After dropping the news of an exclusive, first-ever vinyl pressing of the 1997 live album Slip Stitch and Pass,” Phish followed up fast by releasing an entirely free edition to their Live Bait compilation series. Live Bait Vol. 14 includes a total of seven carefully hand-picked jams by Phish archivist, Kevin Shapiro.
The chosen few span from an 8/7/97 “Harry Hood” to a well-loved “Tweezer”> “Prince Caspian” from 2015’s Magnaball festival in Watkins Glen, NY. This year’s Curveball Festival will round the phans back up to the same watering hole from August 17-19.
The innovative compilation is entirely free and can be downloaded at LivePhish.com or streamed on the LivePhish app.
Full track list:
Live Bait Vol. 14
Harry Hood (8/2/97 Gorge Amphitheatre – George, WA) 18:11
McGrupp And The Watchful Hosemasters (10/29/98 Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA) 11:45
Wolfman’s Brother (9/24/99 South Park Meadows – Austin, TX) 18:55
Gotta Jibboo > Saw It Again > Magilla (7/4/00 E Centre – Camden, NJ) 39:28
What’s The Use? (6/25/00 Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek – Raleigh, NC) 9:52
Runaway Jim (7/9/99 Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD) 12:21
Tweezer > Prince Caspian (8/22/15 Magnaball, Watkins Glen International – Watkins Glen, NY) 34:17
In the summer of 1996 an estimated 70,000 to 85,000 Phish fans drove to a former Air Force Base in Plattsburgh, NY to attend an event that would forever change the landscape of modern music festivals and add yet another dimension to Phish’s already polarizing live music experience: The Clifford Ball. Fans camped out from August 16-18 to see Phish performed three sets of music and an encore on each of the two show days, as well as a secret jam, the Flatbed Jam, at 3:30 a.m. on the night of the first show. The audience was four times the size of the county the festival took place in, Clinton County, and for that one weekend Plattsburgh became New York’s ninth largest city.
The Clifford Ball was the first festival Phish had ever thrown, and since then they have kept the tradition going with their upcoming festival, Curveball, as their eleventh installment. Going in, fans had no idea what to expect, and most were completely astonished by the experience they had that weekend. In addition to the music, attendants were treated to flights overhead by bombers, gliders, and other aerial vehicles, carnival rides, wandering jugglers, fireworks, a classical violin quartet, a blues quartet, guitar soloists, a choral quintet, a full orchestra, movies in the camping area, a full village built on a hill, a vast array of food and drink vendors, a general store, trampolinists, a aerialist swinging on ropes, and scattered art installments. The carnival vibe filled fans with glee and wonder, and those who attended still say it was one of the most stupendous experiences of their lives. For those interested in watching the festival in its entirety, Phish released a massive seven DVD box set in March 2009. Below is a look back on experiences had at the festival by friends of NYS Music and Phish.net.
Anticipation and Arrival
John Demeter, Contributor to The Phish Companion, Third Edition: “Oddly enough, we didn’t really expect some Dionysian party, beyond what we were accustomed to (see what I did there?). There were literally a million other places we could go camping that are better than a shitty closed airfield in Plattsburgh. We were expecting to hang out during the days, entertain ourselves, and then see Phish outside the construct of a regular venue. The baseline expectation was Sugarbush from the prior year, which was really nothing but rows of tents in the ski area parking lots.
We had no idea what “festival” in that sense meant at the time. We were calling it “the camp out” right up to the show. We didn’t even consider that there’d be vending, art installations, gliders, and trampoline skiers and such.”
Todd Wimer: “I was beyond stoked when I opened up my mailbox, took out the latest Doniac Schvice, and saw the Clifford Ball announcement. This was how I got Phish news back then, not months in advance via rumor gurus like Attyaloew. Coming off of the New Year’s ’95 run, with 12/1, 12/15, and 12/31/95 being the most recent shows I had seen, I was obsessed with Phish at the time, so the timing was pretty ideal. My high school crew all felt the same way and it was an understood thing that we’d make it up to the festival no matter what.
[Going in] the enthusiasm everywhere was palpable. Phish felt like this big inside joke at the time, and the festival was astounding in that we all looked around and acknowledged that a lot of people were in on the joke. And that was fine, because I love being around Phish people, so the more the merrier (barring tough-ticket shows and scalpers who have since learned to capitalize on this rabid fandom.) My first few shows in ’93 and ’94, the crowd was a lot of white-cap collegiate dudebrahs and nerdy guys with glasses who looked like they played D&D. The wook element was there at those shows, but not as present until after Jerry died the previous summer.”
