NYS Music 20​18

Tag: Marco Benevento

  • Warren Haynes Celebrates 30 Years of Christmas Jam

    Boasting an impressive 30 year run, the preparations for Warren Haynes’ Annual Christmas Jam are  underway. The popular, two-night benefit will take place on Dec. 7 and 8 in Asheville, NC at the U.S. Cellular Center. Tickets for presale were released on Oct. 19, along with a limited number of discounted two-day passes and VIP packages. Regular ticket packages go on sale at 10 a.m. on October 26th.

    Grammy Award-winning vocalist-songwriter, prolific producer, and notorious guitarist, Warren Haynes has more than upheld his reputation by continuing to curate performances that draw crowds year after year. Haynes spoke on the event’s transformation over the years stating,

    I can’t believe that it has been 30 years since myself and a few friends held a small event in a local club so we could all play together around the holidays and donate a small amount of money to charity… It’s gone from being a local event to an international one and we couldn’t have done it without the help of all the great artists, bands, and musicians that have donated their time through the years… This is truly going to be the biggest and best Christmas Jam yet.

    This year’s line-up, in alphabetical order, for Dec. 7 is as follows: Dark Side of the Mule, Grace Potter, Jamey Johnson, Marco Benvento, and Mike Gordon of Phish. Dec. 8, also in alphabetical order, includes: Dave Grohl and friends play “PLAY”, Eric Church, Gov’t Mule, Jim James, and Joe Bonamassa. While local and international music fans can expect stellar performances both evenings, the entertainment doesn’t stop there. There’s no need to wait around till dusk; attendees can treat themselves to “Xmas Jam By Day” concerts and events. Also note that there are still other artists to be announced as the Christmas Jam draws nearer so be on the lookout for further announcements.

    The 2018 Christmas Jam marks 30 years of great music, but it also commemorates 20 years of Warren Haynes collecting donations specifically for the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. Haynes’ investment in his community and long-term commitment to this cause has resulted in the Christmas Jam collectively raising roughly 2.3 million dollars for Habitat for Humanity. For concert goers looking to be more directly involved in the charity, there is another day event which coincides with the concert. “Before the Jam, Lend a Hand” brings together the musical artists, event staff, and attendees to help construct those homes which are only possible due to concert proceeds.

    The link below is a video of Warren Haynes performing “Melissa” with Warren Haynes with Jake Shimabukuro at last year’s 29th Christmas Jam.

  • Brooklyn Comes Alive: ‘My Life Before, Then Forever After’ with Karina Rykman

    Multi-instrumentalist Marco Benevento entrusted his iconic top hat upon Karina Rykman, a fill-in bassist in her early 20’s, at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Rykman’s mouth agape, Marco’s stare tracked dead in her eyes, sealed shut in the moment. She was in disbelief, but this three-day stint would soon end. It didn’t.

    Benevento, in addition to Ween bassist Dave Dreiwitz, played instrumental roles in shaping Rykman-on-the-rise. She dove head first into a towering repertoire of Benevento tunes,  learning them backwards and forwards, day-in and day-out, Rykman recalls.

    “That first run with Marco was one of the most spectacular moments of my life. I thought that was my last show with them ever,” said Rykman, increasing with excitement. “It was the best time, then scaling the walls (of the Music Hall Of Williamsburg green room post set) throwing ice, tequila and limes.” The room was packed with Karina’s friends, family and teachers. Karina was home.

    “Marco is committed to the vibe and always goes the extra mile,” said Rykman, as she reminisced about the pop-up record player and miles of christmas lights that decorate their oasis backstage. Night after night, the ‘Green Room Road Case’ lives on as Karina’s enthusiasm parallels her sheer musical talent.

    The New York Native has a pure starvation and aestheticism for all things music. It predates her Benevento/Dreiwitz days. It is infectious, inspiring all those around her. In eighth grade, two years after quitting piano lessons, a friend placed a guitar in her lap and taught her The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.”

    “I remember my life before [that moment], then, forever after,” said Rykman. “I was fixated on playing all the time. That was my vibe.”

    Two years after joining Benevento’s band full time, Rykman comes full circle, hosting the second set of The Jam Room at Brooklyn Comes Alive on Saturday, September 29 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Rykman will play host, alongside Turkuaz guitarist Craig Brodhead, to an undisclosed list of phenomenal musicians and guests. The set will start at 1:45 am, merely 15-minutes after Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and The Meters’ bassist George Porter Jr. ends the first installment of this unique collaboration.

