Following the release of “Baltimore Scrappledorf,” ElephantProof have announced tour dates for January 2022. Accompanying artists for the January dates include Annie in the Water, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and K.R.I.S.
The genre-bending group with powerhouse Goose drummer Ben Atkind was one of the most talked about performances at Fred the Festival after their late night set in Garcia’s Forest.
A very Ted set at Fred The Festival for ElephantProof.
“ElephantProof was a journey that took me everywhere I ever wanted to go with music. It got dark, it got deep into theory and wild chords that I never thought would work together, and the music was ALWAYS weird in the best way.”
-Chad
Heavily rotated since Fred, ElephantProof’s 2021 album EP EP displayed versatility for the drummer and showcased a variety of styles blended together to land somewhere between Lettuce and BoomBox with a jazzy twist.
“Baltimore Scrappledorf” gave an energetic surge to listeners, and left many feeling as though the best is yet to come at future shows.
“When surrealism meets the human ears and eyes, you know you’re at an ElephantProof show. Bringing sights and sounds together that make a recipe for an unforgettable experience.”
– Mandy
Expect no relaxation of the face when seeing ElephantProof
As the Goose tour shows no signs of slowing down, take every chance to see this band when possible.
For more on the mysteries that happened at Fred the Festival, check out our review below.
Parquet Courts touched down in Burlington, VT on Wednesday night, bringing their latest album and older favorites to a grateful Higher Ground.
The Brooklyn indie rockers released their seventh studio album, Sympathy for Life, on October 22. The stunning effort leans into their expansive sound while feeling more crowd-worthy than ever. With thought-provoking lyrics and mind-bending instrumentals, the band makes a statement on their identity for the dancing masses.
Samantha York of Public Practice. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
New York City band Public Practice opened for Parquet Courts. Their dreamy, punky disco-rock moves as smoothly as lead singer Samantha York sashaying across the stage. The sparkling frontwoman of the band celebrated her birthday that night; Austin Brown of Parquet Courts brought her a celebratory cupcake onstage. As the crowd sang “Happy Birthday,” he knelt to the ground so she could blow out a birthday candle.
Urging the crowd to dance along, York emphasized: “how good it feels to be together and listen to music and move our f*cking bodies.” Her lilting vocals, perfectly complemented by bassist Drew Citron’s high harmonies, begged to be danced to.
Parquet Courts took the stage in the Ballroom after roughly 45 minutes. The crowd remained patient and was rewarded with an “Application/Apparatus,” an opening jam of wild synths, and a breakneck guitar riff exemplifying Parquet Courts’ unique brand.
Sean Yeaton and A. Savage of Parquet Courts. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
Sympathy for Life’s mesmerizing and unexpected melodies draw you in immediately. Performing live, Parquet Courts take their best tracks to the next level with unique riffs and intuitive breakdowns. The jumpy “Almost Had To Start A Fight/In and Out of Patience” felt stadium-sized as Sean Yeaton and A. Savage screamed into their mics. And on “Plant Life,” A. Savage’s masterful melodica was the cherry atop a woozy breakdown that felt wonderfully endless. As swirling green lights took over the stage, in the shape of leaves, the venue seemed transformed.
A. Savage of Parquet Courts. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
The band had a hold on the Vermont crowd, heavy on college kids. Parquet Courts shouted out notorious Burlington spot Pure Pop Records, “for all the vinyl heads out there.” They knew their crowd, and cheers erupted from the pit.
Austin Brown of Parquet Courts. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
After 11 years of “pure unadulterated hits,” as Brown joked, their catalog is far too lush to fit in one set. But the selection Parquet Courts presented showed them at their finest. Their strange, raw music and emotionally charged lyrics can speak on many different levels, to many different emotions. One of their shows is nothing short of a rollercoaster.
Sean Yeaton of Parquet Courts. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
Yet all night, the crowd stayed right there with them. Moments after one chosen individual crowd-surfed to loser’s anthem “Stoned & Starving,” the entire crowd swayed slowly together to mournful, reflective “Pulcinella.” Though the band did not resurface to calls for an encore, the ballad was the perfect conclusion. My personal favorite song on Sympathy for Life (and it’s closer), the stunning outro evokes a cinematic emotion of nostalgia and change. Savage’s soft hum could be a lullaby; he sounds unrecognizable, yet completely himself. Before I knew it, I was swaying in time with the rest of the crowd.
Parquet Courts. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
Parquet Courts will continue their North American tour into 2022, with two New York dates scheduled for next year. See the full list of shows and venues below:
November 6— Stone Pony *– Asbury Park, NJ
November 17 — White Oak Music Hall- Houston, TX
November 19—Stubbs BBQ- Austin, T.X.
