Just in time for the impending summer heat comes the revival of the generally unappreciated sound of surf rock, unless you’re Quentin Tarantino. Then, a track off this album will likely wind up on your next movie, shot in glorious 70mm film. The Abyssmals are treading new water on their sophomore album as they explore a surf rock sound. The genre is very cut and dry – a good majority of the top surf rock songs of the 1960’s did have a similar feel to it.
But The Abyssmals try to break out of the mold by mixing in new flavors, both modern and classic. Where would someone listen to something like this? Hard to say. A slow cruise with the top down on a blistering, mid-July heat wave? Tiki bar party, perhaps? The tone of surf rock isn’t what people call uplifting either. It’s odd that it’s associated with relaxing at the beach at all. Nevertheless, it’s timeless sound, and The Abyssals have thrown a unique spin on the genre while flaunting their mastery of the quintessential sound of California’s beaches circa 1960.
The album is good fun. It won’t be in the Billboard Top 40 list anytime soon, but it could strike a chord with lovers of surf rock, grunge, psychedelia and even folk. The Abyssmals experiment with a several types of surf rock fusion, each of which has a natural and palatable feel to it, although the influence of grungy, darker tones can be found in almost every track. The album has a very familiar sound, but is also still very unique and almost indescribable. Listeners can pick out influences of anything ranging from Dick Dale to The Beatles, even Queens of the Stone age.
Listeners can enjoy a mainstream, stereotypical surf rock sound like in, “Enter… The Abyssmals!” and “For All Time.” Quintessential instrumentation will drop listeners right into the bench seat of a ‘37 Split Window Ford, racing to Bikini Beach. Modern recording tactics keeps the sound recognizable but modern and tasty.
But dive deeper and listeners will find a more unique blend of their influences. Songs like “Sleepwalker” and “See You Go” are built upon surf rock basics but are laced with psychedelia and indie. At this point, their sound is that of The Beatles meets The Black Keys. Lackadaisical vocals from Jarpon Reyes and Bob Forget are coupled with washy but sturdy instrumentation creating a unique atmosphere and a throwback to simpler times.
This will be fun to see live and there are plenty of opportunities to do so. Check out their Facebook events page for the full list of dates and try to catch them in New York and Massachusetts area where they’ll be spending the majority of their time. The album is up for download on Bandcamp and available to stream on Spotify and Soundcloud.
Last Pharaoh screamed out melodic power/progressive metal and neo-classical music at Orange County Choppers on Saturday night which left the crowd roaring for more. Influenced by Iron Maiden, Saxon, and Queensryche, Last Pharaoh was signed by Pure Steel Records in 2018. Their first album, “Mantle Of Spiders”, was released last year on September 21. After their ‘blowing off the roof’ rendition of “Bark at the Moon,” they treated the crowd to their soon to be released “Intruders” as their last song of the night (which will be on their new album and first single).
The four band members each bring a rocking history of their own and combine to a fantastic blend of guitar riffs and metal screams, Ron Toth on guitar, Michael James on bass, Ed Shelinsky playing drums, and Tommy Santangelo performing on vocals. They are based in the Hudson Valley, however, they will be coming to the Albany area at Chrome in Waterford, NY on May 25. Look for their music on Spotify, YouTube, Apple music, iTunes, Amazon, and of course, your local record store.
Setlist: Into the Darkness, The Headless Horseman, Jekyll and Hyde, Desert Dreams, Deadly Dreams, Machinic Non-Conscience, Slave to the Kill (The Son of Sam), Mantle of Spiders, Psychohouse, Bark at the Moon, Intruders
Pure emotion carried the crowd away
Michael JamesRon TothEd ShelinskyTommy SantangeloMichael JamesTommy SantangeloRon TothTommy Santangelo
Update (2:52pm): Michael Lang sent out an email with the following statement:
Dear Woodstock Friends It seems in a way that history is repeating itself. In July of 1969 we lost our site in Walkill and with only a month to go we managed to move to Bethel. Woodstock was going to happen no matter what!
