SENSORiUM Music & Arts Festival returns for its second year in Philadelphia at the Ukrainian American Citizens’ Association (The Ukie Club on Franklin) on Saturday, August 25.
SENSORiUM brings together fans of music and arts for multi-dimensional, ultra-curated events, and sensational visual and interactive art installations and was founded by Joe Vela the drummer for Tweed in honor late friend, Suman Addya who used to travel the road with Tweed.
This year there will be some of the hottest national and local acts, the city’s finest craft and food vendors, and a sensational visual and interactive artist lineup including: Tweed, Daedelus, Wax Future, MINKA, Darla, Patrick Richards, Bad Leather, CyberSerum b2b Oni, CrypticFlow, and freedomtacos b2b iLL-Omega. A second phase of performers, including headliners will be announced on July 17.
There is a limited number of early bird tickets, on sale now through July 1 for only $35 which can be purchased through Eventbrite. For more information, visit SENSORiUM Music & Arts Festival’s Facebook. For a feel of what to expect at this year’s SENSORiUM, check out the Spotify playlist below curated by the festival organizers.
Post-rock band The Bowling Alley Sound have released “The Highway State,” their latest single off their label 46 West. The nine and a half minute track draws inspiration from the suburban New Jersey roots of the band and the sometimes overwhelming experience of driving on the highway in New Jersey.
On the growing highways of the Garden State, The band says “The cars are going fast, the lanes are tight, and many highways cross over each other. There is grit, and when you exit into a suburban town there is more space, verdant greenery, and places to reflect. That’s what life can be like in America: craziness and hustling around on a chaotic highway, then reflecting and relaxing after exiting that highway. This is what the band wanted to convey with this song, structurally and emotionally.”
The Bowling Alley Sound is a five piece instrumental band consisting of guitar (Mike Basil), drums (Nick Looney), bass (Andrew Capuano), violin (Isaac Rubins), and trumpet (Danny Molloy). The band was originally formed in order to bring Mike Basil’s songwriting to life in their debut record and has since been active in the northern New Jersey music scene. The Bowling Alley Sound was named a “Fresh Find” by Spotify for 2017.
The Baltimore based quartet, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, announced their fall 2018 tour dates after performing this past weekend, at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, TN.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong tour dates
The performance very well be their largest one to date and acted as a good momentum for the band to release these dates. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong is known for their enthusiastic, high-energy, psychedelic funk. Their infectious electro-funk grooves, undeniable live energy and contagious smiles have their rabid fanbase “the Flock” growing exponentially
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are making their debut at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on July 12th with moe. Their fall tour starts in September and has The Kitchen Dwellers and Andy Frasco providing support on select dates.
Tickets for newly announced dates go on sale this coming Friday, June 15th at 10 am local time. Certain dates have a local presale starting Thursday, June 14th.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
^ w/ moe.
* w/ The Kitchen Dwellers
+ w/ Andy Frasco
June 22 – Road Jam Music Fest – Stratford, CT
June 28 – Party In The Park – Rochester, NY
June 30 – Wooden Cask Brewing – Newport, KY
July 5 – 9 – High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA
July 12 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre ^ – Morrison, CO July 14 – Great South Bay Music Festival – Patchogue, NY
July 19 – 22 – Peach Music Festival – Scranton, PA
July 26 – Paddy’s Beach Club -Westerly, RI
July 28 – Tumble Down Music Festival – Burlington, VT
Aug. 2 – 4 – Werk Out Music & Arts Festival – Thornville, OH
Aug. 23 -26 – Lockn’ – Arrington, VA Aug. 31 – Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY
Sept. 1 – The Haunt – Ithaca, NY Sept. 2 – Adirondack Independence Festival – Lake George, NY
Sept. 26 – George’s Majestic * – Fayetteville, AR
Sept. 27 – Granada * – Dallas, TX
Sept. 28 – Last Concert Cafe * – Houston, TX
Sept. 29 – Mohawk * – Austin, TX
Oct. 2 – Crescent Ballroom * – Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 3 – Belly Up Tavern * – Solana Beach, CA
Oct. 4 -5 – Teragram Ballroom * – Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 6 – Regency Ballroom* – San Francisco, CA
Oct. 8 – The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA
Oct. 10 – Arcata Theatre+ – Arcata, CA
Oct. 11 – The Domino Room+ – Bend, OR
Oct. 12 – Wonder Ballroom+ – Portland, OR
Oct. 13 – Neptune+ – Seattle, WA
Oct. 14 – Top Hat Lounge+ – Missoula, MT
Oct. 16 – Rialto – Bozeman, MT
Dec. 12 -16 – Holidaze – Puerto Morelos, Mexico
For more information visit Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s Website.
