The fourth installment of Thursdays on the Village Green concert series takes place on Aug. 8 on Hamilton’s Village Green. In addition to live music performances, each night includes family-friendly events. The Aug. 8 show features The Lightkeepers, a regional favorite with a bluesy jam sound. Led by Jes Sheldon with her powerful, soulful voice, the band is rooted in funk, rock and jazzy blues.
The Lightkeepers will take the stage at 7 p.m., and the family activity will be Racing Night with Matt Janczuk Racing! Kids can complete in racing-themed activities and sit in a real race car. This activity starts at 5:30 PM. Attendees are encouraged to dine on the Village Green or enjoy the music from the patio of the Colgate Inn. The evening’s concert and activities are free for all to enjoy. Blankets, chairs, and dancing are encouraged. The series will also give locals and visitors alike a chance to enjoy downtown Hamilton’s eateries and boutiques.
The life of Afrobeat’s founder, Fela Kuti, was celebrated in the 2009 Broadway musical concert Fela!, and on Monday, July 29, the concert experience celebrating his music came to an enthusiastic, and curious, crowd at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Kuti used the Afrobeat sound to push back against the post-colonial government of Nigeria in the 1970s, a prime example of Kuti’s mantra “music is the weapon of the future.” As it was then and is now, new era protest music and this performance brought Kuti’s music to life for all to draw from.
Photo by Jim Gilbert
With a 10-piece band on stage, including three percussionist and four horns, as well as an ensemble with five members (2 men, 3 women) who sang alongside Duain Richmond (Fela Anikulapo-Kuti), the stage was lit up through dance. One that had fervor and energy not seen at SPAC in ages. This was not dancing for the faint-of-heart, or hips, as Richmond said to the crowd throughout the show: “Everybody say Yeah Yeah.” Audience engagement that is a hallmark of Afrobeat concerts became coupled with some of the best on-stage dancing you’ll find anywhere.
With the start of “Expensive Shit,” Richmond led the band to give the audience an introduction to Afrobeat. Starting with the drums, then guitar, then bass set the groove, and soon the horns came in. If you were not moving, you should check your pulse. The ensemble taught the crowd how to dance by moving their hips to the hours on a clock. “1 & 7,” “3-6-9” and “12 & 6” got the booties shaking and fans out of their seats. Dancing from ensemble members Oneika Phillips, Iris Wilson and Afi Bijou became more furious and fully engaging.
“Zombie” found the crowd being invited into the covered orchestra pit, where each audience member shook what they had. From kids to parents, and grandparents, everyone was getting down to the beat of the band. As the show closed with “Colonial Mentality,” Kuti’s anti-colonial anthem, the crowd was back in the pit dancing with the ensemble, and Richmond, engaging in a form of protest that Kuti would surely look upon with a smile and hope for the future.
Setlist: Everything Scatter, The Clock – Yellow Fever, Ikoyi Blindess, Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am, Expensive Shit, Water No Get Enemy, Zombie, Sorrow Tears and Blood, Opposite People, No Buredi.
The heat this summer came to a peak over the weekend of July 18-20 at Montage Mountain with Camp Bisco, the annual electronic and jam festival which held its 17th installment featuring hosts The Disco Biscuits, Tipper, Bassnectar, Odesza, Rusko, Umphrey’s McGee, Twiddle, Tauk, Spafford and Sunsquabi, among many more.
Hosts The Disco Biscuits played six hot sets over the weekend, including a set with original drummer Sammy Altman and current drummer Allen Aucoin, which was highlighted by “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.” -> “Rapture,” the latter an instrumental version of the 1980 Blondie hit. Later that night, they would pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing with a series of songs, as well as pre and post-set music, that referenced the moon and space. Even with the intense weather conditions, Camp Bisco was a successful weekend of electronic and dance music, warming the mountain up for Peach Fest the following weekend.
The Peach Music Fest returned to Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA for its eighth year over July 24-27, 2019 and from the buzz of the crowd it seems that this year was the best yet. Everywhere you turned there was good people and good music, all thanks to the incredibly stacked lineup the festival runners put together. The weather was nearly perfect, aside from a storm on Sunday night that cut some of the first Phil and Friends set short, but fans raged on and powered through it. All of the main stage sets were livestreamed by nugs.net, all of those streams can be found here.
