Pink Talking Fish has teamed up with the Big Apple Circus to create a new concept called Junta Circus, celebrating Phish’s album Junta, and are bringing the circus to the Capitol Theatre on Saturday, February 23. Greg Ormont from Pigeons Playing Ping Pong has been recruited as ringmaster. The show will feature circus acts both on and off stage. Who better to lead the wacky circus than Scrambled Greg?
Pink Talking Fish celebrates the music of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish all on one stage. They have already played two concept shows at The Capitol Theatre, one for “The Wall” and another for “Stop Making Sense.” The energy, artistry, and improvisation are incredible at these shows, and, undoubtedly, they will pull out all the stops to provide a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. Like other shows, this will be one long marathon set, so you better get ready.
The New Year’s Eve performance from Phish, featuring several suspended aerialists flying around the band, seems like it may have inspired this show even though it was announced before Phish’s New Year’s run. Junta features Phish classics like “You Enjoy Myself,” “Dinner and a Movie,” “Divided Sky,” “David Bowie,” “Fluffhead,” “Sanity,” “Contact,” “Icculus” and more. Some of those feature masterful composition with parts that are difficult to play, so the musicians of “Junta Circus” certainly have their work cut out for them.
Pink Talking Fish team up with Start Making Sense and the ladies of Turkuaz for one of their concept shows at the Capitol Theatre.
On Sunday, February 17, St. Paul & The Broken Bones made their Port Chester debut at the historic Capitol Theatre. Led by the incredible vocalist Paul Janeway the Alabama rock and soul band weaved in out of their original catalog, blessing the audience with amazing versions of “Flow With It” and “Apollo.” The 8-piece soul outfit was in top form preparing for an upcoming performance on Late Night With Seth Meyers. There is something about sweet soul music, having a tight band and a lead singer that makes all the hairs on your body stand with every high note hit. It’s awesome to see good music thrive, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for St. Paul & The Broken Bones.
Setlist: LivWithOutU, Flow With It (You Got Me Feeling Like), All I Ever Wonder, Like a Mighty River, Grass Is Greener, Band Instrumental (with So Fresh, So Clean by Outkast), Mr. Invisible, Convex, NASA, GotItBad Band Instrumental, Apollo, Bruised Fruit
Save the date. On Friday, April 19, the Dirty Pennies celebrate the release of their new EP with a show at the Bug Jar in Rochester. Special guests include Buffalo’s Handsome Jack and indie rockers The Stedwells. Tickets are on sale Thursday, February 21.
The Dirty Pennies’ much-anticipated sophomore release will be out a couple weeks before the show, on April 2. Entitled ep, the collection will be available over all major music platforms (including Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Bandcamp).
The new work demonstrates The Dirty Pennies’ ability to create a cohesive sound from blues and surf rock influences. The Dirty Pennies turned to Josh Pettinger and Greg Thompson of Wicked Squid Studios to record and engineer their new songs. The pair took on the herculean task of harnessing the raw energy of this dynamic trio and translating it into a recording that remains true to the feel of the Dirty Pennies’ live shows.
The reprieve from polar temperatures has drawn people out to enjoy some of the night life. In the spirit of the mid-winter thaw, Rochester’s Abilene Bar and Lounge threw an event called “Feel The Warmth” on Friday night. The cozy bar was lined with posters from shows’ past. On the bill were a few of the newer bands on the scene: False Pockets, Vacation Daze, and The Low Spirits.
Over the past year, the quartet has released a few self-recorded singles that were mixed and engineered by their bassist Jim DeWitt. Mid-set Egling announced that they had finished recording an album at Wicked Squid Studios. The work is set for a spring release. They played a song from the upcoming album. The tune, called “Measurement,” features drummer Billy Martin on lead vocals. If this groovy jam is any indication, we can look forward to great things from the new album.
The Low Spirits rounded out this night of discovery. The quartet includes two of the three members of the psychedelic/blues band St. Phillip’s Escalator (Ryan Moore and Zachary Koch). Both bands build upon a foundation of rock ‘n roll, but The Low Spirits has more of a 70’s rock vibe. The difference was apparent when there was some riffing on Led Zep during their sound check at Abilene. Moore, a man of many hats, was on guitar, vocals, and sometimes his vintage Farfisa keyboard. The distortion on guitars and rhythms pumped through an antique VOX bass cabinet lent to their authentic retro sound.
Zachary Koch was stationed behind the drums. With his sticks held in a traditional grip, he added fills which evoke a comparison to the drumming style of Ringo Starr. This was only their second show, but they’ve already got a third booked at Photo City Improv on March 9.
After a raging three night run at Brooklyn Steel Umphrey’s McGee bassist Ryan Stasik brought his new band Doom Flamingo to The Brooklyn Bowl for a late night dance party. Fronted by the dynamic and tantalizing Kanika Moore, her soulful vocals accompanied by rolling bass line, broad horns, and an eerie darksynth soundscape set the night into hyper drive. Doom spent the night weaving through original material and covers including ZZ Tops Legs, the 80’s classic Maniac, and Nine Inch Nails Closer. Support this awesome new band and be on the look out for new singles as they are released.
