Category: Reviews

Trey Anastasio Band and Rescue Squad Strings Highlight Week 7 of Beacon Jams

The penultimate Beacon Jams found the core band for the past six weeks accompanied by a couple of new faces, as well as the Rescue Squad Strings, for one of the most memorable nights of the entire run. Trey Anastasio appeared more loose this week and at the same time excited to be performing with the lineup for Trey Anastasio Band, which found Natalie Cressman (trombone) and James Casey (saxophone) joining Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet), who had been singing the past two weeks, and quarantining for a total of five to prepare for the shows.

photo via The Beacon Theatre Facebook page

Friday night’s performance served as the first complete Trey Anastasio Band performance since February 1, 2020 at The Civic Theater in New Orleans, LA, and first performance in New York since January 11 at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester.

photo by Jake Silco

Reunited with friends and a full stage at times, the flood gates of material were opened to allow for Trey band classics and surprising arrangements of Phish songs peppering the night. A pre-show tribute paid respects to the recently passed Carl Monzo, head of Phish security for many years.

The evening also served as a fundraiser for The Divided Sky fund, which focuses on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those battling from addiction, through Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation. By the end of the show on Friday, November 20, nearly $100,000 was raised that night alone, with more than half of a million dollars gathered over seven weeks, an impressive total in support of recovery from addiction.

Kicking off the night was Phish’s “Camel Walk” that had some extra flavor with horns and added percussion from Cyro Baptista, whose daughter was having a baby that evening, leading to banter between him and Trey, before moving into an apropos “Set Your Soul Free” and “Alive Again,” a staple of TAB since summer 2001.

Trey invited the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski out to join the band for “Petrichor,” performed for the first time with Tanski since New Year’s Eve 2016.

Trey made a point to thank MSG once again for bringing the event together for free on Twitch, and gave an overdue shout out to the union workers who helped put the show together behind the scenes. He also thanked the many groups of fans who donated to The Divided Sky Fund, some donating thousands of dollars to support the cause.

photo by Jake Silco

The second ever performance of the groovy “All Pretending” had a catchy vibe ala Kenny Loggins’ “I’m Alright” and was followed by the Bossa Nova “Curlew’s Call,” but with Cyro not shying away from the percussion.

The Rescue Squad Strings returned for “Harry Hood,” with Trey switching to acoustic guitar, then back to electric for the third section of the song as the rest of the band joined in for the triumphant finale. After, Trey remarked to the strings about the sincere joy of playing “Hood” and writing it on an acoustic guitar on the beach in Greece when he was 19. Anastasio went back to the acoustic for “Lifeboy,” with heartstrings being plucked on couches across the country.

“Heather McDougal Song” took off from that donor’s name popping up on the screen, with some brief improv joined in by the Rescue Squad Strings. Within moments of ending, the full band debut of “Let Me Lie” (also with strings) followed, giving the laid back breather a fuller sound, and a rare “Chalkdust Torture Reprise” surfaced as the strings departed the stage, with the lyrics changed to “Heather McDougal Song.”

“Burlap Sack and Pumps,” another standard that found its legs in the Summer of 2001, went deep, thanks in great part to James Casey switching to baritone sax. The TAB debut of Kasvot Växt’s “Death Don’t Hurt Very Long,” had added character thanks to the slow deep funk groove via the horn section.

photo by Jake Silco

To wrap up the night, the strings returned for “Goodbye Head” and closed with Trey Anastasio Band on the fan favorite “Push on ‘Til the Day” closing the night. Donate to the Divided Sky Fund here and tune in on Friday, November 27 at 8pm for the finale of The Beacon Jams.

Setlist via Phish.net

Set 1: Camel Walk, Set Your Soul Free, Alive Again [1], Petrichor [2], Money, Love and Change, Olivia, All Pretending > Curlew’s Call, Harry Hood [3], Lifeboy [4], Heather McDougal Song [5], Let Me Lie [6], Chalk Dust Torture Reprise [7], Burlap Sack and Pumps, Valentine, Death Don’t Hurt Very Long [8], Goodbye Head [9], Push On ‘Til the Day

[1] Lyrics changed to “Winter’s coming and I’d like a review.”
[2] Just Trey, The Rescue Squad Strings, and the horns.
[3] Full TAB debut; began with just Trey on acoustic guitar and The Rescue Squad Strings with the rest of the band joining later.
[4] Just Trey on acoustic guitar with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jen Hartswick and Natalie Cressman on vocals.
[5] Debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings.
[6] Full TAB debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings.
[7] Full TAB debut; sung as “Heather McDougal Song.”
[8] Full TAB debut.
[9] With The Rescue Squad Strings.

photo via The Beacon Theatre Facebook page

November 21, 2020
Hearing Aide: Skyfoot ‘Astronomy Man’

Skyfoot is back to cure your quarantine blues with their fourth album, Astronomy Man. This four-piece band from Boston has firmly established themselves in the Northeast music scene over the last decade, playing hundreds of shows and being named “Best In State” at the 2019 New England Music Awards. Skyfoot recorded this album this past winter and spring and thanks to a successful Indiegogo campaign, Astronomy Man was released on November 2nd.

