Category: Features

Joe Russo Presents Hooteroll? + Plus! at Winter Jazz Fest; The Bogie Band Debuts
Winter Jazz Fest continued at Brooklyn Bowl last night with the worldwide debut of The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo. Opening for Joe Russo Presents Hooteroll? + Plus!, this “no strings attached” powerhouse of wind instruments and drums featured Stuart Bogie on tenor sax fronting a nine-piece band: one flute (sometimes three), two saxophones (tenor and baritone), two trombones, two trumpets, one tuba, one percussion, and one octo-Russo on drums. One minute into the opening set, it became clearly evident that crossing the Verrazzano on a Sunday night after a long and exhausting weekend would be supremely worth it. Stuart Bogie has such an easy way about him, and he was perfectly comfortable on a stage he’s graced many times before, as this collection of Brooklyn’s finest musicians took the stage in front of an eager audience, both respectful and rabid in equal measure.

Photo credit: Jamie Huenefeld

Just as I was starting to recognize this local all-star troupe of musicians from Antibalas (Jordan McLean), Rubblebucket (Adam Dotson), and Reverend Vince Anderson’s Love Choir (Smoota, real name Dave Smith), the band toyed with a seemingly appropriate take on the All in the Family theme song. Bogie jumped back and forth between tenor sax and flute, while also playing band director on more than one occasion, both with the crowd and his eponymous band. At one point, he addressed the crowd, “You got one part. It’s to say hey. We’re going to cultivate and nurture a collective force. It could prove useful for more than just this song,” as he coaxed the crowd to join in a deep and guttural heyyy in time with the song’s climax. During a few softer moments, Russo moved from his signature savagery on the drum kit to a xylophone of sorts, stainless steel rectangles on an egg crate, highlighting the beauty of the quieter and more delicate jams.

Photo credit: Jamie Huenefeld

While this debut set was highly anticipated, I perhaps underestimated how hard the music would coax me to dance and sweat. Stuart Bogie is a musician who creates and takes risks, and this one paid off hand over fist. As the 45-minute set came to its unfortunate end, the musicians left the stage single file, in a slow march to Russo’s waning bell play. I’m very much looking forward to seeing more of The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo, and feeling very grateful to have had the chance to write these words and cover this spectacular debut performance.

Photo credit: Jamie Huenefeld

Check out Headrush, Pt. 1, a recently released single on spotify, with a full album coming soon.

Joe Russo Presents Hooteroll? + Plus!, exploring the works of Jerry Garcia, Howard Wales and others, was the featured set of this Winter Jazz Fest installment. Another all-star cast of musicians featuring Stuart Bogie (tenor sax), Erik Deutsch (keys), Jonathan Goldberger (guitar), Dave Harrington (bass), Kevin Kendrick (vibraphone), Jordan McLean (trumpet), and Joe Russo (drums) recreated Jerry Garcia’s 1971 Hooteroll? album. As Russo would later explain after one of the + Plus! selections, “We’re going to play the whole Hooteroll? record plus. This last song was the Pherboney Love Theme, the first track off my new record. We wanted to intersperse the record with songs that make sense.” Um, good choice, Joe!

Photo credit: Jamie Huenefeld

Last night’s set, and the album upon which it was based, was a master class in guitar-shreddy acid jazz, cut with blues and highly danceable rock ‘n roll, all set to the tempo of Russo and Harrington’s world class rhythm section. Erik Deustch played the role of Howard Wales, Garcia’s partner and mentor of sorts on this storied album, as he graced the crowd with the gorgeous sounds of his vintage Fender Rhodes and Hammond B3. Goldberger melted faces, as he is wont to do, with a variety of stunning solo work on both the electric and acoustic guitars. Kevin Kendrick’s contributions on the vibraphone gave the music an ethereal feel, soft and beautiful. If music satisfied the sense of touch, then Kendrick’s contribution was swathed in velvet. Bogie and McLean’s horn play was the bacon on this jam sandwich, making everything better as it occasionally stole the spotlight. Speaking of spotlights, there were none. Everyone shone. Focus may have drifted from one musician to the next as subtle flourishes highlighted this or that musician, only to realize that the full band was firing on all cylinders at all times.

