Due to the ongoing pandemic leaving endless musicians and venues in the dark, Tedeschi Trucks Band has postponed their 2021 Wheels of Soul Tour to the summer of 2022.
Led by the husband and wife team of guitarist Derek Trucks and vocalist/guitarist Susan Tedeschi, the twelve-member strong Tedeschi Trucks Band is acclaimed by fans and critics alike, and devoted to their presence on stage. The annual summer tour is meticulously crafted, with past guests including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Los Lobos, and Drive By-Truckers.
The legendary Los Lobos, longtime TTB friends and collaborators, and veterans of 2016’s Wheels of Soul will replace St. Paul and the Broken Bones and join the multi-band bill for the 2022 amphitheater run.
“We are extremely disappointed at having to postpone Wheels of Soul again,” says Derek Trucks. “We’re all missing the energy of live music – and there’s nothing like playing these large, outdoor shows alongside bands we admire. We were really hoping to get back on stage and dive into some fun big-band collaborations with St. Paul, but unfortunately, with all the uncertainty, it just couldn’t work this year.”
As the world is slowly receiving vaccinations, the band is organizing some socially-distanced, limited capacity concerts for the summer of 2021. However, in 2022, Tedeschi Trucks’ Wheels of Soul Tour will be coming to several New York cities such as Canandaigua, Patchogue, and Lewiston. Current Wheels of Soul tickets will be honored for rescheduled 2022 shows. Fans who are unable to attend rescheduled shows should contact point of purchase for refund options.
WHEELS OF SOUL – 2021 DATESNEW 2022 DATES 6/26 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place Rschd: 6/24/22 6/27 Mobile, AL Mobile Civic Center Rschd: 6/25/22 6/30 Canandaigua, NY CMAC Rschd: 7/1/22 7/2 Saratoga Springs, NY SPAC Rschd: 7/3/22 7/3 Gilford, NH BNH Pavilion Rschd: 7/2/22 7/4 Essex Junction, VT Midway Lawn Rschd: 7/9/22 7/6 Philadelphia, PA Mann Rschd: 7/8/22 7/9 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Rschd: 7/21/22 7/10 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pav Rschd: 7/23/22 7/11 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend TBA 7/13 Lewiston, NY Artpark Rschd: 7/12/22 7/14 Indianapolis, IN White River Rschd: 6/28/22 7/15 Aurora, IL RiverEdge Park Rschd: 7/26/22 7/17 New Haven, CT Westville Music Bowl Rschd: 7/6/22 7/18 Patchogue, NY Great South Bay Rschd 7/10/22 7/20-21 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap Rschd: 7/19/22 7/23-24 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre Rschd: 7/15-7/16 7/25 Huber Heights, OH Rose Music Center Rschd: 7/24/22 7/27 Harrington, DE Delaware State Fair Cancelled 7/30-31 Morrison, CO Red Rocks TBA
This is the first article in the series “Made in New York,” a historical examination of the music history of each of New York’s 62 counties. First up – Orange County.
Welcome to Orange County, New York! This stretch of land is the first county in the United States to be named Orange and it shares this name with seven others throughout the country. Located between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers, this area which was first named in 1683 is full of natural and historical wonders.
The county’s highest elevation is located at Schunemunk Mountain and its lowest point is at the mighty Hudson River. The Wallkill River National Refuge is home to the smallest turtle in New York and this is just up the road from the Black Dirt Region in Southern Orange County, which accounts for half of the onions grown in New York State. Additionally, the black dirt here has an uncanny ability to preserve the past and more mastodon bones have been uncovered in this area than anywhere else on Earth.
Some of the history in this area is well-known by all, but this county has a surprising amount of it, some of which many people may not be aware. West Point Military Academy, which opened in 1802, is the oldest such school in the U.S. and the first section of the Appalachian Trail was created at Bear Mountain and opened in 1923. But interestingly, Orange County is home to the oldest tree and the oldest carbon-dated human settlement in America.
Orange County has its share of “firsts” as well. It has been home to the first cattle ranch and the first butter factory in America and also the world’s first homeopathic mental hospital. And who can forget America’s first liquid propelled airmail rocket flight which occurred at Greenwood Lake in 1936.
This county has a few more facts that just need to be shared. Stewart International Airport has a runway long enough to designate it as an emergency landing site for the now-defunct space shuttle. Brotherhood Winery is the oldest continuously operating winery in the country and Storm King Art Center is the largest sculpture park in the country. And finally, cream cheese was first mass-produced in Chester, NY and despite being made in New York, they named their product ‘Philadelphia Cream Cheese’ and through clever marketing, got its name because the Pennsylvania city was known for quality dairy farming.
But you didn’t come to NYS Music to learn about cheese and turtles; you’re here to learn about what Orange County has to offer to the music community.
The Ritz Theater in Newburgh is one of the most famous musical venues in the county and has been graced by performances from Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Prima and a then unknown singer named Frank Sinatra. It also, famously, is the venue where Lucille Ball made her on-stage debut and it was also the first time she performed with Desi Arnaz. On the other side of the county, Port Jarvis used to be the home of the State Theater. In its last year of operation, the venue featured both Anthrax and Metallica.
SONY DSC
In between these two cities, Middletown is home to the Paramount Theater which was added to the State & National Register of Historic Places in 2002. This venue has seen Johnny Cash, Joan Jett, Jefferson Starship and Blue Oyster Cult play for sold out audiences. And while we can’t touch on every venue in the county, one final notable haunt is the BSP Lounge in Kingston. This place was a featured location during King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s second U.S. Tour in 2014.
There are plenty of musicians who have called Orange County their home. Let’s take a look at the many bands and artists from the area.
Willie “The Lion” Smith
17th February 1939: American jazz musician Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith playing the piano and singing at a ‘Friday Club’ jam session, organized by Eddie Condon and ad-men P. Smith and E. Anderson, at the Park Lane Hotel, New York City. (Photo by Charles Peterson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Jazz music wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for one particular resident of Orange County. Willie “The Lion” Smith was born in Goshen, NY in 1893. In his younger years, he discovered his mothers broken down organ in the basement and she taught him all of the melodies she knew, despite the instrument missing most of its keys. He started playing music at local clubs as he got older and one day he discovered a newspaper advertisement for Marshall & Wendell’s piano store in Albany with a contest to guess how many dots were printed in their ad. After winning the contest, an upright piano was delivered to his house and he continued to play various rags that he learned in those clubs.