Thursday was kicked off by Buffalo groove rockers Aqueous, playing the main Peach Stage for their first time and opening up the weekend with their upbeat tune “Random Company,” which set the mood for the rest of the weekend. The group played a set of all originals, omitting their usual cover placed somewhere in the set, and blew the tent off the Peach Stage with stellar versions of “Kitty Chaser (Explosions)” and “Skyway,” as well as some new tunes like “Going Nowhere” and “Be The Same.” Aqueous was followed by Billy Strings, a hot new act on the bluegrass scene that mixes a classic bluegrass sound with psychedelic rock and improvisation. Strings and Co. (Jarrod Walker, Billy Winning, and Royal Masat) kicked off the set with “Dust in a Baggie,” a tale of spending the next years of your life in prison for some dust in a baggie. The group performed extended versions of “All Fall Down” and “Meet Me at the Creek,” showing off a bit of their jamming chops to Peach’s jam friendly crowd, and were met with warm reception, creating a lot of new fans by the end of their set.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong followed with their first set of the night, graduating from one main stage set last year to two sets this year, one of them being of the late night variety. During Pigeons’ first set, the group stuck with mostly old school tunes, aside from the recently debuted “Water,” played for the first time at their festival Domefest. The group brought Billy Strings out for a heated version of “Burning up my Time” and sandwiched an inverted “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads in the middle of another aquatic song, “Poseidon.” Between Pigeons’ two sets, the String Cheese Incident performed their first of the three sets of the weekend. The group performed an impressive set, featuring a 30-minute segment of “Shine” > “Sirens” that had a mini jam on the theme from The Office before transitioning fully into “Sirens,” as well as an extended version of “45th of November,” a song keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth wrote with Grateful Dead collaborator and Jerry Garcia songwriter Robert Hunter. A highlight was Herbie Hancock’s classic “Chameleon” sandwiched in the middle of a tale of mushrooms and mystery, “Miss Brown’s Teahouse.” For Pigeons’ second set, the group mixed old and new with segments such as “Somethin’ For Ya” > “Distant Times” surrounded by “Upfunk” > “Drums” > “Upfunk” and “Horizon.” A dance driven version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” really got the crowd moving and during the set closing “Ocean Blows” the bliss was tangible in the air.
Friday was kicked off by Andy Franco & the U.N. on the Mushroom Stage, a much talked about set of the weekend and for good reason as the man himself was feeling good about his Peach set. Among his usual stage banter, he instructed the crowd to “skullf*ck the wave pool” as a seemingly inspirational message about grabbing hold of life. Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers performed on the Live for Live Music Stage, bringing their upbeat tunes and positive outlook on life to Montage Mountain’s smallest stage. While Cory Wong funked up the water park, Upstate was on the Live for Live Music Stage, sharing their beautiful vocal harmonies and Americana tales with the patrons of Peach. Despite the 90+ degree weather, the three lead singers of the band, Allison Olender, Mary Kenney, and Melanie Glenn, rocked powerful jumpsuits that displayed their badassery both as people and on the mics. The group’s set was a mix of new and old, including “No Slack” off the group’s first record A Remedy.
Blues Traveler performed on the Peach Stage before moe., continuing the show set up of the groups’ co-headlining All Roads Runaround tour that’s happening right now. The group performed their usual hits “Run-Around” and “Hook,” while pulling out an interesting Radiohead cover, “Creep,” followed by “Accelerated Nation” (written about PA’s own I-81) and a version of “But Anyway,” before bringing out Chuck Garvey of moe. for a song. moe. opened their set strong with “Seat of my Pants,” a song that quite literally flies by the seat of its pants in how quickly it jumps from section to section and genre to genre. Following SOMP came “Sensory Deprivation Bank” with a no huddle segue into “Along for the Ride.” “Bearsong” came next, giving the moe.rons in the crowd flashbacks to the Saranac bears flying through the air during this song at past Saranac Brewery runs. “Bearsong” drop segued into “LL3,” a recently penned Rob Derhak tune about the train he’d take to his chemotherapy treatments. Later on in the set, the group performed an emotionally hefty “Kyle’s Song” > “Silver Sun” segment that was the highlight of the set jam-wise. Both songs took time to breathe, especially “Silver Sun” which always lends itself to notable jams.
