Based out of Albany, this progressive folk group blends genres and in a live setting the band turns their focus towards the audience having a great time. In an interview with Charlie Burgess (guitar, vocals), the various rounds of March Madness were a testament to the hard work the band has put in to connect with fans across the state. “Whether out in the Finger Lakes or Woodstock where fans have been especially kind, up to the North Country in Plattsburgh, Keeseville and other spots, getting back to home in Albany, it’s great to see fans coming out in your hometown after returning back from shows, that’s meant a lot to us.”
With a new album due out in June, Black Mountain Symphony mixes up their upbeat bluegrass and adjust their set for a full energy show each time. “As we write new songs and new covers to plug in, we fill gaps in our set where the momentum could be going even longer, so we write new songs that fill that gap. What we’ve found that fans who are getting into the dancin’ stuff they also dig the slow stuff,” Burgess shared with NYS Music.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead continued their sold out northeast run at the historic Palace Theatre in Albany on Friday, March 1, 2019. Many fans traveled to the city from Syracuse after their nonstop Thursday show at the Landmark, and fought through the wind chill to get into the theater, ready to hear some Grateful Dead tunes.
JRAD kicked the night off with an energetic version of the classic tune “Feel Like a Stranger,” setting the mood for the first set. Tom Hamilton took the helm of the song’s jam with a killer solo, and used the ending lick of “Stranger” to help transition into “Help on the Way”, which was met by a roar of cheers from the crowd. There was a notably good jam into the last chorus of “Help” before the band segued into “Slipknot!.” “Slipknot!” started off normally with the arpeggio section that fans are familiar with, but after one go around, Marco Benevento made good use of his grand piano and took a lengthy solo, using that same arpeggio section as a home base in between improvisations. The band jumped back into the song with a strange chromatic jam that turned into one more repetition of the arpeggios, until they segued into “The Wheel.”
After a very emotional peak at the end of “Slipknot!,” “The Wheel”’s upbeat sound had the crowd dancing like there was no tomorrow. The song featured multiple “Bathtub Gin” teases and a jam on the Phish classic, the first of many teases of songs by the jam powerhouse. The band brought the song into a very high energy peak and one last chorus before Hamilton and Metzger led them into “Uncle John’s Band.” The whole theater sang along with the fan-favorite Dead song, and Hamilton took another ripping solo. The jam was disco-esque, and made way into an acapella chorus supported by the crowd keeping the beat with clapping.
The group quickly transitioned from “Uncle John’s Band” into “Truckin’,” playing it more quickly than normal. Scott Metzger and Joe Russo really shined during this “Truckin’,” but you could tell that the whole band was having fun with each other as they steamed through the song. Finishing up the last verses and choruses, the band segued into a version of “Music Never Stopped Reprise” that featured a “Born Crosseyed” jam. This first set was filled lots of classic Dead songs and energetic playing, and it left the crowd excited for set 2.
To start off the second set, the band went into an improv jam before breaking into the Jerry Garcia Band’s classic “Reubin & Cherise.” “Rubin” was met with plenty of cheers from the audience and provided a very upbeat start to the set, as well as another Phish tease of “The Divided Sky.” The band worked their way into “Viola Lee Blues,” the highlight jam of the night, using the energy built up during the end of “Reubin & Cherise” to kick the song into high gear. “Viola Lee” featured a jam on Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” that sent the energy in the theater through the roof, before transitioning back into “Viola Lee Blues Reprise” that included a jam on “Foam” by Phish towards the end. The group segued into “Jack Straw” which began with a jam over a jungle-like rhythm that Russo was throwing down. “Jack Straw” featured a psychedelic jam that included a section where the whole band was harmonizing over a lick Tom Hamilton was playing, and every time he played the lick, each member would change the harmony they were playing.
