On September 20, Radio City Music Hall will play host to Easy Rider Live, a special movie/concert event featuring the iconic 1969 film screened along with a live soundtrack. With the recent death of Easy Rider actor/writer Peter Fonda, the event will now also celebrate the memory of the legendary actor.
The evening at Radio City was originally planned to kick off with a statement from Fonda, and Fonda’s wife, Parky, said regarding the night “We are all still healing from Peter’s sudden passing, but he would insist that the message of Easy Rider and the culture for which it stands carry on. The celebration of a cinematic masterpiece, a Hollywood icon, and my beloved husband will not only be one of a kind, but exactly what he wanted.”
Easy Rider Live also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the film. The legendary soundtrack will be performed live by John Kay, Roger McGuinn, & special guests, with the evening’s music produced by T. Bone Burnett. More information can be found here.
Famed rock photographer Jay Blakesberg has announced the release of his latest photographic endeavor, JERRY GARCIA: Secret Space of Dreams – a fine art, hardcover photography book of Jerry Garcia, beginning from the middle of his career with the Grateful Dead and covering the last third of his life.
In early September 1977, the Grateful Dead performed four Labor Day weekend concerts along the east coast and at the legendary September 3rd Englishtown, NJ show where Blakesberg’s connection with the Grateful Dead was born. A year later, on September 2, 1978 at Giants Stadium, Blakesberg’s father, an amateur shutterbug himself, loaned his 16-year-old son his Pentax camera, a couple of lenses and a few rolls of film to photograph the Grateful Dead for the very first time. A photograph of Jerry Garcia from this show begins the chronological display of photographs that spans the following decades of Garcia’s life in JERRY GARCIA: Secret Space of Dreams.
The book’s Foreword is written by Grammy-award winning musician and guitar master John Mayer, who has been touring with the surviving members of the Grateful Dead as Dead & Company’s lead guitarist and vocalist since 2015. Providing the unique perspective of re-interpreting the lead guitar slot once held by Jerry Garcia, Mayer explores the magic and distinction of Garcia’s playing and the profound and lasting impact of his music on the world.
“I’ve always said that musicians play like they are, and in the case of Garcia, his performances serve as a detailed map of a man, his intentions, his desires, and his impressions of the world around him,“ Mayer writes. “And going by that map, Garcia was a lovely, mighty soul. I never met him and will never understand the loss of those who did, but the vast archive of his music amounts to the makings of a starry night sky that turns listeners into explorers.”
John Mayer
The introduction, by journalist, musician, radio host and Grateful Dead historian David Gans, dives deep into the character and charisma of the mythical non-frontman, frontman – and Blakesberg’s innate ability to capture Garcia’s magic on film. In the book’s 208 pages, Blakesberg shares 139 photographs of Garcia spanning nearly 20 years––September 2nd, 1978 (at Giants Stadium) through the April 1995 making of the “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” music video. With an essay by Garcia’s daughter Trixie and quotes from the likes of Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, David Crosby, Jim James, Carlos Santana, Trey Anastasio, Robert Hunter, Jackie Greene, Jorma Kaukonen, Country Joe McDonald, David Grisman, the “core four” members of the Grateful Dead––Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart– and more, Blakesberg leads us on a visual journey of Garcia’s life, both on and off the stage.
In the afterword, Widespread Panic founding member, author, and producer Dave Schools muses on the man, myth and legend portrayed in the pages of the photographic biography. Schools thoughtfully reflects on Garcia’s ability to “display his own frailty in the service of the song,” and to connect with the audience as participants in the performance.
“These are just some of the attributes of a human being who led without leading, who conveyed his own truth better through his music than he was able to do through the spoken word…and who lived the majority of his life onstage being part of a performance troupe that went far beyond the sum of its parts,” he writes. “And luckily for those of us who want and need to remember such experiences we have a vast recorded archive of music, millions of words both scholarly and lay, and in our hands now these magnificently telling photographs by Jay Blakesberg so that we can always queue up the memories of our shared experiences with a rare human being known as Jerry Garcia and his equally rare cohorts.”
