Dark Star Jubilee will feature host and headliner Dark Star Orchestra for six sets over May 22-24, 2020. Held in Thornville, OH, Dark Star Jubilee has evolved into a celebration of the music of the Grateful Dead, as well as a reunion of performers in the broader Grateful Dead scene.
Announced acts for the festival include Oteil & Friends, Galactic (featuring Anjelika Jelly Joseph), Zero (featuring Steve Kimock, Gregg Anton, Pete Sears and Melvin Seals), The Infamous Stringdusters, Jorma Kaukonen, Keller Williams, Marco Benevento, Jeff Mattson & Friends and Holly Bowling. Also performing are Rumpke Mountain Boys, Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads, Dino English & The Progfusionals and Katie Henry Band.
Dark Star Orchestra will close out 2019 with two nights at The Palace Theatre in Albany over December 28-29 and head to The Wellmont in Montclair, NJ for two final nights. More info and tickets can be found here.
Marco Benevento has released the video for “Nature’s Change” the 11th track from his latest studio album, Let It Slide. The clip was filmed by Benevento using VHS cameras, perfectly encapsulating a 1980s’ aesthetic that he’s been known to embrace in his work. It was then handed off to longtime friend Jon Wood (vocalist/guitarist in Talking Heads’ tribute band, Psycho Killers) who added animation to the clip, enhancing the song—which has become a barn-burner in the set lists for Benevento’s album release tour this Fall—with a “psychedelic warble.”
Benevento and his band, featuring bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Dave Butler will perform at Le Poisson Rouge on Sunday, December 29 following Phish at Madison Square Garden. They then pick up again in 2020 with Texas and Southeast shows in January and a three-night Colorado run in February.
“The Jerry Dance Party,” a unique and immersive late-night audio/visual experience held at ZeroSpace in New York City will return to close out 2019, immediately following Phish at Madison Square Garden on December 28, 29, and 30. Fans can walk one convienent block to ZeroSpace.
“The three-night Jerry Dance Party at ZeroSpace is a chance for Deadheads and Phisheads alike to experience the mind-bending marriage of cutting-edge audio-visual technology with the timeless music of the Grateful Dead.” says concert promoter and Relix publisher Peter Shapiro.
The three-night art-tech event will feature “custom projections, interactive LED screens, projection mapped floors, synchronized illuminations, the largest augmented reality sandbox in the world and more, all tuned to the magical sounds of the Dead.” Additionally, ZeroSpace will feature a 3D mapped, 30-foot geodesic dome synchronized to “Drums & Space” all night long.
A successful inaugural edition of “Jerry Dance Party” was held following Dead and Company’s Halloween run at Madison Square Garden, leading to the three-night event being announced. Helming the events music will be DJ Jerrbrother.
“The shows we did around Dead & Company were over the top and we can’t wait to return to ZeroSpace,” says Stephen Grybowski, co-producer of The Jerry Dance Party. “We’re taking some of the most psychedelic art-tech available and pairing it with the most amazing song catalog known to man. Our goal is to bring the energy and vibe of the early events produced by The Merry Pranksters into 2019. I have a feeling they’d be very proud.”
And as if these three nights weren’t enough, the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. is hosting a similar event, “A Very Jerry Holiday Dance Party,” on Dec. 27. “At the Dec. 27 ‘Very Jerry Holiday Dance Party’ you can experience The Capitol Theatre like never before, as the ghosts of Grateful Dead past come alive to our amazing, state-of-the-art sights and sounds,” adds Shapiro.
The Jerry Dance Party will feature concert-quality sound throughout each room so jam fans can dance to the Dead until dawn. Tickets are $30 per night.
Chameleonize, a six-piece acid-jazz / funk-fusion band based in New York City, will be joined by Nerd Salad for a Phish After-Party at Arlene’s Grocery on the Lower East Side on Sunday, December 29.
Doors are at 11:30pm, with Chameleonize at Midnight and Nerd Salad at 1:00am. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 day of show. More info can be found here.
Chameleonize draw influences from Erykah Badu, Snarky Puppy, and Hiatus Kaiyote. They combine complex musical sequences with attractive pop melodies and hip-hop grooves, and exhibit a unique twist on contemporary music. Current members include Gabi Feliciano on vocals and alto saxophone, Mo LaMastro on guitar, Brian Gipson on guitar, Mikey Rotunno on bass, and Jake Navarro on drums.
Nerd Salad’s music is the product of childhood friends combining their love for the melodies of alternative rock, with their appreciation for technical musicianship. Their debut album Your Father And I Aren’t Angry, We’re Just Disappointed showcases the wide range of styles Nerd Salad is capable of. In just under twenty minutes of music, they leap from the infectious melodies of indie rock, to the psychedelic grooves of funk rock, and even the crushing breakdowns of metal, all while keeping their lyrics witty and relatable. Nerd Salad is truly an act that offers a little something for everyone.
Aqueous has revealed the themes for their New Years Run shows at The Town Ballroom in Buffalo to end 2019. The hometown band will present “Almost Dazed and Confused” on December 30, and “Fast Times at The BreAQfast Club” on New Year’s Eve.
