Mike Gordon and his band released plans for Spring appearances around the east coast. The rapid-fire March tour will bring Phish bassist Mike Gordon and company to several venues in up and down the east coast, beginning in Atlanta and finishing up with a four night run in Cambridge, MA. General Admission tickets went on sale on Friday.
New York fans of the rock group will be excited to see that Mike Gordon will be performing in Buffalo at the Town Ballroom during the March Tour. For more info regarding the tour and ticket purchases visit Mike Gordon’s website. Current tour dates are below.
Mike Gordon Tour Dates:
March 8 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
March 9 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
March 10 – The Basement East – Nashville, TN
March 12 – Charleston Music Hall – Charleston, SC
March 13 – Harvester Performance Center – Rocky Mount, VA
March 15 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
March 16 – Asbury Lanes – Asbury Park, NJ
March 17 – White Eagle Hall – Jersey City, NJ March 19 – Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY
March 21-24 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA
Music is one of the most inclusive interests humans are able to appreciate and share. Genres expand to any identity or personality you could think of and easy accessibility make it available for any to enjoy. But what if you couldn’t hear? How do the deaf listen to music? Unfortunately some would say they simply don’t. However, this September those barriers were broken and deaf fans got to experience music on a level like never before. A collaboration between music group Palaye Royale and Music: Not Impossible Technology led to a test launch at their Las Vegas show.
The four year long technological advancement has been described as a five-piece device consisting of a vibro harness, two wristbands and two ankle bands. The device syncs with the live performance accordingly and each of the five areas vibrate along with it. The vibes have several settings which can be adjusted from low, medium or strong vibes and immerses the listener in a “surround body” sensation. In addition, a sign language interpreter was also involved on stage for the convenience of other hearing impaired attendees.
Check out a video below from Music: Not Impossible that exhibits the technology during its first real-world use.
Dubbed “The hottest band of 2018” by the English music press, Palaye Royale is entertainment at full volume. A combination of musical and artistic expression with immense popularity on all different streaming platforms. They have amassed over 30 million views on smash songs like “Higher,” “Don’t Quite Feel Right,” and “Ma Cherie.” This stands among the achievements of their albums titled Boom Boom Room (Side A) and this year’s highly anticipated follow-up Boom Boom Room (Side B). The Canadian fashion rock-trio is currently on an expansive tour all throughout the states and several parts of Canada. Tickets, both general and VIP, are on sale now.
The brothers will visit the Lost Horizon in Syracuse this Friday. See below for announced dates.
Palaye Royale Tour Dates:
Nov. 15 – Le Ministere – Montréal, QC Nov. 16 – The Lost Horizon – Syracuse, NY
Nov. 17 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
Nov. 18 – Metro – Chicago, IL
Nov. 19 – Loving Touch – Detroit, MI
Nov. 20 – Rave – Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 21 – Skyway – Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 23 – The Rec Room – Edmonton, AB
Nov. 24 – The Legion – Calgary, AB
Nov. 26 – Rickshaw – Vancouver, BC
Nov. 27 – El Corazon – Seattle, WA
Nov. 28 – Bossanova Ballroom – Portland, OR
Nov. 30 – Slim’s – San Francisco, CA
Dec. 1 – Holy Diver – Sacramento, CA
Dec. 2 – Glasshouse – Pomona, CA
A favorite feature of the Colorado version of the winter music celebration, WinterWonderGrass Stratton has finally introduced its own iteration of the Grass After Dark Series with one month until the event kicks off.
Bluegrass fans new to the festival should be aware that festival tickets are not required for the Grass After Dark series. All of the late night shows are 21+ and are a separate purchase from the WWG day festival tickets. Grass After Dark tickets are limited and expected to sell out quickly. You can secure your spot at the event by purchasing your tickets at the WWG website.
