Category: Reviews

Garcia Peoples Serve Up Psychedelic Studio Effort “Nightcap At Wits’ End”

Nightcap at Wits’ End has been out for a month, and the buzz behind Garcia Peoples latest release is well justified. Named one of the fall’s most anticipated albums by Uproxx, and “their most focused and engaging work to date” by AllMusic has put the New Jersey band on the radar of Rolling Stone and live music afficianados in New York City. The group’s grand psychedelic sound and penchant for improv when live carries through on Nightcap at Wits’ End, an ambitious effort that delivers from start to finish.

Artwork by D.Norsen

There is an actual Wits End Tavern on the NY/NJ border in Unionville, NY near Black Dirt Studios where Garcia Peoples recorded their last two albums, Cosmic Cash and One Step Behind. The nightcap offered on their new release is more than a pre-bedtime listen – the experimental weirdness of “Fire of the Now” and the early Genesis mixed with psychedelia of “Gliding Through” are meant to provoke the listener early on into continuing the journey of Nightcap at Wits’ End.

Tom Malach and Danny Arakaki formed the band in New Jersey, slowly solidifying the lineup with Danny’s brother Cesar (drums) and Derek Spaldo (bass) joining the two guitarists in mid-2016. Having since relocated to New York, they have added Pat Gubler (keys) and Andy Cush (bass) with Spaldo shifting to vocals and guitar, making a trio of guitarists at the center of Garcia Peoples‘ sound. Nightcap is the first time the six have recorded together in the studio, the result being a transference of the live experience to the studio album.

In discussing Nightcap with NYS Music, Spaldo revisited One Step Behind, with its 30-minute title track making for a one of a kind album.

One Step Behind is certainly a unique type of record – primarily one long piece of music with multiple movements. We’ve played that entire piece live, even drawing it out to about 50 minutes of non-stop music. But Nightcap at Wits’ End feels like a solid snapshot of “here’s what you might get at a Garcia Peoples show”: high energy, hard-rocking tunes, with a tempting taste of our improvisational flair.
I like to think of Nightcap as the record where all six of us let our musicianship really soar in a “balls to the wall” kind of way. When we were recording it, there was a strong sense of being in the groove. There was even an improvisational nature in the way that the songs were created. We really put a lot of ourselves into the making of it.
Derek Spaldo, Garcia Peoples

Nightcap is indeed a full album where the musicianship shines, particularly on the second side, where one finds songs interconnected as they flow from one to the next. This effort mirrors the live experience of seeing Garcia Peoples, while offering early Pink Floyd influences heard on “Crown of Thought” and the seamless segue into the 1:36 of “Sound Controls Time.”

Drawing on 1960s era psychedelic music frames Nightcap, and influences the band without emulating them outright.

Blossom Toes, Jefferson Airplane, The Turtles, and Mighty Baby are some bands that come to mind. Our whole ethos of having super open-ended jamming, taking things way out sonically, is certainly inspired by the late 60s psychedelic movement.
Though from a songwriting POV, I feel that our collective inspiration works more as an accumulation of influences that seep into our creativity through osmosis. I wouldn’t necessarily say that we deliberately set out to imitate our influences. Though having a common frame of reference is always useful in the development stage when trying to convey what the vibe of a song should feel like, what the arrangements should be like, etc.
Derek Spaldo, Garcia Peoples

A majority of Nightcap at Wits’ End was recorded earlier in 2019, just after finishing a tour, adding to the comfort in switching from the road to the studio.

Most of the basic tracks were recorded with the six of us playing live in the room together, so there is that kinetic interplay that one can hear on the record. I think recording as live as possible is the best way to go for us; the way we play off each other is so in-the-moment and essential.
Derek Spaldo, Garcia Peoples

Whether you catch the Doors vibe of “Altered Place,” find yourself lost in the seven-minute acoustic-prog journey “Painting a Vision that Carries,” or fall into “(Our Life Could be your Van)” – harboring a long spacey beginning that picks up steam, traveling through valleys on an instrumental vision quest – Nightcap at Wits’ End is an album that puts Garcia Peoples in the spotlight and on a pedestal as we patiently look forward to what comes next.

November 6, 2020
Twiddle Gets New Jersey Slippin Out The Kitchen Into the Mud at Sussex Drive-In
It was the night after Halloween in Sussex, NJ. All who dared to traverse the wind and rain were met with a field of mud and fans. Twiddle got New Jersey Slipping’ brought the heat to their last drive-in show, this past Sunday November 1 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. This show featured high energy and dynamic jams throughout both sets. Highlights included a monstrous Gatsby The Great > Slippin’ In The Kitchen > Gatsby The Great in the first set, an incredible Cabbage Face in the second set, and a roaring Juggernaut encore.

