Category: Regions

Caravan to WinterWonderGrass events planned for October

Ahead of its 2020 season, the WinterWonderGrass Music & Brew Festival has announced details surrounding its annual “Caravan to WonderGrass” campaign taking place this October. The series will kick off at this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO on October 3rd, stopping in Tahoe City and Truckee, CA over three days before the culminating event happens on October 26th in Manchester, VT.

Caravan to WonderGrass aims to curate intimate, pop-up events in the festival’s host states–namely Colorado, California and Vermont–to produce gatherings that celebrate both the release of the annual festival lineups, while also offering an opportunity to connect more deeply with the local community. A “caravan,” after all, is defined as, “a group of people, especially traders or pilgrims, traveling together,” and with three national locations to its name, WinterWonderGrass, and the events leading up to it, embody just that.

“The journey is often the greatest part of the adventure–the anticipation, the allure of reconnection, the enthusiasm and camaraderie,” WinterWonderGrass founder, Scotty Stoughton, shares about the Caravan concept. He elaborates, “We absolutely love the communities where WinterWonderGrass has found a home over the years, and we enjoy spending more time connecting with the culture of each of these unique villages. Part of our mission during the Caravan events is to highlight the incredible local food, talent, farms, train depots and lakeside porches inherent in each community, and use them to welcome the next iteration of WinterWonderGrass each year.”

WinterWonderGrass kicks off its annual Caravan to WonderGrass series during this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO over October 3rd – 5th in front of 60,000 people. Great American Beer Festival attendees can experience four days of music across each session with performances by Vince Herman and Andy Thorn (Leftover Salmon) featuring Silas Herman on October 3rd; a special WinterWonderWomen showcase on October 4th featuring Bridget Law (Elephant Revival), Shelby Means, Courtney Hartman and Bonnie Sims; and to close the Colorado edition, WinterWonderGrass will host two sessions on October 5th, with Meadow Mountain performing the early session and Telluride Bluegrass winners, Wood Belly playing the evening session. All showcases will take place at the WinterWonderGrass Presents the Ikon Pass® Stage.

Additionally, Caravan to WonderGrass will host dual shows at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom and Cervantes Otherside in Denver, CO on October 3rd ,with a lineup including The Bluegrass Generals featuring Andy Hall and Chris Pandolfi (Infamous Stringdusters), Drew Emmitt (Leftover Salmon), Andrew Altman (Railroad Earth) and Adam Aijla (Yonder Mountain String Band) plus another WinterWonderWomen showcase, this time featuring Bridget Law (Elephant Revival), Megan Letts, Shelby Means, Courtney Hartman and Bonnie Sims, with additional performances from Pickin on the Dead, Meadow Mountain and Banshee Tree.

By October 11th, the Caravan makes its way up to Steamboat, CO, with showcases happening at The Depot Art Center in downtown Steamboat from 5:00 – 9:00 pm, presented by WonderGrass & Steamboat Creates. Music will be provided by a collective of local and regional acts, billed as The WinterWonderGrass All-Stars. This event is free and open to all ages, with food truck offerings from Skull Creek Greek onsite, and chances to win exclusive festival merchandise and tickets to the 2020 Steamboat, CO event.

The California Caravan encompasses three events, taking place over October 17th, 18th and 19th. On October 17th, WonderGrass & The Tahoe Food Hub present The Supper Club at the Tahoe Food Hub in Truckee, CA, with food prepared by Chef Wyatt Dufresne, formerly of PlumpJack Squaw. Attendees can expect a seasonal 4-course menu sourced locally and prepared collaboratively between the chef, and the farmers and ranchers who cultivated the ingredients. Tickets are $110 and admission includes food, conversation, music and a chance to bond with fellow members of the WinterWonderGrass community.

Over October 18th and 19th, WonderGrass Presents two pop-up performances from Midnight North, taking place at Moe’s BBQ in Tahoe City, CA on the 18th, and Alibi Brewing in Truckee, CA on the 19th. Both shows will last from 9:00 pm – 12:00 am and are free and open to all ages. During both performances, there are chances to win tickets to the festival and exclusive festival merchandise. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early because From 6:00 – 9:00 pm both nights, tickets to WinterWonderGrass 2020 Festival events are available for sale with no processing fees.

