It is now July 2020, the fifth month with minimal, if any, live music performances throughout New York State, let alone the country. Our venues are not yet open, but as the threat of COVID-19 decreases, parts of New York will enter Phase 4 and beyond, with the hope that live music will return, even if gradually.
While we may be stream weary, the prospect of live music is a motivator for many, and staying safe is the key given that New York and much of the Northeast are faring better than other areas of the country.
From viewing these photos taken during mid-late June, we can see the presence of the Black Lives Matter protests that spanned all 50 states. In all corners of New York there were protests, particularly in New York, protests that continue to push for defunding of the NYPD.
Working with 13 photographers to document more than 60 venues in 20 cities across New York State, NYS Music presents the second edition of our monthly series that looks at the current state of our beloved venues. When the venues reopen, we will share photo documentation recording the changes over time in all corners of the state.
Immense thanks goes out to all photographers and venues who are taking part in this monthly series. We’ll start this month in the Capital District, with a drone montage from Zach Culver, covering the venues we long to return to, sooner, rather than later.
As we enter June, the fourth month where live music performances are postponed until it is deemed safe to have mass gatherings due to COVID-19, we take a look at the music venues across the state that are closed for now, but in the coming months will hopefully reopen.
Working with 13 photographers to document more than 60 venues in 20 cities across New York State, we present this monthly series that will look at the current conditions of these beloved venues. As they reopen, we will provide photo documentation recording the changes over time in all corners of the state.
Great thanks to all photographers and venues who take part in this series.
The Levitt AMP Utica Music Series was supposed to announce its lineup but unfortunately it has decided to postpone it’s festivities. The ten week free concert series will be back in the summer of 2021. This difficult decision was not made lightly but with COVID-19 alive and raging the Utica Monday Nite and the Levitt AMP committee have decided that with the concerns for the health, safety and well-being of their community that postponing was the only real option.
The grant money won by the public voting campaign by Utica community members will roll over to 2021. The Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation has assured that the $25,000 will be safe and be able to be used for next year’s festivities. The only catch is that Utica will not have to apply again and won’t have to vote again for next year’s grant.
The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties usually match the funds and grants collected for the past four years. Alicia Dicks, president/CEO of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties said she supported the decision to postpone The Levitt AMP Utica Music Series till next summer and look forward to next summer.
The Levitt AMP Utica Music Series team is currently working on rebooking as many of the headlining bands that were scheduled for the festivities this summer for next year’s festival. The series will also feature local talent each week as it always does.
Levitt AMP Utica Music Series. Photo Provided by Levitt AMP Utica Music Series.
The Levitt AMP Utica Music Series will be joining the 10-Week Virtual Music Series with The Levitt Foundation. They will be joining 19 other Levitt AMP cities for this 10-week Virtual Music Series which will highlight some of Utica’s local talent on a national platform. The Levitt AMP Utica Music Series will also be exploring the possibility of applying for a new Bridge Grant for 2020. The Levitt Foundation created this grant to bring people together through music in alternative ways and is shaping what that may look like for our community.
For more information please visit Levitt AMP Utica Facebook and Instagram pages.
For years Utica’s own alternative rockers Trampoline Jetstream have played shows without recording a single track. Now even with measures in place that prevented them from being together they have produced their debut EP For Days On End.
The first single off the EP, “Patience,” shows off futuristic dreamy bedroom pop sounds backed by heavy bass that produces a psychedelic image. Urging listeners to take their time in ‘deciding their own fate’ and showing yourself patience in a time of drastic change and uncertainty, “Patience” is a track you can put on and forget about now.
For Days On End was long awaited from a band that has seen some trouble since they first decided to start recording their debut album in 2018. Plans were all brought to a screeching halt when lead singer Nick Vanderwood sustained vocal injuries that lasted over a year.
Recorded completely separately due to social distancing measures implemented during the pandemic, the debut EP will consist of three songs that did not make the debut album. The band has plans to release a full debut album hopefully in the fall according the press release. ‘For Days On End’ is available for streaming on all platforms.
Happy 44th Birthday to Joe Bonamassa! As New Hartford, New York’s very own blues master, Bonamassa is an example of a modern-day artist who is keeping all the soul in blues alive. Born in 1977, Bonamassa began his career at the age of 12 opening for no other than blues legend B.B King at the Rochester Lilac Festival in 1989.
