Lake Street Dive will conclude their extensive 2019 US tour in October in support of its critically acclaimed 2018 album, Free Yourself Up. The band will perform in Brooklyn in support of the Avett Brothers on Oct. 5, then head north to Albany for a solo performance at the Palace Theatre on Oct. 6. They swing back to the Empire State in mid-October with stops in Buffalo on Oct. 18 and Geneva on Oct.19.
Free Yourself Up was released last year on Nonesuch Records to critical and popular acclaim, spending a remarkable seven and a half months on the non-commercial radio charts and an equally rare eighteen weeks on Billboard’s Top Current Albums chart. The record debuted at No. 4 on the Top Album Chart and No. 8 in the Billboard Top 200 Chart, and the lead single “Good Kisser” was in the Top 5 at Americana radio for more than a month.
Lake Street Dive Tour Dates
Oct. 2 – Lebanon Opera House – Lebanon, NH (Sold Out)
Following its Tony-nominated hit Broadway run seen by tens of thousands, Tony Award winner John Leguizamo’s one-man play Latin History for Morons will return to New York for one night only at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, November 9.
Latin History for Morons is inspired by the near total absence of Latinos from Leguizamo’s son’s American History books. Leguizamo embarks on an outrageously funny, frenzied search to find a Latin hero for his son’s school history project. From a mad recap of the Aztec empire to stories of unknown Latin patriots of the Revolutionary War and beyond, Leguizamo breaks down the 3,000 years between the Mayans and Pitbull into 110 irreverent and uncensored minutes above and beyond his unique style.
Ben Brantley of The New York Times called the show a “surprisingly poignant one-man play that slyly poses sharp and timely questions of what culturally defines American identity and who, in the nationalistic age of Trump, has ‘the right’ to be here.”
Latin History for Morons concluded its successful run on Broadway on February 25, 2018. The original 16-week engagement was extended an additional three weeks on opening night, November 15, 2017. The production was the first play of the 2017-2018 season to recoup its entire capitalization.
This marks theatre’s most prolific modern Latino playwright, John Leguizamo’s sixth one-man venture onto the stage, following success on Broadway with Ghetto Klown (Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award), Freak (Drama Desk Award), Sexaholix…A Love Story (Tony nomination) and Off-Broadway with Mambo Mouth (Obie Award) and Spic-O-Rama (Drama Desk Award).
Directed by Tony Taccone (Wishful Drinking, Bridge & Tunnel), the Tony-nominated production of Latin History for Morons is written and performed by Leguizamo, featuring scenic design by Rachel Hauck, lighting design by Alexander V. Nichols, and original music and sound design by Bray Poor. Latin History for Morons is produced by THE WOW Agency, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and The Public Theater.
The Kitchen, one of New York City’s most forward-looking nonprofit spaces, will kick off a new benefit concert series on September 25 with DJ sets from James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem/DFA) and friends. The first floor theater will host Murphy, with doors opening at 8:30pm and the DJ sets running from 9pm-12am. More information on the upcoming concerts for the 2019-20 season will be announced soon.
The Kitchen shows innovative work by emerging and established artists across disciplines, with programs ranging from dance, music, performance, and theater to video, film, and art, in addition to literary events, artists’ talks, and lecture series. Since its inception in 1971, The Kitchen has been a powerful force in shaping the cultural landscape of this country, and has helped launch the careers of many artists who have gone on to worldwide prominence.
Folkfaces will hold their second annual music fest this October 3-6 at Cherry Hill Campground in Darien Center, NY. The four-day event boasts 42 local and touring acts from a plethora of different genres, with an emphasis on original American roots music. The festival will also include vendors, food, art, workshops, games, raffles, bonfires, late-night jams, camping, yoga, and more.
The festival kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 3 with early set-up and a pre-party featuring Pennsylvania bluegrassers, the Jakobs Ferry Stragglers. Friday through Sunday, music will start at noon and run until midnight or later. Headlined by Spoon Lady and the Tater Boys, these American roots musicians are a YouTube sensation and busking extraordinaires from Asheville, NC. Abby (Spoon Lady) met up with Folkfaces on their 2018 spring tour and became fast friends. She’ll bring her spoons and some friends (The Tater Boys) to play with, and also giving a Spoons workshop.
