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.
Take the attitude of Dr. Dog, the horn line spice of Cake, and the essentials for a modern folk group and you get Neighborhood of Make Believe. Okay, that’s a very general statement but there’s a lot of experimentation going on in NOMB’s debut album so it’s hard to say what their sound is exactly – flowing, warm and washy are definitely some constants. That being said, listeners will have to cull through the 12 track collection to find something they like, but it’s still worth giving a listen to from beginning to end. They’ve dropped their songs strategically throughout the album so it’s a bit of a roller coaster which will hold the listener’s interest. Maybe not one with corkscrews and loops, rather a traditional wooden one with some exciting drops and turns.
Songs like “Track Name’s,” “Fairness” and “Thin Soup” are easy going, slow moving and have a great sense of peacefulness. The immediate emotion isn’t sadness – it’s only until listeners dive into the lyrics of the track do they then understand the direction and purpose of the song. I suppose that is true to most songs in this genre but they’ve found a well working formula and they stick to it, creating an engaging album when combined with the following contrary tracks.
We find more energetic and multilayered tracks like “When Willem’s Wife Was Wet” that add some flavor to the album. “Willem’s Wife” has the most depth and direction in the collection and it’s something this group should definitely try to reproduce in coming works. Instrumentation is crisper and clearer, movements are well defined – it’s much needed separation as well as mood booster from the other, lower energy tracks.
“Faces” is worth dissecting as well. Some might say it’s lacking in direction but its just omnidirectional. It’s ominous, then jovial, hopeful and open – it’s just interesting. It’s not necessarily catchy but is definitely fun to listen to. The chord progressions are bizarre and just blend into each other enough to create a unique atmosphere.
Things get more interesting as we’re introduced to a western, backwoods feel in “Traveling Standing Still.” Complex guitar work, odd time signatures and a super cathy bridge/ chorus create another fantastic space with loads of potential and direction, although the song drops off without any sort of climax. Still one of the coolest works on the album.
The remainder of the tracks reflect their style at the beginning of the album which is a bit of a let down to be honest. The prior three tracks were highly engaging, unique and just plain fun to listen to. It would be music to our ears if we could hear these guys come back with another album following the abstract sounds found in “Standing Still”, “Faces” and “Willems Wife”. Die hard indie/ folk lovers will enjoy this collection for sure. Give it a once over and you’ll find a several things to enjoy.
Key Tracks: When Willem’s Wife Was Wet, Faces, Traveling Standing Still
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 Earth is 4.5 billion years old, yet you are lucky enough to be around for another John Medeski side project. The mastermind of recruiting untouchable supergroups such as Hudson, The Word and Spectrum Road is here to release the newest roster with Mad Skillet. Their fresh, self-titled album features the otherworldly jazz organist along with his New York native buddy, Will Bernard–an insanely adaptable guitarist that works as a sonic chameleon in the studio.
Medeski also picked up a pair from the world-renowned Dirty Dozen Brass Band in Kirk Johnson on sousaphone and drummer Terence Higgins–both Louisiana natives and both highly capable of gritty improvisation. The album was recorded on the hallowed ground of a 1930’s wood-framed church across the mighty Mississippi from downtown New Orleans and the Crescent City influence is hammered home throughout the 9-track eclectic spread.
Opening John Medeski’s Mad Skillet, “Man About Town” is a great introduction to what this quartet brings to the table. Swirling organ work, bluesy guitar, thick slabs of sousaphone bass and well-executed drumming are poised to take the soulful song in a new direction when performed live. The second track is a Medeski tune called “Invincible Bubble” not to be confused with “Uninvisible” which is the title track from 2002’s Medeski, Martin and Wood album.“Invincible Bubble” is the sound you would expect if the New Orleans-based Popeye’s chicken chain needed an updated theme song for a commercial (and who doesn’t love that chicken from Popeye’s). Each of the four members gets their time to punch in with Higgins driving the train on percussion, Bernard executing a dirty jazz guitar, Medeski nailing a plethora of keyboards, and Johnson bringing a swampy sousaphone reminiscent of an alligator rising up from the murky water.
Mad Skillet pays tribute to Sun Ra with the fourth track, “Golden Lady.” Sun Ra’s “The Lady with the Golden Stockings” can be found on the 1966 album The Nubians of Plutonia, which featured songs recorded from late 50’s Chicago sessions. Nearly 60 years later, Mad Skillet tightened up Sunny’s loose jazzy sound with their own unique modifications in the studio. The thrilling, Sean Connery approved track would serve as the perfect theme song for an early James Bond flick. Medeski makes his moves with the Mellotron, Bernard vibrates on a wave of surf rhythm guitar and Johnson provides an elusive bassline.
