Tag: disco biscuits

Biscuits Bring the Heat to NYC for annual New Year’s Run

Trance-fusion pioneers, The Disco Biscuits, laid down some serious jamtronica heat at NYC’s PlayStation Theatre on Saturday during their annual New Year’s run. PlayStation Theatre is closing permanently at the conclusion of this run, and the Biscuits are ensuring the venue goes out with a bang. The Disco Biscuits members include Allen Aucoin (drums), Marc Brownstein (bass), Jon Gutwillig (guitar), and Aron Magner (synthesizers).

Saturday’s first set included a delicious “Munchkin Invasion” jam sandwich, filled with an inverted “The Great Abyss.” The second set intensified with jam vehicles “Caterpillar” and “Spraypaint” seguing into a fresh and dirty “Tractorbeam Jam,” and then right back into both.

Tickets are still available for the two remaining nights of this soon to be legendary run at this link. FOMO can truly be damned because the band is webcasting this historic run as well. Head over to their Youtube page for more details.

Set One: King Of The World> Munchkin Invasion> The Great Abyss*> Story Of The World> Freebis Slinky> Munchkin Invasion

Set Two: Caterpillar> Spraypaint> Humuhumunukunukuapua’a**> Tractorbeam Jam> Caterpillar, Air Song> Spraypaint

Encore: Bazaar Escape

* inverted version

** unfinished

December 30, 2019
In Focus: Disco Biscuits wrap up first part of Fall Tour at State Fairgrounds in Syracuse
The Disco Biscuits returned to Syracuse for two nights, their first run in the Salt City since Halloween 2015. The masters of live electronica and improvisation performed four flawless sets to enthusiastic crowds at SI Hall at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse on November 22 and 23.

On Friday, following an energetic “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.” opener, guitarist Jon “The Barber” Gutwillig stretched the intro to “Run Like Hell” out for an extended period before a triumphant burst into the Pink Floyd cover, then took the long route into an inverted “Aquatic Ape.” A full “Hot Air Balloon” closed the five song set, one of the few this tour to feature no new material that the band has been breaking out.

photo by Josh Davis

Set 2 opened with a pair of ‘global’ tunes, “Jigsaw Earth” and “Story of the World,” the latter of which sandwiched the remained of the set. “Anthem” and “Rocket Science,” two new originals debuted this tour, filled the sandwich, with an “Orch Theme” meshed in between. With the clock ticking, Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance” served as an encore, with the show ending right at 11pm. A sweaty and smiling crowd rejoiced at one of the finest nights of the tour thus far.

Disco Biscuits, Syracuse, NY – Friday, November 22 setlist via PhantasyTour:

Set 1: M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > Run Like Hell¹> Aquatic Ape²> Svenghali³, Hot Air Balloon
Set 2: Jigsaw Earth, Story Of The World > Anthem > Orch Theme > Rocket Science > Story Of The World
Encore: The Safety Dance
1. unfinished
2. inverted version
3. ending only
The Biscuits’ Saturday performance featured a pair of new songs, a Tractorbeam jam, and one of the best sets from the eight fall shows thus far. Two songs, “Mulberry’s Dream” and “Crickets,” were each interpolated with “Catalyst” and recent debut “4th of July,” respectively. In between these two combos found another new tune, “Electric Slinky,” part of a potential series of ‘Slinky’ songs, including “Freebis Slinky.”

photo by Josh Davis

Set 2 was filled with pure heat from start to finish. The four song set featured three roughly-15 minute jams, and one monster jam that went past the half hour mark. Opening with “Clocks,” a debut from earlier this year, the band ventured into “Gangster” which was met with cheers and fist pumps from the audience. What came next was one of the longest jams of the tour (thus far) and the highlight of the weekend. A 30+ minute “Spacebirdmatingcall” featured a Tractorbeam jam on Crackazat’s “Fly Away,” which draws on Earth Wind & Fire’s “I’ve Had Enough” and seemed to never let up as the band dove deep and kept exploring what the jam had to offer. “Little Shimmy in a Conga Line” wrapped up the set nicely, and a pairing of “Frog Legs” and the ending section of “Run Like Hell” from the previous night’s version cemented the night as one of the best of the tour. Setbreak is indeed over.

