Funk all-stars Lettuce continued their Vibe Up Tour at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY on Saturday January 12. Snarky Puppy side project, Ghost Note, opened the show with an incredibly energetic set.
After nearly 27 years together, Lettuce still brings an amazing amount of energy and life to their shows. Playing classics like “Lettsanity,” “Fly,” and “Sounds Like a Party To Me,” they played well into Sunday morning, leaving the fans still craving more. You can catch them down the East Coast and then across the country on this tour. And expect new material later this year.
Setlist: Blast off, N’Dugu, Kron Dutch, Lettsanity, Gang Ten, Remember the Children, Breakout, Shmink Dabby, Squad Live, Chief, Phyllis
When my friend first played me a burned copy of Lettuce’s Crush, when I lived in South Florida a couple years ago, I was instantly swept up in the bright, triumphant horns and contagious grooves. It was a new band to me but the music perfectly illustrated a part of my spirit that couldn’t be put into words, something I’d felt for a long time before hearing it played out in song.
After that initial introduction, my commutes to work for weeks on end involved flying north on 95 in my perpetually overheating 2001 Ford Focus, routinely passed by luxury cars with a death wish, yet feeling my own kind of rich. I might as well have been driving a souped up getaway car fleeing from the authorities after a successful bank heist with Lettuce as my soundtrack.
Having never seen them live, the January 10 show at Anthology couldn’t be missed. Though I’d largely over-saturated my ears with their sound, as is often the tragic irony for music lovers, I’d hoped a live show would rekindle an old flame and help me appreciate the band in a new way.
Lettuce played through a bunch of new material, their steady, conquering sound invoking a sense of power in the listener. They were incredibly tight and well-rehearsed, but almost to a fault. Their performance lacked expression, crowd interaction and all the things that separate listening to the album versus going to a live show for the experience. I never felt connected to them.
While it was a bit of a let down for me, when I looked around the room, my eyes were met by a sea of bobbing heads and contemplative smiles. It certainly wasn’t a bad show, just not what I was hoping for. Being the first night of their Vibe Up tour, maybe they’re still finding their momentum. Who’s to say.
While Lettuce’s set was polished and serious, the opener, Ghost-Note, danced with creativity, spewing offbeat, avant garde solos, keeping the crowd guessing through their set. Embellishing their songs with humor, drummer Nate Werth pointedly flipped off the crowd midway through “Funk You Muthafunka.”
Ghost-Note was also playing the first night of their Smack ‘Em tour, supporting their 2018 album Swagism, which is awesome. Taking way more chances on stage, they did get a bit muddy at times, with so many musicians trying to fill pockets. But their set was a nice contrast from Lettuce.
The Vibe Up tour will see Lettuce dance down the east coast before heading out west for the last few shows. Ghost-Note will follow a somewhat similar trajectory, opening for Lettuce for the first handful of shows before splitting off.
Lettuce Setlist: 4th Dimension, Blaze, Your Royal Highness, Purple Cabbage, Ready to Live, Silverdome, N’Dugu, Sam Huff’s Flying Ragin’ Machine, Madison Square
For their Winter Tour opener in support of the upcoming album All For Money, Greensky Bluegrass found an enthusiastic welcoming crowd at The Palace Theatre in Albany on Thursday, January 10. Fan familiarity has grown greatly throughout New York in the past few years with two memorable shows at The Egg (the latter of which sold out), and now, a tremendous show at The Palace in Albany.
Circles Around the Sun performed a 45-minute opening set of instrumental Grateful-Dead-inspired compositions. The first few rows were packed-in with fans of Neal Casal’s Fare Thee Well project, which is finding tremendous response from fans in the live setting. The pairing with Greensky Bluegrass could not have been more perfect.