The night series opens on the eve of WWG Stratton day festivities, with An Evening with the Infamous Stringdusters on Dec. 13 at Grizzly’s. The GAD series is hosted between two intimate mountainous locations for four nights of bluegrass in the village. Dec.r 15 is the only night attendees will have to choose between Grizzly’s and the Green Mountain Room in Black Bear Lodge at the Stratton Mountain Resort. The full GAD late night show schedule is down below:
GRIZZLY’S:
Thursday, Dec. 13 – An Evening with the Infamous Stringdusters
Saturday, Dec. 15 – Keller Williams and Fruition
Sunday, Dec. 16 – Billy Strings and Lindsay Lou
BLACK BEAR LODGE:
Friday, Dec. 14 – Horseshoes & Hand Grenades and Saints & Liars
Saturday, Dec. 15 – The Kitchen Dwellers and Rumpke Mountain Boys
Tickets are still available for those interested in the full WinterWonderGrass community experience. Single day prices are currently $59 for Friday, $79 for Saturday, and $59 for Sunday. For the complete festival schedule and all ticket packages, visit the WinterWondergrass website for more information.
Beloved singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is featured in an upcoming Morrison Hotel Gallery entitled JONI. The exhibition is a collection of over a dozen photographers’ work who have captured her essence as a folk pioneer in addition to cultivating her artistic relationships of mutual respect and admiration.
The opening date for the photography exhibition and sale is Friday, Nov. 16. The event is being held at various locations: the Sunset Marquis Hotel location in Los Angeles, at the New York City gallery on Prince Street in SoHo and the gallery in Maui at Mick Fleetwood’s General Store and restaurant.
Morrison Hotel Gallery is proud to represent the world-class talents of a group of photographers who together have taken some of the most beautiful and timeless images of Joni Mitchell – an artist who many consider to be one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century. — Morrison Hotel Gallery co-owner Peter Blachley
The photos range from Joel Bernstein’s gatefold Hijira album to Amalie R. Rothschild’s concert action shots to Norman Seef’s cover art and various sessions with Joni. Other photographers featuring Joni Mitchell include: Henry Diltz, Graham Nash, Baron Wolman, Bonnie Schiffman, Rowland Scherman, Ken Regan, Jay Blakesburg, David Gahr, and Guido Harari. These priceless images give life to Joni’s musical career from as earlier as 1967 at the Newport Folk Festival, through the late ’90s.
Aside from being the good friend of a great many gifted photographers, Joni Mitchell is remembered as one of the greatest musical artists of the late 20th century. Mitchell is well-known for her blues and jazz-infused style present in some of her long-praised folk tunes. She recently celebrated her 75th birthday earlier this month so this exhibition could not be more perfectly timed for fans to look back and honor the great Joni Mitchell.
John Medeski brought his latest project, a quartet with Will Bernard on guitar, Kirk Joseph on sousaphone and Terence Higgins on drums, to the Buffalo Iron Works on Sunday night. Collectively known as Mad Skillet, the seasoned veterans brought fresh sounds from a wide expanse of influences, mixing in styles from the South, East and West.
Touring behind their just-released album, they stretched those tracks and some additional material into two super-grooving hour-plus long sets. Joseph held down the low end with honking sousaphone blasts that twisted and exploded with electronic distortions. Bernard shredded a hollow body guitar with jazzy chops, funky cuts and bluesy slide-laden swirls. Medeski threw in everything but the kitchen sink: massive swells and chunks of B3 organ, heady splashes of Mellotron and a bit of spice from the Wurlitzer. Higgins beat it all together to a perfect blend.
They weren’t shy in slathering on some jam either. They moved in, out and through grooves with ease. Each player headed up the kitchen while the others played the sous chef. The baton was passed around the room until the dish was ready and all the flavors came together for a glorious four-pronged meal of sound. Regardless of the on-stage dynamic, playing as one, two, three or the full band, each individual flavor came through loud and clear; nothing was lost in the mix. Each individual musician sounded exactly like themselves, and the end result was no more surprising. As good as you would come to expect.
John Medeski’s Mad Skillet is a hot-sizzling mashup, made from the potent ingredients flavoring New Orleans. Jazz, funk and Nola-inspired spontaneity root the quartet in their self-titled debut album, released last Friday. It was recorded in a Depression-era church which parallels the Mississippi (Living Room). It’s all the spices that you didn’t expect, but, when stirred, create something magical.
