The Alpaca Gnomes, fresh off of a holiday toy drive show, head to NYC Friday night, January 10, for a set at Rockwood Music Hall‘s Stage 1 at 10 p.m. The band has built up a loyal following with their vibrant, stomp-and-groove, 7-piece original rock-folk jam band. The Gnomes ensemble currently features violin, electric & acoustic guitar, bass, drums, sax, and percussion. Check out their set for FREE this FRIDAY.
The Alpaca Gnomes at Soupstock 2018 – Video by: LiveMusic420
The Alpaca Gnomes’ eclectic style always gets crowds moving and has allowed them to appear on a multitude of bills with varied acts and musical genres such as Living Colour, Blues Traveler, Twiddle, DJ Logic, Funky Meters, Anders Osborne, Railroad Earth, The Drifters, The Tokens, Rick Derringer, Soul Rebels, Roots of Creation, Kung Fu, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, Funky Dawgz Brass Band, Box Set Duo Trio, and The Main Squeeze, as well as private events such as ESPN Radio’s NCAA College Football National Championship pre-party in Pasadena, California.
A multi-generational group of soulful, bluesy, roots jam musicians known as Creamery Station are bringing their act and first show of the year to Daryl’s House Club in Pawling, NY. The show is this Wednesday at 7 p.m. and, best of all, FREE.
Creamery Station at Just Joshin 2018 – Video by: MKDevo
Originating from Bethany, CT, Creamery Station is a Connecticut-based band which takes multiple styles of music, such as jam, blues, rock, and bluegrass, and mixes it together into what is guaranteed to be a thrilling live experience. The multi-generational aspect of this band combines the varying talents and experiences of each member to create something truly dynamic. With almost weekly practice sessions and consistent shows, their live performance has only been getting tighter. They can appeal to any age willing to listen.
The band has been working hard in the studio on an album this winter and they plan to release it this spring. They toured the Northeast heavily in 2019 and one would expect nothing less in 2020. Their early notable 2020 shows are:
Jam rockers Phish executed their annual New Years Eve show and gag, albeit with unexpected turns and clones. The show took place at Madison Square Garden to a sold-out crowd. The gag is an annual tradition where the band attempts to fool the audience during the third set. Over the years, the gags have become more theatrical, but this one included an unplanned element of surprise.
The first set included a notably-funky jam “Halley’s Comet,” and the setlist delight, “Fluffhead.” Additionally, after “Axilla,” the band continued a story that was started on 12/30, and eventually referenced a pan flute player named Zamfir. Fishman was able to conjure up Zamfir, played by Richard Glasgow their tour manager, by saying his name.
The second set was a non-stop jam that prepared the fans for the gag to come. Notable songs included “Punch You In the Eye” and “Mercury.” As the set ended, the crew removed all instruments from the stage, and left eight large covered cubes.
Set three began with the band talking behind stage without realizing the audience was listening. Guitarist Trey Anastasio mentions that the band will finally give the people what they want, and play an entire set of jazz ballads, a cappella, for new years eve. That is of course, until Zamfir made another appearance, unleashed his pan on the band, and effectively started the annual gag.
The band appeared wearing wacky colorful jumpsuits during a piano solo for “Send in the Clowns.” Fishman wore a pink inverted version of his usual donut muumuu. The band then changed the lyrics from “Clowns” to “Clones,” and by the end of the song, Anastasio proclaimed “Send in the clones,” and with that, an entire dance troupe dressed in the same outfits as the band, complete with wigs, paraded onto the stage. The band members blended in and were soon cast into the air above the stage, with color-coded platforms suspended above the stage with their respective instruments.
To end 2019, Phish launched into a rocking “First Tube” from the air, with their clones performing choreographed dance sequences on the ground and on color coordinated risers. At midnight, the band played the traditional “Auld Lang Syne,” followed by “Sand,” reminiscent of the incredible “Sand” played twenty years ago at Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in Florida. The band members were toggled up and down in the air on their platforms, as the clones dance beneath them.
At the end of “Sand,” Anastasio was noticeably still suspended in the air, while the other three band members were on the stage. Anastasio tried to ease the audience with quipps like “Well, I guess if I’m about to fall to my death, I might as well tell you guys all how much I love you.” A long pause followed, where he found out that the crew was unable to move his broken platform to the ground. The show must go on, and Anastasio played from his hobbled platform for the rest of the set. The audience stood in near silence watching Anastasio’s platform swaying ever so slightly, as the pops of thousands of balloons echoed in Madison Square Garden, with the clones laying down on the platforms, waiting patiently for the next song to begin.