Following a very powerful “Jack Straw”, the band broke into “So Many Roads,” one of the later Hunter/Garcia collaborations, which was a nice cool down after the intensity of “Rubin & Cherise > Viola Lee Blues > Jack Straw.” Marco Benevento took another beautiful grand piano solo that made Joe Russo whip his head around, and gracefully passed the torch to Hamilton who soloed his way into one last verse and chorus. The group broke into “Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad” which brought the energy back up following the somber “So Many Roads.” Scott Metzger took a fantastic solo over a bluegrassy section before Benevento squeezed in one last solo, during which the entire band was laughing and playing around with each other. The set closed out with an instrumental version of “We Bid You Goodnight” that was quite beautiful. The group encored with “Magnificent Sanctuary Band” off of Jerry Garcia’s Cats Under the Stars album, which set a nice, whimsical feel for the end of the show. The whole crowd was getting down and grooving as Hamilton serenaded the theater, and the band was having a ton of fun taking turns soloing at the end of the song. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead first sold out Palace Theatre show was a giant dance party and featured fantastic jams such as “Viola Lee Blues.”
Recording via Brian Goldstein, Setlist via Peter Costello
Set One: Feel Like A Stranger >Help On The Way -> Slipknot! @ -> The Wheel # -> Uncle John’s Band $ -> Truckin’ % -> Music Never Stopped Reprise -> Born Cross-eyed Jam Set Two: Jam -> Ruben & Cerise ^ -> Viola Lee Blues -> 9 to 5 Jam -> Viola Lee Blues Reprise + -> Jam & -> Jack Straw * -> So Many Roads -> Going Down The Road Feeling Bad -> We Bid You Goodnight (Instrumental) Encore: Magnificent Sanctuary Band @ – With an MB Solo # – With “Bathtub Gin” (Phish) Teases & Jams $ – With a “Poison” (Bell Biv DeVoe) Tease (JR) & a “Mama, I’m Coming Home” (Ozzy Osbourne) Tease (TH) % – With a “Chalkdust Torture” (Phish) Tease (TH) ^ – With a “Divided Sky” (Phish) Tease (TH), a “Let My Love Open the Door” (Pete Townshend) Tease (TH) and a “Paradise City” (Guns N Roses) Tease (Band) + – With a Unknown Tease (SM) & a “Cavern” (Phish) Tease (JR) & – With “Foam” (Phish) Teases & Jams * – With a “Llama” (Phish) Tease (JR), Ruben & Cerise Teases & GDTRFB Teases (TH)
Local hip hop acts found their beat at Jupiter Hall in Albany, on March 10, sharing the stage with headliner RiFF RAFF. The evening saw multiple acts from the Capital Region of New York bring short, yet effective sets to the futuristic venue tucked inside Lucky Strike at Crossgates Mall.
Interestingly, hardcore metal band Misgiver joined the opening acts with a loud, yet memorable performance. Misgiver’s sound is unexpected at a hip hop show, and certainly memorable and surprising. To their credit, it is certainly difficult to perform as an “outlier” at a show, and with a quick set, they showcased their abilities well.
Along with them, Philly Fine$$e delivered a high strung hip hop set joined by DJ David Acevedo, SwaggyT, and friends. Having streams on songs like “Lonely,” “GUCCI,” and “Like This,” Fine$$e and his fellow performers got the eyes of the crowd in a short amount of time. Their show has entertaining potential, and their music lends itself seamlessly to the club scene and they were received well by the crowd, even in the earlier part of the evening.
Along with Philly Fine$$e, show attendees dove in for Wavy Cunningham & DJ Mercy, a creative duo who mix wide varieties of samples with old school sounds to create a fun, beach-type atmosphere. Their music is a departure from stereotypical thoughts of hip hop being such a serious matter, and in a lot of ways it has the ability to make the listener smile. The two took the stage with huge smiles and vibed with onlookers. They politely commanded their setlist with no pretense, and just played music for enjoyment. People danced, sang along with tracks such as “Mass Appeal,” and stayed open to newer songs such as “1000 Verses.”
The more Wavy and Mercy performed, the larger the crowd got, with audience members even asking for an encore. This energy cleared the path for Clear Mind, who also drew a large following. He released his project, “Swords, Metaphors & Pressure Points,” in November of 2017, which included instrumental production by himself as well as a variety of others.
Clear Mind’s own unique voice is not lost in the wide variety of sounds used in both his live set and his album. His lyrics cover a multitude of modern subjects, including parenthood, love, personal struggles, and more. As many people can relate to these topics, he continued the energy and grew the audience even more. Few artists have the bravery to perform a song acapella — without musical accompaniment — but Clear Mind did, and his seamless infusion of this into his set won him a great deal of respect amongst those unfamiliar with his music.