The record opens a “vast musical universe with limitless potential,” said Medeski. Bred from Jazz & Heritage Festival late night sets, the group is fired up to explore endless possibilities at Cohoes Music Hall on Wednesday, November 14.
Dirty Dozen Brass Band sousaphonist, Kirk Joseph, grooves, period. The low-end authentic brass drives and anchors the soundscape as it drifts. Nola-born drummer, Terence Higgins, leaves it all on the record with streetbeat syncopation and second line-flare that consumes the gaps between each melody. Brooklyn’s Will Bernard transforms the second-line funk band into a psychedelic rock-arena jam session. Medeski seasons the skillet with his fingertips – zesty organ and raw keyboard asides are every bit infectious as they are iconically Medeski.
Photo: Marc Pagani
“We love the record,” said Medeski, who was listening to it in the van as we began our interview. “There’s a certain chemistry with the group. We’ve played together in New Orleans, recorded there and wrote a few songs spontaneously in the studio. It turned into an instant band.”
Mad Skillet’s fusion can be heard in studio-shed tracks like “Tuna In A Can” and “Psychedelic Rhino.” Higgins opens on the snare and rim, singing out a spunky bass-line. Feeling from the soul sprawls outward into musical expression as Joseph takes the pickup, mirroring Higgins’ lips. Bernard follows and Medeski explores the spectrum of obscure keys. The track is smooth and eerie, yet at its quietest levels, you can’t help but to dance. Bernard is featured in a gritty overdriving solo.
“Psychedelic Rhino” is a free-form experiential dish that seamlessly converges. The blind-cook stirs aimlessly, relying on only feel and taste. Steady sousaphone and sporadic drums are explosively dynamic. Medeski’s galactic keyboards diverge the track into an ambient, mind-taxing, brew. “Psychedelic Rhino” is a 10-minute journey testing the Skillet’s endless reach.
“On ‘Psychedelic Rhino’ we just started playing, listening and creating. Music is its own language [When you add lyrics you tell people how to think]. To be able to use notes and rhythms in this way is beyond words. Like mathematics – it’s a really powerful thing,” said Medeski.
“The Heart Of Soul” is a driving song-structured tune with distinct melody, keyboard comps and slide guitar, in honor of Medeski Martin and Wood’s late booking agent, Chip Hooper. Medeski also contributed “Invincible Bubble” and “Piri Piri.” Bernard takes regin on his tracks “A Man About Town” and “Little Miss Piggy.” Joseph pulls from desert vistas and Ennio Morricone sores on the eclectic and spirited “Adele.” The collaboration exists like itemized palates on your tongue; each song flavors the record and the musicians within each melody follow, suit-to-taste. All nine tracks are overwhelming – hard to consume all on one plate.
Medeski’s Mad Skillet is all about this spontaneity. Live, their musical potential is limitless. “Everyone in the band is a great musician, composer and improviser. The band can travel in whichever direction depending on the night. Being in the moment and having the tools to turn that moment into musical expression is magical – who knows what will happen,” added Medeski.
Mad Skillet has just set out on a tour that will spill over into April 2019. For Cohoes, all the material will be fresh in the quartet’s mind – ready to excite and reinterpret the music in real time. “We want to make people feel good and open their hearts up . And help them get on with their lives in a new way,” said Medeski. The all ages show will kick off at 8pm (doors 7pm) at 58 Remsen Street – Cohoes, NY.
Bob Weir brought his new trio, the Wolf Brothers, featuring Jay Lane on drums and Don Was on bass, to the beautiful Landmark Theatre in Syracuse, and invited harpist and singer Mikaela Davis up for a few songs. After the sellout crowd settled in, the band emerged and took their time tuning and prepping for the night ahead. The show got off to a bit of a sluggish start with an uninspired and sloppy “Jack Straw” that included some unnecessarily long rhythmic interludes. Weir switched to the acoustic and kicked into “Gonesville” off 2016’s Blue Mountain. The trio seemed custom-built to handle this slice of Weir’s repertoire and played more inspired as they locked in nicely for the short country ballad.