In his late teens, he was finally playing in NYC and Atlantic City before serving in World War 1 where his reported bravery as a gunner earned him the nickname “The Lion.” He was back playing clubs in NYC by 1919 and not only made his first record a year later but helped develop a new piano style that is now known as “stride.” That record in 1920, called Crazy Blues, recorded with a singer named Mamie Smith, is generally regarded as the first recording of the blues.
During this time, Smith became a mentor for many up-and-coming musicians, most notably Duke Ellington. Duke was once quoted saying, “Willie The Lion was the greatest influence of all the great jazz piano players who have come along. He has a beat that stays in the mind.”
Orange County celebrates Willie “The Lion” Smith Day on September 18.
The Kalin Twins
Hal and Herbie Kalin were born in Port Jervis on February 16, 1934. Although they wouldn’t become stars until their late 20’s, their first “performance” together was at the town’s Christmas party when they were both five years old. At the age of 18, Hal was drafted into the U.S. Army and he and his brother kept in contact during his service, sharing songs they had written and writing about future plans to make it big in the music industry.
The twins were signed to the Decca Records label after Hal’s return and although their first songs failed to chart, they did appear on the Milt Grant Show and performed live. It wasn’t until searching through a bunch of demo tapes from writers that they discovered the song “When,” which they thought would be a hit. Released as a B-side on their single “Three O’Clock Thrill,” “When” eventually peaked at #5 on the Hot 100 charts and made it to #1 on the UK Singles chart and also #1 on the US R&B chart. They weren’t one-hit-wonders though as they had a number of other charting tracks including “Forget Me Not,” which reached #12 on the Hot 100.
Pardison Fontaine
Jorden Thorpe, better known as Pardison Fontaine, was born in Newburgh, NY in 1989. At an early age, he started rapping on his Talkboy and decided during his college years to drop out and commit fully to his hip-hop aspirations. He first gained acclaim with his 2013 song, “Oyyy” from his debut mixtape titled ‘Not Supposed to Be Here’ and filmed the music video for the track in his hometown. This song caught the attention of Cardi B and Pardison has since contributed as a songwriter to her for numerous songs, most famously her single “Bodak Yellow.”
Cardi was also featured on Pardison’s breakout hit “Backin It Up,” which hit #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and has garnered over 166 million views on YouTube. Pardi has co-wrote with Kanye West on more than half of the songs on Kanye’s 2018 album, Ye, including “Violent Crimes” and “Ghost Town.” In addition to these, Pardison co-wrote the track “South of the Border” on Ed Sheeran’s No.6 Collaborations Project.
Pardison still represents his roots in Newburgh and loves giving back to the community. He has donated jerseys to the local Newburgh Steelers football team, participated in a turkey drive and also a bookbag giveaway to help local school children. His new album, Under8ed, was released in November of 2019 which he has described as “the story of my city.”
pErFect ThYroID
Throughout the 90s, one band in particular made waves throughout the Hudson Valley with its new brand of musical fusion, fun live shows and of course, it’s infamous Skunk logo. Hailing from Orange and Ulster County, Perfect Thyroid was formed in 1991 and while its lineup changed throughout the years, the band originally consisted of brothers Chris and Bill Hanson, Chris Snykus, Jaf Farkas, Shawn Rice and Jen Polcari. Combining the ska, funk and punk, reggae and jazz genres into their musical stylings, Thyroid became well known for calling this new sound “Skunk”.
PT toured full-time for over 20 years and put out 5 albums during that time, including “Musical Barnacles,” which Alternative Press selected as a “Ska-Punk Essential Album.” They were also featured on the soundtrack for the 1998 Disney movie, Meet The Deedles. Throughout the tenure over the last 2 decades, they’ve had a plethora of incredible musicians join them in studio and on stage, including Dean Jones, Joe Cuchelo, Jason Foster, Mike Bove, Jon Stern, Sam Lapidus, Sean McLaughlin, Ben Acrish and Goshen’s own Shane Kirsch.
While the band has still played occasional shows throughout the last decade, most of the current lineup can also been seen in another area band called The Big Shoe. The members of Perfect Thyroid continue to call the Hudson Valley their home and will always be a shining example of what bands from New York State bring to live music scene.
William Fullerton Jr
William was born in Newburgh in 1854 and was the only son of William Fullerton, a famous New York lawyer. At age 17, he published‘Silver Strains’ which is now located in the Library of Congress. He left for Europe to study music in Germany and ended up living in London where he published a number of popular compositions that were dedicated to members of the Royal family. During his time in London, he lived with a famous painter and stage designer named Percy Anderson and these two would go on to have success with the opera named ‘Lady of the Locket.’ Following this, he set to work with Anderson on another light opera titled ‘Waldemar: Robber of the Rhine’ before succumbing to tuberculosis in 1888. While many of his works have been lost to history, ‘Spanish Serenade’ still exists online and can be heard below.
Dubois Alsdorf
Newburgh has a rich history of music and dance over the last century and a half, and that is thanks to the Alsdorf Dance Academy. Dubois Alsdorf was born in Wallkill, NY in 1827 to parents George and Catherine. At an early age, he showed a talent for music which he received from his father George and his parents sent him to New York City to begin an apprenticeship. Studying under famed orchestra leader and composer William Alpo, Dubois learned from Alpo’s musical experiences playing with Francis Johnson. Johnson was the first American musician to tour Europe and introduced the U.S. to the idea of open-air concerts, which had a lasting impression on Dubois. After his apprenticeship, Dubois formed one of the first regional brass bands, the Alsdorf Band, which according to the Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands, made their debut on the Courthouse steps of Newburgh in 1849.
Alsdorf also began his own orchestra which played in prominent vacation spots like Lake George and Saratoga Springs and locally for dance classes, which gave him the opportunity to learn dance instruction. This set the stage for him to open the Alsdorf Dance Academy, whose first location was in Newburgh’s own United States Hotel. The school was soon teaching dance to the people of Newburgh and Orange County alike and this history of dance education continued as his three sons followed in his footsteps. Charles, Simon and Ulysses Alsdorf taught at the Dance Academy at 93 Liberty Street in Newburgh, which featured a grand ballroom and rooftop garden for public performances. The first soiree at the Alsdorf Academy took place in 1849, but the Dubois family continued this tradition for nearly a century, teaching Newburghers dance and music for generations.
The Heavy Pets
The Heavy Pets are considered a Florida-based band through and through, but their roots run deep in Orange County. Guitarists Jeff Lloyd and Mike Garulli as well as Bassist Joe Dupell became friends while going to high school in Goshen, NY and formed a band named Anthem before starting the first iteration of The Heavy Pets. College sadly got in the way of music, but once that was done, Dupell invited Lloyd down to visit him in Florida. Shortly after his arrival, Garulli came down as well, setting the stage for The Heavy Pets to reform.
