Earlier this month, legendary Aerosmith and Hollywood Vampires guitarist Joe Perry was taken to the hospital after his guest appearance during Billy Joel’s Madison Square Garden show. The emergency involved breathing complications that resulted in Perry’s overnight stay at the hospital. Despite previous assumptions that Perry would resume his schedule once he was clear, the seasoned artist has decided to take a well deserved rest for the remainder of 2018.
Joe Perry sent his apologies to fans who were looking forward to the events, but realizes he needs to put his health first. Fans of the rock legend will be seeing him soon though as Perry states that he is looking forward to further touring to come in 2019. Refunds for the cancelled shows can be obtained at the point of purchase.
Perry released a new solo album earlier this year titled Sweetzerland Manifesto that the tour was going to feature. His band was to include former Extreme vocalist and brief member of Van Halen, Gary Cherone and Perry’s Aerosmith partner Brad Whitford.
The Disco Biscuits visited Albany’s Palace Theatre for a 2-night run this past weekend, the band’s first time in the Capital District since 2010’s show at The Egg. Opening up the night was the local and nationally touring band Formula 5 making their debut at the Palace. Though the weather was quite brisk, fans came out in droves to see both bands work their magic at the famous venue.
Formula 5 kicked the night off with an hour-long, all original set, opening with a newer tune “In The Sand,” into “Sad Bed,” a rocking cut from the group’s recent studio album All Points North. “Sad Bed” was left unfinished as the band transitioned into “Booher’s Pass,” a more somber instrumental tune that featured the best jam of the set, leading the group into some experimental type-2 territory. After another original “Gettin’ Tough Again,” the group closed out their set with another new song, “Breaking Glass.” The song mixes lyrical sections with synth-heavy, prog-like riffs and does it well, as the crowd was responding very positively to what F5 was laying down.
To open up the Palace show, The Disco Biscuits played the rocking “7-11,” an older song that was met with open arms by just about every fan in the theater. “7-11” was just the beginning of what became an incredible first set, which was foreshadowed by the band absolutely nailing the composed section of the tune. The jam was extremely fast-paced, featuring lots of drummer Allen Aucoin hammering away on his drum pad laying down an untzy groove for the rest of the group to build a heavy jamtronica groove off of. “7-11” was left unfinished so that the group could transition into the ending of “Above The Waves,” signaling to the fans that the band was inverting the song. Following the quick peak of “Waves” the group started working through the song’s composed section, another tune from the early days of the band.
The “Waves” jam continued the uptempo jamming from “7-11” before dropping back into the song’s chord structure and bringing the jam back to the peak it had opened with. Following a heavenly solo from Barber, the group dropped into “Minions,” a more recent tune that had a mysterious feel to it. Keyboardist Aron Magner utilized the full extents of his rig during this tune, looping a funky clavinet part during the verse and singing the chorus through a vocoder on one of his synthesizers. The majority of the “Minions” jam was the band flexing their funk muscles before they started lifting the jam into the last song of the set, “Voices Insane.” This version of “Voices” was superb, the band locked in and smoothly transitioning between each composed section, allowing some of the movements to breathe a bit before moving onto the next part.
After a quick set break, the group came out and opened the second set with “Sweating Bullets,” a grandeur tune that had a medieval feel to it during the composed section. The jam was fairly short and featured a somewhat dub reggae feel before coming to a close. The group then took a quick pause and dropped into “Resurrection,” which had an R&B feel to it and allowed for the group to show off a different side of their musical capabilities. The “Resurrection” jam was slower than most of the night’s previous jams, and served more as a jumping off point for the segue into “I-Man,” which is where the second set started to pick up.
The band very suddenly dropped into the fan favorite “I-Man” during the “Resurrection” jam, beginning with Barber singing out the opening lyrics of the tune, which was met by loud cheers from the entire crowd. Following the lyrical sections, the group started into the jam of the night, a supernatural peak that was incredibly patient in its build up, delivery, and subsequent redelivery as the group started back into the song’s chorus. Following “I-Man,” the group broke into Muse’s “Knights of Cydonia,” a song that has only been performed three times prior by the Biscuits. The “Knights” jam was full of untz and dove back into the jamtronica side of the Biscuits, before a very dramatic drop back into the song’s lyrics and main riff. To close out the set, the group broke into the upbeat “Story of the World,” which rounded out the stronger second half of the set. After the main composed section, the group broke into some more funk-themed jamming, bringing back some of the musical flavor that “Minions” was offering during the first set. The peak was pretty quick and brought the tune back into the melody of the tune before one last chorus and ending the set. For an encore the group played an extremely short, “World is Spinning.”