Twiddle at the Sussex Fairgrounds Drive In

The line of cars leading up to the show looked intimidating, but cars were being moved to their spots quickly and with ease. Social distancing was enforced and masks were widespread, minimal panic. Goes to show that live music events, even though reminiscent of a futuristic, dystopian, post apocalyptic scenario… can be done safely and successfully.

Lights by Herm Lights

It was raining all day and some at the show. After the sun went down it felt freezing. During a wet, cold night like this it’s vital that the band ‘bring the heat’ to get the crowd moving. In a situation like that, if the music is slow and not captivating people will leave because it’s uncomfortable to stand outside. But if it’s thumping and everyone’s dancing, you bet they’re going to stay.

Ryan Dempsey takes a rare keytar solo

Twiddle brought it. Dynamic, bass heavy, shredding, face melting goodness, no kumbaya sing songy b.s… Okay maybe one “When it Rains It Pours,” but that one’s so catchy and appropriate for the night that we’ll let it slide.

We’re not in Vermont anymore

The first set started out with Polluted Beauty, some positivity to lift the spirits and get the crowd going. Then the monstrous Gatsby The Great >Slippin’ In The Kitchen > Gatsby The Great which took up most of the first set, weaving in and out of intricate grooves. “Syncopated Healing” closed up the killer first set.

Mihali x3

Set two featured the popular “When It Rains It Pours,” a monstrous “Cabbage Face,” and “Frankenfoote” to close up the set. Set two featured a wider variety of songs and grooves. Ryan Dempsey took a key-tar solo, got up on his chair to play with his foot, and threw a pumpkin at the crowd which masterfully bounced on the rail and missed anyone around.

Brook Jordan shining

Twiddle put on an incredible show; their fans were screaming for more. They return with a hard rocking “Juggernaut” encore to close up the show.

Twiddle New Jersey “Juggernaut” encore

My car neighbors mentioned they’ve seen Twiddle twice before and it got me thinking: I’ve been spoiled to see and shoot this band all around the states for over five years now. And I must say that I’ve always like the band, but after this show I think I’m a true fan.

You gotta like apples, man

Twiddle at Sussex County Fairgrounds 11/1/20
- Set 1:
  - Polluted Beauty
  - Gatsby The Great >Slippin’ In The Kitchen > Gatsby The Great
  - Syncopated Healing
- Set 2:
  - Hattie’s Jam
  - When It Rains It Pours
  - Cabbage Face
  - Brown Chicken Brown Cow
  - River Drift
  - Blunderbuss
  - Frankenfoote
- Encore:
  - Juggernaut
- - 1- Harry Potter, Halloween theme teases
  - 2- Ghostbusters tease
  - 3- Canon in D
Twiddle New Jersey
November 5, 2020
The Disco Biscuits go Running into the Night at Lafayette Apple Festival

Layafette Apple Festival, just south of Syracuse, will enter 2021 as a regular stop for touring bands as we ride out the COVID-19 pandemic, and assuredly should continue to be a destination for live music moving forward. Over October 29-31, The Disco Biscuits performed to large crowds in Lafayette who were hungry for the often imitated, never duplicated release that live music provides, and in doing so put an exclamation point on the Northeast Drive-In season.

Having performed in Syracuse on Halloween in 2015 at Crouse Hinds Hall, and again last year in November at SI Hall at the State Fairgrounds, The Disco Biscuits are regulars across New York State. They’ve hosted their Camp Bisco Music Festival numerous times between Van Etten, Hunter and Mariaville over 2005-2013, and make regular stops at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, among other venues.

photo by Dave Decrescente

Even with the rain that pounded the grounds on Thursday night, the staff assisted fans if they got stuck and took necessary measures to ensure a smooth entry and egress from the grounds. The crowd did their part two by following the lead of the staff, abiding by basic social distancing norms and remaining confined to their assigned spots for the evening.

But being ‘confined’ to your car area has its perks. The physical space around your vehicle is greater than you might find perched up in the crowd at a music festival, and with limited interference from others. While at a festival, you have the spatial boundaries to dance and enjoy the performance, but others are close by so your volume and limbic movements are limited by comparison, or at least contrained to social norms and appropriate levels of touching.