Russell Howze: “[My initial] reaction was excitement. I knew it would be large, but it was an incredibly large crowd there. I did not expect the art and creativity that happened when the band was not playing, and was also amazed at how many different subcultures were there for the music/party/scene. I expected a huge police presence (the Grateful Dead’s horrible tour/riots/gate crashing were still fresh), but there were only about four mounted, pot-friendly, Texas sheriffs. The gathering of all those people, with no real authority present made for a laid back good time.”
shirt design by Tripp
Dan Hewins: ”I was in Vermont at a friend’s house about three hours from Plattsburgh. We (three of us) decided to leave on Thursday about 11 o’clock. We thought we’d beat the traffic by arriving at two and that there should be some people there since the gates opened at noon. Well the surprises began immediately upon entry. There were so many people already there, the lots were filling, and the camping areas were already fully inhabited. The place was booming when we got there so we quickly closed up the car and began moving about the masses. We took a walk to get our bearings and see what we could see. All I could think for a while was, Damn. All this for one band? We explored, danced some by the DJ bus, and explored more.”
John Lockerby: “I had been seeing Phish for two years at that point (five shows) but wasn’t the “true” fan as many others tried to be. I was there for the party. Really, it could of been a Dave Matthews Band fest and probably would of gone. I don’t remember much of the drive there except the closer we got the more we knew we were in the right place. Getting up to the gates there was a huge line to get in, of course, but not like the lines you see today.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lOhpm-ru6c
The Festival Scene
Marco Esquandolas*: ”The Clifford Ball was also my first show. Honestly one of the biggest memories that sticks out to this day, non-musically speaking, was just the fact that I managed to find everyone I was looking for, in that pre-cell phone era. Near my campsite there was this big corkboard wall where hundreds and hundreds of people had posted things hoping other folks would see their messages and connect. I picked up a paper plate off the ground and wrote a Sharpie message on it telling my best friend where my tent was – magically he saw that note amongst all the others and found me…. nearly miraculous!”
Mark Larezzo: “I remember it as a giant chaotic mess and total 24 hour party. That and it was CROWDED. I saw the first set on the second day from so far away that the only thing I could make out on the stage was a tiny bright green dot that was Mike.”
Poster by Star City Art. An unofficial Clifford Ball print commemorating the 1996 event. The imagery is inspired by aviation and some sort of pageantry of old entertainment balls, which inspired the vision of the event. The font and stars around the propeller are inspired by the 76ers logo.
Russell Howze: “Folks weren’t really into wearing the costumes back then, but my friend made me a crazy costume to wear (fish-themed fabric, like a Scottish kilt/sash). I also brought a tuxedo and walked around like I was a butler during one of the daytime sets. The stares and drunken drink orders were priceless. The memory I still love is: While chilling under a shade structure on one of the night set breaks (I think it was during a set break), a guy walked in with a flashlight on a tripod. He set it up, turned it on, checked his focus, and then threw a brilliant hand shadow show up on the shade tent’s white-fabric roof. I just had to roll over on my back to watch it, and when he finished, dozens of folks gave him a round of thunderous applause.”
Todd Wimer: “There was a big movie screen in the campground that was showing Simpsons episodes. Drum circles. Many many grasshoppers. Mounties. I’ll tell you some fun that we didn’t have at the campground: the flatbed jam! We were fast asleep and when it passed by, twenty feet away from our tent, we slept right through it. I think there were newspapers being printed daily and circulated on site and we read about the flatbed jam or someone told us about it and we were just confused. ‘Whattaya mean? Where was the stage? Was the truck moving?’ I thought they were trolling us.”
Dan Hewins: “There was a town square replete with Barber Shop, Ball Court, Ball Diner, some kind of chapel, General Store, and a statue of Clifford Ball himself in the center. On the outskirts was an artist area where people were making, building, painting, and creating. There was another building that contained giant asphalt balls. One was about five feet in diameter and some of the others were a bit smaller, but they were all painted like a street. Outside of that building there was a guy standing in front of a huge log about three feet in diameter. He was chopping at it with a hatchet, a tiny hatchet, he was making very slow progress. There was a theme here and if you can guess what it was you win. It was Clifford Ball. Ball was the theme. Artists were sculpting and decorating balls of all types. Inside on of the buildings in the square there were plaques up on the walls with words: orb, sphere, dance, globe, testis, bullet. I got orb, globe, sphere, and dance but I wasn’t sure what testis was.