Amid a sea of bobbing heads, who were rapt with attention throughout the night, Greensky kicked off their first set of the tour with a quick jumpstart in “A Letter to Seymour” and “In Control,” off 2014’s If Sorrows Swim. “All for Money,” the title track of their latest release was an early highlight, featuring instrumental consonance that was coupled with exquisite vocal harmonies, and had room to jam built in.
“All 4” had an ebb and flow during the slow developing improv; one that grew to a remarkable peak before returning to a unified point. Greensky really shines when they unleash a jumble of jam inside their songs, always with an ear to bandmates and eventually finding their way home with applause to end the journey. It was followed by Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” to wrap up the first set.
Dobro-extraordinaire Anders Beck said, as the band returned to the stage shortly after 10pm, “You can tell it’s Set 2 because it’s after the first,” and with that Yogi-ism it started with “Old Barns” and “Murder of Crows.” The lights on this evening towered over the band, and illuminated the audience in a minimalist design that fit the stage and sound aptly.
Love was in the air on the back-to-back pairing of Jimmy Martin’s “Hit Parade of Love” and the ‘grassed up psychedelic reggae of Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved.” Happy Birthday wishes to Emily, from Beck, turned into Happy Birthday wishes to the entire audience over the course of the year. The show wrapped up with an encore of “Dustbowl Overtures” with a tip of the hat to NY in the vivid lyrics: “And the world’s whistle of a bullet going by / It’s a New York minute, New Mexico sky … It’s the volume of an image, it’s a vision in a song.” Closing the encore was the extended instrumental by the founder of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe, in “Wheel Hoss.”
Greensky Bluegrass performs at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Saturday, January 12 and All For Money will be released on all platforms on Friday, January 18.
Setlist:
Set 1: A Letter to Seymour, In Control, All for Money, The Four > Bottle Dry, Into the Rafters, Like Reflections, Burn Them (1), Blood Sucking F(r)iends, All 4, Money for Nothing
Set 2: Old Barns (2), Murder of Crows, What You Need (3), Hit Parade of Love, Could You be Love (4), Radio Blues, Broken Highways, Run or Die, Windshield
Toronto quartet Wild Rivers returned to Rochester after their set this summer opening for Donna the Buffalo at the outdoor party, Band on the Bricks. Now it was winter, and the eternally gray skies were falling in the form of cold rain. The venue was cozy and warmly lit. Good Luck and the crowd was the highly attentive audience who frequent Honest Folk’s productions. Dancing feet were replaced by listening ears and Wild Rivers’ brand of poppy folk would hold strong across that divide.
They opened with their first written song, “Wandering Child,” a song which opened quietly before exploding with a full folk sound. Later, they introduced “Moving Target,” which is still two-weeks out from officially being released. Guitarist Khalid Yassein switched to keys and the band went fully electric, becoming more moody and ethereal. The set closed with a stunning, near-acapella, front-of-stage performance of “Howling.” Wild Rivers performed songs oldest to newest, electric to completely un-mic’d acoustic and the rest of the set was a healthy blend of everything in between.
Yassein and bassist Devan Glover traded lead vocals song to song and verse to verse. In the moments when their criss-crossing met with two-part harmonies, musical sparks ignited. Lead guitarist Andrew Oliver added in tastefully restrained yet intricate leads and also took over on bass for a couple tunes. Drummer Julien Laferrière kept everything humming along, from the slowest slow to rocking highs, matching the mood perfectly throughout.
Local singer-songwriter Cammy Enaharo opened the show with a short set. In the Swiss-Army-Knife of the Rochester music scene Enaharo has been a go-to vocalist for bands of every ilk. But tonight, it was just her and a baritone ukelele. Her rich and smooth voice was more than capable of carrying the day. Put them in front of her honest and personal songs and 30 minutes just had us hungry for more. Originals like “Neighbors,” “Home,” and “Mermaids” matched wits with her emotional cover of Desiree’s “You Gotta Be.”