The eleven tracks on this album shimmy through a number of different genres and feature tremendous psychedelic and funky jams from start to finish. Starting things off is “What’cha Gonna Do,” an upbeat, soaring opener with a catchy chorus. The track culminates in an incredible jam combining Tyler Arnott’s fantastic guitar work with Eric McEwen’s beautiful organ playing. The opening slide guitar in “Follow Me Down” will immediately perk your ears as Aaron Morey’s drum beat kicks in, invoking a cross between a steam engine crossing the plains and a lone cowboy on horseback.

Astronomy Man also features a bunch of longer tracks that allow the members of Skyfoot to explore the space in your living room. “Take Time” is a toe-tappin’ ditty featuring a beautiful dance between banjo and keys before morphing into a kaleidoscopic puddle of a jam. James Taylor’s bass oozes funk during “Everybody Have a Good Time Tonight” and if you close your eyes during this track, you’d swear you were shoulder to shoulder with your best friends at a show. The title track is the quirkiest and catchiest song on the album, but features a shredding guitar solo before skyrocketing into the interstellar. This album takes you on a stellar journey from start to finish, ending with the angelically prismatic “Spoke.”

Skyfoot was able to do something really wonderful with this record. They used every bit of aural space within 67 minutes to pack a mind-bending amount of music into these eleven tracks. This is a band truly worth traveling to see once we are blessed with live music again. Check out Astronomy Man on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube or visit the Skyfoot Store to purchase the album.

Key Tracks: Everybody Have a Good Time Tonight, What’cha Gonna Do, Lovin’ Kind

November 20, 2020
Carnival Crash: A Legacy of NYC Post-Punk found within ‘It Is A Happy Man’

New York City was much different in the early 1980s then it is today, and without Carnival Crash. The city had a dangerous seediness that was fueled by a Reagan era recession and a deadly arms race that was being perpetrated between the Super Powers of East and West. Everyday could be your last, and the young people of that time questioned everything and trusted no one. They banded together with a “can’t take it with you” attitude that challanged all of the prevailing norms of Reagan’s 80’s America. This cacophony of chaos was the genesis of the post-punk movement, which created some of the most iconic music in history in dank & dirty NYC punk clubs like CBGB and the famed 82 Club.

Bands like the Talking Heads and Television transcended from the punk scene to legendary heights, but for every success there were a multitude of brilliant but brief post punk outfits that never made it out of the NYC scene. This unfortunately was the case for Carnival Crash, a three piece dynamo that lasted just about two years, but luckily for the listener, this obscure trio left us a glorious time capsule. Their legacy of recordings, compiled on It Is A Happy Man (Obelisk Records), stands the test of time. This seven track gem of an EP is the reissue of two different recording sessions that Carnival Crash engaged in back in 1981 and 1982, before they ultimately disbanded later that year.

The now defunk trio was comprised of Norman Westberg (guitar), Ivan Nahem (vocals/drums), and John Griffin (bass/vocals). Although the lifespan of Carnival Crash was short, the members left their mark with tracks like “Tell Tale Heart.” Nahem’s vocals and Griffin’s bass paint the picture of a smoke filled club with sticky floors and plenty of patrons adorned in black leather “slamming” to the hypnotic beat. The band showcases Westburg’s club seasoned guitar stylings, as well the band’s affinity for the classic monster genre with just a dash of twisted humor with numbers like “Frakenstein” and “Edge Of Night.” Both songs could easily be used today on any maccabe low budget horror flick soundtrack.

Carnival Crash brings out their inner Bauhaus with Griffin’s haunting vocals and Nahem’s spot-on percussion work for the album’s fifth and sixth tracks “Nostalgia” and “Method 1.” The recording fidelity on these tracks could be described as poor compared to today’s digitally sanitized world, but these numbers were recorded on a TEAC 4-track recorder way back in 1981. The roughness and grittiness of these recording works in complete synergy to the Carnival Crash’s artistic aesthetic. There are no fancy modern Pro Tools production gimmicks like auto tune on this EP. The band just provides a boat load of reverb with healthy dose of post punk angst and pure artistic expression.