    The Jam will consist of 100-percent improvised music. “How do you prepare for that?,” asked Rykman. “Simply put, you don’t.” Take all the music you’ve learned, scales you’ve studied or harmonies you’ve practiced and “throw them all out the window! It is a crazy exercise of staying focused and in the moment,” added Rykman.

    “I’ve played with people 20-plus years older than me; musicians who have committed themselves longer than I have been alive. It’s really humbling. I’m always absorbing because they have been there. I am just delighted to be accepted.” 

    The female bassist will also be playing with her new project, The Karina Rykman Experiment, at BCA at Rough Trade from 5 to 6 pm. Rykman’s Trio consist of NYU friends, Chris Corsico on drums and Adam November on guitar. “The guys in my band are slaying. Crushing it onstage and off. November is a loop-master and creates a whole world of soundscapes, so there is a lot going on.”

    Three is the magic number. Karina first performed in a trio with Benevento and has taken matters into her own hands. “Harmonically it’s just me and Marco, which makes me deeply, deeply focused on what he is doing. I play a lot of lead and fuzz bass too, which almost acts like a guitar sonically.” Expect no less when The Karina Rykman Experiment takes the stage.

    New Yorkers, beware. Rykman deems Brooklyn Comes Alive “not for the weak of heart.” Whether she is serving as a proving ground with her own ensemble, backing Marco in pure bliss, or sneaking off to see as much new music as she can, BCA will be another one for the books.

    “There’s this scene where people come out to see great improvisers improvise. It’s not for everyone, but there is something to be said to observe those who have toured their asses off and have played music for so many years.” Especially, in the Jam Room. “A collaboration brews with people that don’t perform together often, or ever!,” explains Karina. “To see someone who has put in their 10,000 hours create on the spot, is something to behold.”

    Nobody knows what to expect. As the Jam Room takes flight, the motion will be from “recreational to medical, if you know what I’m saying,” said Rykman [laughs].

    karina rykmanInspired by the vibrant musical communities of Brooklyn and New Orleans, the event brings together more than 50 artists, allowing them to carry out passion projects, play with their musical heroes and collaborate in never-before-seen formations. Each attendee will receive a wristband that grants access to every venue and makes hopping from set to set a breeze, recreating and paying homage to the atmosphere of Jazz Fest by night, which initially inspired the festival’s concept.

    Past editions of Brooklyn Comes Alive have seen unforgettable cross-collaborations amongst legends and favorites like George Porter Jr., John Scofield, Johnny Vidacovich, John Medeski, Bernard Purdie, Henry Butler, Oteil Burbridge, Cyril Neville, Eric Krasno, Jon Cleary, Joe Russo, Skerik, and Marco Benevento, plus members of Umphrey’s McGee, moe., The Disco Biscuits, The String Cheese Incident, Trey Anastasio Band, Lotus, Snarky Puppy, Lettuce, Soulive, The Motet, The New Mastersounds, Break Science and more. Tributes to Herbie Hancock, Earth Wind & Fire, The Allman Brothers, Jamiroquai, and Green Day comprise just a few of the many highlights over the last three years.

  • The Big Mean BBQ expands to two days

    Big Mean Sound Machine is throwing their fourth annual music festival in Trumansburg. This year, they’re making The Big Mean BBQ a weekend-long event spanning Friday Aug. 24 and Saturday Aug. 25. Tasty musical morsels on the lineup include Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Driftwood, Black Castle (Elliot Martin of John Brown’s Body), Danielle Ponder, The Blind Spots’ Prince Tribute, Marco Benevento, Kat Wright, Blind Owl Band, Tenzin Chopak, Viva Mayhem, Rose & the Bros, Grey Gary and Honey Cave. Big Mean Sound Machine will jam with their friends on Friday night, and play a full set on Saturday. DJ Gourd will host a dance party both nights.

    In addition, they will host their first ever Big Mean Music Camp. Members of Big Mean Sound Machine are scheduled to be on hand for interactive workshops with festival-goers on Saturday morning.

    Listen to The Big Mean BBQ IV playlist, and see the schedules below. Tickets are available for each day or the entire weekend.

  • Big Mean Sound Machine Announces Summer Tour

    Central New York funky big band, Big Mean Sound Machine announced summer tour dates through June and July throughout New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The stretch of shows leads up to the fourth annual Big Mean BBQ festival in August.

    big mean summer

    The festival is set to take place in Trumansburg, just outside Ithaca. Curated by Big Mean the festival has extended to a two-day weekend, featuring over 22 bands and two headlining performances by the band themselves.