Jim Pollock was in a tent signing art that he had done. There was a special deal, if you were wearing a shirt he designed you got a dollar off a purchase. I bought a three dollar sticker for two bucks. There was a music tent too, there was a saxophone quartet, that’s all I remember. There also was a place to “confess to Phish.” It was attached to the chapel. It was a small room with a mic and a podium that you would sit behind and “confess” in front of a camera. Hmmm. The barber that I mentioned before gives haircuts too. He only cuts one hair though. I found him giving a haircut to a camera crew guy’s fuzzy microphone. I chose the hair that he should cut and then presented the cut hair to the guy holding the mic. So basically, Clifford Ball square was cool.”
The Music
Tela Esquandolas*: “Clearly there were so many musical highlights in retrospect. At the time the Phish I knew best was A Live One and the studio albums up to that point, so a good deal of nuance was lost on me at the time, but what I will never forget is the “Chalkdust Torture” opener. The opening notes sent a wave of goosebumps over my body – the roar of the crowd only increased them… I was there… I had finally arrived… this was it! Still to this day if I play that “Chalkdust” or watch the video of that opener, I get goosebumps – it was the true beginning of my obsession with their music.”
John Demeter: “Seeing Mike’s outfit when he took the stage on day two was among the funniest things in the world. The sound was phenomenal. One hundred bigger and better than anything I could imagine. (Having never experienced the wall of sound. Or heard of it at that point, for that matter. But I had been to plenty of other arena and stadium shows. No comparison.) I can still hear the end “Life On Mars”, the perfect articulation of all those notes across the massive field. I didn’t even know the song at the time, but the sound system permanently etched it in my memory.
Todd Wimer: “Musically, I remember the opener because my best friend and I were up against the rail and had to wait a long-ass time for them to go on, and the bigness of the “Chalkdust Torture” opener made it all worthwhile. The band were obviously thrilled and so were we. It was loud, and everyone was unabashedly pumped. I also remember the sort of acoustic set that they played I think the second set of that night, just because that was when we needed to bail from the rail, so we could go piss and get some water and nourishment, and that the timing for that interlude set seemed perfect as we kicked back and had some chicken fingers.
Other highlights were the 2001, the ferocious “Antelope” with… the UVM ski team on trampolines? Or the chick swinging around on the rope? And also, the “Harpua” encore on the last night. I recall the band being a little bit miffed at something during this, and ever since then my friends and I had assumed it was a miscue. I think the glider with the sparkling trails was supposed to be doing its thing after Trey’s narration but had gotten the timing wrong and released the luminescent sky writing early so the very end of the festival was kind of …curious. And my impression was that people who had an absolute blast for the whole weekend weren’t thrilled with the ending. We were only slightly confused, but definitely not unappreciative!”
Russell Howze: “”Brother” stood out. Ben and Jerry sang horribly on that one and it was hilarious. The “Tweezer” circus spectacle was fun. The flatbed truck jam was amazing, and the highlight of the weekend. I still wish I could’ve kept running along the truck longer than I did (it was a long day and they weren’t stopping).”
John Lockerby: “The “Chalkdust Torture” was the perfect way to open the festival. The energy was indescribable. You can see from Trey’s face how much fun the band was having. I don’t think they knew what they were in for. Whenever I hear the “Chalkdust” riff I think of Jeff and me running down the runway. I think I was pissed at the encore. Not that “Amazing Grace” isn’t a fun tune, it’s just not what I drove all day to see.
We missed the late night set. I guess the truck didn’t drive by us. I didn’t bring a tent, so I slept in my car. (It was a hatchback though so there was plenty of room for me.) Maybe that’s why I missed it.
[The second day was the] best concert of our lives, but once again, we were bummed out by the encore. I mean it was only half the song. Luckily, I didn’t know “Harpua” at the time, so I had no idea what was missing.”
Leaving/Final Thoughts
John Demeter: “The end of the festival was abrupt and very confusing. I fully expected that some massive cosmic energy had manifested over that spot and some great energetic event would occur. But they didn’t even finish the song, really. I am still confused.
Leaving was disgusting. An absolute embarrassment of waste trash garbage people ditching perfectly good stuff. Gross. Figured more of us knew approximately what “leave no trace” meant.”
Mark Larezzo: “I remember it being a mess in the camping area and musically amazing. I am thankful I was so young because there is no way I would survive it now. The only other festival I have been to is Magnaball and it was 100 times more civilized but not quite as exhilarating as the Clifford Ball.”
Todd Wimer: “I mean, only for a band like Phish can ‘making it big’ be something beyond selling out Madison Square Garden. Yes, that was amazing. But being a sort of indie band and building a tent city from the ground up by luring 70k people all the way up to Plattsburgh, that was awesome. And we all felt it. One of my lasting takeaways from the Ball was that I forever wondered if and when they would release the video footage of the shows. We saw the camera crew on stage for the whole weekend and kept speculating about why they were filming it. Years later (15?) when they announced the 5.1 mix and the DVD set I was almost as excited as when I first heard about the festival.