During COVID-19 times, touching is limited just to your personal bubble, and within your space at an event such as the Disco Biscuits, or Dirty Heads a week earlier, you have an immense amount of freedom to dance with unbridled abandon and exuberance, having only a thin tape of elastic and the proximity to your car and spot-mates keeping you confined. Even at temperatures hovering around freezing, there were major benefits to the layout of these Drive-In shows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77sA9org5T4

Thursday night’s performance was marred by an intense amount of rain, which led to the stream on CouchTour.TV to be lost – although they quickly replaced the stream with footage from Drive-In shows earlier in October. The night started out wet, and led to a shortened first set. The crashing of rain and its deafening sound brought out a fitting “Magellan” with a “Widow in the Rain” bustout mixed in between.

Disco Biscuits, Lafayette, NY – Thursday, October 29, 2020

Set 1: 7-11-> Lunar Pursuit-> Minions-> Miracles
Set 2: World is Spinning, Magellan-> Gangster-> Helicopters (inverted)-> Widow in the Rain-> Magellan
Encore: Frog Legs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUsDCZ9GmPY

On Friday night, the band waited until 7:45pm to take the stage, allowing for all to have sufficient time to enter the muddy grounds and safely arrive in their spot. The first set lasted roughly an hour, and featured one of the new songs performed last fall in Syracuse, “Freebis Slinky.” Entering into set two, “Highwire” kicked things into high gear, while a late set “Pimp Blue Rikki” gave was to rising star of the Biscuits’ catalog, “Clocks.”

Disco Biscuits, Lafayette, NY – Friday, October 30, 2020

Set 1: Portal to an Empty Head, Freebis Slinky-> Rock Candy-> Grass is Green (inverted)-> Rock Candy
Set 2: Highwire-> Astronaut-> Crickets-> Mindless Dribble-> Pimp Blue Rikki, Clocks
Encore: Station

photo by Dave Decrescente

One thing that is amplified in the Drive-In setting is behavior that would otherwise be incidental at a normal show. Case in point, leaving a show before the encore. Normally, you would just excuse yourself, walk out of the venue without issue, and there’s a little more space for everyone else to enjoy the encore. This happens, rarely with cause for event, and is a forgettable exchange at best.

But at a Drive-In show, the counterpart to leaving early is a bit more engaging with your neighbors than just ducking out to beat the crowd. Provided there is no medical emergency, the act of starting your car, turning on headlights and beginning to drive out while others nearby are still enjoying the show is rude and, when weather is mixed in, can be dangerous and obnoxious. If not a venue policy, the general norm of not leaving until the show is fully over should be considered for all Drive-In shows, for safety and general courtesy of all who paid top dollar for these limited live music experiences.

photo by Dave Decrescente

Halloween found the band walking out wearing sweatshirts that bore V, O, T and E, making it clear what their message was this Halloween – let’s get down, then on Tuesday, let’s get down to business and vote.

“Rockafella” launched the first set into the night, giving way to an unfinished “Little Betty Boop,” which led into a large “Morph Dusseldorf” sandwich, layered with a tease of the James Bond theme (in honor of Sean Connery, who died earlier that day), “Feeling Twisted” and a thorough “Abraxas.” After an incredibly lengthy set break, the band returned with “Save the Robots,” taking a patient stroll through the composition’s open space, leading to an extensive, tension building pause where the band got spooky, before finally dropping back into the jam, spawning an eruption throughout the audience.

photo by Dave Decrescente

A monstrous “Orch Theme” arose with the ominous synth out of the year-old “Running Into the Night,” which did the heavy lifting in following the top notch “Robots” and kept the set flowing from jam to jam. An inverted “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a” surfaced before diving down into a nasty “The Great Abyss” before returning to “Running Into the Night.”

For an encore, Gary Numan’s “Cars” was the most fitting song of the weekend, if not the whole run of Drive-In shows. The first cover of the song in over 10 years, “Cars” let the band stretch their legs in the New Wave classic, before shifting into the semi-rare “Naeba” and back into “Cars,” a perfect encore choice after a high energy second set, keeping up the dance vibe all throughout. With post-show music of Poolside’s “Harvest Moon,” the crowd carefully made their way out of the grounds and off into the night.