He, Wavy Cunningham, and DJ Mercy, all set a tone with their common charismatic approach to the stage — their futures as performers, locally and beyond, carry promise. Likewise, DJ duo, The Dropouts, consisting of Eric Whin and David Acevedo, played music from multiple popular artists such as Post Malone, but infused their own mixes and synth parts, just continuing to excite the crowd with their mastery of modern sounds. Their lightshow and visuals, as well as excited persona added to the mix and certainly won the crowd over.
But as the cliche goes, all good things must come to an end. Although it is typically expected that the headliners would have more experience and production value, this did not appear to be the case for RiFF RAFF or 2 Stoned. Their respective shows got stolen by all the opening acts. Although both performed with some professional proficiency, neither went above “ just getting the job done.”
Since RiFF RAFF and 2 Stoned are both portrayed in media as flamboyant and defiant, one would have thought their sets would have both been more exciting, but this was not the case. Perhaps this may be seen as a rush to judgment by an unfamiliar viewer, but one would think a performer would want to be as interesting or more, than his backing tracks, lightshow, clothes, and hairstyle, but sadly this was not the case. Overall, the headlining part of the show could have been missed in favor of the energetic opening acts.
The Palace Theatre in Albany will welcome the legendary David Byrne in concert this September 9 as part of an extensive world tour. Joining Byrne is a twelve-piece band who will performs songs from his recently released album, American Utopia, classics from his solo career and favorites from his days with Talking Heads. Special guest Tune-Yards will open.
Byrne has called the tour “the most ambitious show I’ve done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense.” This tour also marks Byrne’s first extensive outing since his 2013 shows with St. Vincent and also his first solo tour since 2009.
Watch “Everybody’s Coming To My House” from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Byrne has released American Utopia: Detroit, the music video for “Everybody’s Coming to My House,” from American Utopia, featuring a performance of the song by Detroit School of Arts (DSA) Vocal Jazz Ensemble students. Byrne spoke with Trevor Noah on TheDaily Show about the collaborative video, the experience of making it, and how it ties into the musician’s larger vision of both the new album and his ongoing Reasons to Be Cheerful series, which includes a hub of stories, news and ideas which inspire optimism.
Albany gave Mike Gordon Band a warm welcome for their fourth performance at The Egg this past Sunday. With it’s odd shape designed specifically to create incredible acoustics, it is no wonder that a musical genius/eccentric like Gordon has openly expressed his affinity for this venue. The band even featured their first show here in 2011 as a specially released live recording. Since their last visit in 2016, the band has released their fifth studio album, OGOGO. This album was created with the current touring members, featuring Scott Murawski on guitar, John Kimmock on drums, Robert Walter on keys, and Craig Myers on percussion.
The band opened the show this Sunday with a clean start, playing OGOGO’s ninth track, “Stealing Jamaica,” showing us that the band has had plenty of time over this past tour to get properly dialed in. With these “psychotropically transform(ative)” sounds reverberating throughout the room, we are instantly reminded of just how incredible the acoustics in this room truly are. This song featured a tight jam that included “Waking Up Dead” teases before coming to a slow and steady halt, leading us into the haunting intro to this familiar tune. Written by Gordon and Murawski, this was the only Gordon original to land a spot on Phish’s latest studio album, Big Boat, released in 2016. This featured a dark and funky jam that led the band into the Leo Kottke original “Noon to Noon,” which Mike Gordon Band debuted at the tour opener in Seattle. Kottke has collaborated with Gordon in the past on the two studio albums Clone and Sixty-Six Steps, and Gordon has recently revealed that a third album is in the works. This tune kicked into high gear and could be considered the heavy hitter of the first set, causing the room to heat up and make Gordon shed his scarf.
After a brief acknowledgment of the crowd, the band played the Max Creek original “Cruel World,” which has been a part of the bands repertoire since 2003. This included “Steps” teases coming from Gordon before a seamless transition into this tune, which was the first single released off OGOGO. A definite crowd pleaser, it is no wonder why the band repeated this song for the third time in the past three consecutive shows this weekend. The song featured a heavy organ jam from Walter, during which Murawski switched guitars to match Gordon’s luminescent Moire bass.
