NYS Music 20​18

Category: Beyond NYS

  • An Acoustic Evening With Trey Anastasio at the Mayo Performing Arts Center

    Trey Anastasio kicked off a nine-night solo acoustic tour at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown New Jersey on February 8. He performed to a capacity crowd of 1,302 people. Just for perspective, MSG holds 20,789 people. That’s right around 16 times smaller than the room we all just saw him play in 17 times last year. 2018 is starting off a bit more intimate. The audience shared in a bit of back and forth with Anastasio, “If you sing it I’ll Play It,” Trey told fans as they were coaxing out a “Sleeping Monkey”. That then inspired Trey to challenge the crowd to a  “Limb By Limb”. “… But can you do this one?”, he laughed. They could, as both songs feature the audience singing the vocal parts normally done by Page.

    Trey Anastasio Acoustic

    As he has been known to do, Anastasio also took time between songs to share stories and engage the audience. Storytime with Trey. He covered topics ranging from pregnant cow’s milk to the tongue-eating louse, killer of fish. We also heard the tale of poor young Payton Hooten getting lost at his first concert. Don’t worry Trey talked to his mom on the phone, and reunited him with his friends. Trey also took the opportunity to share about the loss of his lifelong friend to cancer, and debut a song he wrote during the experience. He went on to describe the Portuguese emotion of “Saudade” just before he began playing, although the song was not officially named at the time.

    Trey Anastasio continues his acoustic tour tonight in Ithaca at the State Theatre.

    Setlist: Blaze On, Backwards Down The Number Line, Miss You, Strange Design, 20 Years Later, Wolfman’s Brother, Everything’s Right, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Sleeping Monkey, Limb By Limb, Waste, “Saudade”^, Bathtub Gin> Chalkdust Torture> Back On The Train

    Encore: Bouncing Around The Room, Push On Til The Day*, More

    ^ First Time Played, Original- In honor of CCott

    *Unfinished- Played up to “…Pete threw a bomb and rang the pole…” then stopped to tell the story of that lyric

  • Primus and Mastodon Pairing Up For Huge Summer Tour

    Primus and Mastodon are hitting the road together this year for a huge summer tour. Stretching non-step from the beginning of May to early July, the tour will circumvent virtually the entire country.

    Primus Mastodon And talk about a great first show to kick things off! On May 6, the two bands will rage Red Rocks Amphitheater for what should be an especially memorable night. The majority of May will take them through the south, to venues in cities like Dallas, Nashville, Alabama and Georgia, before late May and early June starts their northeast leg. Along with dates in Portland, Asbury Park, Providence and others, they will play three New York venues: Artpark Amphitheater in Lewiston, Cool Insuring Arena in Glen Falls, and Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk.

    The rest of June will take them back out towards the midwest and west, from Columbus to Chicago, to Indianapolis and then farther out to spots like Bonner, Montana, Seattle Washington, and Bend, Oregon. Primus and Mastodon wrap it all up on July 7 at Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, AZ.

    The pairing of these two hard rock titans should be a dream matchup for fans of either band. Primus will be supporting their 2017 release, the storybook concept album The Desaturating Seven. Mastodon is also coming off its own 2017 release, Emperor in Sand. Both albums have received ample praise across the major music news sources, and have certainly resulted in some tremendous recent shows from each artist.

    Tickets are now available for all summer shows, and you can get them by visiting either Primus or Mastodon’s websites.

    Primus and Mastodon 2018 Summer Tour Schedule:

    May 6 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater
    May 8 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
    May 10 – Dallas, TX – Southside Ballroom
    May 11 – Austin, TX – Austin 360 Amphitheater
    May 12 – Rogers, AR – Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
    May 14 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Concert Hall
    May 15 – Nashville, TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium
    May 16 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theater
    May 18 – Portsmouth, VA – Portsmouth Pavilion
    May 19 – Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
    May 20 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
    May 22 – Reading, PA – Diamond Credit Union Theater @ Santander
    May 23 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Amphitheater
    May 25 – Glen Falls, NY – Cool Insuring Arena
    May 26 – Providence, RI – Bold Point Park
    May 27 – Portland, ME – TBA
    May 29 – Boston, MA – Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
    May 30 – Philadelphia, PA – Penn’s Landing – Festival Pier
    June 1 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summerstage
    June 2 – Baltimore, MD – Pier 6 Pavilion
    June 3 – Brooklyn, NY – Ford Amphitheater @ Coney Island Boardwalk
    June 5 – Columbus, OH – Express Live! Outdoor Amphitheatre
    June 6 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
    June 8 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
    June 9 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheater at Freedom Hill
    June 10 – Indianapolis, IN – Farmer’s Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park
    June 12 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
    June 14 – Minneapolis, MN – MYTH LIVE
    June 15 – Bonner Springs, KS – Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
    June 16 – Camdenton, MO – Ozarks Amphitheater
    June 18 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Theater
    June 21 – Bonner, MT – Kettlehouse Amphitheater
    June 22 – Seattle, WA – Marymoor Park
    June 23 – Bend, OR – Les Schwab Amphitheater
    June 25 – Troutdale, OR – Edgefield
    June 28 – Avila Beach, CA – Avila Beach Resort Amphitheater
    June 29 – Berkeley, CA –  The Greek Theatre
    June 30 – Lincoln, CA – Thunder Valley Resort Casino
    July 2 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Great Salt Air – Outdoors
    July 3 – Las Vegas, NV – Downtown Event Center
    July 5 – Los Angeles, CA  The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley
    July 6 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theater
    July 7 – Phoenix, AZ – Comerica Theatre

  • Lookin Back on Lockn’ 2017

    For “veteran” festival attendees we still feel the magic around festival season. The weeks leading up; the excitement, the planning. It doesn’t get old you just learn a little more each year and hopefully pass that wisdom on to those coming up behind you. For Lockn’ 2017 I decided to bring my six year old, Ryder. It was by no means his first show but it was his real first festival and his first time camping.

    For music lovers taking their children to their first festival is the equivalent of people taking their child to Disney World for the first time. You see the magic and feel the excitement all over again with a new level of enthusiasm and a level of innocence you had forgotten. To watch the enjoyment and wonder through my sons eyes was incredible. He couldn’t get enough, he loved every moment and wasn’t fazed by any of the bumps along the way. We drove from Florida to Virginia and setup camp in the family camping area. He immediately met our neighbors and played safely under the eyes of multiple parents while I finished getting settled in. For the next four days he was dirty, stinky, covered in orange clay and he couldn’t have been happier.

    Ryder was able to experience music in a way that I believe bypasses most adults. He felt it. He instantly became part of the community and that is where the real magic happens. To him, no one was a stranger and he wanted to hear their stories about where they had come from and what bands did they really want to see. He met the owners of Morning Dew tie dye and spent so much time admiring their work and falling in love with every piece, they were so wonderful to him, answering his questions and embracing his curiosity. Once we left Morning Dew we headed over to the Handlebar Café to see if by chance they could fix a tire on his wagon. They could not have been kinder and did everything in their power to not only fix Ryder’s wagon but to let him help and teach him the process of what they were doing. They spent almost two hours on his wagon – for free. He told them they had to go to Garcia’s Forest and that it was the coolest place he had seen there.

    While all of this was an incredible experience to watch play out for my child it was heightened on a very emotional level for me as well. You see, Ryder has special needs. He has global apraxia, a motor planning disorder that makes it difficult children struggle to speak. But yet, everyone took the time to meet him and understand him. Another major obstacle is that Ryder has (SPD) sensory processing disorder. I was internally terrified of how he would respond to the crowd, the music, the lights, the smells, the food, everything! It is a lot for adults, to be honest I wasn’t sure how it would go. He really wanted a smoothie before we headed to the mainstage for the night, it was hot out and had already been a long day. I stopped by The Loving Cup and they were more than happy to accommodate his dietary restrictions even though they were slammed. In true festival magic it turns out they are from our hometown, Jacksonville Beach, Florida. I strongly believe in the energy that live music produces, there is undercurrent that binds the community together. Sure, some will never feel it and they float by. But others have experiences like Ryder’s where you feel at home.

