This past weekend was a true party at The Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls. Western New York band Grosh had their annual tribute show as this year’s version was “funk night” Everyone had their dancing shoes on with 97 rock DJ Anita West leading off the show.
photo by Mike Miller
Normally Grosh is a four-piece band but for this event they transformed into a nine-piece with two special guest singers for one song. Grosh band members include Megan Brown (vocals), Grace Lougen (Guitar), Dylan Hund (Bass), Josh English (Drums) Alex McArthur (Vocals), Zak Ward (Guitar), Eric Wozniak (Sax), Tim Clarke (Trumpet), Harry Graser (Keys). The band played many cover songs throughout two sets of music including Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire songs.
Grosh Setlist
Set 1: September, All Night Long, Soul Man, I Wish, Kiss, Shining Star, Shes a Bad Mama Jama, Baby Be Mine, Just As Long As We’re Together
Set 2: Give It To Me, Sir Duke, The Crunge, Brick House, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Stand, Mr. Rogers, Sign Sealed Delivered, I Want To Take You Higher
Papadelic kicked off the opening night of his Holidelic holiday-residency on December 10 like no other, with vibrant lights, outrageous costumes, a full band, as he transformed traditional holiday tunes into upbeat funk classics. The “flashy, bass-heavy retro futuristic take on the holidays” (New Yorker) showcased GRAMMY-nominated Everett Bradley’s unbelievable ability to perform and entertain the audience with groovy vocals, dance numbers, outfit changes, and even reading a story to the crowd at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in the West Village.
Everett sent laughs spinning around the theatre and welcomed the crowd with open arms. Papadelic was quick to disclose that the room was filled with love no matter your background, culture, or religion just before busting a groove of “Dreidel Dreidel, Dreidel.” Each number had the slight reminisce of holiday songs with the new embedded humor and undeniable funk that made for an uncontrollable dance party in Lucille.
“DysFunktional” urged a full throttling bass line complimented with an oozing brass section and ad libs from three phenomenal background vocalists. Holidelic’s white afro, bug eyed sunglasses, red soldier jacket and tight sequin shorts hailed a rambunctious personality from the North Pole putting New York City in the holiday spirit.
Holidelic brought the full fledged experience of creating a light show within itself. Not only did Papadelic’s white afro glow in the dark, but the disco ball and running string lights through the theatre created varying ambiances through the show. For his solo number, he wielded a unique instrument that vibrated eerie synths and surged heavy reverb transporting us into an odd alter dimension. His band members retracted back allowing Papadelic to stand alone in the spotlight so we could take in his rich timbre, and have an intimate moment with the man himself in his own spotlight.
Cracking jokes in between made the performance more lighthearted, and one couldn’t help but hear the roots in his voice that birthed each moment. One can easily forget that underneath the costume, Everett Bradley is a renowned artist, choreographer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who worked alongside the greats like Daryl Hall & Oats, John Bon Jovi, and Carly Simon.
Everett’s illustrious vocals and intimate moment with the audience, walking down the aisle eagerly asking audience members to help sing “Frosty the Snowman,” distracted us from the band regrouping on stage for their next big number. Complete with outfit changes and all Everett, revealed an all new white fringed jacket and new white costumes for the band. Back with a full house groove, Papadelic brought out the real star of the show, Santa Claus. They performed a delightful humorous act “Down The Hatch” bringing a bottle of Jack Daniels on stage as a little “present” and proceeded in taking shots throughout the piece.
Everett’s long standing Holidelic show at the Lucille Lortel Theatre has shown no signs of slowing down from its debut in 2002. The original idea of starting this show to bring some cheer after 9/11 still holds true, as we all need a little spirit after enduring the recent/on-going pandemic. Bradley was sure to include the importance of visiting the family for the holidays, never knowing when it might be our last.
Puddles Pity Party performed this past Sunday, December 12 for a few hundred engaged fans at The Egg in Albany. You may be familiar with Puddles from his over 800,000 subscriber Youtube Channel, his appearance on America’s Got Talent, or his performances with Post Modern Jukebox. For the uninitiated, Puddles appears as a large and somber clown and sings reimagined covers with his bellowing voice of gold.
Puddles may be a sad clown, but his performance was filled with humor, irony, and a positive outlook on life. The singing clown put his own spin on a number of hits including Billie Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over,” Lorde’s “Royals” and REM’s “Everybody Hurts.” These covers were often accompanied by videos and act outs that gave new meaning to the lyrics. Musician and comedian, Dave Hill, also joined Puddles on stage throughout the night after opening the show.
