Harlem-based rapper Princess Nokia performed a vibrant set at Irving Plaza in New York City on October 24th for one of the last domestic stops on her tour. Known for her high-energy performances and colorful stage design, Princess Nokia lived up to her reputation by giving the crowd exactly that.
As one of the more prominent female rappers in today’s pop landscape, Princess Nokia had no shortage of hits to run through, from old favorites like “Tomboy” off the 2016 project 1992 Deluxe, to the extremely popular “I Like Him” off the 2020 project Everything Sucks. Backed up by some stage dancers, she exemplified why these songs have been popular for so long, moving the crowd to the rapid rhythm and maintaining a breakneck pace.
Princess Nokia oozed charisma and charm on the stage, always interacting with fans between songs and making jokes. Between the rapid-fire rapping, dancing, banter, and screaming crowd, this concert was an absolute spectacle. The spectators were one hundred percent into her the whole time and before the concert even started, she peaked her head out on the balcony and the crowd screamed with delight. There was no shortage of electricity the whole set.
Princess Nokia’s tour has one more stop in Boston at Paradise Rock Club on Wednesday, October 27 before hopping overseas to Europe. You can see the rest of the tour dates here. Be sure to check out the full photo gallery below!
Georgia native TORRES returned to her current city of residence, New York City, on Thursday, October 21st for one of the last stops on the North American leg of her tour. Making an appearance at Bowery Ballroom, TORRES played several songs off her most recent LP Thirstier, in addition to several fan-favorites from her previous projects.
TORRES at Bowery Ballroom, 10/21/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger
With Thirstier having been released back in July of this year, the songs from it were very fresh in the crowd’s minds. They enthusiastically sang along to songs like “Don’t Go Puttin’ Wishes in My Head” and the title track “Thirstier.” The crowd energy was infectious and it was impossible not to move a little bit and lose yourself in the great instrumentation of it all.
TORRES at Bowery Ballroom, 10/21/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger
As it has been a common thread amongst many performers I have watched recently, TORRES was visibly emotional performing for a sold-out crowd in NYC for the first time in so long, due to COVID-19. She said multiple times that she was close to tears and was just astonished by how good it felt to play in her city again. TORRES interacted extensively with the crowd and it was obvious that this was a very devoted fanbase.
TORRES at Bowery Ballroom, 10/21/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger
TORRES’s tour has one more stop in Brooklyn at Baby’s All Right on Thursday, October 28th before hopping overseas to Europe. You can see the rest of the tour dates here. Be sure to check out the full photo gallery below!
Critically acclaimed Tom Petty documentary will premiere on YouTube on November 11, 2021 on Tom Petty’s channel. The feature-length documentary is titled Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers.
The documentary will offer a unique look into the creative mastery and turbulent personal life of the legendary rock star. The film will be capturing the period between 1993-1995 when Tom Petty worked with legendary producer Rick Rubin. The film will feature never-before-seen footage drawn from a newly discovered archive of 16mm film, in addition to new interviews with album co-producer and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, and many more.
The film runs for 89-minutes and was directed by award-winning filmmaker Mary Wharton who is known for her work on Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President, Sam Cooke: Legend, Elvis Lives!, The Beatles Revolution. It first debuted in March as an Official SXSW 2021 Selection, winning the festival’s Audience Award. The film went on to win Best Documentary Film at the Boulder Film Festival and received widespread critical acclaim throughout the film festival season. The picture digs deeper into 2020’s critically acclaimed certified gold reissue, Wildflowers & All The Rest collection (Warner Records) which revealed the long anticipated second half of Tom’s autobiographical masterpiece. Ahead of its November 11 worldwide release on YouTube, Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers will see its theatrical release on October 20, 2021, which is Tom Petty’s birthday, for a one-night global celebration via Trafalgar Releasing, with encore screenings in select cinemas on October 21, 2021.
Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers was Produced by Peter Afterman with executive producers Dan Braun, Mary Wharton and Adria Petty and presented by Inaudible Films, Warner Music Entertainment (Warner Music Group’s TV and Film division) and Warner Records.
For more information on the feature-length documentary, Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers, visit Tom Petty’s YouTube Channel.
Phish returned to Southern California, with a trio of shows lined up between Chula Vista, Inglewood, and Santa Barbara. While the Fall Tour has caught eyes and ears with extraordinary jams, bustouts and shenanigans, Phish is clearly warmed up for Halloween in Las Vegas. On the way there, Phish stopped at The “Fabulous” Forum. Photographer Steph Port was there to capture the night for NYS Music.