Gordon gave a shout out to local friends and family, expressing gratitude for being so close to home this past run. The band then closed the set with a cover of Tower of Power’s “You Strike My Main Nerve” off the album Bump City, a track which has stayed in rotation since the band started touring in January.
Set two Gordon came out scarf-less with guns blazing, opening with the West African influenced song “Angatta,” featuring Myers on the Ngoni. With it’s upbeat, exotic tempo, the crowd is given a natural boost of energy and reminds us that Gordon has a world of influences outside of the jam world. Next, they played OGOGO’s seventh track, “Up and Down,” which featured an upbeat jam that kept the energy in the room lively. The band stopped before playing “Pendulum,” also off OGOGO. Consistent with the theme of the album, these two tracks are a reflection of of the ebb and flow of life, our ability to see the light and do our best while also inevitably having darker moments, and tonight’s jam within this song was a perfect interpretation of that concept. With a catchy, bouncy swing, the band brings us to a point where it feels like the Egg itself is a spaceship getting ready for take off, before landing gracefully back into familiar, lighthearted territory. Gordon’s words couldn’t seem more authentic while singing the lyrics, “thankful that I have reentered this room with all this vibrating gear.”
“Peel” came next, the Overstep original that has been in rotation since it’s release in 2014. This led into a jam layered with ominous sound effects, leading us from another dark and haunting jam into an irresistibly danceable beat. This was followed by a cover of Tame Impala’s “Mind Mischief,” a song which has been a reoccurring favorite for MGB since the debut of their own version in 2017. This transitioned back into the familiar territory of “Crazy Sometimes,” which is one of two OGOGO tunes that Phish has borrowed in 2017, (the other being “Marissa,” played once in Pittsburgh this past summer). This heavy jam featured teases from The Guess Who’s original “American Woman,” before transitioning into another Overstep original, “Say Something” to close the second set.
The band came back for an encore, playing Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’,” which left everyone in the crowd singing along with a final burst of energy, reminding us that we are “so glad we made it.” From the quality of this show, it is safe to say that Gordon will be planning another visit here in the near future.
With ten years in the rear view mirror since his last visit, Andrew Bird finally returned to The Egg Performing Arts Center in Albany for a nearly sold out, intimate performance for an all-ages crowd. Making a comeback to the acoustically enchanting venue, the violin-wielder set up a cozy shop on stage for an uninterrupted show, complete with ample finger plucking and whimsical whistling for anevening of nature-inspired bliss.
A dapper Bird took the stage solo to unleash an eclectic mix of live music and cinematic visuals to “River” and “Canyon” from his 2015 and 2017 albums, Echolocations. Combining the delicate sounds of nature, alluring violin compositions and “visuals generated from USGS Topographic Imagery of Los Angeles River and Coyote Gulch, Utah,” the ethereal musician was able to bring the great outdoors to a chillingly quiet audience, ready to absorb the emotion ahead. With previously captured video of Bird strumming along to the rhythmic flowing of canyon water while barefoot, the audience felt like they too were ankle-deep in the same stream Bird splashed around in.
Showcasing his talent and vulnerability as a solo artist, the Chicago native proved that one instrument and a few foot pedals can provide endless looping and musical possibilities. With a main backdrop and two smaller screens off to the side of stage left and right, visuals of vast canyons of wonder and trickling rivers worked in tandem with Bird’s musically replicated sounds of nature, creating a sensory highway for the masses. The film footage, captured by Tyler Manson, allowed Bird to duet with himself for a harmonious delivery and even seemed stunted to the larger scope of the musician playing on screen behind him.
As the visuals subsided, the tranquil music was paused for three bandmates, a drummer, bassist/guitarist and pianist/guitarist/bassist to hop on stage. While the fans remained glued to their chairs with wide eyes, Bird didn’t refrain from rocking out in front of an illuminated, color-changing backdrop. The whistling wizard and his band began with a mini throwback off the 2005 album Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs (fitting for the venue), “A Nervous Tic Motion Of the Head to the Left,” which brought exuberant energy to the spherical theater. While maintaining the up-beat tempo the band supplemented on stage, Bird partook in some witty banter with the crowd admitting he was “… shredding so hard” as he ripped loose hairs off his shedding bow.
