Category: Beyond NYS

Time Warped: Saturday Storm Warning in Atlantic City

For those of us 25 or younger, Vans Warped Tour has spanned our entire existence – an accumulation of memories, music and friendships interlocked like puzzle pieces from across the country. Each individual has intertwined their story – that admits them into the Warped family. A place where most narratives overlap: growing up listening to pop-punk and rock or aspiring to be on the big stage, old attendees now take the main stage, influenced by the masses before them. Fans threw down, attacking their most inspirational bands with vigor in the pits, belting lyrics verbatim spewing with good vibes, and sand.

Last weekend marked the second final Vans Warped Tour for a 25th Anniversary bash, after curator, Kevin Lyman announced the ‘last’ run in 2018. The tour was on its East Coast stop in Atlantic City, New Jersey for a jam packed weekend of music on the beach. Nearly 60,000 people crowded the beach to send off the tour in natural rockstar fashion. Promptly at noon the boardwalk was lined for miles with distinctly Vans Warped veterans, band t-shirts and friends to see their favorite headliners from Blink-182, A Day To Remember, Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, 311, CKY, Taking Back Sunday, Andrew W.K. and so much more.

Check out Zach Belfer’s Vans Warped Tour Gallery Here!

The sun was blistering overhead Saturday afternoon as Manhattan’s own, Matt Butler took an early set on the Monster Energy Stage. The folky, singer-songwriter gave a refreshing outsider’s perspective that pushed Warped fans outside of their comfort zone. Butler has gathered the sounds and stories of the road, shaped in ‘Warped’ roots; he grew up playing in punk and rock bands at CBGB’s and Arleen’s on the lower East Side. “My Favorite bands in high school were Nirvana and Fugazi… my favorite album was Ten by Pearl Jam,” said Butler. “I got more into folk and songwriting because of a band called The Replacements and Bruce Springsteen [laughing]. That’s always the bridge – as we say that in Boardwalk Hall, very appropriate.”

Butler’s contrasting genres is something that stacks his arsenal, using it to his advantage. “Our presentation is so different than everybody else’s that it has its own draw. I played on Warped Tour all last summer solo – me and an acoustic guitar only. For the 25th anniversary show I wanted to bring a full band, but we were never going to try and compete with some of the other groups here, so we kept it as intentionally stripped down as possible… And I figure im the only harmonica player on the tour at the moment [laughs]. Ya Know.”

Manhattan’s Matt Butler, Chuck DeFilippo (NYS Music) and Tour Manager Mario Diurno

“I was drawn to music for as long as I can remember, but music seemed very difficult and inaccessible. As a kid I was pretty insecure and wanted to do things where I was confident I could do it well. I felt like it was this equation: 49% terrified and 51 % desperate, enough to where I have to try this. You have to risk being rejected and judged. That’s part of the plan, that it’s so scary. I think that whatever you’re scared of doing most, that’s probably what it is that you’re supposed to be doing – on an evolutionary level.”
Matt Butler

His story is unique, capturing the heart of Vans Warped Tour evolution. As Butler is on the brink of studying music, learning jazz and notation, he taps into the vividness of creating something new. “I tell ya what man, anytime you make something new for yourself again you always remember how exciting it can be and why you live it.”

“I haven’t played with a band in a while, so playing here today I felt pretty pumped.” Backed by Astoria’s Holy Vulture siblings, Misia and Dante Vessio, the world drum and bass duo allowed Butler to become vulnerable to punk fans. This kick off was the start of a reunion; for Butler he was looking forward to seeing old friends, one playing drums for Tatiana DeMaria and another playing bass for Glassjaw. “It’s funny because the three of us actually played Warped together a couple years ago at Jones Beach. It’s an honor. It’s such an institution of a tour and Kevin is someone to idolize on some level, he’s just a great guy.”

Butler’s set featured numerous tracks recorded this past March, but not yet released including soon-to-be single, “Tell Lucy That I Love Her.” Butler wrote the tune inspired by a tour of state prisons, and at this point he has played around 200 jails in the past 16 months. The idea quickly boomed from a fan-funded endeavour to Butler securing his 501(c)(3) non-profit, to officially bring curated arts programs to jails and underserved institutions – a heart-wrenching inspiration and driver for his music. At certain times it can be as little as four people in a room where they collectively share stories, experiences and music. “It’s a way to see the country, I’ll tell you that. This new song (Lucy) comes from the perspective of someone incarcerated.”

“I can talk about the storytelling component forever. What we’ve done, and what I see it as – we just travel the country with an acoustic guitar telling stories. I think if you do that long enough and you’re open to it enough you can tap into collective consciousness and that’s where stories and songs get channeled from – and hopefully it resonates and connects with people.”

Bad Religion takes “Off The Wall” MainStage.

The day saw Less Than Jake, Travie McCoy, Bad Religion, CKY and many more. Fans crowded each stage, big or small and shifted with the tide between the well crafted set changes. Each band drew their most loyal fans in, while the tides washed curious listeners in, late into their sets. The day was hectic with freestyle motocross over head and an arching half-pipe backdropped by the Atlantic Ocean. Afternoon sets from Shiragirl and Kaleido, who NYS got to speak with, kept the anticipation high.

Kaleido 2019: Cody Morales, Christina Chriss, Joey Fava. Photo by Steve Sergent. Courtesy of NP!M PR and Marketing

As the day started to settle in, a dark cloud loomed over the beach. Detrioit rock band, Kaleido, anxiously awaited a pre-set storm as frontwoman Christina Chriss yearned for the stage. “We were one of the last bands that got to play Saturday due to weather and we were just freaking out. This big grey/black cloud was coming ever closer And I thought: this is gonna start right when we go on, like are you kidding me?” It didn’t.

“We’ve played random dates and cities on the warped tour since 2013,” said Chriss. “So it’s really, really, special to be apart of the 25th anniversary; Kevin just knocked it out of the park like he always does. This lineup is just insane. I have been jokingly saying: it’s woodstock for scene bands – straight up. It is s just fucking amazing, so were really honored to be apart of it. A bunch of bands that were huge influences of ours have a big hand in influencing all those things that you collect, and it comes out [in Kaleido’s music]. A lot of these bands are apart of that.”

Kaleido’s set was no different, a band that draws on so many diverse forms of art. They’re heavy pop, emotion and life wrapped into an ever-changing tube. Their newest single, “Pretending,” was released two weeks ago – a heavy-driving tune that you’ll be sure to throw down to, and swept fans at Warped. The rest of the EP will be out July 19 and is the truest, purest form of what Kaleido really is; Chriss affirmed.

“Inside of the kaleidoscope are a bunch of different pieces: the different colors, the different shapes – they all come together to make one beautiful image, that as you shift can change. I feel like I am that as a human with all of those influences and all of that music.
Christina Chriss, Kaleido

” I am a chameleon type of person. I like lots of different things. I’m not in just one lane,” intensley weaving her hand through the air, her palm set to kill. “So I take all of those things and internalize that, and then let it out the other way with the creativity of writing songs. All audio and video come together to create my art,” inflecting hints of passion through her midwest accent. “I am the human kaleidoscope.”

Front-woman Christin Chriss. Photo by Steve Sergent – Courtesy of NP!M PR and Marketing

Chriss touches on basic human emotions and songs that people easily relate to. Kaleido’s high energy shows become intense, as if the dawn of a storm, piercing fans like lightning. “I like to connect with people from the stage and enter their souls with my eyes. Come get some,” said Chriss as she broke into an evil-type laugh.