Puddles and Co. were full of energy and made themselves at home in The Egg. The stage slowly became littered with tissues, glitter, picture frames, and clothes as the show progressed. Puddles Pity Party found themselves running from the mess and into the crowd throughout the night as they sang and soloed with the audience. At one point, Puddles moved from fan to fan while he took their phones, and recorded himself singing before handing the phones off to anyone but their rightful owners. The crowd jumped to their feet at the end of the show to applaud what was a fun and original night of covers.
You can see Puddles Pity Party live at his final New York State show on Dec. 16 at the Tarrytown Music Hall,and you can view all of Puddles’ tour dates on his website.
A stellar post punk triple bill hit the Lower East Side’s Bowery Ballroom on Friday, December 10th featuring Preoccupations, METZ and FACS. The tour is actually a co-headline with Metz and Preoccupations switching each night with FACS providing the support. The tour hit Bushwick’s Elsewhere on Thursday night with METZ as the headliner, and Preoccupations took the late slot on Friday at Bowery.
FACS at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
Support for the shows on the tour came from the Chicago based band FACS. The band boasts a robust rhythm section with the driving drums and bass being front and center and psychedelic and dark guitar tones filling the void. FACS have three LPs under their belts since making their debut in 2018. Void Moments was released during the pandemic in 2020 and their third record, Present Tense was released earlier this year; both of which are seeing their live debut on this tour.
FACS at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
Canadian punk vets METZ took the stage next, in full support of their excellent 2020 LP Atlas Vending. Vocalist Alex Edkins spoke to the crowd between songs, explaining how weird it felt to finally be able to play the record live more than a year after it’s original release. The band played the first 5 tracks of the new album to start their set, with a couple more towards the end. Atlas Vending is METZ at their peak, and fans at Bower Ballroom on Friday were thrilled to finally experience it live.
METZ at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
Closing out the show on Friday was fellow Canadian band Preoccupations who are still touring strong behind their 2018 LP New Material. Preoccupations have been playing this record live for a while now, but this time around tracks such as “Antidote” were given a whole new live arrangement. A couple of new, unfamiliar songs were played during the set, indicating a new record may be on the way soon although nothing has been announced just yet.
Preoccupations at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
The tour continues this week with shows in Columbus and Chicago, before two hometown shows at Lee’s Palace in Toronto. Preoccupations, METZ, and FACS complimented each other so well at Bowery Ballroom and all have exciting new material either just out or on the horizon. It is certainly a show not to be missed.
moe. welcomed an array of special guests to their Capitol Theatre shows last weekend in honor of their guitarist Chuck Garvey who was recently hospitalized due to a stroke. Special guests on Friday included Scott Metzger, Aron Magner, Warren Haynes, Shannon Lynch, & Emma Derhak (daughter of moe.’s very own bassist Rob).
Metzger sat in for the first three songs which included an “Annihilation Blues” opener and “Stranger Than Fiction.” Aron Magner then tagged in for the remainder of the show. The first set ended with an emotional “Bring You Down.”
Spirits were high and lots of love was expressed for both Chuck and the band all weekend. The special guests provided an incredibly lively dynamic to some classic moe. material like Warren Haynes sitting in on a second set “Opium” and a super charged set-ending “Recreational Chemistry” as well as some beloved classic covers like Pink Floyd’s “Time” & Led Zepelin’s “Immigrant Song” which both served as the first night’s encore.
Saturday night saw Strangefolk’s Reid Genauer sit in for the first two songs, including “Akimbo” which featured Chuck’s nephew also on guitar. Nate Wilson manned keys for almost the entire night, lending his prowess to first set songs like “Captain America” and “Moth.” The second set was highlighted by Schleigho’s Suke Cerulo who amazed on guitar.
An intense “The Pit” and the classic Chuck song “Four” were just some of the gems from this set. But perhaps the best thing seen all weekend were video images of a rehabilitating Chuck himself playing guitar that were streamed on the walls of the Cap, indeed giving hope for the new year.