Making a name for himself playing small clubs around Upstate NY, Smokin’ Joe Bonamassa has transcended the dreams of a small-town boy wishing to be a Rockstar. Although still relatively young, Bonamassa has left a legacy behind including over a dozen studio albums, two Grammy nominations and at least 20 #1 songs on the Billboard Blues chart. Collaborating with musicians along the likes of Les Paul and Beth Hart, Bonamassa has proved his prowess to write hit songs. Also, an avid vintage guitar and amplifier collector, Bonamassa has proved his devotion to authenticity.
In addition to touring various world stages, Bonamassa has also launched a cruise, bringing blues to people at sea. Most recently, Bonamassa has announced the start of his new music label, Keeping Blues Alive Records in an effort to raise awareness for his charity, the Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, started in 2011. Most recently, The Keeping Blues Alive Foundation has launched their charitable Fueling Musicians Program which aims to support musicians globally who are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo Credit: Robert Sutton
Bonamassa went live on Facebook with a heartfelt message urging for fans and musicians to make donations to support struggling musicians. The program has received overwhelming support from fans as well as big name brands such as Gibson, Normans Rare Guitars, and the Chicago Music Exchange. With the goal of $250,000, Bonamassa and the Fueling Musicians Program aim to raise as many donations as possible to lend a hand to the music industry which has been hit hard by the global pandemic.
To make a donation or to find out more about the Fueling Musicians Program visit Keeping Blues Alive.
Be on the lookout for Smokin’ Joe in 2020 for the continuation of his Keeping Blues Alive at Sea cruise and new music, hinted to be coming later this year. Happy Birthday Joe Bonamassa!
When musicians collaborate, you can expect a few things – a merging of styles, unique covers, and the strengths of each to shine even brighter. With Hayley Jane joining up with Annie in the Water to kick off a 10 show Hayley in the Water February tour, there is a stellar degree of mutualism already on display throughout their first three shows in Saranac Lake, Schenectady and Utica over February 5-8.
An acoustic set from Hayley Jane, with Annie in the Water joining for a few songs, kicked off each night, setting the tone for a thorough night of music and a taste of what these artists are capable individually, as well as when they join together. The second set, a full performance of Fleetwood Mac’s seminal 1977 album Rumours, was simply magical. Not only is the album chock full of classic rock gems, to the point where you are taken back by how many great songs are on one album, but Hayley Jane’s vocals and the well rehearsed sound of Annie in the Water truly brought the album to life. Hit after hit, including the underrated opening track “Second Hand News,” found all musicians in lockstep with each other, adding genuine, organic energy to classics including “Dreams,” “Don’t Stop,” “Go Your Own Way,” “The Chain” and “I Don’t Want to Know.” Hayley Jane shone bright on “Gold Dust Woman” and “Songbird,” channeling Stevie Nicks in a way few can. Listen to their performance of “Dreams” from Saranac Lake’s Waterhole.
Annie in the Water continued the night with a set of originals, including the fan favorite “Hey I’m on my Way,” plus “Sativa,” “In the Sand” and “Crispy” (with a dose of 4 Non Blondes “What’s Going On?”), the latter of which brought Hayley Jane back to the stage. Add in Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” and Talking Heads “Burnin’ Down the House” (after a fire alarm went off briefly in Utica) and you’ve got an impressive range from a band that not only has the audience enjoying ever minute of it, but the band is clearly having a blast too.
This is a phenomenal series of shows and one with great potential, surely a ‘catch it while you can’ tour. Don’t sleep on Hayley Jane and Annie in the Water performing Rumours – two incredible forces in the Northeast music scene rarely join together to create a memorable performance such as this.
Feb. 12 – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo, NY
Feb. 13 – Flour City Station – Rochester, NY
Feb. 15 – Stowe Cider – Stowe, VT
Feb. 19 – Stone Church – Brattleboro, VT
Feb. 20 – Arch Street Tavern – Hartford, CT
Feb. 21 – Electric Haze – Worcester, MA
Feb. 22 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT
Annie in the Water Setlists:
Feb. 7 – Frog Alley Brewing – Schenectady, NY
Hey I’m on My Way, Pleasure in Sin, In the Sand/Freestyle, Crispy (w/Hayley Jane), Sativa (w/Hayley Jane), Time to Play—>Bulls on Parade
Feb. 8 – Jewish Community Center – Utica, NY
Change My Mind, Carry the Music, Burning Down the House, River, Crispy (w/Hayley Jane), Fire on the Mountain (w/Bill Foose), Sativa
Chris Meier, Hayley Jane and Bradley Hester
Hayley Jane, Bradley Hester & Michael Lashomb
Ryan Trumbull & Brock Kuca of Annie in the Water
Trampoline Jetstream
Anthony “Zee” Donaldson of The Disruption NetworkR
Annie in the Water has just completed the most successful year in their career and is now embarking on the most ambitious tour of their career beginning this week. This tour has the band teaming up with Hayley Jane to perform Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album in its entirety and will visit venues across the Northeast throughout the month of February.