As the rain broke, lightning bridged the sky and boardwalk. What about A Day To Rember? What About 311? What about Wage War? Are They Gonna Play? I wanna wach ‘em! – Chriss thought aloud during our interview with excitement and color.

Jeremy McKinnon, A Day To Remember.

After a two hour delay the desolate beach grew new life as everyone recovered. It was a timid storm in the wake of Saturday’s headliner, A Day To Remember. The beach went dark with silhouettes spanning the entire boardwalk. ADTR showed no mercy kicking things off with “2nd Sucks.” Vocalist Jeremy McKinnon, announced “Sticks & Bricks” was named from the security guards of the Vans Warped Tour, a song not originally printed on the setlit. Security had a signal alerting that the crowd was going to be insane, foreshadowing the moments to come as the band let loose into a storm warning.

A Day To Remember has a unique ability to contrast intense breakdowns with driving lyrics and melody, blending worlds of warped. The set list showed little rest as people toppled over each other and McKinnon enticed ‘crowd-surfing a crowd-surfer.’ Driving through “All I Want,” “I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?” and “The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle” bodies passed overhead and we were lost in this ocean of people, only to letup for the sentimental acoustic “If It Means A Lot To You.”

Suddenly a harmonious beach began to sway, with lighters overhead. Par for the course would be closer, “The Downfall Of Us All” – a fitting end to the day. New and old fans alike created a community in and outside of the pit. A Marshmello character emerged with a t-shirt cannon celebrating the band’s most recent single and collaboration with the EDM star. It was just nuts. In the short 40-minute set we left dripping sweat and covered in sand as nearly 60,000 people slowly evacuated the beach, yet again.

Slowing down for “If It Means A Lot To You,” fans lit the sky of Atlantic City beach for ADTR.

Read Part Two: Vans Warped Tour: Sunday On The Beach

Part 3: Brooklyn’s Shiragirl Empowers Female Musicians With Punk Edge: The Post Warped Interview

July 6, 2019
In Focus: Vans Warped Tour Goes Out With A Bang

After 25 long years the famed Vans Warped Tour has decided to discontinue its summer tradition. But not without one last party! Three final festival dates announces in each section of the country, last weekend it was the east coasts turn and what better way than to close it out with a two-day party on the beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey. An amazing lineup that included: Blink 182, Taking Back Sunday, Bad Religion, The Offspring, 311, The Used, A Day To Remember, and a lot more of Vans Warped Tour long list of alumni. Fans of the Pop Punk genre showed up in the thousands for one last time to get warped.

July 6, 2019
In Focus: Gov’t Mule Invades Asbury Park

On Friday, June 28, Gov’t Mule celebrated the release of their brand-new live album Bring On The Music- Live at The Capitol Theatre with a show at the historic Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park, NJ.

The veteran band treated the loyal Mule faithful to a perfect first set with a vibe and energy feeding off that relaxing beach feeling, on a traditional late June summer evening. Fan favorites “Hammer and Nails,” “Beautifully Broken” and “Birth of The Mule” filled the first set, leaving fans only wanting more. Sadly, after the first two songs of the second set, the show was canceled dues to inclement weather, just about the only thing dampening the spirits of the amazing Gov’t Mule fan base.

Bring On The Music-Live At The Capitol Theatre, a live album and concert film directed by Danny Clinch, was recorded at The Capitol Theatre on April 27 and 28, in 2018. It comes in a multiple variety of digital, CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, and vinyl Packages. It features over two hours of live music, interviews with members of Mule, behind-the-scenes footage, photos shot by Clinch over the years and much more.

Set One: Hammer & Nails, Rocking Horse, Game Face > Mountain Jam > Game Face, Beautifully Broken, Birth of a Mule, I’m A Ram, Broke Down On The Brazos > Tributary Jam

Set Two: Stone Cold Rage, Kind Of A Bird, (Show ended due to inclement weather)

July 2, 2019
In Focus: Phish Summer Tour rolls on with two hot Bangor shows
Phish returned to Maine this week for the first time since 2013 for two shows at Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion in Bangor, Maine. The first night saw intense rain descend upon the crowd, with two nearly 20 minute jams from “Down with Disease” and “Simple” in the second set. Night two brought less rain and a hot set 2 trio of “Fuego” -> “Cities” -> “Final Hurrah,” standouts on a summer tour that has nearly reached its midpoint.

Phish next performs in Camden, NJ June 28-30 and at Saratoga Performing Arts Center July 2-3. Setlists courtesy of Phish.net

Setlist – 6/25/19 Bangor, ME

Soundcheck: Play By Play, Jam, Ginseng Sullivan, My Soul

SET 1: 46 Days > Back on the Train, Ass Handed, Bathtub Gin, The Dogs, Waves > Mike’s Song > Water in the Sky >Limb By Limb -> Weekapaug Groove > Julius

SET 2: Down with Disease^[1] > Play by Play > Simple > Piper, Miss You, Llama, Meatstick > Rise/Come Together > Slave to the Traffic Light

ENCORE: Loving Cup [1] Unfinished

Setlist – 6/26/19 Bangor, ME

Soundcheck: Olivia’s Pool

SET 1: Crowd Control, Plasma, Army of One, Alaska, Kill Devil Falls > How Many People Are You, Petrichor > Saw It Again > Sand

SET 2: Turtle in the Clouds > Gotta Jibboo > Fuego -> Cities -> The Final Hurrah > Prince Caspian > Farmhouse >Backwards Down the Number Line > Chalk Dust Torture

ENCORE: The Lizards, Suzy Greenberg
June 27, 2019
Let The Good Times Roll: The Party Continues at Bonnaroo
Saturday

Saturday morning and afternoon on the farm came quickly. Festival goers were treated to the first small taste of heat that the great fields in Tennessee are known for. While temperatures did not surpass the lower eighties on this morning, they were certainly hot enough to get people out and moving early, as stagnating at campsites throughout the grounds simply is not an option for survival in the moist heat.

Photo by Rob Roane

I got up, bumped around the grounds for a little bit seeking sustenance and cold beverage, and noticed the true surrealism that had begun to set in in full force. The camps and plazas that played central host to each camp cluster oozed with creativity and expression in all forms. Incredible spray-painted graffiti covered site walls; giant spotlights had been moved in front of the Bonnaroo disco ball high atop a fire tower overlooking the grounds. The festival was seeping with life. Before I go further to recap the performances I took in, I’m going to illuminate maybe my biggest takeaway from this weekend which really did strike me as I ambled about on this fine Saturday. I am a thirty-something year old, and while of course Bonnaroo draws from every demographic of age young and old, it is largely comprised of younger folks.

Walking the grounds at this festival was like looking back through a window of time for me, looking back at a snapshot of my own past experience of falling in love with live music and the culture that surrounds it. Had I not attended this festival as a much younger person, some fifteen years ago to be exact, I don’t know where my life would be today, but I can assure you I would not be a music journalist. Back then, and as I imagined the case to be for many of those who I watched this morning, was the first time feeling the kind of freedom that lives at Bonnaroo. Simply put, as a young person especially, this is a festival that will change your life. It was so, so endearing to peek back into this reflection of my own past and observe people having their life altered, hopefully for the better. Now let’s talk tunes.