This time around, Woodstock’s new hometown, Dix & Watkins Glen, NY and New York State have been really wonderful. I went door to door to talk to the neighbors. Some remembered Summer Jam back in ’73 and were worried about history repeating itself. But they opened their doors to us and we talked it out. Many of those people have reached out over the last 24 hours with messages of hope and encouragement. The venue, Watkins Glen International, have been totally supportive and professional.
Yesterday, our financial partner, Dentsu-Aegis, made the decision to pull out and informed us that they were cancelling the festival at the same time they let the press release go public.
We have yet to understand why they would try to prevent the festival from happening by seemingly undermining us in this way. It is one thing to decide for oneself that it is best to move on, but it is entirely another thing to try and close the door on us.
Yesterday, I couldn’t help but relive that moment 50 years ago – it was “ déjà vu all over again”!
Supporting the principles of activism and sustainability are too important to be derailed by shortsighted partners.
We continue our work with NYS, Schuyler County and various parties to keep things on track.
Woodstock never belonged to Dentsu, so they don’t have a right to cancel it.
Woodstock belongs to the people and it always will.
We don’t give up and Woodstock 50 will take place and will be a blast! Thanks for Listening, Michael
Michael Lang, via email
Woodstock 50 promoter Michael Lang responded to reports of his festival’s demise in a Facebook post late Monday, exclaiming, “Although our financial partner is withdrawing, we will of course be continuing with the planning of the festival and intend to bring on new partners.”
The loss of Dentsu Aegis Network‘s funding of the festival comes at a time when Lang has confirmed artists have been paid in full, a mass gathering permit has yet to be issued, and tickets still have not gone on sale.
Lang took to Facebook on Monday evening, saying the following:
We are committed to ensuring that the 50th anniversary of Woodstock is marked with a festival deserving of its iconic name and place in American history and culture. Although our financial partner is withdrawing , we will of course be continuing with the planning of the festival and intend to bring on new partners. We would like to acknowledge the State of New York and Schuyler County for all of their hard work and support. The bottom line is, there is going to be a Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival, as there must be, and it’s going to be a blast !
Also at issue is the lack of a mass gathering permit, which would allow for ticket sales to commence. Per New York State Department of Health guidelines, a temporary permit is needed 15 days prior to the advertising or selling of tickets. That permit, as of now, has not been acquired by Woodstock 50.
While media outlets are reporting the festival is cancelled, Lang is committed to saving the star-studded festival from an untimely demise. He did so in 1969. Let’s see if he has another miracle up his sleeve.
Though Pink Floyd has been retired since their 1995 “Pulse” tour (with the exception of the 2014 release of The Endless River) all three surviving members of the band have treated New York City to different flavors of the live Pink Floyd experience. Roger Waters made a statement with his present-day adaptation of The Wall at Yankee Stadium in 2013. David Glimour mesmerized Manhattan with three nights between Radio City and The Garden. This past weekend, Nick Mason propelled the Syd Barret era back into the limelight, presenting works from the band’s earliest recordings.
In comparison to large venue shows, The Beacon Theatre provided a much more intimate experience and prompted many to share stories about their first experiences seeing the band in smaller venues before the show even began – a reminiscence which become even more real later in the show.
Nick Mason and Guy Pratt performing at the Beacon Theatre
The intro riffs of “Interstellar Overdrive,” from Pink Floyd’s first album, were quick to establish the theme of the show, something to which Mason remarked upon after a couple of songs. He dismissed considering his band some sort of Pink Floyd tribute-act or a nostalgia machine. His band wasn’t a random assemblage of musicians either. Joining him on bass was Guy Pratt, who toured with Mason, Gilmour and the late Richard Wright, on the post-Waters Pink Floyd tours; on guitar, Gary Kemp, a longtime friend of Mason’s. Kemp’s familiarity and Pratt’s Floyd touring experience were evident in many aspects of the night from performance style to the band’s chemistry and character, just to name a few. It all created the genuine Pink Floyd-esque show Mason intended. Also joining Mason was Lee Harris (former guitarist for The Blockheads) who effortlessly flowed along with Kemp to re-create Syd Barrett’s sound, and Dom Beken on keys, dialing in Richard Wright’s style.