Over on the Mushroom Stage, Dopapod returned to Peach for their third show since ending their hiatus this past April. The group has played Peach Fest numerous times over the years, including a special Dopapod Orchestra performance in 2017 that featured the Turkuaz horns and Kung Fu’s Adrian Tramontano on percussion. Highlights of their set include a water park-shaking rendition of “Freight Train,” the debut of bassist Chuck Jones’ party anthem “23 Forever,” which had to be restarted due to some sound issues, a segment of “Turnin’ Knobs” > “8 Years Ended” that took the crowd on an interesting journey, and a set ending “FABA” that was the ending note for the group’s sunset performance. BIG Something took the Mushroom Stage next, opening their set with the appropriate “Waves,” and playing a few other water-related tunes throughout the set, including the funky, electronic “Megalodon” and “The Flood.” Following a hefty “Song For Us” > “Tumbleweed,” the group debuted a new tune called “Dangerous” which was a heavy, riff and synth driven ride. Towards the end of the set, the band brought Andy Frasco out to conduct them in a version of their tune “My Volcano” that ended up being the longest jam of the set.
Over on the Peach Stage, the String Cheese Incident performed a full two-set show with the second set being the highlight of the night for most fans. During the group’s first set, they brought out the Infamous Stringdusters’ Andy Hall on dobro for “My One and Only” and “Lonesome Fiddle Blues,” and guitarist Scott Sharrard of the Gregg Allman Band for “Outside and Inside” > “Southbound,” with both sit-ins blowing the crowd out of their seats. The second set didn’t feature any sit-ins, but “Song in my Head” > “Beautiful” and “Let’s Go Outside” > “Land’s End” > “Glory Chords” > “Southbound” were both segments that left fans with their jaws on the floor. Closing out the Peach Stage was Lotus in the late night slot. Lotus got a two hour set and kept the crowd moving in the night with their groovy tunes and dance-focused improv. Highlights of the set included “Wooly Mammoth,” “MacGuffin” featuring Eli Winderman of Dopapod and Octave Cat, “Bellwether” > “Spaghetti” > “Bellwether,” and the set closing “Umbilical Moonrise.” Of all the late night sets, Lotus was one of the most fun and people bounced between the pavilion and the Live for Live Music Stage where the Magic Beans were playing their late night. The Beans threw a real party, playing to a decently sized crowd, most likely gained after their two-set late night party last year. The entire set was pretty good, with the highlights being a cover of Sturgill Simpson’s “Long White Line” and a set closing “Mission” > “Here On Out.”
Star Kitchen kicked off Saturday on the Peach Stage, bringing out guitarist Jeremy Schon of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong to make the set extra funky. This was the group’s first time playing the Peach Music Festival and they were well received by the crowd as their funk stylings got everyone up and moving for the start of the day. Over on the Mushroom Stage, Ghost Light returned to the Peach for their second year, as guitarist Raina Mullen celebrated her 26th birthday. The group opened the set with Mullen’s own anthem “Diamond Eyes,” before masterfully working their way into “Streets of Brooklyn” and “Synth Driver.” The highlight of the set was the closing segment of “Old Fashioned” > Radiohead’s “Black Star” > “Simple Gift Of Man” > the ending of “Best Kept Secret,” in which guitarist Tom Hamilton took the lead and broke into his signature effects-driven guitar scratching. Lettuce took the Peach Stage for a mid afternoon set, opening with the jazzy “Larimar” before jumping into the soulful “Krewe.” The whole pavilion was up and moving for the entire set, as the beats coming from bassist Jesus Coomes and drummer Adam Deitch were too good not to dance to. The set also featured an especially stellar version of “Phyllis,” a hip hop-infused cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule The World,” and a tight rendition of “Purple Cabbage.”
Goose debuted at the festival on the Live for Live Music Stage, having been heavily requested by fans during the festival’s survey after last year. The band had a lot of hype following their name the entire weekend, with many attendees sporting Goose merch and moustaches. Goose opened the set with “Madhuvan” and took it off to the races, before playing two recently released singles “Time to Flee” and a slow version of “All I Need.” The set included the band’s versions of “Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo” by the Grateful Dead and “The Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby. They closed the set with “Hot Tea” and had the whole L4LM Stage area packed to the brim, which is a rare thing to see at Peach. Greensky Bluegrass performed on the Peach Stage before the big act of the night, Trey Anastasio Band, paying tribute to the Allman Brothers with a cover of “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” as well as some standards including “Living Over,” “Leap Year,” and “Demons.”
