Marco Benevento at Music Hall of Williamsburg – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
Marco Benevento brought his trio to Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday night to showcase their new album Let It Slide. Marco has been a long time fixture in the New York music scene, and that was evident by the packed house and friends engaging with and cheering Marco on from the crowd. Earlier this month, the trio was at Cohoes Music Hall, just north of Troy, NY and the album itself was recorded in Queens.
The show began with a jam packed 45 minute set from The Mattson 2 – consisting of twin brothers Jonathon and Jared Mattson. The duo’s psychedelic jazz is so energetic and dense that if you were not looking you would think there was a four-piece band on stage. Guitarist Jared Mattson loops bass lines and other melodies through a large pedal board while playing a fast-paced, jazz-rock guitar on top of it all. The chemistry between the brothers is palatable, and the banter just as comical. Even as Jared was bouncing all over the stage, the two were able to stay locked in key the whole set.
The Mattson 2 at Music Hall of Williamsburg – Photo: Joseph BuscarelloThe Mattson 2 at Music Hall of Williamsburg – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
A hometown show is always special, and a look of pure joy could be seen on Marco and the band’s faces throughout the night. The crowd was singing and dancing along to every song of the nearly two hour set. The connection between the fans and the group was obvious. Climactic parts of songs would send bassist Karina Rykman leaping into the air with her bass and Marco took every chance he could to jump up from his piano bench.
Karina Rykman at Music Hall of Williamsburg – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
The band was electric from start to finish, even when they went on extended jams, it was always captivating. The musicianship from the trio was top-notch, so good their shows are not to be missed!
Marco Benevento at Music Hall of Williamsburg – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
The tour continues across North America through February, with a quick flyover to Japan for the Festival De Frue in early November.
The Phryg, a four piece progressive funk band from Brooklyn, best known for tremendously original music featuring deep pockets of funk have found their talents bringing them across the country. Today, The Phryg release the video and single for “Bad Habit,” a song about being ‘addicted’ to funk and attempting to suppress the urge to dance when hearing music that makes you want to let loose.
The lyrics playfully describe the main character coming to terms with his problem and later succumbing to his primal urges stating, “If we could all come to see that the funk is a remedy.”
The tune opens with a thumping groove between the bass and drums that drops into an intoxicatingly catchy chorus. The verses bounce along as lyrics intertwine with Hammond organ before synth chords. The song climaxes with a fiery guitar solo that twists, turns and ascends upwards. The listener is brought back down to earth with a return to the chorus and the final lyrics, “It’s easier to give in then to refrain – I’ve got a funk bad habit.”
The video features Seth Schiesel, Terry Brennan (Cousin Earth) and Angelic Aguilera, with videography by Brandon McClasky and editing by Bryan Walters.
The Phryg most recently played an after party at Garcia’s for a sold out Vida Blue show at The Capitol Theatre, and 2018’s Shakori Hills Festival alongside NY artists like Lettuce and Consider the Source. They’ve shared the stage with Bob Lanzetti of Snarky Puppy, Organ Freeman, Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers, The Fritz, Cycles and many more. The Phryg released their self-titled full length album in July 2016 as a follow up to their debut EP Midnight Snack.
The Phryg Fall Tour dates
Nov. 2 – Official Umphrey’s McGee pre-party at Goose Island – Philadelphia, PA
Nov. 8 – Casa del Sol – Nyack, NY
Nov. 22 – Rock Harbor Pub & Brewery – Rockland, ME
Nov. 23 – Maine Craft Distilling – Portland, ME
Dec. 28 – Phish after party at Rockwood Music Hall – New York, NY
Songhoy Blues are set to release their new EP, Meet Me in the City via Fat Possum on October 18 in support of a 5-week North American tour. The band also helped kick off the United Nations Climate Change Week in New York City with a breakout performance in support of the historic Great Green Wall initiative they are helping bring to life.
The EP is their first collection of new music since the critically acclaimed album Résistance, which Rolling Stone called one of the best albums of 2017, and will be released on special edition yellow vinyl.
They recently shared two versions of the EP’s title track — one mixed by Blake Mills (Grammy-nominated producer of Alabama Shakes’ Sound & Color, John Legend’s Darkness and Light, and Perfume Genius’ No Shape) and the other by David Ferguson (known for his sound engineering work with “Cowboy” Jack Clement and on Johnny Cash’s American Recordings). The title track was written by Junior Kimbrough (with additional lyrics by Songhoy Blues and produced by Matt Sweeney).