The setlist included several favorites from the early Floyd catalogue, which haven’t been played live in many years by either Gilmour or Waters, and dug into some rarer songs off those albums. Some box-sets and re-releases brought some of these songs back into the light, but other songs in the set like “Green is the Colour” and “Vegetable Man” were a treat from the realm of obscurity for dedicated fans in the audience. Pratt got his wish to pick a song to play on this tour. For Gilmour’s mid/late 2000’s tour, Pratt was given the chance to choose a song for the setlist, to which he suggested “The Nile Song.” He joked that the idea clearly wouldn’t fly as it wasn’t popular, “[that] album was half the cost of all the other Pink Floyd albums and everyone had it.” However, the heavier/louder psychedelic sound was welcomed at the Beacon Theatre and didn’t disappoint the crowd.
Nick Mason performing at the Beacon Theatre
With New York a major crossroads and hub in the music world, the unexpected can happen. Mason was telling a story about not being able to play the shiny gong behind him in the early years for “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” because of a certain bandmate that always took that job from him. During which, Roger Waters emerged from the shadows of stage right to the gasps of the audience. Without a bass in hand, Waters performed the lyrics of the song, capturing an original recording and early performances of it.
The two former Pink Floyd members had been on stage together during Waters’ The Wall tour and previously during the band’s 2005 Live 8 reunion set. But, this is the first time in many years members of Pink Floyd have collaborated on stage for one of that band’s early songs. The surviving members have reunited to a limited degree in the years since the full 2005 reunion, (the three appeared briefly on stage in 2011 with a special appearance by Gilmour) and the experience NYC got with Waters and Mason will probably be the closest thing to a Pink Floyd reunion at this point, but these moments will certainly be welcomed.
Setlist: Interstellar Overdrive, Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam, Fearless, Obscured By Clouds, When You’re In, Remember a Day, Arnold Layne, Vegetable Man, If -> Atom Heart Mother -> If (reprise), The Nile Song, Green Is The Colour, Let There Be More Light, Childhood’s End, Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, See Emily Play, Bike, One of These Days
Encore: A Saucerful of Secrets, Point Me at the Sky
Vocalist Nick Reese, guitarist Blake Allard, bassist Greg Braccio, and drummer Robert Sodaro comprise Joyous Wolf; a rock and roll four-piece from Southern California who are hitting on all cylinders. After only four years together they have signed with Roadrunner Records, releasing their debut EP (out this month) and currently on a two-month tour opening for Buckcherry. Not too shabby.
I spoke with Nick Reese and Greg Braccio before their set at The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The show marked the midway point of the current tour with Buckcherry. We were led by the band’s tour manager, Stripes, to an upstairs back corner lounge to conduct our interview. Nick and Greg sat down in padded bar chairs that had no legs attached, which puts them close to floor level. I’m now towering over the guys (being 6’2”) so I grab a “legless” chair too and join the guys on the floor. They let out a “yeah,” as we are now all eye to eye. “You should make a new show called “Tiny Chair Talk”” Nick says. We start laughing and get down to rock and roll.
Greg Braccio – Bass, Nick Reese – Vocals
Mickey Deneher: You’re a SoCal band. When I listen to your songs, you’re not the Beach Boys. You’re not the Eagles. Who is Joyous Wolf? Why did you put the band together?
Nick Reese: There wasn’t a reason, other than boredom.
Greg Braccio: That’s the interesting thing.
NR: It kind of happened.
GB: None of us went into this like we are going to be this kind of band, or that kind of band. Everyone had their set of influences and it just melded into what it is.
NR: It found it’s own way.
MD: Creatively isn’t that the way you want it?