Photo credit: Jamie Huenefeld

Dave Harrington. Just… WOW. I mean, he’s a guitar player, and a bass is technically a guitar, but he rarely, if ever, plays bass. Maybe it’s like his secret talent. In fact, I don’t know of the last time (which doesn’t mean it didn’t happen) since April of 2017, when this same ensemble recreated Hooteroll? in Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre. Wait, …, what?!?! Dave Harrington may have stolen the show if this wasn’t such a collective project. Tucked behind Russo, he seemed to be soloing all night, never playing the same riff, as his fingers ran up and down the bass with unthinkable speed and dexterity. My hips could barely keep up as my jaw hung open. What he did last night was something special; when this guy picks up a bass again, miss it at your own peril!

Photo credit: Jamie Huenefeld

In addition to the awesome musicianship and shared love for Jerry Garcia and this incredible record, the level of trust in the room was a tangible phenomenon that was perhaps the defining factor that put last night’s show into the record books. Let’s remember that Russo, Kendrick, Deutsch and Goldberger all share history with Fat Mama. Harrington and Russo are regulars on the improvisational NYC circuit. Bogie and McLean both play in Antibalas. Bogie plays with JRAD from time to time. Everyone plays with everyone all over the local scene. The comfort and joy that these musicians shared was a joy to behold and manifested itself in every peak and, even more so, quiet valley. From the listener’s perspective, the crowd, too, displayed perfect trust, as we were patient, present, and secure in the knowledge that wherever the music took us is where we were supposed to be. And the band clearly enjoyed the crowd enjoying them, as the room’s energy was in a constant state of reciprocal motion.

Photo credit: Jamie Huenefeld

A hundred minutes later, at the culmination of yet another monster jam, Russo just shrugged and gave The Bogie Band mates an “I think we’re done here look,” returning to thunderous applause for a fifteen-minute encore that would bring the show to the two-hour mark, capping off this all-too-rare project for the ages.
January 16, 2020
Kyle Stockman Releases Latest Gem with ‘Opal’

Singer-songwriter, Kyle Stockman, has released a two-song package titled Opal. It’s been a few months since we’ve heard from Stockman, whose last project, Hearts, was released in June of 2019. “Since I moved back to the city [for school] I’ve been having a lot of trouble finding like-minded people, I was questioning what was going on in my life,” Stockman says of the new project. “It’s me reaching out and asking these questions.”

The records are “Opal” and “Sundays.” The former, is a ballad in which Stockman croons about his longing for that special someone. “I’m speaking through the lenses of talking to one specific person, but it’s really me speaking to everyone around me,” he elaborates. “If someone wanted to love, how could they do it for me without me having to put in all the work?”

“Sundays” sees Stockman break out a lot more spoken-word, while the record itself relies a lot less on melodies for the verses. He evaluates his current standing in life. Surrounded by peers, he contemplates where exactly he fits in, with the record resembling a self-therapy session. “Sundays talks about what I’m seeing around me, the people around me and what I’m realizing about what going on in my life,” says Stockman. “At the end, I go back questioning ‘do you want to be with me?’ Bringing it back full circle.”

On the heels of this new release, Stockman says he is looking more into performing, dialing back on releasing full-length project and focusing more on growing his brand and his name.

Opal is available on all streaming platforms, with a lyrics video for “Sunday” already on YouTube.

January 16, 2020
The Knitting Factory hosts the 9th Annual Wintercourse

The silly and surreal met the seriously groovy at the 9th Annual Wintercourse. The single-night, multi-artist musical event was presented by Brooklyn electro-funk band Cousin Earth.

The historic, hole-in-the-wall Knitting factory hosted the event for the fourth time in a row. This year’s Wintercourse went off with aplomb, delivering the musical goods four times over. Pennsylvania psychedelic punk band Medusa’s Disco opened things up. Additionally, Of Clocks and Clouds performed next, while the legendary jam band The Breakfast headlined the evening. Cousin Earth themselves also performed a complete set in addition to hosting the event.

Cousin Earth performs at their festival: The 9th Annual Wintercourse

The Performance

Medusa’s Disco revved up the beginning of the night with an immediate smattering of fearlessly intense music. Donned in devil horns and Willy Wonka spectacles, the members whipped across head-spinning riffs and cool, classic rock-style melodies. Medusa’s Disco presented a kind of feel-so-bad-it-feels-good rock and roll. A song like “Painters Painting Paintings,” a new song from the band, gives a great example of their essence: punk rock updated sonically for the modern age, without losing the raw spirit of the genre.