After “working out some frustrations” to the song “Are You Serious,” he and the band scaled back to play acoustic tunes with all four musicians circled around one booming mic. The 44-year-old musician collected a group of fantastic artists to play alongside him, as they were able to swap instruments to perfectly compliment each song’s energy. Among xylophone solos and a spinning double horn speaker, a fan-favorite treat of the night came in a flawless cover of Neil Young’s “Harvest” during a three-song encore.
With acoustics bouncing off the wall and striking internal emotional chords, Monday night’s story was illustrated through a perfect amount of sensory creativity and topographical genius for the audience to talk about for the foreseeable future.
Andrew Bird was set to wrap the tour on March 7 at Kingston NY’s Ulster Performing Arts Center, but due to an impending storm, it’s been rescheduled for Friday, June 22.
Setlist: Intro, Down Under the Hyperion Bridge, Gypsy Moth, Sweep the Field, Nervous Tick Motion of the Head to the, Left, Capsized, Bloodless, Why?, Truth Lies Low, Are You Serious, Roma Fade, My Sisters Tiny hands (Handsome Family Cover), Orpheo Looks Back, Give it Away, By any Means, Three White Horses, Archipelago, Pulaski at Night, Danse Caribe
Encore: Harvest (Neil Young cover), Sisyphus, Weather Systems
After an incredible Funk Night in February, members of Turkuaz, Kung Fu, Eric Krasno Band and Wurliday will come together for the April edition of Funk Night in Albany on April 5 at Parish Public House. Featuring Mikey Carruba (Turkuaz), Beau Sasser (Kung Fu), Mary Corso (Eric Krasno Band), Justin Henricks (Wurliday), Reed Sutherland (Wurliday) and John Drabik (Wurliday), get ready to spring into a night of funk with an incredible array of talent. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
Watch video from the last Funk Night in Albany featuring covers of Sly and the Family Stone, Frank Zappa and Nirvana. Yes, Nirvana.
In the Arndt family collection of movies is a video of Jocelyn and Chris playing upon the consecrated stage of Caffe Lena. Their father still watches it, though Chris says it’s from a “long time ago.”
It was six years ago.
Consider that six years is nearly a quarter of a lifetime to a 21-year-old, and just yesterday to his father. Still, let’s also factor in the sister-brother duo’s professional career; contracts, albums and countrywide road trips. There’s The Whisky a Go Go, Mountain Jam and, yeah, Billboard’s Top 40 that have since followed. From that perspective, it has been a long time.
“Touring is the best job, ever,” said Chris. “Playing music, making music in general, it is the single greatest job you can have, hands down. I’m not biased or anything. Except for driving through Nebraska.” On cue, David Bourgeois holds up a thick set of tire chains.
It’s February and the band has returned after several months of touring across the country. There’s still little rest. Chris, Joceyln and Bourgeois sit at White Lake Studios to rehearse for a radio gig in Boston. Bourgeois takes a moment to slump into a comfortable chair. He’s a man of many hats. Visually, he’s the band’s drummer. Behind the scenes, he’s its music director. He owns the Albany studios along with his wife, Anna. Within the bigger picture, he’s president of Bridge Road Entertainment. About five years ago, he discovered the two while they played together at a local festival. He’s been their manager ever since.
Playing gigs and hitting radio stations like the one in Boston is all in the effort to earn more air time. It’s called chasing radio play. It involves a lot of networking, sending tapes, exchanging phone calls and logging in the miles on the road. Where U2 and Interscope have years of established success and reputation, Jocelyn and Chris need to hustle. On top of being musicians, they also have to act as their own marketers. There are about 120 radio stations across the nation that play under the adult album alternative format, and grabbing a program director’s attention can be “extremely challenging,” according to one.
“To put it simply — there is so much great music out there, and very few slots they can fit in, and that goes for every format,” said Kim Neaton, former music director for WEQX. She was among three directors responsible for deciding what songs played on the radio. Unknown bands have to win out against trusted record labels, often times against management and promotional companies, for just a few open slots. For a band chasing radio play, “Even if you have one of the best songs in the room,” said Neaton, “you have the smallest voice in the room. But if you find a station that will take a chance, and you do well there, that’s ammo you can take to the next station when you reach out. Maybe things go well there, too. A story can build and so can a song’s success.”