    As we walked to the main stage Ryder asked me, “can we come back next weekend?” I had to explain that next week this would turn to a large empty field. So he asked, “well, where do we find this?” I simply replied, “tour baby.” Once we settled in for that nights shows I was tapped on the shoulder and a man said, “Will you give this to Ryder?” It was a beautiful stone shaped like a pyramid. He said, “I want him to have it.” It was one of the owners from Morning Dew tie dyes. Ryder loves rocks, gems, stones and all of the Earths wonders. He was over the moon with delight, it still sits safely on his dresser.

    Some people believe children do not belong at shows or that it is pointless to bring them because they won’t remember it. Personally, I believe even if they do not remember the “ins and outs” it helps shape them. My child who struggles every day to do basic tasks has never felt more loved and included. Complete strangers stopping to give him high-fives, dance with him, other children playing hopscotch with glow sticks in the dark, running freely with new friends while digging in the dirt and playing with bubbles. He traded a light up balloon for a flashing lantern so the children could continue to play once the sun was down.

    I had a friend question me about taking him out of school since it had just started to attend a music festival. I explained that to me, he is in school. This is the school of life and love and a fundamental part of growth and development. Ryder’s music teacher happens to play in JJ Grey and Mofro and gave us passes to be able to watch from backstage on Sunday. He was so excited to Mr. Eric at his “real job” as he calls it. When they finished Ryder went down and had his picture taken with Mr. Eric and Craig the drummer who was sweet enough to give Ryder his drum sticks.

    Although I am certain Ryder will not understand what he was a part of at Lockn’ for quite a while, Bob and Phil playing Terrapin Station for the 40th anniversary, being backstage, drum sticks from Craig which by pure coincidence Mofro was Ryders first show when he was an infant. What he does understand is being given a gem by a woman as she told him it was filled with positive energy for him to now go share with the world, a golf cart taxi driver giving him a geode intact that he had dug up in Indiana but he wanted Ryder to have it. All of these events may seem insignificant to cynical adults but to Ryder it was pure magic. He is already excited for Lockn’ 2018 and asks all of the time, “how much longer?”

    In a world filled with so much tension and negativity it feels like gift to be able to share with him a community that I believe in and love. I hope that he continues to feel the music and the undercurrent of energy and spreads the positive energy just like he was asked to. Cheers to you Lockn’ for putting on one hell of a festival for kids of ages all ages to love and embrace.

  • Hearing Aide: The Wood Brothers ‘One Drop of Truth’

    After nearly 13 years of touring the globe, writing their version of Americana music and picking up fans along the way, The Wood Brothers are set to release One Drop of Truth on Friday, February 2.  Their newest studio album purposefully took a full year of studio hoping and concept swapping to complete and the finished product is the most realest, authentic, and Woodsiest release to date.

    The sobering and topical “River Takes the Town” opens The Wood Brothers’ sixth studio album as Chris Wood’s bass and Oliver Wood’s acoustic guitar naturally flow into the track.  Written prior to the devastation that swept the nation this past summer, the tune accurately describes the pain and terror that comes with overwhelming disasters whether widespread or personal. Artful lyrics with a smooth and crisp tone flood the song with emotion as Jano Rix adds the perfect amount of percussion and backup vocals.  I would argue the most powerful opening track on any Wood Brother’s album.

    The second piece in the collection introduces Americana funk as the exclusive genre in “Happiness Jones.”  Chris introduces a silky bass line that invites the listener to kick their shoes off and dance on the grass.  The muffled vocal effect along with the well-placed guitar solo is sure to start a sing-along during live performances.  Rix offers a swirling organ that adds that extra funkified soul fans have come to expect from the Wood Brothers and the turn of phrase lyrics recognize the cross-contamination of happiness and lesson-learning.  Similar to “Sing About It” on 2013’s The Muse, Oliver describes the power that singing can have on the mind and spirit during hard times.  A fresh tune rooted in Oliver’s talented and unique writing ability awards “Happiness Jones” a big smile and two thumbs way up.