Although their tenure as a band was brief, the members of Carnival Crash continued to create powerful and provocative art throughout the years and are still at it even today. Norman Westberg went on to join Michael Gira as the guitarist for NYC experimental rock band Swans, which would eventually disband in 1997. Westburg still creates music performing and recording as a solo act. Ivan and his brother Andrew formed Ritual Tension with Michael Shockley and Marc Sloan which has recently re-formed after their dissolution in the early 1990’s. They are currently touring and have recorded a new album It’s Just The Apocalypse, It’s Not The End, will be released this Fall on Arguably Records. John Griffin is still producing work as a painter and musician . His latest musical project is called the griffin morrissey catastrophe.

It Is A Happy Man by Carnival Crash will be released by Obelisk Records later this month. The record will be pressed on a limited run of 150 copies on chartreuse vinyl as well as being available in a digital format.

Key Tracks: Tell Tale Heart, Fool, Frankenstein

November 17, 2020
Shubh Saran Becoming a Musical Medium of Genres

Brooklyn based musical fusion, Shubh Saran, is Becoming a musical world map for genres. In a cell-phone driven society, you would open your GPS to navigate outward. Saran, 29, becomes a medium, channeling a multitude of genres inward and back out through his compositions. The Indian native fuses traditional music, with punk, blues, rock and his head-on studies in Jazz.

The Delhi high school student made Berklee dream come true, honed his passion amongst a “best-of-the-best” melting pot at the college. He has resided in multiple countries, grabbing musical influence at every turn, and it shows. Now calling New York home, Saran’s latest creation, Becoming, is a must explore.

The title track and lead single off the album was originally released Nov. 12, 2019.

The 5-track EP is an navigation to new color palettes that will re-texture the ears of the most seasoned listener. The goal is not a means to an end; It is an exposition of clashing sounds that provoke a journey of unforeseen turns.

Take The title track “Becoming” as example. Saran cresendos into a collapsing overture, filled with dual-drum-sets, arching strings and key pads. Everything peaks at once until Saran reels you back in with his ethereal guitar passage. It draws you into the basement of Berklee’s practice rooms and jam-sessions; the moment where you are sucked in reverse to the doorway, as an unknown musical fusion burst from its seams.

Pairs of drums, Saxophones and strings create a flam-like density. An illusion of the same track being overlapped in slight delay should sound abrasive yet this creates an ever-expanding feeling. The 5:09 track feels like one deep inhale. Its healing breath ends abruptly.

‘Becoming’ definitely wasn’t written as the single off the album, nor was the EP supposed to be named after the song, or vice versa. As I started writing it, though, I began to realize that this is the anthemic song that really sums up the whole message of the EP.”

Shubh Saran Becoming – Released February 10, 2020

Saran’s musical quests become physical as he travels across the globe with his work. Strength, musical and cultural growth bloom in the cyclical nature of Suran’s playing. Most recently he took this EP on tour to with performances and workshops across New Delhi, Goa, Gurgaon and Mumbai. “I compose in a modern jazz sort of idiom, but I decided to revisit the music I grew up with as a teenager… it was Blink-182, punk rock, Green Day, the kind of music you don”t associate with ”serious music”,” Saran told Outlook India. Saran is giving back, filling the music void he had as a high school student. He excites the musical realm and young artists alike.

“I’ve always liked artists who have long music careers, where their first album is really different from their last album, and you can see the evolution and influences over time. I’m just celebrating that by being who I am as a musician.”

Track Listing:
1. Becoming
2. Storm
3. Safe
4. Comfort (feat. Hannah Sumner and JAE SOTO)
5. Dust

November 16, 2020
Grateful Dead & Friends Surprise Bill Graham’s Fillmore East: 11/16/70

One of the better Grateful Dead shows at the Fillmore East was aided by its surprise attack. Allegedly, two nights before at the same venue, Grace Slick, on behalf of Bill Graham, announced an impromptu “pop-up” show with Jefferson Airplane and the Dead at the same venue that would take place just days later. Since Slick was still pregnant at the time, Jefferson Airplane wound up being replaced as the opener by Hot Tuna. The New Riders of the Purple Sage played an opening set as well as was customary for this tour.