Photo by Rob Roane

I got in early for the hard psychedelic post-rock sounds of New York’s own Rubblebucket. A nice sized crowd had gathered early at Which Stage on this humid afternoon set and Rubblebucket did what they do best, deliver sound in a theatrical and enthralling manor. Adorned in a neon green top with Beetlejuice pants, Kalmia Traver moved around the stage as if she owned it, powering the band through takes off their most recent release Sun Machine. Traver is a force of nature on the stage, flanked of course by her trusty band mates, the eclectic Alex Toth and the rest, Rubblebucket threw down a very “New York” set, which was refreshing to hear the sounds of the concrete jungle all the way down at Great Stage Park. Traver’s baritone sax augmented by the rest of the horns belted wonderfully out over the masses. The crowd grew as the set continued, but I retreated to the lounge to guzzle water and collect myself. Luckily, next on my list was Hippo Campus, which was set to take place also at the Which Stage, so I rested backstage until it was time for their curtain call.

When I popped back out in front of the stage for Hippo Campus, a massive crowd was there to greet me. Although the adjacent What Stage is indeed the festival’s main permanent stage, the crowds at Which Stage all weekend were omnipresent. The crowd can run very wide at the Which Stage, and stagger all the way back into the causeways of the grounds, through patches of shade provided by the sparse trees overhead and back even further, sometimes mixing with the back of the crowds at the tents. It is truly a sight. Hippo Campus wove a web of a kind of neo pop sound, one that is a bit foreign to me as an author but certainly was not to those in attendance. I was again reminded of how far the talent buying at this festival had come, and what a mystical thing genre diversity can be. From one end of the spectrum to the other I went, moving from the Which Stage over to the main stage for what I thought was some good old fashioned new age country.

Mauren Morris came on a recommendation to me a few months prior to this outing. Being from the south myself, I am indeed a [gasp] country music fan. There is a movement going on in country music right now that is really yielding some interesting stuff, and Mauren Morris did not disappoint, though she was not what I expected. Morris has been in the news recently after being outspoken regarding issues such as the need for stricter gun legislation which, to the untrained eye, seems a bit odd of someone from her genre. Hence, why I was interested to begin with. I discovered a very well polished, mostly traditional female country vocalist, rooted in the sound of Nashville, the city from which she hails. With a classic country look, cowboy boots and hat, bleach blond hair swaying to and fro, Morris led her band through some high-energy numbers including her current Billboard hit “Girl” which was received thankfully by the large mid afternoon crowd. The set did get interesting though, as Morris inventively worked in some EDM textures into her show. I can safely say this was unexpected, intriguing, and the first of its’ kind for me. A low electro bass murmur pulsated the stage at interspersed segments during her songs, and then it clicked why she was so popular among young people. I made my way from the What Stage back to camp for a brief break, and I heard the serenading sounds of The Grateful Dead coming from tents nearby, always welcoming notes to my ears. I felt refreshed as I prepared for what was easily my favorite set of the day.

As I re-approached the Which Stage, the biggest heap of people on the grounds of the second stage that I witnessed all weekend long greeted my eyes. Kacey Musgraves had brought a colossal size party with her only fit for the Bonnaroovians that salivated in anticipation of this set. Friends, let me implore you, go see this show. Musgraves transported us all to another land with her smooth, serendipitous sound that washed me away like a warm and gentle wave. Yes, she is a country singer, but her range is remarkably dynamic. Her sound is eerie, luminescent, powerful but peaceful. I recognized “Butterflies,” which was gleefully received by the capacity crowd. Giant inflatable blue balls bounced their way from the front of the crowd to the back, color was everywhere; Musgraves was hitting home runs. As the set moved forward, completely out of left field here comes a monster Flaming Lips cover in the form of “Do You Realize??” The crowd sung in unison; beauty was everywhere.

Photo by Rob Roane

As the daylight began to retire, ushering in the much-needed coolness of the evening, I bounced between two lineup legends in their own rights. Under the forgiving cover of the tents I watched a patron saint of songwriting, the big door prize himself, John Prine take his band through some mighty fine picking and singing. I saw a nice opening suite of “Hello in There,” “Summer’s End,” and the lively “Knockin’ on Your Screen Door,” before I sprung from That Tent to This Tent for Jim James and his band of rock steady pros. While many in the crowd anticipated a set rich with My Morning Jacket materiel, James instead threw out mostly recent solo stuff, including the Sirius XM favorite “Just A Fool.” James did however have one surprise up his sleeve as the lights went dim on the backline of the band and James switched to a seated acoustic guitar before the opening chords of the My Morning Jacket anthem “I’m Amazed” began. This was a truly stunning moment as time almost stood still just long enough for the seated Kentucky rock god to belt out poignantly, “After all is said and done, where is the justice?” as the song concluded. Never one to shy away from social commentary, he let the last notes linger in order to emphasize this powerful message in the form of lyric.

Before moving onto Saturday’s headliner and late night charades, I want to give a tip of the hat to my discovery of the day: Liily. This four-piece new age indie punk rock outfit out of Los Angeles played the smaller Who Stage which resides centrally between the two tents. The stage features up and comers under much smaller production but it is a great opportunity to discover new artists, and I can safely say I won’t soon forget this power punch. Liily is here to tell you that rock is far from dead, and that the California sound is getting re-carved. This was a scorching performance from a band whose oldest member is not even 21 years of age. This was by far and beyond the most truly rocking set I saw all weekend. Expect to see a lot more from this young ferocious foursome.

Photo by Rob Roane

I migrated from the smallest stage on the property back to the largest, for the feature of the evening, the Texas tornado, Post Malone. While the actual music struck me as nothing more than his studio stuff turned up very loudly, I will say that the production was impressive. A fierce collection of pyrotechnics peppered the performance frequently, and let’s be honest here, pyrotechnics are always cool. Towers of fire two stories high backed Post Malone as he talked the giant gathering through his hits like “White Iverson,” “Sunflower,” and “Congratulations.” I wasn’t specifically disappointed with this set, because it was exactly what I imagined it would be, but at its conclusion I was more than ready for the late night bomber Joe Russo and his Almost Dead to invade the grounds.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, or “JRAD” as they are effectively known, was the only manifestation of live Grateful Dead at the farm at the 2019 installment of Bonnaroo. While I have commented on how nice it is to see how far the booking at this festival has come, I was more than happy to see JRAD sneak onto the lineup to ensure at least a small piece of Bonnaroo’s roots remained on the farm. A sparkling “Rubin and Cherise” got the party started for the notably easy to maneuver crowd gathered at “That Tent.” Russo moved his band through classic after classic, with a specifically cool “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Throwing Stones” sequence. “Throwing Stones” occupying the slot which is usually reserved for “Franklin’s Tower” was a nice touch.

As GRiZ had done the night before, Russo nodded to the late Dr. John by busting out “Such a Night” before closing things down with an extended “Samson and Delilah,” taking the clock several ticks past their allotted 3:15 a.m. stoppage time. I barely made it back to camp to embrace my pillow oh so welcomingly. Find the complete JRAD set at the bottom of this recap.

Setlist: Rubin and Cherise, St. Stephen, Mama Tried, Help on the Way, Slipknot!, Throwing Stones, He’s Gone, Playing In The Band, Terrapin Suite, I Need A Miracle, Such A Night (Dr. John), Samson and Delilah

Photo by Rob Roane

Sunday

The time had almost come to say farewell to this majestic place called Bonnaroo. Sunday was upon us all, and along with it now the true nature of the farm: sweltering heat. I knew I could not bid this extravaganza goodbye without first kissing its cruel mistress the sun at least once. Sunday brought temperatures far more familiar to most savvy Bonnaroovians. The thermometers rose towards 90 degrees. Sweat bathed us all. No matter though, because it was Sunday, a day commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Day,” and on this Sunday, by all accounts The Lord was coming in the form of a traditional proper two set Phish escapade. Praise!

