Brooklyn Bowl opens the doors to its new location in Nashville, Tennessee this spring. The grand opening on March, 14 features a performance by Bowlive with Soulive and George Porter Jr. More than 30 shows were announced for this spring, including acts like Twiddle, Toots and The Maytals, and Carseat Headrest. Tickets are on sale now.
The 1,200 capacity live music venue will also be home to four bars and nineteen bowling alleys over it’s two stories. The owners maintain that it will retain the same aesthetic as the original Brooklyn Bowl.
American bluegrass/rock band Greensky Bluegrass has announced a new winter tour that will span the first two months of 2020. The band – known for bringing a rock-and-roll feel to bluegrass music – will be touring in support of their 2019 album All For Money.
Comprised of dobro player Anders Beck, Michael Arlen Bont on the banjo, guitarist, Dave Bruzza, Mike Devol on the upright bass, and Paul Hoffman on the mandolin, Greensky Bluegrass has been touring for the last 18 years, taking pride in their unique sound.
“We’re a rock-and-roll band that plays bluegrass instruments. Bluegrass is such a finite thing. Because you have a banjo and a mandolin, you’re supposed to do it a certain way. But we’ve always been ourselves,” said Beck.
This latest expedition will begin on January 15 and will see them tour throughout the Midwest and the East and West Coasts before finishing off in the South, with a performance in Atlanta, GA, on February 7and 8. The East Coast swing contains several stops in New York in January at venues like the State Theater in Ithaca, NYC’s Beacon Theatre, and Albany’s own The Egg.
Greensky Bluegrass’ remaining tour dates can be found below. While tickets can be found here.
Jan. 15 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
Jan. 16 – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall – Louisville, KY
Phish fired on all cylinders at North Charleston Coliseum, making their seventh visit to the South Carolina venue deliciously-memorable for the sold-out crowd. Bust-out covers, banter, and barely played original tunes elevated the already enticing jam tapestry that this band is known for.
Page McConnell, Jon Fishman and Trey Anastasio sing “Carolina”
The band began the three night run with an acapella “Carolina,” which was last played on 12/30/2016 at Madison Square Garden. “Carolina” was followed by the crowd hyping Phish original, “Party Time.” The bust-outs continued with “Strawberry Letter 23” by Shuggie Otis, marking the fourth time that the band has played this beloved cover. During the second set, the audience was treated to Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter,” last played 12/29/2018 at Madison Square Garden.
Trey Anastasio was all smiles at North Charleston Coliseum
“I Been Around,” last played at MGM Grand on 11/1/2018, made an appearance, complete with humorous lead in pun. Trey said: “Hey Page, I’ve been wondering. Where have you been anyways?” Page cleverly replied “I’ve been around,” which lead into the song.
Two barely played original tunes graced the set list, including “Destiny Unbound,” last played on 2/23/2019. The encore included an even more rare “Bittersweet Motel,” last played on 7/6/2016.
Phish certainly gave their dedicated fans a reason to travel to the Palmetto State. They are back in action the next two nights at North Charleston Coliseum. Both nights are understandably sold out, however Phish is offering a live webcast of the event. Visit Live Phish to prevent further FOMO on this already legendary run.
Set One: Carolina, Party Time, Strawberry Letter 23 > Undermind, I Been Around > Divided Sky, The Sloth, Destiny Unbound, We Are Come to Outlive Our Brains > My Friend, My Friend[1] > About to Run, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, David Bowie
Set Two: Axilla > Scents and Subtle Sounds > No Quarter > Your Pet Cat, Mercury > Saw It Again > Limb By Limb[2] > The Lizards, Suzy Greenberg
Encore: Bittersweet Motel[3] > Death Don’t Hurt Very Long > Loving Cup
[1] No “Myfe” ending. [2] Unfinished. [3] Lyrics changed to “halfway from Charleston to Pittsburgh.”