There’s also some previous controversy surrounding this show. For years, it’s been misidentified as an 11/23/70 show at the Anderson Theater in New York City. After a Bill Graham introduction, the band is off and running immediately with a “Casey Jones” that ably motors down the tracks. Next, Bob Weir leads them through the traditional first set stalwart of “Me and My Uncle.”

Oddly, the house PA seems to cut in after this with a recording of Elton John’s take on “Honkey Tonk Women.” This leads into a a cut version “Friend of the Devil.” Despite this lapse, Garcia’s vocals sound pristine in the recording and the band is on point. Then, after essentially a “no huddle” transition, a short yet crisp version of “Cold Rain and Snow” takes place. Afterwards, Pigpen finally gets to take lead for a while as he leads the Dead through a cover of Slim Harpo’s blue standard “I’m A King Bee.” The opening harmonica solo and later interludes between that and guitar solos stretch this one out into a healthy, bluesy jam.

Another classic first set pairing ensues with “China Cat Sunflower,” eventually joined by its traditional partner, “I Know You Rider.” A seemingly quick transition jam later sees the band in full vocal harmony on this spirited take of yet another classic blues cover.

At this point, a special guest joins them on stage in the form of Traffic’s Steve Winwood. The blues sentiment that had been previously established seems to carry right over to the cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle” that follows. Once again, Pigpen lends his signature vocal prowess to this classic Dead cover. Winwood’s backing on Pigpen’s Hammond organ is immediately felt and can be heard throughout. This one gets into a serious jam with Pigpen taking a backseat and Winwood soloing on top of the groove. Then came the relatively new “Big Railroad Blues,” yet another cover, written by Noah Lewis of Cannon’s Jug Stompers that dates all the way back to 1928.

Right after, the heavily percussive intro of “Not Fade Away” begins with. Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi of Traffic join the band on a half-hearted attempt at the vocals. This eventually evolves into a deep, drum-led jam. More splendid Winwood outbursts later lead into “Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad” with Garcia and Weir reassuming command. Surprisingly, at its conclusion, this shifts right back into one more quick take of “Not Fade Away,” albeit this time with Weir confidently taking the lead on vocals.

After more than three minutes of a break between songs, Weir once again takes lead on the “Mama Tried” that follows. This is followed by one of the better two-song sequences of the evening. The relatively fresh “Truckin’,” debuted only months earlier at the Fillmore West, follows. Hot Tuna’s Will Scarlet adds a touch of harmonica to this one. Another percussive laden jam follows that seamlessly steers itself into a mesmerizing version of “The Other One.”

The jam that ensues gets spacey midway through before settling back into its normal progression. This is followed with the unofficial encore of “Uncle John’s Band” with more early harmonica fills from Will Scarlet – a near acoustic version until the drums kick in. It’s still fairly new song at this time, but this version is flawless as it continues to build its reputation. This put the cap on the Dead’s “surprise” Fillmore East gig.

November 15, 2020
We’re All Looking For A Little More Love: The Beacon Jams Week 6
Trey Anastasio returned for another installment of The Beacon Jams last night and delivered another astounding show with a well-crafted setlist that showcased several TAB debuts.

Trey was joined by the usual suspects rounding out his band. This included Ray Paczkowski (keyboards), Tony Markellis (bass), Russ Lawton (drums) and Cyro Baptista (percussion). In addition to his backing band, Trey was also again joined by the Rescue Squad Stings. They were composed of Maxim Moston (violin), Katie Kresek (violin), Rachel Golub (viola), and Anja Wood (cello). Jeff Tanski (piano) also sat in sporadically as well. The band was rounded out by the Angels 3 backing vocalists: Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson and Jo Lampert.

Trey and company wasted absolutely no time opening up with the Phish staple “You Enjoy Myself,” a TAB debut. The opening sequence of the song featured The Rescue Squad strings adding an elegant touch of flair to the beloved number. After “The Silver Light,” Trey turned to his acoustic guitar for a beautiful version of “Winterqueen” before shifting gears to the heavy-hitter “The Moma Dance.”

One of the highlights of the evening came in the middle of the set. Trey opted for the classic Phish ballad “Billy Breathes,” another full TAB debut, where Trey delivered the song’s signature solo (even though he claimed he “messed up”). Before a percussion-heavy version of “Bouncing Around The Room,” Trey dedicated the song to his longtime friend/co-writer Tom Marshall – who recently celebrated his birthday.

