On the cusp of a winter storm, blanketing the Northeast, Ithaca was bustling with energy ahead of the start of Mike Gordon tour at State Theatre on Friday, January 17. Mike took time during the show to reference Phish’s February 1991 show at the State Theatre, recalling the show as “the night we gave the van away,” when the band gave away Fishman’s family minivan to an audience member. Nearly 30 years later, Mike suggested that this time he said he was giving away a Hummer limo. He did not and the show continued.
Throughout the night, Mike weaved Little Feat’s “Sailin’ Shoes” between songs, as well used “I Am Random,” “Pendulum” and “Victim” to sandwich additional songs in between, including a debut cover of Aimee Mann’s “Save Me,” inside “Pendulum.” Two Phish staples stood out as highlights in the second set – a percussion heavy “Cities” and a slow and groovy “Funky Bitch” for an encore. Mike Gordon heads into the Midwest this week as the tour heads to Seattle for the final show on February 1.
Set 1: Victim, Say Something > Victim > Victim 3D, Steps, Borrowing Rain [1], Sailin’ Shoes > Jumping, Sughn Never Sets.
Set 2: Pendulum > Save Me [2] > Pendulum, Acid Man, I Am Random > Sailin’ Shoes > I Am Random, Cities > Crazy Sometimes > Sailin’ Shoes > Crazy Sometimes
Encore: Funky Bitch[1] Debut. [2] Mike Gordon debut.
Announced this week, country superstar Tim McGraw will kick off his Here On Earth Tour on July 10, 2020 at the Syracuse St. Joseph’s Health Ampitheater at Lakeview before making his way across the nation on a 30-city tour.
Baked Shrimp hit the road for their 2020 Northeast tour. This will be their longest tour yet in the band’s three-year history as they play 19 shows in the Upstate NY and New England region, including six shows in New York.
The Long Island trio opens the tour on January 16 in Syracuse, NY at Funk ‘n Waffles where they will be joined by Bead N Bone. On January 19, they will perform at The Low Beat in Albany with the “high energy psychedelic groove circus” Glass Pony. Ithaca’s Dapper Dan will perform them in their hometown on January 31 at The Range before Baked Shrimp moves onto New Paltz where they will play on February 1 at Snug’s Harbor with Toaster Basket. They will then hit Oneonta with Some.Of.Us ft/Lace on February 6 at The Black Oak Tavern. The band closes out the tour in Greenlawn at Beau’s Bar on February 22.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here. See a full list of tour dates below.
Baked Shrimp Winter Tour 2020: Jan.16 – Funk ‘n Waffles Syracuse – Syracuse, NY w/ Bead N Bone Jan.17 – Windsor Station Restaurant & Barroom – Windsor, VT Jan.18 – Orlando’s Bar And Lounge – Burlington, VT Jan.19 – The Low Beat – Albany, NY w/ Glass Pony Jan.21 – Tavern at the End of the World – Boston, MA Jan.22 – News Cafe – Providence, RI w/ Northeast Traffic Jan.23 – Bleachers Bar – Bristol, CT w/ Moon Matrix of the Lizard People Jan.24 – Soundcheck Studios Pembroke – Pembroke, MA w/ MacGuffin Jan.25 – Jewel Music Venue Manchester NH – Manchester, NH w/ Sophistafunk, DELA and Stead Rock Easy, and Lee Ross Jan.31 – The Range – Ithaca, NY w/ Dapper Dan Feb.01 – Snug’s Harbor – New Paltz, NY w/ ToasterBasket Feb.06 – Black Oak Tavern – Oneonta, NY w/ Some.Of.Us ft. Lace Feb.07 – Bar None – Uniontown, PA Feb.13 – Zeno’s Pub – State College, PA w/ West Beaver Arts Collective Feb.14 – DIVE Bar – Washington D.C. Feb.15 – Stage on Herr at Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center – Harrisburg, PA Feb.16 – Sprout Music Collective – West Chester, PA w/ Euphonious Feb.22 – Beau’s Bar – Greenlawn, NY
The Syracuse Area Music Awards (SAMMYS), an annual celebration of the Syracuse music scene, will be held at the Palace Theatre on James Street, in Syracuse, NY. The two-day event will consist of the hall of fame ceremony – held upstairs of the theatre at the Dino – on Thursday, March 5, while the SAMMYS award show – is set for Friday, March 6.
With the award ceremony drawing close local musicians, bands and artists are encouraged to submit their commercially available recordings in CD format. Recordings released between January 1 – December 31, 2019 are eligible for consideration. Submission forms and instruction can be found on the official SAMMYS website. The submission deadline is Monday, January 6, 2020.
The public is also encouraged to nominate their favorite venues to see live music, local artists, music series and festivals, as part of the SAMMYS “people’s choice,” initiative. There will also be a 4thcategory added to include; live, local academic or musical organizations. Daily online voting begins January 14, 2020. People’s choice voting forms can be found HERE.
https://youtu.be/Ei9Tc9ac5r0
A press conference for the event is scheduled for February 4, 2020, with tickets set to go on sale the same day.