November 21 — Corona Capital 2021 – Mexico, Mexico
February 27, 2022—The Orange Peel- Asheville, N.C.
February 28, 2022— Georgia Theatre– Athens, GA
March 02, 2022– Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
March 03, 2022— Saturn- Birmingham, AL
March 04, 2022— Cannery Ballroom- Nashville, TN
March 05, 2022— The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
March 07, 2022— Liberty Hall – Lawrence, KS
March 10, 2022— First Avenue, –Minneapolis, MN
March 11, 2022 — Turner Hall Ballroom- Milwaukee, WI
March 12, 2022—Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL
March 13, 2022— Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit – Detroit, MI
Phish let it all hang out in the final night of their four-run night run in Las Vegas, which served as the final stop of their 2021 Fall Tour. The customary three-set performance featured a mix of old fashioned originals blended with a brand new gimmick of assuming a different band’s identity.
The first set opened with “Buried Alive” and only picked up from there. A highlight of the entire show was the mammoth “Ghost” played in the first set which seemed to contain about four to five distinctly different jams within. A first set “Wolfman’s Brother” also had a little extra meat on its bones as well. The first set later closed with an awkward-starting but ferociously-ending “David Bowie.”
For the musical costume set, Phish took the stage as Sci-Fi Soldier, a band “from the year 4680,” a number that had been thrown around by the band all weekend. Adorned in spacesuit-like costumes that each reflected a different color pattern ,the band “teleported” to the stage and proceeded to drop almost two hours of new intergalactic space rock that no one had ever heard before.
With the occasional nod to 2018’s costume of Kasvot Voxt, song titles included “The Ninth Cube” and the opening “Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue’ was accompanied by more in depth choreography from Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon at the front of the stage. Another song called “The Howling” seems ripe to be paired with a “2001” at a show in the near future. Instead of the traditional Phishbill this year, a comic book detailing the four characters and their back story was handed out before the show, which contained all the song names for the set as well.
The band was hard pressed to follow up such a spectacle of a second set but began the third set with a powerful “Carini” that somehow made its way into the mellow, laid back “Lonely Trip.” “Soul Planet” got the MGM Grand Arena up and rocking but the emotional contrasts continued throughout the final set with a fairly mellow “Twist” and a “Drift While You’re Sleeping.” Finally, “Harry Hood” served as the encore, which was more than a proper song for the entire venue to let out some emotion in a big way for the final time in this epic four-night Vegas run.
Set 1: Buried Alive, Roses Are Free > Ghost, Wolfman’s Brother, Kill Devil Falls > Free, David Bowie
Set 2: Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue[1], Get More Down[1], Egg in a Hole[1], Thanksgiving[1], Clear Your Mind[1] > The 9th Cube[1], The Inner Reaches of Outer[1], Don’t Doubt Me[1], The Unwinding[1], Something Living Here[1], The Howling[1], I Am in Miami[1]
Set 3: Carini > Lonely Trip, Soul Planet > Death Don’t Hurt Very Long > Twist, Drift While You’re Sleeping
Encore: Harry Hood [1] Debut
For the second set, the band’s “musical costume” was all debuted originals, performed as the invented band Sci-Fi Soldier (a 14-page comic book distributed upon entry detailed the group’s adventure to save the planet). For that set, the band performed in elaborate costumes (helmets and all), with alternate instruments (Trey on a BCR Mockingbird), each playing within a flashing/glowing shape (two circles and two squares), after descending (in the form of holograms) from the ceiling in cylinders of colored light. Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue included extended choreography by Trey and Mike. During Get More Down, matching upright geometric shapes danced around behind the band, reducing to the two circles overlapped by Egg in a Hole, which featured pyrotechnics. Before Clear Your Mind, Trey introduced the band as from the year 4680 (the total of the October 28, 2021 songs as noted during that night’s encore-ending Grind). During The 9th Cube, there were projections of donuts and turtles on a cube above the band. Fireworks rained down on the stage during The Inner Reaches of Outer. For I Am in Miami, Trey switched to an acoustic guitar and the band stood together at stage front with the four-mic a cappella setup. After the set, the band departed as holograms back up the colored tubes. The start of Harry Hood included alternate lyrics (Holy Blankenstein). Soul Planet contained Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue and Don’t Doubt Me quotes.
Midlake has announced their fifth studio album, For The Sake of Bethel Woods, and shared the first single, titled “Meanwhile…” The Texas-based band has not released new music since 2013’s Antiphon.