The evening wrapped up with a fitting message of hope and optimism in “Rise/Come Together” which fully embraces the overarching theme of The Beacon Jams as a whole. This week’s show also raised over $100,000 for The Divided Sky Fund which provides quality care and compassionate treatment for those struggling with substance abuse issues. If fans are able to donate they can head over to trey.com/donate. The Beacon Jams will resume next Friday at 8 p.m. on Trey’s personal Twitch channel.

photo credit: Jake Silco

Setlist via Phish.net

Set: You Enjoy Myself [1], The Silver Light, Winterqueen [2], The Moma Dance [3], Kill Devil Falls[3], Twenty Years Later[3], Mercy [4], Light [5], Summer of ’89 [6], Joy [7], A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing[3], Farmhouse, Tube[3], Billy Breathes[3], Every Story Ends in Stone, Bouncing Around the Room[3], Wading in the Velvet Sea[3], Are You There Colleen? [8], Rise/Come Together
- [1] Full TAB debut. Began with just Trey with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano with the rest of the band and Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, Jo Lampert joining in on vocals later. Lyrics changed to “boy, woman, god, shit.”
- [2] Trey on acoustic guitar with the full band and singers.
- [3] Full TAB debut.
- [4] Debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano.
- [5] With The Rescue Squad Strings.
- [6] With just Trey on acoustic guitar and The Rescue Squad Strings.
- [7] Full TAB debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings.
- [8] Debut.
This performance was part of The Beacon Jams series and featured the debuts of Mercy and Are You There Colleen? and the full TAB debuts of You Enjoy Myself, Moma Dance, Kill Devil Falls, Twenty Years Later, Joy, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Tube, Billy Breathes, Bouncing Around the Room, and Wading in the Velvet Sea. You Enjoy Myself began with just Trey with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano with the rest of the band and Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, Jo Lampert joining in on vocals later. The lyrics in You Enjoy Myself were changed to “boy, woman, god, shit.” Winterqueen featured Trey on acoustic guitar with the full band and singers. Trey teased No Men In No Man’s Land in Moma Dance. Mercy through Joy featured The Rescue Squad Strings. Mercy also featured Jeff Tanski on piano. Summer of ’89 featured just Trey on acoustic guitar with the Strings. Trey quoted On the Road Again after Summer of ’89. Trey quoted She Blinded Me with Science in Tube.

All photos by Jake Silco
November 14, 2020
Hearing Aide: Vaporeyes “Cantrips”

Syracuse quartet, Vaporeyes, is set to release its sophomore album Cantrips this Friday the 13th. This comes on the heels of Vaporeyes’ eponymous first album, a Syracuse Area Music Award winner just last year. Both albums were beautifully produced by More Sound Recording Studio and are quite the sonic achievement.

“Cantrips is an old Scot word that basically means a magical spell of any kind” says Jonas Reddy-Nicholson (keyboards, vocals) when asked about the meaning of the name. He goes on to say, “Cantrips is also what they call the type of spells one can cast at any time in the game Dungeons & Dragons.” The band ended up tying the new album thematically to a D&D campaign that they played together.

And play together, they do. Stylistically they fit snugly into the jam genre. Pat Tierney (guitar) is such a versatile player. He can solo and do the heavy jam riffing so familiar to fans of the jam scene. But he also steps back and lets the other players in the band shine in their roles. “Juice” opens the new album and has a psychedelic, escapist vibe to it. The ethereal vocals and keyboards from Reddy-Nicholson lay the foundation. And the rhythm section members, Shannon Zory (bass) and Sean Cadley (drums) only accentuate the flow.

But before you close your eyes and float away, the band changes things up, shaking the listener from the dream state. One of my favorite examples of this on the new album is “Donye Wump.” Cadley on the drums turns the tempo up and brings everyone along with him. Zory’s bass lines are a joy here, too – thumping, moving and bumping. Hearing this song live is an absolute blast.

The members of Vaporeyes all live together, which made all band activities (band meetings, practices, livestream performances and working on new music) all that much easier to schedule and follow through on. Moving into the Covid-19 lockdowns of this past Spring, the band was in a unique position. They had an abundance of time together and really were able to do even more work on the music and new album. When their gig money dried up, they launched what turned out to be an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign to fund Cantrips. It wasn’t just a win for Vaporeyes. Give this album a listen. This is a win for all of us!

Key Tracks: Juice, Donye Wump, Peregrine

For more Vaporeyes information, as well as recordings of their excellent “Quarantine Jams” can be found on Vaporeyes’ Facebook page.