Trey Anastasio Band took the stage for a full two sets of music following Greensky, pulling from all aspects of Trey’s musical career as TAB sets usually do. The group opened with “Set Your Soul Free,” part of a suite of songs that have to do with the guitarist’s “Soul Planet” concept. Following SYSF came some Trey classics, “Alive Again,” “Cayman Review” and “Money, Love and Change.” The group also played numerous Phish songs that have been part of the TAB repertoire for a while, including “Gotta Jibboo,” “Sand,” and “First Tube,” which were all jammed out in their usual fashion. Second set highlights include “Mozambique,” “Rise/Come Together,” and “A Life Beyond a Dream.”
During Trey’s second set, Chicago progressive rock band Mungion took the Live for Live Music Stage for their second ever Peach set, gathering a pretty good sized crowd for playing at the same time as Trey. The group opened their set with the always odd “Myrtle,” letting the song breathe and expand as they explored the jam section. Mungion brought a handful of new tunes with them including a new character, “Fludias Wozalenbill,” as well as “Better Half” and “Hideaway,” where they brought out Dopapod guitarist Rob Compa for the tune which led to he and guitarist Justin Reckamp having a prodigious guitar battle. The group closed the set with the anthemic and jazzy “Beneath the Shallows,” a fan-favorite composition from the group’s first record Scary Blankets.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead closed out the night on the Peach Stage, featuring two drummers that weren’t Joe Russo, as the namesake of the band had just had a baby with his wife a few days prior. (Congrats Joe!) In his place were his drum tech, 19 year old Evan Roque, and Ben Porowsky, who is in BOYFRIENDS with Russo. The pair did an impressive job taking on Russo’s difficult role while also paying homage to the Dead’s two drummer setup. The setlist was filled to the brim with Dead classics, opening with the disco-infused “Shakedown Street,” before taking the crowd out west for a rowdy “Me and My Uncle” and “Eyes of the World.” Guitarist Tom Hamilton led the group in an emotional take on “Althea” before breaking into the madness of “Drums” > “The Other One” > “Viola Lee Blues,” which was the highlight of the set. JRAD closed out the show with an “I Know You Rider,” sans “China Cat,” and encored with the classic singalong “Not Fade Away.”
Sunday’s music mainly took place on the Peach Stage, with a lineup of heavy hitters of both veteran and new acts. The inaugural Guitar Pull set was among the many highlights of the day, bringing together some of the jam scene’s favorite guitar players together for a set of mind blowing guitar mashups. From a relaxed version of the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” led by Steve Kimock and joined by Rob Compa, to Umphrey’s McGee’s “Booth Love” led by Jake Cinninger and joined by Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, to Stanley Jordan leading an inspiring cover of Hendrix’s “Red House,” this set satisfied the guitar nerds in the audience with matchups they could never dream of. Marcus King Band followed the Guitar Pull, bringing their new age blues sound fueled by the guitar stylings of the 25 year old prodigy. King’s set was soulful, performing songs straight from his heart including emotional versions of “Goodbye Carolina” and “8 a.m.” off of the group’s recent release Carolina Confessions, as well as songs showcasing the group’s signature gritty blues, including “Fraudulent Waffle,” “Plant Your Corn Early,” and “What’s Right.”
Following King came a duo acoustic set from music legends Warren Haynes and Grace Potter. The set was comprised of mostly covers, aside from a few originals by each artist, including Haynes’ “Is It Me or You” and Gov’t Mule’s “Captured” and Potter’s “Stars” and “Shout it Out,” a new song performed for the first time at this duo set. Surrounding the duo’s original music included Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman,” Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released,” Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind,” and Joan Baez’s “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You,” all performed with the entirety of each artist’s heart and soul fully invested into the music. Phil Lesh & Friends closed out the main stage with two sets, the roster included Elliot Peck on vocals, Holly Bowling on keys, Warren Haynes, John Scofield, and Grahame Lesh on guitar, and John Molo on drums. The sets featured many classic Grateful Dead songs and a handful of covers led by various members of the band, including a Lesh-led “Broken Arrow,” and “Sunshine of Your Love” and “All Along the Watchtower” led by Haynes. The group performed stellar versions of Dead classics, especially “Bird Song,” “St. Stephen” and “Morning Dew.” The first set got cut slightly short due to inclement weather on the mountain, but the band and crowd powered through it and Grahame Lesh led the group in “Playing in the Band” to open the second set.
Check out the photo gallery below for a look into what the Peach Music Festival was like this year. This weekend was full of great music and rarely ever had a lull in things to do. Spirits were high and the weather was great until the yearly rain on Sunday night. Peach is an event not to miss, so make it a point to go next year! Check back with NYSMusic for future coverage of the Peach.