    After the haunting and supernatural qualities of “Strange As It Seems,” the trio enters the realm of country twang with “Sky High.”  Not to be confused with the “sky high with chicken skin” lyrics from Smoke Ring Halo’s “Stumble In,” or the 2012 live release with the same name, this “Sky High” is a sexy and seductive ditty just begging for an AMC television drama series to use it as the credit track.  Oliver’s chilling slide guitar sings along with the band and would echo nicely off the walls of any Nashville dive-bar where the track was appropriately written.  More than halfway through the album, Oliver hands over lead vocal duties to his little brother Chris for “Seasick Emotion.”  Soaked in the sentiment of 2016’s election, Chris uses the giant body of water to describe his inner fears and confusions while Oliver and Jano blow a slow wind into the sonic sails.  Oliver’s one and only voice has defined The Wood Brothers’ sound for so long that hearing Chris sing displays a band freer and more supportive of each other than ever.

    What is a Wood Brothers album without alcohol slipping its way into the lyrics? “Sparkling Wine” serves as the playful and boozy party track in One Drop of Truth before the ultra-bluesy title song hints at a dissatisfaction with the lies and deceptions of our current political climate.  In a world of “fake news” and leaders that have billions and billions of the “best words,” Chris sings, “Give me one drop of truth I cannot deny.”  A strong and forceful message is only outshined by Oliver’s powerful and sophisticated chops. “Can’t Look Away” is perfectly segued out of “One Drop of Truth” and the listener can once again image the title being somehow politically fueled.  Oliver returns to lead and hovers on the spoken word side of the fence as he is narrating different scenes that appear to be acted out on a stage.  A rich and powerful backing bass by Chris gives this inventive new track legs to shift gears throughout.  They pour the final drops of creativity into the closing number before the 42-minute eclectic collection of originals comes to an end.

    With half a dozen studio albums under their belt, The Wood Brothers have once again proved themselves as outlaws of the mainstream corporate music industry while being fully capable of its praise.  The trio’s first five albums seem to tell a story based around the album title, while One Drop of Truth feels more like a portfolio of themes, sounds and spaces.  The eagerness to grow, the commitment to change and confidence to experiment with truth in this album is exactly what this country needs.  God Bless America and God bless the Wood Brothers!

    The Wood Brothers are currently on tour in support of One Drop of Truth, catch them at a theater near you!

    Key Tracks: River Takes the Town, Happiness Jones, Can’t Look Away

  • Higher Ground Plans Change of Location

    Plans are in motion to move Higher Ground one city over to Winooski, from South Burlington, VT

    Winooski City Manager Jessie Baker is excited for the proposal for her city.

    ‘We as the city are very excited about the potential and we are excited to welcome them back to the city,’ she said. ‘They would be a great community partner and it would bring a lot of vibrancy downtown. We would welcome them with open arms.’

    The proposed venue will include 1,500 seats and will also have 20,000 square feet of office space. It will be a four-story building on Main Street.

    The next step in the process will be between the development partner and a potential tenant to negotiate ownership structure and figure out financing for the project, Baker said.

    “I am confident that both parties are working hard to make it happen,” she said. “It is pending financing.”

    Higher Ground currently has two separate venues. The Ballroom holds 750 people, while the Showcase Lounge has a capacity of 300.

    Higher Ground moved from Winooski to South Burlington in 2004.

  • Kendrick Lamar Releases Album Art, Track List for “Black Panther” Soundtrack

    To kick off Black History Month, Kendrick Lamar yesterday shared the artwork and tracklisting for the soundtrack to Marvel Studios’ Black Panther movie.

    kendrick lamar black panther

    With three consecutive Album of the Year Grammy nominations, Lamar keeps churning out hit after hit, and the highly anticipated film gets an equally anticipated soundtrack to accompany it.  Rappers include SZA, Future, Jay Rock, 2 Chainz, Vince Staples and Anderson .Paak highlighting the album along with The Weeknd, Mozzy and SOB x RBE, R&B stars Jorja Smith and Khalid on the 14-track album.