Steeped in the deep traditions of classic Malian music & desert blues fused with a youthful and super-charged sound of today, Songhoy Blues formed in 2012 in Bamako after its members had left Timbuktu, which was under siege by Islamist militants. The band released their debut album, Music In Exile, in early 2015 receiving across the board praise, including a 5/5 rating in The Guardian who claimed, “they have all the makings of African-rock crossover heroes.”
Songhoy Blues says, “We’re really happy to introduce this new EP and our English-language debut on the song ‘Time To Go Home.’ Please enjoy it and get ready for a heavy new album coming up very soon.”
On PBS’ American Masters, Will Oldham spoke of working with Songhoy Blyes, saying, “They are a Malian band that’s really trying to make sense of what they’ve been witnessing, what they’ve been experiencing, and create or transmit a message to people about what they’re seeing and how they’re trying to understand it and make change…And to think, well I want them to know that I’m trying to listen and trying to understand, and if I can give voice to some of what they’re experiencing, that they might be emboldened by this musical connection.”
Most recently, the band completed a sold out run of UK dates, recorded a live session for BBC 6 Music; filmed an episode of the new UK TV show Noughts & Crosses in South Africa; featured in a new photography exhibit called My Rockstars by Hassan Hajjaj at La Maison Europeenne de la Photographie in Paris; and collaborated with UK artist Andy Morgan on a multimedia exhibition called Music & Conflict at the Imperial War Museum, which debuted in June 2019.
Songhoy Blues are also proud spokespersons for the charity WaterAID, and have helped to raise money & awareness toward providing relief in their native Mali. They will be appearing in an upcoming documentary on climate change in the Sahel; and were featured in the award-winning documentary “They Will Have to Kill Us First”, about the plight of musicians in war-torn Mali.
Syracuse shoe-gazers Trench has announced a series of November dates that sees the band hitting up venues throughout the Northeast. The tour kicks off in the band’s hometown at the legendary Lost Horizon on Nov. 9.
Joining Trench at the Lost Horizon show are Rochester’s The Joke’s on Us, Boston’s reprieve., and Syracuse’s Buggin’ Out and The Same Page. Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. show are available now through Ticketweb. Advanced sale tickets are $10. Tickets the day of the show are $12.
Trench formed in 2015 when Chris Reilly (guitar/vocals) and Roberto Becerra (bass) got together. They were soon joined by Ron Ballweber (guitar) and Dan Sanborn (drums) to round out the band. They released their debut EP Sun Soaked on Flesh and Bone Records in 2016 and followed it up touring with Nothing, Thrice, Basement, and Silversun Pickups.
Their second release, 2018’s genre-spanning Ritual Love has the band visiting spaces that include post-rock, shoegaze, post-hardcore and dream pop. Speaking about the album, Reilly states, “The most important thing when writing music is to be honest and genuine, and I think we accomplished that both musically and lyrically on this record.” Ballweber adds, “We never write a song and say that isn’t ‘us.’ When you write honestly and without a conscious influence or direction then everything you create is sincere.”
Trench is part of a growing Syracuse alternative scene that includes artists such as Mattydale Music Collective, Late Earth, Lucky33, Atkins Riot, Major Player, Lily Grave and Outside Voices. Reilly, speaking to Rochester alternative culture magazine Floated recently said of the scene, “I feel like the community is stronger than it’s been in a long time…It doesn’t feel like a competition. Everyone’s moreso contributing in building a community.”
The Big Damn Blues Revolution Tour will bring together three artists who are both master musicians and amazing showmen. With five stops across New York in November, The Reverend Peyton, Dom Flemons and J.D. Wilkes will take the blues-roots-folk music that they love and live on a unique tour. Each night will culminate with a special jam session featuring all three artists.
The tour begins November 6 in Asheville, N.C., then heads north for a date in Brooklyn at Knitting Factory on November 13. From there, shows in Saratoga Springs (Nov 16), Syracuse (Nov. 19), Buffalo (Nov. 20) and Corning (Nov. 21) will bring blues-driven folk across the Empire State.