Brooklyn-based band Of Clocks And Clouds are hitting the road and bringing their heavy-hitting brand of psychedelic rock to Riverboat Bar in Alexandria Bay this Saturday, August 3. Comprised of Joe Salgo (guitar, vocals), Tom Salgo (guitar, vocals), Nick Salgo (drums, vocals), Yuri Soussov (bass) and Zander Ryzinski (keys, synth), the fivesome delivers a sonic adventure that is both emotive and groovy. Of Clocks And Clouds was originally formed in 2014 and some changes have taken place since, making 2019 a transitional year for OCAC. A lineup change occured back in January in which front-man Joe Salgo invited his twin brothers Tom and Nick to join the band, and shortly afterward another change took place and Sussov and Ryzinski became new members. Now with a fresh take on an already solid catalogue, the band has been hard at work writing new material and creating a new, unique sound.
Upcoming Shows:
August 3 – Riverboat Bar – Alexandria Bay, NY
August 24- Night Lights Music Festival – Sherman, NY
The second annual Wood Fest Music Festival features a variety of nine regional and local artists covering genres from jam, Southern rock, indie rock, groove and Americana. The family-owned ski area transforms the slopes into a family-friendly music venue offering craft beers from members of the Heart of New York Craft Beverage Trail, bounce houses from Varano Super Jump, yoga by Just Breathe Yoga Studio, and local food trucks.
Spanning two stages over the course of the day and night, this year’s lineup features Annie in the Water, a Capital-region based band with 11 years under its belt, has recently released its second album Time to Play and has been touring incessantly. Annie in the Water’s sound incorporates a unique, groovy combination of funk, reggae, blues, and rock that gets the audience moving while the band feeds off of that vibe to create a truly interactive experience.
The Old Main is returning to Woods Fest for its second year, with their original brand of Americana. They have performed throughout the Northeast and have gained many followers along the way, including a fervent Woods Valley following. Equally comfortable performing in a small room or the big stage, this is a band on the rise. They have released two albums of original material, 2016’s Arlene and Too Far Gone, released in 2018. The live environment is where this band really shines. Audience interaction is what it’s all about so don’t be alarmed if Nash Robb suddenly shows up behind you in the crowd with his standup bass in tow.
The Black River is quickly becoming a recognized name throughout Central New York and beyond with its blend of classic and roots rock mixed with the soulful storytelling of band leader Mike Powell. The band recently concluded a month-long residency at the King of Clubs in Syracuse’s Armory Square; a stretch that saw the band hone its sound to create a sonic tour-de-force unlike any in the area. You can check out their recent performance at A Lovely Time Festival here.
Central New York’s premier Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Hollow joins the Woods Fest 2 lineup hot on the heels of their Barn Party at Critz Farms in Cazenovia. The band features a wealth of Central New York’s greatest musical talents and has been creating original takes on the Grateful Dead experience since 1996.
Nina’s Brewcomes to Woods Fest from Burlington, VT. They recently performed as part of Twiddle’s Tumble Down Festival and are quickly gaining traction throughout Central New York as a tremendous live act.
Los Blancos are Central New York’s musical godfathers. This band grooves like no other with its own take on the blues, Zydeco, Latin, roots, and funk. They’ve performed alongside such luminaries as Little Feat, moe., Los Lobos, Govt Mule, and Dickey Betts (formerly of the Allman Brothers Band), earning a fervent following of fans not only in Central New York but across the state and beyond.
Les Brers return to Woods Fest after a tremendous set last year. Les Brers are the region’s longest-running and best Allman Brothers Band tribute act. Many of last year’s attendees commented on last year’s set, saying that if you closed your eyes, you’d swear you were at an Allman Brothers Band show.
Late Earth comes to Woods Fest via the Syracuse alt-rock scene. Fresh off a performance at the A Lovely Time Festival at Snow Ridge, the band is spreading its unique sounds at venues and festivals throughout the area. This is another band on the rise and one that will surely grab your attention at Woods Fest. Their self-titled debut album packs an original rock crunch with an alternative bent that incorporates ska, blues, jazz, and punk. You can find it on all the streaming services and for purchase through Bandcamp.