Annie in the Water’s second album Time to Play was released last summer. It’s an album comprised of songs the band has been playing live for years but hasn’t received the studio treatment until now. It’s an album that gives a snapshot of a band on the rise and a band ready to take on the live music scene with a vengeance.
While they call the North Country home, Annie in the Water has roots all over the map. Their origin story stems from a chance meeting between singer/guitarists Michael Lashomb and Bradley Hester at Hobart College in Geneva in 2007. The two hit it off immediately and began jamming together. They would reconvene during summers off from college, jamming together and coaching at lacrosse camps. They recorded their first album Destination in 2011 while Hester was a graduate assistant coach at Jacksonville University.
Since forming, the band has undergone several lineup changes, with Hester and Lashomb the only constant over the years. The band is now a six-piece with the addition of former Formula 5 keyboardist Matt Richards last July. Brock Kuca (drums/percussion), Ryan Trumbull (drums) and Chris Meier (bass) complete the unit.
Annie in the Water and Hayley Jane have been rehearsing for this tour for the past several months and are set to kick it all off this Wednesday in Saranac Lake.
NYS Music recently sat down with the band to discuss their history, their influences and the upcoming Spread Rumours Tour with Hayley Jane.
NYS Music: First, I’d like to start by finding out more about each of you individually. Where is each of you from? What path brought you to where you are today?
Bradley Hester: I grew up all over the place, born in Colorado. I also lived in Ohio, Japan, Virginia, and I came to Upstate New York by way of Hobart College. Since college, I’ve been in Upstate doing the Annie in the Water thing but also coaching lacrosse. I will probably always coach lacrosse because it’s one of the ways I am bringing my value to life and I have learned so many things from the game that continue to impact the way I live my life.
Brad Hester (Photo: Brian Cornish)
Michael Lashomb: I was born and raised in Cleveland, OH. My parents were originally from Ogdensburg, New York. We would go visit Upstate and work on my grandfather’s land whenever we had time off from school, so I was able to become familiar with the North Country landscape and inner-city life throughout my childhood.
While I was in Cleveland, I was exposed to a lot of diverse styles of music. There was always new music coming through mainstream radio when I was a kid, also a lot of hip-hop and funk influence in the city. In the North Country, I was exposed to more roots style and country. So I had a good blend that influenced me. When I was about 11 years old, I heard blink-182’s song “Dammit” on the radio and I immediately thought of ways to learn the song. That motivated me and I just started diving into all sorts of musical styles. I specifically started basing my early style of play on John Frusciante’s (Red Hot Chili Peppers) fretboard work.
Throughout my late teens and early 20’s, I was always picking up different jobs to try to make it work. I moved down to Florida at one point and was recruited to be a lacrosse coach and teacher at a prep school in Jacksonville. After that, I went out to L.A. for a short time and worked on the TV show The Amazing Race. In my late 20’s, I decided to go full-time music. No Plan B for me. I couldn’t imagine not pursuing music as my life path.
Michael Lashomb (Photo: Brian Cornish)
Brock Kuca: I was born and raised in a little town called Morristown on the St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands). I started playing music at the age of 10, the saxophone. That didn’t really work out so well. I discovered the guitar at age 12. That’s when the sparks flew and music became the main priority in my life. Before joining Annie in the Water full-time, I cooked fancy food in a local restaurant. I was also a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and worked production at music festivals. Although I have a deep passion for cooking, it’s hard to really imagine my life without some kind of musical influence in it.
I met Mike and Brad some eight or nine years ago. Wow, that’s hard to believe. They would invite me out to play gigs in Potsdam, Alexandria Bay, Clayton and Watertown. I’ve shared the stage with various, very credible and outstanding musicians since then but the present combination of the six of us is a special thing. We are all writers/composers and are just starting to explore that realm with one another.
