Call on Music, an organization recently launched by Omni Arts Group, will hold its inaugural event, “Get Wet for Chauncey” on Friday, April 14 at Nectar’s in Burlington, VT. Omni Arts Group founder Matt Kolinski and partner Will Ralston with the help of the arts and entertainment community have launched Call On Music and intend to promote events that will raise funds and awareness on behalf of other charitable organizations through live music and other platforms.
The first event, to be held on Saturday, April 14 at Nectar’s in Burlington, is “Get Wet For Chauncey”, which will raise money for the Lake Champlain Committee and the Vermont Clean Water Network. Headlining the event will be The Get Wet All-Stars featuring Michelangelo Carubba (Turkuaz), Craig Brodhead (Turkuaz), Rob Compa (Dopapod), Josh Myers (Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds), and Josh Dobbs (Dead Set). Patrons will enjoy opening act Doctor Rick as well as a raffle that will include items from various local Burlington establishments. Tickets are $10, doors at 8, show at 9.
On February 28, 2003, Phish performed the penultimate show of their Winter Tour at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, their first since returning from a two year hiatus. The result was one of the best Phish performances of the ‘2.0’ era that spanned from December 31, 2002 through August 15, 2004.
poster by Louis Arzonico
The first set of the show kicks off with “Birds of a Feather” and while this is a solid starter to a 2003 Phish show, the “Destiny Unbound” that followed is the song that fans skip to, for this was the first version of the song since 1991, and one that fans had been clamoring for since the mid-90s. At first, few in the crowd knew what it was, but as the lyrics started, you can hear the crowd erupt, and even more so when the refrain “We gotta get on the road, Destiny Unbound” is sung.
poster design by Troy Alexander
Shock and awe swept through the crowd and continued into “Horn,” for the biggest bust out of them all was finally here. A 20+ minute “Bathtub Gin” is full of peaks and jam sections, never letting up and only resting when followed by “Sleep.” An extended “Back on the Train” and “Walls of the Cave” sandwich “Bouncing Around the Room” to wrap up the firepowered first set, and set two would prove to be equally incredible.
One of the best versions of “Tweezer” this century kicked off a five-song second set, stretching more than 27 minutes and finding ebbs and flows throughout, never noodling or fading out, just pure improvisation start to finish. The segue into a then-rare cover of Bob Marley’s “Soul Shakedown Party” lit up the room once again, as did a dark 19 minute “David Bowie.”
The only time to catch a breath this set was “Round Room,” but being the title track off the band’s recently released album, fans were rapt with attention to the new tune. Closing the set was a slow building “Harry Hood” that capped the show with a bang.
shirt design by chris mcmurray
A three song encore starting with “Contact,” “Mexican Cousin” gave the fans a couple of sing-alongs before the energetic close of “Tweezer Reprise.” You would be hard pressed to find a Phish show in 2003 or 2004 that had as much firepower as February 28, 2003 did.
Phish, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, Long Island, NY February 28, 2003
Computer Magic, aka producer/songwriter Danielle “Danz” Johnson, has released her official sophomore album, DANZ, this month along with a video for the track, “Amnesia.”
Nods to Alien and Logan’s Run can be found in the black and white video, which finds Danielle in her workspace surrounded by what inspires her. “The song is about going crazy during your creative process. It’s about isolating yourself from the outside world, locking yourself in your studio to try and create something, but in the midst of this, you kind of lose yourself.”
The upcoming semi-autobiographical album DANZ is even darker and more experimental than her first studio effort, Davos, and delves into themes such as losing yourself and your memory, a dystopian future and not following along with the crowd. Danielle writes and records at her Brooklyn studio while running Channel 9 Records and hosting her own radio show every other week on Newtown Radio called “Outerspace.”
Computer Magic Tour Dates: 3/03 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory
3/15 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada (Not So Fun Weekend)
3/23 – Richmond, VA @ Gallery S
3/25 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
3/26 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
4/14 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Brooklyn four-piece Honduras will begin their Spring Tour at Elsewhere on Thursday, March 1 with the release of a limited edition 7″ single of “Need the Sun / Water Sign” via Mind Altar Records. Honduras continues their tour in support of Public Access T.V. throughout March, including performances at SXSW in Austin March 14-17.