Page McConnell got funky at North Charleston Coliseum
Saturday, December 7
Set One: Fluffhead > Ocelot, Nellie Kane > The Dogs > Reba, Halfway to the Moon > Train Song > Guyute, Strange Design, Moonage Daydream
Set Two: The Connection, Mr. Completely > Crosseyed and Painless > Dirt, Cool Amber and Mercury > Split Open and Melt > Crosseyed and Painless > Split Open and Melt, A Life Beyond The Dream > Wilson > The Squirming Coil
Fast-rising indie-rock band Goose kick off 2020 with two sold out NYC shows, and then fly west to join Pigeons Playing Ping Pong for 13 shows on their first ever West Coast tour. The Norwalk, CT based group has taken flight this year, with notable performances at Peach Fest and sold out shows throughout their Fall Tour.
Not only will Goose open for Pigeons to start 2020, they’ll be on the Rock Legends Cruise, setting sail in late February, then head to Pelham, TN to perform at The Caverns for a PBS special.
January 24 — New York, NY January 25 — Brooklyn, NY February 5 — Tempe, AZ* February 6 — Solana Beach, CA* February 7 — West Hollywood, CA* February 8 — West Hollywood, CA* February 12 — San Luis Obisbo, CA* February 13 — Santa Cruz, CA* February 14 — San Francisco, CA* February 15 — San Francisco, CA* February 16 — Crystal Bay, NV* February 19 — Eugene, OR* February 20 — Bend, OR* February 21 — Portland, OR* February 22 — Seattle, WA* February 28-March 1 — Rock Legends Cruise March 27 — Pelham, TN April 16 — Asheville, NC April 17 — Raleigh, NC April 19 — Baltimore, MD April 22 — Syracuse, NY April 23 — Philadelphia, PA April 25 — Boston, MA April 26 — Boston, MA
including a three-night run at The Capitol Theatre in February and Artpark in June, Almost Dead fans around the country will be treated to the supergroup performing the music of the Grateful Dead with their own signature style.
Tickets are available via Facebook presale for these newly announced shows starting Wednesday, November 20 in three groups, beginning at 11 AM and continues at 12PM and 1PM. Passwords for these on sales will be announced via the JRAD Facebook page. General onsale will start Friday, Nov. 22 in three groups at 11am, 12pm and 1pm.
More dates will be announced in coming weeks.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead 2020 Tour
Nov. 25 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl (Headcount benefit) Feb. 21 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre Feb. 22 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre Feb. 23 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre Mar. 12 – Grand Rapids, MI – 20 Monroe Live Mar. 13 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee Mar. 14 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant Mar. 15 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant Apr. 25 – Asheville, NC – Salvage Station Apr. 26 – Atlanta, GA – SweetWater 420 Fest May 1 – New Orleans, LA – Mardi Gras World Ballroom May 2 – New Orleans, LA – Mardi Gras World Ballroom June 5 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre June 18 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion June 19 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark almost dead June 20 – Boston, MA – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion July 9 – Eugene, OR – Cuthbert Amphitheater July 10 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre July 11 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater Sept. 25 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater Sept. 26 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater
LOCKN’ returns for its eighth year at Infinity Downs and Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, VA on June 19-21, a shift from it’s usual dates in late August. This year’s festival will be extra special as LOCKN’ has put together a star-studded celebration of Phil Lesh’s 80th birthday. Lesh is best known as a founding member and bass player for the Grateful Dead.
“I am honored that Peter and the LOCKN’ family are throwing me the most special kind of birthday bash this year!” says Lesh. “It’s perfect because I’ve had so much fun there over the years — not just playing, but also getting to hang out and spend time with good friends and collaborators, some of whom I have just met and others whom I have been playing with since this all began. We are going to have a lot of fun.”
Lesh at 2016’s LOCKN’
Festival co-founder Peter Shapiro stated, “We’re going to celebrate Phil’s 80th the LOCKN’ way.” He continued, “He means so much to all of us, and we really are determined to give him the best party he’s ever had. We want to celebrate the man and his music in the best way possible. No better way than on our farm in that setting.”
LOCKN’ 2020 has pulled out all the stops for the celebration. Attendees will be able to experience for the first time ever at the three-day event the option of adding the Thursday before. Dubbed as “Steal Your Thursday” attendees can start the party early with a “Jerry Dance Party” on June 18. Expect a psychedelic audio/visual experience that celebrates the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. If that is not enough LOCKN’ for you, there is an option to come on Wednesday that gives you early access to the farm.