The set could have stood to have some more from that album, but they switched immediately back into the tried and true Grateful Dead trademarks. Sticking with the acoustic, the run of “Me and My Uncle,” “Peggy-o” and “Deep Elem Blues” hewed folksy and sounded great, Weir added a fresh shine with some subtle shifts in the melodies. There was an air of intimacy as he stopped to provide snippets of the songs’ histories.
Moving back to electric, “Althea” transitioned nicely out of “Deep Elem Blues” and the set started to pick up some steam as “Loose Lucy” followed. Pushing past 70 minutes, the set felt like it might be winding down when a harp came rolling from backstage. Rochester’s own Mikaela Davis followed closely behind to join the trio for a version of “Bird Song” that provided a real kick in the pants to close out the first set. The added melodic flourishes from the harp gave Weir something to play off and showcase his true rhythmic guitar genius.
The second set continued to build on the energy from the first. “All Along the Watchtower” was played jagged and grungy with Weir taking on a languid psychedelic tone. The band showcased its agility and morphing ability in a shifty “The Music Never Stopped.”
After the bluesy “Standing on Shaky Ground,” the harp came rolling back out and the band started up “Wharf Rat.” Davis confidently took on a more prominent role and the band dug out a nice space for her and Weir to take the jam to strange and beautiful places. The ensuing “China Cat Sunflower” played right into Davis’ strengths. The longer she held court on stage, the audience became more rapt with the sounds she brought into the mix. By the time “I Know You Rider” wound around, Davis was controlling more of the reins, providing the tune with extra bounce, and the crowd responded with increasing excitement.
The harp remained on stage after set close and they returned for the encore as a quartet. Not only was Davis feeling more comfortable, she was now ready to lead the band and counted out the start as they kicked into Neil Young’s “Down By the River.” It was a Neil Young cover, sure, but it was Davis’ version, and the one she’s been playing on tour all year. She sang and played the lead with the seasoned veterans backing her all the way. Jay Lane powered the jam with incredible pounding flourishes to shoot it into the stratosphere, and the crowd roared in appreciation. “Ripple” was the perfect nightcap to emerge out of the fizzle, and a full crowd sing-along had everyone leaving fully satisfied with the songs that filled the air.
Bob Weir and the Wolf Brothers, featuring Mikaela Davis – November 9, 2018 – Landmark Theatre, Syracuse, NY
Set 1: Jack Straw, Gonesville, Me and My Uncle, Peggy-O, Deep Elem Blues > Althea, Loose Lucy > Bird Song*
Set 2: Easy to Slip, Two Djinn, All Along the Watchtower, Music Never Stopped > Shaky Ground, Wharf Rat* > China Cat Sunflower* > I Know You Rider*
Encore: Down By the River*, Ripple*
* – with Mikaela Davis on harp and vocals
Legendary folk music icon Arlo Guthrie brought his Back By Popular Demand Tour to the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill, NY. The tour coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the feature film Alice’s Restaurant, originally released in 1969, starring Arlo as himself.
Guthrie performed solo and with a full band featuring daughter Sarah Lee Guthrie (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and son Abe Guthrie (keyboards, vocals) bringing “Alice’s Restaurant” and other Guthrie classics to life. You can catch Arlo Guthrie’s annual Thanksgiving celebration at Carnegie Hall on November 24th.
Rap culture has been blessed with many genius artists and movements that have allowed it to evolve into one of the most popular genres in the world. Those pioneers are celebrated in lyrics/shoutouts by many current stars and respective hometowns take much pride in the influence they invested in the artist.
Friday marked another one of those celebrations and for none other than the infamous Wu-Tang Clan. Staten Island has officially named November 9th as Wu-Tang Clan day to pay tribute to the 25th anniversary of their legendary debut album: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
Their impact has transcended music and represented how their upbringing converted them into artists in their craft. Record label, Certified Classics, has displayed their appreciation for the timeless rap group in a new short film entitled: “For the Children: 25 Years of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).” It explores the background struggles and rise of the group in a world where they felt that music was their only voice. It even takes fans on a journey through production of signature songs and analysis of lyrical content.