Saturday night was a spectacle of its own, with the crowd revved up from the night before and ready to rage the Palace. Opening with “The Tunnel,” which has found its way back into the rotation in the last few years took a journey that ended up in the latter section of “Spectacle,” which would also open Set 2 with the first portion of the song. “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.” brought the energy level even higher through the composition and eventual jam, which worked into Biscuits anthem “We Like To Party,” a statement that encompasses the tone of the crowd over the weekend. “Rock Candy” and “Save the Robots” took it back old school for a tight pairing to close the set.
To keep the party going in the second set, a 45-minute pairing of “Spectacle” -> “spacebirdmatingcall” made for a sweaty run of energetic of the Biscuits signature trancefusion jams. A brief “Hope” was a well placed breather, if you consider the flowing peaks of the song a place to rest. “Reactor” featured an inverted “Crickets” sandwiched inside, a crunchy progression of classic Biscuits jam vehicles that brought the set to a tremendous finish. “Portal to an Empty Head” closed the night in the encore slot, wrapping up the first multi-night Biscuits run in the Capital District since Camp Bisco was held in nearby Mariaville.
The Disco Biscuits have been on fire as of late, and have a few more runs you can catch them at before their NYE run at The Fillmore in Philadelphia. Check out photos from Filip Zalewski for a taste of what the the evening was like.
Setlists
Formula 5, Friday, November 23, 2018
Set: In The Sand > Sad Bed*# > Booher’s Pass, Gettin’ Tough Again, Breaking Glass
*”In the Sand” tease
# Unfinished
The Disco Biscuits, Palace Theatre, Friday, November 23, 2018
Set 1: 7-11* > Above the Waves (Inverted) > Minions > Voices Insane Set 2: Sweating Bullets, Resurrection > I-Man, Knights of Cydonia**, Story of the World Encore: World is Spinning
*Unfinished
**Muse Cover
The Disco Biscuits, Palace Theatre, Saturday, November 24
Set 1: The Tunnel -> Spectacle, M.E.M.P.H.I.S.-> We Like to Party-> Rock Candy, Save the Robots Set 2: Spectacle-> Spacebirdmatingcall, Hope, Reactor-> Crickets (inverted)-> Reactor Encore: Portal to an Empty Head
The Long Island Music Hall of Fame, a non-profit organization, honors, in its own words, “a diverse array of performers, groups, and music industry leaders that have made significant contributions to Long Island’s rich music history,” and earlier this month the Hall witnessed its seventh annual induction ceremony, on Thursday, November 7 at popular music venue The Space at Westbury.
The LIMHOF Awards Ceremony inducted eleven new members and groups this year, and they included the likes of more recently important artists, like sensational pop-punk group Taking Back Sunday and formative hip hop artists E.P.M.D, as well as more early icons of the music business, like Woodstock Music Festival promoters Michael Lang and Artie Kornfield (inducted separately), and music composer Jimmy Webb (who wrote “Wichita Lineman” for country music superstar Glen Campbell).
The first segment of the night allowed patrons and press alike to get up close and personal with the award winners as they walked the red carpet into the lobby of The Space at Westbury and posed for both photo ops and field questions. Surely, the highlight of this portion of the evening for most present was the unexpected arrival upon the scene of the one and only Billy Joel. No doubt most thought the presenter at the entrance to the red carpet was kidding when he announced the name of the 69-year-old musical icon, but in the man strutted only moments later.
For its ceremony portion, held in the gracious and acoustically impressive performance area of The Space, The LIMHOF Ceremony saw speeches from both award winners and their close acquaintances—Joel, it turned out, had come to speak and not just surprise the venue with his presence—as well as gave the stage to some of the inductees for special and touching performances. Videos of award winners, showing their heydays that had helped earn them the night’s recognition, played behind them as they addressed the crowd. A particularly poignant example include singer-songwriter inductee Melanie, whom performed her seminal hit “Candles in the Rain” with a large choir group while an old video showed her doing the same all the way back in the early 1970s. The recreation of that musically historic moment that had touched lives back then was certainly a treat for both her longtime fan base and the rest of the attendees.
The press room at the Long Island Music Hall of Fame induction allowed award winners retreated after their showing on stage was a unique experience all in its own. To an intimate greeting of only a dozen or so reporters, these prolific artists and entrepreneurs of the music business answered questions up close and personal, while also delving into welcomed anecdotes of their life. Cousin Brucie, for example, shared stories of his storied career as a radio personality, such as the time that he introduced The Beatles at their legendary performance at Shea Stadium in 1966. What the award winners offered with these stories were bits of insight and truth into their musical worlds. Brucie, for example, said to reporters of The Fab Four: “At the time, none of us believed that The Beatles would be as big as they were.”