Dave Schools
The release of JERRY GARCIA: Secret Space of Dreams comes on the heels of Blakesberg’s recent photography books FARE THEE WELL: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Grateful Dead (December 1, 2015) and Eyes of the World – Grateful Dead Photography 1965-1995, (October 23, 2017). FARE THEE WELL is a vibrant visual record of the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary “Fare Thee Well” concerts, gathering iconic images from all five performances, plus two rehearsal days, as well as band portraits, a few archival images, written tributes and setlists from the historic shows. Eyes of the World celebrates The Grateful Dead with photographs spanning their entire career from the likes of Jim Marshall, Annie Leibovitz, Herb Greene, Peter Simon (60 different photographers) and Blakesberg, who has the most photos in the book from any single photographer.
Signed copies of JERRY GARCIA: Secret Space of Dreams are available now for pre-order. Pre-orders will begin shipping September 23.
Music is Medicine Festival, a one day music festival helping raise awareness for Pancreatitis, will be held on Saturday, September 14 at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs. Headlined by Bret Bollinger (of Pepper), the event is co-headlined by funkmasters Hartley’s Encore from Albany who will kick off the event.
The genesis of the festival comes from founder Jetta Intelisano’s wife Kate, who has been battling this disease and nearly lost her life three times in the past year. Countless trips to NYC to see a specialist to have dangerous, and life-threatening procedures performed to save her life. Out of this tragic situation, Jetta has endeavored to raise awareness of this disease through our common love of music. Join Music is Medicine in this celebration as the community embarks to find better treatment and ultimately, a cure.
Additional music performances at Music Is Medicine Festival include Resinated (St. Petersburg, FL), Audic Empire (Austin, TX), Joint Operation (Baltimore, MD), The Brothers Grim (Rome, NY), and The Lateshift (Albany, NY). For more information, visit the event page.
Five bands on the same bill in one night makes for one long, but rocking evening. With so many bands playing it really felt like Breaking Benjamin brought a mini rock festival to the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, NY on Saturday August 24.
There was a great mixture of new and well known faces on the stage performing that night. Opening the evening was one rad rocker-chick named Diamante. Her blue hair and Joan Jett inspired style added to her incredible stage presence.
Next up was another amazingly talented rad rocker chick named Dorothy. Dorothy’s fashion and singing style was completely different, but equally as rocktastic as Diamante. It was great seeing two stylish and talented women opening up this tour. Dorothy has an old school rock sound mixed within with her sound. Diamante may have looked like Joan Jett, but Dorothy sounded more like a Joan Jett vibe/sound.
Three Days Grace is one of those bands that you don’t realize how many hits they have on the radio until you see them perform live. They have come a long ways with their lead vocalist change up back in 2013, but their new singer knows how to bring the energy and connect with the crowd.
Direct support for this tour was Chevelle. Chevelle is a three piece and always has played as a three piece live with no additional guitarist or tracks. They pride themselves on playing truly live and they don’t disappoint. Chevelle is a band that is all about the music and their performance reflects that. Chevelle is much like Three Days Grace where you just don’t realize how many of their songs have been on the radio over the years.
Headliners Breaking Benjamin started out strong with “Red Cold River” while lead vocalist Benjamin Burnley walked out giving the crowd a heart sign then began to sing. Breaking Benjamin had a cool stage set up along with pyros.
Breaking Benjamin are known for their song mash-ups during their sets and they brought it to Syracuse. This time their mash up consisted of “The Imperial March,” “Cowboys From Hell,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Enter Sandman,” “Bulls On Parade,” and they finished with a drum solo from Burnley. Burnley turned the mic over to band members guitarist Keith Wallen and bassist Aaron Bruch to sing a few songs.
As the skies opened up on day eight of the Great New York State Fair, it didn’t deter anyone from taking a seat at Chevy Court awaiting the two-o’clock show that would feature one of the areas favorite bands, The Mavericks. People put on their ponchos, opened their umbrellas and patiently awaited the sunshine they knew was on its way from Miami. It had been three years since they last played the Syracuse Jazz Festival, and the impression it had left on the crowd was evident; they could care less that it was pouring rain. In fact, nor did I. With an umbrella in one hand, and my camera tucked neatly underneath protected from the elements, I too awaited this charismatic band to take the stage.
Celebrating 30 years together, the two original members Raul Malo and Paul Deakin, and long time members Jerry Dale McFadden and Eddie Perez were joined on stage by a full ensemble immediately kicking it into gear with favorite, “Back In Your Arms Again.” From the moment they took the stage, their eclectic mix of country, latin and rock and roll produced a signature sound that stops you in your tracks and demands your attention.