Other notable acts on the festival bill include folk multi-instrumentalist Aaron Jonah Lewis, two sets by Adirondack freight train stringers The Blind Owl Band, NOLA buskers Yes Ma’am, delta blues-inspired slide guitarist Cristina Vane, down-home folk swingers Woody Pines, roots/Americana/old-time multi-instrumentalists Aaron Lipp & Bobby Henrie, and Finger Lakes-based bluegrassers Dirty Blanket. Not to mention, two sets from Folkfaces.
For more information on Folkfaces Fest in Darien Center, visit the event’s website or Facebook event.
On Saturday, Sept. 28, Riverboat Bar will host the first annual ‘Alex Bay Summer Send-Off,’ a full day of live music, with doors opening at 2:00 p.m., to close out the summer season. The headlining performance will be funky reggae-jam fusion band, Annie in the Water. Other scheduled acts throughout the day include Root Shock, Eggy, The Old Main, Big Sexy and the Scrambled Eggs, and Trampoline Jetstream. In between sets, there will be DJ sets provided by D.C. area’s Schwa and Proper Philth.
The night is capped off with an All-Star Super Jam featuring musicians from throughout the day. On top of all that, Ben Carrey of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will be the artist-at-large for the day.
Annie in the Water has played a significant role in shaping the original music scene in Upstate New York and their shows are always high energy and filled with positive vibes. A couple of bands will be making their Riverboat debut on Sept. 28 including Root Shock, a Syracuse-based soulful roots-reggae based act, and Eggy, a 4-piece improvisational rock band from New Haven, CT. Utica’s The Old Main returns to Riverboat with its original Americana folk jams. Commemorating the amazing summer season, Trampoline Jetstream and Big Sexy and the Scrambled Eggs will both return to the Riverboat after making their debuts earlier in the summer.
The music starts at 3:00 p.m. and continues all day long. Click here for more ticketing and event information.
On Friday, September 20th, Phantasy Tour will celebrate 20 years with a performance by Star Kitchen at The 8×10. As a Baltimore-based, grassroots organization that has long supported The Disco Biscuits, Star Kitchen at the legendary 8×10 venue is the perfect way to celebrate twenty years of set-list obsession.
Star Kitchen is a star-studded side project by members of many of Phantasy Tour’s long time favorite bands. Featuring bassist Marc Brownstein (The Disco Biscuits), guitarist Danny Mayer (Eric Krasno Band), keyboardist Rob Marscher (Addison Groove Project, Matisyahu) and drummer Marlon Lewis (Lauryn Hill, John Legend), the band is known for their exploratory jazz improvisations that stray from what listeners may expect from this cast. Surprising as it may be, everyone leaves a Star Kitchen show revived. Their two sets at The 8×10 will begin at 9:30pm.
Phantasy Tour is an online community of live music fans largely driven by set list prediction games for jam bands. Inspired by Phish and their 1999 Fall Tour, Phantasy Tour has now expanded to include the majority of touring bands one would consider to be in the jam/Americana/funk live rotation. PTers use the platform not only to play set list prediction games with their friends, but also to connect with other fans of their favorite bands and collect their live music experiences. To date, Phantasy Tour has over 170,000 registered members.
Tickets are available now. This show is sponsored in part by Remedy Columbia.
Meet Witty Tarbox. The funky surf-rock jam band hailing from Buffalo, NY that just packed the Town Ballroom to celebrate the release of their debut album, Origins of Schmitty. Comprised of Cody Tarbox (bass), Bryan Williams (guitar/vocals), Alex Khoury (guitar/vocals), Seth Bykowski (saxophone) and Colin Gray (drums), this band has quickly made a name for themselves in the WNY music scene. This year they made their debut at Night Lights Music Festival, and have opened for notable bands such as Consider the Source and Litz.
Origins of Schmitty release party at the Town Ballroom – 9/6/2019 – Photo: Zachary Todtenhagen
How this band came to be is a perfect representation of Witty Tarbox – spontaneous and weird. One night, Bryan and Alex were at Nietzsche’s bar in Buffalo and after a drink or two, Bryan asked Alex if he wanted to start a band, and Alex said “Yeah!” After that Bryan got up for a few minutes and came back to say “Awesome, just booked us a show here, it’s in three weeks, we need a band.” They called up their friends from college, Cody and Colin and they opened up for a sold-out Delicate Steve show with a setlist composed of about 90% covers, including the Arthur theme song, and the first original song they played together, “Trevor.”