Photo by Barbara FG
Midlake’s brand of folk-rock evokes the brooding, funk-influenced sound of groups like TV on The Radio. After the departure of original frontman Tim Smith, they threw out their past recordings and restarted as a new quintet, hurriedly releasing a new album. On Antiphon, Midlake leaned into their rock side with distorted electric guitar riffs and newly-minted frontman Eric Pulido’s Bowie-protege vocals.
Almost a decade later, on “Meanwhile…” the band finds a lighter touch. A swoon-worthy 60’s rhythm carved out by drummer McKenzie Smith allows the steady acoustic guitar and wavering metronome to absolutely float. Pulido’s vocals, though mournful, are softer and more whimsical than ever.
Pulido said the track speaks to two key points in Midlake’s history: when the band decided to go on hiatus in 2014, and when they were inspired to reconvene in 2020.
“Everyone had their respective experience during the uncertain time apart,” he said, “culminating in a confident and celebratory return to form.”
Available for preorder now, For The Sake of Bethel Woods will be released on March 18th of next year. For their first time working with an outside producer, Midlake brought in the big guns, recruiting Grammy-award-winning producer John Congleton. Congleton, whose previous credits include St. Vincent and Sharon Van Etten, produced, engineered, and mixed the album at Elmwood Recording Studio in Midlake’s native Texas.
Though the project marks a homecoming of sorts for Midlake, the reunion is bittersweet. For The Sake of Bethel Woods’ cover art pays homage to keyboardists Jesse Chandler’s father, who passed away in 2018.
“For me, the picture of that kid, my dad, forever frozen in time, encapsulates what it means to be in the throes of impressionable and fleeting youth,” Chandler said, “and all that the magic of music, peace, love, and communion bring to it, whether one knows it at the time or not.
Midlake has unveiled an exclusive live performance of “Bethel Woods” filmed at Dallas, TX’s Modern Electric Sound Recorders by director Rett Rogers and co-director Barbara FG and marks the second in a new multi-part series of exclusive live sessions, “Meanwhile In Texas,” with additional installments set to premiere in the coming weeks.
Promoting For The Sake Of Bethel Woods, Midlake has also announced a series of North American Tour Dates,
Midlake 2022 Tour Dates
MARCH 9 – Denton, TX – Dan’s Silverleaf 10 – Denton, TX – Dan’s Silverleaf 16 – Gothenburg, SW – Pustervik 17 – Oslo, NO – Vulkan Arena 18 – Stockholm, SW – Nalen 20 – Copenhagen, DK – Pumpehuset 21 – Berlin, DE – Columbia Theater 22 – Munich, DE – Freiheizhalle 23 – Vienna, AU – Flex 25 – St. Gallen, CH – Palace 26 – Maastricht, NL – Muziekgieterij 27 – Utrecht, NL – Ronda 29 – Hamburg, DE – Mojo Club 31 – Groningen, NL – De Oosterpoort
APRIL 1 – Cologne, DE – Bürgerhaus Stollwerck 2 – Antwerp, BE = Trix 3 – Paris, FR – Alhambra 5 – Brighton, UK – Chalk 6 – London, UK – Roundhouse 8 – Newcastle, UK – University Student’s Union 9 – Edinburgh, UK – Assembly Rooms 10 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall 11 – Dublin, IR – Vicar Street
MAY 8 – Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley 10 – Washington, DC – Union Stage 11 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live (Downstairs) 13 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios 14 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom 16 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall 17 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall 19 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway 20 – Kansas City, MO – recordBar 21 – Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall
Rolling into Las Vegas on a tour chock full of surprises and jaw-dropping jams, Phish took a stroll “Backwards Down the Number Line,” playing a series of numerical songs throughout the night.
Opening with “2001” (Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra”) for a spacy intro to the night, and the first such opening slot for “2001” since 1999, appropriately segued into Prince’s “1999.” Two songs in, both with numbers, might not give away the gag, but when “555” and “46 Days” followed, it became apparant to some what was unfolding on night one of Phish’s four night run.
An additional bustout of “Strawberry Letter 23” by Shuggie Otis followed, with “Twenty Years Later” wrapping up the set with an exclamation point. With setbreak upon the crowd, discussion revolved around “Seven Below” and “Character Zero” which ended up bookending the set – the songs in between were remarkable in their choice and execution.
Hendrix’s “If 6 Was 9” featured Trey Anastasio strapping on a Koa2 guitar, and as one Twitter user pointed out, detuned his guitar, in pure Hendrix style. If a spacy psychedelic bustout wasn’t enough, David Bowie’s “Five Years” followed, performed for only the second time, the first being performed in the same room, five years prior (almost to the day).