You’re locked in a trance. Your feet begin to move, your shoulders sway and your head begins to bob along with the beat Paul is laying down. Before you know it, Raul Malo’s sultry sound has you in his spell and you can’t help but dance along with Jerry as he plays his keyboards, or Eddie as he sways with his guitar. It’s inevitable. You can’t fight it.
Playing favorites such as “All Night Long” and “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down,” The Mavericks mixed up the set with covers of Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart” and their newest release of John Anderson’s “Swingin.” Before you knew it, the set was over and all the rain had been chased away by these southern gentlemen. Perhaps it was the mash-up of “All Night Long” and “Let the Sun Shine In” that chased away the clouds. Or perhaps it’s just the sunshine they bring to Syracuse each time they play. Whatever their magic is, Syracuse couldn’t get enough and they once again brightened our day.
Setlist: Back In Your Arms Again, All Night Long / Let the Sun Shine In, Summertime (When I’m With You), Pretend, Easy As It Seems, Dance In The Moonlight, Loving You, Hungry Heart (Bruce Springsteen), As Long As There’s Loving Tonight.
Encore: Swingin’ (John Anderson), Come Unto Me, All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down.
In This Moment brought their unique stage set and put on such an amazing performance. ITM puts on more than a show, it is truly a mesmerizing performance that leaves you wanting to see more. They ended their set strong with “Whore.” Their dancers came out dressed in Handmades Tale costumes, which was such a great nod to the series and leaves you wondering why thier song hasn’t been used in the series.
Headlining the show was Five Finger Death Punch. The tour was a mini break from their new album recording. It is amazing seeing how far this band has come. The band has had its ups and downs, but this show they gave everything they had to make it a great experience for Binghamton fans. You can tell singer Ivan Moody has found his happiness again on stage and that he loves connecting with their fans.
Five Finger Death Punch will be going out on another Headlining tour this Fall starting in November and this was a great warm up mini tour.
Our obsession with Joywave continues. They’ve just released a new music video and announced that they’ll be touring with Bastille this fall. The video, shot entirely on Kodak film, consists of a series of trailers for fictional movies. With their signature wry humor, band members depict themselves as stars or directors of movies from a variety of genres including westerns, horror, action, and drama. The song “Obsession” is the second single from their forthcoming album, set to release in the next year.
The video release comes ahead of their upcoming fall tour. Joywave plays Madison Square Garden on Sept. 24. See the full list of tour dates below. These tour dates are in addition to the final performance of their intimate “Posession Sessions” series in London on Nov. 20.
JOYWAVE
ON TOUR WITH BASTILLE
Sept.16 – The Met – Philadelphia, PA
Sept. 17 – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion – Boston, MA
Sept. 18 – Place Bell – Montreal, QC
Sept. 20 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON
Sept. 21 – The Anthem – Washington, DC
Sept. 22 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
Sept. 24 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Sept. 27 – Mohegan Sun Casino – Uncasville, CT
Sept. 28 – Virginia Credit Union LIVE! – Richmond, VA
Sept. 29 – Express Live! – Columbus, OH
Oct. 1 – Masonic Temple Theatre – Detroit, MI
Oct. 2 – Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL
Oct. 4 – The Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
Oct. 5 – Salt Air Pavilion – Magna, UT
Oct. 7 – Theatre of the Clouds – Portland, OR
Oct. 8 – Thunderbird Sports Centre – Vancouver, BC
Oct. 9 – WaMu Theater – Seattle, WA
Oct. 11 – The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley – Berkeley, CA
Oct. 12 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 13 – Open Air Theatre – San Diego, CA
Oct. 15 – Comerica Theater – Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 17 – South Side Ballroom – Dallas, TX
Oct. 18 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX
Oct. 19 – Austin 360 Amphitheater – Austin, TX
Oct. 21 – BJCC Concert Hall – Birmingham, AL
Oct. 22 – Municipal Auditorium – Nashville, TN
Oct. 23 – Coca-Cola Roxy – Atlanta, GA
Oct. 25 – Red Hat Amphitheater – Raleigh, NC
Oct. 26 – Daily’s Place Amphitheater – Jacksonville, FL
Till The Earth will be performing live at Chatham Brewing on Friday September 6 at 9:00PM. The five piece rock outfit has been creating and performing music around the Capital District since 2017 and is primarily comprised of former members of the now de-funk Bohemian Slacker and Conehead Buddha.