Before the Vermonters completely took over, I braved the heat to make it into Centeroo for the speakers of the truth through brazen brass, one of my absolute favorite bands on the circuit today and a Bonaroo veteran taboot, The Soul Rebels. The Soul Rebels brought the funk party live and direct to the Which Stage on this baking afternoon, and, as always, I hung on every note. With renditions of “If I Ruled The World” complete with the Nas vocal parts delivered by trumpeter Julian Gosin, and their ode to their home city of New Orleans “504,” The Soul Rebels boomed on this Sunday afternoon, just enough to forget the heat for a cool 45 minutes. I spoke with the Soul Rebels’ Julian Gosin and Marcus Hubbard after their set about Bonnaroo, the importance of keeping brass in schools, and much more.

Marcus Hubbard and Julian Gosin. Photo by Rob Roane.

We’re here at Bonnaroo, which is a really diverse festival. I can tell you, just walking around the festival grounds, it’s way different then other places I’ve seen you [Soul Rebels]. There are all colors out there, there are all creeds, and it’s great. The duality of that is though that while we’re here at this great melting pot of diversity, there’s also a culture war going on. People high up in our administration right now are fighting to do things like take music out of schools, and ironically brass is kind of on the front lines of this fight.

NYS Music: Can music save a life?

Julian Gosin: Music can definitely save a life.

NYS Music: And has it?

JG: Ya man, we living proof. New Orleans… unfortunately doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to crime.

NYS Music: Sure.

JG: But… the music is one of those things that kept a lot of us off the street, kept us busy, kept us focused, kept us motivated. After school, we would get home six, seven o’clock at night coming from band practice, and we were so focused in on our craft, we would extend that at home. Probably with another two or three hours of practice. Just the mentality of really wanting to do it is just the thing. Coming from New Orleans, we were the cool kids, we were cooler than the football players. We were young and not really realizing at the time what the music was doing for our careers and our safety, and our lives, and our families. It’s so important to keep the music in the schools. Right now, I’m currently working in the schools back home and there’s just such a big gap from when we were in school to now. We just want to give back. Music can save a life, man.

For my complete interview with The Soul Rebels, keep it dialed in right here with NYS Music and we will release the whole transcript soon. Now onward we go!

Photo by Rob Roane

By about 4 p.m. it was a full on roast. I had to retreat for some time just in order to reserve the energy to stand for the evening to come. I tumbled back to camp for a breather before ultimately making my last trip into the belly of the beast. I got a bit of a second wind thanks to The Wood Brothers sparking a notably fast paced set at That Tent that included “Saturday,” “I Got Loaded,” and of course “Luckiest Man.” They also threw in a nice curveball with “Express Yourself,” a song written in the seventies by Charles Wright, but popularized mostly by N.W.A. in the ’90s. The Wood Brothers had the crowd moving, and amongst its ranks, one could clearly see that most of the Phish crowd had deemed That Tent their pre-party. It was nearly time.

Before the last hurrah, I made sure to stop by the queen Cardi B. Her set was exactly as I imagined it, very hype, with a gargantuan crowd. Cardi played the hits, and midway through suffered somewhat of a wardrobe malfunction, splitting the backside of her outfit. She took it like a complete professional though, and to the crowd’s delight she finished the entirety of her set in a bathrobe. My ears rang as her set finished up, but no ear ringing would deter me from the big show.

Photo by Rob Roane

Phish took the main stage just a few ticks after 8:30 p.m. with Trey Anastasio beckoning the crowd, “You guys got any energy left, Bonnaroo? Because we do!” The crowd was far more concentrated than Friday, as seemingly many of the folks on tour had procured wrist bands and made it in for the Bonnaroo blast off set. Big Red and the gang got right down and dirty with a quick “Set Your Soul Free” before encouraging the youngsters out there to “Blaze On.” I noticed so many first timers again at this show, and it was so encouraging dancing amongst them, knowing so many would get hooked because of this set. Music is indeed a beautiful thing. The Kasvot Växt hymn “Death Don’t Hurt Very Long” took the tertiary spot before a nice Bonnaroo “Reba” popped its head up in the first set. A triumphant and appropriate “Free” came next, perhaps a nod to what so many discover on this great farm. “Sand” proved to be the dance friendly number in the first set, the contagious guitar riff lapping out over the crowd, most of whom had dropped their jaw thanks to this early crescendo.

Photo by Rob Roane

The second set can stand up to any second set in recent memory. This was no “festival set” as I previously mentioned many feared. This was the real deal. “Mike’s Song” led us down the hallway out of the gate, before a huge 14+ minute “Fluffhead” that was followed by a hefty “Twist.” That pairing is a favorite of mine and was the high point of this set. A nice “Weekapaug Groove” sandwich that found “No Man In No Man’s Land” as the meat in the middle came next, before creating an even larger sandwich by reintroducing a brief return to “Twist.” What a set indeed.

The trifecta of “Fuego” -> “Ghost” -> “Bathtub Gin” put the bookend on the second set. Phish had dominated the farm once again. Hands met hands in high fives; the phrase “Happy Roo” was exchanged by many. Just as they had come, both the band and the 80,000 patrons would soon slink back out into the night and back to their respective lives, but not before meeting Wilson. The notes of “Wilson” came knocking back on the stage door for one last rump shake, the raucousness created by the “blat-boom” lyrics was palpable. Somehow, even on the last leg of this four-day behemoth of a festival, this may have been the highest point of energy. “First Tube” sent us all on our way and brought the show to a climactic end as Anastasio held his guitar high above his head and ran around the stage. Mission: accomplished. For the complete Phish setlist see just below this recap.

If I can leave you with anything, it would be to return to my words at the top of this recap – this festival can change your life, you simply have to let it.

Phish setlist – Set 1: Set Your Soul Free, Blaze On, Death Don’t Hurt Very Long, Reba (no whistling), Free > Sand, Wolfman’s Brother, Cavern.

Set 2: Mike’s Song > Fluffhead > Twist > Weekapaug Groove > No Man In No Man’s Land > Weekapaug Groove > Twist > Fuego > Ghost > Bathtub Gin.

Encore: Wilson > First Tube.
June 24, 2019
Phish Blazes On at Merriweather Post Pavilion 2019

Vermont’s jam loving rock band, Phish, graced the stage of the woodsy meets urban Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD, as they blazed on their 2019 summer tour. The June 22, 2019 show included a debut from Trey Anastasio side project, Ghosts of the Forest. Phish consists of Trey Anastasio (guitar), Mike Gordon (bass), Page McConnell (keyboard, organ) and Jon Fishman (drums).

MPP is located in the heart of Symphony Woods, a woodland preservation designed by famous architects, Frank Gehry and N. David O’Malley in 1967. It was originally built as a summer stage for the National Symphony Orchestra. The venue has won over popular music acts because of its natural surroundings and excellent sound.

Set one kicked off with “Undermind,” from the album with that name. Two funky fan favorites followed, “Tube,” with a delicious jam from McConnell, and the Son Seals’ cover, “Funky Bitch.” The fire-and-ice jam vehicle “Steam” was up next, followed by phish classics “My Sweet One” and “NICU.”

Phish slowed the set down with the debut of “Friend,” from Anastasio’s side project Ghosts of the Forest. This band was created to play songs honoring Anastasio’s long time friend, Chris Cottrell, who lost his battle with cancer in 2018. Meaningful lyrics pierce hearts: “why do we have to wait until it’s gone to know what love is?”