Disco Biscuits, Lafayette, NY – Saturday, October 31, 2020

Set 1: Rockafella, Little Betty Boop (unfinished)-> Morph Dusseldorf-> Feeling Twisted-> Abraxas (unfinished)-> Morph Dusseldorf
Set 2: Save the Robots, Running into the Night-> Orch Theme-> Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (inverted)-> The Great Abyss-> Running into the Night
Encore: Cars-> Naeba (inverted)-> Cars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uz8BpvENlg

Hopefully this isn’t the last Disco Biscuits show of the year, but it likely won’t be the last at Lafayette Apple Festival. We look forward to 2021 mixing Drive-In shows with the return of live music to the venues across New York and the rest of the country.

photo by Dave Decrescente

November 5, 2020
Hearing Aide: Soviet Dolls ‘Keep Sweet’

Rochester-based synth pop outfit Soviet Dolls have emerged from the cocoon of their retrofitted studio. Their third EP, Keep Sweet, swathes the listener in an ethereal neon sheen of electronica. It’s lighter fare than their previous releases, but then we could all use a little levity these days.

New vocalist Emily Brown made her debut with Soviet Dolls earlier this year on their cover of Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer.” She’s a natural fit for the band’s original work as well. Her subtly nuanced vocals temper the robust instrumental textures. She keeps the vessel on an even keel as the music careens between the distinct twinkle of keyboard runs and segments awash in fuzzy reverb. The digital sound is augmented by analogue processes and instruments, marrying the nostalgia for 80’s culture with the sophistication of modern techniques.
All funds raised by album go directly to help Rochester Hope for Pets, an organization created to assist pets in the greater Rochester area whose owners are facing financial difficulty. Donate $5 or more via Play It Forward to get the Keep Sweet download code via email. Follow Soviet Dolls on Facebook for more information and updates.

Photo by Krit Upra

November 3, 2020
Flashback to November 2, 1988: Slayer, Motörhead and Overkill at Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie

These were days when metal giants still walked the Earth, and on this day on 1988 a bulletproof triple-bill played at a packed Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie: California thrashers Slayer, legendary British underground gods Motörhead, and NJ heavies Overkill, who opened.

photo by Mark Kurtzner

At the time, Overkill were supporting their then-new third album, ‘Under The Influence’, and played a short set featuring new bruisers such as “Shred” and “Welcome to the Gutter,” along with a few classics like “Rotten to the Core.” Said frontman Bobby Blitz a few years later about opening for Motörhead – Overkill, were, after all, named after a Motörhead song – “touring with Lemmy was like touring with GOD! I’d be sitting next to him, taking pictures, asking ‘Can you sign another album, Lem? It was great.”

photo by Mark Kurtzner

Motörhead played second – odd to see them open for Slayer, a band who’d been wearing Motörhead shirts on the inside sleeve of their first album five years earlier, and a band about 10 years behind of Motörhead in terms of when their first albums came out – but Slayer had hit big with their third record ‘Reign In Blood’ a couple years earlier, while Motörhead were still – and always would be, In America – beloved underground veterans. This did not stop Lemmy and his bands of rogues from stealing the show. They were then promoting their second live record, ‘No Sleep At All’, and Lemmy strode out on stage and barked “We are Motörhead, and we play rock’n’roll”, before the band blasted into “Dr. Rock”, the ’Orgasmatron’-era pounder which also started the new live record.

photo by Mark Kurtzner

The band were still playing many songs from the most recent studio record, ‘Rock’n’Roll’ (4 songs, plus ‘Rock’n’Roll’-era b-side “Just Cos You Got The Power”), and “Eat The Rich” from that record got a big reaction, even from the younger Slayer-heads who knew it from MTV. Unlike their later years, where the majority of the set was from the ‘classic’ pre-1983 Fast Eddie years, this night most of the songs played were from the then-recent records by the newer 4-piece Motörhead with guitarists Wurzel and Phil Campbell, including “Dr Rock”, “Built for Speed”, a grinding “Orgasmatron”, the minor hit “Killed by Death”, and the aforementioned slew of ‘Rock’n’Roll’-era songs. The band did play a few vintage songs though, including “Stay Clean”, “Metropolis”, eternal favorite “Ace of Spades” and the world-flattening and opening-band-inspiring “Overkill”. A ear-destroyingly killer show, and with 3 of these 4 men now in Valhalla – Lemmy, guitarist Wurzel and drummer ‘Philthy’ Phil Taylor – a lineup that will never be seen again.