“Piri Piri” is the poppy street jazz you may find walking around during the heart of Mardi Gras. Medeski’s up-tempo piano keeps a light and swanky vibe throughout while Bernard shows off his nasty versatility by way of melodic guitar. Higgins gets his moment to shine behind the kit and is heard proclaiming, “Nailed that shit! Y’all some bad motherfuckers” at the very end of the ditty. Track 6, “Psychedelic Rhino” was one of two improvised studio sessions along with “Tuna in a Can” to make the Mad Skillet cut and also serves as the longest song on the record. A prime example of their diverse talents, “Psychadelic Rhino” takes a 180-degree turn from the rest of the album and can be attributed to the wild live approach of The Doors, the trippy Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters studio sessions, and a rhinoceros with a head full of acid running around Guitar World. This one opens many doors and ensures that things have the potential of getting pretty weird on the upcoming Mad Skillet tour.
Speaking of the tour, Mad Skillet will hit Buffalo, Cohoes, and Brooklyn during their visit to the Empire State. A full list of tour dates can be found here.
Key Tracks: Invincible Bubble, Golden Lady, Little Miss Piggy
Twiddle frontman Mihali recently released politically charged single “Fading State” for his upcoming album. The album is yet to be titled and fans are eagerly anticipating a release date. The new single features vocals from Nahko (Nahko and Medicine for the People) and Trevor Hall who support Mihali in this advocacy-driven single. Produced by Johnny Cosmic of Stick Figure, Mihali’s reggae single focuses on protecting the environment and putting aside political agendas for the greater good.
The issue is continuously met with opposition motivated by greed. It’s up to all of us as individuals to do what we can…to do our part to make a positive change in the world. With our current political climate, I think now is the perfect time for this single to be released.
Mihali refers to “Fading State” as the spark that influenced most of his newest musical creations. While the debut album is yet to be announced, glimpses of the anticipated album will show up throughout the course of Mihali’s solo December tour of the Northeast. There are four New York shows lined up in the rapid fire schedule below.
Mihali Tour Schedule:
Dec. 5 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
Dec. 6 – Spcae Ballroom – Hamden, CT Dec. 7 – Putnam Place – Saratoga Springs, NY Dec. 8 – Funk ‘n Waffles – Syracuse, NY
Dec. 9 – Portland House of Music – Portland, ME
Dec. 11 – Wonder Bar – Asbury Park, NJ
Dec. 12 – 8 x 10 – Baltimore, MD Dec. 13 – BSP-3 – Kingston, NY
Dec. 14 – Jewel – Manchester, NH
Dec. 15 – Gateway City Arts – Holyoke, MA
Watch Mihali’s “Fading State” music video down below and get a feel for what to expect on his premier solo album.
Editor’s Note: This article was edited to correct the title of the song.
With 7 Hulaween sets and 4 in Philadelphia under their belt in the week prior, fans were unsure how the boys would be feeling coming into the weekend. Starting the first set off with the southern rock hit “On The Road,” they quickly dove into an incredible jam-filled “Sometimes a River.” Michael Kang belted on an 11-minute “Come As You Are” straight into an epic cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman.” From Stevie, the boys continued this long string of non-stop jams to their salsa-inspired “Latinnismo,” last played in July of 2007 at Horning’s Hideout. They were really pulling out all the stops.
The second set continued the high energy of the first with just six songs. There are almost no words to describe how heavy and jam-filled these were, as there were very few words to be heard from the band. After a long “You’ve Got The World” to start, they began what would be close to 75 minutes of non-stop music. Cheese slowed down only slightly for one of Bill Nershi‘s bluegrass classics, “Windy Mountain,” and the set ending with a 20-minute, extremely heavy “Howard.”
Saturday, Night Two
There didn’t seem to be any way that String Cheese could match their intensity from night one. Everyone was sure they would have a very bluegrass-heavy night, which would still have been amazing, but they were wrong… very wrong. The first song was a powerful “Let’s Go Outside,” into The Who’s “Eminence Front,” then back into LGO. They began a long string of classic fan favorites with “Little Hands,” covering Bob Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” and ending the first set with yet another full fired rendition in “Rosie”.
There is a lot of disagreement among Cheese fans about what they’re best at. Many love them for their roots as bluegrass greats, while others can’t seem to get enough of their heavier, more electronic bangers. The final set of the Halloween tour was one that everyone could enjoy. It was almost comical when the band went from one of their heaviest songs “Rivertrance” into “Pretty Polly” and back into Rivertrance. What makes this so incredible is Polly has long been sought after by the bluegrass-friendly fans, as it had not been played since October of 2013. After the set was finished with an eardrum-bursting “Beautiful,” you could tell the band was in high spirits. With incredible jovial energy, they ended their Halloween run with one of their all-time greats, “Colorado Bluebird Sky.”
Fans old and new agree that these will go down as two of the best nights of Cheese in history, as would quite a few from this run, and a few more this year. The String Cheese Incident is one of the few bands that just continue to get better after 20 years together. They return to Colorado this New Year’s Eve to Broomfield. They also have their Jamaican Incident in January. They have yet to release any other information for 2019, but rest assured, each show and every set will be very Gouda, whether aged or smoked.
Take the attitude of Dr. Dog, the horn line spice of 
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 