Substanance returns to Woods Valley after making a splash on St. Patrick’s Day. This unique trio is the epitome of a family band. Father Joe Coniguliaro and his sons Quinn and Ben come from Saugerties packing a lunch box full of original material that combines elements of funk and harmonic indie rock that will provide food for your ears.
Advance tickets are available in person at Copper City Brewing Company, 1111 Oneida St. in Rome or online for $25 through the Woods Valley website at this link. Children ages 6-12 are $5, 5 and under are free. Passes include parking, all-day admission to the festival, and use of bounce houses for children.
Gates open at 11:00 am with the music beginning at noon. For more information or questions on Woods Fest Music Festival, visit the festival website.
After failing to secure venues in New York State, where the original Woodstock was held, officials sought to move the whole thing to the venerable Merriweather Post Pavilion the weekend of Aug. 16-18. That event has now been canceled.
Following news of another venue change, artists originally slated to perform began announcing that they would not be participating. John Fogerty was the first to withdraw. A statement from the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman’s camp, on Thursday, said, “John Fogerty knows where he will be for the anniversary weekend of Woodstock. At only one site… at the original one – the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.”
This announcement was quickly followed by similar statements from Jay-Z, Dead & Co. On Monday Miley Cyrus, the Raconteurs, the Lumineers, John Sebastian, Santana, and Country Joe McDonald followed suit.
In what was supposed to have been a free ticketed event being staged as a fundraiser for HeadCount and global warming causes, another wrench in the works was the previously scheduled Smashing Pumpkins and Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds show already scheduled to take place at Merriweather on the 17th, smack dab in the middle of what was supposed to be a three-day Woodstock festival.
On Wednesday, organizers officially declared the event dead, stating:
“We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the Festival we imagined with the great line-up we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating, said Michael Lang, co-founder of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. “When we lost the Glen and then Vernon Downs we looked for a way to do some good rather than just cancel. We formed a collaboration with HeadCount to do a smaller event at the Merriweather Pavilion to raise funds for them to get out the vote and for certain NGOs involved in fighting climate change. We released all the talent so any involvement on their part would be voluntary. Due to conflicting radius issues in the DC area many acts were unable to participate and others passed for their own reasons. I would like to encourage artists and agents, who all have been fully paid, to donate 10% of their fees to HeadCount or causes of their choice in the spirit of peace. Woodstock remains committed to social change and will continue to be active in support of HeadCount’s critical mission to get out the vote before the next election. We thank the artists, fans and partners who stood by us even in the face of adversity. My thoughts turn to Bethel and its celebration of our 50th Anniversary to reinforce the values of compassion, human dignity, and the beauty of our differences embraced by Woodstock”
Is this the end of Woodstock 50? A statement from Seth Hurwitz, chairman of I.M.P., which owns the 9:30 Club in Washington and manages Merriweather, suggests that there may still be something in the works, “Hopefully, with plenty of time to prepare, Merriweather will become the site of a future festival that captures the original vibe. A lot of people clearly wanted it to happen.”
90’s nostalgia was in the air when Our Lady Peace, Live and Bush made their stop on the Altimate Tour at CMAC in June. This tour brings some of the best bands from the ’90s together and truly made it one of the ultimate tours to see this summer.
Kicking off the night was Our Lady Peace as they warmed the audience up with their intense yet centered energy. OLP is one of those bands that brings the audience’s energy up and got the nostalgia ball rolling for the evening. Their setlist was packed with so many hits from the ’90s/early 2000s such as “Superman’s Dead” and “Starseed.”
Next up was co-headliners LIVE. Lead vocalist Ed Kowalczyk started singing from the middle of the amphitheater and slowly descended through the audience until he reached his bandmates on stage. It threw the crowd for an exciting loop as everyone turned their heads to locate Kowalczyk. LIVE really cherry picked their setlist, giving the crowd a fabulous mixture of their hits and throwing in some musical nostalgia of their own with their covers of REM’s “Losing My Religion” and The Rolling Stone’s “Paint it Black.”
All three bands rocked CMAC, but there is no denying the energy Bush bought to the stage when they closed the night. Bush played a great set with a mixture of their hit songs, including their new single “Bullet Holes.” Lead vocalist Gavin Rossdale bounced around the stage just like he did in 1997. He and guitarist Chris Traynor have an undeniable vibe when they play their guitar chords together. Rossdale jumped off stage during “Everything Zen” and went through the audience, giving the fans in the back some love and appreciation.