“Waddy (Wachtel) is an amazing guy to play with. He knows what you’re hearing before you do and can play anything. I envy him quite honestly.” – Keith Richards
Robert “Waddy” Wachtel became infatuated with the guitar, idle in front of his TV screen at five years old. “I was just mesmerized. My mother said: that is a guitar – and that was it for me,” reminisced Wachtel. Now, over six decades later, the Queens-born guitarist is exuberant to bring forth The Immediate Family – a supergroup of session players for the Legends in Sessions series at The Iridium in NYC November 26-28.
For Legends In Sessions, this is the first time these musicians take the spotlight. The Immediate Family includes: guitarist Danny Kortchmar, who has played, produced and written for Don Henley and Jackson Browne; Steve Postelli, who worked with David Crosby and Dave Koz; and rhythm section, Leland Sklar on bass and Russ Kunkel on drums, who collectively played on 5,000 records, from Willie Nelson and George Strait to Phil Collins, James Taylor and Reba McEntire.
“One day I was driving my beat up ‘57 Chevy to Studio Instrument Rentals. Out of the driveway comes another ‘57 Chevy. The car stops and the driver ask ‘hey, are you Waddy?’ It was Russ Kunkel,” said Waddy. “Next thing I know, I get a call to play with Kortchmar on a reggae session and we were brothers instantly.”
When The Family gets together, it’s something special. “It’s a hit or miss situation because we cannot be together as much as we want,” said Wachtel. The band is writing a mass of new material and recording within the slightest breaths in scheduling. They just got back from a stint in Japan earlier this year. The weeks’ worth of performances are in process of being mixed for a live album release.
Legends of this caliber dwell in the shadows. Waddy has backed giants in the industry like Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards, Warren Zevon, Stevie Nicks, Bon Jovi, and Iggy Pop – a roster that daunts his credits as co-writer and guitarist on Zevon’s “Werewolves Of London.” Wachtel performed on Zevon’s first two albums, co-wrote “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead” and co-wrote Stevie Nicks’ “Annabel Lee” and “I Don’t Care.” For all the new-age listeners, Wachtel also appeared on the 2010 Grammys backing Taylor Swift on guitar. If you don’t believe me, “just look at your parents record collection.”
The three-night Iridum showing will be something to behold – fans will be mesmerized like Waddy was at the first glance of that guitar. “We are all looking towards the next recording we can do together. We have a lot of new material being collected, which I think people will dig,” said Wachtel.
“It comes from all different directions. You’re gonna love everything you write, but that doesn’t mean it is good. You have to stick to a goal about how you write a hit song and make a discerning decision,” said Wachtel. Waddy is working on a “Beatles meets The Supremes type of song,” which he wrote years back. The melody was confident, but lacked meaningful lyrics. With the help of Kortchmar, the track “One More Time Or Two” now sings and reads something beautiful.
“We came up in a perfect time in Los Angeles. It was an American Liverpool. The creative juices that were flowing, warmth and camaraderie between everybody musically was unlike anything I have ever experienced,” said Wachtel. “You would be in a session – suddenly Don and Glen from The Eagles would come on by and ask if we needed anything.”
When working on “Excitable Boy,” Waddy wanted a Beach-Boy-esque background harmony. He simply called up Linda Ronstadt and Jennifer Warnes and they came right down to the studio. This willing and vibrant community inspired Waddy to become a dedicated studio musician.
Waddy is always working towards something greater. He once said, “If I didn’t learn something new musical daily, it wasn’t a good day,” an ideology that makes the guitarist humble and hungry to evolve.
As a kid Wachtel began taking lessons with one of the jazz greats, Sal Salvatore. “He took a liking to me,” said Wachtel. “He would take me downstairs to this little Italian restaurant after the lesson – it looked just like the restaurant Michael Corleone killed the criminal in from The Godfather [laughs] – Then we would go back upstairs after dinner and he would make me play melody. He crammed a lot of guitar knowledge in my head,” said Waddy. “It was just fantastic.”
When working with Warren Zevon, “right away we we didn’t get along, but everyone knew there was a very strong, musical, person behind those glasses,” said Wachtel. “We always agreed on certain things like The Rolling Stones. It was a wild and amazing ride.” Next thing you know we were on tour and The Everly Brothers were singing in our hotel room. “It was god-like you could say, something close to heaven.”