Their first show in South Florida occurred in 2005 and the next few years were nothing short of exceptional for the band. In a 2006 contest to select a local band to play the Langerado Music Festival in Florida, The Heavy Pets beat out 350 other bands and were on the same lineup as The Flaming Lips, The Disco Biscuits and Robert Randolph. Two months later they were selected as the “Unsigned Band of the Week” by High Times Magazine. The following year, they put out their first album, Whale, and have released seven additional albums since then.
While the band’s lineup has changed slightly over the years, their love for playing live shows and especially music festivals has not. The Heavy Pets have played more than a dozen different festivals and over 1,000 live shows since 2005 and have even held their own fest, Pet Zoo, three times in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Corey Glover
Corey Glover, best known for his work with Living Colour and also for touring with Galactic wasn’t born in Orange County, but he re-located there in the last decade. While you may recognize his face from the movie Platoon, Glover’s voice is known the world over from Living Colour’s hit 1988 song “Cult of Personality.” Glover has also been in such bands as SKAndalous All-Stars and Vice and has even toured as a vocalist with the “A Bowie Celebration” Alumni Tour.
During the beginning of the last decade, Glover started playing with a number of jam bands. He sang with Robert Randolph as well as Soulive for a number of shows and also toured as a vocalist with Galactic from 2011-2014 after seeing them at Irving Plaza in NYC and joining them on stage at that show. He is still touring with Living Colour and most recently started two new bands. He started Ultraphonix with Dokken guitarist George Lynch and a metal project called Disciples of Verity with former members from Negative Sky and God Forbid.
So there you have it. Orange County has, without a doubt, a rich heritage of musicians and venues and an impressive amount of history surrounding it. From rock to hip-hop, the Hudson River to the Delaware River and the Philadelphia Cream Cheese company to the country’s first rocket-propelled airmail test. The contributions from the residents in this county can’t be glossed over and it’ll be a standard that you’ll find throughout our series on the Counties within New York State. Next up, CortlandCounty!
On March 28, the music world, and the Hudson Valley’s close knit community of music makers, lost another great one, Malcolm Cecil. The much-traveled musician, producer and Grammy-winning engineer passed away after a long illness in Malden-on-Hudson, where he had lived and continued his work for the past two decades.
Though Cecil was a man of many hats he is perhaps best known as the co-creator of TONTO, the world’s largest analog synthesizer. This room-sized amalgamation of a variety of synths and sound processors would become the musical bedrock for the dozens of albums he helped produce. Most notable are Stevie Wonder’s revered quartet of classics from the 70s, Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale.
credit: Sebastian Buzzalino/National Music Centre
Born 84 years ago in London, Cecil seemed predestined for a career in music. According to a 2007 profile by Peter Aaron in Chronogram, Cecil’s American grandfather was a movie organist in Times Square theaters, while his mother played violin, piano and accordion in a gypsy band that his father managed. After an aborted attempt at piano, Cecil switched over to bass and ultimately became a much in-demand player.
Cecil would go on to stints in the BBC Orchestra and the house band at Ronnie Scott’s, London’s leading jazz club, where he performed behind luminaries like Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Stan Getz and Herbie Mann. Cecil also co-founded Blues Incorporated with Alexis Korner, the ensemble where the young Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and other rock stars-to-be got their first taste of stage experience.
A ham radio enthusiast in his youth, Malcolm’s acumen in electronics grew when he served as a radio technician in the Royal Airforce. While stationed in Newcastle, he got together with The Animals and Hendrix’s manager-to-be, Michael Jeffries, and opened a jazz club called The Downbeat, which he wisely outfitted with recording gear. Seeking to get a contract for The Animals, Jeffries asked Cecil if he could demo a rehearsal by the rockers in the club’s off-hours, which he did on his trusty Revox according to TapeOp. This demo contained the proto-version of “House of the Rising Sun” which earned them their record deal, a #1 hit and global fame.
After a detour to South Africa, Cecil ended up in the U.S. in the late 60s. The bassist toured with several jazz artists before taking a job maintaining equipment at Mediasound, a busy Manhattan recording studio where he would meet his partner in technology and music production, Bob Margouleff.
Margouleff had bought one of the early Moog series IIIc synthesizers and teamed up with the more technically adept Cecil to expand upon it, combining a variety synths from Moog and ARP with an array of custom modules, processors and controllers from a Russian composer and Jimi Hendrix’s guitar tech.
In the end, it was a six-foot tall, 300-square foot sound-making monster, one which the duo used to conjure a galaxy of spacey and downright funky sonics. They cheekily dubbed it TONTO, for The Original New Timbral Orchestra. And after a chance meeting with his old acquaintance Herbie Mann, Cecil scored a record deal with the flautist’s Embryo label. In 1971, they released their hugely influential debut album, Zero Time, as the equally cheekily named Tonto’s Expanding Headband.
Zero Time was a revelation to music makers, and none more so than Stevie Wonder. One day Wonder turned up at Mediasound (in a pistachio colored jumpsuit) with a copy of the album under his arm seeking a demonstration. After a quick tour of TONTO, he immediately booked a session with the duo. Over the course of a single weekend, they produced a remarkable 17 songs. Wonder then had TONTO moved to Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios and the trio would collaborate there over the next four years on soulful innovations that would remake the sound of popular music. Together, they co-produced the classic quartet of Wonder’s best loved albums, containing songs like “Superstition,” “Higher Ground,” “Living for the City,” “You and I” and many more. Cecil not only helped Wonder dial up the sounds heard in his imagination, but often performed them on the discs.
In 1975, Malcolm Cecil and Margouleff would split, with Cecil purchasing TONTO outright and continuing its expansion, as both an instrument and a sonic spice dusted onto rock, R&B, jazz and experimental idioms.
Cecil would go on to produce and provide his engineering expertise to a stunning number of acts in the following three decades. These included The Isley Brothers, Steven Stills, Weather Report, Minnie Riperton, Randy Newman, James Taylor, Jeff Beck, The Jackson Five, Little Feat, Steve Hillage, Dave Mason, The Doobie Brothers, Mandrill, Quincy Jones, Bobby Womack, Joan Baez and more.
One of Cecil’s longest lasting collaborations was with soul poet/proto-rapper Gil Scott-Heron. Cecil produced several of Scott-Heron’s acclaimed albums beginning with 1980 in its title year, which featured Gil and his musical partner Brian Jackson in the studio with TONTO on its front and back covers, through to 1994’s Spirits.
