NYS Music 20​18

Tag: Portland

  • The Disco Biscuits Brought the Heat in Chilly Portland, Maine

    The Disco Biscuits rolled through Portland, Maine on Friday for the first show of their two- night run at the State Theater, a hidden gem of a venue hiding in the streets of the Port City. Fans of the Biscuits toughed some wintery weather left over from Thursday night’s Nor’easter to get to the show, but the State’s cozy vibe quickly got everyone in the mood for some live music.

    New England-based band Strange Machines kicked off the night with one of their newer songs “Wook in a Onesie” and continued grooving out with some of their funkier songs during the set. They employed their patience while jamming and really built up the energy for an impressive opening set, which ended with the fan favorite “Klepto.”

    Disco Biscuits PortlandThe Disco Biscuits came out swinging, throwing down in Portland with a 65-minute M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > Voices Insane > Spaga > Pygmy Twylyte > Spaga, with M.E.M.P.H.I.S. and the first section of Spaga being the highlights of the opening segment. “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.” got the crowd warmed up quickly as the band blew through the chorus and got straight into some weird, deep space jamming that featured Magner heavily using some of the weirder sides of his many synthesizers. Barber made a switch from his Gibson ES-135 to his Parker Fly, and the band started picking up the pace of the jam, lifting it into a sort of mini-peak before they started building on a theme that Barber was creating. After a bit more spacious jamming, they brought the jam into “Voices Insane”,  while still maintaining the groove from the “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.” jam going rather than playing the normal tempo of the song.

    “Voices Insane” was a pretty standard version, and after a killer solo from Barber, the band transitioned into “Spaga,” starting off with a piano solo from Magner. “Spaga” transported the whole crowd into a medieval wonderland with its lyrics and jazzy instrumental sections, and the band quickly dove into a dark jam. Brownie and Allen kept the groove tight, and Barber created another motif that the band followed into the first big peak of the night, which transitioned back into the fantasy sound that “Spaga” introduced. After another verse, the band segued into their fan-favorite cover of Frank Zappa’s “Pygmy Twylyte” which was met by an eruption of cheers from everyone in the theater. The whole crowd sang along and grooved out until the jam started to get spacey. Magner took an extended synth solo and led everyone back into “Spaga” which peaked yet again after all the energy they built up in “Pygmy”. They ended the segment with one last high energy chorus of “Spaga” and then played “Wet” to close out the set, which featured a tight mini bass and drum jam from Brownie & Allen, and ended with another great solo from Barber.

    The second set featured two inverted songs, and was a nonstop 102-minute segment of “Story of the World > 42 (inverted) > Lunar Pursuit > Naeba (inverted) > Tricycle > Story of the World.” The upbeat “Story of the World” kicked the set off, with the jam starting off with one of the funkier sections of the night, initiated by Magner getting into some Clav playing. The jam was driven heavily by the duo of Brownie and Allen and was transformed into a dark trance jam once Allen started using his electronic drum pad to create the beat. You could tell that the band was feeling it, as they teased the audience with what seemed like it was the peak before dropping back into the jam, only to actually bring it to a peak minutes later. They used the high energy from the SOTW peak to transition into the end of “42”, signaling that the song was inverted, which was met with another eruption of cheers from the crowd. Brownstein took the lead on vocals for the first time of the night and worked through the many verses and choruses of the song before getting back into the jam that started the song off.

    Disco Biscuits PortlandAfter grooving along for a bit, Magner played a siren sound that brought the segment into “Lunar Pursuit” which brought with it the first instances of Allen triggering laser beam noises from his drum pad. After a quick peak and a spacey reggae section, they moved into an inverted version of “Naeba” > “Tricycle.” “Naeba” was a nice laid back break from the intensity of “42 ” > “Lunar Pursuit,” and after they’d played through to the beginning of “Naeba”, which was an almost heavenly arpeggiated guitar progression from Barber, they transitioned into the dance party that is “Tricycle.” They kept “Tricycle” nice and spacey while Allen kept the electronic dance beat going. The band built the energy up for one last big peak before segueing back into the set opener “Story of the World” for another verse and chorus to close the set out.