moe. ~ The Capitol Theatre ~ Port Chester, NY ~ 12/10/21
I: Annihilation Blues*, Stranger Than Fiction*, Dangerous Game*^%, Deep This Time^%, Blue Christmas^%&, Where Does The Time Go?^%, Bring You Down^
{Entire show without Chuck. #Chuckside * w/ Scott Metzger ^ w/ Aron Magner % w/ Shannon Lynch & w/ Emma Derhak $ w/ Warren Haynes
moe. ~ The Capitol Theatre ~ Port Chester, NY ~ 12/11/21
I: All Roads Lead To Home*^, Akimbo*^&, Big World^ > Ricky Marten^ > Captain America^, Zed Naught Z^&, LL3^ > Moth^%
II: Blue Jeans Pizza^$, New Hope For The New Year$, Tubing The River Styx^$ > The Pit^$ > Silver Sun^$, White Lightning Turpentine^$, Four^$ > Spine Of A Dog^$#
E: Okayalright^$#
* w/ Reid Genauer ^ w/ Nate Wilson & w/ John Carlo Pecheone % w/ Kirin Rogers $ w/ Suke Cerulo # w/ Emma Derhak
Rolling Stone’s “new folk-rock heroes” Mt Joy stopped in Buffalo for their Fall 2021 tour on December 6.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
Amy Allen opened up the show at Asbury Hall with eloquent vocals paired with her emo song writing skills. Her past work writing alongside Harry Styles, Halsey, and more has built her reputation, but her additional ability to captivate the crowd stood out greatly. She performed a couple of her hits such as “Tom Brady,” and “A Woman’s World.” Allen and her guitarist Griffin were the perfect duo for creating the appropriate ambience before Mt. Joy took the stage.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
From the back of the pit to the sides of the balcony had so many people pumped for Mt. Joy. Even Buffalo Bills fans came out during game day to see the folklore legends. The energy for the Bills transcended across the band members and the crowd while chants spread through the venue. Mt. Joy consists of members Matt Quinn (singer/guitarist), Sam Cooper (guitarist), Michael Byrnes (bassist), Sotiris Eliopoulos (drummer), and Jackie Miclau (keyboardist).
The group got together for their iconic sophomore album Rearrange Us which gave them major breakthroughs and achieved new records. Their new work had high expectations following their 2018 masterpiece, but it did not disappoint. Crowd favorites proved to be “Acrobats,” “Let Loose,” and “Strangers.” These newer works brought a sense of psychedelic reflection to Quinn’s poetic words.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
Mt. Joy still goes back to their folk-stomp roots though with singles “Sheep,” and “Jenny Jenkins.” These classics create an atmosphere that is particularly resonate with the youth in an age of chasing one’s dreams while simultaneously adjusting to the turbulence of getting older. Of course, this group finished off the night with their #1 hit on the AAA Radio Charts, “Silver Lining.”
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
Make sure to check out upcoming shows at Asbury Hall at Babeville Buffalo. Tig Notaro takes over the venue on January 15 and Brian Fallon performs on January 16.
Setlist: Acrobats, Strangers, I’m Your Wreck, Let Loose, Phenomenon, Sheep, Jenny Jenkins, Lemon Tree, Cardinal, Astrovan, Mt. Joy, Every Holiday, Evergreen, Julia
Silverstein brought their 20 Year Anniversary Tour to Webster Hall this week on Wednesday December 8th. A long time in the making, the tour was first announced back in October 2019 before being forced into postponement due to the pandemic. The revamped tour featured some larger venues, more dates, and the band’s longest sets to date. Support for the night came from New Jersey locals Can’t Swim and Ohio’s The Plot In You.
Silverstein at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
The Plot in You are a classic screamo/hardcore band and were a perfect fit to open this tour with Silverstein. Vocalist Landon Tewers thrived in Webster Hall’s Grand Ballroom and plenty of their merch was seen on fans raging on the dance floor. Photos from their solid 10-song set below.
The Plot In You at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photos by Buscar Photo
Some shows on this 20 Year Anniversary Tour featured full performances of Silverstein’s iconic 2005 LP Discovering The Waterfront. While Webster Hall did not get this full album performance, fans were treated to a nearly two hour, 3-set performance. The first was a career spanning set of greatest hits featuring “Smashed Into Pieces,” the opening track from the band’s debut When Broken Is Easily Fixed. Vocalist Shane Told joked about fans complaining online about the band not playing their favorite songs live right before a lengthy medley featuring “I Am The Arsonist,” “The Artist,” and “Broken Stars.”
Silverstein at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
The second set was a solo acoustic performance by Shane, featuring renditions of “Replace You” and “Aquamarine.” The rest of the band came out on stage afterwards and performed three straight Discovering The Waterfront tracks to close out the main show, including the band’s big hit “Smile In Your Sleep.” There have been a lot of anniversary tours in recent years but Silverstein took the concept to a much grander scale for these shows. The band has a long catalog full of great albums, but these shows showcased the band at their most creative and engaging.