I saw three festivals during 1.0 and two so far during 3.0 (Can’t wait for Curveball!) I lump together the ’97 and ’98 festivals, I guess because they were held at the same spot; and I do the same with the two previous Watkins fests. But The Clifford Ball was its own thing, and stands out for being so huge, timed perfectly, 100% FOR the fans, and very positive. And now that I read that back, I think those positives apply to ’11 and ’15 as well, but in ’96 we didn’t know what to expect or that it would be as special as it was. “
courtesy of PhanArt
Russell Howze: “Looking back, the Clifford Ball was a fun event. Compared to the disastrous Coventry (the only other festival I’ve attended), it was a perfect slice of rock n roll heaven. Being at the first Phish festival means to me that I really don’t have to go to another Phish festival. I left CB exhausted, but it was worth the effort.”
Nala C. Egapal: “The atmosphere was so incredibly warm and welcoming. I recall such a large amount of vehicles but I feel like traffic (getting in and out) was not a problem. One of my biggest memories was watching Trey on the screen almost lost staring at the “Mr. Sausage” booth and those words coming out…”Mr. Sausage” I had never been to a festival before, but this opened my eyes to how awesome they could be. There was so much to explore, people on shakedown, the giant art pieces, people getting lost within themselves playing devil sticks, etc… The weather was hot and clear from what I remember, and nights were perfect. I did not see the set the band played on the flatbed trailer but remember hearing about it the next day. My favorite set was definitely set 1 just because of the energy level, my but favorite song was either “Makisupa Policeman” or “Chalkdust Torture.” One cannot forget Ben and Jerry singing.”
Darren Barcomb: “I had seen the Grateful Dead in 1994 and 1995 in Highgate, Vermont, and can say that the Clifford Ball definitely established Phsh as the premier festival group in the post-Grateful Dead era. The Plattsburgh airbase was a perfect spot for a 70,000+ person weekend performance but I do recall issues with heavy traffic and high demand for food/water. Overall, it was a well received show by those in attendance and is still discussed in Plattsburgh routinely 22 years later. I’m not sure if the local community loved the event, but those in attendance enjoyed a historic weekend.”
In a time when music is being self-released by unsigned musicians at a breakneck pace, it can be hard to sift through the barrage of noise and hype. Finding something new and fresh with promise is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. For someone like myself who continuously samples new emerging artists, listening to Allison Leah was like getting a breath of fresh air.
Leah has been making a name for herself across the state, from her New York City home to her stomping grounds in Rochester and Geneseo. The singer/songwriter even garnered some attention in Nashville when she spent a summer there cutting her teeth in the music industry. After years of honing her songwriting skills, she’s taken six of her songs and recorded them on her debut EP Fly Home.
“A Love Song,” was the debut single from Fly Home. This pop ballad is a catchy number with its pulsing percussion, jangly guitar and layered vocals. However, the upbeat instrumentation masks the bittersweet lyrics about trying to hold onto a relationship that’s clearly long over. “Sometimes I wonder how we’ve made it this far. ‘Cause I see you with her and I don’t feel a spark. But keep pretending and keep me in the dark. That’s what we both agreed upon.”
This song gives way to others which also have artful arrangements, catchy hooks, and relatable storytelling. There’s one about healing from heartache and another about venturing out into the world. Perhaps the most unexpected track on the album is “Black and White.” Leah addresses the issue of racism, appealing to people’s sense of humanity. “I met a man the other day and he recalls fighting hate for over decades. See? He wants his kids to learn to dream and play outside unafraid of the streets.” While the melody has a 90’s retro vibe (think Jewel or Lisa Loeb), the subject matter reveals a lot about Leah’s values and convictions about social justice.
The EP ends with the title track “Fly Home.” Leah strips down the layers of instruments to just a piano and strings, baring her vocals and her soul. The straightforward melody creates a sincere backdrop perfect for the heart-rending tale about loving someone enough to let them go.
Leah’s songs capture the joys and heartaches of coming of age, touching upon timeless themes of falling in love, heartbreak, self-doubt, empowerment, and rising above adversity. She has an indelible optimistic spark that permeates even the depths of sorrow in her songs. Fly Home is a harbinger of remarkable things to come from this promising young artist with a voice as sweet as honey and a heart of gold.
Fly Homewas produced by Jon Altschiller, and engineered and mixed at Chiller Sound NYC by Jon Altschiller and Danielle Warman. It was mastered by Scott Hull at Masterdisk. The Musical Director was Doug Derryberry, who also performed some of the instruments on the record. Additional instruments were played by John Hadfield (drums/percussion), John McFaul (bass), Eddie Martinez (synthesizer), and John Carroll (piano on “Fly Home”). All music and lyrics were written by Allison Leah, who sang all vocals as well as playing guitar and piano.