The Caravan to WonderGrass culminates on October 26th at Earth Sky Time in Manchester, VT from 5:00 – 10:00 pm. For this Halloween-themed Caravan event, music performances will be provided by Andy Falco (the Infamous Stringdusters), Saints and Liars and Terrible Mountain String Band. Food offerings will be provided by Earth Sky Times Farm. Tickets are $10 and the event is open to all ages. Attendees are eligible to compete in a costume contest, where prizes include tickets to the 2020 Stratton, VT event and exclusive festival merchandise.

A limited quantity of fee-free tickets to WinterWonderGrass festival stops will be available for purchase during all Caravan to WonderGrass events. Visit for tickets and more information on specific Caravan events.

WinterWonderGrass will go on sale Thursday, October 3, 2019, at 10:00 am MST with all 2020 events including Steamboat Springs, CO (February 21-23), Squaw Valley, CA (March 27-29) and Stratton, VT (April 10 & 11). The lineup announcement will take place the same day.

September 17, 2019
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Brings Their Unique Sound to Central Park Summerstage
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard is one of the most prolific rock bands currently out there. Starting with their debut album 12 Bar Bruise in 2012, the boys from Melbourne have released almost 2 albums per year since then, pushing it to 5 full length releases in 2017 alone! With a quick break in 2018, King Gizzard is back with a headline show at Summerstage in Central Park.

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Photo by Joseph Buscarello

Fishing for Fishies, released in April of 2019, showed the band embracing a boogie-sound and mixing this groove into their blend of psych/heavy rock. Then, King Gizzard began to tease what sounded like a new thrash-metal album, delivering the incredible Infest the Rat’s Nest this past August. This album is a true homage to the genre with their signature style mixed in seamlessly.

It’s no surprise that the audience was intrigued as to how King Gizzard would fill the set at Central Park Summerstage on August 28. The band kicked things off with fierce renditions of Infest the Rat’s Nest tracks “Self-Immolate” and “Perihelion.” The show itself was well organized as the band tended to group tracks from the same album together, allowing them to dig deep into the style of each album: three tracks in a row from Polygondwanaland early on, with three straight tracks from Murder of the Universe later in the set.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at Central Park Summerstage – 8/28/2019

A last-minute addition of “Planet B” to the setlist paved the way for the final leg of the show. The band ditched the outdated tradition of leaving the stage and resurfacing for an encore, but instead powered through using every last minute of the early show to play for the fully engaged audience. The band was sure not to let up one minute before curfew. A constant stream of crowd surfers, full throat singing, and mosh pits all over the Rumsey Playfield made for a very high intensity show.

King Gizzard embarks on a fall tour of Europe in October and November, with a final show at the Maho Rasop Festival in Bangkok, Thailand in mid-November. Does that leave enough time for one more full-length release in 2019?

Setlist: Self-Immolate, Preihelion, The Great Chain of Being, Plastic Boogie, Inner Cell, Loyalty, Horology, Boogieman Sam, Evil Death Roll, Digital Black, Vomit Coffin, Murder of the Universe, This Thing, The Bird Song, Planet B, Mars for the Rich, Cyboogie, Am I in Heaven?
September 17, 2019
In Focus: Here Come the Mummies lay the funk down at Skyloft

Their identities may be under wraps but Here Come the Mummies are the high power funk band you didn’t know you needed in your life. Playing to a crowd at Albany’s Skyloft, most didn’t know what to expect but found themselves moving to the consistently energizing funk.

This 11-piece group is anonymous, supposedly cursed after deflowering a great Pharaohâs daughter, or perhaps they are reincarnated Grammy-Winning studio musicians. Either way, the performance from a Mummies show is second to none and more visits to the Empire State are in order.

Over the course of their two hour set full of originals, many with suggestive lyrics, had the audience cracking up while they’re getting down. “Pants,” “Shag Carpet” and “Freak Flag” all had their own elements of kink and double entendre, while “Bring that (Bootie) Down” and “Ra Ra Ra” filled in with big band funk that is a rare find these days.

The attentive ear could even catch riffs of Wreckx-N-Effect “Rump Shaker” that beckoned for the crowd to get down. An encore of “Dirty Minds” summed up the band’s style in both sound and lyrics, and kept the audience waiting for more. Here Come the Mummies will surely rise again in the Capital District.

photos by Conor McMahon

September 16, 2019
Fins Up LG to bring a taste of Key West to Lake George

Over Father’s Day weekend next summer, Fins Up LG will bring the sounds and flavors of Key West to Charles R. Wood Festival Commons in Lake George. Parrotheads and Mardi Gras lovers will be drawn to this weekend long festival on the shores of Lake George, with music, margaritas, daiquiris and more in store.