One of the first stations the band won over was Albany’s WEXT. Its programming has helped local artists earn air time and, “they’ve helped us out so much,” said Jocelyn. There’s also WDST in Woodstock, a good station to have behind you. It originated Mountain Jam in 2004, a three-day music festival that has featured Robert Plant and Tom Petty in recent years. Jocelyn and Chris played there three years ago and will return to play its main stage in June.
Last December, Jocelyn and Chris broke into the Top 40 on Billboard’s Adult Album Alternative chart. “Red Stops Traffic,” the band’s third single off its 2017 studio release “Go,” debuted at No. 37. Jocelyn and Chris were listed along with the names of The Killers, Big Head Todd and U2. The band topped at No. 35 before slipping back down in January.
“The next goal is Top 10,” said Jocelyn, with a smile. The volume of her statement tapers off to a near whisper, as if in fear of sounding arrogant. There is no arrogance in the room, as the two siblings are still laughing in amazement over having charted above Bono. Their story has caught the attention of television producers. Four television shows, including NBC’s “The Voice” approached Jocelyn to perform. She turned it down. “That’s not how it works,” said Jocelyn. “We’re a team. Any time it starts to tilt towards one or the other, we’re just weary of and we don’t do it.”
Jocelyn and Chris resigned a three-year contract with Bridge Road Entertainment, and head back into the studio in April to record a new album. Before retreating to the studio, the band is set to perform at Caffe Lena on Sunday, March 4, at 7 p.m. Edge TV will be following as it films a documentary. The documentary should contrast with the video their father is still fond of playing from years ago. As “Red Stops Traffic” continues to resonate with radio listeners, people can expect to hear a maturity behind their play.
“It’s definitely a more mature sound,” said Jocelyn. “We’re not kids anymore.” she laughs.
This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYS Music. TheSpot518 and NYS Music work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.
Continuing to carry the torch of the pre-bluegrass brother duet, Del McCoury and David “Dawg” Grisman are teaming up once again in the city where it all began. On Saturday, March 3, Del and Dawg will take the stage at The Egg in Albany to pay homage to the traditional music that continues to hold such high value within the bluegrass community. It goes without question that the roots of bluegrass go right through Del McCoury’s life story, making a few stops with some very interesting and influential people along the way. Interview
Guitarist and singer Del McCoury is one of the few living legends still around to tell the story. He was first introduced to the music of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs while he was just a young boy. But by the early 1960s, he was joining Bill Monroe’s band, The Blue Grass Boys, and appearing on the Grand Ole Opry. Del’s musical partnerships are numerous throughout the years, but the one with mandolinist David Grisman is very unique and special to fans near and far.
McCoury took the time to speak with NYS Music about the history of collaborating with David Grisman, learning from “Father of Bluegrass” Bill Monroe and passing on the bluegrass bug to his children.
Jen Foster: Your show at The Egg on March 3 with Grisman marks the 52nd year that you have been collaborating. How does it feel to still be playing after all these years, and how did it all get started?
Del McCoury: We get along pretty good, we do. I guess I met David in 1963 in New York City. We played that show over there in Troy. That was actually the first time I got to associate with David. It wasn’t too long before he moved out to California. I did a tour of Japan and I was on my way back and we did a show in San Francisco, and then I got to talk a lot with him there too. It was a long spell in there where I didn’t get to see David though.
JF: Both you and David have children who play professionally. How important is it to you that they carry the torch for all the legends who have since passed?
DM: Well you know that’s really a great thing. I never really thought that much about it, but it’s true. A lot of my son’s inspiration came from Bill Monroe. I played a show in New York City, can’t really remember the year. I think Ronnie was 13 or 14, and I took him with me because he had a vacation from school. Bill took a liking to Ronnie. It was Bill’s show and my band played too. So in the green room, Bill put his hat on Ronnie, and put his mandolin on Ronnie’s lap and said, “Go ahead and play me one!” He had been playing fiddle in school and he was doing really great. But he was also in Little League baseball. And he was a really good player. There had come this recital and he didn’t go because he had a baseball game. His teacher was really upset because she said he was her star player. He really started playing mandolin then too. He loved baseball though. But this was the next big thing to happen to him, meeting Bill Monroe. He never really put that mandolin down after that. My other son Rob started playing young. He picked up the banjo when he was about 9 years old. He actually played my banjo from when I played with Bill Monroe. Rob just took to that banjo. And he listened to Earl Scruggs. And I told him, “If you’re going to play banjo, you gotta listen to the greatest guy, Earl Scruggs.” Of course, he already knew that. He also looked up to Sonny Osborne. Who of course, also looked up to Earl. So I guess it all really comes down to lookin’ up to Earl.