GB: Absolutely.
NR: That is what we set out for. I could play you our original demos and stuff and it’s a totally different band.
MD: If you take yourself from the beginning to now, where’s the band gone?
NR: Everywhere (said with a very big grin, laughing).
MD: Not only physically, but creatively.
NR: I think we’ve always set out to be creative. I think we just figured it out ourselves. We really didn’t know what we were. We were pretty much a bunch of guys jamming together, putting out ideas. A lot of evolution has happened since then. That’s all I can say. It’s just evolving. Yeah, a lot of evolution.
Blake Allard, guitar
MD: The writing process. Where does that (direction) come from? Who’s the driver?
NR: We all write together. Sometimes, someone will go and write something by themselves and bring it, and we all make it happen. That’s pretty much the main thing, or else we just get together and feel out the room, and what ever happens. Sometimes a song happens right there.
MD: You hear it? You hear it as your playing?
NR: Yeah.
MD: And all of a sudden, it’s like “go over here.”
NR/GB: Yeah.
MD: That’s a cool thing.
Robert Sodara, Drums
MD: In your promo (bio) it says you go from heavy metal to delta blues. That’s a huge swash.
NR: When we did that thing (promo) it was,what do we listen to? What’s the range? We’ll listen to heavier bands and to Muddy Waters. Between the four of us there’s a pretty big collection of music. That’s really what I think makes this band fun, for me anyway.
GB: Yeah.
NR: We get to apply all of it together. There is no one direction. I think people are going to see that on the record. I think they are going to have a lot of different feelings to our music.
MD: Is it always a personal thing when you write? Or is it, I saw something that impacted me?
GB: Honestly I don’t really think of it that way. It’s just kind of what ever we are feeling at that moment, or what ever we are playing, or what ever we are doing.
I think we try really hard try to just venture outside of the parameter of what’s the normal average rock band.
– Nick Reese
NR: As far as myself, that happened to me lyrically. I bring in little bits and pieces, now and then. But the majority of my job is to translate the mass that they create.
MD: Is it you, or is everyone dropping little snippets of sound?
GB: It’s either that or we’re all kind of jamming together and it will come up.
NR: Sometimes it will be at a sound check. Sometimes it’ll be when we are completely far apart. No one’s near each other and someone wakes up in the middle of the night. It’s nothing new as far as how songs are written.
MD: Your right. It’s nothing new, but it is new.
NR: Yeah, it’s a new creation.
MD: You are looking for something new.
GB: It’s almost inevitable to create something entirely new, especially with rock music. But, it’s really just the four of us having our own set of influences and hoping to create something like a weird blend of genres, what ever you want to call it.
MD: That synergy sort of groove thing and follow along.
GB: Yeah.
MD: And bring people with you.
GB: Absolutely.
Nick Reese, Blake Allard
NR: I think for us, it’s all about the energy of our music. I think that’s what makes it sound fresh. That, and I think we also try really hard try to just venture outside of the parameter of what’s the normal average rock band. I think we are going to do even more and more of that as we continue on.
MD: Setting yourself apart. In time, you want people to just say immediately “Joyous Wolf” as compared to “umm, sounds like umm,”
NR: “Whoever else.”
MD: That’s the individuality of it.
NR: We are fully prepared for things like that. Every band that has ever come around has been compared to somebody else.
GB: It is inevitable.
NR: Even when Led Zeppelin came around they said they sounded like Jeff Beck’s band. There is never going to be a brand new band that’s not going to get pegged for somebody else.
Opening for Buckcherry at The Chance Theater
MD: You played at a festival in Sacramento, under a freeway, and got a record deal.
GB: It sounds that simple, but that’s is pretty much how it happened.
NR: And it just happened to be next to the 5 Freeway. I still think to this day that that is the most California thing that could have possibly have happened. We’re playing in Sacramento, in the capital; we’re from California, lived their our whole lives; and we’re playing under the f#cking 5 Freeway.