The Disco Biscuits head south to Florida for four shows in mid-December, then return to New York City where they will close out the year in Times Square at the Playstation Theater, which will close on December 31st following their performance.

Disco Biscuits, Syracuse, NY – Saturday, November 23 setlist via PhantasyTour:

Set 1: Mulberry’s Dream > Catalyst > Mulberry’s Dream, Electric Slinky, Crickets > 4th of July > Crickets
Set 2: Clocks > Gangster > Spacebirdmatingcall > Tractorbeam Jam¹ > Spacebirdmatingcall, Little Shimmy In A Conga Line
Encore: Frog Legs > Run Like Hell²
1. Fly Away (Crackazat)
2. ending only; completes 11/22/19 version
- photo by Josh Davis
- photo by Josh Davis
- photo by Josh Davis
- photo by Josh Davis
- photo by Josh Davis
- photo by Josh Davis
- photo by Josh Davis
- photo by Josh Davis
- photo by Josh Davis
- photo by Josh Davis
- photo by Josh Davis
November 25, 2019
In Focus: Disco Biscuits Kick Off Tour In Pittsburgh

Set break is over! With those four words Disco Biscuits fans rejoiced and prepared for the first tour from the Philly based jamtronica veterans in nearly a decade, with the first stop was at the beautiful Roxian Theatre in Pittsburgh, PA for two nights with 7 Biscuits’ originals spread out over the shows.

They continue their tour in Richmond, VA, then head north to Burlington, VT and Syracuse, NY next weekend.

Setlist: Disco Biscuits, Roxian Theatre in Pittsburgh – Thursday, November 14, 2019

Set 1: Little Betty Boop-> Pimp Blue Rikki-> Little Betty Boop-> Hero*-> Little Betty Boop, Bernstein & Chasnoff-> Miracles (inverted)-> Rocket Science*-> Bernstein & Chasnoff

Set 2: Spaga, Stars in the Sky*, Spraypaint Victory-> Anthem*-> Spraypaint Victory

* debut

Setlist: Disco Biscuits, Roxian Theatre in Pittsburgh – Friday, November 15, 2019

Set 1: Morph Dusseldorf, King Of The World> We Like To Party> King Of The World, Freebis Slinky*, Above The Waves

Set 2: Electric Slinky*, 42> The Great Abyss^> 42, Station*, House Dog Party Favor

Encore: Portal To An Empty Head

*debut

^inverted version; includes jam around Strandbar and Delorean Dynamite by Todd Terje, previously played as Tractorbeam

November 17, 2019
SPAGA announces afternoon NYC show during the Disco Biscuits’ New Year’s run

Aron Magner will bring his new jazz-focused side project, SPAGA, to DROM in NYC for an afternoon performance on Sunday, December 29th. The show will take place on the day-off, between the second and third nights of the Biscuits’ four-night run at Playstation Theater, offering fans a unique show to see.

The “mostly acoustic” trio, rounded out by string bassist Jason Fraticelli and drummer Matt Scarano, eschews the jam-rock/electronica fusion of the Biscuits for a more classic sound that harkens back to Magner’s jazz background. After many years focused on the exploration of improvisational jam rock with the Biscuits, Magner has returned to his Jazz roots with SPAGA. The band released a self-titled debut album over the summer which featured five original songs and a re-imagined version of The Disco Biscuits’ “Resurrection.” SPAGA played their first-ever NYC show in September at (Le) poisson rouge – check out NYS Music’s review of the show here.

Tickets are now on sale. Visit DROM for more information.

October 4, 2019
SPAGA Dazzles at (Le) Poisson Rouge

On September 7, the Greenwich Village event space (Le) Poisson Rouge was set for an intimate evening with SPAGA, a quasi-jazz project from the mind and fingers of Disco Biscuits keyboard player Aron Magner. Tables were draped with black cloths, lit by candles, and set with other accoutrements while on stage waited a baby grand piano, an upright bass on its side, and a full drum kit. Upon entering before the army of Bisco fans, the mood and setting were surprisingly sophisticated.

