Queens duo, The Forms, known for their experimental indie sound, have returned with another new single, the eerie-sounding, “All Souls Day,” an ode to the celebratory day of remembrance of the same name.
The band released their first two albums with legendary producer Steve Albini, who had previously worked with lighting rods like, Nirvana and PJ Harvey. “All Souls Day,” is the third release from The Forms this year after over a decade without any new music. Their last full-length, The Forms, was released in 2007.
“All Souls Day” centers on a hypnotizing riff played on a bass steel pan. The echoey and percussive instrument, as played masterfully by Matt Walsh, creates an ominous sound. It’s perfect for their psychedelic brand of indie rock, as the steel pan feels otherworldly like a synth yet as painfully human as a banjo. Vocalist, Alex Tweens’, high and whispery vocals balance the instrument with an alien quality. Tweens described the track as
a strange dark meditative soundscape of a quiet apocalypse.
The music video for the track, shot in a remote field in The Catskills, is eerie and sensory. Cattails brush up against the camera lens, and pollen disperses like gold flecks in the wind. When night falls and a thick mist settles over the set, you can almost feel the chill. The atmospheric video matches the track so perfectly the creeping plants even flutter in time with Tweens’ delicate tack piano.
As Tweens also pointed out, the track is a “wild mood swing” from their other recent releases. Their exultant comeback single, “Southern Ocean,” made apathy sound fun over a bouncy, summery beat. Their latest release “Head Underwater” leans hard into the coveted late 2000s indie-pop formula of classic 90s riffs plus synths. Tween described the track as
the most purely joyful song The Forms have ever done.
The fun, upbeat nature of both records is a far cry from the barren soundscape of “All Souls Day.” But, then again, summer is over and existentialism no longer feels like a beach game.
All Souls Day, celebrated annually on November 2nd, is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed, observed mainly by Roman Catholics and other Christian denominations.
On the song, Tweens sings of spending the day floating in a river:
Now I’ve come here/ In a state of mind/ One I’ll never forget.
The meditative lyrics over the ever-echoing steel pan transport you right to that floating, questioning state. The effect is sonically beautiful and emotionally resonant, letting you know that this will be an All Souls Day you won’t forget anytime soon.
The inaugural LonCon Music Festival took place over August 27-29, 2021 at the legendary Arrowhead Ranch and Retreat in Parksville, NY. Organized by Long Island up-and-comers Baked Shrimp, the two day event served as a tribute to the late Lon Gellman, a well-known and beloved supporter of live music.
Fans attending LonCon 2021 saw performances by Twiddle frontman Mihali, Dogs in a Pile, RCA, Creamery Station, and artist-at-large, Hayley Jane. Unfortunately just two acts into day one, torrential rains and an intense lighting storm forced all music to be suspended due to safety concerns. Originally scheduled headliners Aqueous were unable to play their set. While gloomy and on the cusp of rain throughout all of Saturday, LonCon managed to rock on without a hitch.
RCA, comprised of Dopapod’s Rob Compa and Kung Fu members Chris DeAngelis and Adrian Tramontano, played mostly songs off Compa’s 2019 debut solo album, Same Damn Thing. In a set filled with more teases than you could count, including moe.’s “Rebubula” and the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood,” the undisputed highlight came when artist at large Hayley Jane sat in for a ferocious take on Alanis Morissette’s ‘You Oughta Know.”
Due to their opening day set being cut short by lightning, event organizers Baked Shrimp played an extra long mid-day set to make up for lost time. Picking up right where they left off by completing a “Rosa” jam, the ambitious young band also debuted “Hurricane Jane,” which saw both Hayley Jane and Rob Compa sit in.
Jersey Shore jam band Dogs In A Pile immediately raised the energy on the farm to a whole new level. Distinguished by their colorful outfits, two guitar-attack and otherworldly sounds courtesy of multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Kaplan, the band managed to turn the soggy farmland into a veritable dance floor. Making her third appearance of the afternoon, Hayley Jane returned to the stage once again, this time with a washboard draped around her neck, joining Dogs in a Pile on a rollicking version of the beloved The Band classic “Ophelia.” Not done with sit in’s just yet, Rob Compa would later join the band for an extra funky rendition of ‘Boogie on Reggae Woman.”
With nightfall now upon LonCon 2021, Day 2 headliner Mihali Savoulidis took the stage shortly after 8pm. Before starting his set, Mihali spoke candidly about his special connection to the late Lon Gellman and explained just how much of an honor it was for him to be there at this inaugural event. He would go on to play a sentimental set, highlighted by Twiddle staples “Apples,” “Mamunes the Faun,””Every Soul,”and “Hattie’s Jam” > “When It Rains It Pours,” and “River Drift.” Other highlights included an impressive mashup medley of “Glycerine” > “No Woman No Cry” > “Farmhouse” > “Wagon Wheel” and Hayley Jane joining on a cover of No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak.” The set also featured sit-in’s from Kung Fu/RCA drummer Adrian Tramontano and Baked Shrimp members Jared Cowen and Jager Soss.