Based primarily in Columbia County, the band features: Tom Williams (bass, guitar, vocals), Seth Falon (guitar, vocals), Scott Basil (guitar, bass, vocals), Eugene Datri (percussion, vocals) and Jack Darraq (saxophone, bass clarinet, vocals). All veteran players of the music scene in Columbia and Greene County, Till The Earth bring a vast collective knowledge to the stage that only performing live can provide.
Till The Earth brings a jam band sensibility to their sets and have been featured regularly at the Chatham Brewery for past year or so, developing a contingent of loyal fans that grow every time they perform. Their performances primarily focuses on a variety of original works that the players have penned over the span of their musical careers, but also feature covers by bands such as The Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Neil Young and more!
For the past seven years, LOCKN’ has been a true musical haven for improvisation, acting as a base for some of the most famous and remarkable collaborations. This year was no exception as some of this music scene’s most influential artists came together to share moments with festival patrons that won’t be forgotten any time soon.
The atmosphere at LOCKN’ this year was unique in that the festival felt smaller in scale compared to some of the past years when the grounds were overflowing with festivalgoers by virtue of acts like Phish, Disco Biscuits, The String Cheese Incident and Widespread Panic. In a way, the experience was more intimate and special as a result, with the performing artists’ music sweeping out into the crowd to bring their audience on a journey that was curated for their experience and their memories only.
It is always interesting to see the year-to-year tweaks that the festival implements to change the mood or improve the experience for patrons. This year, the thing that stood out was the late night shows in Garcia’s Forest, which included Circles Around the Sun, Soulive and Galactic.
Never miss a LOCKN’ sunset. Oteil & Friends
For those of us that have been six-to-seven year patrons of the festival, it is nostalgic to remember back to a widely favored and heralded set at LOCKN’ by the Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2014 in the Garcia Forest. What a trip, so many years later, to experience the powerhouse group headlining the festival, joined by superstar Trey Anastasio as the key acts of the weekend.
R.I.P Neal Casal, pictured at his last performance with Oteil & Friends.
Festivalgoers of this year’s LOCKN’ will forever evoke the memories of Neal Casal’s final performances, before our music community tragically lost him the Monday following the festival. This past weekend, Neal Casal performed late night on Thursday night with his outfit, Circles Around the Sun, which was orginially formed back in 2015 to record the interlude music for The Grateful Dead’s 50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well shows. Joe Russo performed a surprise sit-in with the group Thursday evening, in light of a collaborative EP that is due to release later this fall. Neal was seen again on stage with powerhouse group Oteil Burbridge & Friends, which also included Bob Weir and Duane Betts. Here is a clip of his solo on Thursday night with Circles Around the Sun:
“Interlocking” sets was the theme of the weekend, as always, at LOCKN’. Bob Weir graced a number of sets as a guest, as usual, including Oteil & Friends’ set where he sat in for “Cassidy” and a “Happy Birthday” song to Oteil; he joined Twiddle with Eric Krasno and John Popper for “Eyes of the World;” Old Crow Medicine; and Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians for “Deep Elem Blues.” Bob Weir was also “sitting in” during Joe Russo’s Almost Dead set when the camera spanned to him sitting side stage on a couch listening to JRAD’s set that included cuts like “Ruben and Cherise,” “Peggy-O,” “The Other One,” “Casey Jones” and “Uncle John’s Band,” to name a few.
Other notable moments of the weekend include one of the early sets of the weekend, when Trey played with the Thai-funk improv outfit Khruangbin, adding his legendary guitar licks to songs like, “Lady & Man” and “People Everywhere (Still Alive).” Moon Alice performed with the T Sisters and Lester Chambers and his son Dylan Chambers on Friday on classics such as “Uncle Johns Band” and “Attics Of My Life,” in addition to a few Moon Alice classics. Melvin Seals & JGB played a set together with John Kadlecik and the Pigeons Playing Ping Pong set had a sit-in from the Revivalist horns, to name a few more “Lockn’ Moments.” Honorable mentions should go to Fruition, who brought a sizable crowd to an 11 a.m. Garcia’s Forest set, finishing their performance with a crowd-requested “The Meaning.” Free Union started off the main stage performances on Saturday by inviting members of the Audacity Brass Band to play with them after their set was cancelled due to the storm on Friday.
Bob Weir and John Popper of Blues Traveler sit in with Twiddle.
