The legendary Herbie Hancock brought his current gang of talented musicians to New York City’s Beacon Theatre last week and delivered a great mix of old and new by the jazz great. Thundercat opened the evening with his unique R&B, jazz-funk flavor and vibrant energy. Hancock then put on an incredible performance to a full house and showed NYC that he has still got it.
Thundercat and Dennis Hamm
Thundercat, aka bassist Stephen Brunner, started the evening off with his band that included Dennis Hamm (keyboards) and Justin Brown (drums). His eclectic songs and talented synergy with the band was evident from the beginning. Thundercat made several dedications, including to the departed Mac Miller and Ras G, as well as to Nintendo Switch lovers (video gamers).
Thundercat and Justin Brown
NEA Jazz Master and 14-time Grammy winner Herbie Hancock’s line up included Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), James Genus (bass), Lionel Loueke (guitar), and Terrace Martin (sax/synthesizer). Hancock showed his deep appreciation for his band by introducing each member individually. Bass player James Genus was announced as the current house bass player for SNL. Drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and jazz guitarist Lionel Loueke were up next for the all-star introductions. Multi-genre instrumentalist and producer Terrace Martin, who according to Hancock has known and worked with Thundercat for years, rounded out this impressive team.
Herbie Hancock
The band began with a feeling of old by starting with a jazz improvisation, followed by the classic “Cantaloupe Island.” The band introductions were up next, followed by the Headhunter’s “Actual Proof.” Flautist and vocalist Elena Ayodele lent her services on the next two songs. Hancock went into new territory with his skills, instruments and musical style, and gave the crowd a healthy serving of his new material. He is no stranger to new directions and this material had a fresh blend of hip-hop, R&B, jazz and funk. It will be exciting to see where Hancock goes with his new vision.
James Genus on the bass.
The band returned for an encore of the fan favorite “Chameleon,” which was teased earlier in the evening. Thundercat joined the party on stage to make this a memorable rendition. All musicians came together at the end for a final bow, which had the audience on their feet cheering. NYC certainly enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with this legendary musician.
The love David and Sophie Buskin have for one another was apparent on the stage at Caffe Lena Thursday night. The father-daughter duo performed together as part of Caffè Lena‘s monthly pride series.
The dichotomy between the two generations was visually present in Sophie’s use of electric guitar and David’s acoustic. David Buskin made jokes about their age. They were obviously dad joke’s, such as “Sophie’s friends call us DNA and DNR. Not sure how I feel about that.”
The two began with a song that thrilled the heart, Sophie’s powerful soaring voice was complimented by David’s gentler tones. They sang about chasing after life, and who can’t relate to the rush of seeking adventure, of wanting to experience more? There was also a desire to escape from trouble, to find the excitement while dodging the “demons at your back.”
The theme of adventure carried on with David’s comedic song he usually performs with Modern Man, “Jews Don’t Camp.” In it, he joked about the perks of living an indoorsy lifestyle. Sophie’s rejoinder was the song “Mountains.” It was written about a month-long camping and hiking trip that she took. As she told this story, she gave her father a wry look which brought out laughter from the audience. Her dad accompanied her on the piano while she played guitar and sang.
She followed this with another song of hers, “Sweet Creature.” On her recent album, this is featured as a live track that she performs with her father. In this performance, however, David played a different role. Sophie’s performance was incredibly touching, but nobody was more touched than David. From his seat on the piano bench, he watched his daughter with awe and admiration. He was just as spellbound by her beautiful voice as the rest of the audience. After the applause, there was a moment of silence, broken when David said, “You know, I stand up there saying to myself, ‘You played that wrong. You botched that chord.’ And then, I watch my kid do that.” All of his pride in his daughter was neatly summed up in those words and in the way he looked at her.
In honor of the Pride Series, David chose to play a song from a musical that he is working on with Jake Holmes. The musical takes place in the summer of 1968. The song is from a scene where two men have slept together, and one is trying to convince the other to come out so he doesn’t have to go to Vietnam. It was a song about struggling for both social and self-acceptance. It is something that people struggle with across the board.
The duo ended with a song which David used to sing to Sophie as a lullaby – James Taylor’s “You Can Close Your Eyes”. The Buskin & Buskin performance had given us an intimate snapshot into their life together, from Sophie’s childhood into the brilliant artist that she is today.
The next performance in the Pride Series at Caffè Lena will take place on September 5th at 7:00 pm and will feature the Capital Region Pride Singers. Tickets for that performance can be found here.
The latest from Shiragirl, Andi Underground, was released on July 26, is a unique blend of old school punk rock and modern pop. If Madonna and The Ramones were to have a musical child, Shiragirl would be the product of this affair. This album described as a dystopian punk rock musical was co-written with Tim Armstrong of Rancid, and mixed by Cameron Webb (Motorhead and Kelly Clarkson).
The title and concept of the album are inspired by the infamous tale of Alice in Wonderland, where a girl is wanting to escape a society headed for digital chaos to an underground free world. Andi decides to break away from the dystopia and runs away, and this is the soundtrack to her journey.