    The soundtrack from Kendrick Lamar, for Black Panther will be released on Friday, Feb. 9 via Interscope Records and Marvel’s Black Panther will be released nationwide on Feb. 16. Listen to the first single from the album “All the Stars,” featuring Kendrick Lamar and SZA.

  • 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

  • Scott Hannay Plays Video Games with Friends

    So, what do you do when your actively touring band goes on a hiatus? If you’re Scott Hannay (Mister F), you play video games, or at least video game music… or both.  Scott Hannay Plays Video Games – Multiplayer Edition, is a unique twist on the 8-Bit music that so many gamers hold dear.  Hannay is bringing five of his favorite musicians as part of his new project to The Jewel in Manchester, NH this Saturday, and The Monopole in Plattsburgh on February 23.Scott Hannay Plays Video GamesScott Hannay Plays Video Games Multiplayer Edition features a rotating cast of video game loving, musically inclined masters all trying to level up.  Hannay handles keys duties and will will be joined by fellow Mister F band mate Matt Pickering on drums, guitarists Matt Dempsey (Cosmic Dust Bunnies) and Andrew Carton (Chromatropic), percussionist Josh West (Annie in the Water/Lucid) and bassist Billy Comstock (Annie in the Water, Twiddle).

    Over the summer Mister F performed what became known as the “Game Genie” set at the Night Lights Music Festival.  While working on that project, Hannay began to perform a series of solo shows, showcasing his 8-bit prowess.  With Mister F on hiatus, Hannay wanted to expand the idea to include a full band that would change players with each new city or performance.

    “I put a post out on Facebook to sort of see if the idea would grow legs, and it did,” Hannay told NYS Music. “I had a number of people reach out immediately about wanting to be involved.

    The Multiplayer Edition was debuted on Jan 19 at Toads Place in New Haven, CT.  The set featured Comstock, Dempsey and Cosmic Dust Bunnies drummer Eric Hyland.

    As a young boy, Hannay cut his teeth on his family’s piano by gingerly plunking out notes to his favorite video game tunes. By his teen years, he was obsessed with MIDI files, bought some cheap software and began transcribing video game soundtracks like Mega Man 1, 2, 3, Contra, Mario 1, and Zelda 1 . Transcription gave way to recording and recording ultimately led Hannay to learn guitar, bass and keys. All of which gave way to Hannay becoming a working a musician.

    Hannay’s skills behind the keys has led to sit-ins with a laundry list of artists including Umphrey’s McGee, Twiddle, Dopapod, Turkuaz, Pink Talking Fish, Aqueous, The Werks, Mihali and Frends, Particle, and Kung Fu.

    And while Hannay’s history of video games and 8-bit artistry indicates the Scott Hannay Plays Video Games project is a literal dream come true, Hannay noted in a Solitaire Cash review that he’s excited by the reaction of his fellow SHPVG players.

    “One of my favorite things about this, that I discovered last week at Toad’s Place, is how much fun the others are having, ” Hannay said, ” I know how much I love playing this stuff, and how much video game music has meant to my musical growth since I was young. It also breaks off a piece of childhood and brings it right to the forefront – with a full band, that part of the experience is made quite obvious.”

    Scott Hannay Plays Video Games – Solo Edition is also slated to stop in Plattsburgh, NY on February 23 at Monopole. Tickets for this Saturday’s show at Jewel Music Venue will be available at the door for $10.  Show starts at 8pm and is 21+.

  • Rob Derhak is ready for a Comeback

    Rob Derhak of moe. stopped by 98.9 WCLZ’s studio in Maine Friday to guest DJ and spin some of his favorite tracks while also sharing his thoughts on going through treatment for oropharyngeal cancer.

    “I feel great,” the bass player said. “I’m a healthy young man.”

    Derhak stayed busy by writing new music while traveling to Boston for treatment.

    “I did a lot of writing honestly,” he said. “I think I wrote like 15 songs. I’m not saying that they’re all good songs. Some of them are just nonsense that an opioid-addled mind was just jotting down. But some of them came out pretty good.”

    The band is getting ready for the upcoming shows and shaking off a little rust after a 6-month hiatus.