The boys pressed the gas pedal for “No Men in No Man’s Land,” off their album Big Boat. Classics “The Horse” > “Silent in the Morning,” from the album Rift, had the crowd with arms in the air. Jam monster “David Bowie” was played next, and for the first time in 2019. The set closed out with “Squirming Coil,” from Lawnboy as the sun set behind the venue.

The second set was full of segues and jamming, starting with “Ghost,” from Story of the Ghost. “Ghost” transitioned to the a jam sandwich with high energy “Axilla,” then into new tune, “Set Your Soul Free.” The Pink Floyd-esque “What’s the Use?” and finally “Billy Breathes” followed suit.

“Death Don’t Hurt Very Long,” from their new album Kazvot Vox, started the second segue sequence. The next layer in the jam triffle was “Backwards Down the Numberline” from the 2009 release, Joy. The perennial Phish favorite “Harry Hood” was up next, and Anastasio’s on point guitar work had the crowd feeling good. The boys transitioned into “Rise/Come Together,” another new song. The final layer was the classic “Golgi Apparatus,” ironically last played almost one year ago at Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Phish sent their fans home happy with “Bug” > “Character Zero,” including an electrified closing jam. Phish fans await what night two has in store for them. Tickets are sold out, but can be obtained through CashorTrade.

Setlist via Phish.net

Set 1: Undermind, Tube, Funky Bitch, Steam > My Sweet One > NICU, Friend[1], No Men In No Man’s Land > The Horse > Silent in the Morning, David Bowie, The Squirming Coil.

Set 2: Ghost > Axilla > Set Your Soul Free > What’s the Use? > Billy Breathes, Death Don’t Hurt Very Long > Backwards Down the Number Line > Harry Hood > Rise/Come Together > Golgi Apparatus.

Encore: Bug > Character Zero.

1 – debut

June 24, 2019
Bonnaroo Opens Its Gates: A Melting Pot Embedded in Tennessee
Hello readers, I have finally made it back safely from my trip into the paranormal carnival that lives every year on the farm in Manchester, Tennessee. Yes my friends I am of course referring to the annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, now a larger than life gathering of existence and culture from around the world. I first attended Bonnaroo many moons ago, as a wide-eyed teenager, and it has been an absolute pleasure to return under the NYS Music banner to report back to you on all my findings there. I arrived of course with some foggy memory of what life on the farm was like, but no blurry recollection from years ago could prepare me for my trip through the wormhole and into the fertile cradle of vivacity that is Bonnaroo. Allow me to spin you a yarn of my discoveries as I breathed in all that this country’s largest camping festival had to offer. After all, Bonnaroo is indeed the beautiful mecca of discovery. Come with me as I gaze back at my wonderful weekend.

Photo by Rob Roane

In its seventeenth consecutive installment Bonnaroo hosted a wide array of artists across its numerous official stages and instalments, but it hosted so much more than music. I will of course spotlight some of the incredible sound I absorbed from the stages, and I will also describe some of the additional color qualities that really cement this festival in greatness. Firstly, it is important to establish here too that Bonnaroo is a fierce beast of an endurance test. For four days and nights I sought out to hear old favorites, discover new ones, and bask in the glow in the diversity of the festival, and I did just that. Let’s start with my arrival on the farm.

Thursday

Arriving at a festival is always a special feeling. Those familiar with it know that the Thursday night energy can be something fierce. Patrons are fueled by an anticipation that has been building for months. The evening comes quickly, as Thursday is the only real day in which travelers are not encumbered by heat or other tiring forces that set in once the weekend really gets rolling. As I arrived on the farm, I was immediately reminded how different this place was than anywhere else on earth. I cannot state this enough friends: arrival at Bonnaroo is absolutely electric. As soon as my size 12 touched the hallowed grounds, I was infected with the vibe. Electric neon jumped from every avenue. Sound took over. This year’s festival saw 80,000 patrons make land, the most the site has had on it in some time, and the party was indeed completely sold out. Due to traffic, I arrived slightly delayed, but to my delight, Thursday’s Grand Ole’ Opry set was broadcast on the AM radio. I listened to the sound of Nashville as I set up camp, curated by the great Old Crow Medicine Show. While the reception was a little fuzzy, it came through clearly enough to remind me that while Bonnaroo is the true melting pot of the festival circuit, it is embedded in its Tennessee roots, as it should be. I moved quickly at camp, and finally departed for “Centeroo,” the central hub of the festival and venue area. The Nude Party, a twang rock operation from Boone, NC already had the Thursday party in full swing at “That Tent.” This sextet of rockabilly troubadours delivered a sound that I can only describe as very full, and present. They’re a mountain party in a pressure cooker that is just waiting to break out. The packed house crowd ate their energy up and delivered it back to the stage in a to and fro dance. It was good to be back.

I trekked onto “This Tent” to get my first taste of indulgence in new discovery of the weekend. Being from NC myself, I was plenty familiar with The Nude Party, but the next group I saw came under several recommendations preceding the festival. The Comet Is Coming is a progressive jazz psych funk trio all the way from London. This trident of a unit comprised of drums, sax, and keys assured the crowd that the comet was for sure coming. Their party consisted of an ongoing flow of rhythm in continues breaks and time changes that saw each member take lead while the others followed. Their little game of follow the leader always culminated a massive crescendo of interplay, which saw each member bursting at the seams with tempo. The jams always came to a boil, leaving the crowd in frenzy after each and every take. With no real soloist element amongst the trio, this was a true sound build band. Completely unrelenting high energy, my first time with The Comet Is Coming was a microcosm for everything that is great about this festival. I discovered my first new favorite band of the weekend, I was filled with intrigue and inspiration, and I left fulfilled, but certainly still hungry for more. The night was still young. Back across the causeway my eyes darted from one luminescent structure to another. This gathering had a heartbeat, the pulse of which is unmatched. I followed my feet to the Magic City Hippies, a new age digital indie funk operation from the majestic city of Miami.

The Magic City Hippies are a true Bonnaroovian outlet. They lace some familiar samples over breaks and supplement them with catchy guitar riffs all while interacting with the crowd, which continued to grow under the loving cloak of “That Tent.” They’re all fun, all the time, the way a Thursday night at the farm should be. Let me tip my cap to the way this lineup was curated and slotted. Those behind the scheduling at Bonnaroo are absolute masters. As the electro funk party simmered, I got a chance to catch up with the Magic City Hippies and talk about how much it meant to be at Bonnaroo, amongst such great company.

Photo by Rob Roane

NYS Music: Can you guys talk a little about what it means to bring your block party vibe from Miami all the way to the big stage here at Bonnaroo?

Magic City Hippies: Ah man, you know, we know we’re here for a reason, to deliver what we love to deliver and that’s music. We come from Miami, a city rich of course with Latino culture so we knew early on that if we were going to make music that it had to make people move. To come here to the big stage, I was cheesing a little bit up there. We used to play sweaty house parties on a Friday night, the ones where it would just be us and twenty people in a room with the fog machine is on way too long and just sweating it out with our friends. The Bonnaroo Beacon called us an alt-pop-party starter band and that’s kind of what we are. We’re blessed to be here.

Thursday night ‘Roo is the party starter, and the Magic City Hippies were right in place. The party was far from over though.

Before Space Jesus descended on the mass to hit the crowd with the first real dose of bass, I stopped in the Snake & Jakes’s Christmas Club Barn to take in the Kasvot Växt dance party. The Christmas Club Barn is exactly what it sounds like- a blinking beacon of Christmas decorations complete with a full service bar and DJ booth. This is what Bonnaroo is about, random themed destination installations in which patrons can simply immerse themselves in surrealism, a theme that would reappear throughout the weekend. Strangely, little to no Kasvot Växt, a fictional Scandinavian rock band created by Phish was actually played during this set. Nevertheless, my eyes still gaped wide with stimulation from this interactive candy cane land.