This three day music festival will feature more than 20 musical acts on two main stages for a continuous musical adventure. Featuring a who’s who of Trop Rock Award winners, the lineup also features Jimmy Buffett tribute acts, and some incredible Zydeco, Cajun, and Country acts.

Featured artists include Jimmy and the Parrots (2 days), Mike Nash & Southern Drawl, Donny Brewer and the Dock Rockers, The Boatdrunks, ZBTB (acclaimed Zac Brown Band Tribute), Jesse Rice, John Patti, John Frinzi, Cory Young, Buckwheat Zydeco, Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef, The Detentions, Caribbean Chillers, Rich Ortiz, Big Fez and the Surfmatics, Tropical Beat and more. Craft and food vendors will be on hand, as well as a huge margarita and daiquiri bar. VIP options are available for the weekend as well, and the event will be held rain or shine.

And this party has a purpose! $10 from every ticket sold will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. For more information, visit FinsUpLG.com

September 16, 2019
Celebrate the High Holidays in NYC with music from Stuart Bogie, members of Antibalas and more

Because Jewish, whose mission is “to bring Judaism into the now,” will host their eighth annual “musically and spiritually driven” High Holidays services at various NYC venues, and they’ve got some cool musicians lined up to help out as usual.

All four services will be led by Rabbi Daniel Brenner and musical director Jordan McLean (of Antibalas), who will lead a house band featuring other Antibalas members as well as drummer John Bollinger (Barbez, Antony and the Johnsons, Sway Machinery) and Yula Beeri (The Hive/Hyrda). Rabbi Dan Ain and Jeremiah Lockwood (who was a live member of Balkan Beat Box) will also serve as “musical and spiritual supervisors remotely.” Sydney Faith Rose will also lead a meditation at each service. “Hopefully, we will have a few other familiar faces joining us throughout this special period, too,” the organizers say.

The services include the First Night of Rosh Hashanah at 7:30 PM on September 29 at Nublu Classic with special guest musicians Stuart Bogie (Superhuman Happiness, Arcade Fire, Craig Finn, etc), Lenny Kanye (Patti Smith Group), Dave Harrington (Darkside), and Amir Zir, with Stuart Bogie leading a jam session after the service.

On September 30, they’ll host Bowl Hashanah at Brooklyn Bowl, starting at 10 AM, with guest musician Aaron Diskin (Golem). After the service, Armo, “a spiritually driven Antibalas configuration,” will perform during the complimentary lunch.

They’ll observe Kol Nidre at Cutting Room on October 8 at 7 PM with special guest soloist Anthony Russell chanting Kol Nidre and Avinu Malkeinu, while accompanied by McLean and his band.

Finally, Yom Kippur will be celebrated at 10 AM on October 9 at Cutting Room, once again with Anthony Russell, and The National collaborator Josh Kaufman will be one of the guest musicians at this one.

The High Holidays Pass that gets you into all four events. More info here and on Facebook.

September 16, 2019
Putnam Place to welcome Andy Frasco and the U.N. with Wild Adriatic

This Thursday, September 19, Saratoga Springs is in for one heck of a party, when Andy Frasco and the U.N. descend upon Putnam Place for one of the best shows you’ll see all fall. The high energy performance Frasco and his band bring to the stage, coupled with local Indie rockers Wild Adriatic opening the night, means an intense night of music you won’t soon forget is on tap.

Renowned for a jubilant jambalaya of rule-breaking rock n roll his career kept rolling ahead at full steam, Andy Frasco has been busy. He has released three independent albums, chronicled a German gig in front of 15,000 screaming fans on the recent live opus Songs from the Road, made jaws drop at festivals such as Grandoozy, Firefly, Mountain Jam, Summer Camp, Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park and Electric Forest, generated millions of streams, launched Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast, and performed at festivals alongside icons such as Peter Frampton, Gary Clark Jr., The Revivalists, Snoop Dog, Dr. Dog, Joe Walsh and Kendrick Lamar, to name a few.