The album begins with the track “Controlled” where Andi is describing the controlling lifestyle she’s experiencing. It’s a single file march to brainwashing, where if you step out of line, you might end up dead. This track is the start of Andi going against the grain with the aggressive lyrics “We don’t wanna be controlled” and breaking away from the conformity. This tune sets the reckless attitude for the rest of the album.
Photo by Max Aria.
Another track that stands out is the third track of the album and hit single “Nothin To Lose.” The song premiered on July 2, with deep roots and influence of old school punk rock, the hard-hitting track is the anthem of this rebellious story. The lyrics represent Andi running away and falling down a hole into an underground co-existing world, and feeling like she has “Nothin to Lose,” by following her intuition and venturing into this new unfamiliar world. The electrifying guitar solo in the middle of the song gives the imagery of breaking through metaphorical barriers, and a sense of rebellion from the world she escaped. The EP tells a story that’s well thought out by Shiragirl and her manager, with the tracks cohesively placed to give the story order.
Shiragirl has made a name for herself in the music industry and proved to be more than a Warped Tour icon with this album. The group sky-rocketed their career when Shira and her band crashed Warped tour in her iconic pink RV and set up a stage on top the RV. The unknown band at the time rocked out and after receiving a rousing crowd response, Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman invited Shira to return the following summer to host the official Shiragirl Stage. The stage was shared by female artists from all over the nation and ultimately helped accomplish Shira’s mission to empower women by providing a platform for creative expression. The stage went on to host over 200 female-fronted bands, some of them making their Warped debuts including Paramore’s first-ever tour, and the legendary Joan Jett.
Not only is Shiragirl a staple of the East Coast punk rock scene, but she’s also a symbol of female empowerment in the music industry. It’s no question why Shiragirl is considered a Warped Tour veteran. This album successfully serves as a rebellious anthem to break away from the norms in society and create your path. Expect to see Shiragirl grabbing the punk rock scene by the horns and headlining large scale festivals very soon, especially after the release of Andi Underground.
Key Tracks: Controlled, Nothin to Lose, We Are the Underground
Twiddle held its 4th annual Tumble Down Festival in Burlington, VT at Waterfront Park this past weekend. The beautiful park, right on Lake Champlain, hosted Twiddle for five sets along with: The Kitchen Dwellers, Stephen Marley, Turkuaz, Ghost Light, Jaden Carlson Band, Owl and Crow, The Big Sip, Nina’s Brew and The Jauntee. The festival, a family reunion for Twiddle fans, brought all ages together to celebrate music. The festival also brought fans and partners together to raise money for the White Light Foundation, a non-profit that raises money to help spread love, healing and kindness.
Twiddle kicked off the festival with a special acoustic set with fan favorites including “Hatties Jam” and “When it Rains It Pours,” and a special sit in by David Grippo. Their second and third sets closed out the first night and included a prerecorded message from “Colonel Norco,” which helped set the tone for two packed sets, and a special sit in by Todd Stoops. The second set included a new verse to “Jamflowman” that brought his tale home and an additional sit in by David Grippo on the beautiful, “Lost in the Cold.”
Acoustic Set: Glycerine Medley, Earth Mama, Five, Wildfire, Fat Country Baby, Hattiebagan Mcrat, Hattie’s Jam-> When it Rains it Pours Set 2: Enter, Orlando’s, Amydst the Myst, Doinkinbonk, Grandpa Fox -> Apples -> Mamunes the Faun -> Every Soul Set 3: Jamflowman -> Subconscious Prelude -> Nicodemus Portulay -> Milk, Lost in the Cold
Encore: River Drift
The second day started with a bit of deja vu as The Big Sip had their set shortened by a weather evacuation, that thankfully didn’t last too long, or turn into anything more than threatening clouds and some high winds. The Kitchen Dwellers began their set as masses of fans were still in line to re-enter the festival, music to the ears of those eager to get back to the party. They also welcomed members of Cabinet to sit in for a few songs, much to the audience’s enjoyment.
Nina’s Brew, a trio from Burlington, played with a sound influenced by blues, soul, rock and R&B. They’re currently working on their first studio album and are anticipating a fall release.
Turkuaz, the nine piece funk juggernaut from Brooklyn, NY, played as the sun was setting over the water. Their brightly colored outfits seemed to glow in the “golden hour” of light, and highlighted their energy.
Twiddle’s final two sets to close out the fantastic weekend contained many treats for fans. The origin of “Ricky Snickle” and an additional verse, another message from “Colonel Norco,” and a new verse to “Frankenfoote.” There were also many sit-ins over the final two sets. Jayden Carlson, The Kitchen Dwellers, Zach Nugent and Todd Stoops all helped Twiddle close out the festival.