As Witty Tarbox started to gain momentum, they met Seth, who was playing with another local Buffalo band at the time. They asked Seth to sit-in with them and after that Seth found himself sitting-in on almost every show for about a year, until he was asked to officially join the band.
From there, the band has become a staple in the WNY music scene. Their shows are always high-energy, fun and most importantly, weird. One thing you will hear walking through the crowd at any Witty Tarbox show is “Wow these guys are really good, but they’re weird!” As a band, they pride themselves in that. For their album release party they asked everyone to wear costumes and go all out weird, and all out weird it was. Their performances bring a fun new take to the jam band scene. See for yourself in this video of ‘Prepare To Launch’ from this past weekend at Riverboat Bar in Alexandria Bay, NY.
Witty Tarbox released their debut album, Origins of Schmitty, just over a week ago. Schmitty is a character that has been in the Witty-verse for some time now, as the band uses characters to tell stories with their music. The album tells a story of heartbreak, debauchery, and healing; the story of Schmitty. It starts off with a deep acoustic song, “Group Therapy,” which was never actually recorded in the studio. When they went to record it, the band felt that they couldn’t capture the same feeling they had when they recorded the video of Alex and his guitar one late-night in Cody’s living room. So, the audio on the album is actually ripped from that original iPhone video.
“Prepare to Launch is probably one of my favorites [to perform] because the monologue that Alex does and watching like the front row of people, who probably have mostly never seen us before, and just watching their faces and tapping their buddies like ‘What the … what is going on?’ ”
Cody Tarbox
If you have seen Witty Tarbox live before, you might recognize a few of the songs, such as “Fa Napoli” and “Goodbye, Jackie.” Both songs, which were debuted under different names, evolved as the band experimented with new jams and finding new elements to try in the songs. Cody makes his debut on vocals in “A Universal Feeling or Two,” which has also been in rotation for about a year and a half under a different name, without lyrics. When the lyrics were introduced, Colin hated them, but once he heard Cody record it (in one take no less), it quickly became one of his favorite songs off the album. Well, either that or “Norman,” which is a favorite among the Witty team. The album ends with “Kokiri,” named after Colin’s favorite place in his favorite video game, and features Mike Gantzer of Aqueous. You can give the whole album a listen below.
He’s a cool guy, cool attitude … and I think [Aqueous] likes to support Buffalo and the music scene here, and just in general, everyone is kind of really supportive of each other. I like how everyone works together in Buffalo, because it’s so small and there is this sense of comradery here that’s really nice and it helps everybody grow.
Alex Khoury, on working with Mike Gantzer and the Buffalo music scene.
Witty Tarbox had an extremely successful summer, and they owe a lot of it to their team. They are incredibly grateful to their management, Tim Merrill and Jes Tarbox, for keeping them on their toes and keeping them focused. Another big part of the Witty team is Brandon Kempisty, who collaborates on a lot of their costumes and props for shows that help keep it weird. Together they’ve created this wonderful Witty-verse that fans have fallen in love with.
We wouldn’t be where we are now without everyone else. It takes a village as they say.
Cody Tarbox
Witty Tarbox – Origins of Schmitty release party – 9/6/2019 – Photo: Zachary Todtenhagen
Check out their upcoming shows below, and visit their website or Facebook page for more information and even more exciting announcements for this fall/winter.
Upcoming Shows
October 6 – Folkface’s Fest – Darien Center, NY
October 26 – Brick Bar – Oswego, NY
November 2 – King’s Rook club – Erie, PA
November 15 – Unofficial moe. After Party – Nietzsche’s – Buffalo, NY
Ahead of its 2020 season, the WinterWonderGrass Music & Brew Festival has announced details surrounding its annual “Caravan to WonderGrass” campaign taking place this October. The series will kick off at this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO on October 3rd, stopping in Tahoe City and Truckee, CA over three days before the culminating event happens on October 26th in Manchester, VT.
Caravan to WonderGrass aims to curate intimate, pop-up events in the festival’s host states–namely Colorado, California and Vermont–to produce gatherings that celebrate both the release of the annual festival lineups, while also offering an opportunity to connect more deeply with the local community. A “caravan,” after all, is defined as, “a group of people, especially traders or pilgrims, traveling together,” and with three national locations to its name, WinterWonderGrass, and the events leading up to it, embody just that.