Of Clocks And Clouds performed at a hometown venue in Knitting Factory. Their set received fantastic enthusiasm from the crowd. The psychedelic metal quartet tapped into some vibrant improvisation for their performance. They played a few songs that were outright inspirational in their climactic peaks. One in particular was “Who I Am,” which managed to mutate its catchy chorus and composition into a terrifically bright and uplifting jam.

Medusa’s Disco gets down at the 9th Annual Wintercourse

Collaboration Efforts

Many anticipated a collaboration somewhere on this stacked lineup for Wintercourse 9. Cousin Earth’s ukulele lead Joey Calfa made that happen here in the Clocks set. He joined the band on a great version of “Hey Joe,” for which he shared in a sweet guitar shredding session with OCAC’s Tom Salgo. Calfa, for anybody who for some reason is unaware, is a Jedi on his instrument, at danger of ripping holes in time and space when he really gets going on a ukulele solo. But OCAC’s Tom and his brother Joe Salgo are confidently apt guitar players themselves, and they both delivered their own righteous lead solos back and forth.

Perhaps Cousin Earth followed the lead of Of Clocks and Clouds (who wrapped things up with Pink Floyd’s “Time”), for they opened their own performance with a take on “Great Gig In The Sky,” a rare and pretty cool choice for a set opener. Then they dove into their own music and things got groovy real fast. “Burnin’ Up For You” was a great blues-funk number that showcased the insatiable voice of the band’s lead vocalist Melissa Raye. By the time the band led the room through a meticulously played, futuristic-sounding disco rock groove, Knitting Factory took the spirit of Wintercourse 9 and ran away with it.

Prodded on by the ultimate ringmaster/troublemaker, Medusa’s Disco guitarist Wynton Huddle, the show which was musically splendid now became physically and visually joyful.

A wild unicorn appears at the 9th Annual Wintercourse

The Snowball Fight, Aliens, and More

Huddle snuck on stage in the middle of Cousin Earth’s jam and unleashed dozens of styrofoam “snowballs” into the crowd. A snowball fight occurred between crowd goers and members of Cousin Earth. The spontaneous snowball fight lasted for the entirety of their song. A unicorn making its way onto stage and men in alien and dinosaur costumes dancing in the audience threw the careless whimsy of Wintercourse over the cliff. As the craziness wound down, Cousin Earth’s members sang sweetly into the mic repeating: “Mr. Alien, please don’t kill us. Please don’t kill us, Mr. Alien.” This segment takes its name from the band’s most recent studio album, Please Don’t Kill Us, released in April of 2019.

“Okay, here’s a fish song.” For their finish, the Brooklyn ukelele-led rockers threw down an incredibly unique and formidable version of Heart’s “Barracuda”. The night pointed straight towards a high-reigning set from The Breakfast. The band consists of four unmatchable players: guitarist Tim Palmeri, drummer Adrian Tromontano, bassist Chris DeAngelis, as well as keyboard player Jordan Giangreco, who gets invited regularly to play with far too many notable bands to count. “I’d say these guys are my guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel guilty about it at all. They’re just my pleasure,” introduced Cousin Earth bassist Corey J. Feldman, who was acting as MC for the evening.

Jordan Giangreco of The Breakfast at The 9th Annual Wintercourse

The Closing Act – Final Thoughts

Furthermore, the short set from The Breakfast was a ballistic sprint from start to finish. Those aware of the northeast jam scene know that fast and furious is the only way how to do it. No matter the time, place, or conditions, it will always be a masterclass in how to shred.

Nevertheless, the band played versions of their classic hits in this closing set, including a version of “Over Exposure”. The musically focused song, worked through varying sections of tempo and melody with the maximum tightness. The song hit at the same level of supersonic barbarity as all the other jams produced throughout the night. Lastly, fans cheered on The Breakfast’s following cover of “Teenage Wasteland” as they screamed along to the lyrics.

January 16, 2020
2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Announced, Featuring Whitney Houston and The Notorious B.I.G.