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, a 2019 Blues Music Award nominee, includes the Reverend’s wife, “Washboard” Breezy Peyton, drummer Max Senteney and is led by the Reverend Peyton, considered to be the premier fingerpickers playing today. A singularly compelling performer and persuasive evangelist, the rootsy, country-blues styles that captured his imagination early in life led him to Clarksdale, Mississippi to study under such blues masters as T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour, and David “Honeyboy” Edwards. The recently released album Poor Until Payday debuted at #1 on the iTunes Blues Chart and #4 on the Billboard Blues Chart.
Joining Reverend Peyton is Don Flemons, who draws from a repertoire of more than 100 years of American folklore, ballads, and tunes. A Grammy Award winner and two-time Emmy nominee, Dom Flemons is known as “The American Songster” and is a music scholar, historian, and multi-instrumentalist – an expert player on the banjo, fife, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, and rhythm bones. His 2018 Smithsonian Folkways release Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys received a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. Flemons co-founded the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who won a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album in 2010 and were nominated for Best Folk Album in 2012.
J.D. Wilkesis a true Renaissance man — musician, visual artist, author, filmmaker, and self-proclaimed “Southern surrealist.” Also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist (notably on harmonica and banjo), Wilkes has recorded with Merle Haggard, John Carter Cash, Mike Patton, and Hank Williams III. Wilkes is perhaps best known as the founder of the Legendary Shack Shakers, a Southern Gothic rock and blues band whose fans include Stephen King, Robert Plant, and former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra. Rolling Stone named Wilkes “best frontman” at the 2015 Americana Music Association Festival for his performance with the band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wItG_D3Vuvc
Big Damn Blues Revolution Tour Dates:
Wed., Nov. 6 ASHEVILLE, NC The Grey Eagle
Thurs., Nov. 7 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. The Ramkat
Fri., Nov. 8 RALEIGH, NC The Pour House Music Hall
Sat., Nov. 9 LEESBURG, VA Third Annual Chad Dukes Veterans Day Jamboree @ Tally Ho Theater; without Dom Flemons
Sun., Nov. 10 ANNAPOLIS, MD Rams Head On Stage
Tues., Nov. 12 BOSTON, MA City Winery
Wed., Nov. 13 BROOKLYN, NY Knitting Factory
Thurs., Nov. 14 SELLERSVILLE, PA Sellersville Theater 1894; without Dom Flemons
Fri., Nov. 15 TUCKERTON, NJ Lizzie Rose Music Room; without Dom Flemons
Sat., Nov. 16 SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY Cafe Lena; without Dom Flemons
I can imagine it is sometimes difficult to be called an Americana band. I’ve heard a number of music fans hear that description and respond, “You mean they sound like Mumford and Sons, or The Avett Brothers?” That response is not only limiting, it’s unfair. Listening to The Drunken Hearts pending release, Wheels of the City, dispels the notion that they are a one dimensional entity. There is country, with pedal steel and banjo, as well as elements of soul, some of the classic Laurel Canyon sound, touches of rock comparable to Drive-By Truckers, and alt-country stylings reminiscent of Son Volt.
The Drunken Hearts
The album, recorded at Denver’s Silo Sound Studios, starts out with “Fire in a House,” slowly building an intro, leading to a verse, a piano melody, and continuing with layers of other instrumentation and backing vocals. The tune eventually deconstructs to some degree toward the end, sonically arriving back where it began. “Alive ‘n Free” reflects the overall upbeat feel of Wheels of the City, as evidenced by the lyrics
“Sometimes in life, you get to where you want to / Sometimes in love, you fall just where you’re meant to / Sometimes this world shows you how to be free / Alive ‘n free.”
The addition of strings and a female accompanying vocal on “Passchendaele” lend a sense of sad elegance to a song about one of the most prolonged battles of World War I, and a soldier discovering lost love after returning home from war. “In the Middle” is an uptempo tune that can easily have the listener singing along, tapping their toes and swaying to the music.
“Two Hearts (On a Limb)” perhaps best fits the “Americana” genre, although The Drunken Hearts display a much broader range than any one single style. That range is displayed on “Wheels of the City.” The title tune begins with a country music feel, and as horns come in midway through the song, it morphs a bit into a soul sound. That subtle transition reflects the chameleon-like qualities of the songs, and the band as a whole. By virtue of the way the songs take advantage of multiple band members’ instrumental skills, this may well be a group that hits its stride in live performances more so than in a recording studio. That’s not to say Wheels of the City is lacking in any way, it’s simply that some bands build their chops over the course of hundreds of live gigs, and the band took a decidedly different approach to this release – writing and recording eleven new songs in eleven days, rather than recording familiar pieces that had been road tested.