But the weekend recap wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the extraordinary delicacy of seeing Trey and Derek performing together. Trey and Derek, certainly not strangers to each other’s guitar licks as the first time they played together was 20 years ago, had no trouble showing their respect for each other’s craft by adding the perfect additions to their respective sets. Starting with Friday night, Derek sat in for the entire second set with Trey Anastasio Band for songs like “Set Your Soul Free,” “Ghost,” and “Blaze On” with an additional sit-in from Susan on “A Life Beyond a Dream” and “Rise/Come Together.” On Saturday, Trey sat in with TTB for covers from the Derek and the Dominos’ classic album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs while TTB proper followed with “Keep On Growing,” “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and “I Am Yours.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaJ4auxoI0E
Derek Derek Derek Trey Trey Trey
Once again, the spirit at LOCKN’ was alive and well this year, and is rooted deeply now for the tradition to continue next year all over again.
Legendary guitarist Carlos Santana and his band delighted fans at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Friday, August 23 on part of his Supernatural Now Tour.
Coinciding with the anniversary of Santana’s 50th anniversary at Woodstock, the Supernatural Now Tour initially felt like a substitute for the long-promised (and repeatedly canceled) Woodstock concert.
Playing after the Doobie Brothers, who got the crowd on their feet dancing and singing along for a solid hour before the main event, Santana came out at 8:45 pm after showing a montage of Woodstock photos accompanied by some sultry, jazzy guitar, trumpet and keys. The photos started with a hand-painted sign from the 1969 concert stating “War is not healthy for children and other living things.”
Not only did the photos serve as a reminder that the then 19-year-old Santana shocked the world with his talent on the guitar at Woodstock, but that he has spent the last 50 years impressing crowds – and is still impressing them – with his passionate commitment to using music to empower others to do right by the earth. To top it off, the montage was accompanied by the music of one of Santana’s influences, Miles Davis.
Opening with one of Carlos’s earliest compositions, “Soul Sacrifice,” Santana and the band began the night with a heavy emphasis on jazz fusion with elements of rock. Santana’s soulful signature sound came through immediately as he shared the stage with other incredibly inspiring musicians. His wife Cindy Blackman Santana, a creative percussionist and legend in her own right, was captured by overhead cameras demonstrating precision and strength on drums that was inspiring. Ray Green and Andy Vargas were on vocals, Benny Rietveld, perhaps best known for his touring with Miles Davis, was on bass, and David Mathews was demonstrating how keyboards can lend swing to the melody. Rounding out with Karl Perazzo and Paoli Mejias, also on percussion, and Tommy Anthony on guitar, the Supernatural Now Tour appeared unnaturally gifted with musical genius.
While better known for a few of his popular hits in the 1990s, Santana is powerful in his intuitive fusion of rock, Latin and jazz. He’s expanded interest to African music, recently releasing Africa Speaks. The combination of styles was the right formula to get the crowd dancing, and to show off the creative aptitude of the band. Their performance of “Jin-go-bo-la,” accompanied by a video of African men and women dancing in traditional garb, intensified the high energy of the crowd. Smoothing into “Evil Ways” right afterwards, the vocalists shone while demonstrating flexibility in pitch, style and presentation.
The diversity of music styles kept fans guessing about what would happen next. From hosting the Doobie Brothers back on stage for “Some Kind of Wonderful” to instrumentals featuring Carlos Santana’s ever-evolving but still consistent signature sound, the concert was constantly shifting, expanding musical styles and blowing through boundaries.
Of course, the crowd went wild for “Oye Como Va,” a popular favorite. Dancing in their seats, fans were inspired by the powerful drumming and compelling vocal performances.
And then there was Santana on guitar, vital and creative as ever. The 69-year-old was spry as he moved across the stage, still curious about music, still passionate about sound and movement.
The musicians used bongos, whistles, maracas, tambourines, trombones and, of course, their voices, drum sets and guitars to really shake up the sounds. It was more like attending a world music concert than a pop or rock concert, which is just what Santana wants. Honoring Coltrane and Davis, he reflected on his love of jazz but also moved to include some Latin and African roots music too.
Carlos Santana is passionate about peace, children and saving rainforests. He was proud to have his family on stage with him, and his smile and brief words reflected a man who has found his place in the world. He’s passionate about music and expanding boundaries. And from listening to the songs from his new work, Santana’s passion is keeping him as vital and youthful as ever.