Johnny & the Bootlegs have released the video for “Thrift Shop” off their recently released EP NYC Rags. Bringing you straight into the heart of New York City life, Johnny & the Bootlegs combine serious talent with lighthearted fun while blending blues, punk rock and soulful rock n roll, and bring a swagger and style to the stage.
The “Thrift Shop” video brings a balance of comical scripted scenes, and live footage of the band, providing a homage of sorts to ZZ Top and their slew of lighthearted music videos. Frontman John Santiago shared, “The idea of us going to a thrift shop to try on ‘somebody else’s clothes to wear our way’ just felt like a lot of fun and relatable. I mean, living in NYC, everyone has thrifted at some point – it’s a necessity of sorts. My personal favorite spot (and the boys now agree) is Urban Jungle in Bushwick and we mention the joint in the song because we’ve popped in there and rummaged their racks plenty.”
Live shots of the band were filmed at The Studio at Webster Hall, prior to its closure last year. Santiago worked as the General Manager of the legendary joint, which made the opportunity possible.
“I came up with the idea in the last couple of weeks before Webster Hall closed up and last minute got Dream But Don’t Sleep Productions to jump on board – we got what is now the final music video ever to be filmed in The Studio at Webster Hall! We went in on a Sunday afternoon while there was a hardcore/metal festival happening on the top three floors and captured the live scenes. We got the filming done and then I jumped into working the event, haha.”
Reflecting on Johnny’s “wild six years” of NYC nightlife and personal trials and tribulations, the NYC Rags EP was recorded at Brooklyn’s Studio G by engineer Jeff Berner (Psychic TV, Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club, NAAM, Heliotropes) and is available for stream and purchase on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp. New Jersey’s The Aquarian listed Johnny & the Bootlegs as one of the “Top 30 NYC Bands to Catch Live in 2018.”
Catch Johnny & the Bootlegs on Friday, June 8 at Asbury Park Brewery in Asbury, NJ, and on Wednesday, June 20 at Silvana in Harlem.
Legendary jazz composer/performer and 14-time Grammy award-winner, Herbie Hancock, was celebrated on Sunday, May 20, 2018 and received an honorary doctorate as part of the 147th Commencement ceremony in NEC’s (New England Conservatory‘s) Jordan Hall.
Hancock was one of four distinguished musicians to receive an honorary doctorate. Joseph L. Bower, Edgar Albert Meyer, Jr., and Peter Lyman Row were the other recipients of NEC’s honorary doctorates.
According to NEC:
“Born in Chicago, Hancock was a piano prodigy, performing with the Chicago Symphony at age 11. His career began after being discovered by Donald Byrd and, shortly thereafter, he joined the Miles Davis Quintet; he later made appearances on Davis’ groundbreaking In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew, which heralded the birth of jazz-fusion. After leaving Davis, Hancock put together a new band called The Headhunters and, in 1973, recorded Head Hunters, which became the first jazz album to go platinum. The winner of multiple Grammy Awards, he also won an Academy Award for his film score ‘Round Midnight. His 2007 tribute album River: The Joni Letters won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, only the second jazz album ever to win the award, after Getz/Gilberto in 1965. Recently named by the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Creative Chair For Jazz, he also serves as Institute Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.”
Approximately 265 students graduated from NEC’s degree, diploma, and certificate programs this year along side Hancock while he received his honorary doctorate. Students graduated in a range of studies including: Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees, as well as Graduate Diploma and Artist Diploma.
Raging in New York’s underground music scene, New Jersey group The Nectars have released the video for “We Will Run,” the third single off their upcoming album Sci-Fi Television, due out June 1. The punk rock quartet have a sound of brash excitement reminiscent of the New York punk scene of the late 70s with an indie-pop twist. They previously released videos for “Heaven” and “I Want It.”
“Our music video for ‘We Will Run’ is a love letter to simpler times. A tribute to the New Jersey of our youth. A wish for a better world” explains singer Jessica Kenny, “We wanted to capture the feeling of running away with your friends, escaping the monotony of daily life and believing in each other. With the long, balmy, summer days ahead we have our souls set on nostalgia. We Will Run, together. Here in The Nectars, we’re just 4 regular kids who want to make music, chill with our squad, be FREE and be in love. To us, this video was about sharing our story of following our dreams both on the stage and off.”