If you like to see live music, but are not a fan of standing around in a crowded bar waiting around until late at night for the bands to finally take the stage, give Honest Folk a try. They start promptly around 7pm and don’t ever go past 10pm, so even on a weeknight you’ll be home at a reasonable hour. The shows are seated, the decibel level doesn’t require earplugs and most importantly the music is top notch. Their next show is March 12, back at Good Luck, featuring Dead Horses and Honeysuckle. Tickets are on sale now at early bird pricing.
We’re all lucky it’s been a pretty mild winter so far this season. Even so, Cousin Earth invited some friends to the Knitting Factory on January 5 for their annual Wintercourse celebration and they brought the heat.
Brooklyn-based outfit Bushicks started the night off strong with their original spread of rock and roll, staying true to the classic genre. Chunky guitar riffs, no-nonsense lyrics, and a hard-hitting rhythm section of John Adamski on drums and Jessica Bogwicz on bass really drive this three-piece. Front-man Jonny Patrizio shredded his way through the ten-song set featuring mostly originals, a song debut, and some special guests. Saxophone player Dan Visintainer lent his horn skills all throughout mid-set on “BioFunk,” “No Goal,” and an ode to the Bushicks music influence in “Rock Rollin’.”
Former Bushicks vocalist David Schnurman aka “David The Goliath” then took the spotlight behind the mic in his first hometown performance back with them for “No Buts About It.” In a triple threat to close out the set, the trio blasted through their very first single “Truffle Shuffle” before debuting a flawless take on the Rush classic “YYZ.” Finally, Joey Calfa of Cousin Earth appeared on stage while SUNY Oneonta professor Mark Pawkett was brought up for a blazing rendition of Frank Zappa’s “Black Napkin.” As the leader of the SUCO (State University College at Oneonta) Frank Zappa ensemble, Pawkett served as a mentor to Patrizio, Calfa and Nate Searing of Cousin Earth, all of whom were enrolled in the Zappa cover band Mothers of Intention. It was an emotional throwback, solidifying Pawkett’s success as a teacher.
Set break music was provided live in the form of a Teddy Midnight DJ set provided by Teddy Midnight bassist Sean Silva, also a student of Mr. Pawkett. In previous years of Wintercourse there has been a comedian MC’ing between bands, but this year, Corey Feldman took the reigns and introduced each band by displaying hilarious photos of their members in front of the stage.
Next up was the incredibly high-energy Funky Dawgz Brass Band of Connecticut. As the rhythm section of tuba and drums laid down the first groove of the set in “I Like It,” the rest of the six-piece horns came out dancing which quickly spread throughout the willing audience. From the bands anthem “Dem Dawgz” to the party track “Beyond the Void,” the Funky Dawgz showcased their infectious mix of NOLA funk, R&B, and twists on classic pop hits. As the crowd inched closer to the stage, an all-out dance party broke out for Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” before trumpet player Aaron Eaddy took a turn with vocals on the hip-hop track “Live Ya Life.”
Each member of the band was given time to shine as they traded solos throughout the hour long set, mixed vocal melodies with horn parts, and hyped up the crowd. Taking advantage of the welcoming listeners, saxophonist Tommy Weeks hopped off stage and weaved his way through the crowd during a peaking solo. The Funky Dawgz didn’t let up once, keeping the crowd moving and energy way up as they closed the set with “Love Don’t Cost A Thing.”
After a short break, the night’s hosts “Cousin Earth” quickly set up and opened their Wintercourse set with the Queen staple “Bohemian Rhapsody,” highlighting newest member Melissa Goscinski’s beautiful falsetto, much to the delight of everyone in the room. With their unique ukulele arrangements and stage antics, Cousin Earth provided a set full of surprises. “When The Dinosaurs Come Back From Outer Space” saw the appearance of a dancing dinosaur in the crowd before they launched everyone back into the stratosphere with the dance track “Super Fun Laser Beams.” The funky “Alive,” from the recently released album Human Music, paved the way for former vocalist Tara Lawton to come out and rejoin the group on Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady.”