That performance lead to signing with Atlantic Records’s Roadrunner label and the recording of their debut EP, “Place in Time,” in late 2018.
MD: Had you guys ever been in a recording environment like that? Putting together an album with any other bands or anyone else?
NR: Not quite like that no. Everything else that we had done was very independent.
GB: That was like the first professional setting to be doing that in.
MD: I hear bands talk about the daunting task of going in, getting it right. The producer is such a critical cog in that wheel to make something happen.
NR: He helped educate us in a couple of ways, as far as our ability to write songs. It’s not like we ever had trouble, he just showed us little bits and pieces to help us do that. Honestly, I think in that perspective, it came out pretty great. As far as it being daunting, I think the only thing that we were worried about was having the material. We went and took a couple of weeks after our fall tour last year and we worked until (looking to George) when did we go in?
GB: Late November early December.
NR: We did pretty much the entire the record in around 2 weeks.
GB: So it was very new material still.
Nick Reese, Blake Allard
MD: The sounds you had in your head for those songs, I take it, all the songs where written prior to going into the studio.
NR/GB: Yeah.
MD: Was that sound, the actual sound that came out? Or did it go to someplace else?
NR: I don’t think there was ever an expectation really. You don’t know what you are going to get, you know, until it is done.
GB: Yeah, I mean it was close. I would briefly say it was not quite what we were expecting. But overall it’s us. We shine through as much as we could.
MD: And you can stand up and say, “we are proud of it.”
NR: Yeah, I’m proud of the songs. I am proud of the songs.
Greg Braccio, Robert Sodaro, Blake Allard
MD: I’ve seen a couple of acoustic things that you have done. It’s you (Nick) and Blake (guitar.) Is that something that you may lean more towards going forward? Or is it that just that we need to be acoustic because of where we are and that’s what we do?
GB: I think when it comes to a full-length album or whatever; we’ll defiantly want to incorporate acoustic or anything really. We are not stuck to one thing.
NR: Even on the EP already we are going to have some stuff that a lot of our peers I don’t think would do. I think we’ve already included some elements, things that are not exactly everyone’s idea of rock and roll. We’re really not afraid to go anywhere. We don’t have any machismo. It could be literally anything. I feel like that’s how rock’s going to go forward, just let it fly.
GB: Yeah, it’s not supposed to be still the Sunset Strip all leather kind of thing. It’s got to evolve from that.
MD: No walls. No constraints. You just take if where it goes. Who knows where it’s going to end up, but you are not stopping yourselves.
The guys nod their agreement. As we get closer to show time, we talk about what is ahead for the year
Nick Reese
MD: Two months with Buckcherry.
NR: It’s a lot longer than that. We’re doing their second leg in the summer and even more, later in the year. We are also supporting Slash in July. We are also going to go to Europe for the first time this fall.
MD: This (current) tour you went to Canada and now you are doing a whole leg going back to California.
NR: Yeah and then we go back to Canada with Slash for six shows. We opened for him at the Paramount in New York last fall. He had picked us to come and open the shows. We were going to play Rock Fest, but when Slash calls, you don’t say no to Slash.
We’re really not afraid to go anywhere. We don’t have any machismo. It could be literally anything.
– Nick Reese
There is a reason why Buckcherry, Slash and other top-level acts are booking Joyous Wolf to open for them. As the band hit the stage this night, they took charge. Nick gyrated across the stage as if he had conjured up the spirit of fellow Californian Jim Morrison. All the time drawing in the audience with every word sung. Supporting their vocal extrovert, Blake, Greg, and Robert cranked out some heavy, in your face, rock and roll power playing. By the end of the set, hands were pumping high in the air and Joyous Wolf had left their mark. With an impressive, well-produced debut EP and ever increasing exposure opening for some of rock’s best, it won’t be long till these guys are headlining themselves.