A jammed out “Two Versions of Me” fell into “NO2,” with its trippy dentist chair narration from Mike Gordon. A handful of “1” songs followed, with “Army of One,” “My Sweet One” and “First Tube,” followed by the expected and regular set closer, “Character Zero.”
To cap the set off, “Backwards Down the Number Line” was properly played, with Phish walking to stage right to sing a capella to sing “Grind,” but instead of adding up their age in days, they added up the song numbers, leading to the sum 4680. A mysterious tweet from Phish followed, leading fans to speculate what it means, if anything, leading into Sunday’s Halloween show, where speculation is both a trick and a treat.
Setlist via Phish.net
Phish – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Las Vegas, NV 10/28/21
Set 1: Also Sprach Zarathustra, 1999 > 555 > 46 Days, Strawberry Letter 23 > Twenty Years Later
Set 2: Seven Below > If 6 Was 9 > Five Years > Two Versions of Me->NO2, Army Of One, My Sweet One, First Tube > Character Zero
Harlem-based rapper Princess Nokia performed a vibrant set at Irving Plaza in New York City on October 24th for one of the last domestic stops on her tour. Known for her high-energy performances and colorful stage design, Princess Nokia lived up to her reputation by giving the crowd exactly that.
As one of the more prominent female rappers in today’s pop landscape, Princess Nokia had no shortage of hits to run through, from old favorites like “Tomboy” off the 2016 project 1992 Deluxe, to the extremely popular “I Like Him” off the 2020 project Everything Sucks. Backed up by some stage dancers, she exemplified why these songs have been popular for so long, moving the crowd to the rapid rhythm and maintaining a breakneck pace.
Princess Nokia oozed charisma and charm on the stage, always interacting with fans between songs and making jokes. Between the rapid-fire rapping, dancing, banter, and screaming crowd, this concert was an absolute spectacle. The spectators were one hundred percent into her the whole time and before the concert even started, she peaked her head out on the balcony and the crowd screamed with delight. There was no shortage of electricity the whole set.
Princess Nokia’s tour has one more stop in Boston at Paradise Rock Club on Wednesday, October 27 before hopping overseas to Europe. You can see the rest of the tour dates here. Be sure to check out the full photo gallery below!
Couchtour.TV will livestream The Disco Biscuits’ upcoming 3-night run at the iconic Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas, starting Thursday, October 28 through Saturday, October 30 – the final show ending early in the morning on Halloween.
The first show will technically begin Friday morning, at 3am ET, or Midnight PT. Each show will be on-demand following the live broadcast, perfect for early risers on the East Coast. Weekend passes and single day tickets can be purchased through Couchtour.TV
Couchtour.TV will also be offering a free rebroadcast of The Disco Biscuits’ 2021 performance from Brooklyn Comes Alive next Wednesday, November 3 at 8:00pm ET/ 5:00pm PT. This broadcast concludes a series from Brooklyn Comes Alive filmed September 26 at the Brooklyn Mirage that also includes The Motet and Break Science Live Band.
Couchtour.TV continues to be home to the highest quality livestreams available – PPV, free and on-demand. More information on available streams, upcoming events and account registration can be found on the couchtour.TV website.
Watch The Disco Biscuits from November 2, 2018 at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas
Set 1: 1999 > Astronaut, Jigsaw Earth > Triumph > Jigsaw Earth Set 2: Safety Dance > Little Betty Boop 1 > Spraypaint Encore: Floes* *middle section only
Swedish House Mafia have announced an international tour for 2022, their first in 10 years, making a stop in East Rutherford, NJ on Wednesday, August 3, 2022. Long revered by fans for their bombastic live performances, the band’s previous outing, “One Last Tour,” sold over 1 million tickets. The 2022 jaunt will follow the trio’s just announced performance at Coachella 2022 and includes arenas across the United States and Europe.
Swedish House Mafia have also teamed with The Weeknd for a new single and video, “Moth to a Flame.” The new song was initially teased during the trio’s landmark performance at the MTV VMAs pre-show this summer, and marks the band’s first new music since announcing their reunion this past July with a pair of new singles “It Gets Better” and “Lifetime (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 070 Shake)” that arrived alongside a cover story for Billboard Magazine and a special performance of both songs on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.
The trio of songs continue to build anticipation toward the band’s forthcoming full length Paradise Again, slated for release early next year with a Special Tour Edition CD pre-order available now that unlocks exclusive pre-sale tour tickets.
Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, October 29th at swedishhousemafia.com, with the Special Tour Edition CD pre-order pre-sale beginning on Wednesday, October 27.
The band have also just been nominated for awards in both the Best Electronic and Best Nordic Act categories for this year’s MTV EMAs, being held in Budapest on Sunday, November 14th.
Swedish House Mafia 2022 Tour Dates
Fri Jul 29 – Miami, FL – FTX Arena
Sun Jul 31 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
Wed Aug 3 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
Fri Aug 5 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Sun Aug 7 – Montreal, QC – îleSoniq Festival
Tue Aug 9 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Wed Aug 10 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Thu Aug 11 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Sat Aug 13 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Wed Aug 17 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Fri Aug 19 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
Sun Aug 21 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Thu Aug 25 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Fri Aug 26 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Sat Aug 27 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Tue Aug 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
Fri Sep 2 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Sun Sep 4 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena
Tue Sep 13 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Wed Sep 14 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Fri Sep 16 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
Thu Sep 29 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Fri Sep 30 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro Arena
Sun Oct 2 – London, UK – The O2
Thu Oct 6 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
Sat Oct 8 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena Birmingham
Georgia native TORRES returned to her current city of residence, New York City, on Thursday, October 21st for one of the last stops on the North American leg of her tour. Making an appearance at Bowery Ballroom, TORRES played several songs off her most recent LP Thirstier, in addition to several fan-favorites from her previous projects.
TORRES at Bowery Ballroom, 10/21/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger
With Thirstier having been released back in July of this year, the songs from it were very fresh in the crowd’s minds. They enthusiastically sang along to songs like “Don’t Go Puttin’ Wishes in My Head” and the title track “Thirstier.” The crowd energy was infectious and it was impossible not to move a little bit and lose yourself in the great instrumentation of it all.
TORRES at Bowery Ballroom, 10/21/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger
As it has been a common thread amongst many performers I have watched recently, TORRES was visibly emotional performing for a sold-out crowd in NYC for the first time in so long, due to COVID-19. She said multiple times that she was close to tears and was just astonished by how good it felt to play in her city again. TORRES interacted extensively with the crowd and it was obvious that this was a very devoted fanbase.
TORRES at Bowery Ballroom, 10/21/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger
TORRES’s tour has one more stop in Brooklyn at Baby’s All Right on Thursday, October 28th before hopping overseas to Europe. You can see the rest of the tour dates here. Be sure to check out the full photo gallery below!
Phish returned to Southern California, with a trio of shows lined up between Chula Vista, Inglewood, and Santa Barbara. While the Fall Tour has caught eyes and ears with extraordinary jams, bustouts and shenanigans, Phish is clearly warmed up for Halloween in Las Vegas. On the way there, Phish stopped at The “Fabulous” Forum. Photographer Steph Port was there to capture the night for NYS Music.
The first set starts with the Trey quaran-tune, “A Wave Of Hope,” followed by a 23-minute “You Enjoy Myself” that brought back the glory of late 90s “YEMs.” A smooth transition into “Moma Dance” kept the crowd on their toes, with “Waiting All Night” a surprise appearance with a slightly funky beat, that brought forth “Maze” and “Fee,” before a set ending “Run Like an Antelope.”
Set 2 began with a tone-setting “Cars Trucks Buses” that dropped into “Tweezer” right after, which sveltly moved into “L.A. Woman,” the last since December 30, 2003. A huge jam would brew from this surprise bust out, one that took off even farther in “Say it to me S.A.N.T.O.S.” and “What’s The Use?” To polish the set off, heavy hitters “Chalkdust Torture,” “Carini” and “Mr. Completely” made their presence know, all with a segue into “Tweezer Reprise” to close the set.
A normal encore of “Grind” preceded the atypical “Bathtub Gin” that followed, ending awkwardly as Trey thanked the crowd for having such a great show. With the band having this much fun, whatever is on tap for Las Vegas has them excited and playing in mid-season form.
Phish – The Forum, Inglewood, CA – October 25, 2021
Set 1: A Wave of Hope > You Enjoy Myself > The Moma Dance[1] -> Simple -> Waiting All Night -> Maze, Fee[2] -> Steam > Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Cars Trucks Buses, Tweezer -> L.A. Woman[3] -> Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.[1] -> Whatâs the Use? > Tweezer > Birds of a Feather[1] > Chalk Dust Torture[1] -> Boogie On Reggae Woman > Carini -> Mr. Completely[1] > Tweezer Reprise