TONTO came with Cecil when he moved to the Hudson Valley, with a couple of notable detours. These included a stay at Devo founder Mark Mothersbaugh’s Mutato Studios, where he used TONTO to create the music for the Rugrats animated series in the mid-1990s. Aaron’s article includes an interesting description of TONTO’s humble home in Cecil’s backyard shed in quiet Malden. In order to preserve this one of a kind piece of musical history, Cecil sold TONTO to The National Music Centre in Calgary, Canada in 2013. The museum completed a full restoration in 2018 and today offers it for music production services.
With his move to the Hudson Valley, Cecil continued his recording work with TONTO, creating the lush New Age-y sounds on his album Radiance, and in other partnerships, including one with Russian violinist Valeri Glava as Superstrings. Cecil also returned to his first musical love, acoustic bass, playing regular jazz gigs at cozy Hudson Valley clubs like the Colony Woodstock.
I first met Malcolm Cecil at such a gig. This was in October 2019, when we were both playing our respective sets on the sidewalk as a part of the outdoor ShoutOut Saugerties Music Day. The woman who organized this community attraction was Cecil’s neighbor, Isabel Soffer. She is an internationally known curator and live event producer, co-founder and director of globalFEST, the pre-eminent annual showcase for World Music in the U.S. She had been working for the past two years with Malcolm on various projects.
As is all too often the case in the music business, Cecil did not acquire or continue to receive great wealth from his tireless creative efforts. According to several sources, Cecil was not a participant in royalties from some of his best known works.
In mid-November 2020, Soffer called me to see if I might volunteer my day job skills, as a publicist, to help her and Malcolm get some new projects off the ground. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to meet and talk with a musician I had revered since I was 13 years of age, when I first heard Zero Time on WNEW-FM in NYC.
As with TONTO, part of his desire was to preserve and have others benefit from his legacy. Malcolm Cecil maintained a huge archive of recordings, correspondence, photographs, videos, recording equipment, session notes and other artifacts from his six decades in music, ones that are important artifacts from some of the most vital chapters of 20th Century music. As he got on in years, he was hoping to find a proper home for this massive archive.
Also on his mind was a possible 50th Anniversary release of a Zero Time/Tonto’s Expanding Headband boxed set, with unreleased tracks and other goodies. There was also discussion of tribute album featuring notable musicians and helmed by a star producer.
Malcolm was also taking steps to prepare a biography, a unique one to be told in the voice of TONTO. It would be machine telling of his adventures in sound and in-studio with many of the most talented names in music. Another neighbor, a Vanity Fair writer, was urging Malcolm to tell his tales in the form of a podcast they would co-produce.
Cecil was also well on the way to finalizing a series of projects around two giants, Muhammed Ali and Gil Scott-Heron, ones that might still come to fruition with the proper support. He was planning to combine the music from his Radiance album with spoken word from a lecture by Ali for an album to be released in June 3, 2021, the 15th Anniversary of the champion’s death. With Gil, there were three discreet projects in the works, a re-release of The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron, a piece he wrote on the day John Lennon died called “Third Person,” and a music/poetry project with Scott-Heron’s daughter Gia.
As 2022 would be the 50th Anniversary of the release of the first of his Stevie Wonder collaboration, Music of My Mind, Malcolm Cecil was looking forward to celebrating the landmark with his own new music inspired by the event.
Two short weeks after I spent a few hours with Malcolm hearing his plans and remarkable stories, I heard he was hospitalized. Our work stopped for the moment, in hopes that Malcolm might rally and continue his work.
But even with his passing, Soffer is encouraged. She is hoping the many who loved and admired Malcolm Cecil and his work will come together to bring some of these final projects to life.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong announces a five show summer tour running through both June and July across multiple states. The tour will start on June 18, 2021 in New York and end on July 16, 2021 in New Hampshire.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are a funk band from Baltimore, Maryland that started back in 2009. The lineup is currently made up of Greg Ormont on vocals and guitar, Jeremy Schon on guitar and vocals, Ben Carrey on bass and vocals and Alex Petropulos on drums. They released their first album back in 2010 titled Funk E P. They currently have five studio albums with their most recent album titled Presto was released in 2020.
The tour will start in Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in Lafayette, New York and will host shows on both June 18 and 19. The band will make it’s next stop on June 26 for a show at Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut. They will move on with the tour and on July 10th they will stop at Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Roseland, Virginia. The five show tour will wrap up on July 16 in Northlands in Swanzey, New Hampshire.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Livel (L-R): Jeremy Schon (Guitar), Alex Petropulos (Drums) “Scrambled Greg” Ormont (Vocals/Guitar), Ben Carrey (Bass). Photo: Kendall McCargo
All the events will require attendees to be seated in socially distant pods. All shows will adhere to all state and local guidelines regarding masks and social distancing. They will be one of the first few bands to perform at the recently constructed Westville Music Bowl which is the fourth stop on their tour which was formerly home of the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament. Their last stop on the tour at Northlands (Formerly Drive-In Live) in Swanzey was originally a drive-in theatre. The owners transformed the scenic, mountainside location into a thriving, pod-style concert field. Northlands also expanded the operation, promising “food trucks, beer and wine, improved sound and lights, and much more…”.
An artist pre-sale will commence on Wednesday, March 17th at 12 PM ET, followed by a public on sale on Friday, March 19th at 12 PM ET here.
With live music being halted for so long due to COVID-19, the news of live summer tours taking place this summer is exciting and gives hope that soon regular live music can become a reality again. For more information on Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and their upcoming summer tour visit their website.
When you think of great funk soul bands that have come out of Buffalo, New York only two names come to mind, Rick James and Soulive. Alan Evans, drummer and founding member of Soulive took time to talk about his musical journey that started in Western New York to around the world with the best.
Buffalo, NY native Alan Evans at “Bowlive”
“It just kind of happened, To be honest I’m surprised I’m actually doing this, some people can point to… “ Oh I saw this, I heard this” Then all of a sudden I wanted to play music , but man music for me is like breathing, like literally ya know?, “ Its always been ingrained”
He has been playing gigs in Buffalo since he was eleven years old.” “For Neal and I it started like one day we were playing music, the next day basketball, then football, maybe skateboarding, then some times all that in the same day” Alan first started out with a band called The Groove and then Moonboot Lover that prompted him to touchdown outside Buffalo in Brooklyn’s pre-developed 1992 Park Slope. “At 7th between 8th and Prospect right at the park “ “Park Slope was a completely different world then ”.