    “We are rehearsing some new material and practicing some of their older stuff,” Derhak said. “It’s been a while.”

    Derhak described the last few shows before moe. took a hiatus due to his health.

    “It was very emotional sort of, shows,” he said. “I didn’t have a full handle on what I had to go through at that point. The turnout of fans and well-wishing people was just beyond like anything I had ever dreamed of or imagined.”

    He went on to say how he didn’t expect the tremendous amount of support from fans.

    The fans gave Derhak a lasting feeling of optimism after their last rendezvous at the Playstation Theater in New York City in July.

    “Nobody was upset in the sense that we were quitting or stopping or doing anything,” he said. “Everyone was just like ‘you got this,’ ‘you’re gonna be OK.’ It was just this giant room filled with people throwing their love at the band and myself and it was overwhelming and amazing.”

    Besides talk about the return and hiatus, Derhak shared some of his favorite songs from other artists and talked about his personal life.

    He explained how certain songs influenced him and shaped how he plays bass today.

    “Bonin in the Boneyard” by Fishbone was a funky song he described as: “One of the reasons I started playing bass in the first place. I was really drawn to these heavy bass-influenced bands.”

    Derhak told a story of how he came to enjoy Primus after a guy at a record store recommended the album “Frizzle Fry.”

    “I brought it home, put it in and it was just so off putting,” he said. “This is nonsense. This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” Then he said he would give it another chance.

    “Yeah no, no, then I just kept playing it again anyway,” he said. “Then all of a sudden, I just found myself. It was like when I switched from regular Coca-Cola to Diet Coke. Diet Coke is disgusting. My point is I got so I got so used to drinking Diet Coke by forcing myself that I couldn’t drink regular coke anymore. This is disgustingly sweet; this has character. And then I became obsessed with Primus. It just became like one of my biggest influences ever.”

    Another small factoid Derhak shared is he went to college to be a lawyer.

    “That’s what my dad wanted me to be,” he said.

    He said he was into philosophy, arguing and rebelling against everything. But when he discovered film and video and media studies that was the outlet that led him to an artistic life.

    The playlist Derhak created for the show included Steely Dan, Little Feat, J.J. Cale. Bonefish and Primus got some playing time. Jethro Tull’s
    “Locomotive Breath” gave Derhak chills, and he described the first time he heard it in high school: “It was the first time I was ever like, ‘Whoa, music can do this.’”

    He played a Peter Gabriel song with Kate Bush that he really liked and then ended the show with a moe. song, he wrote about his daughter, “Blond Hair and Blue Eyes.”

    Moe. returns from their hiatus on Friday, Feb. 2 and 3 at The Capitol Theatre in Portchester, NY, followed by two shows Friday, Feb. 16, and Saturday, Feb. 17, at the State Theatre in Portland, Maine. The band heads to the Palace Theatre the following weekend in Albany, NY, on Friday, Feb. 23 and Saturday, Feb. 24.

  • The Lizards Tour Through New York and Mass This Winter

    The Lizards they have….. arrived! Toronto-based Phish tribute band The Lizards will tour throughout New York and New England this winter, with the first show taking place on January 26 at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse, followed by February stops in Ithaca, Rochester and The Hollow in early March. Phish fans in need of a winter fix can catch one of Canada’s finest exports and let their 20+ minute jams warm you up as you await Phish to announce Summer 2018 dates.

    Known for recreating the authentic Phish experience for dedicated phans, and even featuring their own light show directed by the infamous TG5, The Lizards put on a must-attend show. For their first foray throughout the Northeast, The Lizards guitarist Rich Grossman talked to NYS Music to chat Baker’s Dozen, the origins of The Lizards and what the scene is like north of the border.

    the lizards new york tourPete Mason: Let’s get the backstory on The Lizards – you’ve played the states a bit already, but when did the band first get together and start playing?