November 13, 2020
Allman Betts Band Lit up The Paramount on Nov. 10, 2019
The Allman Betts Band brought their 2019 fall tour to The Paramount on November 10, 2019. The tour was supporting their latest album, Down to the River which came out earlier in the year. The supporting acts were Joanne Shaw Taylor and and Jackson Stokes. The Allman Betts Band is Devon Allman, Duane Betts, Berry Duane Oakley, John Ginty, Johnny Stachela, R. Scott Bryan and John Lum.

Jackson Stokes, who is the first artist signed to Devon Allman’s new record label, Create Records, opened up the show with songs from his new self titled album, released on October 25, 2019. He was also the guitarist for The Devon Allman Project from 2016 to 2018. Joanne Shaw Taylor is a British blues rock guitarist and singer. Her sixth album, Reckless Heart, was released on May 17, 2019.

The Allman Betts Band set consisted of songs from their latest album including “Down to the River” and “Southern Accents,” plus a covers of Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky.” The Allman Brothers Band “Elizabeth Reed,” “Midnight Rider” and The Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil,” rounded out the bill. They also brought back Taylor for a cover of John Lee Hooker’s “Dimples” and Jackson Stokes to play on “Mahalo.” The two-hour set ended with “Long Gone” from the new album.

The Allman Betts Band @ The Paramount Theater on Huntington, Long Island, NY November 10, 2019

Setlist: All Night, Shinin’, Autumn Breeze, Down to the River, Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More, Blue Sky, You Got Lucky, Good Ol’ Days, Melodies Are Memories, Dimples*, Friend of the Devil, Mahalo^, Jessica, Down to the River.

Encore: Long Gone
* with Joanne Shaw
^ with Jackson Stokes
November 10, 2020
Hearing Aide: Joe Bonamassa ‘Royal Tea’

Utica’s all grown up boy wonder guitar god, Joe Bonamassa, has just unleashed another fantastic solo album, Royal Tea. Recorded at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios. Bonamassa’s latest is a tip of the hat to his British blues rock heroes, Jeff Beck, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Led Zeppelin, Cream and more. It is also as much a showcase for his increasingly progressive and mature songwriting, as is his always sizzling six-stringery.

The 10 originals here were co-written by Joe and Brit notables including former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden, ex-Cream lyricist Pete Brown and piano man Jools Holland of Squeeze fame. Bonamassa’s long-standing producer Kevin Shirley and his touring band, Anton Fig (drums), Michael Rhodes (bass) and Reese Wynans (keys), flew in for the sessions.

While Royal Tea is a nod to British blues masters, it is not at all about retreading the classics, or the simple but saintly joys of going round and round the 1-4-5 pattern. It’s an album full of songs that are firmly rooted in a blues feel, but with very progressive and surprising leanings. It’s all about the unexpected chordal turnarounds and multi-movements that span epic length, things that owe more than a bit to Brit prog acts of the ‘70s.

Bonamassa sets the tone with the album opener, “When One Door Opens.” It kicks off with baroque strings and brass that could’ve been mustered up by another true Abbey Road legend, Beatles’ producer George Martin. It’s a mournful ballad that feels a bit like Guns N’ Roses “November Rain,” until it shift into a nasty Led Zep-styled groove and then a boogie for a screaming wah-fueled solo. It solo winds down with rhythmic quote from “Beck’s Bolero,” before returning to the mournful orchestral mood for the close. A ballsy move, as this one clocks in at 7:34, making it the longest track on the album.

The title track follows. It’s another hard blues with a thick slamming groove and unexpected descending chordal turnaround, and yet another Beck-era Yardbirds’ quote in the solo. Here and everywhere on the album Joe’s guitar tones are killer, honey thick and biting. And his solos here are kept brief, always in service of the song. And why not? Joe’s got one of the world’s best employed vintage guitar collections to make these varied sounds, a virtual museum that can be viewed here.

“Why Does It Take So Long to Say Goodbye” is another of the many slow grooves here. Joe wrenches every bit of emotion out of the melody, with his guitar playing and his vocals, the latter which gets better in each passing album. This is another blues in a few epic movements over its six and a half minutes, where he complements thick power chording with sweet flourishes on his acoustic.

For a John Lee Hooker-styled boogie, with extra crunch, turn up “High Class Girl;” for a bit of Southern rock and slide, tap into “A Conversation with Alice.” On “Lonely Boy,” Joe and company go for broke, with a sprightly big band jump blues with rocking’ horn parts. Some beautiful soloing from Jools Holland and what must be flashy chromatic runs on a vintage Telecaster from Joe. This is a track that would be totally at home on a Brian Setzer album.