The first set starts with the Trey quaran-tune, “A Wave Of Hope,” followed by a 23-minute “You Enjoy Myself” that brought back the glory of late 90s “YEMs.” A smooth transition into “Moma Dance” kept the crowd on their toes, with “Waiting All Night” a surprise appearance with a slightly funky beat, that brought forth “Maze” and “Fee,” before a set ending “Run Like an Antelope.”
Set 2 began with a tone-setting “Cars Trucks Buses” that dropped into “Tweezer” right after, which sveltly moved into “L.A. Woman,” the last since December 30, 2003. A huge jam would brew from this surprise bust out, one that took off even farther in “Say it to me S.A.N.T.O.S.” and “What’s The Use?” To polish the set off, heavy hitters “Chalkdust Torture,” “Carini” and “Mr. Completely” made their presence know, all with a segue into “Tweezer Reprise” to close the set.
A normal encore of “Grind” preceded the atypical “Bathtub Gin” that followed, ending awkwardly as Trey thanked the crowd for having such a great show. With the band having this much fun, whatever is on tap for Las Vegas has them excited and playing in mid-season form.
Phish – The Forum, Inglewood, CA – October 25, 2021
Set 1: A Wave of Hope > You Enjoy Myself > The Moma Dance[1] -> Simple -> Waiting All Night -> Maze, Fee[2] -> Steam > Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Cars Trucks Buses, Tweezer -> L.A. Woman[3] -> Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.[1] -> Whatâs the Use? > Tweezer > Birds of a Feather[1] > Chalk Dust Torture[1] -> Boogie On Reggae Woman > Carini -> Mr. Completely[1] > Tweezer Reprise
Phil Lesh wrapped up his second three-show run at The Capitol Theatre on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. The evening featured Stuart Bogie and Amy Helm joining Phil, along with Eric D. Johnson, Josh Kaufman, Elliot Peck and Grahame Lesh from Midnight North, Joe Russo and Heartbreaker’s keyboardist Benmont Tench.
Phil Lesh has one more run of shows at The Cap this month, with Phil-O-Ween weekend, from Oct. 29-31, including Nicki Bluhm, Larry Campbell, Griffin Goldsmith, Taylor Goldsmith, Grahame Lesh, Trevor Menear, Lee Pardini, M.C. Taylor and Teresa Williams.
Phil Lesh and Friends – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY – Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Set 1: Jack Straw, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Ship of Fools, Peggy-O, Tennessee Jed, Touch of Grey
Set 2: Truckin’, So Many Roads, Caledonia Mission, Bird Song, Let It Grow, Stella Blue, Rag Mama Rag, Not Fade Away, Morning Dew
For the Halloween episode of Saturday Night Live, former cast member and Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis returned to Studio 8H for his first time as host. Joining Sudeikis was country rock superstar Brandi Carlile, who played two songs off her new album, In These Silent Days.
Following a cold open that featured multiple versions of Joe Biden, including Sudeikis’ finger-gun shooting, aviator shade wearing rendition from Biden’s time as Vice President, Sudeikis launched into a reflective, funny and heartfelt look back at the stage and studio that SNL has been filmed in for 47 years. Sudeikis tugged heartstrings in the way only Coach Lasso can do, reminiscing on how SNL changed his life.
This room, here. To be here. This place is historic. For a second, just look around, for real. Even all you amazing people who work in the crew, just look around for a second. Think about all the brilliance that’s happened here. All your favorite sketches: Wild and Crazy Guys, Gilly, Cowbell, Wayne’s World, all happened in right here, in here, where you are.
This place changed my life, twice. Once as a castmember and a writer here. But most importantly as a kid watching from home. And there’s a good chance that if you’re watching tonight, there’s probably something from this place probably changed your life too.
Following three sketches perfect for Sudeikis – a frustrated host of a kids science show, Mellen (a male version of Ellen) and a hilarious open house sketch with Ego Nwodim and Kyle Mooney, Carlile performed her first song of the night, “Broken Horses.”
Wearing a gold tuxedo and singing into a golden mic with an orange electric guitar, Carlile was joined by collaborators Phil and Tim Hanseroth, who also backed her on harmonies, as well as Shooter Jennings on piano, who produced her 2018 album By the Way, I Forgive You. “Broken Horses” also doubles as the title of her recently released memoir.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDjeuXAME-A
After a lively Weekend Update that saw the return of Sudeikis’ turn as The Devil, the classic “What up With That?” appeared for the first time since 2012 (if you don’t count the remote April 2020 version from SNL at Home) with Kenan Thompson and surprise guests Oscar Isaac, Emily Ratajkowski, Nicholas Braun.