How would you describe the voice of Marcus Ruggiero? Start with the wind, a soft breeze which just captures your attention. Then feel your heartbeat, the deep, soulful sound reverberates with the rhythm of your heart. You can definitely hear a Cat Stevens tone about his voice, however, depending upon the song, a hint of Darius Rucker can be heard as well. Alone, his voice would be enough, but add to it the wailing guitar of Joe Mele, Sonny Speed at the keyboards, James Cappello driving the bass, and Brian Melick on his eclectic mix of percussion and you have nothing short of perfection in the form of Side Show Gypsy. Playing the second show of a ten-concert series in the lead up to a new album release, Side Show Gypsy treated Saratoga fans to a night of music that was full of emotion and left the crowd clamoring for even more.
Hold on to your ticket money, folks. You won’t be able to buy passes for Woodstock this Monday. The sale date was scheduled to coincide with Earth Day, April 22. But for undisclosed reasons, that date is being delayed.
Everyone is waiting on an official public announcement, but Billboard reports that an email went out to agents on Friday, April 19 alerting them of the postponement.
Earlier today, talent manager Amanda Phelan with Woodstock 50 talent-buyer Danny Wimmer Presents sent an email to agents representing acts at the concert in Watkins Glen, New York, explaining, “There is currently a hold on the Woodstock 50 on-sale date. We are waiting on an official press statement from Woodstock 50 regarding updated announce, ticket pricing, and overall festival information. We will get this information to you as soon as we receive it.”
– from Billboard
The event is scheduled for August 16-18 at Watkins Glen. Top-name acts are slated to play. The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Jay-Z, Robert Plant, Dead and Company, John Fogerty and Santana are among an impressive array of headliners.
Information about Woodstock 50 is available on their website, or you can follow on Facebook and Twitter for updates. NYS Music will continue to provide ongoing coverage of Woodstock 50 as events unfold.
New York-based electropop powerhouse Car Astor has released the new music video for her single “Don’t Stop, Don’t Speak.” The self-directed video contains elements of classic 90’s music videos by Garbage, Placebo and Foo Fighters, including fisheye lenses, loose narratives, and energetic performance footage.
“I was able to look to many of my earliest musical influences and nod my head to them with the performance aspect of the video,” says Car Astor. “It was such a blast. I really wanted to pull on the tension and desire that surrounds the lyrics of the song, and execute that in a symbolic, dark ‘me’ way.”
“‘Don’t Stop, Don’t Speak’ is a song that really pushed me to grow as an artist, and this video did the same exact thing,” says Car. “I’m super stoked with the end result. The project was a true labor of love from start to finish.”
Car Astor previously released “Don’t Stop, Don’t Speak” as a standalone single earlier this year, which served as the follow-up to her music video “Girlfriend”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II7iehfiJRs
Hailing from Long Island, Car Astor first emerged into the music world via YouTube known simply as SEE, creating a viral underground presence that infected a whole legion of internet fans.
Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre, was joined by a lively Dan Crisp on vocals, Alan Thomson on Bass, Darby Todd and Clive Bunker rocking the drums, and Dee Palmer on keyboards for two nights at The Strand Theater in Hudson Falls. The show featured a special multimedia presentation that, together with the music, highlighted the 50 years of Jethro Tull’s classic hits.
Last night Trey Anastasio brought his newest project, the emotionally charged Ghosts of the Forest, to New York City for the first of a two night run at the United Palace Theatre. A departure from the improvisational jam routine, GOTF provided a set of incredible honesty and vulnerability. Apart from the music, this project stands-out as beautifully intimate and something uniquely special.
Six shows into their one-off tour, the group of frequent collaborators (members of Phish, TAB and the fresh voice of Celisse Henderson) have played the same setlist every night. Opting for one single set, the sextet unrelentingly weaved through all the highs and lows with precision.
As the crowd funneled in, the ambient house music set the mood, giving everyone time to settle into the wonderfully-detailed 3,000 capacity room. If you’ve been paying attention, by now you know that the music of GOTF has all been derived from the passing of Trey’s childhood friend Chris Cottrell. The 90-year-old opera house provided a perfect setting for this music. The poignant to-the-point lyrics, gorgeous layers of soothing vocal melodies and soaring guitar solos filled air with sentimental, and sublime energy.