Founding band members Patrick Philips (vocals) and Tyson Moore (guitar) have helped Honduras grow into one of the hardest working bands in New York City, becoming known for their energetic live performances while drawing on inspiration from a number of genres and eras. Blunt lyrics bring to mind Sex Pistols, dreamy guitar work parallels Deerhunter and the rhythm section of Josh Wehle (drums) and Pauly Lizarraga (bass) create a foundation similar to The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys. Honduras tour dates: Mar 01 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere*
Mar 06 – Washington, DC @ DC9
Mar 07 – Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy
Mar 09 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover
Mar 10 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Mar 11 – Nashville, TN @ The End
Mar 13 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
Mar 14 – Austin, TX @ Pond Mag House Party (9pm) SXSW*
Mar 15 – Austin, TX @ Shangri La (12:40pm) SXSW *
Mar 15 – Austin, TX @ Cheers Rooftop – Balcony TV’s Rock The Rooftop (4pm) SXSW*
Mar 15 – Austin, TX @ Parlor – Faux Ferocious’ Showcase (6:30pm) SXSW*
Mar 16 – Austin, TX @ Cheer Up Charlies’s (TBA) SXSW*
Mar 16 – Austin, TX @ Embassy Suites (5pm) SXSW*
Mar 17 – Austin, TX @ Sidewinder – Pianos Showcase (12pm) SXSW*
Mar 17 – Austin, TX @ Georgia Theater Showcase (2pm) SXSW*
Mar 17 – Austin, TX @ Valhalla – Little Dickman Records (4pm) SXSW*
Mar 17 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda – AGI showcase (11pm) SXSW*
Mar 24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Foxes Mag Minifest*
Apr 02 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Apr 03 – London, ON @ Call The Office*
Apr 04 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
Apr 05 – Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus
Apr 06 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott Apr 07 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Singer/Songwriter Sammi Rae Murciano recently debuted the video for her single “Reflection,” a heartfelt track that looks back on her experiences with bullying and her journey towards empowerment. The cinematic video was produced and directed by Nick Terrana and shows Sammi’s struggle as it weaves between depictions of her as both a young girl and teenager, struggling as a victim of bullying and the effects on her self-esteem.
A Long Island native, 17 year old Sammi Rae has been singing for three years, and is inspired by a wide range of talents before her, citing influences from Beyoncé to Demi Lovato, Rihanna, Adele, Dua Lipa and many more. Sammi’s strong and soulful voice is beyond her years and knows that you have to believe in yourself and have confidence to be successful has been her continued mantra, especially showcased on “Reflection,” which was recorded at The Loft Sound Studio with Donnie Klang, a recording artist and winner of MTV’s “Making The Band 4” and artist/engineer Matthew LaPorte.
Murciano’s three song EP “The Story” includes “Reflection” along with “Back to Me,” about wanting to move forward and finding the strength to trust and love again, and “Never Letting Go,” a track she says she wants “to inspire others” continuing “no one should let anyone stop them from doing what they love.”
Murciano shares about the writing behind “Reflection,” “There are many stories you hear about people being bullied and how they resort to harmful and drastic measures which could lead to dangerous outcomes. I had my singing to turn to and it’s only made me stronger. As a way to escape from the feelings of being hurt, bullied, and hated on, I started writing in my journal…which turned into a source for songs that told my story.”
Having performed “Reflection” at the Long Island Coalition Against Bullying’s 2nd Annual Fall Gala, and with the video debut at Patchogue’s 89 North on Saturday, February 17, Murciano will certainly have better days to reflect upon as she continues to help others with her music in 2018.
John Fogerty and ZZ Top join forces for a ‘Blues and Bayous Tour’ this year. These Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legends set off on their epic musical journey in New Jersey in May, with stops in New York at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh on June 20 and Marvin Sands Theater in Canandaigua on June 23. Tickets go on sale to the general public on March 2 at 10am local time. Presale ticket information can be found on the websites for John Fogerty and ZZ Top.
John Fogerty and ZZ Top Blues and Bayous Tour
May 25 – Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata Spa & Resort – Event Center
May 26 – Holmdel, NJ – P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
May 27 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
May 29 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap
May 30 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap
June 1 – Pensacola, FL – Pensacola Bay Center
June 2 – Clearwater, FL – Coachman Park
June 3 – West Palm Beach,FL – Coral Sky Amphitheater
June 5 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheater
June 6 – Atlanta, GA – TBA
June 10 – Oklahoma City, OK – Zoo Amphitheater
June 12 – Chicago, IL – TBA
June 13 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
June 14 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
June 16 – Southaven, MS – BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove
June 17 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
June 19 – Youngstown, OH – Covelli Centre June 20 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Heath at Jones Beach Theater
June 22 – Gilford, NH – Bank of NH Pavillion June 23 – Canandaigua, NY – Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
June 24 – Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
June 26 – Mt. Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort *with Willie Nelson
June 27 – Detroit, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 29 – Welch, MN – Treasure Island Resort & Casino
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.
Las Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons dropped the “Thunder” with their summer touring plans for 2018. The band will continue to support their third studio album Evolve, with a 38-city tour across the United States.
Look for more dates to be possibly added, as there is a huge gap in between the last two announced dates. Season eleven winner of America’s Got Talent, and Suffern, NY native Grace Vanderwaal, was announced as special guest to help support and open shows during the tour.
The band looks to make New York a “Believer,” with three stops spread across the state. Those stops will include June 11, at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, June 19, at Madison Square Garden in NYC, and June 29, at SPAC, in Saratoga Springs. Tickets go on sale to the general public March 3.