Brandi Carlile began her second song of the night, “Right on Time,” the lead single off her new album. Playing solo piano in a sequin-covered black and white tux, Carlile allowed the impressive tune a slow burn on the ivories, before picking up her guitar to join the band for the song about two embattled lovers, bursting forth with vocals that set the bar high for musical guests this season, only four episodes in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWnVjSD6xzY
Saturday Night Live is off next week, and returns on November 6 with Succession actor Kieran Culkin and musical guest, Ed Sheeren.
This weekend marks the anniversary of some of the greatest music ever performed by Derek and the Dominos, which happened to take place at the iconic Fillmore East in New York City. Although the band does have one studio album to their credit, Live At The FIllmore East may be their crowning achievement in terms of audio recordings.
This is an incredibly easy to listen to album, one that combines original Dominos songs and Eric Clapton tunes with a splash of cover songs mixed throughout. Derek and the Dominos was a band that, essentially, came together during the recording of George Harrison’s first solo album All Things Must Pass. And while their shelf life may have been short, thanks to this album their legacy will live on forever in a very positive way.
The band wastes no time getting into an immediate early groove for the album-opening “Got To Get Better In A Little While.” A song that was planned for the band’s second studio album that never came to fruition, it features Clapton and Bobby Whitlock going riff for riff on guitar and piano, respectively, in a tasteful jam that stretches out to nearly 14 minutes in length. Whitlock adds some nice vocal harmonies as well as the chorus rounds back into place with the music picking up a collective head of steam.
This first track was pulled from the opening night of music on October 23. Here’s a taste of the October 24 version that didn’t make the album cut.
For the next number, this time drummer Jim Gordon and Whitlock kick things off on “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?” Eventually, Clapton gets his guitar’s wah pedal going in full force and a crisp little jam ensues before the first word is ever sung. This is the first of many songs pulled from the group’s epic Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs album that would be released just weeks later. Co-written by Clapton and Whitlock, who again adds some impeccable backup vocals, it’s another one of the longer tracks on the album thanks to a whirlwind jam that never lets off the gas pedal, ably fueled by Carl Radle on bass. After coming a to head, the band shifts the tone into a much quieter, bluesy one for several minutes before the chorus comes back around one last time. The Fillmore crowd demonstrably shows their appreciation to the Dominos after this one.
This helps set the tone for “Key To The Highway,” a cover of an old blues standard that dates back to the 1940s. Clapton takes center stage and shows why he’s considered one of the great blues players of this generation, delivering one stinging guitar lick after another. Another Layla song, this one made it onto the album by pure happenstance. Allegedly Clapton and Duane Allman, who was prominently involved with the album’s studio recording – playing on 11 of the 14 tracks, heard the song being played in a neighboring studio and decided to play along to it. “Blues Power” slides in perfectly behind this, a song that appears on Clapton’s first solo album that Leon Russell helped write. These last two blues-heavy numbers are both taken from the October 24 recording.
The first of this two-disc releases out first with “Have You Ever Loved A Woman,” another blues cover that found its way onto Layla. This one is even slower and “bluesier,” if that’s possible, with the tempo never going past a slow shuffle. Clapton lets both his vocals and guitar do all the singing on this one while Whitlock adds some delicate piano fills throughout. Then “Bottle Of Red Wine” wraps up the first part of the album, another rollicking, blues-infused song that Clapton navigates with ease, with Whitlock jumping on the organ for assistance now.
The second half of this iconic albums begins with “Tell The Truth,” another Clapton-Whitlock collaboration pulled from Layla. The two essentially share lead vocals on this fun little number that ebbs and flows with emotion and soul. Once the vocals are out of the way, Clapton reverts back to rock legend mode and lays down a tremendous solo, spearheading one of the longer jams of the album. Up next is another sterling cover of a blues standard. This time it’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out,” originally written by pianist Jimmie Cox in 1923. Clapton’s bluesy drawl is backed perfectly by Whitlock and Gordon on piano and drums, respectively.
The Dominos then return to their own catalog with “Roll It Over.” While it wasn’t on the original Layla release, it did make its way on to the 40th Anniversary Deluxe reissue. It’s a classic rock number the sees Clapton explore a few different tones in his guitar play during a steadily progressive jam. The Fillmore crowd immediately recognizes the next song as “Presence Of The Lord,” made famous by one of Clapton’s former bands, Traffic. It’s the only Traffic tune on the album, but the Dominos do it justice as a mellow, laid back composed section gives way to a rapid, intense sequence of music before reverting back.