Photo by Jamie Huenefeld

As The Disco Biscuits are generally known for their dance-inducing electronic music and laser beams, an open floor plan with room to move was the expectation. Alas, the performance did circumvent most expectations but lacked the confidence, or boldness, of traditional jazz stylings.

What is most interesting about SPAGA is the clear intersection between the old-fashioned and the new-age. It’s a classic trio set up with modern gadgetry intact. A synthesizer sat atop the grand piano with an assortment of foot pedals beneath, and a laptop computer was situated right next to the bench. The upright bass ran through a full effects pedalboard beside a rock drum kit. Throughout the course of the 90-minute set, all of the above were put to good use.

Photo by Jamie Huenefeld

While the bulk of the night’s music was pulled from the recently released album (SPAGA, out now via AM Records) the opener was a non-album number, appropriately titled “For The Table.” This set the tone for the rest of the night’s offerings as it featured a tantalizing hook to anchor the more loosely fastened sections of improvisation. A major highlight right off the bat was drummer Matt Scaranos’ incredible ownership of the kit. As the keys and bassist Jason Fratacelli repeated the songs melodic content, Scarano displayed an impressive command over every little detail on top of, inside, and outside the beat. The songs that followed like the albums opener “Creed” and “Resurrection” both find their strength in their composition, giving the listener moments to mellow in ambiance and elate with blistering rhythms.

Photo by Jamie Huenefeld

SPAGA did cover a wide spectrum on Saturday. “Resurrection” sits on a hip-hop beat, while a totally unique take on Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” seemed to be just a tease at first, eventually playing out as the full song. Improvisation was there, but it didn’t feel so much like it was in a jazzy conversationalist sense. Instead, it seems SPAGA has taken to sticking with the jam-band formula of creating a pocket, building a steady groove to fill it, and elevating the energy to a peak.

Magner took to the microphone to comment that SPAGA is a project grown from wanting to reconnect with and explore an instrument that he was properly trained on but spent a long time away from, the acoustic piano. While there isn’t much comparison between SPAGA’s piano-laden presentations and The Disco Biscuits electronically driven material, they certainly feel like they could have been made in the same kitchen. There’s different ingredients, but similar flavors.

Photo by Jamie Huenefeld

All in all, SPAGA is a unique interpretation through a time-tested setup. There are moments of familiarity laced throughout a set that is, for the most part, completely separated from what you normally would hear from Magner and Co. SPAGA will be at Resonance Music Festival in Slippery Rock, PA ON September 19 and can be heard on all streaming platforms now.

Setlist: For The Table, Creed, Resurrection, Black Dog, Dig*, Colors, Four Angels, Good Old Days, Bird

*Temporary song name. Magner stated that it’s currently untitled and being decided on social media by fans.

September 12, 2019
Goose fall tour to kick off in Albany on October 18

This Fall, Goose flies West after a run of shows along the east coast, starting with a show at Parish Public House in Albany on Friday, October 18. The eight week run finds the band in New York City on Halloween and also makes return visits to familiar haunts in Buffalo and Boston, and will be supporting The Disco Biscuits in Pittsburgh and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong in New Haven, CT.

Goose’s fall will culminate with their sixth annual holiday celebration, Goosemas VI, on December 21. For the first time, Goosemas will be held at the historic Wall Street Theater in South Norwalk, CT. Surprises are always in store for Goosemas attendees, as the band regularly surprises attendees with a theme, special guests, and a healthy mix of new covers and well-known songs.

The quartet, based in Norwalk, CT, is comprised of Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Trevor Bass (bass), and Ben Atkind (drums).

The band returned to the studio in 2019 for the first time since the 2016 debut LP, Moon Cabin, releasing two singles, “All I Need” and “Time to Flee.” Mastered by Grammy Award winner, Emily Lazar, the singles exhibit a developed live band showcasing their studio voice.

In August, Goose played two nights at an intimate music festival in Kentucky, Birds of a Feather Music Festival. Goose premiered just this week the entire multi-cam 80 minute set from night two. Watch here, and check out their buzzworthy set from Peach Fest in July below.