Key Tracks: A Love Song, Black and White, Fly Home
For the third annual “IT Fest,” Intrepid Travelers treated their fans to a new location, a new vibe, and a new name: “Solstice.” At the gate, guests received bracelets that said “Start Your Orbit,” alluding to the astronomical significance of the summer solstice connected to the Earth’s orbit and our own personal orbit. The weekend featured 5 sets of Intrepid Travelers, each with a different flavor, yet connected together with the central theme of the solstice and the symbolism intertwined in the event: a central culminating point, a turning point, a point beyond which things will be different.
Friday featured two sets, with covers alluding to the solstice/astrological symbolism such as “Ain’t Wastin Time No More” by Allman Brothers Band and a pair of Pink Floyd tunes, “Astronomy Domine,” and “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.” They also gave some nods to their Cinco En Mayo residency, with Donny playing a solo piano version of the “Jurassic Park Theme” by John Williams before launching into “Randoh’s Island.” Another choice cover was a 30+ minute bust out version of “Playing in the Band” that by the time they returned to, most audience members had forgotten was the original song being played.
Saturday featured a day set lasting about two and a half hours, as well as two lengthy sets at night. The day set continued with nods to the solstice symbolism, opening with a lengthy rendition of “Here Comes Sunshine” and also featuring “Here Comes the Sun” as well as originals that allude to the symbolism such as “Funnel” and “Stand the Heat.”
After a long break waiting for the sun to start setting, the band returned for the first of 2 sets at night Saturday. Keeping things fresh, the first set featured saxophonist/flutist Ellen Pieroni of Folkfaces for the entire set. The set featured original tunes owing themselves to horns such as “Party People,” “Trek It Out,” and “Get IT to You,” but also saw the band cover a wide array of influences, from Steely Dan’s “My Old School,” Snarky Puppy’s “Grown Folks,” Lettuce’s “Relax,” an upbeat bluegrass version The Beatles’ classic “When I’m 64,” the Derek Trucks Band arrangement of “Sahib Teri Bandi/Maki Madni” – a Middle Eastern folk song originally by legendary Pakstani vocalist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Herbie Hancock’s impressively difficult jazz funk fusion tune “Actual Proof.”
The last set showed no signs of fatigue from IT, as they treated fans with a set of some of their most lengthy and ambitious compositions as well as jam vehicles. Again nodding to the solstice symbolism of the festival and their Cinco en Mayo residency in one, the band opened with their own arrangement of a “Star Wars Medley” which follows as such: “Star Wars Main Theme > The Force Theme > The Emperor Theme > Imperial March > Imperial Jam > Imperial March > Rebel Strike > Rebel Jam > Cantina Band.” After a lengthy hip-hop fusion jam at the end of one of many new originals, “Shitpost,” IT played a heartfelt cover of “I Know You Rider.” Capping off the festival the only way they could, IT gave one final nod to the solstice theme with their ambitious composition “Final Voyage,” signifying the final voyage of the band and the audience before returning back to Earth.
One festival attendee, Leah Keller, summed it up best: “Solstice aka ‘IT Fest’ was an absolute blast last weekend. Best part of the summer so far. Thanks to the band for playing super tight, the covers were also on point and having Ellen Pieroni play with them for a whole set was a cherry on top of a perfect weekend. I highly recommend more homies to attend next year. It was a retreat away from the doldrums of real life at a beautiful new venue and full of super fam/purely amazing humans. I had a blast playing and boogieing down with everyone. Oh did I mention I paid $20 for 5 sets of music and camping in paradise? See you next year!!!”