“The journey is often the greatest part of the adventure–the anticipation, the allure of reconnection, the enthusiasm and camaraderie,” WinterWonderGrass founder, Scotty Stoughton, shares about the Caravan concept. He elaborates, “We absolutely love the communities where WinterWonderGrass has found a home over the years, and we enjoy spending more time connecting with the culture of each of these unique villages. Part of our mission during the Caravan events is to highlight the incredible local food, talent, farms, train depots and lakeside porches inherent in each community, and use them to welcome the next iteration of WinterWonderGrass each year.”
WinterWonderGrass kicks off its annual Caravan to WonderGrass series during this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO over October 3rd – 5th in front of 60,000 people. Great American Beer Festival attendees can experience four days of music across each session with performances by Vince Herman and Andy Thorn (Leftover Salmon) featuring Silas Herman on October 3rd; a special WinterWonderWomen showcase on October 4th featuring Bridget Law (Elephant Revival), Shelby Means, Courtney Hartman and Bonnie Sims; and to close the Colorado edition, WinterWonderGrass will host two sessions on October 5th, with Meadow Mountain performing the early session and Telluride Bluegrass winners, Wood Belly playing the evening session. All showcases will take place at the WinterWonderGrass Presents the Ikon Pass® Stage.
Additionally, Caravan to WonderGrass will host dual shows at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom and Cervantes Otherside in Denver, CO on October 3rd ,with a lineup including The Bluegrass Generals featuring Andy Hall and Chris Pandolfi (Infamous Stringdusters), Drew Emmitt (Leftover Salmon), Andrew Altman (Railroad Earth) and Adam Aijla (Yonder Mountain String Band) plus another WinterWonderWomen showcase, this time featuring Bridget Law (Elephant Revival), Megan Letts, Shelby Means, Courtney Hartman and Bonnie Sims, with additional performances from Pickin on the Dead, Meadow Mountain and Banshee Tree.
By October 11th, the Caravan makes its way up to Steamboat, CO, with showcases happening at The Depot Art Center in downtown Steamboat from 5:00 – 9:00 pm, presented by WonderGrass & Steamboat Creates. Music will be provided by a collective of local and regional acts, billed as The WinterWonderGrass All-Stars. This event is free and open to all ages, with food truck offerings from Skull Creek Greek onsite, and chances to win exclusive festival merchandise and tickets to the 2020 Steamboat, CO event.
The California Caravan encompasses three events, taking place over October 17th, 18th and 19th. On October 17th, WonderGrass & The Tahoe Food Hub present The Supper Club at the Tahoe Food Hub in Truckee, CA, with food prepared by Chef Wyatt Dufresne, formerly of PlumpJack Squaw. Attendees can expect a seasonal 4-course menu sourced locally and prepared collaboratively between the chef, and the farmers and ranchers who cultivated the ingredients. Tickets are $110 and admission includes food, conversation, music and a chance to bond with fellow members of the WinterWonderGrass community.
Over October 18th and 19th, WonderGrass Presents two pop-up performances from Midnight North, taking place at Moe’s BBQ in Tahoe City, CA on the 18th, and Alibi Brewing in Truckee, CA on the 19th. Both shows will last from 9:00 pm – 12:00 am and are free and open to all ages. During both performances, there are chances to win tickets to the festival and exclusive festival merchandise. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early because From 6:00 – 9:00 pm both nights, tickets to WinterWonderGrass 2020 Festival events are available for sale with no processing fees.
The Caravan to WonderGrass culminates on October 26th at Earth Sky Time in Manchester, VT from 5:00 – 10:00 pm. For this Halloween-themed Caravan event, music performances will be provided by Andy Falco (the Infamous Stringdusters), Saints and Liars and Terrible Mountain String Band. Food offerings will be provided by Earth Sky Times Farm. Tickets are $10 and the event is open to all ages. Attendees are eligible to compete in a costume contest, where prizes include tickets to the 2020 Stratton, VT event and exclusive festival merchandise.
A limited quantity of fee-free tickets to WinterWonderGrass festival stops will be available for purchase during all Caravan to WonderGrass events. Visit for tickets and more information on specific Caravan events.