Goose Fall 2019 Tour Dates

OCT 18 – Albany, NY, Parish Public House

OCT 19 – Cambridge, MA, Middle East Upstairs

OCT 25 – Wilkes-Barre, PA, River Street Jazz Cafe

OCT 31 – New York, NY, Mercury Lounge

NOV 02 – New Haven, CT, College Street (supporting Pigeons Playing Ping Pong)

NOV 07 – Harrisburg, PA, Club XL

NOV 08 – Washington, DC, 9:30 Club (supporting Sunsqabi)

NOV 10 – Richmond, VA, The Camel

NOV 14 – Pittsburgh, PA, The Roxian (supporting The Disco Biscuits)

NOV 15 – Columbus, OH, The Summit

NOV 16 – Buffalo, NY, Nietzche’s

DEC 05 – Fort Collins, CO, Aggie Theatre

DEC 06 – Denver, CO, Cervantes Other Side

DEC 07 – Steamboat Springs, CO, Old Town Pub

DEC 08 – Steamboat Springs, CO, Old Town Pub

DEC 11 – St. Louis, MO, The Bootleg

DEC 12 – Chicago, IL, Schubas

DEC 13 – Cincinnati, OH, Top Cats

DEC 14 – Indianapolis, IN, The Mousetrap

DEC 21 – Goosemas VI – South Norwalk, CT, Wall Street Theatre

September 12, 2019
The Disco Biscuits to Play Final Four Shows at PlayStation Theater for New Years Run

Through a series of photos placed together like a puzzle, dropping clues on Instagram Tuesday morning, The Disco Biscuits have announced a New Years run of shows at The PlayStation Theater. The announcement comes with double duty, not only of the shows on December 27, 28, 30, and 31, 2019 but also of the news that the PlayStation Theater will be closing its doors for good.

As reported in Variety, “The theater, which is located two stories beneath the skyscraper that houses Viacom and MTV’s headquarters, is closing because its existing lease is up, but its location — in the middle of the always-crowded Times Square and the Theater District — and slightly awkward design meant it was never one of the city’s most popular venues; concertgoers must ride down two long escalators to reach the theater. It also changed its name twice due to sponsorship deals: It was the Nokia Theater upon its opening in 2005, then Best Buy Theater, and since 2015, PlayStation Theater.” See full article here.

Each ticket purchased will include either a physical or downloadable copy of the band’s upcoming album, their first since 2012.

BiscoTix presale lottery will be open for entries Wednesday from 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: . Tickets go on sale to the public Friday at 10:00 a.m.

August 20, 2019
In Focus: Biscuits, Bassnectar, Tipper and more bring the heat (and then some) at Camp Bisco

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.

August 1, 2019
Disc Jam Music Festival Returning to Stephentown for 9th Annual Fest

This upcoming weekend, from Thursday, June 6 to Sunday, June 9, the 9th annual Disc Jam Music Festival will once again take place at Gardner’s Farm in Stephentown, NY. The festival is a melting pot of art, music, and disc golf, cooking up relaxed vibes and nonstop good music until 3 in the morning every day. Disc Jam’s dual main stage setup makes catching the next set as easy as can be, only having to shift a couple feet left or right to move to the next stage.

Thursday’s music kicks off on the Tent Stage with Space Junk is Forever, a jazz fusion duo out of Boston, MA that recently formed and recorded their debut album. The Tent Stage has sets going on all day, every day for the whole weekend. Other notable bands on Thursday to check out are Eggy, Of Clocks and Clouds, and Circles Around the Sun’s late night set. On the dual main stages, Dopapod bassist Chuck Jones and drummer Neal Evans’ side project Mom and Dad kicks off the action on Main Stage A (Live For Live Music Stage), followed by Litz and two sets of Aqueous. Main Stage B (Grassroots Stage) features the Connecticut-based group One Time Weekend, Horizon Wireless, Dynohunter, and the musical lovechild of Primus and Nine Inch Nails, lespecial.