Inductees for the 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame have officially been announced. The committee in charge of inductees – made up of more than 1,000 historians, members of the music industry and every living Rock Hall inductee – have included two prominent names in music culture, whose body of work was not based in the genre. In an effort to diversify the Rock Hall of Fame, soul songstress Whitney Houston and iconic hip-hop emcee The Notorious B.I.G., will make their entrance into the hallowed halls of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They will be posthumously induced, at the 35th annual Rock Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, on Saturday, May 2, 2020, at Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio.

The duo headlines an illustrious class, which features influential rock band The Doobie Brothers, Grammy-winning rock act, Nine Inch Nails, English rockers, T. Rex, who were prominent in the development of the rock scene during the early 1970s, as well as Depeche Mode, a dominant force within the electronic music scene.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Jon Landau, the longtime manager of Bruce Springsteen, and entertainment executive Irving Azoff will also be recognized at the ceremony. They will be presented with the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which honors songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists, and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on rock & roll.

The ceremony will be broadcast live for the first time on HBO on May 2 at 8 p.m. ET. Performances and special guests and Induction Week programs will be announced later.

Tickets go on sale to Rock Hall members on February 25 and to the public on February 27 at 10 a.m. ET, at ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.

January 16, 2020
Harriet Tubman Brings the Prog to NYC Winter Jazzfest

NYC Winter Jazzfest kicked off last week with over 150 artists spread across more than a dozen venues in the city. We caught up with NYC vets Harriet Tubman at The Sultan Room on Saturday night for a sold out show supporting James “Blood” Ulmer.

Harriet Tubman at The Sultan Room – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

The trio has been a staple of the underground jazz scene in New York for more than 20 years and has thus garnered a large following here in the city. Even though Harriet Tubman was billed as the opener, the sold-out crowd was in attendance early to catch a rare live show from the group. After all, there was an 11-year gap between records, spanning the entire decade from 2000-2010.

J.T. Lewis of Harriet Tubman at The Sultan Room – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

The trio consists of bassist Melvin Gibbs, guitarist Brandon Ross and drummer J.T. Lewis, and they can easily be described as a “power jazz trio.” Their style is a very heavy and dystopian mix of jazz, funk and psychedelic rock. Think of a jazz-fusion soundtrack for the end of the world and you have yourself a Harriet Tubman record. On their latest release, tracks like “Prototaxite,’”refer to a pre-historic mushroom measuring more than 20 feet high, and “Unseen Advance of the Aquifarian” gives you an idea what you are in for.

Melvin Gibbs of Harriet Tubman at The Sultan Room – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

The three musicians have amazing chemistry and produce such dense layers of loops and rhythms that you would think the band is twice as large. A setting like The Sultan Room was an ideal choice for their style. A small, crescent shaped floor with a low standing mezzanine provides an intimate setting to be engulfed by the noise they produce. The vibrant and nu-retro backdrop added to the futuristic aesthetic the band goes for in their sound.

Brandon Ross of Harriet Tubman at The Sultan Room – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

The band’s last record, The Terror End of Beauty, came out back in 2018 and, as of right now, they only have a few more US dates scheduled for January, all on the West Coast. Find those dates here and don’t miss a chance to catch this unique avant-garde jazz group in person.

January 15, 2020
Giles Robson: Pure Blues

Dating back to the late 1800s, the blues have set a musical foundation for many to grow on. From Memphis to Chicago, and Leadbelly to B.B., a great debt is owed to those 12 bars. Giles Robson is just one of those musicians who has drawn from this enduring musical genre. Originally from Jersey in the Channel Islands (a British Crown dependency) and now living in France, he is a Blues Foundation Blues Award winner and the first British or European artist to appear on the prestigious Alligator Records blues label. I had the opportunity to sit down with this harmonica-touting blues man recently as the New Year began, after he wrapped up a 5-day promotional showcase introducing himself to the U.S. – a tour that included his debut American performance at the Colony, in Woodstock, NY.

Bruce Katz, keyboards; Antar Goodwin, bass, Ray Hangen, drums; Giles Robson, harmonica; Aaron Lieberman, guitar; at Colony, Woodstock N.Y.

A disciple of the blues, his beliefs are straightforward, “I am under the opinion that the blues is the most incredible, communicative music in the world. So simple, yet it has so much feeling. I feel fortunate I fell in love with it and progressed in it.”