The Altimate Tour is not one to miss. It is a 90’s cocktail of amazing musicians that sparked the youth back then and they continue to feed that fire to their fans 20 years later. Not many bands can bring a tour like this to life, but Bush, LIVE and Our Lady Peace can and did.
The Altimate Tour just kicked off their last leg of the tour and New Yorkers still have time to catch this amazing tour with stops scheduled for August 29 in Wantagh, NY and on August 30 in Bethel, NY.
Our Lady Peace Setlist: Drop Me in the Water, Innocent, Superman’s Dead, Somewhere Out There, Clumsy, Stop Making Stupid People Famous, Starseed
Live Setlist: Dam at Otter Creek, All Over You, Selling the Drama, Losing My Religion, Shit Towne, Iris, The Dolphin’s Cry, Paint it Black, Lakini’s Juice, I Alone, White Discussion, Heaven, Turn My Head, Lighting Crashes
Bush Setlist: Machinehead, Chemicals, This is War, Sound of Winter, Swallowed, Everything Zen, Disease, Bullet Holes, Little Things, Glycerine, Comedown
A jazz legend in the making, Kamasi Washington, will perform on Thursday, August 1 at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, NJ, bringing his West Coast jazz sound and multi-instrument skills to an eager audience. Born in Los Angeles, Washington’s 2015 debut album The Epic received critical praise and was awarded the inaugural American Music Prize. Subsequent albums Heaven and Earth and Harmony of Difference received similar acclaim, with the latter debuting at the 2017 Whitney Museum of Art Biennial.
When Kamasi Washington released his tour de force LP, The Epic, in 2015, it instantly set him on a path as our generation’s torchbearer for progressive, improvisational music that would open the door for young audiences to experience music unlike anything they had heard before. The 172-minute odyssey featuring his 10-piece band, The Next Step, was littered with elements of hip-hop, classical and R&B music, all major influences on the young saxophonist and bandleader, who exceeds any notions of what “jazz” music is. Washington followed that work with collaborations with other influential artists such as Kendrick Lamar, John Legend, Run the Jewels, Ibeyi, among others. Washington’s mass appeal continues to grow, drawing vibrant, multi-ethnic and multi-generational crowds with tour stops at the world’s most prominent festivals such as Coachella, Glastonbury, Fuji Rock, Bonnaroo and Primavera. He is currently on tour with Herbie Hancock in August.
Since the 2018 release of Heaven and Earth and its counterpart The Choice, Washington has toured the world over with sold-out shows in North America and Europe, including New York’s Apollo Theater and London’s Brixton Academy. Washington recently debuted his short film As Told To G/D Thyself which originally premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Watch an interview with Washington discussing the movie below.
Joining Washington at White Eagle Hall is Taylor McFerrin, who recently released Love’s Last Chance, his first full-length album since his 2014 debut Early Riser. The collection, which featured Nai Palm, Thundercat, and Taylor’s legendary father Bobby McFerrin, earned praise from Pitchfork who hailed it as “an album built for slow weekend mornings spent in bed with a loved one.” Love’s Last Chance is McFerrin’s first album with his own voice on it. “Over the years, I’d learned how to convey myself well through my instrumentals,” says McFerrin. “But singing brings me closer than ever to being able to share everything that’s going on inside of me.”
Brooklyn-based The Upstart Crows today debut their first ever music video for “Melancholy Haze” off their self-titled record. The video was inspired by the movie Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind and the memory-wiping machine Joel (Jim Carrey) uses to forget about Clementine (Kate Winslet). The video was filmed in less then 24 hours and offers a dreamy glimpse into love lost and how we all try to move past it.
The Upstart Crows self-titled album was released on August 24th of last year and earned them the best alt-rock band of 2018 award by LA Music Critics Award. Listen to Upstart Crows “Melancholy Haze” below.
The Upstart Crows formed in the basements of Keene, NH during Jon Adams’ (lead singer/guitarist) and Forest DeCoste’s (drummer) college years. After cutting their teeth in the area’s party scene, the two made their way to Brooklyn, NY and deliver a varied mix of folk, punk, and Americana to their audiences. Always backed up by manic energy, their songs give a nod to the two’s theatrical background and wax poetic over catchy guitar riffs and booming drums. Their tongue and cheek demeanor and danceable riffs create a fun, high-energy experience for everyone.
The Upstart Crows perform on August 2 at Red Hook Roxx in Brooklyn with Flyin’ J & the Ghostrobber and La Coy. More details can be found here.