For the Iridium dates, “It is fantastic to finally be together again as US instead of backing up Linda or Phil,” said Waddy Wachtel. The Immediate Family will be playing three consecutive nights starting on Monday. The magnitude of musicianship is unfathomable. Waddy’s uptaking alone was remarkable. Stay tuned to catch the final run for Legends In Sessions with Steve Lukather and Bill Evans’ Toxic Monkey, playing six nights, December 4-9.
Tea Leaf Green recently celebrated 20 years as a band and was greeted with an exceptionally warm Northeast welcome. This run was special because the San Francisco-based jam quartet hasn’t visited the area in two years. These shows notably mark the second time bass player Eric DiBerardino played with Tea Leaf Green in the New York City Metro region. DiBerardino replaced bass superstar Reed Mathis in 2016. Fans are excited to be more acquainted with his style.
StageOne in Fairfield, CT (11/16/2018)
Described as a “coffee shop stage,” StageOne in Fairfield, CT offered fans a chance to see the band up close with great acoustics. The venue has a 225 person capacity, with seating on both sides of the stage. Tea Leaf Green rewarded those in attendance with a classic set of favorites.
The set began with “5000 Acres” and “Ride Together,” which got the crowd on their feet and grooving. Next up were “Make a Connection,” “Innocence” and the electro-funk jam “Germinating Seed,” featuring notable guitar segments from guitarist Josh Clark. The set wrapped up on a high note with the perennial hit “If It Wasn’t For the Money,” featuring outstanding vocals and smooth solos by keyboardist Trevor Garrod.
Set II picked up where Set I left off, starting with the funky “These Two Chairs“ and an electrified “Don’t Curse the Night.” The high energy “One Reason“ got the crowd ready for the first jam of the night, “Gasaholic.” Garrod’s soulful vocals and funky keyboard execution combined with Clark’s guitar improvisation made this an unforgettable rendition.
“All Of Your Cigarettes“ brought a few chill moments before Jordan Giangreco of The Breakfast joined Tea Leaf Green on stage, playing organ next to Garrod for the high energy favorites “Give Me One More Chance“ and “Incandescent Devil.” Musical nirvana between all five musicians was reached during the second jam of the night and closed the second set on a high note.
The encore brought the energy down to earth for the melodic Garrod classic, “Earth and Sky.”
Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY (11/17/2018)
Tea Leaf Green has a rich history of high energy jamming at the Brooklyn Bowl, which features a bowling alley adjacent to the stage. Gadadu and Greg Humphrey’s Electric Trio opened and got the crowd on their feet.
The band was ready to rock and roll from the very first song, “Devil’s Pay,” including eloquent vocals from Garrod and mind-numbing guitar solos by Clark. The harmonica-fueled “Let Us Go“ was the perfect precursor for the jam of the night, “Red Ribbons” > “Garden III.” Both are classic Tea Leaf Green songs, and “Garden” included a unique rock infused jam, which delighted longtime fans.
Garrod’s vocals and keyboard skills shined in “Been So Long“ and “Cops Took My Weed“ followed by a Clark electric guitar clinic in “Space Hero“ and “Hot Dog.” There is no question how talented this band is.
The soulful Garrod tune “Kali Yuga” closed out the set, and included celebration confetti from the audience. The encore began with “Carter Hotel,” an inspiring ballad sung by Clark. The show ended on a high note with the electric “Vote on Tuesday,” including more audience confetti to close this memorable night.
The Northeast was jubilant after two fantastic Tea Leaf Green shows and awaits their return for more soulful, funky improvisational rock and roll.
On Oct. 20, 90s alt-rockers Garbage made their debut at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester to a house packed with loyal fans, celebrating 20 years since the release of their album Version 2.0.
Garbage treated The Cap to the entirety of Version 2.0, but changed it up a bit playing it out of order and mixing in tracks from their other albums including covers of The Seeds’ “Can’t Seem To Make You Mine” and Big Star’s “Thirteen.”
The colorful Shirley Manson, whose image mimicked the cover of the Version 2.0 album, gave an expressive performance through the whole show with an amount of animation in concert with the aura of each song. Just before starting the encore, she gave an extended thank you to the fans for their support with some emotional pauses which only seemed to garner more applause from the crowd.
Though the band has its roots in Wisconsin and singer Shirley Manson is from Edinburgh, the show was a homecoming for co-founder/guitarist Steve Marker, a Westchester native who spent some time working at the theatre years ago.