The whole Cousin Earth family was in high spirits, joyously singing and dancing together before breaking out into an rocking “Outrage” by Soulive which saw Calfa trade his ukulele for an electric guitar. Continuing in their space-themed tradition, a new song was offered in “Please Don’t Kill Us,” a humorous plead to extraterrestrials to spare planet Earth. “Soft Shell Crab Nebula” took things up one last notch before The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” ended the nearly 80-minute set and brought us all home.
Shortly after midnight, and with the crowd still eager for more, Bella’s Bartok gladly provided. Bassist Dan Niederhouser noted the Massachusetts band’s love of playing in New York City and it was obvious the feeling was mutual with the Brooklyn crowd. Kicking off with “The Strigoi Waltz,” the six-piece band of gypsy-rockers captivated the audience with their speakeasy attire and lively stage presence. It was a fitting set for the late night crowd as fans sang along and swung to “Frankenstein’s Monster” and “The Fiddler and The Devil” as if they were suddenly transported to a dance saloon, if there ever were such a thing.
Toward the middle of the set in “Satan’s Song” the band had already weaved their way through a genre bending selection of original material, commanding the music like a witchdoctor. Singer Asher Putnam hypnotized the venue during the circusy “Masquerade” and joyously lead the Beetlejuice-infused dance party on stage through “Creepster,” “Bones,” and “Zora.” With such unique theatrics and an array of influence, it’s difficult to describe Bella’s Bartok other than completely original. They have managed to take Eastern European folk sensibilities and mix them with Americana, pop, and punk traits, all while keeping the vibe fun and joyful.
The crowd was left fulfilled and spent as the 8th year of Wintercourse proved Cousin Earth knows how to throw a post-New Year’s party. Going on almost a decade for this event, one thing is certain: everyone loves having Wintercourse.
Phish has now celebrated 10 New Year’s Eves since their return in 2009, with eight of those year-end shows taking place at Madison Square Garden. For their ‘Tin’ anniversary, Phish once again brought out a full production from David Gallo design set to the tunes “Mercury” and “Say it to Me S.A.N.T.O.S.,” wrapping up four jam-filled nights in a silver bow to bring us into 2019.
Over those four nights, Phish performed cohesive sets that flowed from one show to the next, with each night seeming to pick up where the previous night left off. With exclamation points throughout the shows and jams moving smoothly from one song to the next, the run featured some of Phish’s best New Years run jamming inside Madison Square Garden since their first New Years in 1995. New Years Eve 2018 marked 60 shows at the World’s Most Famous Arena, with only Elton John and Billy Joel having more performances in their careers.
Phish loves bringing things full circle, and while the disappointment of a cancelled Curveball festival last August was a low point for fans, the New Year’s celebration took the music that arose from the ashes of Curveball and brought it front and center on the 31st. Kazvot Växt songs were performed each night of the run to much audience approval, with four songs held back for the final show of 2018, notably the fan favorite “Say it to Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” The Halloween performance as Kazvot Växt should be looked upon as a turning point for Phish, as this new album/identity has been received better than any other album or new material since their return. For the band to put Curveball in their rearview and move forward with such impressive and well-received material is but one small example of their ability to evolve over time while testing out new ideas and territory with caution thrown to the wind. Performing a Kazvot song right after midnight solidified the new material’s place firmly in the Phish catalog, and we will surely see these songs in rotation moving into this summer, as well as Mexico next month.
A dozen songs were played in Set 1, with notable sequences including “Steam > Chalk Dust Torture > What’s the Use?” and Trey’s ‘favorite’ song (as Fishman put it) “Ass Handed” which was followed by a fiery “Run Like an Antelope.” This was your standard ‘warm up’ set on New Years, where the hits keep coming and the jams are few, although “Sand” did stand out as the longest song of the set. Set 2 found the deep jams per usual, with an 18-minute “Down with Disease” kicking the set off and after a randomly placed “Farmhouse,” a near 18 minute “Seven Below” followed, for the jam of the night that ebbed and flowed through psychedelic and arena rock sections and finally band and audience interplay in the ‘woo-ing’ that Trey seems to love engaging in with the fans.