Silverstein at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
The tour is nearing it’s end, with a show in Albany tonight, December 11th, at Empire Live and one final show in Toronto on Sunday. Silverstein played both of their brand new singles “Bankrupt” and “It’s Over” at Webster Hall so be on the lookout for the rest of the upcoming album in the near future and check out the video for the latter below.
The Slip, avant-rock trio from Boston, soundly finished their first mini-tour in a decade, playing seven shows over two weeks this November across the northeastern US. This was their first mini-tour since 2011. Brad and Andrew moved to Montreal in 2005, birthing The Barr Brothers. As The Barr Brothers ramped up, The Slip’s performances ebbed, playing only 7 times in 2011, then only twice at High Sierra Music Festival. Everyone wanted to know when they’d tour again.
The long-awaited Slip mini-tour launched at Higher Ground in Burlington, VT, where they’ve played over two dozen times since 1998 (lastly in spring of 2008). BAM started off with the ethereal Landing, prelude to the fiery fan favorite, Get Me With Fuji (a song named by long-time friend and one of the first Slip tapers, Jason Booth). After Fuji fired up the crowd, Brad donned his Danelectro for Nobody Waits That Long Anymore, a brand new song (debuted at Lockn’ Farm). Even Rats, their most-watched video, brought indie rock vibes to keep the first set lively.
The reflective rock classic, Sometimes True to Nothing, warmed the crowd in the first set. “The heart is a wilderness / with beauty and emptiness / that you endure”. The new rock song Motherwolf went into Chasing Rabbits, which debuted in 2003, but hadn’t been played since April 2007. Long-time Slip fans anticipated more good times from the wide mix of new and old songs in their tour opener.
The Slip flexed their jazz chops with their Coltrane tribute, Trane-ing, first played back in 1998 at The Living Room. They continued with an even older classic, Through the Iron Gate, which debuted in 1997 and hadn’t been played in 16 years! Heading back to recent times, they unearthed another gem from Eisenhower, Life in Disguise, then on to The Weight of Solomon, ending the single set with the oft-paired The Orginal Blue Air > Paper Birds.
The boisterous crowd cheered them on for a tasteful encore of The Band classic, The Weight, which The Slip has greatly rearranged, ending it typically with a Dogs on Bikes outro, and Autobody teases. Slip tour commenced robustly.
Thursday, November 11, 2021 – Higher Ground – South Burlington, VT
Setlist Landing, Get Me with Fuji, Long Ways Back, Even Rats, Sometimes True to Nothing, Motherwolf, Chasing Rabbits, Trane-ing, Through the Iron Gate, Life in Disguise, The Weight of Solomon, The Original Blue Air, Paper Birds Encore: The Weight* Notes: * new version, with Dogs on Bikes theme
Their tour evolved at Fete Music Hall in Providence, a cool industrial warehouse converted to a two-stage music venue. Ryan Montbleau, a friend of BAM’s who has Marc Friedman in his current band, surprised us with a lovely opening set of originals on acoustic guitar. This hometown crowd was larger than the tour opener in Burlington. BAM started the set with Landing, but ended there, instead of the typical segue into Fuji. They continued into Trane-ing, Blue Air > Paper Birds, and saved Get Me with Fuji until after the commonly-paired song duo.
Brad announced to the audience they were about to play their new single, Superterranean Onlyness, The Slip’s first studio release since Eisenhower – flowing with harmonized vocals, and brilliantly engineered by Steve Albini. Here’s a fan-shot 4K video of the live debut. BAM then played Driving Backwards with You, a song which debuted in 2000 at Higher Ground, then Lockn’ this August after an 11-year hiatus (last played at Narrows 2010). Even Rats preceded another new song, Hit Song.
More songs came back into regular rotation, such as Chasing Rabbits, Motherwolf, and Sometimes True to Nothing, followed by the sublime Aptos* > Something Learned, which debuted at Bethel Fest in 2003, and was last played at Cafe du Nord in 2010. They delved back into Eisenhower territory with Life in Disguise, then treated their hometown fans with another old-time classic, Autobody Experience (debuted in 1996!). This led into their new version of The Weight, with Dogs on Bikes outro to close, ending with a tasty encore of Children of December (performed over 250 times!)
All the parents of the children of december have a clutch because their birthdays are the hardest to remember when you’re born on christmas or the day before new year’s you can sing happy birthday but nobody hears it
Friday, November 12, 2021 – – Fete Music Hall – Providence, RI Setlist: Landing, Trane-ing, The Original Blue Air, Paper Birds, Get Me with Fuji, Superterranean Onlyness, Driving Backwards with You, Even Rats, intro, Hit Song, Chasing Rabbits, Motherwolf, Sometimes True to Nothing, Aptos, Something Learned, Life in Disguise, Autobody Experience, The Weight, Dogs on Bikes Encore: Children of December
The Sinclair in Harvard Square was packed before showtime, being where they went to music school and have played more than anywhere. Ryan Montbleau opened again.