    Weekend camping and RV passes are on sale now, to purchase passes head to the festival’s website. It l kicks off on Saturday Aug. 24 and features bands Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad, Driftwood, the Blind Owl Band, Marco Benevento and Kat Wright. For the full list of participating acts and ticket information, visit the festival website.

  • Joe Russo’s Almost Dead jam for sold out crowd at The Palace Theatre

    Joe Russo’s Almost Dead continued their sold out northeast run at the historic Palace Theatre in Albany on Friday, March 1, 2019. Many fans traveled to the city from Syracuse after their nonstop Thursday show at the Landmark, and fought through the wind chill to get into the theater, ready to hear some Grateful Dead tunes.

    Joe Russo's Almost Dead Palace

    JRAD kicked the night off with an energetic version of the classic tune “Feel Like a Stranger,” setting the mood for the first set. Tom Hamilton took the helm of the song’s jam with a killer solo, and used the ending lick of “Stranger” to help transition into “Help on the Way”, which was met by a roar of cheers from the crowd. There was a notably good jam into the last chorus of “Help” before the band segued into “Slipknot!.” “Slipknot!” started off normally with the arpeggio section that fans are familiar with, but after one go around, Marco Benevento made good use of his grand piano and took a lengthy solo, using that same arpeggio section as a home base in between improvisations. The band jumped back into the song with a strange chromatic jam that turned into one more repetition of the arpeggios, until they segued into “The Wheel.”

    After a very emotional peak at the end of “Slipknot!,” “The Wheel”’s upbeat sound had the crowd dancing like there was no tomorrow. The song featured multiple “Bathtub Gin” teases and a jam on the Phish classic, the first of many teases of songs by the jam powerhouse. The band brought the song into a very high energy peak and one last chorus before Hamilton and Metzger led them into “Uncle John’s Band.” The whole theater sang along with the fan-favorite Dead song, and Hamilton took another ripping solo. The jam was disco-esque, and made way into an acapella chorus supported by the crowd keeping the beat with clapping.

    The group quickly transitioned from “Uncle John’s Band” into “Truckin’,” playing it more quickly than normal. Scott Metzger and Joe Russo really shined during this “Truckin’,” but you could tell that the whole band was having fun with each other as they steamed through the song. Finishing up the last verses and choruses, the band segued into a version of “Music Never Stopped Reprise” that featured a “Born Crosseyed” jam. This first set was filled lots of classic Dead songs and energetic playing, and it left the crowd excited for set 2.

    To start off the second set, the band went into an improv jam before breaking into the Jerry Garcia Band’s classic “Reubin & Cherise.” “Rubin” was met with plenty of cheers from the audience and provided a very upbeat start to the set, as well as another Phish tease of “The Divided Sky.” The band worked their way into “Viola Lee Blues,” the highlight jam of the night, using the energy built up during the end of “Reubin & Cherise” to kick the song into high gear. “Viola Lee” featured a jam on Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” that sent the energy in the theater through the roof, before transitioning back into “Viola Lee Blues Reprise” that included a jam on “Foam” by Phish towards the end. The group segued into “Jack Straw” which began with a jam over a jungle-like rhythm that Russo was throwing down. “Jack Straw” featured a psychedelic jam that included a section where the whole band was harmonizing over a lick Tom Hamilton was playing, and every time he played the lick, each member would change the harmony they were playing.

    Following a very powerful “Jack Straw”, the band broke into “So Many Roads,” one of the later Hunter/Garcia collaborations, which was a nice cool down after the intensity of “Rubin & Cherise > Viola Lee Blues > Jack Straw.” Marco Benevento took another beautiful grand piano solo that made Joe Russo whip his head around, and gracefully passed the torch to Hamilton who soloed his way into one last verse and chorus. The group broke into “Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad” which brought the energy back up following the somber “So Many Roads.” Scott Metzger took a fantastic solo over a bluegrassy section before Benevento squeezed in one last solo, during which the entire band was laughing and playing around with each other. The set closed out with an instrumental version of “We Bid You Goodnight” that was quite beautiful.

    The group encored with “Magnificent Sanctuary Band” off of Jerry Garcia’s Cats Under the Stars album, which set a nice, whimsical feel for the end of the show. The whole crowd was getting down and grooving as Hamilton serenaded the theater, and the band was having a ton of fun taking turns soloing at the end of the song. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead first sold out Palace Theatre show was a giant dance party and featured fantastic jams such as “Viola Lee Blues.”