photo by Mark Kurtzner

Slayer, of course, were also mighty and unstoppable. The pit was huge, sweeping away any who wanted to merely stand and watch, and the west coast thrashers opened with “South of Heaven”, title track from the then-new record, before mayhem erupted with song #2, “Raining Blood”. This was the ‘classic lineup’ – Tom Araya, Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo, and the late, great Jeff Hanneman. There was no rest thereafter, and the band leaned on the new record heavily – 8 of 15 songs played were from ‘South of Heaven’, with more vintage neck-snapppers like “Black Magic”, “Chemical Warfare”, “Necrophiliac”, “Postmortem” and “Kill Again” also played, before the show wrapped up – as would usually be the case, until Slayer’s 2019 conclusion as a touring band – with ‘Reign In Blood’-era skull-smasher “Angel of Death.”

photo by Mark Kurtzner

Motörhead setlist: Doctor Rock, Stay Clean, Traitor, Metropolis, Dogs, Eat the Rich, Built for Speed, Just ‘Cos You Got the Power, Orgasmatron, Stone Deaf in the U.S.A., Killed by Death, Ace of Spades, Overkill

Slayer setlist: South of Heaven, Raining Blood, Silent Scream, Read Between the Lies, Black Magic, Postmortem, Necrophiliac, Behind the Crooked Cross, Kill Again, Mandatory Suicide, Chemical Warfare, Ghosts of War, Spill the Blood, Live Undead, Angel of Death

photo by Mark Kurtzner

November 2, 2020
Halloween Flashback: Raven, Liege Lord and Never More perform at L’Amour in Brooklyn in 1986

New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Raven were no strangers to playing Halloween shows in the New York City area – their first American gig ever had been just over 4 years to the day, October 30, 1982, when they opened for Riot and Anvil in Staten Island at the ‘Halloween Headbangers’ Ball.’

Raven hail from Newcastle, in England, and their first three albums – Rock Until You Drop (1981), Wiped Out (1982) and All For One (1983) – still stand as ahead-of-their-timel classics, raw, fast real metal records, all hailed being massively influential to the thrash metal scene in the later 80s.

The band – made up of brothers John and Mark Gallagher on bass/vocals and guitar, and hockey-helmeted Rob ‘Wacko’ Hunter on drums – had also made significant headway in the USA in the early/mid-80s, first with a New York/New Jersey-area late 1982 tour with Anvil, and then the legendary ‘Kill Em All For One’ US tour in 1983, where the band had crossed the States with opening band Metallica, bringing underground metal to all corners of America.

By the time of their 1984 ‘Live at the Inferno’ US tour (with New York’s own Anthrax as support band), the band were signed to legendary NY/NJ metal indie label Megaforce Records, and big enough to sell out Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, where they headlined in August 1984 with Metallica and Anthrax opening – a show which resulted in Raven (by this time New York State residents, living in Cortland, NY) being signed to major label Atlantic Records.

John & Mark Gallagher – photo by George Putt

Opinions differ on whether the band’s Atlantic Records output advanced their career, or damaged it. The 1985 album, ‘Stay Hard’, certainly raised the band’s profile outside the metal underground, especially via the MTV video for the single “On & On”, but their hardcore metal demographic scoffed at the less-thrashing sound of Stay Hard, and the rear-cover photo of the band looking more airbrushed and cleaned-up, as opposed to their more street-level, rough-hewn image of yore.

Their underground credibility was further damaged by the early 1986 LP The Pack Is Back, on which producer Eddie Kramer gave them a more slick, polished sound, and the band dabbled with guitar synths and a more commercial sound. The band’s slicker sound on TBIB, combined with a frankly ill-advised album cover, featuring the costumed band bursting out of sports lockers, damaged their standing with the growing thrash metal audience, yet was still too heavy to appeal to the Ratt and Motley Crue demographic.

Raven bassist/vocalist John Gallagher – photo by Sean McFerran

In Summer 1986 the band righted the ship with the ‘Raven Mad’ EP, a welcome, raw return to form after the woefully overproduced and unusually weak The Pack is Back LP. This Halloween 1986 gig was the final date of the ‘Mad’ tour, after which they went upstate to make follow-up album Life’s A Bitch.

First band Never More did not impress: strange, horror-themed costumes and warbling vocals, terrible stuff. Second band Liege Lord were much better, Iron Maiden-stye metal, fast and powerful.

