-perfect “Echoes,” to the lesser known “The Nike Song,” as well as a majority of the tracks from Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album. Fans have been buzzing about the group’s performance of the death-inspired track “Great Gig in the Sky,” famous for its wailing vocals and ominous piano progression. Spafford performed a 2 hour set on the Mushroom Stage, and opened with an hour long segment of “Peach Jam > Funkadelic > Electric Taco Stand > Dis Go in 5? > Electric Taco Stand,” all while being drenched in rain. During their original “All In,” guitarist Brian Moss’ pedal board went on the fritz and inspired the rest of the band to start jamming as a trio until Moss rose from the ashes like a phoenix and delivered a jaw dropping solo. Spafford had one of the best sets of the weekend.

    Sunday at Peach Music Festival featured sets from the likes of Gov’t Mule, Soule Monde, Oteil & Friends, Dickey Betts, and Organ Freeman. Dickey Betts’ set was the talk of the day, as his homage to the Allman Brothers Band struck a chord in a lot of attendees’ hearts. The set included classics such as “Blue Sky,” “Midnight Rider,” led vocally by Gregg Allman’s son Devon, and a jammed out version of “Whipping Post,” featuring an impressive solo from the 74-year old blues rocker. Gov’t Mule closed out the festival on the main stage, playing a set of mostly Mule originals, besides a superb rendition of the Allman Brothers’ “Mountain Jam.”

    Peach Music Festival was a success through and through, featuring incredible sets of music from some of the nation’s best touring acts. The festival will return next year, likely featuring an even better lineup and a better fan experience. Check back with NYS Music for more coverage when the time comes.

  • Cobblestone Live to Host Second Annual Buffalo-Centric Fest

    This weekend, the second annual Cobblestone Live will be taking place in Buffalo. Cobblestone is a fairly small festival, taking place in a single neighborhood and making use of the bars, restaurants, and venues that call it home. The festival’s stages are set up on the famous Illinois and Columbia Streets, as well as inside Lockhouse Distillery Buffalo Iron Works.

    The lineup features some big names, such as the soulful Andy Frasco & the U.N., known for Frasco’s wild stage antics and soulful blues music, Brooklyn-based funk band Turkuaz, Broken Social Scene, and Buffalo natives Aqueous, the groove rock quartet that has spent the last two years touring the country relentlessly. Some smaller, more local bands are also featured, namely Space Junk, Cold Lazarus, First Ward, and Grateful Dead tribute band, Workingman’s Dead. Michelangelo Carubba of Turkuaz will be hosting a “Super Jam” on Saturday, July 28, which should be interesting to see, as they’ve yet to mention who will be included in the jam.

    Cobblestone offers a wide variety of activities and vendors, including an alpaca farm on Saturday you should be sure to check out. Food vendors include Grateful Grind Coffee, Lloyd, Mazurek’s Bakery, Lugia’s, and Totally Edible. Lockhouse Distillery & Buffalo Iron Works will be providing festival drink menus. There will be several different vendors at the fest, including a tent for the Child Advocacy Center, an organization that provides treatment and support for kids in Erie County that have been physically or sexually abused. A portion of Cobblestone Live’s profits will be donated to the CAC.
    cobblestone live

    Cobblestone Live is looking like a grand time, full of delicious food, drinks, and good music! Take a look at the daily lineup above to better plan out your Cobblestone experience. Check back with NYS Music for photos and coverage of the fest.

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