UK Tour Dates:
May 16th – London, House Of Vans
May 17th – Brighton, The Great Escape
May 18th – Pontypridd, Muni Arts Centre (Sold Out)
May 19th – Birmingham, O2 Academy (Sold Out)
May 21st – London, The Bedford (acoustic)
May 23rd – London, The Monarch (headline show)
May 25th – Nottingham, Dot To Dot Festival
May 26th – Bristol, Dot To Dot Festival
May 27th – Manchester, Dot To Dot Festival
A good music festival can be just as much about the patrons as it is the bands that are playing. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to find the perfect mix of the two. When that happens, it creates a truly harmonious feeling that every single attendee will take with them even after they leave the festival grounds. This pretty much sums up what Domefest is every year, especially in 2018.
This would be the 9th version of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s annual event, and it would prove to be the biggest and best one so far. With a sellout crowd of 1500 smiling faces ready to dance and have a good time, this flock would provide more than enough sunshine despite the rainy conditions that would persist throughout the fest.
The opening Thursday night music got the weekend started off with a bang. The Magic Beans, Formula 5, and Strange Machines warmed up the hungry crowd on the main stage while Shwizz took the set break duties on the side stage. Of course, this is the Pigeons’ festival, and they let everyone know who the headliners were when they took the stage Thursday night.
Playing to the theme of “Throwback Thursday,” the band’s only one-set show of the weekend would not disappoint. This was also lead guitarist Jeremy Schon’s actual birthday, so fittingly, the band started off the set with some birthday wishes. Most notable in this set was the bust out of two songs, “Candy” and “Dutchmaster,” both of which hadn’t been played since 2012 and 2011, respectively. Just to pull the curtain back on this moment for the readers a little, there’s a very good friend of mine (and the band’s) named Mike. He is, quite probably, Pigeons fan number 1 and “Dutchmaster” was his golden goose that he had basically resigned to the band never playing again. So when they called him out by name and dedicated the song to him, it was one of those special band/fan moments that you just can’t help but smile and feel good about. After the Pigeons set, The Mantras would take the crowd deep on the late night stage well into the night. Needless to say, despite the wetness and mud, day 1 was a great indicator of what the rest of the weekend would entail.
Friday would bring more rain and mud, but more importantly, more great music and good vibes. I’ve never seen a festival crowd happier to be out in the rain and sloshing around in the mud. It seemed like a literal afterthought on everyone’s mind and that feeling was infectious. It was rainy in the campgrounds, but sunny in our hearts.
The music on Friday afternoon featured Flux Capacitor, Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers, West End Blend, and Headless Robot. Mateo Monk and Cycles would take care of music during the setlist breaks, save for one set break featuring Schwa, which is the side project of Pigeons’ bassist Ben Carrey. Broccoli Samurai then set the stage for the first two-set P4 show of the weekend.
As the first Pigeons set started, it started to become apparent that something wasn’t right with Greg’s voice. He basically let the crowd sing the whole first verse of “Poseidon” before it was clear that he wouldn’t be able to keep singing without completely losing his voice for the weekend. After pushing through the rest of the first set with superb versions of “Schwanthem” and “King Kong,” even a bust out of the Jefferson Airplane classic “White Rabbit” was sung by drummer Alex Petropulos, and impressively nailed at that.
During setbreak we were all wondering how the second set would play out without a lead singer. Would they switch up vocals? Play a set of only instrumentals? Will Greg just keep trying to sing with a raspy voice? All those questions would be answered within about 10 minutes of the second set’s opening song “Whirled.” It became pretty clear once they started really getting deep in the jam what was going to happen, and it was pretty amazing to watch (and hear). They would take the song on a 60+ minute ride, making it the second time in their career that they’ve played a single song set. (The first was on 4-15-18) This is a must listen for any fan of improvisational music; there really aren’t many bands that can keep a jam interesting for an hour. This one felt like something they had been working on for a while, which is the true measure of a great jam in my opinion. They would encore with one of my favorites of their instrumental tunes, “Avalanche.”
The Magic Beans lit up the late night stage on Friday, and they would not disappoint – definitely a highlight of the weekend for me. This was only the second time I had seen them and now I know why so many people talk about them. They are a very promising band that everyone should keep an eye on.
After some much needed rest, the final day of the festival would begin bright and early with Baltimore’s own Squaring the Circle opening up the main stage. The funky dance party would continue all day with bands like Ernie Johnson from Detroit, Backup Planet, and the McLovins. Baltimore power trio Deaf Scene would take up most of the set break duties on Saturday, aside from a special setbreak set by Pigeons’ front man “Scrambled” Greg Ormont.