LOCKN’ LUMNI tickets will be available beginning Friday, Nov. 8 at 8:08 a.m. For complete ticket information and much more, please visit the LOCKN’ website here.
Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt of Leftover Salmon will hit the road as an acoustic duo tour this winter, with dates stretching across the Midwest and East Coast.
The two long-time collaborators are hitting the road for a rare run of acoustic duo shows performed in intimate settings that will celebrate over thirty years of musical friendship. Each night will be a journey through the pair’s long history and touch on all realms of their vast musical catalog including everything from well known favorites to long-forgotten gems, and everything in between.
They first came together on a late October evening when Vince Herman wandered into the Walrus Saloon in Boulder, Colorado, after being enticed by a sign reading “Bluegrass Music Here Tonight,. He met Drew Emmitt, whose band was playing that night, and the pair have been reshaping the musical landscape ever since. First at house parties and in the campgrounds at festivals, then in Emmitt’s bluegrass outfit the Left Hand String Band, before forming the legendary roots band Leftover Salmon on New Year’s Eve thirty years ago.
Since then, these two have been blazing new musical paths with Leftover Salmon, taking the music at their core: rock ‘n’ roll, folk, bluegrass, Cajun, soul, zydeco, jazz and blues, and crafting it into something new that has spawned a legion of bands in their wake. With their unpredictable approach in a live setting, their willingness to take chances by fusing disparate musical styles together and their incorporation of non-traditional bluegrass covers into their repertoire, Leftover Salmon has pushed that progressive bluegrass sound they were originally influenced by to the next level. Instead they are firmly settled in the long lineage of bands that defy simple categorization, always setting their own musical agenda.
Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt Acoustic Duo Tour Dec. 19 – Barley’s – Knoxville, TN Dec. 20 – Asheville Music Hall – Asheville, NC Feb. 6 – City Winery – Atlanta, GA Feb. 7 – City Winery – Nashville, TN Feb. 8 – 185 King Street – Brevard, NC Feb. 9 – Richmond Music Hall – Richmond, VA Feb. 11 – City Winery – Washington, DC Feb. 12 – City Winery – Philadelphia, PA Feb. 13 – City Winery (2 shows) – New York, NY Feb. 14 – The Egg – Albany, NY Feb. 15 – Stage One – Fairfield, CT Feb. 16 – City Winery – Boston, MA Feb. 27 – Kenny’s Westside Pub – Peoria, IL Feb. 28 – Redstone Room – Davenport, IA Feb. 29 – City Winery (2 shows) – Chicago, IL
Keller Williams is in the midst of a huge tour that’s stopping in for two upcoming Upstate NY performances in Albany at Skyloft on October 24 and in Syracuse at Westcott Theater on October 25. Keller has been touring extensively this year in support of the release of his latest album, Add. NYS Music was lucky enough to catch Keller Williams for a brief interview during his busy tour schedule. He was very down to earth and easy to talk to. We quickly digressed from talking about his tour to talking about his favorite shows at Red Rocks and Phish at Lockn‘.
Williams’ upcoming record, SPEED, features his bluegrass outfit Keller & The Keels (Williams on vocals, along with progressive flatpicker Larry Keel and bassist Jenny Keel) as they reinterpret popular songs in their trademark psychedelic Appalachian bluegrass style. Some of the covers heard on SPEED include Fiona Apple’s “Criminal,” Kacey Musgraves’ “Slow Burn,” Weezer’s “Island In The Sun,” and many more. SPEED is the trio’s third collaboration together, following their 2006 release Grass and 2012’s all-covers album Thief.
When asked about where the name for the new record came form he said, “The inspiration was an excuse to hang out with my friends, the Keels”.
Melting with Larry Keel at Floydfest 2016
Keller’s got so many projects going on like Grateful Grass, Grateful Gospel, Keller & The Keels, it’s hard to keep up! That guy stays on the move. Yet he manages to be on the road for three and a half days and home for three and a half days. Very balanced. Jokingly, Keller says it only took him thirty years to develop an ideal schedule.