He went on to form Soulive with his brother Neal Evans and Eric Krasno in 1999 that has gone through the past two decades culminating in their own Seven time residency at the historic Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg. Dubbed as “Bowlive”, it brings all of the best musicians on the scene today to collaborate with Alan and his Buddy Miles like vocals and drumming on “Them Changes” for each one over the years.
NYS Music had some time to talk with Alan Evans about his musical experiences over the career, Here is the Conversation:
Matthew Romano: Where was your first collaboration with Sam Kininger who became an instrumental part of Soulive?
Alan Evans: So… Soulive started in 1999 and Sam came and was part of the Lettuce crew at Berklee at the time, So literally all of our early gigs were with Sam, I remember the first time we played with Sam was at House of Blues in Cambridge, Mass in 99’ and Kraz was like “Oh my boy Sam is gonna come through and play” “and we were like all right cool whatever” Then we recorded on from there with two great records in Woodstock with him
Alan Evans, Sam Kininger
MR: Jumping from House of Blues on the East Coast with Sam K to the House of Blues in Los Angeles on the West Coast in 2005 where Stevie Wonder was in the crowd for your set and then joined for the encore on “Jesus Children of America” Did you know he was in attendance and was gonna close the show out with you?
AE: We had no idea he was there that night, we finished our last song and left the stage he was there and wanted to sit in with us, so um when we went to play as usual, the funny thing is at that point and time we played Jesus Children a lot. Especially for an encore ,we played it to get into a groove in the set list on tour so we were probably gonna do that any way. They said his driver had to get his harmonica out of the car, so basically we went on and were just stalling and started playing and I look over and saw him on the side stage and the people gave me the thumbs up and I introduced him, and he came out so yea it was pretty wild.
The funny thing it was the first time I ever saw Stevie Wonder live and they set him up right next to me. I thought he was gonna come on and play harmonica and leave , he’s not gonna sing and split, he comes out and the first thing he does is start to blow the harp, ok just as expected and then we got in to it and were grooving pretty hard, his solo came to and end and then started singing!
MR: In 1972 Stevie Wonder opened for the Rolling Stones, Soulive opened for the Stones on a couple different occasions, In Philadelphia you did for an intimate Tower Theater performance at a three thousand capacity venue . Any cool takeaways from that infamous backstage scene with them?
AE: A lot of funny stuff happened with the Philly show, like some Planes, Trains and Automobiles kind of stuff, So this is pre uber days and we landed at the airport and were cutting it close for soundcheck, a car pulls up that can finally brings us but we had gear and needed a van but couldn’t get one…the catch is that he has like a bag of trash that he ended up strapping to to the hood so we can all fit in and brings us to the venue where we tried to keep a low profile to get dropped off away from the Stones tailgate around the corner
So we got inside and did a soundcheck and hung out downstairs and was used to the typical go back to the hotel to chill before playing, that wasn’t the case the with Stones since it was such a mob scene they couldn’t leave either so we were all just hanging out
Backstage: Soulive and The Rolling Stones
We couldn’t leave, we were just there hanging out in our green room which had catering and a cavernous hallway leading to it. I remember Kraz and I were sitting by the door and ah Neal and I were on the couch too. But anyway Kraz is in this other chair by the door , all of a sudden someone kicks in the door , and the it flies open and BAM! I mean it was loud as hell , I mean what the fuck is going on? And in comes Keith Richards who just kicks the door down and walks in and goes I heard one of you is from Connecticut ?! So Kraz was from CT and Keith lives in Connecticut and they talked for a while and then Keith just splits
So we opened and were just up there doing our thing , some people in the crowd were checking it out, the other were just rolling their eyes and the thing is I looked to my right and all of them were hanging out like listening. All the Stones were posted up the whole set, they were digging the shit out of it, so um that was fine, we came off on time and they were like just like damn we got to work tonight, and i’m like OK cool
MR: After seven Brooklyn Bowl Residencies, is it even possible to pick a stand out moment with all those collaborations with every great artist over the years ?
Bowlive Poster & Setlist
AE: Man that’s a really good question, so much of it is , it seems like every year there is a moment like wow I can’t believe this is happening
I remember the set with Bernie Worrell and we did a like whole P Funk thing, I wasn’t even playing drums on that, it was me Kraz and Shmeeans playing guitar, I remember soundcheck and were running through the tunes with him, and were like damn this is Bernie, and we knew him for years but this is the first time we’ve played him, but it the was also the ideal time to realize this dude is a living legend, that was one experience I remember being insane
I grew up listening to P Funk, our older brother was way in to to them , hes 65, so he literally experienced them in 1977 when they were touring and saw them live landing the Mother Ship
MR: I’ve seen you play at Madison Square Garden, that being every artist’s dream venue in the State to play, are there any other venues in New York you have fond memories of?
AE: Its tough to beat the Garden, but ya know SPAC right? Yea man i have a sweet spot in my heart for that place man, Peter Prince my band mate in Moon Boot Lover back in the day is from from Saratoga Springs, His father is a really great artist, so for Jazz Fest we’d always get his dad’s vendors pass there. I saw some great shows and actually Soulive got to play there one year for the festival. There’s definitely something special about that place and I’d love to perform there again actually
MR: It was last Valentines Day at the Tralf in Buffalo seeing you perform with Soulive, it’s been almost a year since you were able to play live in front of sold out crowds pre pandemic, what is the expectation on live music for yourself in 2021 during these new times?
AE: That was my last run. We did the The Tralf, Pittsburgh ,The Capitol Theater and Boston. We had the most Soulive shows lined up till August for the first time in years. People have hit me up since, but I’m in no rush. I have been doing a lot of recording at my studio in the meantime. But I reflected in the beginning of the pandemic while my wife and I were out for a walk. I thought this would be a thing possibly for a while. I remember saying I don’t know how long this would last but at the end of it when things open back up that I didn’t want to not do anything or wish I did more. During this time I’ve looked at my life if I never would do a live show again. I’m not gonna sit around and be bummed out’ about it
MR: My final question to Alan was drummer to drummer, relating to the same concept , that there is a silver lining to be had during these times, for me I was able to collaborate with musicians that would normally be on the road or with other projects who are now available to jam and Alan’s reply was much obliged.
AE: Exactly man, yea for me you’re so right, it’s just how you look at it. My Father said it the best, its simple there’s two ways to looking at things, you can be positive or be negative, and so of course we all know the negative of the pandemic so we don’t have to talk about it, but its like with in that though I think good. I’ve been really positive. I’ve been making music and can spend time with my family. For me its like a cleanse, to really look at my life, I can’t just do any old gig , I just take everything away and have time to step back and feel what’s really important. What do i want my life to be about? Thats what been a positive for me and I hope it’s like that for a lot of people.