Photo by Rob Roane

Space Jesus, a New York native, took the throne on “The Other,” Bonnaroo’s third largest stage. This stage once was a tent, but the cover has long since been removed to form a fully operational stage used mostly for bass music throughout the weekend. Space Jesus wasted no time getting right down to it, as the thump from the woofers got deeper and deeper. I could see immediately that this type of stuff is what many of the patrons craved and was what they came for. This is a snapshot of how Bonnaroo has changed in the years since I once frequented the farm. Not in a bad way though, the bass hawks are devout fans, will follow an artist like Space Jesus wherever he goes, and help establish the diversity in genre that allows for this festivals long term continuance and success. It was nice to see the mostly college aged crowd head banging in unison to the deep melodic womp of Space Jesus. This man came to get down (he came to get down), and being that there were no seats (nor would they be needed), the kids jumped around.

The clock now lingered past two in the morning as I sauntered back to camp, so filled with excitement and purpose. I had finally come home; after all it was this festival that sparked my real love for live music and the culture that surrounds it. One foot back onto the already beaten path leading into the massive campgrounds and another creature of the surreal approached me. A GIANT VW Beetle-like motorist comes cruising down the road, two stories tall, laden with go-go dancers and sewn in all kinds of light, this mechanized creature of the night is apparently a staple of the roadways at the festival, and made its first pass through the hordes. Conceived in some kind of post apocalyptic Mad Max comic book acid trip, this stuff happens only at Bonnaroo my friends, only at Bonnaroo.

Friday

I awoke Friday morning under what Bonnaroovians know to be very mild conditions. A place known for its unbearable heat, most of the weekend’s temperatures hovered in the mid seventies, a blessing for all those in attendance. While we did have to brave the heat and subsequent dust bowl circumstances would come later in the weekend, Friday proved to be quite pleasant. The first full day of the festival was now underway, I got my first chance to really hone in on what makes Bonnaroo standalone: diversity. In the prior night’s darkness and absolute loony-bin madness it was hard to make out the exact complexions of those sharing the crowd around me. In Friday’s daylight I was able to make a first real glance at this feature. I took in some fantastic acts on Friday, including the first dose of the weekend’s main headliner Phish, but first let me comment on the array of color at the farm in the form of its main attraction: the people.

Photo by Rob Roane

On my morning walkabout I was immediately reminded and attracted to the real feature of Bonnaroo 2019. Bonnaroo is a culture sponge, a tapestry of different walks of life all sewn together under like-mindedness in music and community. There were so many different kinds of people at this festival. Bonnaroo really delivers in this regard. The population at the farm is a far more accurate depiction of the real world than an outsider would imagine. People of all races, genders, and ethnicities are strewn about at every nook and cranny of the grounds. It is beautiful. The diversity in the genres of the bands on the stages finally reflects the diversity of the crowd. Bonnaroo has evolved over time from its jam band central roots, to the diverse cultural quilt that it is now. Congrats to you Bonnaroo, and to you Bonnaroovians, for you are the true testament of the magic and greatness that lives at the farm. Now let’s see some music.

Photo by Rob Roane

My first parlay at the “Which Stage,” Bonnaroo’s effective second stage, came with Nahko & Medicine for the People. Nahko brings this justice rich, earthy sound that is meant to inspire change and celebrate the planet. Nahko moved through his big poppers “Budding Trees” and “Black as Night” before I moved on to pop through Catfish and The Bottlemen, and a little of Parquet Courts. The former radiated this wild alt 90’s British rock, while the ladder boomed with New York flavor. Paul Vile (Jelloman) slung Jello shots into the crowd as Parquet Courts moved seamlessly through their post-punk catalogue. The New York sound was alive with Parquet Courts.

My first trip to the famed “What Stage,” the granddaddy of the Bonnaroo stages, I came for The Avett Brothers, a personal favorite at the festival, second only to the foursome from Vermont slated later in the evening. The Avetts smoothly laid into their set with “Vanity,” before turning the knobs to eleven with a nicely placed “Satan Pulls the Strings.” They queued up crowd pleasers “Ain’t No Man,” and “I Wish I Was,” before finishing strong on “Kick Drum Heart” and “No Hard Feelings.” It was great to see these North Carolina boys get their due yet again on arguably the biggest stage in the country. The sun began to sink low as the Avetts concluded, and I turned around backwards to face the mass and drink in this magnanimous movement.

Photo by Rob Roane

I caught a handful of the GRiZ set before heading back to revamp for the evening, for it was an evening of Phish my friends. GRiZ is simply put: awesome. Not only was this one of the only sets of the weekend which saw a real melding of the ages in the crowd, it was of course full steam from the jump off to the time I departed. GRiZ bridges the gap between today’s jamtronica and yesterday’s mastery of horns and musicianship. The crowd at the “Which Stage” was a complete arsenal for GRiZ, and to this point in the weekend it was the biggest crowd I encountered. This is demonstrative of GRiZ’s appeal, and it’s no accident he was chosen to host the G.O.A.T. Superjam later in the night. More about that shortly, first, let’s talk a little Phish.

Phish returned to Manchester for their third romp on the farm, once again to deliver three sets in total. First, their late slot to face plant the crowd into rock. While many devout Phish fans bemoaned them for returning to ‘Roo to deliver presumably what they refer to as “a festival set,” not standard of a regular Phish show. One that does not involve lots of improv or creativity in the set list. A set that serves a purpose, to expose newer, younger fans to their music, while not going too far out and not getting so weird that the crowd is turned off in the same stroke. Well a big ole poo-poo to those fans, because guess what: Phish came on stage at Bonnaroo and tapped up a complete barnburner from start to finish. This was no average “festival set” people, this was a statement that the boys from Vermont were here, and they were not messing around. Yes, the crowd was notably younger than an average Phish show, but that’s a great thing. That ensures the longevity of the music.

Photo by Rob Roane

I took in the set with Twitter’s Lil’ Nug, a young girl who has ascended to Phish fame after trolling the band a few months before, having no idea who they were, or why they were headlining Bonnaroo. A ripping “Carini”-> “Down With Disease” -> “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” took the opening stanza. The band moved nicely right along through “Everything’s Right” before truly introducing the farm to what space smelled like with “Mercury” -> “Tweezer” -> “2001”-> “Steam.” Welcome to the land of milk and honey my friends, Phish had arrived at Bonnaroo. Lil Nug got down, I got down, and we all got down. Find a complete set list at the bottom of this recap.

Bonnaroo boasts the largest genre web of any festival of its kind. There is nothing more exemplary of this GRiZ’s G.O.A.T.: A Music Legends SuperJam. The jam featured artists from all over the spectrum coming together for one late night exclamation point that pays homage to music legends of the past, without whom events like Bonnaroo with remain only figments of grandiose imagination. This year’s jam featured GRiZ bringing one all star after another, including Nahko, Rubblebucket, Sunsquabi, members of Walk The Moon, members of Trey Anastasio Band, and so many more. This ridiculous collection of talent did justice to those that came before them. Climaxes included “So What’Cha Want” (Beastie Boys), “Right Place Wrong Time” (Dr. John), “Respect” (Aretha Franklin), “1999” (Prince), “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (The Beatles), and a litany of other stellar renditions of fabulous canon classics. Find the complete set list below.

Of the Superjam, GRiZ said:

“The major point of this thing is to play a bunch of rad music and continue to re-tell stories of the great people who played music in the past.” He went on specifically to comment on Dr. John, who had passed on the week before.