All day, people were wondering if Greg would try to sing at any point. The answer, for this set at least, was that he would not. Using handwritten signs as props to speak to the crowd, he let them know that he had “lost his voice, so I’m just gonna jam.” And jam he did, complete with a pretty impressive tap dance for good measure.
Mungion would set the stage for the final Pigeons show of the weekend. It was the first time I had seen these guys and I can’t wait to see them again. One of the great things about Domefest is how careful the band is about picking their support. Every time I’ve been to a Domefest, I’ve come away with at least one new band that makes me want to seek out their music and see them live when I can. Mungion was one of those from this weekend.
As the crowd waited for the Pigeons’ weekend finale, there was much speculation about Greg’s voice and if he’d be able to handle two sets of vocal duties. Miraculously, after saying he drank an “entire honey bear” before the show, he was back to his old form. Belting out crowd favorites like “Melting Lights” and “Penguins,” the band definitely seemed to feed off the energy of their newly rejuvenated front man. The second set was maybe my favorite set of music from the weekend. The section of “Dome People” > “Su Casa” > “Horizon” felt particularly poetic. “Dome People” is, of course, about the festival itself and has been in the band’s rotation since Domefest’s inception, followed by “Su Casa” with its chorus of “This is your home now” and then “Horizon” with “Celebrate the people you love,” this seemed like a very intentional musical hug from the band to the crowd, thanking them for all of the love and support that made the event so special. Another great highlight from this set was the debut of a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Shine on You Crazy Diamond,” complete with a 4 to the floor funky jam for good measure. I love when a band takes a cover and makes it their own, and that is exactly what they did with this one. Ending with a raucous version of “The Liquid” and encoring with an incredibly fun “Julia” > “Super Mario” > “Julia” sandwich, they would put their triumphant stamp of success both on this set and the weekend as whole.
The final night of the festival would see a double dose of late night sets coming from The Fritz and Vibe and Direct. Both bands were absolutely great, they took full advantage of being the last acts on the bill and seemed to give all of the weekend warriors a second wind all the way to sunrise.
To wrap this up, Domefest is one of those very special small festivals. The hard work the band puts into this fest every year really shows in the product they put out. They are truly dedicated to making sure the Domefest experience is a great one for every single ticket holder. The band really cares about their fans and the fans, in turn, show all of that love right back. Just to let everyone know, the band members literally work at the festival despite headlining it. When I arrived to the main gate, one of the first people I saw was Greg with a walkie talkie making sure everyone was getting in o.k. and things were running smoothly. This is something that people notice, and it goes without saying that all of us genuinely appreciate the effort. The flock is a great group of people too. Everyone all weekend was helping each other if they needed it, pushing cars out of the mud, helping people back to their campsites if they were struggling, offering dry clothes, spreading hay around to make it less slippery. It’s always really amazing to see a large group of people that genuinely cares about each other’s well-being and happiness. As the band grows, inevitably so will the festival. Hopefully, all those same good loving vibes will continue to grow bigger every year too, and we can all continue to gather together each May to celebrate the people we love.
Review by Matthew Bowers, photography by Matt Shotwell and Mikki McMahon
Darryl Kniffen’s brainchild News From Planet Kniffen released their debut album Dreamland on April 27, and the Vermont-based sextet has shown that they have the chops to produce some truly innovative fusion jazz/funk music. An eclectic musician from Clifton Park, New York, Kniffen has performed with a number of bands and musicians, and dominated the stage solo. He is responsible for all the arrangements found in NFPK’s triumphant debut album.
The 9-track album begins with the promising “Blackness,” a worthy introduction track with soaring horn and trumpet lines, setting the tone for the high-energy voyage the listener is about to embark on. “Peace Journey” features a memorable piano line and some layered drumming, as well as some ultra-smooth sax and trumpet, culminating in a peaceful and ambient tune. The third track is the only cover on the album, a fresh take on AC/DC’s “Back In Black,” which manages to be both inventive and new, while remaining faithful to the hard rock classic.
The aptly-named “Midnight Drive” builds the groove up slowly, and lets each member of the group take turns showcasing their ability and cultivating an entrancing atmosphere. See them perform it live here. After the sultry mellow groove of “Midnight Drive,” the band lets loose with the titular track, “Dreamland.” This is arguably the most danceable number on the album, with a salsa influence shining through their already-recognizable style. This intoxicating Latin-inspired track is sure to animate a crowd.