    Recording via Brian Goldstein, Setlist via Peter Costello

    Set One: Feel Like A Stranger >Help On The Way -> Slipknot! @ -> The Wheel # -> Uncle John’s Band $ -> Truckin’ % -> Music Never Stopped Reprise -> Born Cross-eyed Jam

    Set Two: Jam -> Ruben & Cerise ^ -> Viola Lee Blues -> 9 to 5 Jam -> Viola Lee Blues Reprise + -> Jam & -> Jack Straw * -> So Many Roads -> Going Down The Road Feeling Bad -> We Bid You Goodnight (Instrumental)

    Encore: Magnificent Sanctuary Band

    @ – With an MB Solo
    # – With “Bathtub Gin” (Phish) Teases & Jams
    $ – With a “Poison” (Bell Biv DeVoe) Tease (JR) & a “Mama, I’m Coming Home” (Ozzy Osbourne) Tease (TH)
    % – With a “Chalkdust Torture” (Phish) Tease (TH)
    ^ – With a “Divided Sky” (Phish) Tease (TH), a “Let My Love Open the Door” (Pete Townshend) Tease (TH) and a “Paradise City” (Guns N Roses) Tease (Band)
    + – With a Unknown Tease (SM) & a “Cavern” (Phish) Tease (JR)
    & – With “Foam” (Phish) Teases & Jams
    * – With a “Llama” (Phish) Tease (JR),  Ruben & Cerise Teases & GDTRFB Teases (TH)

  • Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Played Host to a Marathon Party at Syracuse’s Landmark Theatre

    It was a busy Thursday night in Armory Square in Syracuse. The bars and restaurants were filled with revelers, with the overabundant party spilling out into the streets. Did their beloved Orange just win a big game? Not quite. Today’s premiere Grateful Dead cover band, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD), was making it’s upstate New York debut at the nearby Landmark Theatre. As the clock struck 8, the streets, bars and restaurants all quickly emptied and quiet returned. For a few hours at least. The party continued, and ramped up into full swing, inside the confines of the historic theater.

    For many it was their first taste of this revelatory refreshing of the catalog left by one of the all-time great American rock bands. Though many others had caught them elsewhere, as this is a band worth traveling for, cover band or no.

    As is usually the case, the band, Joe Russo on drums, Marco Benevento on keys, and for this night on the theater’s baby grand, Tom Hamilton and Scott Metzger on guitars, and Dave Dreiwitz on bass, began the night with a warmup jam. It started quietly, loosely based around Tom Petty’s “Breakdown”, before slowly building in volume and complexity and exploding into “Mississippi Half-Step.” A couple lengthy jams eventually dissolved into a groovy space reminiscent of Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” which wound wonderfully into “Estimated Prophet.”

    The Dead’s catalog served as a template, a coloring book for the band to fill in with their own color. But, in the true spirit of the music, they had a liberal and creative way with the colors and styles with which they fill the spaces, frequently and almost by rule coloring outside of the lines. Common traditions are bucked, new ones written. The songs sound like the ones you know and love, but the band quickly jumps ship and bring it to a nebulous no man’s land.

    “Estimated” broke into a weird and wild freeform space where disparate pieces of “China Cat Sunflower” emerged. Like a puzzle, the different pieces fit together and like that the crowd found itself shaking to a new groove. The band could break the songs down into parts, shake them up, all the while mixing in new on-the-spot improvisations along with parts from other songs. Bits and pieces of other songs, some Dead many otherwise, were thrown into the mixer and given a few more good shakes. It made for a dizzying and disorienting musical experience that left listeners blissfully lost in the haze. Depending on how keen one’s ears were they may have heard Herbie Hancock’s “Fat Mama,” “Farmer in the Dell,” Radiohead’s “Airbag,” Harry Belafonte’s “Banana Boat Song,” the Drifters’ “On Broadway” along with the Dead’s “Iko Iko,” “St. Stephen,” “Let It Grow,” and many others jumbled into the pot at various points in the evening.

    The traditional “China > Rider” combination was expectedly untraditional as they stuffed it with “Good Lovin’” and “Cats Under the Stars.” As “I Know You Rider” came to a finish, the band had been playing for 90 minutes straight with nary a second of silence. The first set was all but assumed to be over. Though, Russo, after introducing the band, indicated that because of a strict 11pm curfew they were also going to buck the traditional set break. Benevento jokingly laid atop the piano, almost posing for a painting, though it was the band who needed to get back to their painting. Russo announced “Set Two,” and the band immediately kicked off “Row Jimmy.”