Solstice setlists:
Solstice – The “G” Lodge – Hannibal, NY
Friday, June 22 Set 1: Woolify, Mind Wander, Ain’t Wastin Time No More(1) > On the Grass, Astronomy Domine(2), Lonely Skies, Captain Jon
Set 2: Photo Booth Youth > Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun(2) > Photo Booth Youth, Jurassic Park Theme(3) > Randoh’s Island, Maddy & Anna, Playing in the Band(4), On Inside
(1) Allman Brothers Band
(2) Pink Floyd
(3) John Williams
(4) Grateful Dead
Saturday, June 23 Set 1: Here Comes Sunshine(1), Dark Disease, Funnel, Here Comes the Sun(2), Authority > Stand the Heat
Set 2: Party People, My Old School(3) > Grown Folks(4), Relax(5), When I’m 64(2), Sahib Teri Bandi/Maki Madni(6), Actual Proof(7), Trek It Out, Get It to You (entire set with Ellen Pieroni on alto sax/flute)
Set 3: Star Wars Medley, All About It > Boomerang, Shitpost > I Know You Rider(1), Final Voyage
(1) Grateful Dead
(2) The Beatles
(3) Steely Dan
(4) Snarky Puppy
(5) Lettuce
(6) Devon Case on Guitar,
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Derek Trucks Band arrangement)
(7) Herbie Hancock
Tedeschi Trucks Tuesday is the new unofficial title of the Wheels of Soul Tour, as every NY performance has fallen on this humble day of the week. July 10 ushered Tedeschi Trucks Band along with support from Drive-By Truckers and The Marcus King Band to the foothills of Canandaigua wine country. At CMAC guests can purchase full bottles of wine which the attendant will unceremoniously dump into the biggest plastic to-go cup imaginable. It’s nearly impossible to resist a $16 bottle of blackberry “merlot” until you realize it’s only 6% alcohol and tastes like sugar water with a fruity afterthought.
Never again.
This regrettable beverage purchase was the only minor downfall of the night. Having never attended CMAC or a TTB show before, eager anticipation permeated the atmosphere. TTB’s wide appeal drew a charming audience of young and old faces. The bands mirrored this age spectrum, as Marcus King himself is newer to the scene at only 22. Yet his band was a fitting choice to open the night, as they eased fans in with their blues rock style garnished with King’s distinctive howling vocals for a heavier sound. He invited Derek Trucks to the stage for a tune which would be reciprocated later when TTB performed.
Drive-By Truckers offered more pop rock inclinations with a lighter demeanor. Nothing about their set particularly stood out, but it flowed nicely overall. Once TTB took the stage, the crowd erupted in cheers, electrifying the air with excitement. Their music is what love sounds like. It’s nearly impossible to describe without being cheesy. It massages the ears and makes the heart flutter. Susan Tedeschi’s voice and Derek Truck’s guitar playing are the perfect marriage. Susan took a moment to address the crowd exclaiming, “It’s been really special. We actually paddle boarded on your lake yesterday.” Imagine splashing around in Canandaigua Lake and seeing Susan Tedeschi the queen herself paddling past. Play it cool though.
The only noticeable hiccup in their set came from the sax player when he went a little too avant garde during his complicated solo, making it too hectic to enjoy. But towards the end of the set the entire horn section rallied with the rest of the band conjuring an intensely energetic dance experience that temporarily transported the crowd to the jazzy streets of New Orleans.
Tedeschi Trucks Band hemorrhages emotion through delicate instrumentation, momentum building solos and gripping lyrics. The unwavering strength in Susan Tedeschi’s voice could stand alone as something to see live, but the supergroup she is a part of does justice to every band member to create a musical experience that leaves the crowd in awe.
Stay tuned for a review from their July 17 performance at Artpark in Lewiston!
Setlist: Keep on Growing, Laugh about it, Just as Strange, Don’t Know What it Means, Shame, Midnight in Harlem, Down in the Flood, Show Me, Let Me Get By, Going Going Gone, Rockin’ in the Free World
As the masses are prepping their festival checklists for August in the gorges of Western NY, Phish announced that their own JEMP Records will reveal the first vinyl release of Slip Stitch and Pass exclusively at this summer’s Curveball Festival.
As noted by Phish Dry Goods, the exclusive, festival-ready release will be “pressed on two-color splatter (blue and purple), foil numbered LPs.” A celebratory, limited edition Drew Millard screen print will also be tossed in for purchasers during the August 17-19 weekend in the woods. Slip Stitch and Pass is Phish’s second live album and is compromised of highlights from their March 1, 1997 performance at the Markthalle in Hamburg. Originally, it was released on October 28, 1997.
For collectors immediately alarmed by the issue of safely protecting a vinyl in the dead summer heat, the JEMP Record store will provide an air conditioned merch-check so the records can Cool it Down all Curveball weekend long. Be sure to check out the vinyl listening station, where festival goers can get an all senses, in-person feel for the album. Alongside the new LP will be pressings of Billy Breathes, A Live One, The White Tape, Junta, Lawn Boy, Rift, A Picture of Nectar and a variety of side projects.
If you have to skip out on Phish’s 11th festival and wait for your next show during Fall tour, a non-colored Slip Stitch and Pass vinyl will be available later in the year on Phish Dry Goods.
One of rock and roll’s steadiest drummers from Springsteen’s E Street Band and former Late Night and Tonight Show bandleader brought a unique show to the Paramount in Peekskill on June 8, with the tour being billed as Max Weinberg’s Jukebox. No quarters or record-flipping were required for this all-request live show.