Brock Kuca
Chris Meier: I’m originally from Chatham, New York. My path to where I currently am heavily involved my time spent at SUNY Oneonta, where I met my bandmates from my first group, Space Carnival. We were lucky enough to have a great scene that eventually led to where I am now.
Chris Meier
Ryan Trumbull: Well, I grew up in the Adirondacks. I was born in Saranac Lake. All of my family members had some sort of musical talent, especially my uncle who had played drums for a long time.
Ryan Trumbull (Photo: Brian Cornish)
Matt Richards: I was born in Albany and reside just outside of the city in Delmar, NY. My life’s musical journey through multiple bands — my high school and SUNY New Paltz band, The Assortment of Crayons, followed by my three-plus years with Formula 5 immediately after college — is what brought me to Annie in the Water. If I weren’t making music, I’d likely be studying how birds make music.
Matt Richards, Brock Kuca and Michael Lashomb
NYSM: The group has evolved over the years, adding new members as recently as this past summer. Have the six of you started to gel as a unit yet?
BH: I feel we gelled the first time we played with each other in a rehearsal. The first show we played together felt like the right thing. The music and the feelings that go with it all get tighter as we continue to push ourselves into unknown territory. As long as we allow ourselves the freedom to explore at shows, we can uncover parts of our potential that would never have happened if we limited ourselves.
ML: The band finally became a full unit when Matt Richards joined in July of 2019. The first rehearsal we had, I personally felt that he was the glue of the entire unit and the gelling started then. Chris and Rippy (drummer Ryan Trumbull) had already been in the mix for six months and they were really sinking in with the backbeat and Brock has made considerable strides as a percussion player.
Everyone in the band is open to trying new things. They are constructive and they are professional. I am extremely lucky to have such great people in this band. I believe all of our collective experiences and knowledge have come together well. All of our individual skills have made the growth quick.
MR: We certainly have. I find our unity became most evident in what is now known as “The Church Set.” We were supposed to perform outside in Potsdam on Sept. 7 last year but due to poor weather conditions, we performed inside the local Methodist Church. We were effortlessly one cohesive unit this set, and have remained so since.
RT: I think we are just starting to mold our sound.
CM: Most definitely. We’ve really taken off as a unit and it feels like the sky’s the limit.
NYSM: How does the songwriting process work for you guys? Is there one person doing all the writing or is everyone given free rein to submit material?
BH: Songwriting works in a variety of ways. The album Time to Play is a collection of some of the songs Mike and I have been playing and performing for years, but I really enjoy opening up the floor for all ideas while we are creating. I feel like the best ideas can come into something with an open canvas, so even if one of us writes a song, everyone else can add ideas to it and add great elements. Everyone in the group is a creator, so I like to keep open the possibility of anyone bringing a song to the group and for the group to help develop.
ML: AITW music is a collective of material. Everyone in the band writes, which is terrific. Now that we have had some time to develop, we are more focused on writing as a unit. Sometimes a song can be written collectively but also one person may have a vision for a song, and as a group, it’s important for us to all do our best to help facilitate that creation. Songwriting will always be an evolutionary process for this band.
MR: We all have so many songs from our past that we want to work in this group. Perhaps everyone in this band is a terrific songwriter. There is a strong desire to work as one to create music in the future. Additionally, Bradley and I have performed a number of duo shos and write at least one song each time, live, in front of an audience. That is a process that is new to me but I love very much. Songwriting can be improvisation slowed down and improvisation can be songwriting sped up.
CM: This has been the most open format for writing I’ve ever been a part of. Everything is on the table.
Hayley in the Water Rehearsal at The Bank, Frankfort
NYSM: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
BH: When I was young, I grew up on Top 40 hits and was influenced by country music through my parents. Garth Brooks was a go-to of mine when I was in elementary school and, strangely enough, because of my older sister, the Backstreet Boys had an impact on me before I became a teenager. Throughout middle and high school I got into bands like Styx, 311, 30 Seconds to Mars, Finch, Our Lady Peace, blink-182. From the hip hop angle, Eminem is someone I paid a lot of attention to in terms of diction and delivery of language, Kid Cudi for breaking out of norms, B.O.B., Andre 3000, Sammy Adams for their unique approaches. Bob Marley is a huge influence on me as well. Mike introduced me to Phish back in 2008 and I had such an uplifting experience that I knew I was going to achieve similar things with our band with time and patience.