The bottom line of Garbage’s show at The Cap is one of genuineness – between the band and audience the room felt like a close-knit family pouring their hearts out to one another.
Setlist:
Afterglow, Deadwood, Temptation Waits, Wicked Ways, Special, The World Is Not Enough, 13x Forever, Get Busy With the Fizzy, Hammering in My Head, Medication, Thirteen, Can’t Seem to Make You Mine, I Think I’m Paranoid, Sleep Together, Dumb, Soldier Through This, Lick the Pavement, Push It, When I Grow Up, You Look So Fine
Encore: The Trick Is to Keep Breathing, No Horses, Cherry Lips
One would think after dozens of tours that the years of glory and millions of screaming fans would take a toll on a man. However, the Rolling Stones never cease to amaze us as they announce their 2019 “No Filter” U.S. stadium tour. The legendary English rock group have performed over an astounding 2,000 concerts and there doesn’t appear to be any signs of slowing down. This 13 show tour will include some of the largest venues in the world with multiple stops in California, Florida, and more. Tickets will officially go on sale for these events at 10:00 a.m. on Nov. 30.
Although the band has primarily played across Europe for the past two years, they hold a dear adoration for their American fans. Mick Jagger voiced his love and recognition for these loyal listeners by stating: “It’s a thrill when we play stadiums in the States…The energy is always amazing!” To which Keith Richards passionately contributed: “I’ve always loved playing in the states. It’s a great crowd.” It is true that their absence has been upsetting to classic rock enthusiasts and concert-goers but these 13 shows will be a refreshing reminder of the incredible music The Rolling Stones have always blessed us with. True to their intoxicatingly dramatic style, the heart of their performances will consist of timeless hits such as “Gimme Shelter,” “Paint it Black,” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” For more information on scheduled appearances, check the Rolling Stones’s website here. See tour dates below.
Fans hoping to catch a New York show on this tour will have to settle for stops in nearby Philadelphia, Foxboro or East Rutherford.
Rolling Stones “No Filter Tour” 2019
April 20 – Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, FL
April 24 – TIAA Bank Field – Jacksonville, FL
April 28 – NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
May 7 – State Farm Stadium – Glendale, AZ
May 11 – The Rose Bowl – Pasadena, CA
May 18 – Levi’s Stadium – Santa Clara, CA
May 22 – CenturyLink Field – Seattle, WA
May 26 – Broncos Stadium at Mile High – Denver, CO
May 31 – FedExField – Washington, D.C.
June 4 – Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA
June 8 – Gillette Stadium – Foxborough, MA
June 13 – MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
June 21 – Soldier Field – Chicago, IL
Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers are currently out on the road bringing their unique blend of funk, soul and pop to audiences far and wide. The party came to Buffalo Iron Works on Sunday, November 18. Check out the pictures below to see what went down.
For those familiar with the progressive, ukulele-heavy tunes hailing from Brooklyn’s Cousin Earth, then you may be well acquainted with their fun, quirky sound and pleasing melodies. It’s with heavy hearts that Cousin Earth announces Tara Lawton’s decision to part ways with her role as vocalist and keyboardist with the group she’s flourished with over the last five years.
After months of preparation, Lawton will soon take her final bow with the musical collaboration. The Brooklyn outfit will then welcome Melissa Raye to officially take over vocals, following months of filling in and manning the mic. Celebrating five years of connection, growth and music, Cousin Earth will perform their last gig with Lawton on Thursday, November 29 at Mercury Lounge in NYC with Albany’s own Formula 5.
NYS Music chatted with Tara Lawton, reflecting on her 5-year stint with Cousin Earth.
We’re sad to see you go, but know there’s tons of fun memories to dwell on.
Alyssa Ladzinski: What’s something you wish you could tell yourself 5 years ago at the beginning of this journey?
Tara Lawton: Nada. The journey was and has been exactly what we needed it to be. The amount of growth I’ve experienced personally, musically and emotionally these past 5 years with Cousin Earth is unsurpassed. I wouldn’t change a thing. Every element, every unexpected twist and turn led to the creation of some amazing collaborative musical art and I think our full length album Human Music shows just how eclectic and electric our journey together has been.
AL: Try to sum up your experience with Cousin Earth in 5 words or less.
TL: Crazy-ass music-making life-changing musical expedition. (See how I cheated with the hyphens there…)
AL: How have you changed as a person/musician in this timeframe?