    Rich Grossman: We started up in 2013 right after Phish had come to Toronto. It was the first time they had been here since 2000 and I was stoked to get to see them in my hometown. After a cancelled and rescheduled show, it got me thinking about the “state of affairs” of the jam scene in Toronto. There used to be a number of clubs that serviced the scene in TO, but they had long closed and we eventually found ourselves having to travel stateside to see this music often. Not that we don’t love making the pilgrimage, but the real heart of the jam world has always been the community. By Canadians being nomadic, and not rebuilding at home, we weren’t strengthening our side of the community. I thought starting a Phish tribute would be an amazing way to bring new life into the scene.

    I had known Ben (drums) for years and we had played together in a number of bands, jam and not, so I contacted him first. Neither of us had real candidates for piano or bass so I went to Facebook. I posted something like “does anyone know a piano player who wants to jam some Phish tunes?” and a buddy tagged Joel, our keys player. We’d never met, but I got his number and asked him if he was into it. Not only did he say yes, but when I mentioned we couldn’t find a bass player, he brought Phill to the table. The first time we jammed was the first time a lot of us met each other. We charted out a lot of material, rehearsed it even more and booked a show at The Comfort Zone. Back in the day, this was the hub for jam music in TO. Growing up I would see Charlie Hunter, Ominous Seapods, Merl Saunders and other jam acts there, but management changed over the years and it became a late night rave scene. For whatever reason, they let us put on a show there for next to nothing and we must’ve had 250 people show up the first time. A lot of friends for sure, but a lot of people that just caught word of it showed up. Since then, we’ve done countless more shows in Toronto and in the past year, have started to take it down to you guys. The response is always the same. No matter what country we’re in, people are so grateful that they get to hear this treasured music. It’s very endearing to me, and I know that if I had seen a Phish tribute band and not started one, I would react the same way.

    PM: What aspects of Trey’s guitar playing and tone drew you into honing his sound?

    RG: Once we started the band, the game was on to get the sound. On the first gig, I played a PRS Santana III.The guitar has a very different sound than Trey’s Languedoc, but I could mask the differences with some of the other gear Trey would use like specific pedals. He’s famous for using 2 tubescreamers going into a compressor, so I started there. Over the year or two I amassed almost all pieces to recreate his mid 1.0 sound (93-97) including the Mesa Mark III red stripe, the ross compressor, the whammy II and more. I then started using a Languedoc clone that was built by a luthier in Toronto. It was based off of the Koa 98 model. Once I got that, the tone was really happening. After that, I would add pieces here and there that came later in his career like the boomerang, super tremolo, supa-puss, black cat vibe, etc. I haven’t really “updated” my rig in a few years, because I feel like I have enough pieces of the puzzle to make the gig happen. Trey changes his rig so often these days, to keep up would put me in debt.

    PM: How much of Baker’s Dozen did you get to see?

    RG: I was one of the lucky ones this summer 🙂 Bought my tickets well in advance and lucked out pretty good. I’m a full time musician and to take weekends off in the summertime can prove to be challenging, so I bought tickets to the first Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday show. Red Velvet, Jam Filled and Powdered night. Thank you Phish!

    PM: For those of us down south, what’s the scene like in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario and Quebec for Phish and jam fans?

    RG: To be honest, it’s the best I’ve seen it in years. Since The Lizards started, there have been a few Dead and Allman Brothers tributes that have started to perform as well. The other American “Phishy” tributes like Pink Talking Fish and Jazz is Phish have started to come up as well. Toronto has over 2 million people in it, but the jam band community is pretty niche, so we usually see a lot of the same happy faces at shows. Outside of Toronto, I’d say the scene is pretty small. There’s a dedicated group of heads out in Southwest Ontario like Hamilton and St. Catherines but not much else in our province or in Quebec. We have a huge country, but only 35 million people live here so an already small community gets smaller up here and more sprawled out.

    PM: How do The Lizards stand out among phish tribute bands?

    RG: I think what sets us apart from the other bands is that we really try to recreate the live experience aurally and visually. We have a dedicated lighting director (Toby) and sound engineer (Kory) that tour with us, bring, set up and tear down their own gear and work just as hard as us to make the show as much of a spectacle that it can be. Musically, everything is subjective. Some people will like us and some people won’t, but the show looks and sounds amazing, so that’s where I think we stand out.

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