I’m always influenced a little by the other bands in our scene, especially the bands we have the pleasure of playing with. Michael Franti and Spearhead, Andy Frasco, Nahko and Medicine for the People, Swamp Kids, Wild Adriatic, John Brown’s Body, Goose, Turkuaz, Big Something, moe., Twiddle, Nina’s Brew, among others. There are too many to name but I am slightly influenced by everyone I am lucky enough to experience!
ML: When I was eight years old, I was obsessed with the Grateful Dead. Not so much their music, but their artwork. I had t-shirts and patches on my backpack and everything. What is interesting is how their music has been woven into my style almost naturally. But besides them as an overall musical influence, I grew up on folk music — Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. I’m also a big fan of The Band. I love Pink Floyd, Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem and Sigur Ros. Those are my ethereal outlets. I also loved punk in high school: Ten Foot Pole, MxPx, Pennywise, blink-182, Less Than Jake, 311, NoFX, but also heavy stuff like GWAR, Korn and Rammstein.
I got into jamband/bluegrass style stuff in high school. Stuff like String Cheese, Bela Fleck, Dispatch, moe., Umphrey’s McGee. Phish was a discovery that changed the whole game. But recently I have been getting more into traditional Celtic music like The Dubliners and different modern composition styles like Bon Iver and Hans Zimmer. Very grateful for all the music I have been exposed to.
MR: Steely Dan, Animal Collective, Ween, Yes, MGMT, Circa Survive, Phish, Vince Guaraldi, McCoy Tyner, The New Deal, RAQ, nature (like actual nature, not a band), Wilco, Dave Brubeck, Talking Heads. Okay, I gotta stop myself somewhere but I know I am missing at least 50 artists and will kick myself for not including them.
RT: Stewart Copeland, Brain (Primus), Anika Nilles, Benny Greb.
CM: Sly Stone, Beck, Motown, Steely Dan.
NYSM: When did you first develop a relationship with Hayley Jane? This tour sounds like it will be a fun collaboration. What was the genesis of the idea to do a Rumours tour together?
Hayley Jane
BH: I first developed a relationship with Hayley Jane back in 2016 when I posted myself doing a vocal exercise for the first time in eight months. She contacted me and was curious about what happened to me because she wanted to offer her experience going through vocal issues. We’ve been friends ever since, sitting in and co-creating whenever possible.
Sometimes it’s hard to remember how fragile our vocal cords can be if they do not get proper attention and strength training, but they are also very resilient and can come back from injury stronger than ever, which is how I feel now. I was able to dissolve the cyst that formed on my right vocal cord by taking many months of pure rest and also learning how to properly warm-up. Staying away from alcohol and drugs and remembering to stay healthy and hydrated is key to my intention to make my vocal cords last as long as I can stay alive.
ML: Brad and I first met Hayley Jane about four years ago in Vermont and that’s when a relationship started. The Vermont music scene has a tendency to bring like-minded people together. The project idea started when we were all at Grassroots in Shakori Hills, NC. Our band had been on a pretty solid Fleetwood Mac kick for a while so when we were in North Carolina, Chris was talking with Hayley about playing a Fleetwood Mac song. I’m not exactly sure how the conversation went because I wasn’t there, but now there’s a tour put together and I’m playing in it.
CM: I’ve been aware of Hayley for a number of years but we formally met last fall at Shakori Hills Grassroots Music Festival. The idea was developed there over the conversations we had in our RV on tour.
MR: I first met Hayley through Formula 5. She would perform with us in Burlington at Nectar’s when we would get up there. I think since we all love Rumours it just felt natural we reach out to Hayley and see if she would be interested in doing this with us. It all fell into place seemingly well.
NYSM: Thanks to all the members of Annie in the Water for your participation. Best of luck with this most ambitious tour.
The upcoming tour will have Hayley Jane opening each show with a set of original material, followed by a complete run-through of Fleetwood Mac’s storied Rumours album featuring Hayley Jane alongside Annie in the Water and concluding with a full Annie in the Water set.
Tickets are available now for all shows on the Spread Rumours Tour. For more information on the tour and where to purchase tickets check out the Annie in the Water website here. Check out the band’s latest album Time to Play below.
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)