TL: How many pages do you have for this article? No really….! I’ve changed immensely. From learning how to write collaboratively (let me tell you it takes love and patience), to playing keys with a band for the first time (I’ve played piano since I was 7 but never with a band before), to making sure we take care of each other as well as we take care of the music we create together. I have become a much fuller and more musically-rounded version of myself as compared to 5 years ago.
Joey Calfa (ukelele, vox) and I met in Corey J. Feldman’s (U-Bass, vox) project Mercury Landing in May of 2013 and Joe asked me to sing a few duo gigs with him playing ukulele. It’s all a bit blurry now how exactly it took off from there, but the whole of Mercury Landing ended up jumping on-board and shifting into Ukulelien (the band you now know as Cousin Earth). I remember bringing the melodica to the table with this unique idea that I could use it as a rhythm instrument to compliment the uke (who does that?!)…then came the keyboards and it’s all history from there. I cannot express how my musicianship has grown from working with these guys, particularly within the writing and keyboard spaces. I’m eternally grateful for their patience and encouragement as I blossomed into a keyboard player within the band.
AL: We hope to hear more music from you. What’s coming next for your musical future?
TL: Great! Me too! The decision to no longer perform with Cousin Earth wasn’t made lightly. I have been given the opportunity to make a living with a full-time singing job which just didn’t leave time to remain a full-time member of Cousin Earth. The collaboration deserves full commitment and I understand why the decision we reached needed to be made. The new singing job is mostly private events, but I am working on some solo stuff to remain in the music community publicly. I’ve never been the singer/songwriter type, so get ready for some one-woman band kinda stuff with tap shoes, accordions and other insanity. In the meantime, you can catch me making an appearance with David Schnurman, writing and singing on Teddy Midnight’s EPFrench Press (my rapping debut – yes, that is me spitting the rhymes I wrote at the end of the song “Come Over” with the magic of an Ableton Live filter!), playing live original keys and vocal loops for Vinyasa class at Daya Yoga Studio on Monday nights and teaching private voice lessons from my home in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I’m looking forward to further exploring what I can do musically as just one person.
AL: What do you think Melissa will bring to the group next?
TL: I’m not overly familiar with Melissa’s work, but from what I have heard her voice is incredible, soulful and full. I will be most interested to hear what she brings to the writing collaboration process and I wish her the best. She seems to have a soul of golden kindness which I’m sure precedes her onto every stage she lights up.
AL: Which Cousin Earth song has the most meaning to you?
TL: Again, how many pages you got?! Let’s start from the beginning:
“Hey Ya” Cover – This was our first musical collaboration making a YouTube video all together as a ukelele band & it will always hold a special place in my heart. I found that glockenspiel used in the video in the trash outside of our rehearsal space in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NYC and we affectionately named her “Trash Glock.” She currently resides with me in Brooklyn.
“Universoul” -Our first music video! What a time we had making that music video. All of the palpable love shared in that room and the cinematic brilliance brought by Michael Varley and Jessi Highet! I was in the T-Rex suit in the video because our good friend and super-fan Evangeline Rera wasn’t feeling well enough to be in full dino costume. The “viral” T-Wrecks Tap Dancing video came from that day as well. They made me into a meme! Crazy. What a time to be alive!
“Alive” (Track 7 on Human Music) – Writing this song was truly our first full-band collaborative experience. Corey wrote it on ukelele, hence the trading of uke for u-bass live, and brought some lyrics that Joe & I worked with to turn into the song you hear today. I remember work-shopping the song at Corey’s Williamsburg apartment and writing a rough melody that we recorded a scratch track of and sent off to the others. Next rehearsal Joe shows up with a killer bass-line, Nate (always) brings the finesse with that smooth beat and Terry adds stellar interesting, echoing harmonies…bam. Alive.
“Peculiar Patterns” (Track 1 on Human Music) – This song is particularly special to me because of the vocal work and harmonies. I wanted an opportunity to improvise vocally in a similar manner to how Joey improvises on uke and it was provided for me in the middle section of this tune. (Thanks, guys!) Corey came into a rehearsal one night with awesome lyrics and a vocal line over Joey’s beautiful ukulele composition. Terrence Brennan (vox, keys, kazoo) throws on a harmony and I remember having missed that rehearsal because the next time I was in rehearsal I heard for the first time what Terry and Corey were singing and I didn’t even have to think twice about my high harmony part. A harmony that follows the curves of the verses, adds a smooth lyrical element over the dancey B-sections and “falls” down from the top like the rain as the other parts rise slowly from underneath to meet the challenges of that very rainfall. That rehearsal was magic for me and I remember it vividly. There was no thought, the song wrote itself.