    Without the break available to reorient themselves, the crowd dizzily jumped back into the mix while the band continued their long explorations for another non-stop hour. By the time it was all through, “Saint of Circumstance” was taken the distance and the usual “Scarlet > Fire” was once again untraditionally broken up with Bob Dylan’s “Sylvio.” The band wasn’t above the traditional encore, and a relatively quick “Promised Land” ended the indoor party at the Landmark, 3 hours and thirteen songs later. The quiet streets outside were once again bustling with the giddy energy of the crowd, and so the party continued…

    Setlist:
    Jam> Mississippi Halfstep> Estimated Prophet> China Cat Sunflower> Good Lovin> Cats Under The Stars> I Know You Rider, Row Jimmy> Lost Sailor> Saint Of Circumstance> Scarlet Begonias> Silvio> Fire On The Mountain

    E: Promised Land

  • Behind the Gear: Karina Rykman

    Karina Rykman is the bassist of Marco Benevento’s solo band. Karina brings her beefy bass tones and funky grooves to Marco’s upbeat music. Her enthusiastic presence onstage is sure to infect any crowd with enough energy to dance for hours. Check out Karina’s playing at this Brooklyn Bowl show from February 2017, footage courtesy of LazyLightning55a.

    Bass

    1978 Fender Precision Bass (w/ a single coil in the bridge position)

    karina rykman

    Amp/Cabinet

    MarkBass Big Bang into a Fender 1×15 cabinet

    karina rykman

    Pedalboard

    Signal Chain- Korg Pitch Black Tuner > 3Leaf Octabvre > MXR Phase 90 > Akai Deep Impact > ProCo RAT > Eventide H9 > JAM Pedals Delay Llama +

    Behind the Gear: What drew you to using a P Bass as opposed to a J Bass or something with active pick ups? Do you plan on changing your axe anytime soon?

    Karina: I love my P Bass – it’s a 1978, and I picked it out with Dave Dreiwitz so it feels like it has extra good vibes in it! It does have a J pickup in it, so if I want that brighter sound – which I must admit, I never really do – I always have that option. It’s the most reliable bass I’ve ever owned, and it’s incredibly versatile. I used to play a Rickenbacker which was GREAT for straight rock, but didn’t have enough low end for when I wanted to drop the proverbial bomb, or get it real funky. It also has a hipshot, so switching from drop D back to standard is super easy. I have a guy talking to me about building a custom bass…and honestly I’m going to completely model it after this one. I’d just try to make it slightly shorter scale, and lighter. The P Bass is heavy as all hell and basically breaks my back nightly. Wouldn’t have it any other way, though!

    karina rykmanBTG: How do you feel having the many options of pedals like your Eventide H9 and Akai Deep Impact has allowed you to expand sonically live? What are some of your favorite sounds from those pedals?

    KR: The kind folks at Eventide gave me that H9, and I’ve been having way too much fun with it. My favorite preset is called “Mosquitos”…shit gets real weird real quick. That pedal is like a goddamn computer – it does EVERYTHING, and then there’s an app for it, where you can fine tune every preset. It’s a little much, but it’s so ridiculously fun to scroll through. The Deep Impact is the finest synth pedal of all time. So many others just sound out of place when you try to integrate them into a band setting, but the Deep Impact somehow seemingly just blends right in there. I love setting #6. I once did a gig where I basically played on 6 for like 20 minutes – felt great. To me at least!

    BTG: I’ve read in other interviews that your ProCo RAT is a pedal you couldn’t live without; could you speak about why you love the RAT so much?

    KR: The RAT pedal is my choice distortion for when I take my fuzz solos in Marco’s band. It’s not traditionally used with a bass, but I just love the dirty growl of it. It definitely cuts a bit of the low end, which makes me turn it up louder than I probably should. But I love it! I love imperfect shit like that. It’s super brown. I carry around a spare RAT with me everywhere, just in case one malfunctions. In the Marco set, it’s truly the one pedal I couldn’t do without. The rest are all gravy.

    BTG: What are some of your favorite pedal combinations to play with live?

    KR: I love the RAT with the Delay Llama by ToneConcepts and the Phase 90 turned up all the way. That’s tried and true combo for me. If I need a little more low end juice, the Octabvre and the Deep Impact come out together, often with the RAT as well. That’s when things go from recreational to medical, if you know what I’m saying.

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