Set 4: Ricky Snickle Origin, Ricky Snickle, Syncopated Healing, Machine, Visions of Mohr, Latin Tang, Beethoven and Green Set 5: Polluted Beauty, Gatsby the Great -> Pond -> Zazu’s Flight -> Pond -> Grandpa Fox, Be There Encore: Frankenfoote Origin -> Frankenfoote
The Flaming Lips along with The Claypool Lennon Delirium upset The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY with an absolute party of stage props, light shows and massive balloons towering the crowd. Riding a unicorn in through the crowd, Wayne Coyne set the bar high for an amazing set to come. The fact that it was a hometown show for Sean Lennon made it an even more special event.
Claypool Setlist: There’s No Underwear in Space (Intro Tape), Astronomy Domine (Pink Floyd), South of Reality, Blood and Rockets: Movement 1 > Saga of Jack Parsons -Movement II Too the Moon, Little Fishes, The Court of the Crimson King (King Crimson), Breath of a Salesman, Boriska, Easily Charmed by Fools, Like Fleas, Tomorrow Never Knows (The Beatles). Cricket and the Genie (Movement II, Oratorio Di Cricket), Cricket and the Genie (Movement I, The Delirium).
Check out the live stream of the show here!
The Flaming Lips Setlist: Also sprach Zarathustra, OP. 30 (Richard Strauss), Race for the Prize, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Pt. 1), There Should Be Unicorns, She Don’t Use Jelly, True Love Will Find You in the End (Daniel Johnston), Feedaloodum Beedle Dot, The Star-Spangled Banner (John Stafford Smith & Francis Scott Key) [Two Takes], The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power), Are You a Hypnotist??, All We Have Is Now.
On an otherwise status quo Monday night in New York City, Black Pumas waited patiently in the shadows, ready to unleash their new take on familiar sounds to a curious and anticipatory sold out audience at the Mercury Lounge. Feeding off the energy surrounding their eponymous debut album, the sextet from Austin, Texas brought the heat with them.
Just before doors opened at 6:30 p.m., a line of eager listeners began to form, buzzing with hype. “Have you listened to the album yet?” one woman quipped in excitement. “I’ve heard a lot about this,” spoke another. And when the doors opened, the bar became flooded. By 7:30, halfway through the opening band’s set, the performance room was packed from front to back.
Boston blues band GA-20. Photo by Jamie Huenefeld
Initially booked as a solo performance for the headliners, Boston-based blues band GA-20 was tapped at the last minute for an opening set. Also newly formed at just over a year old, GA-20 is heavily influenced by traditional blues, R&B, and rock and roll from the late ’50s to early ’60s. Guitarist Matthew Stubbs spent a decade as the guitarist for blues legend Charlie Musselwhite and was able to connect with fellow guitarist Pat Faherty over their mutual love of influences at the time like Buddy Guy, Earl Hooker, and Otis Rush.
Armed with classic guitars of the era, a Harmony Stratatone and a mid-sixties Silvertone, the trio passionately conveyed their translation of a nostalgic genre. Setting the mood with a cover of the Clifton Chenier classic “My Soul,” Stubbs’ bigsby tremolo work and Faherty’s raw vocals sounded as if they were coming straight off of a 45. Through their 12 song, hour-long set, GA-20 showcased a truly honest, modern interpretation of a sound that’s become scarce with originals like “Dry Run,” “One Night Man,” and “Happy Today.” With a touch of rockabilly, a taste of doo-wop, and a wave of surf rock, each song was short, to the point, and authentic. Be on the lookout for a new album due in October.
Black Pumas. Photo by Jamie Huenefeld
As the band broke down and the house music went up, a black puma statue was revealed at the front of the stage. The crowd shuffled in elation, moving closer to the front as still more people made their way in from the bar.
Starting as studio takes and demos from guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada of Grupo Fantasma, Black Pumas has evolved into a full fledged neo-soul project, steadily rising as a must-see over the course of the past year. As the band settled behind their respective instruments and mics, the announcer remarked, “Please put your cell phones in your pockets and let’s stay in the moment together.”
Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas. Photo by Jamie Huenefeld
The opening intro and ensuing “Next To You,” one of the few numbers not found on the album but still part of their impressive repertoire, provided for a loose kick-off to set the groove in place. Next was “Colors,” which is creeping up as the band’s most listened to track, just behind the single “Black Moon Rising.”
Singer Eric Burton’s vocals call back to another era. The slow but steady tempo and easy swing feel of most of this music is reminiscent of Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Ain’t No Love” while Burton’s fearless falsetto evoke the same emotion heard from the likes of Curtis Mayfield. The name Black Pumas, combined with lyrics about love and emotion (“If you’re in pain babe call the doctor / Don’t be afraid to say I need you” – from Fire) hint at the Civil Rights Era in which Mayfield and Sam Cooke were so vigorously immersed.
Eric Burton of Black Pumas. Photo by Jamie Huenefeld
In many ways, Quesada and Burton may be the rightful heirs to the kings of soul. The music itself is captivating, well executed, and certainly was able to bring a small room of fans together in a celebratory fashion. But Burton was majestic in the way he was able to harness the energy, absorb it, and redistribute it back to them. At various points of the show, the crowd swayed back and forth in unison and Burton would pause from his singing and encourage everyone to continue the motion while reaching to the person beside them in acceptance.