Keller will be playing a two-day NYE run in St. Louis at the Old Rock House. On the first night, Keller will play with The Keels, and the second night with Grateful Grass. Lots of surprises are in store, but Keller likes to keep ’em that way. You know, surprising! He is also very excited to play in the psychedelic labyrinth known as Meow Wolf.
On favorite places to play: “Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado…it’s very historic and there’s a certain amount of honor. A certain amount of history that went down there. As a music fan, I just love it. But there’s so many other places that are as epic or as historic as Red Rocks that I love playing. Any given night, any given gig, could possibly be my favorite place to play ever”.
“It’s like the best camera you have is the one you have in your hand,” I said.
“It’s like there’s two types of weed. Some and none,” Keller replied as I burst into laughter.
Yay Keller! At Lockn’ 2019
Keller is a staple of the jam community, a part of the Dead scene, and a “phan.” His music is so easily accessible to the ones around him because he is one of them. He is a Deadhead playing to Deadheads. They breathe the same air, and drink the same Kool-Aid. Keller gets it. He makes it look easy and fun, just like a good show should feel. When he plays five sets at a festival, which isn’t rare for Keller, plan to dance at all five.
All smiles. Keller at Lockn’ 2018
So we digress and start to dig into show stories from Keller’s vault…
On Red Rocks concerts that stood out and Phish: “In 1990, I started seeing Phish. In the early ’90s they started to go into arenas kind of early. And I was used to pushing my car to the Grateful Dead show ’cause the line to get in would take hours. And I would always be in these old cars that would overheat, so you had to push them in…
So I started going to Phish shows, it was probably right after Jerry died. Probably like ’96 or ’97, the run of three Phish shows at Red Rocks. I remember those being super intense.”
When a contract issue arose while Keller was in Boulder, Colorado, he checked out Odesza at Red Rocks. “I used some connections to get me and a couple of friends in. I remember standing on the top, towards the back, where you can see the stage, and hear just beautifully, and you can see the whole skyline of Denver. And I remember elevating, I think I elevated, I elevated, I rose up higher than where I was standing. It was real, it happened.”
When asked about his favorite festival, he narrowed it down to just festivals in his home state of Virginia. “Floydfest: one of the very few festivals I can go with my family. Lockn’, I go and hang out there, me and my wife go. But we don’t take our kids there.”
Keller at Floydfest 2016
His two favorite festivals are right in his home state of Virginia, both at which he makes an annual appearance. “The Blue Ridge Parkway is really popping now with color,” Keller stated as we drooled over the beauty of that mountainous state.
At Floydfest 2016, Keller was seen on stage more than anyone else. They even put him in charge of what is now an annual super jam of epic proportions. “Greg Allman had cancelled, and we put that set together. It’s become a staple at that festival every year since, with me in charge.”
With The T Sisters at Floydfest 2016, filling in for Greg Allman
If he had to be stranded on an abandoned island with one musician, Keller would like no one else to spend his time with than his already good friend and band member, Larry Keel. According to Keller, he’s also a master fisher.
Keller is just so relatable and down to earth, it’s hard to not gravitate towards him. One time at Floydfest I asked a stranger for a lighter only to realize it was Keller who I was asking, another time I ran into him at a festival in Tennessee, and we were both sweaty guys with vapes at Lockn’ in the media tent.
Keller sitting in with Twiddle at Lockn’ 2016
On the hot, hot 2016 Lock’n music festival,”
On the hot, hot 2016 Lockn’ music festival: “That was a really interesting year. There was a couple years, they’d plug in my motor home right behind stage. The year that Phish was there…you know when they come to a festival they create their own fenced in zone. It’s not just like, here’s your trailer, Phish. No, they have their own fenced in area. That extended out the fence between the public and the festival. So I could go to the fence and be in front of the speakers and in front of the screen.
And I saw so many shows sitting in a folding chair, sitting by the fence, looking up. And it was just loud as hell! And it was so hot that year we had to take naps in the day ’cause we’d been up all night, and our motor home would become a subwoofer. And would just vibrate. Yeah, that was a fun year, I remember that year very well.”