While recording “Peculiar Patterns” with Matt Einsidler at Audio Workstations, Inc. where we recorded the album, I was going through honestly probably thee hardest experience of my lifetime and I poured my soul into the singing and recording of this track. It’s actually difficult for me to listen to still to this day, particularly around 4 minutes and 18 seconds when I let out a large vocal wail. I can hear and feel all of the pain I was experiencing…so fresh and so raw at that time in my life and it remains a doorway to that place of intense longing, vulnerability and inability to understand. I can’t help but feel for my younger self as she struggled to accept the circumstances. It’s a story for another time, but this song has my heart in a way that is so very, very special to me and it always will. My boys in Cousin Earth also allowed me to NOT BE AUTO-TUNED on this album (which is unheard of in 2018) and so here I shall use my bragging rights I have reserved. I will forever be grateful to them for allowing just me, my voice to be captured on Human Music.
“Keep On (Show Me the Numbers, Ian)” [Track 9 on Human Music] – My baby. My first tune I’ve written and recorded with a full band. Dope. The weirdest song you will ever hear; I admit I wrote it to be difficult. I wanted a very challenging musical piece and I got it, but in hindsight I definitely would have done some things differently while writing that piece to make the listening experience more fluid. What is life experience if we do not learn from it, eh?
The guys were lovely enough to indulge this crazy idea – a theatrey, jazzy sounding A-section juxtaposed by an off-tempo eerie sounding B-section that I originally wrote as a vocal loop with my Boss Loop Station. Drummer Nate Searing helped to pull this song together by mastering the challenging tempo changes and developing the syncopated hits in the middle section of the song which Corey brought to the table (a true collaboration!). The lyrics are odd, but if you listen closely it tells our Cousin Earth love story. This song is the only sort of love song I would willingly write, and it is for my love of the four amazing men, my brothers that make up Cousin Earth. I am proud and grateful to have this song on Human Music and we will be playing it live for my last show with Cousin Earth at The Mercury Lounge in NYC on Thursday, November 29 (doors at 9pm; show at 9:45pm with Formula 5 of Albany, NY). It’s likely to be the last time the band ever plays the song live. Please join us in celebration!
AL: Do you have a message for the fans?
TL: I’m not going far. If you’ve read this entire article, I promise I love you and I thank you for your support both of my personal career and Cousin Earth. Whether at shows of my fellow musician family, sitting in or performing solo, I’ll see you out there…in the words of Cousin Earth…WAY out there.
The jam scene in the Northeast is as healthy as it has ever been, with bands regularly touring across New York State, building audiences and markets in the process. When the shows are over and the crowd still has energy to keep the party going, that’s when DJs and post-shows come into play. During the upcoming Disco Biscuits run at The Palace Theatre this weekend, post-shows will be great in number, with J.E.D.I. performing late-night Friday, Scumdog Millionaire$ at Parish Public House on Saturday, and uptown at The Low Beat they will present ‘History of Wyllys’ featuring MoonSine and Sex on Decks. The latter of these will be going very late after The Disco Biscuits close out The Palace, and feature a variety of beats from Wyllys spanning the history of his career as a DJ. Wyllys spoke to NYS Music about what to expect from the late night performance and what it’s like touring as a DJ.
Pete Mason: Your upcoming performance in Albany celebrates the History of Wyllys, featuring MoonSine and Sex on Decks – what can we expect from a set of music spanning the history of your career?
Wyllys: My career will always start with ambient and drum and bass. I had always loved spacey music and the very second I heard drum and bass for the first time…LTJ Bukem-Logical Progression, that was it. I wanted to DJ. After that I will slide into Nu Disco where I will be joined by MoonSine. Zac and I have been collaborating for quite a while and he was the first keyboardist for Space Disco which we played many great gigs under. After that we will take house music till the end with a good friend of mine Sex On Decks. Dan has been playing many of the same rooms and festivals with me for years so I felt it was time we got together and flowed. B2B is an art form and it takes someone like Dan to make it hum. He has a great ear and style.
PM: How and where did you get your start in the music industry?
Wyllys: I started learning how to do lights and sound with Rane. I was also writing a good chunk of the lyrics for them along with my dear friend and killer writer Dave Griffin. Alan from Rane, who is now president of Telefunken, gave me my first set of decks and it was ON after that.
PM: What were your early gigs like and what is touring as a DJ like?