“Know You Better” was a stand out. Clearly a love song, in the room and context of the night, it could be interpreted as a heartfelt plea emboldening the listener to love their neighbor and strengthen the bonds of togetherness that were so important during the ’60s and ’70s. Those bonds are equally as important during these divisive times, which is why this music and the band that has created it feels so special.
Black Pumas engage the crowd at Mercury Lounge. Photo by Jamie Huenefeld
Clocking in just shy of exactly one hour, Black Pumas gave a performance that felt totally free of time. Other takes from the album like “Stay Gold” and “Oct 33,” a touching and poignant acoustic ballad, filled the middle of the set. Each song provided ample opportunity for the rest of the band, including backup singers, keys, and a straightforward rhythm section, to showcase their locked-in capabilities. With about 5 minutes to spare, they busted out with a hot take on The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” complete with a total funk makeover.
Eric Burton of Black Pumas dances with an audience member on the dance floor at Mercury Lounge. Photo by Jamie Huenefeld
Ferociously confident, aggressively soulful, and astoundingly energetic, Black Pumas should be on your radar. They’ll be back in New York City at the Brooklyn Bowl on September 30 as they jaunt around the country in the fall before a European tour in November. Don’t miss it.
NYC- Thanks for coming out last night! Our show at @brooklynbowl in September will be our last NYC show for the year, so make sure to get tickets to see us again soon! https://t.co/JhILId58zk
The life of Afrobeat’s founder, Fela Kuti, was celebrated in the 2009 Broadway musical concert Fela!, and on Monday, July 29, the concert experience celebrating his music came to an enthusiastic, and curious, crowd at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Kuti used the Afrobeat sound to push back against the post-colonial government of Nigeria in the 1970s, a prime example of Kuti’s mantra “music is the weapon of the future.” As it was then and is now, new era protest music and this performance brought Kuti’s music to life for all to draw from.
Photo by Jim Gilbert
With a 10-piece band on stage, including three percussionist and four horns, as well as an ensemble with five members (2 men, 3 women) who sang alongside Duain Richmond (Fela Anikulapo-Kuti), the stage was lit up through dance. One that had fervor and energy not seen at SPAC in ages. This was not dancing for the faint-of-heart, or hips, as Richmond said to the crowd throughout the show: “Everybody say Yeah Yeah.” Audience engagement that is a hallmark of Afrobeat concerts became coupled with some of the best on-stage dancing you’ll find anywhere.
With the start of “Expensive Shit,” Richmond led the band to give the audience an introduction to Afrobeat. Starting with the drums, then guitar, then bass set the groove, and soon the horns came in. If you were not moving, you should check your pulse. The ensemble taught the crowd how to dance by moving their hips to the hours on a clock. “1 & 7,” “3-6-9” and “12 & 6” got the booties shaking and fans out of their seats. Dancing from ensemble members Oneika Phillips, Iris Wilson and Afi Bijou became more furious and fully engaging.
“Zombie” found the crowd being invited into the covered orchestra pit, where each audience member shook what they had. From kids to parents, and grandparents, everyone was getting down to the beat of the band. As the show closed with “Colonial Mentality,” Kuti’s anti-colonial anthem, the crowd was back in the pit dancing with the ensemble, and Richmond, engaging in a form of protest that Kuti would surely look upon with a smile and hope for the future.
Setlist: Everything Scatter, The Clock – Yellow Fever, Ikoyi Blindess, Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am, Expensive Shit, Water No Get Enemy, Zombie, Sorrow Tears and Blood, Opposite People, No Buredi.
The Peach Music Fest returned to Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA for its eighth year over July 24-27, 2019 and from the buzz of the crowd it seems that this year was the best yet. Everywhere you turned there was good people and good music, all thanks to the incredibly stacked lineup the festival runners put together. The weather was nearly perfect, aside from a storm on Sunday night that cut some of the first Phil and Friends set short, but fans raged on and powered through it. All of the main stage sets were livestreamed by nugs.net, all of those streams can be found here.