JF: What are some of your first memories of playing with Grisman?
DM: I started booking dates in California with my own band, and when I was out there, David started calling me up, and he’d say, “Look, I know you’re going to be out here, why don’t you set aside a little time and come by the studio.” By this time he had his own recording company. “Lets record some stuff,” he said. We would record all night long because that was the only time left in the schedule. We did a lot of recording that way. As soon as he got his label, he had a tape of that show in Troy we first did. He said, “I think we can clean that tape up and make a record of it.” He asked my permission and said he would pay me for my part in it. I said go ahead if you want. He called that record Early Dawg. It was me and David and my brother Jerry. Brother Jerry was playing bass with Red Allen & The Kentuckians which was a hardcore Bluegrass band. And David was playing mandolin with them at the time. So Jerry was our go-between. So it was me and brother Jerry, David and Winnie Winston who played banjo. So all the stuff we did was just the four of us on that gig. We did a tour too one time, sometime in the 80s. He wanted to come east and do a bluegrass tour. He had already been playing and recording jazz, but he wanted to come to the East Coast and do a tour. Me and my band went with David and did a whole bunch of dates. My two sons played with us. David and Ronnie both played mandolin so we had twin mandolins playing with us. It was an interesting tour. I’m sure he’s got that on tape somewhere.
JF: How important is it to you that traditional bluegrass and its history continue to be discussed and admired?
DM: I can use myself as an example. That’s the only thing there was when I was little – Bill Monroe and the traditional sound. Of course, I just took to that sound and always had a band that had the same makeup as that first band I heard: banjo, fiddle, mandolin and guitar. It wasn’t easy, but I wasn’t trying to be a star, you know. I just liked it so much. I was probably pretty fortunate that I got to play with Bill Monroe. It was because of him that I got such an early start. He was the father of bluegrass. And by the way, they didn’t start calling him that until I was with him. Bill’s manager said we needed to promote Bill as something, so he came up with the title “Father of Bluegrass.”
JF: What’s something that you learned from Bill Monroe that you still carry with you?
DM: He wasn’t the best emcee, you know. But he would ask for songs from the audience and ask for requests. And you’re supposed to know these things. And, of course, us young guys didn’t know everything like he did. We might have heard ’em, but we’d never played them before. But I’ll do that too today. I don’t ever have a setlist. He didn’t either. I do that same thing though. I get up and ask for requests from the audience. That’s just what we do. I figure people pay to get in the show, and we shouldn’t do what I want to do. We should do what they want to do because, for the most part, they ask to do the songs we’ve recorded. Once in a while, they’ll ask you to do Rocky Top. And I’ll tell them, I’ll say, “Look, Bobby Osmond is a friend of mine. And he was the first guy to sing that song. He’s the only guy that can sing Rocky Top.”
JF: What do you appreciate most about playing with David Grisman?
DM: We have a good time together. We do have a setlist because we don’t play that many times together. We’re kind of limited because we only have a guitar and mandolin, so it works David pretty hard. If we played more, I’m sure we could go on without a setlist. He’s got Del & Dawg, his sextet and a bluegrass band. We have a good time at each of our shows. We don’t play too much where we get tired of each other, or get in a fightin’ mood, which happens to a lot of guys. It’s so funny, but it does. We just get along though, we understand each other. We’re gettin’ a little age on us now, so we forgive each other for our faults.
Tickets for Saturday’s show are available through The Egg.
New York fans have been buzzing the last couple of days after the mighty Metallica posted a video on social media that said “Monday, Worldwired Tour,” The brief video left fans hoping their city will be part of the the band’s 2018-2019 touring plans.
Rumors started circulating once venues across North America started sharing Metallica’s post hours later. Two of 34 venues that shared Metallica’s video, were located in New York state. One of those venues on the list, had Capital Region metal fans saying “Could this be for real,” when the Times Union Center in Albany shared the band’s post.