The album closes with “The Cave,” which begins with a spoken word intro and leads into an instrumental section which is markedly different than the rest of the album. As noted, the band’s novel approach to this recording was a rather daring roll of the dice, with unknown possibilities.
Wheels of the City will be released on multiple platforms as well as the band’s website on Friday, October 18. For more about the band, click here.
Key Tracks: Alive ‘n Free, Two Hearts (On a Limb), Wheels of the City
The Drunken Hearts current tour will provide opportunities to see them throughout New York State. All five of those shows are in support of Yonder Mountain String Band. The Saturday, October 19 show will be a homecoming of sorts for bassist and vocalist Jon Macartan, a native of nearby Guilderland, New York, in the capital region. The New York State days are listed below.
Wednesday, October 16, at Buffalo’s Tralf Music Hall Tickets here.
Thursday, October 17, at Center for the Arts of Homer Tickets here.
Saturday, October 19, at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs Tickets here.
Thursday, November 11 at Brooklyn Bowl Tickets here.
Sunday, November 17 at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock Tickets here.
Halleloo, a Brooklyn-based creative agency and production company has launched a monthly video series featuring artists performing acoustic versions of their songs on the studio couch. With just one take, Halleloo’s series supports their mission of providing unique, creative video content for artists and businesses and empowering them to do what they love.
Founder Nathan Chang says of the series, “I started this project as a way to highlight musicians in a stripped down, acoustic setting. I love seeing videos of artists I love just noodling around in their living rooms, being amazing musicians, so this is a way to take that setting into a professional video environment, but still in a living room on a couch. No frills. Just great video, great lighting, great music – that was the goal.
“I think it’s simply because the folks we bring in are, at their essence, just amazing musicians – and sometimes I think that can get lost in a studio edit. But here, it’s highlighted.”
This month’s featured artist is Lohai, a Brooklyn duo made up of Alita Moses and Devon Yesberger who normally play with a full band. For their Halleloo session the pair sang their hit song “Baby I Know You Will” in the stripped down couch setting. Stay tuned for more Halleloo’s Couch Series through their YouTube and Instagram.
Sweet Megg & the Wayfarers have recently announced details about their album release party, set for October 19 at Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn. With a jazzy style, Sweet Megg & the Wayfarers take audiences back to the 1920s, with a six-member band consisting of a wide range of instruments, including three types of saxophones, upright bass, guitar, drums, and lead vocals by Megg Farrell.
Farrell describes the new album as a return to “earlier repertoire of the 1920’s and 30’s, but we’ve also been mixing that with some modern elements.” The lead guitarist adds sweet tones of a telecaster and pedals to the album, creating a sound similar to Les Paul. This new album also features some heart-felt original songs, written and performed by Megg. All members of the band have special arrangements in the album—creating a one-of-a-kind, old-fashioned jazz style with a touch of modern bluegrass and western swing. Listen to the band’s first album below.
Guests of the October 19 show will get a sneak peak of the album debuting in December, which features an array of songs from nearly a century ago. Songs by Jellyroll Morton (“Why”), Billie Holiday (“I Cried For You”), Fats Waller (“Sweet & Slow) and Bessie Smith (“Devils Gonna Get You”) are performed by Megg and the Wayfarers, with their own personalized takes on the ageless tracks. Originals by Farrell are also found on the album (“Under the Moonlight” & “When the Moon Covers Up the Sun”), which drew their inspiration from the moon. The band’s trombone player, Sam Chess, was utilized heavily in these songs to create a youthful and swing-type style.
Throw on your dancing shoes and join the band at the album release party on October 19th at Jalopy Theatre. Doors open at 8 PM and tickets are only $10! Click here for more info.
Brooklyn Bowl was treated to a double bill on Friday, October 11 as George Porter Jr. and his trio opened for Melvin Seals and JGB featuring John Kadlecik. Along with Michael Lemmler on keyboards and Terrence Houston on drums, the ageless and eponymous GPJ’s bass and vocals led the way for a 75-minute opening set of NOLA funk.
The Meter’s “Cissy Strut,” something of a New Orleans anthem, was an authentic offering with signature bass lines and what sounded like a beautiful jazz bar piano interlude thanks to Lemmler’s keyboards. Terrence Houston is an eye catching drummer, delicate when necessary but constantly energetic, somewhere at the nexus of jazz and funk. And for a band that improvises to the point of not even writing setlists, “They Love Each Other,” led by Porter’s bass solos and deep gravelly voice, was the perfect choice to get the crowd ready for Melvin, a perfect funk salad of Jerry tunes whetting our collective palate for the main course.