Thursday was kicked off by Buffalo groove rockers Aqueous, playing the main Peach Stage for their first time and opening up the weekend with their upbeat tune “Random Company,” which set the mood for the rest of the weekend. The group played a set of all originals, omitting their usual cover placed somewhere in the set, and blew the tent off the Peach Stage with stellar versions of “Kitty Chaser (Explosions)” and “Skyway,” as well as some new tunes like “Going Nowhere” and “Be The Same.” Aqueous was followed by Billy Strings, a hot new act on the bluegrass scene that mixes a classic bluegrass sound with psychedelic rock and improvisation. Strings and Co. (Jarrod Walker, Billy Winning, and Royal Masat) kicked off the set with “Dust in a Baggie,” a tale of spending the next years of your life in prison for some dust in a baggie. The group performed extended versions of “All Fall Down” and “Meet Me at the Creek,” showing off a bit of their jamming chops to Peach’s jam friendly crowd, and were met with warm reception, creating a lot of new fans by the end of their set.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong followed with their first set of the night, graduating from one main stage set last year to two sets this year, one of them being of the late night variety. During Pigeons’ first set, the group stuck with mostly old school tunes, aside from the recently debuted “Water,” played for the first time at their festival Domefest. The group brought Billy Strings out for a heated version of “Burning up my Time” and sandwiched an inverted “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads in the middle of another aquatic song, “Poseidon.” Between Pigeons’ two sets, the String Cheese Incident performed their first of the three sets of the weekend. The group performed an impressive set, featuring a 30-minute segment of “Shine” > “Sirens” that had a mini jam on the theme from The Office before transitioning fully into “Sirens,” as well as an extended version of “45th of November,” a song keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth wrote with Grateful Dead collaborator and Jerry Garcia songwriter Robert Hunter. A highlight was Herbie Hancock’s classic “Chameleon” sandwiched in the middle of a tale of mushrooms and mystery, “Miss Brown’s Teahouse.” For Pigeons’ second set, the group mixed old and new with segments such as “Somethin’ For Ya” > “Distant Times” surrounded by “Upfunk” > “Drums” > “Upfunk” and “Horizon.” A dance driven version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” really got the crowd moving and during the set closing “Ocean Blows” the bliss was tangible in the air.
Friday was kicked off by Andy Franco & the U.N. on the Mushroom Stage, a much talked about set of the weekend and for good reason as the man himself was feeling good about his Peach set. Among his usual stage banter, he instructed the crowd to “skullf*ck the wave pool” as a seemingly inspirational message about grabbing hold of life. Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers performed on the Live for Live Music Stage, bringing their upbeat tunes and positive outlook on life to Montage Mountain’s smallest stage. While Cory Wong funked up the water park, Upstate was on the Live for Live Music Stage, sharing their beautiful vocal harmonies and Americana tales with the patrons of Peach. Despite the 90+ degree weather, the three lead singers of the band, Allison Olender, Mary Kenney, and Melanie Glenn, rocked powerful jumpsuits that displayed their badassery both as people and on the mics. The group’s set was a mix of new and old, including “No Slack” off the group’s first record A Remedy.
Blues Traveler performed on the Peach Stage before moe., continuing the show set up of the groups’ co-headlining All Roads Runaround tour that’s happening right now. The group performed their usual hits “Run-Around” and “Hook,” while pulling out an interesting Radiohead cover, “Creep,” followed by “Accelerated Nation” (written about PA’s own I-81) and a version of “But Anyway,” before bringing out Chuck Garvey of moe. for a song. moe. opened their set strong with “Seat of my Pants,” a song that quite literally flies by the seat of its pants in how quickly it jumps from section to section and genre to genre. Following SOMP came “Sensory Deprivation Bank” with a no huddle segue into “Along for the Ride.” “Bearsong” came next, giving the moe.rons in the crowd flashbacks to the Saranac bears flying through the air during this song at past Saranac Brewery runs. “Bearsong” drop segued into “LL3,” a recently penned Rob Derhak tune about the train he’d take to his chemotherapy treatments. Later on in the set, the group performed an emotionally hefty “Kyle’s Song” > “Silver Sun” segment that was the highlight of the set jam-wise. Both songs took time to breathe, especially “Silver Sun” which always lends itself to notable jams.
Over on the Mushroom Stage, Dopapod returned to Peach for their third show since ending their hiatus this past April. The group has played Peach Fest numerous times over the years, including a special Dopapod Orchestra performance in 2017 that featured the Turkuaz horns and Kung Fu’s Adrian Tramontano on percussion. Highlights of their set include a water park-shaking rendition of “Freight Train,” the debut of bassist Chuck Jones’ party anthem “23 Forever,” which had to be restarted due to some sound issues, a segment of “Turnin’ Knobs” > “8 Years Ended” that took the crowd on an interesting journey, and a set ending “FABA” that was the ending note for the group’s sunset performance. BIG Something took the Mushroom Stage next, opening their set with the appropriate “Waves,” and playing a few other water-related tunes throughout the set, including the funky, electronic “Megalodon” and “The Flood.” Following a hefty “Song For Us” > “Tumbleweed,” the group debuted a new tune called “Dangerous” which was a heavy, riff and synth driven ride. Towards the end of the set, the band brought Andy Frasco out to conduct them in a version of their tune “My Volcano” that ended up being the longest jam of the set.
Over on the Peach Stage, the String Cheese Incident performed a full two-set show with the second set being the highlight of the night for most fans. During the group’s first set, they brought out the Infamous Stringdusters’ Andy Hall on dobro for “My One and Only” and “Lonesome Fiddle Blues,” and guitarist Scott Sharrard of the Gregg Allman Band for “Outside and Inside” > “Southbound,” with both sit-ins blowing the crowd out of their seats. The second set didn’t feature any sit-ins, but “Song in my Head” > “Beautiful” and “Let’s Go Outside” > “Land’s End” > “Glory Chords” > “Southbound” were both segments that left fans with their jaws on the floor. Closing out the Peach Stage was Lotus in the late night slot. Lotus got a two hour set and kept the crowd moving in the night with their groovy tunes and dance-focused improv. Highlights of the set included “Wooly Mammoth,” “MacGuffin” featuring Eli Winderman of Dopapod and Octave Cat, “Bellwether” > “Spaghetti” > “Bellwether,” and the set closing “Umbilical Moonrise.” Of all the late night sets, Lotus was one of the most fun and people bounced between the pavilion and the Live for Live Music Stage where the Magic Beans were playing their late night. The Beans threw a real party, playing to a decently sized crowd, most likely gained after their two-set late night party last year. The entire set was pretty good, with the highlights being a cover of Sturgill Simpson’s “Long White Line” and a set closing “Mission” > “Here On Out.”