WinterWonderGrass will go on sale Thursday, October 3, 2019, at 10:00 am MST with all 2020 events including Steamboat Springs, CO (February 21-23), Squaw Valley, CA (March 27-29) and Stratton, VT (April 10 & 11). The lineup announcement will take place the same day.
Ric Ocasek, the singer-songwriter for the prolific New Wave band The Cars was found dead in his Manhattan townhouse Sunday. The cause of death was listed as heart disease according to the New York City medical examiner’s office.
In an Instagram post from his wife, Paulina Porizkova, the 75-year-old musician was home recovering from surgery when he passed in his sleep. The couple had amicably separated in 2018.
The Cars broke out of Boston in the late-70s. Their debut album went on to sell six million copies behind the strength of the single, “Just What I Needed” and led to nearly a decade of constant radio and MTV play for the band.
They were inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame by Brandon Flowers of The Killers in 2018 who said of the band, “They had it all: the looks, the hooks, Beat romance lyrics, killer choruses.” At the ceremony, the remaining members of the band reunited with Scott Shriner of Weezer on bass. Original bassist and founding member, Benjamin Orr, died in 2000.
Richard Theodore Ocasek was born in Baltimore, MD on March 23, 1944, moving to Cleveland, OH with his family at the age of 16. He dropped out of Bowling Green State University to focus on music. It was in Cleveland where Ocasek met Benjamin Orr. They performed in various bands throughout Columbus, OH and Ann Arbor, MI before relocating to Boston, MA in the early 1970s.
Boston is where Ocasek and Orr met up with who would become the Cars lineup: keyboardist Greg Hawkes, guitarist Elliot Easton, and former Modern Lovers drummer David Robinson.
Ocasek became the face of the band, taking on most songwriting duties and singing the majority of their hits. Orr sang lead on the band’s biggest hit, 1984’s “Drive.”
From 1978 until the band dissolved in 1988, The Cars were a force on modern rock radio and the early days of MTV. They had 13 Top 10 singles and four Top 10 albums during their run and their legacy is still being felt today, particularly in the works of Weezer and The Killers.
Rolling Stone columnist Rob Sheffield wrote of the band Monday:
Candy-O was the ultimate Cars album — a concept album about Ric’s favorite topic, which was girls. His songs serenade the kind of girl who’s the “Dangerous Type,” dancing merrily out of the clutches of any boy foolish enough to think he could impress her. Nobody did songs like these as brilliantly as Ocasek — the doomed romance between an awkward twit of a boy and a tough, worldly, risque-mouthed muse.
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone
Weezer’s Twitter account offered condolences. Ocasek produced the band’s multi-platinum Blue and Green albums.
The weezer family is devastated by the loss of our friend and mentor Ric Ocasek, who passed away Sunday. We will miss him forever, & will forever cherish the precious times we got to work and hang out with him. Rest in Peace & rock on Ric, we love you. #RIPRicOcasek#karlscornerpic.twitter.com/JcTXevr6V8
The Killers expressed their grief as well via Twitter:
Feeling grateful for Ric. Had the opportunity to send him this email a couple years back. My first king. Thank you, thank you, thank you. pic.twitter.com/h4u8CXDhRg
Over Father’s Day weekend next summer, Fins Up LG will bring the sounds and flavors of Key West to Charles R. Wood Festival Commons in Lake George. Parrotheads and Mardi Gras lovers will be drawn to this weekend long festival on the shores of Lake George, with music, margaritas, daiquiris and more in store.
This three day music festival will feature more than 20 musical acts on two main stages for a continuous musical adventure. Featuring a who’s who of Trop Rock Award winners, the lineup also features Jimmy Buffett tribute acts, and some incredible Zydeco, Cajun, and Country acts.
Featured artists include Jimmy and the Parrots (2 days), Mike Nash & Southern Drawl, Donny Brewer and the Dock Rockers, The Boatdrunks, ZBTB (acclaimed Zac Brown Band Tribute), Jesse Rice, John Patti, John Frinzi, Cory Young, Buckwheat Zydeco, Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef, The Detentions, Caribbean Chillers, Rich Ortiz, Big Fez and the Surfmatics, Tropical Beat and more. Craft and food vendors will be on hand, as well as a huge margarita and daiquiri bar. VIP options are available for the weekend as well, and the event will be held rain or shine.