For more modern fans of rap, the film also features interviews and appearances from new school artists including ASAP Rocky, ASAP, Ferg, Joey Bada$$ and other contemporary MCs known for their lyrical skill. They delve into their own influences from the Wu-Tang sound and how it molded their image to be a combination between classic and state of the art. Even 25 years later in a new era of music, their pages on streaming platforms boast millions of listens and impressive monthly listener statistics.
Watch the short film “For the Children: 25 Years of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” below. The Clan also performed live on “Good Morning America” Friday morning. You can also view that performance here.
Iron Maiden makes its return to North America next summer with the Legacy of the Beast Tour. The band, known for elaborate stage shows, is calling this tour its biggest production yet.
The tour will kick off July 18 in Sunrise, FL and visit arenas and amphitheaters throughout the U.S. and Canada next summer. The itinerary includes a July 26 stop at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and an Aug. 13 visit to Buffalo’s KeyBank Center.
Bassist Steve Harris said of the tour:
We gave a lot of thought to the set list for this Tour as the songs needed to follow the narrative of the changing worlds of the stage show. We feel we ended up with a very strong and well balanced set mixing songs we haven’t played in many years like ‘Flight of Icarus,’ ‘Sign of The Cross’and ‘The Clansman’with songs we know the fans want to hear like ‘The Trooper,’ ‘2 Minutes to Midnight,’ ‘The Number of The Beast,’ ‘Fear of The Dark,’ ‘Run to The Hills,’ ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’and others, reflecting the journey through the different themes of the show.
Tickets for most shows go on sale Nov. 16 at 10:00 a.m. local time. British band The Raven Age, which includes Harris’s son, George on guitar, will be the opener with Fozzy opening the Los Angeles show.
The North American leg is continuing the tour that sold out venues across Europe last year and included props such as a full-scale WWII-era Spitfire plane flying above the stage during the Powerslave track, “Aces High.”
The production is based around the Legacy of the Beast mobile game that takes the band’s mascot Eddie through various adventures though Iron Maiden’s history.
The band created a video to thank fans following the European tour. Check it out below.
Iron Maiden 2019 North American Tour Dates:
July 18 – BB&T Center – Sunrise, FL
July 20 – Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood – Atlanta, GA
July 22 – PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC
July 24 – Jiffy Lube Live – Washington DC July 26 – Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY
July 30 – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
Aug. 1 – Xfinity Center – Boston, MA
Aug. 3 – Hartford, CT @ Xfinity Theatre
Aug. 5 – Bell Centre – Montreal, QC
Aug. 7 – Videotron Centre – Quebec, QC
Aug. 9 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON
Aug. 10 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON Aug. 13 – KeyBank Center – Buffalo, NY
Aug. 15 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
Aug. 17 – PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
Aug. 19 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
Aug. 22 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL
Aug. 24 – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center – Indianapolis, IL
Aug. 26 – Xcel Energy Center – St Paul, MN
Aug. 28 – Bell MTS Place – Winnipeg, MB
Aug. 30 – Rogers Place – Edmonton, AB
Aug. 31 – Scotiabank Saddledome – Calgary, AB
Sept. 3 – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC
Sept. 5 – Tacoma Dome – Tacoma, WA
Sept. 6 – Moda Center – Portland, OR
Sept. 9 – Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA
Sept. 10 – Oracle Arena – Oakland, CA
Sept. 13 – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Las Vegas, NV
Sept. 14 – Banc of California Stadium – Los Angeles, CA
Sept. 17 – Talking Stick Resort Arena – Phoenix, AZ
Sept. 19 – Isleta Amphiteater – Albuquerque, NM
Sept. 21 – Dos Equis Pavilion – Dallas, TX
Sept. 22 – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Houston, TX
Sept. 25 – AT&T Center – San Antonio, TX
The tour will kick off July 18 in Sunrise, FL and visit arenas and amphitheaters throughout the U.S. and Canada next summer. The itinerary includes a July 26 stop at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and an Aug. 13 visit to Buffalo’s