    They encored with “On Time,” which sounded like it could be the theme to an 80’s action film. The whole band was having fun being the head of the dance party, especially Magner, who was going off with a vocoder effect from one of his synths. They did one more little spacey jam before Brownie brought the whole band into the last chorus and ended the song.

    As a first Disco Biscuits experience, this show was incredible. The audience was feeling it, and you could tell that the band was locked in with each other during some of the bigger jams like “Spaga” and “Story of the World.”

    The Disco Biscuits, State Theatre, Portland, Maine – March 9, 2018

    Set 1: M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > Voices Insane > Spaga > Pygmy Twylyte > Spaga, Wet
    Set 2: Story of the World > 42 (inverted) > Lunar Pursuit > Naeba (inverted) > Tricycle > Story of the World
    Encore: On Time

  • moe. Continues Tour in Portland for Rob Derhak at Hometown Show

    On February 16 and 17, moe returned to bassist Rob Derhak in his hometown of Portland, Maine for a blistering double-header. After selling out the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester two weeks prior, moe. fans were treated to two nights of music at the gorgeous State Theatre, with fan favorites, reworked songs, well-executed covers and some deep, exploratory jams.

    moe. opened with the aptly-chosen “Bring it Back Home,” which transitioned smoothly into the intense drum intro to “Water,” featuring teases of both “meat.” and “The Pit.” Both drummer Vinnie Amico and percussionist Jim Loughlin were seemingly possessed by some ferocious energy during both shows, adding all kinds of fills and teases to familiar songs, while inventing new patterns and improvisations. After “Water,” the band immediately dropped into “Bullet,” with guitarist Chuck Garvey belting out the lyrics, before the premier of his new song “Who You Calling Scared?” They then invited a friend of the band’s, Bill Waldron to the stage to play pedal-steel on a highly-charged rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers.” Waldron had recently lent the use of his practice space for moe. to prepare for the Capitol Theatre run. The latin-inspired instrumental “Mar De-Ma” followed, with the newly reworked “Lazarus” in tow. They then closed the first set with a soaring version of “The Road” before taking a short break.

    Set 2 began with a one-two punch: “Big World,” which dropped into the funky and danceable “Ricky Marten.” The two are often paired, but following them with “Time Ed” was a rare treat for the moe. fans in attendance. “Time Ed” slowly and patiently built towards its intense climax, and then no huddled into “Puebla.” They followed this with one of the best versions of “Four” ever played, featuring an extended bass jam in the middle that featured strong teases of “In a Gadda da Vida” and a much subtler, blink and you’ll miss it “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” tease. “Four” clocked in at a staggering 30 minutes long and featured an incredible, progressive segueway into the punky intro to “head,” which served as the set closer. After a short encore break, the boys returned to the stage for their rendition of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla,” which featured an exploratory jam and some vocal shenanigans from Rob. Hardcore moe.rons would recognize the references to the raunchy moe. rarity “Tijuana Donkey Show” that were inserted into the “Godzilla” vocal jam.  Listen to the show here.

    Saturday night, an even bigger crowd made its way to the State for the second performance, which somehow managed to top the already phenomenal first night. They took the stage, and Rob wasted no time dropping into the bassline of “Billy Goat,” a song he penned for his late father. After a well-performed “Billy Goat,” they transitioned into Jim’s new song “Don’t Wanna Be,” that might be on the next album and features his gruff vocals and dark, pensive lyrics. The transition featured heavy “Tailspin” teases and was followed with the technical “Crab Eyes” and then “ATL,” which debuted in 2012 at Summer Camp, only to be shelved for several years before finally being resuscitated last year. “ATL” was followed by the first repeat of the tour, Rob’s new song “LL3,” which describes his harrowing victory against cancer. They transitioned into “Bearsong,” which went into a long, spacey, ambient jam reminiscent of 2001-era moe. Jim led them into “Tubing the River Styx,” the intro to the Satanic “The Pit,” and then back into “Bearsong,” to complete the sandwich. It is most certainly worthy to note that Rob was in a bear costume for the second half of “Bearsong.”