BAM started with Landing, then Brad launched into wild guitar playing & effects, then segued into a sizzling Get Me with Fuji, then the brand new ballad Nobody Waits That Long Anymore. They continued into Even Rats, Sometimes True to Nothing, and capped the first set with a fierce Motherwolf.
Set two started with the jazzy Trane-ing, The Weight of Solomon, followed by Hit Song into Aptos. They returned to Through the Iron Gate, into Life in Disguise, with Lennon’s Jealous Guy teases (foreshadowing?). They teased Autobody Experience inside The Weight, following up with a Wolof jam and Dogs on Bikes outro to finish the smoking second set.
The most popular encore, Children of December, was well-executed. The weekend ended on a high note, and those attending all 7 shows were eager to see what they’d play next week in Philly and New York.
Saturday, November 13, 2021 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA Setlist: Landing, Psych Guitar, Get me with Fuji, Nobody Waits That Long Anymore, Even Rats, Sometimes True to Nothing, Motherwolf, Trane-ing, The Weight of Solomon, Hit Song, Aptos, Through the Iron Gate, Life in Disguise, Autobody Experience, The Weight, Wolof jam, Dogs on Bikes outro Encore: Children of December
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, Nov 16th, their first show at the new Brooklyn Bowl in Philly was canceled. It was great to return there, having attended the venue’s opening night with Soulive. This brand new 900-capacity venue shoulders The Fillmore in Northern Liberties, with two floors, twenty lanes of bowling, dining room, stage, and long bars on both floors. Delicate Steve opened, with a straight-ahead drums/guitar rock duo.
The Slip began with Trane-ing, followed by You Might Say (not played since High Sierra 2008). Ernie Mickey continued, a fan favorite (House of Blues Chicago 2001). BAM continued with The Soft Machine, Hit Song into Motherwolf, into From the Gecko, and Something Learned. They busted into a hot take of Get Me with Fuji, where Steve Marion (from Delicate Steve) joined in on guitar, staying on through Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Proud Mary and ending the set with Sometimes True to Nothing. The Reddish Moon encore was calming, perhaps to prepare us for NYC?
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 – Brooklyn Bowl – Philadelphia, PA Setlist: Trane-ing, You Might Say > Ernie Mickey, The Soft Machine, Hit Song > Motherwolf > From the Gecko, Something Learned, Get Me with Fuji% > Proud Mary%^ > Sometimes True to Nothing% Encore: Reddish Moon Notes: % w/ Steve Marion (Delicate Steve) on guitar and Charlie Hall (War on Drugs) on drums. ^ Creedence Clearwater Revival (cover).
As is usual in pandemic times, inter-city travel is capricious, so the Philly to NYC route was beset with numerous accidents and traffic jams, even after morning rush hour. The usual 2.5 hour ride to Brooklyn took over 5 hours, but I was lucky to have a booked hotel a couple blocks away to unwind before the show. The Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg is the first one that Peter Shapiro opened in July 2009. The Slip last played there in 2011, after another slow year in 2010 when they only played 4 shows.
To keep us on our toes, at the first Brooklyn Bowl show on Thursday, The Slip opened with Landing again, but instead went into Even Rats instead of Fuji. They played Superterranean Onlyness third, which was growing on us after a couple of live appearances. There was a quiet pause after, then we were treated to Invocation, first in 1999, last played in 2004 (17 years ago!). Stuart Bogie (tenor sax from Antibalas & Fela! Broadway musical) joined for a sizzling Yellow Medicine.
Brad went into The Weight of Solomon and then Motherwolf, Chasing Rabbits, Through the Iron Gate, into the Nathan Moore song I Hate Love, with Bogie returning on tenor through the set closer, Jumby. A Sometimes True to Nothing encore left fans energized. Few were ready to turn in, so we met for aftershow drinks at The Gibson, a favorite late-night watering hole a couple blocks away, where we discussed what the future may hold for upcoming Slip tours.