Raven guitarist Mark Gallagher – photo by Sean McFerran

Raven, however, were on total form this night and erased any concerns that the TPIB record had changed their high-intensity metal assault. L’Amour was pretty packed, and the set-list was fantastic – the band hit the stage with the All For One-era classic “Hung, Drawn & Quartered”, high-speed and raging, straight into the then-recent “Stay Hard,” heaver live than he recorded version. The set featured more stuff (5 songs) from the great ‘All For One’ than any other album, three tunes each from ‘Mad’ and ‘Rock Until You Drop’ (including the classic 1980 debut 7” single “I Don’t Need Your Money”), a couple from “Stay Hard” (the title track and the “hit”, “On & On”) and only one from The Pack Is Back: “Young Blood” which sounded much heavier live than on the record.

The only album they skipped was ‘Wiped Out,’ which is the only remotely negative thing I can say about this amazing show. Early in the gig John Gallagher’s wireless mike packed it in, and he played most of the show singing at a mike stand, which gave it a cool ‘early Raven’ vibe. The encore included a cover of the Status Quo song “Big Fat Mama” which, because we are in America, almost no one recognized, and they finished with the classic “Hell Patrol” from the first LP, with the band virtually destroying the stage at the end, Wacko tearing his drum set to pieces, and John Gallagher hanging over the crowd from ceiling pipes. Truly, the band erased any fears that The Pack Is Back had turned them into lightweights. A tremendous show.

Mark Gallagher on the floor – photo by George Putt

Three and a half decades later, the band is still going strong, with a new drummer and a killer 2020 album, Metal City. All hail Raven!

Raven at L’Amour, Brooklyn, NY, October 31, 1986

Setlist: Hung, Drawn & Quartered/Stay Hard/Gimme Just A Little/All For One/Young Blood/Mark Gallagher Solo/Speed Of The Reflex/I Don’t Need Your Money/Rock Until You Drop/John Gallagher solo/On & On/Seek & Destroy/Break The Chain/Mind Over Metal. Encores: Do or Die [w/ drum solo]/Big Fat Mama/Hell Patrol.

October 31, 2020
Peakin’ at the Beacon with Trey: Week Four Recap

The anticipation leading up to the fourth week of Trey Anastasio’s Beacon Jams was at an all-time high as there was a palpable energy among fans online. Last week Trey Anastasio rearranged a beautiful rendition of “What’s The Use?” with the Rescue Squad string section and debuted “The Lizards” with TAB, proving that each installment of his virtual residency is not one to be missed.

photo by Jake Silco

Trey kept that momentum in full swing this week and treated fans to another surprise intro. Earlier this summer Page McConnell and Trey recorded a few songs at Trey’s infamous barn in Vermont. Last week the duo shared a recording of Sigma Oasis’ “Evening Song” as well as a personal message from Page congratulating Trey on the success of his residency thus far and especially the newly founded non-profit The Divided Sky Fund, which focuses on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those struggling from addiction. This week fans were treated to a recording of Trey and Page playing a tender stripped-down version of “Waste” at the barn before the broadcast.

One of Trey’s many talents outside of playing music is his robust sense of humor and keen sense of the evolving culture among Phish fans. Before the music started, a video showed Trey alone inside an abandoned Madison Square Garden stuck on the same platform suspended in air from the 2019 New Year’s Eve stunt.

Trey played his best Tom Hanks in Cast Away and as he lowered himself to the floor of the arena and started walking around. Trey found himself outside of section 119’s famous spicy chicken sandwiches and holding a plastic bag over his arm recreating a viral candid shot took by a fan of him inside a juice bar (Trey also recreated this exact scene on Halloween 2017 in Las Vegas with TAB). A barefoot Anastasio with long hair and a long beard, wearing his green jumpsuit from NYE, proceeded to walk from MSG to the Beacon where he sat in the audience as the camera panned to live time and the band was on stage.

The band opened up with an instrumental jam based on John Murphy’s “In The House – In A Heartbeat” from the horror film 28 Days Later before moving into “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” There were several highlights from this week of the Beacon Jams including a stellar version of “Gumbo,” the first “Quantegy” since May of 2005, and a rousing two-song punch of “My Friend, My Friend” > “Guyute” with the Rescue Squad strings and pianist Jeff Tanski. At the end of “Guyute,” Trey also recited Vincent Price’s narration from Michal Jackson’s “Thriller” since this was the eve before Halloween.