Photo by Zach Belfer
Taking the stage promptly at 9:30pm, Melvin Seals and JGB feat. John Kadlecik opened with a gorgeous “How Sweet It Is.” John-Paul McLean is a worthy bassist with the chops to take impressive solos and the rhythm section of he and Pete Lavezzoli that impressed all night. Vocalists Mary eL and Lady Chi lit up the stage and their playful back and forth with Melvin is fun to watch. But there’s a reason the big man on the keys and organ gets his name on the marquee, lighting up the Brooklyn Bowl with joy every time he took a solo on the Hammond B3. Largely due to the 18 years he spent playing with the Jerry Garcia Band, his playing just feels so familiar and authentic, bringing joy in spades, spread in a wide arc from the huge smile he always wears.
A tasty “After Midnight” > “Eleanor Rigby” > “After Midnight” sandwich, made famous by the JGB release of the Kean College show from 2/28/80, highlighted why John Kadlecik’s name now shares said marquee with Melvin. To think that earlier in the night someone was overheard saying Kadlecik’s voice is okay but he can’t play guitar… “Wonderful World” ensued and the love fest was on, at least until “Get Out Of My Life Woman” conflicted the love story woven through the early part of the setlist. Melvin really shone on that one, not to be outdone by a gorgeous bass solo from McLean. “I’ll Take A Melody” again gave the spotlight back to Kadlecik before a rollicking “Cumberland Blues.”
Photo by Zach Belfer
Melvin took lead vocals for the only time of the night on Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” followed by “Lonesome and a Long Way From Home,” the second Eric Clapton song of the evening (if you count “After Midnight,” a song popularized by Clapton but written by JJ Cale). “Lucky Old Sun” provided a nice bathroom break, an idea apparently shared by most of the sold-out but comfortably crowded venue, and gave others a chance to relocate, particularly stage right to enjoy the show from right under Melvin’s Hammond and soak in his joy from up close. “Sisters and Brothers” dutifully brought the dance party back before the set closing sequence of “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Terrapin Jam” > “Midnight Moonlight” which inspired some hair raising goosebumps and left the crowd feeling jubilant.
All these cats can really play. What a pleasure it was to join them and dance it up (16,854 steps) as they took JGB’s catalog out for a two-hour stroll through the Brooklyn Bowl.
Setlist: How Sweet It Is, After Midnight, Wonderful World, Get Out Of My Life Woman, I’ll Take A Melody, Cumberland Blues, Knocking On Heaven’s Door, Lonesome And A Long Way From Home, That Lucky Old Sun, Sisters & Brothers, Help On The Way > Slipknot! >Terrapin Jam > Midnight Moonlight
Sarah Perry of Kero Kero Bonito at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
Fresh off their new EP, Civilisation I, London-based band Kero Kero Bonito brought their edgy electro-pop to Brooklyn Steel this past Thursday night. Negative Gemini opened the show, delivering a dance friendly set to a highly energetic crowd, eager to get the night started.
Originally a trio, Kero Kero Bonito have expanded their live band to include two more members; adding a whole new layer of noise and groove to their live sound. Sarah Perry fronts the band and continuously engages the crowd while adding quirky theatrical elements, like waving an oversized white flag during the opening song “Battle Lines.”
Sarah Perry of Kero Kero Bonito at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
New band members James Rowland and Jennifer Walton were on percussion and keyboard duties, and throughout the show they kept switching instruments for various solos and jams. They each brought their own style to the instruments and the band remained just as sharp regardless of who was playing what.
Jennifer Walton of Kero Kero Bonito at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
Kero Kero Bonito have a dedicated and highly engaged fanbase. The audience sung along to every track and did not let up the energy one bit. The lengthy 21 song main set never felt dull, even when Sarah announced a “break” to perform one of the groups slower songs. Break time quickly ended and the high energy performance continued. During the encore, there was an unlikely cover of U2’s “Vertigo,” which sent the crowd into a frenzy.
A unique mix of punk and electro-pop with a traditional J-pop influence really set Kero Kero Bonito apart from other indie pop blends. They present a vibrant performance and their discography continues to evolve. The band continues on their North American tour through November.