Setlist: Moonroller, Hot Wheels, F-16, Love On Hold, Replicant (new song debut), Telepathy>jam>Domingo’s Drive, Across The Room, Legs, Maniac, Runaway.
Adrianne Lenker took to music from childhood, learning the craft of songwriting from her musician father and other teachers. Her path eventually led her to pull on the hearts of the audience at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Febraury 14.” Mostly drawing from 2018’s abysskiss, Lenker brought her personal, imaginative and often complex world to life during her sold out performance.
Taking a break from leading Big Thief, Lenker opted for a smaller stage. Starting off with “Not,” a relatively new track debuted in France, she then followed with the rarely played “Spud Infinity.” The lyrical wit and sing-a-long pace of the song belied Adrianne’s heartfelt recurring theme of acceptance; to not be so harsh to exorcise the frightening unknown within us, and learn to embrace it as part of who we are.
Lenker’s childhood is filled with material that she draws on for her songs. In multiple conversations with Pitchfork, she explains being raised in a religious cult in Indianapolis until she was four. She moved about 14 times before she was eight, bearing witness to her family’s fallout from religion and constant identity shifts. These years inspired a disposition to begin writing songs from different perspectives; a spectator looking from the outside, in.
Lenker’s songs are examinations of identity, steeped in metaphors and themes of love, family, trauma, femininity and sex. Her words are descriptive and visceral, so delicately accented by her clear, expressive voice that they pierce straight through your core. Thematically, Lenker’s lyrics are reminiscent of artists like Laura Marling, showing a strength in moving through the pain.
Playing “Pretty Things,” a song which Lenker describes as a mantra in a Stereogum interview, she struck a tone that was equally arresting and soothing. Singing about penetrating the facade of her lover’s toxic behavior and coaxing him into embracing the power of his feminine qualities, she repeated: Don’t take me for a fool, there’s a woman inside of me, there’s one inside of you, too.
As the line lulled the men in the audience into embracing their Valentine’s dates a bit tighter, it was followed by a graphic representation of the power in feminine energy to wash away the sins of damaging masculinity: There is a meeting in my thighs where, in thunder and lightning, men are baptized in their anger and fighting their deceit and lies.
Amongst the more raw, vulnerable songs, “Hours Were the Birds”, from the 2014 album of the same name, represented the romance of traveling with no destination. The song included hints of a poetic Springsteen-esque sehnsucht, a feeling of yearning for an idealised experience somewhere in the distance, reflecting on what you’ve gained and the traces of yourself you’ve left behind.
Lenker’s sage storytelling was matched by her guitar skills. Her training at Berklee College of Music began when she filled a scholarship sponsored by Susan Tedeschi, and was accepted as one of only two women in the guitar program. Changing to an open tuning, she sang “Kerina,” filling the spaces between words with melodic guitar phrases which harmonized with her voice.
Experimental indie folk artist Luke Temple opened the show, and joined Lenker on stage for a number of songs. The two explored various moods as Temple provided atmospheric accompaniment and effects from the mystical, peaceful declarations of love in “womb” to the darker and grungy “symbol.”
Adrianne Lenker is a special kind of artist who can make you feel just as exposed as she feels on stage, and yet help you find immense strength in that vulnerability. At only 27 years old, hers is a talent that’ll be heard for years to come.
Umphrey’s McGee played the second night of a three night run at Brooklyn Steel Friday February, 15. The Jam Veterans moved in an out of their eclectic catalog with crowd favorite “Red Tape” and “Wife Soup.” A highlight from the show was an amazing cover of the Little Feat classic, “Fat Man in The Bathtub” with a guest hot section of Mike Maher (Snarky Puppy), Chris Ott & Dan White (Huntertones). Fans are looking forward to see what Umphrey’s brings for their final night of this Brooklyn Steel Run.
“Nothing but love songs, folks,” said Todd Scheaffer last night at Albany music theatre The Egg. Scheaffer and the rest of the formative jamgrass group Railroad Earth were having lots of fun at the capitol region venue, the first stop of their northeast run this weekend. So was Holly Bowling, the well-known pianist opening up for Earth, that also joined the band for most of their headlining performance last night. Bowling and Railroad kicked off the run magnificently, winding through song material ready-made into a bluegrass Valentine’s Day playlist, but also putting heart into all the musical treats of the evening.
Bowling opened up with her own welcomed performance before the two main sets, as is the plan for the rest of the northeast shows. Among the most well received of her Phish and Grateful Dead piano versions was a full-stretched “Divided Sky” on which she put a lot of personal touch. Another highlight was, no doubt, the set ending of “Dark Star” > “I Know You Rider,” where Bowling invited Railroad Earth bassist Andrew Altman and mandolinist John Skehan to play.
Droning cello from Altman, soft strumming from Skehan and piano sound effects from Bowling wound through a wonderful version of the early Dead song that shifted between delicate moments and chromatic, jazzy creativity. The trio easefully guided one another into “Rider.” Holly started to really hammer on the keys and Altman played a cool standup bass solo. From this beautiful opening segment, the stage was set for the magic to be made between Bowling and Railroad Earth.