Friday’s music starts a little earlier, with Wurliday and Funk Dawgz Brass Band opening up the Main Stages B and A, respectively. Following Wurliday, old school prog rockers The Breakfast will be melting faces, before West End Blend feeds everyone’s souls with the sweet, soothing voice of Erica T. Bryan and the no nonsense funk band behind her. The live electronic band Sunsquabi brings their 3-piece grooves to Stage B, with Ripe closing the stage out with an hour and a half long set. Over on Stage A, The Elovaters follows the Funky Dawgz; the Boston-based group will be bringing laid back vibes to the fest with their reggae sound and fresh new tunes from their recent release Defy Gravity. lespecial plays their second set of the weekend after the Elovaters, followed by saxophone duo Moon Hooch, and closed out by the recently returned prog rockers Dopapod, for their second performance of the year. On the tent stage, performances to keep an eye on are Muscle Tough, Formula 5 for one of their last ever performances, Catullus, and Consider the Source.

Saturday’s lineup kicks off with Audiodacity on the Main Stage B, followed by Paris Monster and Sam Kinninger Band. Root Shock opens up the Main Stage A, followed by Tweed, with Kung Fu chopping up funk grooves for an hour and a half after that. The four big performances on Saturday are Ghost Light, Papadosio, John K’s West Philly Fadeaway, and Lotus ft. Jon “Barber” Gutwillig. Ghost Light is Philly legend Tom Hamilton’s new project, featuring keyboardist Holly Bowling, drummer Scotty Zwang, guitarist Raina Mullen, and recent addition, bassist Dan Africano. The band blends indie-esque songwriting with intricate, weaving setlists and gets deep into improv during their live shows. Papadosio is a jamtronica band from Asheville, NC that uses a lot of electronic aspects in their music. Their shows seem to put out a very strong vibe, through the combination of the music and lights, of just being present in the moment, and experiencing the music as it happens.

John K’s West Philly Fadeaway hasn’t happened before, so there’s not much that can be said about it, other than the fact that it’s the OG Disco Biscuits with John K playing Dead tunes, which should be incredible. Then, finally, closing out the main sets of the night, is Lotus w/ Barber. Fans didn’t and still don’t know what to expect when this was announced, but from what bassist Jesse Miller has said, expect songs where the guitar is relatively clean so they can experiment with the effects. It should also be noted that Barber has played a number of shows with drummer Mike Greenfield and has stated that he’s a fan of Greenfield’s technique and textures, so there’s already a musical bond formed with arguably the most important part of the music. The Tent Stage on Saturday is chock full of awesome bands, though you’re gonna want to check out Timbre Coup, returning to the stage for the second time this year, Strange Machines, Space Bacon, and Chachuba, as well as the Doom Flamingo and CIA & Friends late night sets which will presumably feature some of drummer Allen Aucoin’s Disco Biscuits counterparts.

Sunday is a little lighter than the two days preceding it, with music ending at 8 p.m. instead of 3 a.m. Boston’s Dewpoint opens up Main Stage A, followed by Cape Cod jams rockers The New Motif, and Snarky Puppy side project Ghost Note, featuring MonoNeon and Nate Werth. Closing out Stage A is Pink Talking Fish, a cover act blending Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish together, who also recently gained a new guitarist, Cal Kehoe. Over on Stage B, Eastbound Jesus will open up the stage, followed by Disco Biscuits drummer Allen Aucoin’s solo project Dr. Fameus. Closing the B Stage out is Star Kitchen, Disco Biscuit bassist Marc Brownstein’s new funk side project that features guitarist Danny Meyer. The Tent Stage lineup for Sunday is all heavy hitters, with Baltimore’s Band Of Tomorrow, Upstate NY’s Space Carnival for their first show back since the hiatus, Brooklyn’s Escaper, and the Capital Region’s hard rockers Wild Adriatic all prominently featured. It would be worth it to check all of those bands out.

For the attendees that purchased a VIP ticket, the VIP lounge will be hosting several special solo piano sets, including Ben Carrey of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Aron Magner of the Disco Biscuits, Jonathan Grusauskas of lespecial, and Ryan Dempsey of Twiddle. VIP ticket holders will also receive an exclusive merch package that includes pins, cups, prints and shirts, access to a complimentary craft beer garden, and access to a VIP camping area that includes bathrooms and showers.

For any FAQs or tickets, head over to the festival website. Check in with NYSMusic on Instagram durign the weekend for updates from the festival, and stay tuned next week for full coverage and a photo gallery from the weekend!

June 5, 2019