Wild Adriatic has added more depth and dimensions to the band’s expansive rock and soul filled sound over the course of 2019, including a brand new collaboration EP release and their tour in support of partners-in-crime Andy Frasco & the U.N. Get ready for an incredible night in Saratoga on Thursday, September 19! For more information visit PutnamPlace.com

September 16, 2019
Stone Temple Pilots Leave Upstate Concert Hall Dead and Bloated

The Stone Temple Pilots have been playing since the late 80’s, and even with a new face on the mic, they don’t seem to be slowing down. Droves of fans packed the wide room of Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY on Tuesday September 10th. The crowd was a sea of late 40’s dads and also a young crowd that will keep these memories alive.

The quartet came out to a massive roar as they took the stage. They started off strong, working through “Coma,” “Wicked Garden” and “Vasoline.” After a few classics they moved into their newer songs. They did an incredible job weaving through their repertoire, at one point playing two of their most memorable songs sandwiching their newest singles.

You can catch STP on the last leg of their tour coming up on September 19 and 22 in Philadelphia and New York City. Check out the setlist and photos from Zatchmo Lives Media below.

Setlist: Coma, Wicked Garden, Vasoline, Crackerman, Lounge Fly, Big Bang Baby, Glide, Big Empty, Plush, Meadow, Interstate Love Song, Roll Me Under, Dead and Bloated, Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart.

September 15, 2019
Banks Shows Off Her Dance Moves in Brooklyn
Banks brought her energetic live show to Brooklyn Steel on September 10 in support of her fantastic new LP, III. This was a second night added due to the first night on September 8 selling out so quickly.

Kevin Garrett opened the night with a soulful, beat-backed set of ballads. The crowd was full of Kevin Garrett fans as they willed him on by, singing and dancing along. His new album Hoax, released back in March of this year, was a nice complement to the evening, setting a warm tone but not stealing away any energy from Banks.

Kevin Garrett at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

As the stage hands removed the opening band’s instruments, it was immediately clear that she would be dancing from one end of the stage to the other. With a keyboard set-up far stage left and a drum kit far stage right, the entire Brooklyn Steel stage was turned into Banks’ and Co. personal dance floor – and they sure used every inch.

Banks at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

The audience was in full-throat for every song – belting out all the lyrics and trying to mimic Banks’ dance moves on the packed GA floor. Some of the more adventurous dancers drifted to the back of the room and the balcony where there was ample space to dance.

Banks at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

This is only the start of the III World Tour. Banks continues in North America through October then hits Europe in November.
September 15, 2019
In Focus: Outlaw Music Festival Stops At Forest Hills Stadium

On Wednesday September 11, the Outlaw Music Festival made its stop at the historic Forest Hills Stadium. The traveling festival treated fans to a lineup that included Lukas Nelson & The Promise of The Real, Alison Krauss, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, and the return to the stage for the legendary Willie Nelson. On a day when we remember the biggest tragedy in the history of our nation, we also remember the unity it brought, and that’s the message these amazing musicians spread to a united New York City audience.

September 15, 2019
Boris Drones on at Elsewhere in Brooklyn
Boris needs no introduction at this point in their career. Their upcoming studio release, LφVE & EVφL, will be their 25th(!) full length LP to date. This is not even counting the numerous live albums, EPs, demos and collaborations they have put out since their formation in 1992 in Tokyo.

Boris at Elsewhere, Brooklyn – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

The band is currently on a lengthy tour of North America and they rolled through Elsewhere, Brooklyn on Tuesday night in advance of the new album being released. Uniform provided support, delivering a very heavy and frenetic opening set, dense with noise and reverb.

Boris took to the stage with little fanfare, and quietly began setting up their loops and pedals. Then, equipped with a double neck guitar/bass combo, Takeshi Ohtani began laying down the heavy drones. The set had many peaks and valleys as the band transitioned from heavy, nearly uncomfortable drones to more melodic and vocal bits. All three band members contribute to the vocals, making for a very hypnotic sound.

Boris at Elsewhere, Brooklyn – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

During the encore, Uniform joined Boris on stage for a rendition of “Akuma no Uta,” the title track from their 2013 full length. This was quite the treat for the many Uniform fans in the crowd. The show concluded with the track “Statement,” a track from an alternate version of the album Smile.

Boris at Elsewhere, Brooklyn – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

Boris continue on their long tour with upcoming stops in the Northeast and on the West Coast before heading back to Japan. The band will end the tour, and their 2019 with a show in Athens, Greece on December 21.
September 15, 2019

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