Thursday, November 18, 2021 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY Setlist: Landing > Even Rats, Superterranean Onlyness*, Invocation > Yellow Medicine%, The Weight of Solomon, Motherwolf, Chasing Rabbits, Through the Iron Gate> I Hate Love%, Jumby% Encore: Sometimes True to Nothing Notes: * new song, released Nov. 2021. % with Stuart Bogie on tenor (from Antibalas and Fela! Broadway Musical
Relix hosted The Slip for a livestream on their Twitch channel, at a top-secret location near my old apartment. Brad asked his good friend Jason Booth for his song requests. Brad smiled, then turned to the stream chat for viewer requests, joking that they “probably wouldn’t play any of those”. The livestream included their new hit single Superterranean Onlyness, followed by the scorcher, Sometimes True to Nothing, then Motherwolf, The Original Blue Air > Paper Birds to close the set. Watch the stream here.
Friday, November 19, 2021 – Relix Studio – Manhattan, NY Setlist: Superterranean Onlyness*, Sometimes True to Nothing, Motherwolf, The Original Blue Air > Paper Birds Notes: afternoon set, livestreamed on Twitch – www.twitch.tv/therelixchannel. * new song
Brooklyn Bowl Friday saw the biggest turnout of this tour. Our night startedoff boisterously, with BAM being introduced by Brett Siddell, a comedian from their high school wrestling team. BAM opened with the classic, Aptos > Airplane/Primitive (only time played in 2021), the poetic Friedman song:
The airplane, the primitive, saw it and thought it was some kind of bird it landed, he made up his mind – I can’t live knowing that there’s some other world where men fly, up in the sky, trapped himself on the wing for a one way ride and in the air above a cloud, there his soul stayed when his body fell down.
Before Wolof, Brad thanked the Brooklyn Bowl staff, and everyone who traveled to the show, saying “that’s not easy to do these days”. He continued, “So, if anyone bowls a strike during this song … you get a t-shirt, and a handshake from Marc.” This definitive Slip classic starts with Marc’s infectious bass groove, debuting at Valentine’s in Albany in 1998.
Bloodstone came next, another new song debut (only played at Brooklyn Bowl and Levon’s), followed by the raucous Hit Song. BAM cooled things down with the mellifluous Driving Backwards with You, last played at Narrows 2010. Panda began with Brad spacing out with his pedals, applying feedback for Soft Machine. Next was The Shouters (cut short), which was only played once in 2021. The room exploded for the highly popular Get Me with Fuji (played 243 times), with a tease of Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child of Mine that drifed into a few measures of Moby Dick before returning to Fuji.
The band took a breather as Brad asked if anyone bowled a strike and got their t-shirt, then leveled with the audience:
I want to say it feels really good to be The Slip again. We’ve had such a journey, from our beginnings in high school when we were the jazz band … our friend Brett was not kidding. So when we moved to Boston and really became a band together … in the 90s and 2000s, you know, and coming up with all of you and starting to do the festival thing and really getting to know this really cool community of bands getting to know other bands like Lettuce and Schleigho, and Soulive, Marco, The Duo, … they all fit conveniently under the jamband umbrella. And then, at some point for us, for The Slip it became sort of a hard pill to swallow, because we related to maybe parts of being a jam band, but we really didn’t relate to whole other parts of being a jam band. And then there was … an identity crisis there in the mid 2000s and we made our record, Eisenhower, and that was so much fun to make and really felt like a success. But we still sort of had – you know – more than a decade playing together, and it was very hard to see…you know…sometimes it’s hard to see what’s great about you, as a group … and you start thinking of ways to change it, and then we did. And so we went into one identity crisis … beautiful and contorted … what I mean, it’s really good to be back here as The Slip … enjoying what was always good about being The Slip … and having so much fun together up here, with you … and that means a lot to me
Brad’s pensive baring of his soul set the tone for Through the Iron Gate:
I get tossed like a bone into the dogs into the sky the closing is a gathering a gathering of eyes an i will look to you and you to me in between the space we chase the tune we dream so lazily
Ruminating on what he had just shared, Brad continued into the soul-searching Life In Disguise:
The world is only a stage and I’m just a man with a sound caught in his throat and a pick in his hand but when the song comes tumbling out, you understand there’s no great demand well it’s there under your breath behind your eyes and you don’t have to say nothing cause I realize that everything somehow in some way eventually dies
…and then Jealous Guy:
I didn’t want to hurt you I’m just a jealous guy
The introspective, sombre tone evaporated with the first beats from Andrew’s kit to kick off the funky Autobody Experience, while we processed what Brad had just laid on us. After a few measures, feet and hands started flailing as Autobody melted into the newly rearranged The Weight, with guitar pyrotechnics and rhythmic undulation. They merged into Dogs on Bikes organically and fiercely, going back into The Weight, mashed up and dangerous, as they are known for. Dogs kept going, with a blazing solo by Andrew, back into The Weight, Dogs, Weight, Dogs…and our minds will never be the same.