Star Kitchen kicked off Saturday on the Peach Stage, bringing out guitarist Jeremy Schon of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong to make the set extra funky. This was the group’s first time playing the Peach Music Festival and they were well received by the crowd as their funk stylings got everyone up and moving for the start of the day. Over on the Mushroom Stage, Ghost Light returned to the Peach for their second year, as guitarist Raina Mullen celebrated her 26th birthday. The group opened the set with Mullen’s own anthem “Diamond Eyes,” before masterfully working their way into “Streets of Brooklyn” and “Synth Driver.” The highlight of the set was the closing segment of “Old Fashioned” > Radiohead’s “Black Star” > “Simple Gift Of Man” > the ending of “Best Kept Secret,” in which guitarist Tom Hamilton took the lead and broke into his signature effects-driven guitar scratching. Lettuce took the Peach Stage for a mid afternoon set, opening with the jazzy “Larimar” before jumping into the soulful “Krewe.” The whole pavilion was up and moving for the entire set, as the beats coming from bassist Jesus Coomes and drummer Adam Deitch were too good not to dance to. The set also featured an especially stellar version of “Phyllis,” a hip hop-infused cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule The World,” and a tight rendition of “Purple Cabbage.”
Goose debuted at the festival on the Live for Live Music Stage, having been heavily requested by fans during the festival’s survey after last year. The band had a lot of hype following their name the entire weekend, with many attendees sporting Goose merch and moustaches. Goose opened the set with “Madhuvan” and took it off to the races, before playing two recently released singles “Time to Flee” and a slow version of “All I Need.” The set included the band’s versions of “Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo” by the Grateful Dead and “The Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby. They closed the set with “Hot Tea” and had the whole L4LM Stage area packed to the brim, which is a rare thing to see at Peach. Greensky Bluegrass performed on the Peach Stage before the big act of the night, Trey Anastasio Band, paying tribute to the Allman Brothers with a cover of “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” as well as some standards including “Living Over,” “Leap Year,” and “Demons.”
Trey Anastasio Band took the stage for a full two sets of music following Greensky, pulling from all aspects of Trey’s musical career as TAB sets usually do. The group opened with “Set Your Soul Free,” part of a suite of songs that have to do with the guitarist’s “Soul Planet” concept. Following SYSF came some Trey classics, “Alive Again,” “Cayman Review” and “Money, Love and Change.” The group also played numerous Phish songs that have been part of the TAB repertoire for a while, including “Gotta Jibboo,” “Sand,” and “First Tube,” which were all jammed out in their usual fashion. Second set highlights include “Mozambique,” “Rise/Come Together,” and “A Life Beyond a Dream.”
During Trey’s second set, Chicago progressive rock band Mungion took the Live for Live Music Stage for their second ever Peach set, gathering a pretty good sized crowd for playing at the same time as Trey. The group opened their set with the always odd “Myrtle,” letting the song breathe and expand as they explored the jam section. Mungion brought a handful of new tunes with them including a new character, “Fludias Wozalenbill,” as well as “Better Half” and “Hideaway,” where they brought out Dopapod guitarist Rob Compa for the tune which led to he and guitarist Justin Reckamp having a prodigious guitar battle. The group closed the set with the anthemic and jazzy “Beneath the Shallows,” a fan-favorite composition from the group’s first record Scary Blankets.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead closed out the night on the Peach Stage, featuring two drummers that weren’t Joe Russo, as the namesake of the band had just had a baby with his wife a few days prior. (Congrats Joe!) In his place were his drum tech, 19 year old Evan Roque, and Ben Porowsky, who is in BOYFRIENDS with Russo. The pair did an impressive job taking on Russo’s difficult role while also paying homage to the Dead’s two drummer setup. The setlist was filled to the brim with Dead classics, opening with the disco-infused “Shakedown Street,” before taking the crowd out west for a rowdy “Me and My Uncle” and “Eyes of the World.” Guitarist Tom Hamilton led the group in an emotional take on “Althea” before breaking into the madness of “Drums” > “The Other One” > “Viola Lee Blues,” which was the highlight of the set. JRAD closed out the show with an “I Know You Rider,” sans “China Cat,” and encored with the classic singalong “Not Fade Away.”