MR: I just scooped Rick James and Stone City Band “Bustin out of L Seven” on Vinyl, are there any recordings from your fellow Buffalo native that stick out?
AE: Man…that’s a really tough one. I mean this really does, you kinda cant go wrong. That’s a dope record
Check Out Soulive’s last home show on Valentines Day in Buffalo, New York on February 14, 2020.
On March 1st, Brooklyn based singer-songwriter and poet Lowhency Pierre unveiled a new single and visual for his latest single “Losing.”
The genre-bending crooner delivers a strong and passionate vocal performance that details not measuring up to gain the attention and affection of a partner.
The somber cut is his most vulnerable and emotional track to date – with its thrumming heartbeat and bassline that grow more pronounced with time, over theatrical strings and overlapping vocals.
In “Losing,” Lowhency Pierre turns grappling with self identity and worth into moments of clarity, security and liberation.
Lowhency shares, “Lyrically, I’m saying that it’s really hurtful, and exhausting trying to exceed your expectations to win your love; and, recognizing my value and self worth enough to set myself free from that negative and toxic space.”
Inspired by the art form of dance and natural human body movements, Lowhency says, “After discovering choreo-cinema films by Maya Deren (Study In Choreography for Camera), and Robyn Brentano and Andrew Horn (Cloud Dance), I really wanted to challenge and explore new areas of my body to express myself beyond writing and singing for the visual.”
Pierre teamed up with longtime collaborator, choreographer and director, Barby Beauvais, to share his vision, and began training for two months on steps and movements that conveyed the concept of the song.
Barby created the choreography piece-by-piece to showcase reflection, frustration, vulnerability and peacefulness.
The new release is a taste of what’s to come on Lowhency’s forthcoming (yet-to-be-titled) project. Pierre’s last single “Crew Love” received and generated support from Grandma Sophia’s Cookies, Music and Other Drugs, Bands Do Brooklyn and more!
Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” TLC’s “Creep” and Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.” The Eagles’ “Lyin’ Eyes,” Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and, of course, Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”
Infidelity is torture on the soul of the victim. But it is also a potent catalyst for great artistic output, especially for musicians. It’s the brand of misfortune that inspired classic songs like the above. It also birthed a bevy of legendary albums, from Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours to Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks to Beyonce’s Lemonade – works which pushed these artists to creative apexes they may never match.
Singer/songwriter Lisa St. Lou with debut album, Ain’t No Good Man, is another powerful product of a ‘done me wrong.’ It’s a blues-powered blast of 13 soulful originals, tunes that travel the road from betrayal and broken heart to redemption and, seemingly, a new love. They are expertly performed by Lisa St. Lou and an all-star crew including New Orleans greats Irma Thomas, Cyril, Ivan and Ian Neville, axe man Walter “Wolfman” Washington and many more.
Brooklynite St. Lou’s style is anchored in the gospel she absorbed as a child at a Baptist church in her native south St. Louis. Her childhood love of singing led her to serious musical study. Lisa earned a Masters in Opera (!) before heading to New York City and rapid success with a role in the Broadway production of The Producers. But an entertainer’s lifestyle didn’t jibe with her new husband’s vision of their future, so she quit showbiz and had two kids. Her partner’s repeated infidelities over the following decade led her to the most important decision of her life – leaving him in an effort to reclaim her voice, metaphorically and now literally.
St. Lou has had the good fortune of partnering with Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter Tor Hyams (Joan Osborne, Lou Rawls) for her debut. And while she sites Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin and Nina Simone as inspirations, I hear another soulful St. Louis white girl wailer evident in her style – Bonnie Bramlett of Delaney and Bonnie fame.
St. Lou and Hyams have co-written 12 top-flight tunes. They are all in a bluesy vein but with an original bend, not a very easy thing to do with such a well tread genre. Recorded at Parlor Studios in New Orleans, the tunes all naturally have a swampy, steamy, Big Easy groove. There’s also plenty of Memphis in the horns and Stax-like guitar licks and Chicago-flavored gospel in the ever-present Hammond organ swirl and churchy background vocals.
The album kicks off with the title track. Here Lisa puts her operatic pipes and gospel grit to good use. She sings high and hard to romantically nihilistic lyrics like:
I’m hip to the game They’re always the same I can smell a rat from a mile away Ain’t no good man Who gon’ be lovin’ me, anytime soon Ain’t no good man, Who can fool me twice, by giving me the moon
“Girl Get On” warns the “other” woman to stay away from her man, set to an up tempo groove with plenty of lyrical double entendre. “Love Me Baby” is a plea that starts with fingers snaps, a four note bass riff and solo voice, before breaking into a shuffling blues with some great call-and-response with the chorus.
On one of the album’s showstoppers, “Nothing Is Never Enough (For A Man),” St. Lou is joined by the immortal Irma Thomas. The NOLA soul queen who throws down her signature stanky vocals on a slow blues with some sweet guitar licks and punchy lines like:
You give your body, you give your soul You give up on every fight Don’t wanna get out of bed in the morning Cause nothing, nothing, nothing is ever right Nothing is ever enough, for a man Nothing is ever enough, for a man Don’t matter how hard you tried or if you’re doing the best that you can Nothing is ever enough, for a man
The Meters’ founder Cyril Neville shares the vocals on “Whatcha Gonna Do.” This is true New Orleans funky with all the trimmings, wah wah guitar (or clavinet), more call-and-response vox and a jerky stop-time beat.
While St. Lou’s go-to style is up tempo, my favorite tunes here are the ballads. “Miracle in Motion” is an achingly slow love song, a gospel-flavored offering with no lyrical axe to grind. There’s some nice rhythmic changes and modulations, luscious horn and keyboard support, which make this seemingly straight forward ballad something more.
My favorite on the album, “Flowers In the Rain,” closes the collection on the kind of hopeful note we wish for all wronged in love. The arrangement is pure gospel, largely just piano and voice at first, like a sketch or a demo. Lisa and her throaty angelic background singers build the song, along with a churchy, bluesy organ that surges and dances around the melody. This is a real could-be classic.