The fans were not ready to leave, and the packed house didn’t budge, cheering for an encore. The Slip came back, and Brad warned us, “We all knew how this was going to end”, as they encored with a 9-minute Children of December.
Friday’s Brooklyn Bowl was the best of the tour so far; The Slip had rekindled the sacred fire.
Friday, November 19, 2021 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY Setlist: Aptos > Airplane/Primitive, Wolof, Bloodstone*, Hit Song, Driving Backwards with You, First Panda In Space > The Soft Machine, The Shouters > Get Me with Fuji@ > Moby Dick^ > Get Me with Fuji, Through the Iron Gate@#, Life in Disguise$, Jealous Guy!, Autobody Experience > The Weight+ > Dogs on Bikes (outro) Notes: * new Brad song (working title). @ w/ Sweet Child o’ Mine tease from Brad and Marc. # w/ So What (Miles Davis) teases from Marc & Andrew. $ unfinished. + new version, rearranged w/ Dogs outro.
We arrived early to Levon’s to hang by the fire. It was wonderful to see so many dear friends, some from as far as California! The Slip played High Sierra Festival most often, garnering a huge west coast fan base to rival back east. We wondered what they’d play tonight, and who might show up. Our anticipation was rewarded when Kt confirmed that Marco was arriving, which means he’d sit in. Other fans found out when they saw Marco’s Hammond inside the barn. A handful of fans had never seen The Slip before, but the audience was comprised of dear friends and music aficionados Levon’s sold out in a few minutes, so we all counted our blessings to gather at this special venue for our favorite band.
On the way in, we went to check out the merch. The new Slip tour hoodies have “216” on the front, a special code. 216 is Plato’s Number, which has references in ancient texts, the sum of 3 consecutive cubes (a “magic number”).
BAM opened with Suffocation Keep. This was another tour bust-out, last played at Sullivan Hall in 2010 (one of only 4 shows they played that year). This sombre song is about a relationship and introspection (lyrics, video). Trane-ing came next, which was played in every city this tour, but had not been played since a Slip stealth gig at Matt Murphy’s Pub on Valentine’s Day 2006 (The Slip were billed as “The Lips”). Bloodstone returned, which debuted at Brooklyn Bowl Friday. The powerful Sometimes True to Nothing and Motherwolf ended the first set with ferocity.
Marco sat in on Hammond for most of the second set, adding depth and chops to the musical stew. They opened with the sing-a-long If One of Us Should Fall, one of their most popular tunes, last played at Lockn’ Farm this summer. A funky Chasing Rabbits came next, followed by Jumby and a sweet Yellow Medicine with a Zion intro. Marco took a break for Through the Iron Gate and Life in Disguise, returning for Lennon’s Jealous Guy, which BAM only ever played on this tour.
Teasing this song throughout the tour on preprinted setlists, The Slip finally satisfied fans with their most-requested song, Honey Melon. This song is an earworm – once the “Words go in, they don’t come out.” This ended the set with great energy, and everyone was on their feet by then.
BAM returned to play an blazing encore of The Weight (fan-shot video), which was even fiercer with Marco on keys. This version had both the Autobody intro and the Dogs on Bikes outro. Fans danced wildly to celebrate this last show of the tour, and we all hope that The Slip will return to the road again soon.
Hugs and tears flowed as we processed the musical majesty of these last two weeks.
Saturday, November 20, 2021 – Levon Helm Studios – Woodstock, NY Set 1: Suffocation Keep, Trane-ing, Bloodstone*, Aptos, Sometimes True to Nothing > Motherwolf Set 2: If One of Us Should Fall, ? > Chasing Rabbits, Jumby, Yellow Medicine%, Through the Iron Gate^, Life in Disguise^, Jealous Guy$, Honey Melon Encore: The Weight#> Dogs on Bikes Notes: * new Brad song, previously untitled. % w/ Zion intro. ^ the only two songs in second set w/o Marco Benevento on Hammond. $ John Lennon cover. # new version, with Dogs on Bikes outro and Autobody intro.
Alex Giannascoli, a.k.a. Alex G, closed out his 2021 tour this week with two shows at Webster Hall. The tour served as a second leg of shows in support of the excellent 2019 LP House of Sugar (from Domino Records). With the release of this LP, Alex G also dropped part of his stage name; being formerly known as (Sandy) Alex G. NYS Music caught the last show of the tour on December 7th – scroll down for the full photo gallery below.