One of my favorites is the offbeat “Lookout Man!” This one combines another Jimmy Page-styled riff with Space Rock sound effects a la Gong/Steve Hillage, with a nasty blues harp and a chorus of female singers that sound like Ike and Tina Turner’s Ikettes. “Savannah” ends the album on an up tempo, with slamming’ country picking and a droney fiddle.

This week Royal Tea made a big splash on the charts, earning Joe Bonamassa his 24^th #1 album on the Blues Chart, an incredible feat, more than any other artist in the history of the chart! More importantly, it’s gaining Joe fans beyond the narrow blues niche. He’s #5 on Current Albums, #6 on Indie Albums, #7 in Rock and #7 in Rock charts.

Bands like Cream and Zeppelin were successful because they took to the wonderful foundation of American electric blues and did something new and different with, with each album as their careers progressed. Bonamassa deserves their level of success because he is following in their progressive and bold footsteps.

Key Tracks: When One Door Opens, Why Does It Take So Long to Say Goodbye, Lookout Man!

November 9, 2020
Trey Anastasio Resurrects His ‘Ghosts of the Forest’ On Fifth Night of Beacon Jams
The fifth performance of Trey Anastasio‘s eight-week residency at New York City’s Beacon Theatre took the exact form of one of his many recent side projects. From the opening zoom to the stage that soon showed backup singers and a different looking drummer, it was clear early on that tonight would finally be a variation of the core lineup from the first four weeks of The Beacon Jams. Tonight, Trey took his Ghosts of the Forest side project out for its first run in well over a year. If there was any rust on it, it was minimal.

Expectations for this evening started getting a little hyped up early on Friday, thanks to a nondescript Twitter post from Don Hart, Trey’s longtime orchestral and arrangement collaborator. A warning shot like this will rarely go unnoticed within the Phish community.

Immediately, hopes ran high with some sort of orchestral configuration of a Phish song or multiple songs. Perhaps an updated version of “Times Turns Elastic” or an elaborate run through of “You Enjoy Myself”? Apparently, per Trey, Mr. Hart was was still composing arrangements for this evening right up until 20 minutes before showtime, so anything was fair game.

Instead of traditional Phish canon, tonight’s orchestration was directed to one of the more recent Anastasio solo efforts, his Ghosts of the Forest album that was performed a handful of times in early 2019. It’s a complete album with more than 20 songs in all, written by Anastasio in the emotional wake stemming from the death of one his longtime friends, Chris Cottrell.

The opening zoom in to the stage immediately revealed a different lineup tonight. There were three backup singers visibly present: Celisse Henderson and Jennifer Hartswick, both from the original GOTF format, as well as “newcomer” Jo Lampert. The other distinct difference was a scruffy-haired Jon Fishman behind the drum kit this evening instead of Russ Lawton who manned it the first four nights. Together, with other Beacon Jam mainstays like Tony Markelis on bass and Ray Paczkowski on keys, this completed tonight’s GOTF ensemble.

With the “new” Ghosts of the Forest lineup established, they wasted no time in going into the outfit’s namesake song. Even though this was only the band and camera crew onstage, the fog and echo effects that accompanied this one were crowd-ready. “Drift While You’re Sleeping” followed, with the backup singers directing the the bulk of the vocal effects this time. Another sophisticated reverb effect introduced the reggae-ish breakdown sequence and it was clear early on nothing was being held back production-wise.

After this impressive opening sequence, Trey took the time for a quick round of band introductions, including one for Fishman, aka “some guy he picked up hitchhiking,” as well as new backup singer Jo Lampert. Trey made sure to remind folks that Lampert not only served as a clone in Phish’s New Year’s show at MSG last year, but also as one of the backup singers for their Ziggy Stardust musical costume from Halloween 2016. So she was certainly no stranger.

It wouldn’t be a “Beacon Jam” without some sort of spatchcock reference and that’s exactly what led into into the next GOTF song, “Friend.” Instead of the traditional four-piece Rescue Squad Strings that had accompanied Trey the previous weeks, this one would be “spatchcocked” into a fuller and doubly richer eight-piece ensemble Trey’s lead solo sounded even richer with the backing of the additional strings on this one.

photo by Jake Silco

After a quick shoutout to the Phish Chicks Facebook group, the backup signers returned and then it was right into “Sightless Escape,” complete with a “No Men In No Man’s Land” tease and a monstrous vocal breakdown from Celisse at the end. Afterwards, Anastasio honestly confided they were “having too much fun” tonight. “Halfway Home” featured a slowly building and ascending jam topped off with another Trey solo and sterling backup vocal harmony. After this, it was a quick switch to the acoustic guitar for “If Again” which sounds like it could be the uptempo cousin of “The Inlaw Josie Wales.”