Wyllys: So much terror when you first start gigging. Really it’s about balancing the sound from your headphones with the monitor and PA and a lot of times there would be this NASTY slap back delay that fucked with your beatmatching. Plus I was playing all vinyl which comes with its own sets of challenges such as the bass feeding back through the needle or the bass moving the needle around the wax. After about a year I was more comfortable but the trick is to never get “too” comfy so as to keep learning and stay on your toes. Back then I was doing small shows in Hartford with Rane and a few other bands. Very modest and slow build to what I am doing these days.
Touring as a DJ is interesting. I have worked on all sides of the ball in this industry and the “DJ Tour” can get weird quick. I rarely could afford a TM and since I was a TM it all came easy. However things can get out of control quick with no one to put you in check. It was never about ego with me, just getting into trouble and making piss poor decisions. I felt like I had finally “made it,” paying the bills with guarantees and what not. But when that happens you literally have to gig to survive and that sucked a lot of the joy out of it for me. Once it starts feeling like work it’s time to examine the situation.
https://soundcloud.com/wyllys/for-jordan
PM: The Hustler Ensemble was a notable period of Wyllys’ evolution – bring us back to that era and how the sound changed with musicians on stage with you.
Wyllys: The scene needed a funk and disco version of DJ Logic’s previous excursions. Jay was a huge influence on me in that regard. I loved Nu Disco but the BPMs were too slow for prime time sets. I felt that adding musicians would be just the reinforcement I needed and push me out of my comfort zone. I was lucky enough to have Jen and Natalie as my core and bandleaders and they taught me so much about how to communicate with players effectively and how to prepare everyone as best you can before show. Rehearsal was not all that frequent because I would have people coming in from all over but the nature of it all was improvisation with a set of “heads” or tracks we start from. I look back on that time as my biggest period of musical growth and it made a LOT of people very happy. In the end the universe has bestowed a gift to you and it is up to you to share it…to bring people joy. We did that in spades!
PM: Your live sets and mixes dive deep – without revealing secrets, where are you finding these funky undiscovered gems?
Wyllys: Oh I can tell you right now (and Jon ‘The Barber’ Gutwillig will tell you the same) that Juno is a great place for underground tracks both on vinyl and digital. Crate digging is still huge for me too. If you are a DJ that plays vinyl the key is to form a relationship with your record store owner. They will get to know your taste and have a pile of wax for you to listen to. That inevitably will lead you down many wormholes with artists and genres you had never heard before.
PM: You’re playing a post Disco Biscuits show on Saturday, November 24 – how have the Biscuits influenced your musical interests and performances, and what is their legacy as they approach 23 years in the jam scene?
Wyllys: I really don’t even know where to start here. I had been DJing for 3 years before I actually saw them and when I initially heard them there was no “trancefusion” in their wheelhouse. Once they started that mutation it was over. You take that and their revolutionary inversion and dyslexic techniques and you have a juggernaut of a band. Their influence on me is quite massive. Sammy (Altman) was a master of drum and bass as well as Allen (Aucoin) and they showed me how to layer melodic content as a way to shape the narrative under the flurry of drums and percussion, to take the audience on a journey without sacrificing the pulse. They also taught me not to fear improvisation but to know that sometimes your ideas are going to fall flat on their face and you have to persevere, you have to get past it with grace and energy. The audience is going to respect that despite you just dropping a track at the wrong moment.
Their legacy will always be that marriage of electronica and rock and roll and really, being the last TRUE jamband in the scene. I don’t think any band is going to touch what they do every single night. They have always been the punk rock of the scene in that DIY/take no prisoners way and “Bisco” is truly a culture all of its own. That raw and untamed energy they bring is that of a team that leaves it all on the field every single game. I feel blessed to have supported many of those games over the years and look forward to more.
For Legends In Sessions, this is the first time these musicians take the spotlight. The Immediate Family includes: guitarist Danny Kortchmar, who has played, produced and written for Don Henley and Jackson Browne; Steve Postelli, who worked with David Crosby and Dave Koz; and rhythm section, Leland Sklar on bass and Russ Kunkel on drums, who collectively played on 5,000 records, from Willie Nelson and George Strait to Phil Collins, James Taylor and Reba McEntire.
The three-night Iridum showing will be something to behold – fans will be mesmerized like Waddy was at the first glance of that guitar. “We are all looking towards the next recording we can do together. We have a lot of new material being collected, which I think people will dig,” said Wachtel. 
When working on “Excitable Boy,” Waddy wanted a Beach-Boy-esque background harmony. He simply called up Linda Ronstadt and Jennifer Warnes and they came right down to the studio. This willing and vibrant community inspired Waddy to become a dedicated studio musician.