Alex G played career spanning sets at Webster Hall over the two shows, hitting tracks off all his past LPs plus a heavy dose of House of Sugar. Both nights opened with the psychedelic and groovy single “Gretel,” a quintessential show opener. Swirling acoustic guitar arpeggios transition into a psychedelic jam with heavy hitting drums perfect for setting the tone for the night.
Both nights also featured surprising covers. On night one fans got a very different version of Trans Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve Sarajevo” while night two saw a very true to form version of Coldplay’s “Clocks.”
Tuesday night was the finale of the tour, and there is currently only one more show scheduled next year on February 24th at August Hall in San Francisco. Keep an eye out for more shows and possibly new music in the near future from Alex G.
Vanessa Collier gave a two set and encore performance to match everyone’s delight at the 443. Vanessa serves up three courses of art as she is a saxophonist, vocalist, and songwriter. She whipped up table side sax solos at the 443 while taking a stroll through the crowd. The 443 social club creates an ambience much like the “storytellers” series that many artists have been a part of. Vanessa told the crowd about her various family influences on certain numbers. She had Syracuse’s Byron Cage on drums and William Gorman on keys. Andrew Cane from San Diego on bass and Shemekia Copeland’s guitarist Arthur Neilson from Brooklyn.
Photo by Steve Moore
Her four album names should help give some insight on the kind of grooves they laid down at 443, Heart Soul & Saxophone, Meeting my Shadow, Honey Up, and Heart on the Line. She kept the spontaneity in the show vibrant by switching to steel guitar for a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “Blender Blues”.
Vanessa credited stories like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Greek Myth of Icarus to the crowd as an inspiration before performing her original “Icarus” off her Honey Up Album…
It’s a song about little Icarus when he is just dreaming of taking that flight and its sort of a song to everybody to chase your dreams and never let anybody tell you that you can’t do something
Vanessa Collier
Vanessa took some time after the gig to post up at one of the 443 social club tables for a talk with NYS Music about music & her history,
Matthew Romano: Is there a memory of a show you’ve played or attended in New York state that sticks out as a meaningful experience? J.V Collier told me he used to go to where Jaco Pastorius slept in Central Park for inspiration.
Vanessa Collier: For sure, that’s a great question. I remember it being special because it was my very first gig opening for Bruce Katz at The Falcon in Marlboro, New York. Things come full circle. It was my first time seeing his guitar player Chris Vitarello and now I’ve played with him a bunch in my band. So we keep it going, it’s connected.
MR: It is connected. Bruce Katz used to play with Gregg Allman at our Blues Festivals like you did this year. I couldn’t help but notice a song you played tonight titled “If Only” The sentiment seemed very familiar with the “when I get this..then that will bring happiness” concept that a lot of people fall to. The sax solo at the end had a Leroi Moore like tone too. Would you mind talking about that tune?
VC: Sure, my whole thought process behind the new record was to try and write story songs. Some of them are based on true things, some are not. This one is close to me. I’ve had a person in my life who’s constantly unhappy and nothing is ever enough ya know what i mean? It was inspired by this person and just a reminder to always live life to the fullest and to live with what you got to find a way to be happy.
MR: I know exactly what you mean. With this on the go lifestyle all you have is the moment. Hard to sacrifice that time to be unhappy.
VC: Amen.
MR: My third and final question here at 443 is about two books that we have in common, Questlove’s Creative Quest and The Devil’s Horn: The Story of the Saxophone from noisy novelty to king of cool. What’s cool that sticks out to you from those two great reads?
VC: That’s killer. I respect Quest’s love and knowledge for the music. It’s not a surface level thing with him. It’s all life. He knows every groove from every single song he’s heard. From a DJ perspective and then a drummer angle is great. I know I was gonna re read it again when i get into a new record. The thing I love about the devil’s horn is that I didn’t know Adolphe Sax’s story as much. Ya know that he almost died so many times and they murdered his assistant thinking it was him. To me what I loved is that the saxophone has this history of challenge and yet it still brings out something beautiful. I love that the inventor of the sax was that way too . He went through a lot of struggle to create this beautiful instrument.
MR: I love how the saxophone survived the Vatican when they tried to outlaw it because of its effects. What’s the oldest room you’ve ever played in?
VC: We’ve played a lot of converted churches that are now venues. So those are always awesome with just the acoustics in the room alone.
MR: There is two floor opera house near here that is an old theater church now used for music & art in Syracuse’s Little Italy you should play next.