His journey into music started with the violin at age seven, then on to the saxophone three years later “because I watched a lot of old movies when I was ten or eleven year old,” Robson shares. “They always had the big bands, and I really fell in love with the swing horn lines.” While on a school art trip to Spain, he picked up his first blues harp. “I (had) heard it on the theme tune to Roseanne, a guy named John “Juke” Logan, and I heard Will Smith play it on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I was intrigued by it. When I got back to Jersey, it just so happened that there was an African-American harmonica and guitar duo, Cephas and Wiggins, playing within a week of getting back. My parents sent me to see them and the rest is history. I just got hooked.”

Formal training helped prepare Giles for his foray into the blues. “My sax teacher was an acid jazz player and got me playing Charlie Parker heads (challenging melodies) and showed me the basics of improvisation. So when I started playing harp, I had that little bit of knowledge to help me out.” When it came to learning the harmonica, “I was teaching myself,” Giles divulges, “I would pretend I was a member of the Muddy Waters band and I would play the same solo along with the record, over and over again. “

I am under the opinion that the blues is the most incredible, communicative music in the world. So simple, yet it has so much feeling.
Giles Robson

Giles Robson, pre-show at Colony, Woodstock N.Y.

His efforts took hold and in 2007 Giles Robson and The Dirty Aces stepped onto the European music scene, receiving praise in the UK press. “That was an interesting band,” he notes. “I was trying to do a crossover with lots of different elements in it. I was trying to be as original as possible. But I realized my strength was in doing the blues, the pure blues with a little twist. I was getting too rock for blues and too blues for rock. It showed me what can and cannot work. “

After three recordings with The Dirty Aces, Robson signed with V2 Records in Holland. Now a solo artist, For Those Who Need the Blues was later made. “ We recorded that album in six hours. This was my return to the pure blues,” he professes. With a new record in hand, he was booked at an upcoming festival in Holland under the name Giles Robson and The Dirty Aces. “They were expecting this garage rock. I went over with the band I had just recorded with and did the pure blues. The people went crazy. From that moment on things changed around for me.”

Giles Robson, Colony, Woodstock N.Y.

Reflecting on that moment of musical purification, “The blues is always there, and it needs to be. I met a lot of people on this (current) tour that told me that they got into this music as they got older. Once you get to 40, you’ve probably been through several life events that the blues tackle. Divorce. Relationships. When you’re in your early twenties, pop music works because you’ve not been through any of that heartbreak and such. When you get older you’ve been through it. It’s not a shallow thing. You can’t help but think about things in your life that blues sings about.”

In December 2017, while performing at a festival in Europe, Robson crossed paths with Grammy-nominated, W.C. Handy Award-winning blues guitarist Joe Louis Walker. Walker saw his performance earlier that day and invited him up to jam during his set. “We got on musically very well. Then we talked for hours after the show about lots of blues music,” Giles recalls. A few months later while touring around Europe and listening to acoustic blues while traveling between shows, Robson started thinking, “I’d love to do an album with someone who could really do this (acoustic blues) music justice, and then the idea came, it was Joe. ”

Recording session for Journey To The Heart Of The Blues

“I wanted to hear his voice, which is one of the most incredible voices in the blues,” Robson declares. “I wanted to hear his voice without a band behind him, in an intimate situation. I wanted my harmonica next to that voice. I contacted him and he was very keen on it. It was a beautiful experience.” Journey To The Heart Of The Blues was the end result of this homage to acoustic blues, garnishing a 2019 Acoustic Album of the Year Blues Music Award. Bruce Katz (Gregg Allman, Ronnie Earl, Delbert McClinton, John Hammond,) joined the pair on piano for the recording sessions. “Joe brought Bruce in, an excellent sort of foil for the music. He is a funky player, but has this level of finesse that gave it an extra depth and added synergy in the studio.” Alligator Records picked up the album and it was tracked and mixed at NRS Recording in Catskill, NY for distribution in the U.S.

I was teaching myself … I would pretend I was a member of the Muddy Waters band and I would play the same solo along with the record, over and over again.
Giles Robson on learning to play the harmonica

“The beauty of the blues,” Giles lauds, “is the people already know the chord changes. They are really familiar with it and you put in your own individual harmonica style, or song style, or lyrics. It’s a magical thing. Sometimes musicians lose their way with the music because the technical ego takes over. They say on something as simple as that, I have to do something more complicated. As you get older, it becomes a lot easier to be naturally simple. Just do what is able.”