Trey Anastasio is lowered to safety via the Rescue Squad
Despite being stuck, the show continued with Page, Jon and Mike moving up and down on their platforms, with Anastasio’s static, 30 feet above the stage. During the quintessential “You Enjoy Myself,” the clones participated in an exceptional vocal jam. At the end, Anastasio awkwardly declared that the encore was starting, because there was no way for him to exit his platform, and asked the audience to pretend that they had gone off stage and come back on. The band gave the fans one final song of the night, “Tweezer Reprise,” and all left the stage, except Anastasio, who remained on his hobbled platform, and sang an impromptu ode to the “Rescue Squad” of crew who safely brought the Bad Lieutenant down. Using Fishman’s platform to safely bridge Anastasio to safety, Anastasio continued the “Rescue Squad” jam on his way down, utilizing Fishman’s drumkit for a final thank you to the Rescue Squad.
Trey Anastasio
Was it all part of the gag? Was this part of the plan? Fans continue to debate this days later, all the while reveling in one of Phish’s most impressive New Year’s Eve stunts to date.
The Nashville-based sister duo, Larkin Poe, announced their 2020 world tour including a stop in Webster Hall in New York City. The tour officially starts in March at North Little Rock, AR’s University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College and wraps up in April with stops across the globe. Dates also exist in February through July on this tour.
Larkin Poe. Photo credit: Aloysius Lim
Larkin Poe has a GRAMMY® Award-nominated album Venom & Faith in the Best Contemporary Blues category. The tour announcement follows on the coattails of their video for “MISSISSIPPI” released on December 17. Larkin Poe is currently working on their next album which is due to drop sometime in 2020.
Larkin Poe will be stopping at Webster Hall in New York City on April 2. The tour includes stops all across the United States. There are also dates in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
For more information on Larkin Poe or their tour visit their website. See the complete list of dates below.
Larkin Poe 2020 Tour Dates:
Feb. 8 – Mahindra Blues Festival – Mumbai, India
Feb. 27 through March 2 – Rock Legends Cruise – Port Everglades, FL
March 13 – Minglewood Hall – Memphis, TN
March 14 – University of Arkansas: Pulaski Technical College – North Little Rock, AR
March 18 – Center for the Arts – Jackson, WY
March 25 – 29 – Treefort Music Fest – Boise, ID
March 27 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
March 28 – Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
April 1 – Royale – Boston, MA
April 2 – Webster Hall – New York, NY
April 3 – The Foundry – Philadelphia, PA
April 5 – Tampa Bay Blues Festival – Tampa, FL
April 11 – Byron Bay Bluesfest – Tyagarah, Australia
April 13 – Byron Bay Bluesfest – Tyagarah, Australia
April 15 – Factory Theatre – Sydney, Australia
April 16 – The Corner Hotel – Richmond, Australia
April 18 – Powerstation – Auckland, New Zealand
April 19 – James Hay Theatre – Christchurch, New Zealand
April 21 – duo Music Exchange – Tokyo, Japan
April 24 – Sweetwater 420 Festival – Atlanta, GA
April 25 – Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN
May 1 – O2 Institute – Birmingham, United Kingdom
May 2 – Button Factory – Dublin, Ireland
May 3 – SWG3 Studio Warehouse – Glasgow, United Kingdom
May 5 – O2 Ritz Manchester – Manchester, United Kingdom
May 6 – SWX – Bristol, United Kingdom
May 7 – O2 Empire Shepherds Bush – London, United Kingdom
May 9 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 10 – Live Music Hall – Cologne, Germany
May 12 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels, Belgium
May 13 – Le Trianon – Paris, France
May 15 – Sala Apolo – Barcelona, Spain
May 16 – Sala But – Madrid, Spain
May 19 – Santeria Toscana 31 – Milano, Italy
May 20 – Dynamo – Zurich, Switzerland
May 22 – Technikum München – München, Germany
May 23 – WUK – Wien, Austria
May 25 – Lucerna Music Bar – Prague, Czech Republic
May 26 – Huxley’s Neue Welt – Berlin, Germany
May 27 – Markthalle – Hamburg, Germany
May 29 – VEGA – København V, Denmark
May 30 – Restaurang Trädgårn – Göteborg, Sweden
May 31 – Rockefeller Music Hall – Oslo, Norway
June 2 – Berns – Stockholm, Sweden
July 12 – Bospop Festival – Weert, Netherlands
July 17 – 19 – Blues Peer Festival – Peer, Belgium