Keller Williams Grateful Gospel at Lockn’ Festival 2019
Keller is an incredibly hard working and inspiring musician who seems like he never stops, hence the new album SPEED. This man cannot be stopped. But seriously, Keller is a true staple of the jam community, the scene if you will, and it was an absolute honor to wrack his brain about his music and his relationship with the music we love.
Following their return to the music festival circuit this summer, Dopapod has announced additional dates on the Emit Time Tour, which kicked off in Denver at the Ogden Theatre, October 4-5.
The tour picks up in Philadelphia just before Thanksgiving, then makes stops in the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast before heading to the West Coast. Dopapod is making the rounds late this fall, bringing with them impressive support acts, with Organ Freeman and Cycles joining already announced bands Ghost-Note, Jojo Mayer / NERVE, paris_monster, and DOMi & JD Beck.
Dopapod Emit Time Tour dates
Nov. 23 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts* Dec. 6 – Chicago, IL -Bottom Lounge^ Dec. 7 – Covington, KY – Madison Theatre^ Dec. 13 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club# Dec. 14 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club# Dec. 27 – Asheville, NC – Salvage Station& Dec. 28 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse& Jan. 17 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent@ Jan. 18 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom@ Jan. 24 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom% Jan. 25 – Seattle, WA – Nectar Lounge%
* with Domi & JD Beck ^ with Paris_Monster % with JoJo Mayer/Nerve & with Ghost-Note @ with Organ Freeman % with Cycles
Since their inception back in 2004, The Wood Brothers have been creating their own flavor of American traditional music on their own terms. The trio is comprised of brothers Chris (bass & vocals) and Oliver (guitar & vocals) Wood , as well as Jano Rix (percussion & shuitar). Together they have been successful in creating a unique musical gumbo which includes the combination musical styles including Blues, Folk, Country, and Rock.
The Wood Brothers also recently received critical acclaim for their latest studio release, 2018’s One Drop Of Truth, which included a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album. If that weren’t enough to keep the band busy, The Wood Brothers have just released Live At The Fillmore a new live album, their fifth, that was recorded over a two night stint at San Francisco’s famed musical landmark. The trio is famous for their live performances and the band shines on the stage. The opening track on Live At The Fillmore is “Blue and Green,” which is a stripped down, intimate number off of 2011’s Smoke Ring Halo LP. The deft vocals that Oliver and Chris deliver, as well as the ambient noise of the crowd, easily transports the listener to the gig at the historic Fillmore.
The boys tear it up on the third track “Snake Eyes” with a great percussion intro by Rix, which leads into a nicely executed guitar accompaniment by Oliver, featuring some heavy feedback. The Wood Brothers infectious performance, along with the a little on stage prompting from Oliver persuaded the audience to join the band in the chorus of the upbeat number, creating a vivid picture in the mind’s eye of the listener. The trio’s harmonies were spot on and the track wrapped up with another nice guitar fill by Oliver.
The Wood Brothers keeps the energy flowing with “Raindrop,” the fifth track from Live At The Filmore LP. Oliver and Jano constructed an intro featuring guitar and percussion which effortlessly leads into the jamming number. With the catchy opening vocal “Broke a heart for a cheap thrill. Seemed worth it at the time. There’s a hundred of ’em out there still. You can hear ’em all cryin’,” Oliver is able to evoke the frustration that anyone can feel while trying to get over a painful breakup.
The sixth tune, “Chocolate On My Tongue,” has an infectious groove that will get your foot tapping along with The Wood Brothers as they expertly ply their trade. Catchy riffs and smooth harmonies make this tune a true gem of a performance and a highlight on the LP.
Overall the fourteen tracks on Live at The Filmore are successful in proving The Wood Brothers are at their comfort zone on stage, playing for a live audience. It also illustrates how proficient the trio, who have had extensive time on the road performing, are able to anticipate and coordinate their playing together as a road tested unit. Oliver Wood once said while talking about selecting songs for a set list: “Sometimes it is like choosing between your children, you don’t want to have to do that but sometimes you have to.” Luckily for fans of The Wood Brothers, the band chose extremely well on Live At The Filmore, creating a voyeuristic experience where the listener gets to experience the best of two nights in the life of a great live band playing at a historic musical venue.