“Song of Everest” follows on “Dreamland’s” heels with a heavy-metal inspired riff and some aggressive piano, adding more depth to the eclectic palette of the album. “Everest” brings some dark, raw energy that adds interesting variety and features a riveting peak and breakdown. “Beautiful Mystery” is essentially the tonal opposite of the previous song, with NFPK returning to their original, undeniably jazzy sound. “Inspiration” builds on a wave of pleasant horns and a steady build to a euphoric crescendo before the epic coup-de-grace that is “Tick Tock.” “Tick Tock” evokes the feeling of an old spy movie, with its jaunty piano-line and frantic pace, instilling a dramatic sense of urgency.
News From Planet Kniffen shows tons of promise with their first foray into the world of jazz-fusion, with a debut album that blends mesmerizing soundscapes with genre-bending arrangements and musical prowess. These guys are not to be missed. Purchase the albumhere.
Key Tracks: Back in Black, Midnight Drive, Dreamland
Few bands put the “f.u.” in fun and funk like Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and May 3-5 at Brooklyn Bowl demonstrated why. Pigeons is one of the hottest up-and-coming acts in the jam scene, and their ravenous fans and followers are known as “The Flock.” This weekend, the Flock flew into Brooklyn and filled out the Bowl 3 nights in a row.
Not many bands are capable of packing it out for one night, especially when considering that they were up against Jazz Fest, which annually brings many New Yorkers down to NOLA. But PPPP sold out the Bowl 3 nights in a row, a feat commemorated with special gold, silver, and bronze coins being sold at the merch table all weekend. Their meteoric rise through the scene has been a joy to watch, and it is clear why: musically, they provide what their crowd is there for—funky, fun bass lines, high energy drumming, and soaring peaks. Performance-wise, they are top-notch, with a lighting design that matches the enthusiasm of the band onstage. Not to mention, it doesn’t seem as if any band could possibly have as much fun as they do!
This weekend showcased all of those reasons that Pigeons are experiencing this meteoric ascent, from their choreographed playing and superb lighting design to their high energy stage presence to the dancey funky fun they bring. Beginning Thursday night, it was apparent that the crowd was ready to get down. And the Pigeons didn’t disappoint! They opened the first night with “Whoopie,” with rhythm guitarist “Scrambled” Greg Ormont, lead guitarist Jeremy Schon, and bassist Ben Carrey engaged in a choreographed head-nod dance move. And the fun continued straight from there until the encore on Saturday night.
The band played 6 sets without repeats and many fun covers, including “Hava Nagila” (a fun Pigeons staple), “Hyrule Castle” (the theme song from classic Nintendo video game “Zelda”), “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” (from The Lion King), the Star Wars “Cantina Song” and “Imperial March,” the Beatles’ “Get Back,” The Velvet Underground’s “Rock & Roll,” “Tequila,” Michael Jackson’s “Pretty Young Thing,” and The Who’s “Pinball Wizard.” And they of course broke out some of their most popular hits, like “F U,” “Fun In Funk,” “Julia,” “Poseidon,” “Horizon,” and “Melting Lights.” Each set was fun, funky, spacey, raging, and different. The energy inside Brooklyn Bowl was off the charts, and the crowd was dancing and having as much fun as the band!
Before the encore on Thursday night, Greg announced to the enthusiastic crowd: “This is our home now, yall!” During Friday’s performance towards the beginning of the first set, he maintained “We love the Brooklyn Bowl! One of our favorite places to play…and the food is do dank!” Saturday night, just before launching into the encore, Greg proclaimed: “This is our happy place! We wish we could stay here forever!” Clearly, the Bowl and the New York crowd made an impact on the boys from Baltimore; and PPPP certainly made an impact on the flock who made it out Brooklyn this weekend, as no one wanted to go home at the end of the weekend. Pigeons can be seen next at Domefest, their curated festival in Bedford, PA, from 5/17-5/19, as well as at Summer Camp Music Festival (Chillicothe, IL 5/25-5/27), Great South Bay Music Festival (Patchogue, NY 6/14), Peach Music Festival (Scranton, PA 7/19), LOCKN’ (Arrington, VA 8/25), and many other great events throughout the summer.
Swimmer has premiered “Hyperbole” off their upcoming album Throw it Out, exclusively through NYS Music. The 11 minute track is a sojourn through tempo, winding through 70s rock with a disco beat, while jazz flows through the composition.
Matt Dolliver (keys, sax) says of the track “Hyperbole is a journey. It’s up and down. It’s left and right. It’s fast and slow. It’s here! Oh, look! It’s over there! It’s a tune we wrote collaboratively and has proven over time to be a highlight in a live setting.” Catch Swimmer this summer at StrangeCreek Music Festival, as well as stops in Buffalo and Syracuse this month.
Darryl Kniffen’s brainchild News From 