The conclusion of the fourth week of Trey’s virtual residency marks half way through the run and an astonishing 75 total songs played thus far without a single repeat. The energy, thoughtfulness, precision on stage, playful chemistry, and choice song selection makes this run eerily similar to Phish’s iconic Baker’s Dozen residency at Madison Square Garden in 2017. Fans are encouraged to donate to The Divided Sky Fund if they can. Trey and company will continue the Beacon Jams next Friday on his personal Twitch channel.

photo by Jake Silco

Trey Anastasio, Beacon Theatre, October 30, 2020

Setlist via Phish.net

In the House – In a Heartbeat [1] -> Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S., Quantegy, Snowflakes in the Sand [2], Mountains in the Mist[2], Heavy Things > Breath and Burning [3], Gumbo [4] > Lonely Trip [5], Pigtail, My Problem Right There, Till We Meet Again [6], My Friend, My Friend [7], Guyute [8], More[6], Frost [9], Alaska, Bounce > Bug > Architect

[1] TAB debut.
[2] Trey solo acoustic.
[3] Full TAB debut. Lyrics changed to “rage on the Beacon stage.”
[4] Full TAB debut.
[5] Debut.
[6] Just Trey on acoustic guitar and the Rescue Squad Strings.
[7] Just Trey on acoustic guitar and the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano. No “MYFE” ending.
[8] Just Trey on acoustic guitar and the Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano. Trey quoted some of Vincent Price’s lines from Thriller.
[9] With The Rescue Squad Strings.

This performance was part of The Beacon Jams series and began with a video of Trey finally escaping from his riser from Phish’s December 31, 2019 concert at Madison Square Garden and making it to the Beacon Theater to watch the himself and his band playing the TAB debut of In the House – In a Heartbeat before they segued into Say It To Me SA.N.T.O.S. This show marked the full TAB debuts of Breath and Burning and Gumbo and the debut of Lonely Trip. Ray teased Happy Birthday after wishing his mother a happy birthday. Quantegy was performed for the first time since May 3, 2005. Trey performed Snowflakes in the Sand and Mountains in the Mist solo acoustic. The lyrics of Breath and Burning were changed to “rage on the Beacon stage.” Trey quoted If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song) after Pigtail. Til We Meet Again through Frost were performed with The Rescue Squad Strings (Katie Kresek and Maxim Moston on violin, Rachel Golub on viola, and Anja Wood on cello) and with Til We Meet Again and More featuring just Trey on acoustic guitar and My Friend My Friend and Guyute just Trey on acoustic guitar and Jeff Tanski on piano. My Friend My Friend did not contain the “MYFE” ending. Guyute included Trey quoting some of Vincent Price’s lines from Thriller.

October 31, 2020
Flashback: 311 Plays Special Halloween Show for the Long Island Excitable Ones
On October 31, 2017, reggae rock band 311 treated their Long Island fans to a special Halloween show at The Paramount in Huntington. They really took the spirit of Halloween seriously with vocalist/turntablist SA Martinez, bassist P-Nut, lead guitarist Tim Mahoney, drummer Chad Sexton and lead vocalist and guitarist Nick Hexum taking the stage in full costume. The event was presented by Long Island radio station 94.3 The Shark. Fellow rap rockers Shinobi Ninja opened the show and were also dressed in costumes.

I have been to many, many 311 shows, but I would say this show in particular had the best old school setlist. Of course it made perfect sense that they opened the show with “Jackolantern’s Weather.” They even pulled some of their more popular songs like “Amber” and “Come Original” and replaced them with deeper cuts for their hardcore fans such as “Visit,” “Unity” and “Hive.”

They also added “Gap” that was featured on their 1996 Enlarged to Show Detail EP. It seems to me whenever the guys come to Long Island they really make an effort to tear the roof off the venue. Growing up the Island I can tell you they have a huge loyal fan base here and they definitely know it.

The set was two-and-a-half hours long and even included some bits of spooky Halloween themed music such as the theme song of Stranger Things and “This is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas. You can tell they guys were really enjoying themselves as they covered songs from almost every album from Music to Mosaic. The set ended with two more old school songs “Who’s Got the Herb” which I think they have to play at every Long Island show and “F— the Bull—-” which is the best show closing songs ever written.

As part of their 30th anniversary tour, the band was scheduled to co-headline a North American tour with Incubus in the summer of 2020, but it was cancelled because of the Covid 19 pandemic.

Setlist: Transistor Intro, Jackolantern’s Weather, Galaxy, Flowing, Gap, Extension, Light Years, Sick Tight, Visit, Bass Solo, One and the Same, Hive, Inner Light Spectrum, Wildfire, Rock On, Applied Science, Hey Yo, Lose, Transistor, Use of Time, Unity, Hydroponic, Feels So Good

Encore: Livin and Rockin, Who’s Got the Herb, Fuck the Bullshit
October 31, 2020
Charley Orlando Writes a Simple and Honest “Note to Self”

My extended family have tried to sell me on Bob Dylan’s music for years. Although it took them all my life, I’ve come to appreciate Dylan’s influence. The Folk and Americana genres have certainly grown on me. And I’m not the only one. Many folks listen to and play folk music. Need another example? Look no further than Charley Orlando — who is prepared to launch a new album, called Note to Self.