You gave me hope through the storm When it was cold you kept me warm You took away the pain You gave me flowers in the rain I never met a man who could look in my eyes And see all the beauty inside And the sound of your voice It takes all the worry away You opened up my heart You picked me up when I fell apart When my whole world went insane You gave me flowers in the rain
St. Lou’s Ain’t No Good Man is a musical journey through Kubler-Ross’s famous five stages of loss, with plenty of anger at first, ending with acceptance. It boasts some wonderful songs and topflight performances from all involved. It’s good musical medicine – a shot of gospel goodness that can help the brokenhearted exorcise their rightful anger and move on down the road.
It’s also refreshing to see a debut disc come our way from a 40-something with something to say, rather than a pre-fab teen product spit out by the pop machine. In music, as in life, Lisa shows that it’s better late than never.
Lisa’s website provides some cool video clips of the recording of the album and discussions of the development of the songs and the arrangements. Check it out here and find all links to all platforms here.
Key Tracks: Whatcha Gonna Do, Nothing Is Never Enough (For A Man), Flowers In the Rain
In the early part of the decade Alan Evans had been playing with his band Soulive and every other big name in music. In 2004 he had the notion to collaborate with some of his closest friends to put out his first solo album. Let It Ride was only released on CD in Japan, but now 17 years later Alan Evans’ 2005 album has been released to all on February 26, 2021 by Vintage League Music. The record features bonus tracks and a snippet of Alan live in Upstate New York from 2005 with some of the cast.
He recruited some of the best names of the modern funk soul scene to help him record it. Neal Evans, Sam Kininger, Aaron Bellamy, Nikki Glaspie, Mike Feingold, Ruslan Sirota, Cochemea Gastelum, Atticus Cole, Amee Jana and Skip Jennings. The music was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Evans at his Iron Wax Studios.
The album features Alan locked in with bass player Aaron Bellamy for every track to hold down the bottom end. All the right personnel start the groove on “Do It Again” where Evans channels his inner James Brown shot calling “ Only Way to Do It, Is to Do it, So hit me Sam!!” that drops an iconic Kininger saxophone solo to get your head wrapped on the familiar funk these cats bring. “Can you feel this sound?” Evans vocals ask the same question “Auhhhh, are you with me?” for the appropriately named track “Are You With Me?” that also features Sam K on Saxophone. Answer most given, “Right on, Right on, Right On!”
Sam Kininger, Alan Evans, Aaron Bellamy at Electric Company in Utica
To exit with the heavy funk, Evans gets his brushes out on ‘Welcome To The World’ where his vocals on this tune sound as soft as Hendrix on 1983… (a Merman I Should Turn to Be). Saxophonist Cochemea Gastelum helps set a worldly tone through the orbits on “Low Down Low.” To help come full circle on the recording Nikki Glaspie, Amee Jana and Skip Jennings lend their profound voices over the backing groove that kicks the record off on the “Do It Again Outro.”
In light of his Upstate New York roots, Alan chose to release along with Let it Ride, the second half of a live album from Saratoga Springs on February 5, 2005 at Skidmore College. Saratoga native and former band mate Peter Prince encouraged this particular set, which encapsulates the whole mood of this release – Alan leading the improvisational pack with Aaron Bellamy on bass, Mike Feingold and Jeffery Lockhart on guitar. They stretch out on the live bonus tracks in front of the crowd many Februaries ago that even features a Jimi Hendrix mash up of “Purple Haze” and “Third Stone from the Sun” on the final track. We should be glad Alan Evans and company decided to “Do It Again” this year for the release of this funked up record.
Key Tracks: Do It Again, Are You with Me?, Welcome to the World
Purchase the Album here and look for our interview with Alan later this week.
No Showers On Vacation sounds about right. Now, wouldn’t that make you stink? Well, yeah of course. It is fitting then that this Burlington group’s funk is so strong it can kill a hippo. And jokes aside, this Phish-inspired group really does know how to bring their A-game while keeping things fun and exploratory.
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This second pandemic release, AQUABAND, is true to the group’s sound and intentions. The album is terrifically produced and the compositions are very well organized considering this is a group that releases material at a good rate. Sam Lyons (drums), Emmett Lurssen (guitar), Alden Nichols (keyboards), and Pat Maley (sax) form a very good jam group. It is worth noting that this is only their second release, after debut EPBath Time: Miami. Spoiler alert: this album is well worth your time.
The first track, “Chestnut” features a rambling but consistent piano riff that leaves room for a ton of various solos. The eccentric beat forms itself into a Santana type jam, while a dirty guitar solo paves the way back to the piano riff. There is nothing missing here, aside from more sax (and even then, you better hold onto your hats cause this album just started). Throughout the beginning, the listener sees the piano taking center stage.
The keys introduce a lot of the themes of the song and bring in the rest of the band. The bass divides the chord structure, navigating its way around the low end with a steady groove. The guitar sits back when it should and finds its way into the spotlight only when called upon. In a band of this style, it is often the case that one instrument will win a power struggle for being the most heard- that is not the case at all with No Showers On Vacation. Here we have a group that meshes really well and leaves space for every aspect of their music to shine.
One that will get listeners up and active is “Sinkko.” Really, the only thing listeners might want more here is…literally more! The song hooks you in and then sets you free. It is easy to listen to this one a few times to soak in the vibes and the bouncy rhythm. “Amtrakk” features a beautifully organized instrumental that harkens back to a lot of 70’s jams. This is something you likely do not hear a lot of, coming from a band writing music today. The song has a progression that feels like you are actually traveling on a train (minus sitting next to someone who did not shower on their vacation). The charging, locomotive piano and beat drop off to a grand, empowering progression that can be likened to driving out of a tunnel onto a mountainside road.
The beauty of what the band puts together here compared to the dirty funk in something like “Chonk” gives this album a whole of re-listening value. Highly recommend, and keep an eye out for when No Showers On Vacation are able to get back out to their live element! Find them on Instagram to keep up to date.
It has been four years since the members of Melt came together as a band. Co-founders Veronica Stewart-Frommer (Vocals) and Eric Gabriel (Vocals, Keys) both NYC natives, started playing music together in High School. They and some of their friends entered a local battle of the bands competition and won. They took the prize money from that competition and used it to produce the band’s first song“Sour Candy” which was released as a single in 2017.
Melt is a septet, which is comprised of an additional five members: Marlo Shankweiler (Guitar), Josh Greenzeig (Drums), Coulou (Trumpet), Lucas Saur (Bass), and Nick Sare (Saxophone). Melt’s successful debut single propelled the band into the limelight with the strategic utilization of social media and substantial exposure on various internet streaming services. “Sour Candy” holds the distinction of having over 5 million streams on Spotify since it’s initial release. Between this heavy exposure and the band’s high energy live performances, Melt has been successful in establishing themselves securely in the rough and tumble NYC music scene.