Don’t Give Up On The Blues artwork

His latest recording, Don’t Give Up On The Blues, which came out late September 2019, is a shift from Journey to the Heart of the Blues. Robson puts it this way, “I wanted to do original songs with blues structures. We’ve got original riffs in there, but we wanted to respect the structure and rhythm of the blues.” Capitalizing on their previous success, Bruce Katz joined on for this project. “Bruce is incredibly versed in the traditions of the piano.” Expanding on the approach to the album, “We didn’t use an out and out traditional guitar player or traditional bass player. We didn’t want to be too fussy about it. It is an album that has both the traditional and a splash of dirty.”

Bruce Katz, keyboards; Aaron Lieberman, guitar; Giles Robson, vocals/harmonica

As part of the Robson’s showcase tour, Don’t Give Up On The Blues was presented front and center. Backed by Bruce Katz on keyboards, Aaron Lieberman on guitar, Ray Hangen on drums, Antar Goodwin on bass, (who all played on the album) and joined by special guest vocalist Katie Henry, Giles and crew showed why this latest recording has been called, “Retro. Timeless with an edge of modernity so the sound is relevant and fresh today,” by the UK’s Bluesdoodles.com. I attended the Colony show in Woodstock, NY, where the music expanded and contracted throughout the set, allowing each song the opportunity to offer it’s own blues narrative. As the New Year begins, Don’t give up on the Blues continues to chart high on American and European blues radio.

Giles Robson, Aaron Lieberman; Colony, Woodstock

When it comes to blues harp influences, Giles points to the Chicago players. “All of them,” he says. “Everyone has their own distinct style. Some are very simple but still captivating. Some are very technically advanced and still captivating. They all had feeling and emotion. It’s pretty miraculous what they did with the instrument. The two main guys were Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson for me. I listen to them almost on a daily basis. “

The blues are based in suffering and heartache, but for Robson’s blues, 2020 is looking bright. A new record getting global recognition combined with a touring schedule filled with club and festival dates across the US and Europe, it will be hard to find a downside for this rising blues man. Perchance you run into Giles out on the musical highway, take a moment and imagine you’re both in a James Bond movie. “How would you like your blues, Mr. Robson?” “Pure. Not stirred.”

Don’t Give Up On The Blues – live

January 15, 2020
In Focus: TAB End a Weekend at The Cap

Trey Anastasio Band )TAB) closed a sold out, two-night run at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, on Saturday. Fresh off ringing in a new decade, up in the rafters of Madison Square Garden, Trey and his amazing band warmed up the theatre with energy and ease. The original rock palace served as a perfect setting, allowing for a more intimate and special-filled night of fan favorites, and debuts.

The weekend was a springboard for a short winter tour to begin mid-January.

The night kicked off with a mellow “Everything’s Right.” The highlight of the first set came with the debut of “Silver Light,” only to kick back with “Ocelot,” and round out with “Rise/Come Together.” After a short break, the second set ensued: “46 Days,” a bass heavy “Sand,” an eight-minute “Mr. Completely,” and a classic “First Tube,” to close out a great night. The octet returned to the stage for a 12-minute encore (of a not-so) “Brief Time” and “Push on Till the Day”

Set One: Everything’s Right, Cayman Review, Acting The Devil, Alive Again, Sometime After the Sunset, Silver Light, Mozzambique, Ocelot, Curlew’s Call, Rise/Come Together.

Set Two: Burlap Sack and Pumps, 46 Days, Magilla, Sand, A life Beyond The Dream, Liquid Time, Heavy Things, Traveler, Mr. Completely, Dark and Down, First Tube.

Encore: Brief Time, Push On Til The Day.

January 13, 2020
Don’t Call It A Comeback: Motion City Soundtrack Return to Webster Hall

Motion City Soundtrack have been on indefinite hiatus since 2016, but last summer the Minneapolis band began teasing something for New Years Eve. The surprise came in the form of a NYE show in Chicago at House of Blues followed by a month-long “Don’t Call It A Comeback” tour of the US. New York area shows included Webster Hall in NYC, where we caught the tour, Starland Ballroom in NJ and The Paramount on Long Island.

Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

The newly renovated Webster Hall is still very much a work in progress, but that did not take away from the delight and anticipation of the fans. By the time the opening bands were set to play, the room was already mostly full and buzzing. Support for the night came from Gregory Stovetop followed by The Sidekicks who both played very upbeat pop-rock sets.

The Sidekicks at Webster Hall 1/8/2020 – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

The Sidekicks at Webster Hall 1/8/2020 – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

Motion City Soundtrack put out one of the most iconic mid-2000s anthem in “Everything is Alright,” and the crowd was treated to it early as the second song. The entire room jumped along to the guitar riff, stressing the ancient Webster Hall floor, while shouting the chorus in full-throat. Another fan favorite, and pop-rock hit “The Future Freaks Me Out” served as the final song of the night.

Motion City Soundtrack at Webster Hall 1/8/2020 – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

The band had terrific chemistry throughout the night, Justin’s vocals sounded crisp and the band delivered a tight 20 song, career-spanning set, meant to please. The hiatus is certainly over and MCS are back at it.

Motion City Soundtrack at Webster Hall 1/8/2020 – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

The rest of the tour runs through mid February, with stops coast to coast, concluding with three sold-out home town shows at The Fillmore in Minneapolis. Support for those last shows comes from White Reaper, Why Not, Lydia Lizer and Author.

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

January 12, 2020
RIP Neil Peart, a Drummer’s Drummer

Neil Peart, the pioneering drummer and primary lyricist for Canadian progressive rock icons Rush died Tuesday, January 7 following a nearly three-year-long battle with brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

The influential drummer joined Rush, replacing John Rutsy, in 1974 for the band’s second album Fly By Night and immediately changed the musical direction of the band with his Ayn Rand and SciFi-inspired lyrics and technical drumming skills.

Peart was an unassuming and deeply private man with an extraordinary talent for drumming, the man who inspired legions of air-drummers throughout the world. He rarely did interviews, leaving those duties for bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, where he spoke most directly was through his lyrics.

Drawing from science fiction, fantasy and the works of Ayn Rand (which he would later renounce), Peart wrote lyrics that could be fantastical, could be direct but they made the listener think.

The 1982 single “Subdivisions” spoke directly to a generation of young disaffected high schoolers, addressing the loneliness and separation of one trying to fit in.

Subdivisions
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
Subdivisions
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out
Rush – “Subdivisions” (1982)

Those lyrics spoke directly to this writer trying to find his way around the halls of Staley Junior High School. It let the disaffected know they weren’t alone in their feelings. And it struck home.

A truly lasting memory associated with Rush is from the winter following the release of the band’s breakthrough 1981 album Moving Pictures. This album was inescapable that year but nowhere more than at the outdoor hockey rink at Franklyn’s Field in my hometown.

My friends and I made the short trek to the park every day, sticks over tiny shoulders, skates dangling behind us. We knew we were in the right place once we heard the lone tinny speaker attached to a light pole overlooking the rink cranking “Limelight,” “Tom Sawyer,” “YYZ.” This was my first real exposure to Rush and the most lasting memory I have of the band. The songs were technical, yet accessible. And the drums. I’d never paid much attention to individual instrumentation as a 12-year-old finding his way in the music world. Peart demanded your attention. And he did just that, for 40 years. A virtuoso in a band of virtuosos.

Peart retired completely from drumming following Rush’s final tour in 2015. The demand put on his body over years of constant performing left Peart unsure of his ability to maintain his precision. The demands of the profession lost out over the desire to spend more time with his family and with his other writing and producing projects.

He leaves behind his wife Carrie Nuttal and a daughter, Olivia along with a legacy few humans can claim.

January 11, 2020
In Focus: Del McCoury’s Magical, Guest-Filled Night at The Capitol Theatre

The Capitol Theatre has had a lot of impressive shows in recent times: a Neil Young pop up show, multi-night runs with legendary rockers Ween, the opening night of a three-night-only touring run for the vintage jam project Vida Blue, and lots of others. On December 21, 2019, the Port Chester, NY music venue hosted a concert as special or even more so, the “80th Birthday Celebration” of Del McCoury.