“The definition of funk music, which he carved out a large piece of, gave way to re-inventing music however you feel. You don’t need to put things in a bo or follow any rules or worry about what your heart feels about the music- you can just let it go.”

Knees quaking, mind melting, I moseyed through Girl Talk for a second before hiking back into the jungle party that lay outside the walls of Centeroo. I was happy to see Girl Talk playing old mixes, reminiscent of when I discovered the blend DJ years before. Exiting a superb Friday night, I was reminded that like New York, Bonnaroo does not sleep.

Phish setlist: Carini -> Down with Disease -> Say it to Me S.A.N.T.O.S., Everything’s Right -> Mercury -> Tweezer -> Also Sprach Zarathustra -> Steam, Martian Monster, More -> Harry Hood -> Character Zero

E: Possum -> Tweezer Reprise

G.O.A.T.: A Music Legends Super Jam with GRiZ set list:

Miserlou (Dick Dale) (Core Band), So What’Cha Want (Beastie Boys) (GRANT INTRO), Right Place Wrong Time (Dr. John) (Core Band), Could You Be Loved (Bob Marley) (Nahko, Nattali Rize), This Land Is Your Land (Sharon Jones) (Deva Mahal), Piece of My Heart (Janis Joplin) (Jennifer Hartswick), Valarie (Amy Winehouse) (Jennifer Hartswick), Respect (Aretha Franklin) (Chrishira Perrier), 1999 (Prince) (K. Flay, Chrishira Perrier), Mary Jane (Rick James) (Chrishira Perrier), DANG! (Mac Miller) (PROBCAUSE, Chrishira Perrier), Grinding All My Love (Nipsy Hussle) (PROBCAUSE), Lithium (Nirvana) (K. Flay), What I Got (Sublime) (GRiZ, MUZZY BEARR), Blackhole Sun (Soundgarden) (Linsay Ell), While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles) (Linsay Ell), Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash) (HOBO JOHNSON, RKS BASS & DRUMS), Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke) (SAM MELO, Jennifer Hartswick, Linsay Ell), Wake Me Up (Avicii) (NOAH KAHAN, Music City Mystique Drumline), Drumline Interlude (Music City Mystique Drumline), We Will Rock You (Queen) (Walk The Moon, Music City Mystique Drumline), Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie) (Walk The Moon, Rubblebucket), Let’s Dance (David Bowie) (Rubblebucket, BLACKSTAR BAND), Life On Mars? (David Bowie) (Rubblebucket) (BLACKSTAR BAND), Freedom! ‘90” (George Michael) (Deva Mahal, MUZZY BEARR, Chrishira Perrier).

*Song (Original Artist) (Lead Performer)

Stay tuned for Part 2 of NYS Music’s Bonnaroo coverage!
- Peace flag
June 20, 2019
Xanthe Alexis’ Mothership Residency: Mind, Body, Music and Soul

Colorado Springs mother, musician and trauma therapist, Xanthe Alexis, pierces the heart with emotion and unmistakable conviction. She is otherworldly; transcending mind, body, music and soul. Alexis remained on the Top 20 Alternative Folk Charts for six months, and Top 200 for the entire folk genre. Her spiritual workings are proven through a deep connection with the world around her, confronting realities of society through song.

Today, June 17, Alexis will begin her Artist Residency at Mothership – a space for international artists across multiple disciplines to live and hone their craft. Their mission: to support and promote artists through collaborative opportunities; build sustainable artists networks; and help retain creative forces in New York. Alexis will bask in the Greenpoint-neighborhood of Brooklyn through Wednesday June 26. She will perform an intimate Stage One, Rockwood Music Hall matinee at 3 pm, on Sunday, June 23.

At first listen to Xanthe Alexis’s 2016 debut-album, Time of War, nothing crosses your mind. In this blank slate, you involuntary start to breathe deeply into meditation, with finger-style guitar. Alexis’ breath (accompanied by Colorado local, Curtis Boucher) slowly restores your soul, filling you as you inhale – and hold. “Hey Love,” is just the beginning of the 10-track, fan-funded release that weaves-raw throughout your body, giving you that one-on-one feeling with Xanthe. A self-release so soft and filled with intimacy, it articulates a chaotic world with grace.

Her Mothership residency is special for threefold: Xanthe admits, Time of War was mostly first takes, recorded in six hours; She has recorded, but not yet finalized a second album; and already has four tunes in mind that will bloom towards a third release – hopefully to be influenced by the wonders of Mothership, Brooklyn, working artists and the inner workings of Xanthe’s Muse.

“With the last album, I had a lot – a lot – to say about mental illness. I don’t say it directly. I say it poetically. I think people get what I am talking about; and we need to talk about in our culture,” said Xanthe. “As A kid I was always sup-er sensitive, and emotional. I found music was the safe place for all of that. When you hear a powerful vocalist and all of that emotion, it is accepted in that arena. I was drawn it.”

There was this force, that transposed our phone conversation. We were connected by more than just music, and had oddly-specific parallels in our spiritual lives. “That otherness is what we weave throughout the music. It is close to all of us, and some of us are more aware of it,” said Xanthe, soothingly. “These strands of conscious explain to a whole other forum,” perhaps in more ways than we know.

Strangely enough, Xanthe feels zen-ed out in New York, a therapeutic calmness juxtaposed to the city. ”I’m going to live there [Mothership] for a few days with painters, poets and dancers. That is where everybody comes to work and live.”

For her upcoming album, Xanthe thought: I’m gonna put something out that is radio friendly that I still feel stayed the course of musical expression that I wanted to capture. But It’s been a long road. It will be interesting to see how this weeks experiences shape her final production of album two, as the lines between her professional world and musical pursuit disappear.

“It wasnt until recently that my patients knew about my other life,” turning her words plafully. “ I had a music program for middle aged school children. It was totally like School Of Rock; Kids would come together with no experience and become a total band. They would write all their own music and I would teach them chords – the language of music. I’d teach them: the chords are like a painters pallet.” Xanthe would play them a C and ask, “what doesn’t this sound like.” And they would talk about it.

“What does a D sound like: Oh, Its bright. What does an Em sound like: It’s dark and sounds a little angry. All of a sudden we would have this shared language through emotion. Kids are like sponges, they don’t have all that insecurity and fear yet, so they would just do it, ya know. They are at that age where they are coming out of their innocence, and they need to know that is alright.”

By combining life’s passion with professional life, those surrounding Xanthe realize “I Practice what I preach. They realize, this is a brave chick.”

A note from Xanthe: “If you want to be pleasantly spooked-out and hear your heart break a little bit and maybe then soar a little bit, [giggling] Come see me at Rockwood Music Hall, Sunday, June 23 at 3 pm.”

June 17, 2019
Albert Lee’s 60-Year Musical Odyssey

Eric Clapton gave Albert Lee his guitar from the Cream era, one of more than 40 guitars Albert Lee owns – he’s lost count. They include Don Everly’s Gibson J200 and the guitar Elvis Presley played in “King Creole,” G. I. Blues” and “Loving You.”

Singer/songwriter and guitarist, Albert Lee, left home at 16 in 1960 and never looked back. You may not have heard of him, but at 75 he’s a road warrior whose enormous creativity has touched the muse of artists as diverse as Clapton; Elvis Presley guitarists, James Burton and Scotty Moore; country legends, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs; Emmylou Harris; Cindy Cashdollar; and scores more. He spent 24 years on the road with The Everly Brothers and 13 with Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones.