The final three tracks of Derek and the Dominos: Live At The Fillmore may be one of the best three-song sequences of the album, and, naturally it contains a pair of incredible covers. The first of these is Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing.” Whitlock’s organ fills give this cover more than a soulful feel as both he and Clapton take care of the vocals with ease. Not one to be outdone, Clapton then delivers a few bars of a psychedelic guitar solo that serves a truly fitting homage to the great Hendrix who passed away barely a month before this performance in 1970.
This jaw dropping cover is followed by what very well may be the best track on the album, a scintillating and exploratory “Let It Rain.” It’s the last of three singles from Clapton’s solo album and the Dominos stretch this one out and then some. Clapton and Whitlock go tit-for-tat with each screaming out, “Let It Rain” in succession towards the end of the composed section. Afterwards, all hell breaks lose starting with one more mesmerizing run by Clapton on the fretboard as the rhythm section just tries to keep up. Eventually, Clapton switches from wailing guitar mode to a heavy, funked out “wah” effect, taking the jam to another level. This eventually gives way to a Jim Gordon drum solo that goes on for well more than four minutes before the guitar finally reenters the mix. After a few more minutes of some fun Gordon and Clapton call and response interplay, the band explodes back in the chorus emphatically. It’s by far the longest track on the album, and arguably the most enjoyable as the “beautiful” Fillmore crowd (so labeled by Clapton at song’s end) would surely attest.
The album then closes with the last cover song of the evening made famous by another one of Slowhand’s former bands. This time it’s the great Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads,” although, in fitting with the tone of the album, it’s a much slower and soulful take than the version Cream made famous. It allows for one last great Clapton guitar solo which ends the album in grand fashion and serves as the last reminder of one memorable two-night run by Derek and the Dominos at the Fillmore that took place, truly, at the height of their powers.
This album is available to listen in its entirety on Youtube here. Also, be sure to check out the video below of all the great songs and outtakes that didn’t quite make the final cut.
Derek and the Dominos Live at the Fillmore East – New York, NY October 23 & 24
A few songs into The Dude of Life Band’s first set at Lark Hall, Steve Pollak (aka, The Dude of Life) announced that after the show, they’ll be streaming the Phish show from San Francisco, which started shortly after 11pm ET on Saturday, October 16. “So we’re opening for Phish a few time zones away,” said Pollak, much to the crowd’s delight. And in a way, the band was opening for Phish, a band with whom Pollak has a decades-long connection.
The Dude of Life Band, a genre-bending group led by the Dude of Life, Steve Pollak, includes Pollak on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Fred Scholl on lead guitar, Charlie de Saint Phalle on bass, Doug Schneider on drums, and Jon Liebowitz of God Street Wine on keyboard and organ.
For several decades, The Dude has been writing songs in an ongoing collaboration with Phish, and first teamed up with Trey Anastasio while the two were in high school. The Dude wrote lyrics for a number of Phish’s most beloved songs, including “Fluffhead,” “Run Like an Antelope” and “Suzy Greenberg,” and has also been a mythical sideshow with the band, making random guest appearances often highlighted by the throwing of uniquely-inscripted rubber chickens into the crowd. The Dude’s debut album, Crimes of the Mind, was recorded with Phish for Elektra Records and released in 1994.
In recent years, The Dude of Life has developed a more refined sound, and a recent burst of creativity has yielded an album’s worth of new material which was recently recorded by acclaimed producer Bryce Goggin.
The Dude of Life Band performed some of these new songs – “Automatic Pilot,” “Dilaudid Nurse” and “In Case You Didn’t Know,” alongside his Phish classics, plus a handful of Grateful Dead covers, “Ruby Tuesday” by The Rolling Stones and “Badge” by Cream. The flow to the show was smooth and the hits kept coming as the evening progressed. Pollak wrapped up the show with an appropriate “Show of Life,” right before turning the mic over to Phish, live from the Chase Center in San Francisco
Setlist: Crazy Too, Althea, Can’t Always Listen, Ain’t No More Caine, Nobody Finer, Mississippi Blues, Automatic Pilot, Franklin’s Tower, Suzy Greenberg, Dilaudid Nurse, Fluffhead, She Belongs to Me, Sugaree, Space -> Lost Moments in Time, In Case You Didn’t Know, Crimes of the Mind, Ruby Tuesday, Badge, Goin Down the Road Feelin Bad -> Show Of Life
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong were joined by Neighbor on October 15, for the second of a two night run at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Dogs In A Pile started the party at Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre.