A “Harry Hood” that stopped after the second section of the composition was halted unexpectedly for a “Passing Through” that split “Hood,” but fell short of the Halloween version where the fans sang along with the ‘Way-o Way-o’ callback. The band clearly was hoping to bridge the fans singing ‘Way-o Way-o’ into the return to “Hood,” which ended up being more of a surprise since some fans (ahem) forgot they hadn’t finished “Hood” and brought it to a triumphant close. Regardless, the second set was the set of the night and had fans sweating as the clock ticked past 11pm and we headed into the final Phish of 2018 and first of 2019.
For the New Years gag, Phish took a combination of two past gags – “Steam” (2011) and “Petrichor” (2016) but with visuals that engaged the entire arena, including lights, balloons, streamers, smoke, acrobats, stage dancers, inflated foods and Trey and Mike in silver space suits. With the opening notes of “Mercury,” the silver balloons that hung from the ceiling connected to the semi-recent composition that Trey had found new life in during the summer of 2018, with improvisation taking the song well past the 20-minute mark on multiple occasions, and making a believer out of many fans.
After a few minutes of the composition, aerial dancers were lifted above the front of the stage, releasing silver streamers that poured down in front of the stage, the silver strands of mercury shining bright with floating lights pouring out smoke that decorated the space behind them, building towards the midnight peak. As a recording counted down from 30 seconds, the acrobats climbed into their nets and were dropped to the stage one by one for the final 10 seconds of 2018, and with that, “Auld Lang Syne” was played and thousands of balloons and silver streamers poured from the ceiling, and MSG being filled with Mercury-colored Silver Grandeur.
As the first song after midnight, Phish opted for the popular Kazvot Växt tune “Say it to Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” after “Auld Lang Syne,” a sing along with amazing energy – the crowd echoing ‘Say it to me S.A.N.T.O.S.’ and ‘This is what space smells like/you will always remember where you were” – gave chills both then and on subsequent relistens. While Trey and Mike were lifted up into the air throughout the song, the stage was then peppered with various pool-floats that represented various things that space could smell like, plus googly eyes for added ‘space’ effect. Trey meanwhile was running around the stage with his wireless guitar that found him playing “S.A.N.T.O.S.” to those behind the stage with cheers, smiles and tears aimed right at the Bad Lieutenant, who looked nothing short of elated. The energy of the rest of the night flowed in the form of “Simple” which was cut short for “Saw it Again” and “Limb by Limb,” and a combo of Lou Reed’s “Rock and Roll” > “Suzy Greenberg” lifted the crowd up one final time to close out the first set of 2019. With more than 20 minutes left, fans wondered what was in store – “You Enjoy Myself,” or perhaps “Fluffhead” were on every fans wishlist, but the fan favorite of them all, “The Lizards” would be the first part of this encore, with another rocker in “Character Zero” following for a climax of pure energy.
Phish has made their mark on Madison Square Garden and set the standard for performances on New Years Eve. Here’s to Phish finding even more inventive ways to engage their fans and continue their storied career into its 36th year in 2019.
Set 1: The Moma Dance, Stray Dog, 555, Sand, Lawn Boy, Steam > Chalk Dust Torture > What’s the Use? > Play by Play, Waste, Ass Handed, Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Down with Disease[1] > Farmhouse > Seven Below > Twist > Harry Hood > Passing Through, Harry Hood
Set 3: Mercury[1] > Auld Lang Syne, Say it to Me S.A.N.T.O.S., Simple, Saw It Again > Limb By Limb > Rock and Roll > Suzy Greenberg