Now that Monday has arrived, everything has been made official. Metallica will make two stops in New York on their upcoming “Worldwired 2018/19” tour, including Oct. 27, at the Key Bank Center in Buffalo, and Oct. 29, at the Times Union Center in Albany. Fan club presale begins Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public March 2.
Look for Metallica to announce around 50 shows to round out the 2018 tour schedule. Frontman James Hetfield admitted in a 2016 interview that, “My body has told me to tell these guys that 50 shows a year is kind of what we can do, so make the best of those. And I think we all kind of agree in that. But 50 shows a year, that’s pretty good. My body can handle that. Body, mind and spirit all need to kind of revitalize themselves at home, and days off for voices — things like that — so 50 shows a year, it goes pretty quick, I’m sure.”
Since their debut in 1981, Metallica has released 10 studio albums, a cover album, four live albums and five EP’s. Their last six studio albums, all debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. They have sold over 125 million records worldwide, making them one of the most commercially successful bands of all time. Since 1991, the band became the third best-selling artist with over 58 million albums in the U.S. alone. Metallica has released over 37 singles, and won nine Grammy Awards.
“Worldwired” Tour Dates:
Oct. 2 – Kohl Center – Madison, WI
Oct. 4 – Target Center – Minneapolis, MN
Oct. 6 – Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, NB
Oct. 8 – Alerus Center – Grand Forks, ND
Oct. 11 – Denny Sanford Premier Center – Sioux Falls, SD
Oct. 13 – Bell MTS Place – Winnipeg, MB Canada
Oct. 15 – Sasktel Centre – Saskatoon, SK Canada
Oct. 16 – Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center – Milwaukee, WI
Oct. 18 -PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
Oct. 20 – Bryce Jordan Center – State College, PA
Oct. 22 – Spectrum Arena – Charlotte, NC Oct. 27 – KeyBank Center – Buffalo, NY Oct. 29 – Times Union Center – Albany, NY
Nov. 26 – T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV
Nov. 28 – Taco Bell Arena – Boise, ID
Nov. 30 – Vivnt Smart Home Arena – Salt Lake City, UT
Dec. 2 – Spokane Arena – Spokane, WA
Dec. 5 – Moda Center – Portland, OR
Dec. 7 – Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA
Dec. 9 – Save Mart Center – Fresno, CA
Jan. 18 – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
Jan. 20 – Verizon Center – Little Rock, AR
Jan. 22 – Legacy Arena at the BJCC – Birmingham, AL
Jan. 24 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
Jan. 28 – PNC Arena – Raleigh, NC
Jan. 30 – U.S. Bank Arena – Cincinnati, OH
Feb. 1 – Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH
Feb. 28 – Don Haskins Center -El Paso, TX
March 2 – United Supermarkets Arena – Lubbock, TX
March 4 – Intrust Bank Arena – Wichita, KS
March 6 – Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
March 9 – KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, KY
March 11 – Bankers Life Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN
March 13 – Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, Mi
The band opened the show this Sunday with a clean start, playing OGOGO’s ninth track, “Stealing Jamaica,” showing us that the band has had plenty of time over this past tour to get properly dialed in. With these “psychotropically transform(ative)” sounds reverberating throughout the room, we are instantly reminded of just how incredible the acoustics in this room truly are. This song featured a tight jam that included “Waking Up Dead” teases before coming to a slow and steady halt, leading us into the haunting intro to this familiar tune. Written by Gordon and Murawski, this was the only Gordon original to land a spot on Phish’s latest studio album, Big Boat, released in 2016. This featured a dark and funky jam that led the band into the Leo Kottke original “Noon to Noon,” which Mike Gordon Band debuted at the tour opener in Seattle. Kottke has collaborated with Gordon in the past on the two studio albums Clone and Sixty-Six Steps, and Gordon has recently revealed that a third album is in the works. This tune kicked into high gear and could be considered the heavy hitter of the first set, causing the room to heat up and make Gordon shed his scarf.
Gordon gave a shout out to local friends and family, expressing gratitude for being so close to home this past run. The band then closed the set with a cover of Tower of Power’s “You Strike My Main Nerve” off the album Bump City, a track which has stayed in rotation since the band started touring in January.
JF: Both you and David have children who play professionally. How important is it to you that they carry the torch for all the legends who have since passed?
JF: What are some of your first memories of playing with Grisman?