The atmosphere at “The Cap” felt familiar and comfortable. It was that cool uncle with the cool T-shirts that was very excited about legalization of certain herbs. It was a relaxed vibe that did not take itself too seriously, which helped cultivate pure enjoyment from fans. Most employees resided at the venue since its reopening and seemed to love working there. The rich history of the venue contributed to a feeling of experience and familiarity. For those cautious to attend an indoor concert.
Fans of Pigeons filled with anticipatory excitement for the next cue in their favorite song. The crowd burst with joy every time their part in the collaboration, and were beautifully illuminated for each moment.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong – The Capitol Theatre – Saturday, October 15, 2021
Setlist: Pop Off, Fall in Place, Melting Lights > Poseidon, Paperboy, Porcupine > Ocean Flows, My Own Way, Water, Skinner, Dawn A New Day, Snake Eyes, Living for the City (Stevie Wonder), King Kong, Day in Time, Overrun, Doc
Embarking on their first tour since 2019, Dopapod chose a familiar setting in Saratoga Springs’ Putnam Place to kick things off, which they did in remarkable fashion. A mostly packed house was treated to a first set that began, and ended, with a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Echoes.”
photo by Pete Mason
In fact, that’s all they played for a full hour, finding room to jam and improvise without any let up. After 25-30 minutes of “Echoes,” fans looked around at each other wondering “Is this still Echoes?” and simultaneously realizing “This is all they’re going to play this set.” There were no complaints, and no one second-guessed the band’s choice here, rocking out for the full 63-minute set with teases of The Beatles and Dopapod originals mix in, the crowd reveling in the awesomeness they witnessed during setbreak on the Putnam patio.
Set 2 found far more songs, nine to be exact, with a range of material from across Dopapod’s catalog. The recent debut “Velcro” kicked things off, followed by “Happy Song” off 2009’s Radar and fan favorite “Braindead” from Redivider, Luke Stratton’s lights silhouetting the band throughout.
“Black and White,” a highlight of Dopapod’s 2017 Halloween show at Putnam Place, featured teases of “I Might Be Wrong” by Radiohead and “Funky Duck” by Vulfpeck. The final segment of “Onionhead” > “Grow” > “Present Ghosts” capped the night perfectly, bolstered by room shaking bass from Charles Jones.
For an encore, while the setlist only showed “French Bowling,” an audible was called with AC/DC’s “T.N.T.,” preceded by Eli Winderman fist pumping and engaging the crowd to add in “OY! OY! OY!” before Eli and Rob Compa led the band through the 70s rocker. “Bowling” did indeed then close out a fun night of music afterwards.
Dopapod, who just released their new single “Think” today, arrives at Buffalo Iron Works on Wednesday, October 27 before heading to the Midwest. Get your tickets here.
Dopapod returned to The Dock in Ithaca, a premier music venue on Cayuga Lakes Inlet, for the first time since 2012. Rob Compa gave the crowd an A+ for their vibe, saying, “This is exactly how we want a Dopapod show to be.”
The four piece crushed their first set with a standout “Trapper Keeper” jam that the fall crowd boogied down on. Whether you had a Jansport or an Eastpak to store it in, you probably had your video game cartridges in there as well. Dopapod fired up their old consoles for the “Donkey Kong Country Theme” -> “Something from Zelda.”
Cornell’s infamous Barton Hall that sits in The Dock’s sightline sent a sonic wave to crash in the set. During their original “Sonic,” Dopepod took the Grateful Dead’s classic “Dark Star” on an uptempo disco vibe that sent people dancing in the boat launch.
The band opened the encore on drummer Neal “Fro” Evans who laid down a tight groove of improvisation before launching the band back into the 1990s. Dopapod rocked the dock with Alanis Morissette’s classic “You Oughta Know” to close the night out. Rob Compa noted told NYS Music after the show “I think Taylor Hawkins (current Foo Fighters drummer) is on the original studio drum beat for that.”
Dopapod – The Dock, Ithaca, NY – October 21, 2021
Set 1: Freight Train > Mucho, STADA, Trapper Keeper, Numbers Need Humans, Vol. 3 #86
Set 2: Bats in the Cave, Donkey Kong Country Theme -> Something from Zelda > Trickery, Nerds -> Sonic¹
Encore: You Oughta Know²
¹ Dark Star (Grateful Dead) tease ² Alanis Morissette cover, Nerds tease