Imagine Dragons have sold over 12 million albums, and over 35 million singles worldwide, not including sales of Evolve. Their debut album Night Visions, earned them a twice platinum certification and a Billboard Music Award for “Top Rock Album,” in 2014. Their second studio album Smoke + Mirrors, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and is certified platinum.
Imagine Dragons “Evolve” Tour Dates:
June 5 – Xfinity Theatre – Hartford, CT
June 6 – Xfinity Center – Mansfield, MA
June 8 – Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion – Bangor, ME
June 9 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ June 11 – Lakeview Amphitheater – Syracuse, NY
June 13 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, CA
June 16 – HersheyPark Stadium – Hershey, PA
June 17 – Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH June 19 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
June 21 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, MI
June 22 – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center – Indianapolis, IN
June 24 – CenturyLink Center – Omaha, NE
June 26 – Denny Sanford Premier Center – Sioux Falls, SD
June 27 – Summerfest – Milwaukee, WI June 29 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY
July 2 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA
July 3 – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater – Virginia Beach, VA
July 5 – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek – Raleigh, NC
July 7 – Colonial Life Arena – Columbia, SC
July 8 – Brandon Amphitheater – Brandon, MS
July 10 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
July 11 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Maryland Heights, MO
July 13 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Tinley Park, IL
July 14 – Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
July 16 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
July 18 – Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
July 21 – The Forum – Los Angeles, CA
July 24 – Concord Pavilion – Concord, MA
July 26 – Bobcat Stadium – Bozeman, MT
July 30 – Intrust Bank Arena – Wichita, KS
Aug. 1 – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
Aug. 2 – Austin360 Amphitheater – Austin, TX
Aug. 4 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – The Woodlands, TX
Aug. 5 – Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, LA
Aug. 7 – The Amphitheater at the Wharf – Orange Beach, AL
Aug. 9 – Coral Sky Amphitheater – West Palm Beach, FL
Aug. 10 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL
Oct. 20 – FC Dallas Stadium – Frisco, TX**
Could this be the final nail in the coffin for the compact disc? It just may be in retail stores. With digital media sales surging, the CD format is holding steady but still saw an 18.5 percent decline in sales in 2017. This is forcing retailers such as Target and Best Buy to pull compact discs off their store shelves.
At one point, Best Buy was the most powerful music merchandiser in the U.S. It now dedicates very minimal space in its physical stores to CDs. Although it may seem like a nice chunk of change, Best Buy’s annual CD sales are around $40 million and the chain has informed music suppliers that they plan to pull CDs from its stores starting July 1. Best Buy will honor their commitment to vendors and carry vinyl records over the next two years, relocating them to the turntable section of the store.
According to Billboard, Target has demanded that music suppliers sell CDs on a consignment basis. Target’s current agreement with labels is that Target pays for all goods shipped within 60 days, taking a huge inventory risk. Target than has to pay to ship back unsold CDs for a credit. Target wants the labels to take all the risk with a consignment agreement. Billboard sources also state tha,t in the fourth quarter of 2017, Target gave both music and video suppliers an ultimatum that they want to switch to a scanned-based trading system. That means Target will on pay for goods as they are bought at the register. The original date set for the scan-based system was Feb. 1, but has been pushed back to either April or May 1. Like Best Buy, Target has reduced it’s CD inventory drastically over the years, now carrying around only 100 titles per store.
This is putting music manufacturers in a tight spot. Sources indicate that one major player has said no, while two others are undecided. Music manufacturers say they are waiting to see what happens with DVDs. If manufacturers don’t agree to these new terms, could it be the end of the compact disc era?
Speculation has become fact. Phish is returning to Watkins Glen International for its 11th festival Aug. 17-19. Ticket sale begins March 2 at noon.
Phish last performed at “The Glen” for Magnaball in 2015. You can read NYS Music’s coverage of that sold-out festival here, here and here. Pete Mason re-lived the legendary Drive-In set from Magnaball here.
Ticketing packages include a general admission weekend pass for $250 plus fees. These tickets allow weekend access to the festival grounds and GA campground. Those bringing a vehicle must also purchase a vehicle camping pass.
There is also a Glen Close package, which includes one Glen Close vehicle camping pass (choose car or RV) and two Glen Close weekend passes with the option to purchase an additional Glen Close weekend pass during the purchase process. Pricing for this option begins at $910 plus fees. For more information, visit the festival page.
Phish’s first festival was the groundbreaking Clifford Ball in 1996. Curveball marks the third festival the band has held at Watkins Glen International, following Magnaball and 2011’s Super Ball IX. The rolling hills and central location of this Finger Lakes venue allows for easy travel from many major cities in the northeast.
Tickets are available beginning at noon on Friday, March 2.
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?
Look for more dates to be possibly added, as there is a huge gap in between the last two announced dates. Season eleven winner of America’s Got Talent, and Suffern, NY native 
Phish last performed at “The Glen” for Magnaball in 2015. You can read NYS Music’s coverage of that sold-out festival