After Bowling’s set, Railroad Earth descended upon The Egg with a great opening “Hunting Song,” giving this particularly psychedelic original a bit of musical power. When Railroad starts a show off with something extra heady like this, the chances for a strong show are in the cards. Bowling, who joined the band on stage from the beginning, got her first real sounds on “Old Man and The Land,” playing a ragtime-style solo that got a beaming smile from Todd Scheaffer.
Love songs did indeed imbue much of the band’s two sets through the evening, with “Happy Song,” “For Love,” and “Came Up Smiling” following the opener, and these cheerful songs started to get the audience, from the front row to the back of The Egg, out of their seats and dancing. “Raven’s Child” > “Only By The Light” was a powerful combo that saw expert playing from Skehan and Mike Robinson. Robinson was sitting in as special guest for this entire night on banjo, guitar and pedal steel; and he deftly held his own beside Railroad Earth, standing out in multiple moments. On “Dandelion Wine,” the romance number to end the first set, the younger musician picked an incredible guitar solo that elicited not only cheers from The Egg, but a fist pump from violinist Tim Carbone.
The second set kept the welcome love theme rolling, starting with the bittersweet “Been Down This Road.” “Lovin’ You” and “Long Walk Home,” alternatively, brightened the attitude on. “Old Dangerfield” came in the middle of these as a particularly hot version, with Carbone’s fiddle soloing propelling the tune between its breakdown tempo and an Railroad-style funk beat.
The last stretch of the night received the most adventurous musical treatment from Earth and Bowling. “Goat” was standard length, perhaps even shorter than many versions, but it was a rocking version at that. The thing to note about this one was Altman’s mighty standup bass work – huge and resonating. It sounded like a giant tap dancing on the roof of The Egg. Following on his and the drummer’s sturdy backbeat, the rest of the band ditched the song proper for a dynamic, colorful jam, and Bowling and Robinson were both well footed within the fray. “Jupiter and The 119” took this energy and ran away with it, for a very special version of this Railroad classic. The band showed their fearlessness in furrowing through an uptempo jam segue, and made a seamless and uplifting transition into “Butterfly and The Tree.” The playing from everybody on stage was a thing of progressive bluegrass beauty.
While the band soared from the one song to the next, there was one particular moment in which Bowling and Skehan’s soloing linked up, and the two complimented one another musically much in the way they had in the opening Dark Star segment, only this time at a breezy speed. If anything best presented how well Bowling fit into Earth’s melodically dramatic and unpredictable style, it was here.
Many fans are understandably buzzing about the night’s encore as much as anything else in the show. “Said What You Mean” is definitely on the rarer side of Railroad Earth originals, having been performed only twice over the last two years. A song that sounds like it could have been co-written between Sam Bush and The Band (but it’s all Scheaffer, a genius in his own right), this was maybe the best loved hit of the night.
moe. played the State Theatre in Portland, ME Friday night, the first of a two-night run there to kick off their quick February jaunt through the northeast. A glance at the Al Schnier-heavy setlist reveals a message for the Commander-in-Chief from moe. Each song title’s first letter makes up an acronym.
“Ass” refers to the original working title for the song “Bullet,” which is referenced as “Assfinger” on setlists. Astute readers may also notice the mention of the word “ass” twice.
moe. performs at the State again on Saturday before heading Concord, NH Thursday, Feb. 21. See the official setlist post from moe.’s Facebook page below.
Also of note is a new Schnier song, “Screaming and Kicking,” which made its debut Friday.
moe. State Theatre, Portland, Maine – February 15, 2019
Set 1: Tailspin > Ricky Marten > Understand, meat., Waiting For The Punchline, It
Set 2: Seat Of My Pants > Akimbo, Little Miss Cup Half Empty > Y.O.Y., I Can Never Remember, New Hope For The New Year, George > Bullet
Encore: Screaming & Kicking#, Spaz Medicine
{# First time played (original al. song) First and second sets acronym – using setlist nomenclature for Bullet
Check out the show as uploaded to the Internet Archive here.
This is what happened when I dusted off my lovely Fender Strat, reads the beginning liner notes of Sharon Coates’ latest album, None of the Above.
Coates and her Strat were joined in the studio by Dave Drago on guitars, Jacob Walsh on drums, Alex Northrop on organ and Josh Massicot on piano, with Jeff Beam lending a hand on guitar for a couple tracks.
None of The Above from Sharon Coats is chock full of songs exploring a wide range of sounds and topics about feminism, love, longing, and friendship. From the pop rock sound of the opening track “Radio” to the surf-rock undertones of “Hey Man;” and from the lofty echos of “I Look For You” to the slow smolder of “One of Those Nights,” driving guitar riffs tie everything together. The vocals, lyrics and other instruments are arranged like pieces of glass in a mosaic. Each sound has been thoughtfully placed to create an auditory kaleidoscope of sound with Coates’ beloved strat as the centerpiece. The steady back beat keeps everything grounded, and the moderate use of the Hammond organ adds a colorful touch.
Here’s to hoping the dust never has a chance to settle on this indie rocker’s Fender Strat again.
Key Tracks: Radio, I Look For You, One of Those Nights