For fans of bluegrass, it doesn’t get much more important than Del, at least in terms of still living musicians. Across his more than sixty-year career, Del shaped the way modern bluegrass guitarist approached their instruments, as well as the way they sing a ballad or write an instrumental tune. He has performed with nearly everyone that made a mark upon the genre, which is perhaps fitting that this eightieth celebration show was billed as an evening with special guests. Players both classically recognized and recently popular were invited to be a part of this one of a kind, free-for-all style celebration of one of the guys who helped to start it all.

Del and his family group, The Del McCoury Band, tore open the evening with the invigorating, breakdown-style tune “Traveling Tear Drop Blues.” What was cool about this – it is a song that many bluegrass bands coming up in the past decade or so, from Yonder Mountain String Band to The Infamous Stringdusters, have covered regularly. Pretty much all of the songs being performed this evening at The Cap were now historically famous numbers that Del had either written himself or put his spin on decades ago. It links a sense of timelessness to the man himself.

At 80 years old, not only does Del pick a guitar as well as ever, but he’s spry in both mind and spirit. The entire night saw him bantering back and forth with an incredibly enthusiastic crowd. People screamed covers endlessly, which made him chuckle every time. Calls for perhaps what is his most famous cover, Richard Thompson’s Del joked to the crowd: “Yes, we’ll get that Vincent, for ya, we will! Maybe right after the show’s over!”

But it’s not just a Del show. The Del McCoury Band, who have toured in recent years without their founding father — that there’s three generations of McCoury ripping it up on stage right now. There’s Del, his sons Ronnie McCoury on mandolin and Rob McCoury on banjo, who have been in the band since the 1980s. As of late there is also Heaven McCoury, who takes after his grandfather and picks a mean guitar. Heaven might have hung in the back quietly most of the night, but whenever it was his turn to step up to the mic, he impressed.

Soon enough, after the core band had whipped the audience around for a bit, they brought out the night’s first special guest. “He’s one of the best in the entire world on his instrument,” introduced Ronnie McCoury, “please welcome, Jerry Douglas.” Yes, he is even objectively speaking probably the single greatest dobro player of all time, but in addition, he matches Del’s smile and charm. He instantly helped pick one of Del’s most famous tracks, “Nashville Cats.” The first set ended on a fantastic, strong note. Douglas lead the way on a quick but searing instrumental breakdown tune.

Set breaks aren’t usually magical, yet The Capitol Theatre always surprises its audiences with tricks. As The Del McCoury Band watched backstage, The Cap played a montage clip of musicians giving sentiments about the eighty-year-old legend on the venues wall. Giants from Paul Simon and Robert Plant, to jam scene heroes Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, and bluegrass newcomers Trampled By Turtles and Chris Thile, all spoke words of thanks and admiration towards Del. His limitless influence upon them, and American music in general, was clear.

Post montage, Del ushered the second half of the night with a duo, alongside noteworthy David Grisman. Grisman, just a few years younger than Del (as he made sure to point out humorously this evening), also earned his place in the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, across countless records and collaborations with others of the genre. Del and Dawg, as they have billed themselves over the past few years, have an old folkster sort of camaraderie. Corny jokes were as present as the solos traded off back and forth.

The rest of the evening absolutely shined, getting better with each song and new guest called up. The last two guests, Leftover Salmon’s guitarist Vince Herman and mandolinist Drew Emmitt, ensued a full bluegrass ensemble – it was a magnificent sight and sound to behold. The entry of Andy Falco, guitarist for the Grammy-winning jamgrass outfit The Infamous Stringdusters, was especially touching as it was his first time getting to sing on stage with Del.

With all centered around Del, musicians picked in glorious, uniform and flawless fashion. All the songs “Midnight Blues” again a classic number but once that saw a resurgence of popularity with Leftover Salmon’s cover in the early 2000s, was a highlight of the night. It brought that great, country-rock kind of groove, but amplified with the intensity of a lot more players, and of course brought sharp solo after solo, after solo.

After a double encore of one of the most famous bluegrass songs of all time, “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms,” Del’s 80th Birthday Celebration clocked close to three hours, with the main McCoury strumming and singing as effortlessly as he did around its opening. If that doesn’t speak to the fascinating amount of vitality this man commands as a performer, nothing will.

January 11, 2020