For more information, as well as updates and news, the Syracuse Area Music Awards follow them: Facebook or Twitter.
moe. has played dozens of area shows through the years at moe.down in both nearby Turin, New York and at Beardslee Castle in Little Falls, as well as at Saranac Brewery. But it had been twenty-one years since they had played the iconic, venerable Stanley Theater in Utica, New York. With the majority of the band having roots in the area, this pair of New Year’s Eve shows was a much-anticipated homecoming.
Happy New Year!
Night One, on December 30, saw both a marriage proposal and a mayoral proclamation by Utica’s Robert Palmieri declaring the date as moe. Day in the city, before the show even began. The band set the tone by opening with a scorching version of “Meat,” with percussionist Jim Loughlin displaying his astounding skills with two mallets in each hand on vibraphone. There’s no question that Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier are guitar gods, Rob Derhak is a creative bass player whose frequent onstage grin helps make him so likable, and Vin Amico keeps things chugging like a freight train, playing drums while chomping on gum and blowing enormous bubbles like he’s endorsed by Bazooka. But to this listener, Loughlin makes a distinct difference. He plays stuff that you just don’t hear anywhere else in a band of such renown and longevity.
Jim Loughlin
The band
transitioned through seven additional songs totaling nearly ninety
minutes of music to conclude the first set. Throughout both nights,
the band indeed played several favorite songs, but there was an
enormous dose of rarely, or lesser played, tunes that seemed to
surprise and delight hardcore fans of moe.
Before the second set, Al introduced the ubiquitous Utica legend, Rainbow Young, who had the crowd singing along to what was purported to be “God Bless America,” though the key, melody, and meter may have been more than a bit different. The second set began with a “Downward Facing Dog,” “Brittle End,” “Downward Facing Dog” sandwich before concluding with a string of tunes ending where they began the night, getting back to “Meat.” The bar was set high, as a goal to surpass on Night Two.
Night Two saw moe.
pull out all the stops and cut loose in so many interesting ways. On
New Year’s Eve, as we all headed into 2020, the band and their fans
paid tribute to the Roaring ‘20s in both attire and some of the
musical selections. Moe took the stage in suits, ties, suspenders and
fedoras, reminiscent of when men dressed as such to go to work one
hundred years ago. Many male fans dressed similarly, with dozens of
female fans sporting frilly or sequined flapper dresses, long gloves,
boas, and headpieces. The theater itself was a perfect setting, as
it opened in that decade, and matched the fanciful dress with
elaborate baroque design, including ornate twisted columns, a
mind-boggling enormous chandelier, and gargoyles, lions, and cherubs
adorning the walls and opera seats.
The first set saw Chuck and Al on acoustic guitars, with Al switching out to mandolin for a bit. Jim Loughlin showed his versatility throughout the evening, playing vibraphone, acoustic guitar, congas, and washboard. The three first time played songs included two from 1928, the year the Stanley Theater opened. The set opened with “It,” included a stunning version of “Statesboro Blues,” and ended with Rob Derhak’s “Tambourine.”
Set two saw the band plug in and take things even higher. It included an explosive version of “Don’t Fuck With Flo,” a return to the twenties for a cover of “East St. Louis Toodle-oo,” and ended with a nice rendition of the predictable “New Hope for the New Year.”
The third set had everyone on their feet, singing and dancing, with smiles and good wishes from many fans to others as midnight approached. Starting with a fairly new song, “Along for the Ride,” it included a nice execution of “Mack the Knife,” leading into “Silver Sun” just before the New Year’s countdown. At the stroke of midnight, air cannons showered the crowd with a colossal amount of confetti. The band and their significant others toasted and hugged each other, and moe. soon returned to their instruments. 2020 began with a joyous, infectious “Rebubula,” enhanced by a top-notch lighting presentation. This was followed by “Four,” and “Farmer Ben” segueing into a fervent “Timmy Tucker” to end the set. With a time deadline approaching, the band blazed through “Spine of a Dog” as the encore. Two nights of great music, great memories, and proof that moe. have established themselves as a premier touring band, world-class musicians, and individuals proud of their hometown.
Setlist – December 30, 2019
Set 1: Meat > Not Coming Down > Wormwood > Fearless~ > Deep This Time > Who You Calling Scared? > Akimbo > Brent Black
Set 2: Downward Facing Dog > Brittle End > Downward Facing Dog, Skrunk > Lazarus > Down Boy > Bring You Down > Meat
Encore: Letter Home, Wind It Up
~ Pink Floyd cover
Setlist – December 31, 2019
Set 1: It*, Time Again**, Shoot First**, Statesboro Blues*#, Where Does The Time Go?*, Tambourine*
Set 2: Tailspin > Puebla > Don’t Fuck With Flo > Tubing The River Styx > The Pit, East St. Louis Toodle-oo##, Opium, New Hope For The New Year
Set 3: Along For The Ride, Nebraska, Mack The Knife^, Silver Sun%, Rebubula, Four, Farmer Ben > Timmy Tucker
Encore: Spine Of A Dog
* w/ Al & Chuck on acoustic guitar ** w/ Al on mandolin, Chuck on acoustic guitar # FTP – (Blind Willie McTell cover) ## FTP – (Duke Ellington & Bubber Miley cover –) % NYE Countdown ^ FTP – (Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht cover)