With Bruce Springsteen currently active on Broadway with his residency at the Walter Kerr Theatre through December 2018, Max Weinberg made well with the down-time from the E Street Band’s touring schedule to put on a tour where the audience picks the setlist each night from a roster of 200+ songs from rock and roll history.
Given that, it might appear to be just another mediocre cover band show but after just a couple of songs that illusion was broken. The familiarity of the tunes in the setlist was a quick grab for the crowd while Weinberg’s character and reputation as an excellent drummer (and the talent of the rest of his band) brought the audience in close to the music. For those familiar with Weinberg’s time as Conan O’Brien’s late night TV musical sidekick, plenty of his on-camera humor had shown through during some dialogue between songs while being quite down to earth.
The live-request show format was definitely unique for a concert, especially for someone who’s been a major name in the business during a lengthy career. The Beatles and Bruce Springsteen seemed to be favorites of the crowd that night with a few songs from each making their way on stage from requests. In proper fashion, Weinberg closed the show with two Springsteen tunes, “Promised Land” and “Glory Days,” inviting anyone from the audience on stage for the final song to sing along.
Setlist: She Loves You, Fortunate Son, American Girl, I Wanna Be Sedated, The Weight, Honky Tonk Nights, (And Your Bird Can Sing, White Room, Friday On My Mind, Pink Cadillac, I’m A Believer, Highway To Hell, All Right Now, Rebel Rebel, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Little Elvis, I Walk The Line, I Can See For Miles, Wipeout, A Summer Song, Pretty Woman
On November 15, 2017, founder Kevin Lyman shared that after 23 amazing summers of music, Vans Warped Tour would celebrate its final run in the summer of 2018. Making up for the upsetting news was the release of this summer’s diverse lineup, featuring bands from the electronic duo 3OH!3 to folk singer-songwriter Frank Turner, the charismatic members of popular Canadian rock band Simple Plan, to the abrasive metalcore of August Burns Red, with so much more sprinkled in.
While Vans holds the top seat as the festival’s primary sponsor (hence the festival’s name change), several other sponsors will be hosting multiple stages on the tour, including Journey’s (who will host a ‘Right Foot’ and ‘Left Foot’ stage), Monster (with a cleverly named ‘Mutant Red Dawn’ and ‘Mutant White Lightning’ stage, named after the ultra-caffeinated energy drinks), owly.fm and Full Sail University (to stage some up-and-coming bands). The tour is already underway, making stops in Camden, NJ this Friday, followed by Holmdel, NJ on Saturday, then Hartford, Connecticut this Sunday. The tour will also make a stop at the Darien Center in New York on July 25, and Jones Beach Ampitheatre on July 28. In celebration of it’s 23-year legacy, here are two reasons why Vans Warped Tour stands out as one of the most impressive touring festivals of its era.
1 – From start to stardom, Vans Warped Tour has introduced us to some of our favorite bands.
Since its first run in 1995, many bands have Warped Tour to thank for their rise to popularity. Avenged Sevenfold, Fall Out Boy, and Paramore are a few of the many bands that played the Warped Tour stage early in their careers, and continued to play each year in the early 2000s as their repertoire expanded. A prime example of the festival’s impact is Baltimore-based band All Time Low, who played a small stage at Warped back in 2007. Shortly after, the band released their second studio album So Wrong, It’s Right, which caught a wave of fans and charted number 6 on the Independent Albums chart in the US. The band went on to headline the festival in the following years, even topping the lineup list for this year’s fest.
The festival always had punk rock at heart, but shed some light on other genres, hosting Limp Bizkit in 1997, the Black Eyed Peas in 1999, and Katy Perry in 2008. The festival organizers adapted to the evolving popular music scene while remaining true to their roots, and the massive following that ensued placed Warped Tour as the largest traveling music festival in the United States.
2 – There’s nothing quite like the Warped Tour experience.
Walking around the grounds of the fest is a treat alone. The outcasts of the everyday find sanctuary in a crowd of like-minded cohorts at Warped Tour. Goths, skaters, and punks alike flock to the stages to dance, mosh, or whatever feels right for them. This space is theirs and free of judgement, which fosters a unique and enticing crowd experience for a first-timer. The festival takes great pride in activism, drawing attention to important causes as well, from suicide prevention to breast cancer awareness. Patrons who donate to these causes can get special interactions with artists and receive signed gear, only to further awareness among the festival. You can even get express entry to this year’s fest by donating three cans of food or $5 to Feed Our Children NOW.
Music education also plays a key role in the festival, with free lessons often offered to concert-goers. In past years, the John Lennon Bus has also set up shop at the fest, which holds a mini studio for younger attendees to interact with music in a reclusive setting. When attendees need a break from the scores of performances scheduled for the day, there are so many experiences to take in, and you’ll never know what (or even who!) you might find around the festival grounds.