The title track “Ghosts of the Forest,” which served as the opening song, is an ethereal walk through an odd-time signature – a reflection of what it’s like trying to understand permanent loss. Going on themes of confusion and searching, there is no nonsense here; “I’m drowning in my own mind, I’m drowning in thoughts, I’m drowning in memories.” These personal revelations continue through “Drift While You’re Sleeping” and “Friend,” a touching gospel ballad expressing the difficulties of making, and losing, friendship.
When new music is released, fans love and look forward to hearing how studio music will translate into the live setting. As the album had not yet been released before the first 5 dates, nobody knew what to expect. Yesterday however, the studio material was revealed and finally gave a taste to the masses. Still, two-plus hours gave plenty of time for extras. The first non-album song, “Sightless Escape,” was fourth up, but the first to feel like a potential jam-vehicle. Featuring a surf-rock tinged riff and a loose mid-section groove, you know things are picking up when Trey lets loose with the whammy pedal. A short, but soulful vocal solo from Celisse was an amazing touch.
Trey and his team, including Stop Making Sense production designer, Abigail Holmes, have done an excellent job of blending various elements of this production to evoke and portray the feelings one might experience when losing someone they love. The stage was fascinating, featuring constantly changing graphics displayed on 10′ vertical LED screens situated between three large panels of swirling three-dimensional triangles. At some points, the backdrop really looked like ghosts in a forest.
The setlist was up-and-down, light and dark, upset yet glad. At times the crowd would sit, during “In Long Lines,” a heartfelt acoustic passage where Trey is clearly singing about real memories he had with his friend. “I lit your cigarette, your hand was touching mine.” As Trey mentioned in a recent Rolling Stone interview, Chris smoked up until the day he passed. In another song, the crowd was bouncing, laughing with the band as they smiled and danced through “The Green Truth,” an uptempo classic rock number featuring vast interplay between guitar and vocals, on the refrain “take it as it comes.”
In a dare-worded curveball moment, Trey sat down his guitar completely for “Mint Siren Dream” and sang over a soft shuffle from Fishman, on top of descending leads from the milkman on keys, Ray Paczkowski. Another obviously special moment, as last year Ray had a brain tumor scare, right around the same time Chris Cottrell was in his final months. Allowing Ray to shine felt like a reminder that these unpredictable episodes in life can be celebrated as much as they are to be mourned in.
Recently Trey commented on Sirius XM that Chris loved it when he ripped on guitar. This was undeniable through the entire set, but spoke most loudly on the racer “Ruby Waves” and “About To Run,” which featured a colorful silhouette on the LED’s during its peaking solo.
It was not painfully obvious, that a man in mourning wrote this music. Though, songs like the all acoustic “Brief Time” point out the inevitable, most of it is uplifting. These songs are an expression of an infinite and all-encompassing love. They are an honor to friendship and experience. The set ended the same way it began, with the piano melody of “Ghosts Of The Forest” as each member walked off stage one by one. It was a surreal call back to the beginning, perfectly encapsulating the circle of life. In his final words, Trey thanked the crowd on behalf of the entire band. It was so heartfelt and really showed that they were there for him as much as he was there for them “dancing beneath a sea of stars.”
Stay tuned with NYS as GOTF is back at United Palace tonight for round two. Download audio of tonights set via LivePhish.
SETLIST: Ghosts of the Forest, Drift While You’re Sleeping, Friend, Sightless Escape, Halfway Home > If Again, In Long Lines, There’s a Path Above, About to Run, The Green Truth, Beneath a Sea of Stars Parts 1 & 2 > Mint Siren Dream, Stumble Into Flight, Ruby Waves,Shadows Thrown By Fire, Wider, A Life Beyond The Dream, In This Bubble > Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 3 (blue).