Trey then took the time to give personal introductions to all eight members of tonight’s Rescue Squad Strings, including one whose friend formerly dated Jon Fishman. The strings added a wonderfully delicate touch to “In Long Lines” as well as “There’s A Path Above.” Afterwards, Trey thanked and mentioned Don Hart’s involvement, confirming arrangements were being completed right up to the last minute. Naturally, this somehow digressed to another spatchcock reference that ended with Trey telling Fish he plays a song quite regularly about this, “Split Open and Melt.” This led into one of the few GOTF numbers that’s seeped into the Phish repertoire, an electric “About To Run” with no strings or singes, just another ferocious Anastasio solo, capped off with an election and a “running for office” pun.

“The Green Truth” saw the backup singers return in a big way as they seemed to dominate the tail end of this one. “Beneath a Sea of Stars Parts 1 & 2” followed and featured a nice, drawn out opening sequence with Fishman taking lead on drums for a while. “The lights are flashing” line seemed to nod to the simple yet highly effective combination of flashing house lights and the minimal light rig used onstage. The Rescue Squad Strings then re-entered before “Mint Siren Dream.” This delicate little number saw Trey in full crooner mode, using only the microphone to sing while being supported by the strings and timely fills from Ray on keys.

“Stumble Into Flight” featured more lively play from Paczkowski, that meshed with a distinct echo effect from Trey and powerful backing vocals to produce a notable jam that contained a “Pigtail” quote at one point. Immediately afterwards, with no hesitation, “Ruby Waves” started up, giving this two-song section of the evening a distinct Phish taste. Although no Alpine Valley version, this “Ruby Wavs” got plenty deep and developed another intriguing jam that grew organically, sounding by far the closest to anything purely Phish from “The Beacon James” so far, including the still impressive lighting display.

The strings ambled back on stage for “Shadows Thrown By Fire,” a brief instrumental number with the backup singers adding airy vocals atop. “Wider” was another highlight of the evening, with heavy bass play from Markelis early on bass and a catchy “Gonna get wider when I die” lyric. More strong play on the clav and organ from Ray added to a bit of an extended jam.

Trey then gave the chat room one more nod, and noted that up to $400K in donations have been made to date towards The Divided Sky Fund. This elicited more heartfelt thanks with Anastasio advising a site for the proposed rehabilitation house has been found, and it’s on track to open in late 2021.

photo by Jake Silco

The strings returned once more for “Life Beyond The Dream,” an appropriate song to follow talk of a rehab house with its “don’t give up hope” lyrics. As expected, the string ensemble took this song to another level in a dazzling display of orchestration towards the end. “In This Bubble” followed, with its wishful “going home” lyrics and a melody once again driven by the backup singers who were all in great form all night. This immediately transitioned to the end of the “Sea of Stars” suite with “Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 3 (blue)” that was appropriately heavy on all available shades of blue house lights.

This effectively ended the set. The encore began with another spooky, echoey effect that bled into the beginning of the hauntingly somber “Brief Time,” with Trey again on acoustic. “Pieces of the Machine” with more “Ghosts of the Forest” vocal teases finished things for the evening – a complete performance of Ghosts of the Forest exactly as it had been played in its handful of performances earlier last year. Or, in other words, just another Friday night at The Beacon for Trey.

photo by Jake Silco

Trey Anastasio “Beacon Jams” Beacon Theatre – New York City, NY 11/6/20

Setlist via Phish.net

Set: Ghosts of the Forest > Drift While You’re Sleeping, Friend [1], Sightless Escape, Halfway Home > If Again, In Long Lines [1], There’s a Path Above [1], About to Run, The Green Truth, Beneath a Sea of Stars Parts 1 & 2 [1] > Mint Siren Dream [1], Stumble Into Flight > Ruby Waves, Shadows Thrown By Fire [1], Wider, A Life Beyond The Dream [1], In This Bubble > Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 3 (blue)

Encore: Brief Time [1], Pieces in the Machine

Notes: [1] With The Rescue Squad Strings : Katie Kresek, Maxim Moston, Phil Payton, and Mary Jo Stilp on violin, Monica Davis and Rachel Golub on viola, and Eleanor Norton and Anja Wood on cello

All photos by Jake Silco
November 7, 2020