Sunday’s music mainly took place on the Peach Stage, with a lineup of heavy hitters of both veteran and new acts. The inaugural Guitar Pull set was among the many highlights of the day, bringing together some of the jam scene’s favorite guitar players together for a set of mind blowing guitar mashups. From a relaxed version of the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” led by Steve Kimock and joined by Rob Compa, to Umphrey’s McGee’s “Booth Love” led by Jake Cinninger and joined by Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, to Stanley Jordan leading an inspiring cover of Hendrix’s “Red House,” this set satisfied the guitar nerds in the audience with matchups they could never dream of. Marcus King Band followed the Guitar Pull, bringing their new age blues sound fueled by the guitar stylings of the 25 year old prodigy. King’s set was soulful, performing songs straight from his heart including emotional versions of “Goodbye Carolina” and “8 a.m.” off of the group’s recent release Carolina Confessions, as well as songs showcasing the group’s signature gritty blues, including “Fraudulent Waffle,” “Plant Your Corn Early,” and “What’s Right.”
Following King came a duo acoustic set from music legends Warren Haynes and Grace Potter. The set was comprised of mostly covers, aside from a few originals by each artist, including Haynes’ “Is It Me or You” and Gov’t Mule’s “Captured” and Potter’s “Stars” and “Shout it Out,” a new song performed for the first time at this duo set. Surrounding the duo’s original music included Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman,” Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released,” Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind,” and Joan Baez’s “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You,” all performed with the entirety of each artist’s heart and soul fully invested into the music. Phil Lesh & Friends closed out the main stage with two sets, the roster included Elliot Peck on vocals, Holly Bowling on keys, Warren Haynes, John Scofield, and Grahame Lesh on guitar, and John Molo on drums. The sets featured many classic Grateful Dead songs and a handful of covers led by various members of the band, including a Lesh-led “Broken Arrow,” and “Sunshine of Your Love” and “All Along the Watchtower” led by Haynes. The group performed stellar versions of Dead classics, especially “Bird Song,” “St. Stephen” and “Morning Dew.” The first set got cut slightly short due to inclement weather on the mountain, but the band and crowd powered through it and Grahame Lesh led the group in “Playing in the Band” to open the second set.
Check out the photo gallery below for a look into what the Peach Music Festival was like this year. This weekend was full of great music and rarely ever had a lull in things to do. Spirits were high and the weather was great until the yearly rain on Sunday night. Peach is an event not to miss, so make it a point to go next year! Check back with NYSMusic for future coverage of the Peach.
90’s nostalgia was in the air when Our Lady Peace, Live and Bush made their stop on the Altimate Tour at CMAC in June. This tour brings some of the best bands from the ’90s together and truly made it one of the ultimate tours to see this summer.
Kicking off the night was Our Lady Peace as they warmed the audience up with their intense yet centered energy. OLP is one of those bands that brings the audience’s energy up and got the nostalgia ball rolling for the evening. Their setlist was packed with so many hits from the ’90s/early 2000s such as “Superman’s Dead” and “Starseed.”
Next up was co-headliners LIVE. Lead vocalist Ed Kowalczyk started singing from the middle of the amphitheater and slowly descended through the audience until he reached his bandmates on stage. It threw the crowd for an exciting loop as everyone turned their heads to locate Kowalczyk. LIVE really cherry picked their setlist, giving the crowd a fabulous mixture of their hits and throwing in some musical nostalgia of their own with their covers of REM’s “Losing My Religion” and The Rolling Stone’s “Paint it Black.”
All three bands rocked CMAC, but there is no denying the energy Bush bought to the stage when they closed the night. Bush played a great set with a mixture of their hit songs, including their new single “Bullet Holes.” Lead vocalist Gavin Rossdale bounced around the stage just like he did in 1997. He and guitarist Chris Traynor have an undeniable vibe when they play their guitar chords together. Rossdale jumped off stage during “Everything Zen” and went through the audience, giving the fans in the back some love and appreciation.
The Altimate Tour is not one to miss. It is a 90’s cocktail of amazing musicians that sparked the youth back then and they continue to feed that fire to their fans 20 years later. Not many bands can bring a tour like this to life, but Bush, LIVE and Our Lady Peace can and did.
The Altimate Tour just kicked off their last leg of the tour and New Yorkers still have time to catch this amazing tour with stops scheduled for August 29 in Wantagh, NY and on August 30 in Bethel, NY.
Our Lady Peace Setlist: Drop Me in the Water, Innocent, Superman’s Dead, Somewhere Out There, Clumsy, Stop Making Stupid People Famous, Starseed
Live Setlist: Dam at Otter Creek, All Over You, Selling the Drama, Losing My Religion, Shit Towne, Iris, The Dolphin’s Cry, Paint it Black, Lakini’s Juice, I Alone, White Discussion, Heaven, Turn My Head, Lighting Crashes
Bush Setlist: Machinehead, Chemicals, This is War, Sound of Winter, Swallowed, Everything Zen, Disease, Bullet Holes, Little Things, Glycerine, Comedown
The Old Great Lakes is a captivating collection, brimming with the beautiful verse and evocative arrangements Tough Old Bird has become known for. However, this work transcends everything they’ve done, pioneering beyond the confines of traditional folk. Tough Old Bird is the moniker taken on by brothers Matthew and Nathan Corrigan.