    Set 2 began with Rob’s relatively new jam vehicle, “Prestige Worldwide,” which debuted at the holiday show in 2016, followed by the erratic and playful fan favorite, “Seat of my Pants,” and the hyperactive “Sensory Deprivation Bank.” This was followed by the second repeat of the tour, Chuck’s immaculately composed “New Hope for the New Year,” an intricate tune with tons of potential for future improvisation. This and “LL3” were both played for the first time in Port Chester, at their first performances since the end of their hiatus. After, they dove into an uplifting “Bring You Down,” which featured one of the most patient, smooth, and entrancing segueways of the weekend, into “Kyle’s Song,” which flowed into its sister song “Kids” to close the second set. moe. then encored with the sing-a-long “Spine of a Dog” before bidding the crowd farewell. Both nights featured heavy improv from the rhythm section and alterations on classics, as well as deep psychedelic jams and segues that left the crowd guessing. moe. is back, and they are hungry. Listen to night 2 here.

    Friday, Feb. 16

    Set 1: Bring it Back Home > Water (nh)> Bullet, Who You Calling Scared? (FTP), Dead Flowers, Mar De-Ma (nh)> Lazazarus, The Road

    Set 2: Big World > Ricky Marten > Time Ed (nh)> Puebla, Four > head.

    Encore: Godzilla

    Saturday, Feb. 17

    Set 1: Billy Goat > Don’t Wanna Be, Crab Eyes, ATL, LL3 > Bearsong > Tubing the River Styx > The Pit > Bearsong

    Set 2: Prestige Worldwide > Seat of my Pants > Sensory Deprivation Bank, New Hope for the New Year, Bring You Down > Kyle’s Song > Kids

    Encore: Spine of a Dog

    photos by Sarah Bourque

  • moe. Returns to Bass Player Rob Derhak’s Home State for 2-Night Run

    moe. are set to return to the State Theater in Portland Maine for their first Maine shows since 2016, and their first shows at the State since their New Year’s run in 2012. After a brief, but harrowing battle with oropharyngeal cancer, moe bass player Rob Derhak is eager to play a two-night run in his home state of Maine. If their inaugural shows back after the hiatus at Capitol Theatre were any indicator, these shows should be a dream come true for an energetic and deprived fan base. In the beginning of February, moe. returned to the stage for an absolutely blistering pair of shows, and are slated to play two more nights in Portland followed by two nights in Albany.
    moe bass player
    Bassist and vocalist Rob Derhak proved at the start of this tour that he is happy and healthy, his voice is still very much intact, and his fingers and hungry for some bass. Their last visit to his hometown featured three shows at the two venues, an intimate concert experience at Port City Music Hall, followed by two shows at the scenic Thompson’s Point, overlooking the ocean. Prior to that, they hadn’t seen any action in Maine since a one-night stand in 2014. Before that, moe. delivered a phenomenal New Year’s run in 2012 that spanned two venues across two states.

    After the uncertainty of the hiatus, and Rob’s cancer victory, moe. has announced an extensive tour that only seems to be growing, as well as several festival appearances and their triumphant return to Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, Illinois. After the smashing success that was their sold-out Capitol run, the moe. fan community, with the proud moniker “moe.rons” are eagerly awaiting Rob’s return to his beautiful home state. These shows are not to be missed for any fans of Buffalo jam monsters moe.

    Listen to past moe performances from Portland:

    State Theater 12/30/2012 and 12/31/2012

    Port City Music Hall 6/16/2016

    Thompson’s Point 6/17/2016

    Thompson’s Point 6/18/2016

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