NYS Music caught up with him at his home in Malibu, just back from a tour of his home country, England. Between now and July 1, he will perform at 10 venues in the greater New York area including The Iridium in New York City, The Iron Horse in Northampton and The Strand in Hudson Falls. He tours Australia in August and is back home in the U.K. in late September.

“I’m still unpacking here. It’s tough to do. I’m looking out the window now. We just replaced the refrigerator, and there’s a refrigerator in the driveway. Thankfully, the neighbors can’t see it, but I’ve got to organize a pickup to drag it away.”

Lee says he maintains a schedule that could kill a man half his age because he has bills to pay, and two managers. With one manager in the States and another in Europe, both of whom keep him so busy he has little time to breathe. We saw him in January, and he was a human jukebox with breathtaking skills in every style of rock and country, rockabilly and pop ballads. In a seat at the back of the balcony at The Strand his delivery was so strong he projected as if he was playing directly to us.

Ask him about any of the stars he’s played with and he has a story. His “Country Boy” was a top-10 country hit for Ricky Skaggs in 1982. Its use of traditional country guitar on a mainstream country hit changed the way the industry looked at the genre. Skaggs plays on Lee’s version of the song, that appeared on Lee’s first single album Hiding. “That was the second or third time I recorded that song,” Lee explains. “I first did it with Head Hands and Feet in 1970, and then when I got a deal with A&M in the mid-70s, I cut it again. That one wasn’t released. When I re-instigated my deal with A&M and got more money to go back in the studio, and I did it again with our band, and Emmylou Harris and Ricky Skaggs, and that’s the version that’s one that Hidingalbum.

“Ricky Skaggs loved it all, really. I mean he’d come from the bluegrass background and, after playing with Emmylou Harris, he (was up) for playing more electric country, and I think he will probably give me credit for getting him to play the Telecaster for a short while in his band. Same goes for Vince Gill, you know. Vince wasn’t really a Tele player until we got there.

“The version of ‘Country Boy’ by Heads Hands and Feet got played on the radio a lot, so people got to know me here (in the States), and then when I moved to L.A. in ’73,’74, I was playing local bars with Vince Gill. He was quite young then, and I think he will readily admit that I was an influence at that time. Then Ricky and I were in the Hot Band (with Emmylou Harris) for a short while together, and I got to play on a few records of his around that time.”

Guitarist Magazine calls him “the only Brit to be regarded as a bona fide legend of American country music.” His credits include Joe Cocker, Carlene Carter and did three albums with Buddy Holly’s Crickets. He has a new Buddy Holly tribute album for sale on this tour.

See Albert Lee’s Official Tour Schedule HERE

June 15, 2019
Exclusive: CashorTrade Rejuvenates Music Community at Face-Value

We have all been there; a concert you simply cannot refuse. A 220-dollar concert ticket followed by 100-dollars in fees, nearly a 50 percent up charge. It’s your favorite band, a no-holds-barred night out, but at what cost. The next few gigs you land 60-80 dollar tickets purchased from an online-fan-page-stranger. They even let you PayPal them after you got through the doors. As diehard fans, and musicians ourselves, we don’t want to be exploited; we want an exciting live music experience. Since we still yearn for human connection and tangible experiences transcending all sound – again, CashorTrade delivers.

We linger on this narrative because it is overwhelmingly real. You have already lived through it, overpaying, or missed out from an absurd standing room ticket. CashorTrade, an online ticket exchange and social platform for pure music junkies, is growing rapidly to bring real fans tickets at face value.

Download the CashorTrade mobile app on iPhone, iPad, Android, or any web enabled device.

The Vermont co-founders and brothers, Dusty and Brando Rich, have bred CashorTrade from of their passion of live music, as well as disgust in oversaturated and overpriced tickets. Their story begins with a failed attempt to acquire Phish tickets at Hampton Coliseum in Vermont after the bands five year hiatus. It was Phish’s first performance since Coventry on August 15, 2004. The band started with “Fluffhead,” which was not played since 2000 (phish.net), but it should not merit a four-figure ticket price.

“What got us the most, was seeing the tickets listed for two – thousand – dollars a piece,” said Brando Rich. “When Phish stopped touring in 2004, Stubhub was created, and Facebook… The dawn of peer to peer ticketing platforms. A lot had changed, and five years later [2009] things are up and running… It has taken what used to happen in brick and mortar box offices to the extreme and ruined it for fans.”

CashorTrade has become a social network that allows people to have friends, share photos and connect with one another. It makes trading with people you know, love and trust that much easier. The Rich brothers have plans on building that further because “we want to better connect friends who have tickets they need. And, for fans to know about shows they are attending or interested in attending,” which is tailored to each specific user-profile.

The dawn of the internet had changed the concert experience, for better and worse. When it comes to ticket consumption Brando stresses that not all ticket company owners are fans. “I would go as far as saying that most are not fans. In the end, what my brother and I created is most helpful to fans because we are fans. We grew up loving live music – every ounce of it.”

“We would do whatever we could to get to the next show, fighting to make burritos in the lot, to make money [for our next tickets]. Your community feeds you, clothes you and it becomes your life.”

This lifestyle shows through the organic growth in the company, nearing a quarter-million users across 20 countries. CashorTrade is growing at 3,000 new users per month, and expanding. With closed first round investors, direct artist-partnerships, festival partnerships and a growing online platform, CashorTrade is on the rise. Fees diminished to ten-percent or less keeps the pressure off your wallet and draws focus to the music and those enjoying it.

Yesterday, June 12 at 2 p.m. EST, CashorTrade officially partnered proudly with Phish’s official charitable outreach, The WaterWheel Foundation – then again, it all began with Phish. Since 1997, WaterWheel’s outreach aides social and environmental efforts throughout each tour stop, notably local efforts in CashorTrade stomping-grounds: Vermont. Fans selling Phish tickets can opt to donate their profits directly to WaterWheel, while buyers will be charged CashorTrade’s transparent credit card fee (3%). Likewise, 100 percent of those ticket revenues go directly to WaterWheel, who has raised millions for more than 425 groups.

CashorTrade is closing in on their community, helping tickets stay in the hands of a tight-knit, music loving, and sustaining populous. They provide a platform where we can do it safely, carefree, and now, feel good by effortlessly giving back. Fans now have control and positive choice.

https://youtu.be/s3kpeoeNDXo

“We recently partnered with Billy Strings, an up-and-coming bluegrass guitarist, who is an amazing prodigy. I love his vibe and he really seems like the perfect fit for CashorTrade – so we are very excited to become his dedicated reseller.” Likewise, the company has paired with the killer, nationally touring act, Twiddle, said Rich. “They are selling out shows left and right; and they’re from Vermont, so that was a natural fit.”

“Partnerships are exciting, becoming an artists’ dedicated reseller is something we have always dreamed of doing,” said Rich. Additional partnerships with WaterWheel, Summer Camp Music Festival, Disc Jam and Osiris’ The Drop Podcast are just the beginning for CashorTrade. There is a lot of power in the fans.

According to their website, festivals are life changing moments. For Brando there are too many to count by hand, but the first Clifford Ball in 1996 holds a special place in his heart.

Phish played their first time at the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base. “My parents had just dropped me off my first year of college at Johnson State in Vermont. I got settled and drove straight to Plattsburgh, NY. It was the – most – amazing – three days of my life, having never seen so many people. It was something like experiencing a Woodstock-esque festival, with jam-packed streets, mayhem and three miles of party. That was pretty life changing, to see a plane fly overhead with Phish lyrics – and to think – what an extravaganza this is.”

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June 13, 2019

Built in Breakdance