Inspiration for The Old Great Lakes came from a lot of sources: the environment, literature and a lifetime of music appreciation.As the name implies, The Old Great Lakes was shaped by an innate love for geography and environment. Matthew and Nathan have toured quite a bit over the last few years, but their music has always been deeply affected by their Western New York roots.
“We grew up in a little one-stoplight town called Fillmore, NY, and that environment definitely found its way into a lot of our music,” said Nathan. “But I think where we grew up probably had less of an influence on this album than on our previous ones. Our music has always felt pretty rural, but this, to me, is more of a city album. I imagine it taking place in more of a rust belt setting – places like Buffalo and Rochester.”
Listening to the album it’s easy to pick out references to a post-industrial backdrop. The percussion in some songs drone on like the trip-hammers of the old mills. And when they sing about a woman in the snow in the alley, one can feel the unyielding cold of New York winters seeping into your bones.
Don’t be mistaken, thinking this is a period piece. The songs have a timeless quality about them, and could just as easily be set a hundred years ago as they could today. This comes in part from being steeped in diverse influences from bands ranging in genre – from rock to country, and from the beginning of recordings to the present.
Our parents had a huge record collection and started us out on bands like The Beatles, The Moody Blues, Squeeze, or John Prine… I remember our dad calling me downstairs once and we sat and listened to The Wall by Pink Floyd straight through.
Matthew Corrigan
“Growing up I felt like a sponge for new music,” he continued. “My teachers showed me Pearl Jam and The National. My friends got me into Iron & Wine and The Avett Brothers. I think I listened to R.E.M. for two years straight in high school.”
These influences shine through on this album. Whereas their previous work has more of a traditional feel; this time they incorporated more diverse sounds and techniques. The songs carry on the traditions of Americana, but there’s more willingness to take chances on this album – a quickening sense of adventure and risk-taking. It veers away from the expected.
“We wanted to create something new,” explained Matthew. “Nathan and I both had a vision for what we wanted for this album that dates back several years. We both knew we had to create a certain environment that these songs inhabited, and that environment was different than what we had created before.”
Nathan added, “We were a lot more open to electric instruments on this album – electric guitars, keyboards, effects – and more ability to use those things than we had the last time around. I think we’ve had a tendency in the past to think of ourselves as a folk band, and with this album I think it was more important to be open to anything, and not worry about what genre it was or whether it sounded like some abstract idea of how we were supposed to sound.”
A cohesive concept achieved through the use of repeated motifs and musical phrases make this more than just a collection of tracks. There are melodies that repeat throughout the album, tying the songs together. And the lyrics contain a narrative arc, a sonic novella complete with setting and a cast of characters.
The Great Lakes themselves are the most pervasive symbol on the album, they appear in every song in some form. They aren’t the direct subject of any given song, but are placed in the background as an unchanging setting for all of these human stories to take place. They have battered shorelines, sunken ships, lighthouses, and hold watchmen and lost sailors, but they steadily churn and rest at the edge of every city and landscape and story. I feel that they passively narrate the emotional arc of the record.
Matthew Corrigan
The musical composition adds to the emotional tug of the album. From the triumphant horns to the maudlin violin, the soundscape mirrors feeling behind the story of each song. They called some friends, old and new, into the studio to execute their vision for the album. Jay Corwin was on upright and electric bass. Charlie Caughlin, of The Brothers Blue, played fiddle on two songs. Sean Ebert from The Fredtown Stompers played trumpet on a couple. And Marty Benzinger played drums. Matthew credits these musicians with bringing the songs to a whole new level.
Matthew and Nathan went with a new producer this time. They met musician/recording engineer Brent Martone through the Buffalo music scene. Last winter, they got together to turn the vision for The Old Great Lakes into a reality.
“He did a great job of getting us to push ourselves, but without ever steering the record in a particular direction,” said Nathan. “He also has a lot more know-how when it comes to effects and electronic stuff, so we would try to describe how we wanted something to sound and he would be like: great, here’s five ways we can do that!”
Matthew added, “I think he understood the songs from the start which created a very freeing environment to work in, no idea wasn’t worth chasing. Brent also challenged us musically and conceptually in ways that we had never been before. Every song on the record benefited from honest critique and deconstruction.”
The resulting album marks a milestone in their progression as musicians. It builds upon everything they’ve done so far.
“Every album we’ve worked on has expanded our knowledge in some way,” said Matthew. “Gambling Days taught us how to work in a studio, Beasts taught us how to flesh out arrangements and put together a batch of songs that was thematically cohesive. All that experience was carried over onto The Old Great Lakes. That being said, there were also several times on this new album that we purposefully rejected things that we had done before.”
“In terms of lyrics, every song is a push to write a better song than the one before,” he continued. “Every song is a lesson in how to use language.”
Listen to The Old Great Lakes, which is out now. You can purchase it on CD or digital download on their website. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Tour dates to be announced soon.