A bittersweet heaviness will follow each attendee at the festival’s last return this summer, but the nostalgic lineup and all-encompassing experience will be sure to bring great enthusiasm in honor of a successful 23-year run. Be sure to get your tickets for this weekend’s festivities and the tour’s future stops on the Vans Warped Tour site. The remaining dates can be found there as well in case you’re beyond the tri-state area. For the full artist lineup and more info, head to the Vans Warped Tour artist page and info page, and be sure to follow the latest happenings on Facebook. We’ll see you on tour!
Circles Around The Sun just announced five East Coast shows in August to support their upcoming double album, Let It Wander, available Aug. 17 on Rhino Records. The run begins in Asbury Park, NJ, followed by dates in Brooklyn, Ardmore, PA and Burlington, VT before concluding at Huichica East Festival in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Photo courtesy of Circles Around The Sun’s press release.
Circles Around the Sun (CATS) was originally only supposed to record a handful of Grateful Dead-influenced instrumentals to be played during the set breaks at the Dead’s “Fare Thee Well” concerts in 2015. But between the positive response to the tracks and the band’s enjoyment in making music together they decided to keep the band going.
Their new album, Let It Wander, is a new beginning for the band as they move beyond their original music which was trying to evoke the spirit of the Dead and allows them to fully embrace their own personality. The album’s first single is called “Immovable Object” and shows just how the band in moving away from their Dead inspired sound to music with filled with musical turns leaving the listener not knowing what to expect next.
Among the album’s highlights is “One For Chuck,” which features a surprise cameo by Chuck D himself. The leader of legendary hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy just happened to stop by the studio while the band was listening to a song they’d just recorded and ended up creating an intro for the track.
The band is comprised of guitarist Neal Casal and keyboardist Adam MacDougall (bandmates in the Chris Robinson Brotherhood) along with bassist Dan Horne (Jonathan Wilson, Grateful Shred) and drummer Mark Levy (We Dream Dawn, Bonfire Dub). Let It Wander will be released on limited edition vinyl, CD and digital formats. Pre-Order is available now.
For more information on Circles Around The Sun visit their website.
To save you the time and trouble, the word “barrage” is officially defined as “a concentrated artillery bombardment over a wide area.” However, the band’s motto defines this quartet perfectly.
Barrage is a Long Island, four-member classic rock band that covers the ’60s to the ’90s. The group has been together since 2009 and consists of: Mark Nygren (Bass, backing vocals) Matt Bruno (lead vocals, guitar), Dr. Paul Scarola (drums), and Barry Weiss (lead guitar, backing vocals).
Earlier this year, with brand new lead singer Matt Bruno, Barrage played a fundraiser for the Good Samaritan Hospital Pediatric Department. Bear in mind, Matt had only been with the band for four weeks when the event took place.
Hosted by DJ Orlando from Long Island radio station 94.3 FM The Shark, it was set up as a battle of the bands contest. The venue where this took place was 89 North in Patchogue. In order to qualify for the contest, each band had to have at least one medical doctor in the group. Moments after the final performance of the event, Orlando declared Barrage the winner!
I asked lead guitarist Barry Weiss what it’s like to play in a battle of the bands contest. He said, “This battle of the bands, I thought, was just slightly nerve-racking. We were all well rehearsed. The rehearsals focused on just the set for this gig for over a month. We already knew the songs, so it was just a matter of getting Matt, our new lead singer, up to speed. Which he did amazingly. He memorized the lyrics so he did not need to look at any onstage. I was checking out the other bands’ Facebook pages to see what they were like prior to the event. Most of them, I saw that they played softer music like ’60s or Country. Being on last, we got to see what they were about. We were also the youngest of the bands and we knew that we would blow them away since we were doing good classic rock. Everyone that night were talented and professional and it all went very smoothly. It really was a great time and the crowd loved it. Hard to believe people got so into it on a Sunday afternoon.”
Barry also mentioned that the buzz continuing throughout the hospital and community has sparked demand for additional performances. Furthermore, the success of this event has enabled Barrage to secure the opening slot for a major Long Island tribute act.
To see Barrage live, their next gig is Friday July 20th at 89 North in Patchogue. They go on at 8 pm and will be doing one 90-minute set. Doors open at 7 for advanced ticket holders. To learn more about this great band, and see their videos too, visit their Facebook page.
In a time when music is being self-released by unsigned musicians at a breakneck pace, it can be hard to sift through the barrage of noise and hype. Finding something new and fresh with promise is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. For someone like myself who continuously samples new emerging artists, listening to 