The Buffalo-bred quartet has also asked fans to dress in their “funkiest 70’s gear” on the 30th and to “get your spandex ready, cause we’re headed straight to the 80’s” on New Year’s Eve. Tickets to both shows are on sale now.
ASAP Ferg paid a visit to Terminal 5 on Friday and brought with him an ensemble of artists for his second to last stop on the Floor Seats Tour. Prior to the show, the crowd’s anticipation came to a head, initiating a few mosh pits before the opening act. The openers arrived just in time to release the tension. Heater IV raved about glitter and glasses, MadeinTYO performed his biggest hits, and Mudra Beatz maxed out the energy with a DJ set.
ASAP Ferg then charged the stage to the tour’s title song “Floor Seats” and the room exploded with every color of the rainbow. Various other artists joined him on stage to perform their featured songs, including MadeinTYO, Murda Beatz, Brent Faiyaz, and Antha. It was all good vibes and love coming from ASAP Ferg, referring to his fans as family and reminding everyone to check up on their loved ones’ mental health.
PEAK had a truly remarkable 2019, and they’re looking forward to winter tour 2020 with a slate of Northeast shows, as well as one big show to close out the year.
Combining the characteristic flair that a weathered live band brings to the table, PEAK has the instrumental prowess and focus that draws crowds in. The group’s music, described as psychedelic indie funk, is a mix of poetic, melodic songwriting, moody electrofunk, riffed-out blues-rock, and exploratory danceable improvisations. Some of their many influences include artists such as The Band, The Talking Heads, Phish, The Grateful Dead, Radiohead, James Brown, and Miles Davis, as well as modern songwriters such as Conor Oberst, Mac Demarco, Kurt Vile, and Jack White to name a few.
PEAK consists of singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeremy Hilliard, drummer Kito Bovenschulte (Particle), bassist Josh T. Carter (Hayley Jane and the Primates) and Johnny Young on keys.
Their latest album,Electric Bouquet, offers a staple sound that PEAK can use to differentiate themselves from an ever-growing list of funk/rock bands.
Joining PEAK on December 30 are Digital Frontier, who lay down robotic dance beats and driving bass lines, producing progressive, multi-dimensional, synth-laden soundscapes; Teddy Midnight, who mix house, disco, techno and breakbeat with drum and bass to bring high energy to the dance floor; and Up & Orange, who bring soaring melodies, chunky grooves, and drum and bass driven electronica. For more information visit here.
Over five of the final days of December, The Fab Faux – featuring Jimmy Vivino, Will Lee, Rich Pagano, Frank Agnello and Jack Petruzzelli – will be bringing their versions of the Beatles songbook to the Cutting Room in NYC.
Each of the five gigs will have its own theme, including ‘Animal Songs,’ and favorites from Revolver and The White Album on the final two nights. Food and drinks will be served during the show. Check out themes and ticket links below:
If one band is on the lips of live music fans around the Northeast, it’s Goose. And for good reason – the group has had a break out year, with an instantly memorable Peach Festival set, a Fall Tour that saw them sell out and upgrade venues left and right, and now have sold out the Wall Street Theater in Norwalk, CT for their sixth annual Goosemas year-end, hometown show.
In addition to bringing in over 300 pounds of food for Open Doors shelter in Norwalk, Goose performed two sets – The Ghost of Goosemas Past, and The Ghost of Goosemas Future. The ‘Past’ set featured The Band’s “Christmas Must Be” to open the night, original Goose guitarist Peter Castaldi joining for “Gringo,” Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Carol of the Bells” and a set closing “Linus and Lucy” seen below.
The ‘Future’ set was bookended by fan favorite “Wysteria Lane,” followed by a debut of Robert Johnson’s “Sweet Home Chicago,” made famous by The Blues Brothers. Debuts of “Arrow” and “Honey Bee” were surrounded by songs released earlier this year, “White Lights” and “Creatures.” An improv heavy jam on The Beatles “Tomorrow Never Knows” was dark and went deep, prompting a few nearby to ask “Is this still ‘Creatures’?” The venue had loyal fans packing every inch of the venue until past 1 AM, and energy flowing from eveyone touched by the magic of Goosemas.
Opening the night was TalkPeck Soundsystem, featuring a combination of covers of Talking Heads, Vulfpeck and LCD Soundsystem, all of which were knocked out of the park to warm up the crowd, and then some.
Goosemas, Wall Street Theater, Norwalk, CT
Set 1: Christmas Must Be, Tumble, Gringo, All I Need, Carol of the Bells, Rosewood Heart, Christmas Wrapping, Yeti, Linus and Lucy
Set 2: Wysteria Lane, Sweet Home Chicago*, Arrow*, White Lights, Honey Bee*, Slow Ready, Creatures, Tomorrow Never Knows Jam, Your Ocean, Wysteria Lane
Mountain Jam has announced the festival will return to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in 2020. Dates for the festival are May 29-31, 2020 with lineup and more information coming in the new year.