Melt has a reached another important milestone with the February release of their Debut EP West Side Highway, which includes six tracks of previously unreleased music. Recorded at the Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, West Side Highway reflects a new level of maturity that Melt has been successful in developing as a band. “Coming into the studio with the goal of creating a longer work, we thought more intently on how each track worked with one another and used the opportunity to weave together the wide set of influences helping to shape a seven-person band,” said Josh Greenzeig (Drums).
“We used the EP format to create a snapshot of what that moment in time was for us, cementing elements of our sound that we love and finding new ones worth exploring.”
West Side Highway starts out with opening track “Don’t Want Me,” a moody number that details a love affair that has gone bad and is still painfully lingering in it’s final death throes. The masterful guitar instrumentation by Shankweiler and the melancholic vocal by Stewart-Frommer both work in concert to create a setting of sad desperation with a longing to be released. It was a great way to start the record and one that was interesting in it’s selection. It set the meditative tone of the EP which is soothing, comforting, and introspective in it’s entirety. This on going theme is again illustrated with third track, the EP’s title track, “West Side Highway,” which can be considered a love letter to pandemic ravaged NYC. This thought evoking number features a wonderfully muted trumpet solo by Coulou that is enhanced with Gabriel’s creative keyboard playing. his type of musical craftmanship results in another gem of a track on the record.
We were able to get some time with Melt co-founders Veronica Stewart-Frommer (Vocals) and Eric Gabriel (Vocals, Keys) in order to discuss the band and it’s debute EP – West Side Highway.
Tim Bopp: How did the band Melt form and what were the circumstances that caused the genesis of the band.
Eric Gabriel: Veronica and I went to High School together and towards the end of high school we had some more time to kind of start playing with people around the city and that was really the first iteration.
Veronica Stewart-Frommer: The first call we made was Marlo who is our guitar player.
TB: How did you come up with the band name Melt?
VS-F: The funny thing about that is that we actually had the song even before we had the name for the band. Suddenly we were sitting with this single and we were like, “Alright and we kind of want to put this out there but we don’t have a name.” So we went down this very long list of random names. The night before we were going to release “Sour Candy” we actually made a Facebook page called Big Deli Chain. We were like, “That is it! That is the name! We are going to be Big Deli Chain (laughing).” At some point between 2AM and 4AM that night I was just like this band can’t be named Big Deli Chain and we changed it to Melt. It was so random.
TB: How has the Pandemic Affected the band and the new EP West Side Highway?
VS-F: The EP really is a product of the Pandemic. In a lot of ways, it feels like an entirely new Melt. This was such a unique time for us. Something that is interesting about us is that during the year we are all either doing our day jobs or even in school. A lot of us are still in college. So we do this kind of funky long distance band thing where we unite for these crazy weekend shows and then go our separate ways. In a lot of ways due to the Pandemic, if we wanted to work, we had to live together for multiple weeks in order to justify moving anywhere. It was kind of the first time since four years ago when the band started that we were able to settle down and really be together for weeks on end and write and hang out. We are such a live band that our songs are usually tested over months and years at live shows and they are based on what the audience reacts to and how we are feeling at the show but there was none of that this time.
EG: We have mostly been thought of as a live band. On most of our singles we typically try to document that energy that we all love about playing together at a live show. This EP we kind of wanted to go into a different direction. I think it is much more chilled out and doesn’t really have as much of that live band sound. The individual tracks we kind of wanted to take a different approach in the crafting of the songs.
TB: What are some of your musical influences?
VS-F: Part of what makes up the Melt sound is that we are seven people and some of us went to school for Jazz music and some of us studied political science and were raised on the Beatles and Bob Dylan. A lot of us have been into the Jam scene. That is actually how I met Marlo, through Phish and the Grateful Dead. I think we are kind of all over the map on that. Obviously as a singer I really adore a lot of artists like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Otis Redding. That is where I fell in love with that genre and that type of singing. We are really all over the place. Right now a lot of us are into Phoebe Bridgers and the more Indie scene. I think that comes through on this EP.
EG: I grew up with a ton of Bruce Springsteen. More recently I listen to more folk music like Adrianne Lenker and also bands like the National. That kind of music.
TB: So, are you two the predominant the songwriters for Melt?
VS-F: Typically, that is how it has been. In the past, Eric and I usually write the lyrics to the songs that we sing, but we edit with each other and with other members of the band. Usually, it will either be one of the two of us will start a song and then bring it to the band. It evolves into a completely different direction from there. For this EP, since we were all together and couldn’t perform live, we wound up focusing a lot more on the production side of things as a band. Our bass player Lucas is really skilled at recording and in engineering production. He played a huge role in creating the foundation for the songs on the EP. We experimented a lot on this record this time around.
EG: This time around we started with Josh the drummer literally laying down songs, sometime just on his own. Then we would add the bass track and then that leads us into the guitar and usually vocals at the end. We really just build it up.
VS-F: We don’t know which way we like better. Maybe in the future we will go back in and play everything as if we are playing live. I think part of the beauty of Melt is that we are so young, so we don’t feel tied to any of our ways and we like to try out new things and see how it goes.
TB: How long did it take a band like Melt to complete the West Side Highway EP?
VS-F: Start to finish it was like two months. We were really lucky to be able to record the EP at the Bunker Studios in Brooklyn. We had a really wonderful producer and engineer named Aaron Nevezie who mixed some of the tracks as well.
EG: Some songs were written earlier, like Hours I wrote about a year ago.
TB: What does the future have in store for Melt?
Eric: We cannot wait to start playing shows again. We are really looking forward to playing out. The last real show Melt played was at the Sinclair in Cambridge last February. It felt like that at that show we all came together and we were fully on it. Our trumpet player Aaron even stage dived at the end of the “Sour Candy” solo that night.
VS-F: That show was awesome. It wasn’t the biggest room we have played, but just the layout of the place was great. It went straight back so you could see everyone and there was great energy that night. I also think the Knitting Factory show we played in Brooklyn. That was the first time we played “Waves.” Before a show we are always saying to the band don’t go too fast let’s keep the energy contained. Once we get out there it is just like an explosion and we are always playing at 100%. We don’t have many moments during a set where we just drop back and take a moment to breathe. In the bridge in “Waves” there is a moment where everyone drops out and it is just me and Eric. That was really a special moment. I always think about that moment when I picture live music coming back. It was the first time that we had ever played the song and I think the audience was psyched to hear a new song and it was kind of a sentimental little moment. It was really cool.
Key Tracks: Don’t Want Me, West Side Highway, Waves