Photo by Ian LaRochelle

The new/old wave of Folk Music

It seems like just a few years ago, only independent artists exposed themselves as folk lyrics require. But recently, Top 40 artists such as Post Malone and Taylor Swift have both released charting records with folk backbone. As such, folk music has a lot of new listeners from the Millennial and Zoomer generations.

Looking at the music industry in terms of trends like this, Orlando could not have picked a better moment to release his new songs.

Who is Charley Orlando?

Orlando’s career spans 30 years with jam band Dexter Grove on his resume. But instead of a group with multiple instruments, Note to Self contains acoustic guitar and raw vocals almost exclusively.

But this doesn’t make the project any less ambitious. Note appears with visual aid with Orlando performing each song at various locations. And Orlando is an ambitious person with a cult following. Note holds a spot in a lineup of over fifteen releases, and it’s of course hard to say where this one falls. But it doesn’t matter. The album is accessible to those hearing Orlando for the first time.

Starting From the Bottom…

Like many of Dylan’s songs, you can pretty much start anywhere and you’ll eventually hear the right track. Both Orlando and Dylan’s lyrics make me think, “yeah, that is a good idea. He’s totally right.”

They say, “Less is more.”

The thing that draws me to this album is that unlike many albums of this year, Charley relies on few, if any, sound effects or ProTools plugins. While I do emphatically enjoy a good polished sugar pop album — such as the aforementioned Swift or Post — there is something wonderfully real about an acoustic guitar and a voice coming from a backyard or by a lake.

And it is real. Orlando convinces the listener of his true emotions in this effort while making larger statements about the world in 2020. Orlando leaves a positive impression while also asking relevant questions.

Another thing I find so accessible about this album is that — especially due to the visual element — Charley seems like a person that you could have a jam session with on your back porch, not the impossibly busy celebrity persona that surrounds many musicians. It is likely for this reason that Orlando has built himself a steady listener base without the aid of major labels or big advertisement.

That realness on Note to Self the exact same thing I enjoy so much about the Bob Dylan songs I’ve heard so far. And I don’t have to say much more about it, because good art sells itself.

Note to Self is available October 30th 2020 on all major streaming services.

Key tracks: Note to Self, Torch, All It Can Be

October 30, 2020
Dirty Heads perform Drive In Concert at Lafayette
The Dirty Heads performed in Lafayette, NY at the Apple Festival grounds on Saturday, October 24. The Drive-In style show was brought by Creative Concerts, one of the only promoters currently booking shows in the Syracuse region.

The concert experience was certainly a unique one. Concert goers had assigned parking spots by color coded rows. Each row had a limited amount of parking spaces made out of string barriers to ensure proper distancing between vehicles. Each row had their own designated restroom to use as well. The venue was equipped with large projector screens on each side of the stage to broadcast the performance. It ensured a good view no matter the location. The sound quality was good and the stage constructed to give off a music festival vibe.

The Set: Dirty Heads Lafayette

The Dirty Heads came on around 8pm, allowing everyone to get in their designated parking areas before the show started. While the temperature was brisk, 40 degrees, that did not stop the high energy performance and excitement from the crowd. For many, if not most of the people in attendance this was their first concert in at least 7-8 months. People were in very good spirits: laughing and smiling, BBQ-ing at their vehicles,and just enjoying the moment of experiencing live music- something that has been missing from a lot of our lives this past year.

All the band members were dressed appropriately for the weather: jackets, gloves and hats. It is still a strange site to see an entire band performing all bundled up. However, it did not effect their performance at all as they flowed through a 21-song setlist. Dierits such as “Oxygen”, “Burn Slow”, Vacation”, and “Dance All night”.

Dirty Heads performance in Lafayette gives high hopes, at least for the near future of live music. The ability to successfully and most important, safely put on a show with a large draw of people while adhering to all guidelines in regards to the pandemic.

The next shows at Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds will be The Disco Buscuits performing for three nights, October 29, 30, and 31. More info can be found from Creative Concerts.

Check Out Photos From Dirty Heads
October 29, 2020

Built in Breakdance