Mihali Setlist: Be There (1), Collective pulse (1), Glycerine -> No Woman No Cry ->Wagon Wheel -> Farmhouse-> One Day, Ballad of the Broken (2), Living is the Lesson, Don’t Speak (3), Cali Roads (3), Open House (4), Heart Song, Apples, River Drift, Empty Overflow, Mamunes the Faun (5), Every Soul (6) Encore: Hatties Jam (1) -> When it Rains it Pours
(1) Dedicated to Lon Conscious (2) Formally known as CaliRado (3) W/ Hayley Jane (4) Formally known as Castle in the Sky (5) w/ Jager Soss (Drums; Baked Shrimp) Jared Cowen (Guitar; Baked Shrimp) (6) w/ Adrian Tramontano (Drums; RCA / Kung Fu)
Baked Shrimp Setlists
Friday, August 27 Setlist: NO2-4U, Molly Ann, Tulu, Melting Over Nothing, Pork Etiquette, Rosa (1) (1) Cut short due to lightning storm.
Saturday, August 28 Setlist: One Set: Rosa (1), Weird Times, Who are You and What am I?, Ollie Blu, Hurricane Jane (2), Stomatopoda, Level of Gold, Pig Hearts and Mechanical Parts, Super Human Mutant, Benny, Down the Drain -> Equinox (1) Ending jam only; completes 8/27/21 version
The inaugural Catskill Mountain Jubilee (CMJ) was held August 12-14 at The Blackthorne Resort in East Durham, New York. The venue’s biggest event yet bent genres and danced around the intersection of electric and electronic. bands like Lotus bridged the gap between Doey Joey and Dark Star Orchestra. The eclectic influences and open minds made for a few days full of idea-filled conversations, exciting new music, and top notch vendors. The not-too-big, not-too-small festival in the middle of a humid heat wave created an atmosphere of mutual respect which cultivated a space ripe for profound understanding of ourselves and our community.
Gnomes and 9 Pins
The CMJ had a familiar story that aligned with folklore about sailors being led by gnomes deep into in the Catskills only to find joyful celebration full of music. Diverse creatures of the forest gathered to play games of 9 pin all night, illuminated by a seemingly ever burning bright firelight. It is said that every 20 years, that light can be seen and music heard. Some felt a pull, while others felt magic.
Blue emerges
This past weekend, bright lights could be seen and music heard. Strangely, in the land of Mountain Jams and Cosmic Alignment’s past, genres at CMJ could not be identified. In a most peculiar way, the over 400 residents at Blackthorne resorts were nowhere to be found the first and second day. It was as if they did not exist.
Pool Party with Doey Joey
Games were played at DJ Doey Joey’s pool party. Bright colors, bubbly movement existed in this thriving ecosystem that was the Joey crowd. Fans extended like dorsal fins, electric poi hung in the air like angler fish and glow sticks helped fasten hair into a bun as the warm day slowly cooled.
Meeting of the Minds in Transitional Times
“Face it, Black Tourmaline from the Himalayas is f***ing so rad. Believe what you want. The point is the aesthetics.” –
The intensity of the heat matched the the conversation during the day at CMK. Crystal Wielders and Zen masters took shade at the second stage which acted as an arena to discuss the ultimate debate: Quartz or Himalayan Black Tourmaline on your back?
Your Ocean
As night fell and humidity rose, attention could only be directed towards the place with the light. The oceanic thickness in the air combined with the “mind like alter” transition from healthy debate to learning seemed only appropriate.
Lotus gave intimate, yet energized upstate Flodown that evoked new levels of emotional connection for fans as guitarist Michael takes his victory lap with the band. Incoming stand-out guitarist Tim Palmieri and fellow guitar warriors exchanged theories on the most humane strategies for reducing a crowd into liquid form with their solos.
Moe. guitarist Al Schnier is not featured in this photo.
This is a moment that captures the heart and soul guitar playing in the band Lotus from Michel to Tim. Tim’s eagerness to learn from Michel and Michael letting go of this place will put a smile on all Lotus Fan’s Faces. We love the band. We will miss Mike, and we still want Lotus in our lives.
During tumultuous conditions, the vendors acted as protector and mother to any patron in need. Regardless of Maslow’s ranking, the vendors were there to provide quality accommodations every homeostasis need, like Keith’s Coffee.
Some vendors even appeared to have a special ability to live paint the eye of the storm, channel its dragon spirit and will the storm and all of its heat away.
Rainbow Party
After the storm passed and the heat broke, Annie In The Water acted as the rainbow ride all the way to a party “where the wine flowed like cheap booze in soup containers.”
The locals, feeling safe, were drawn out of what turned out to be their their air conditioned summer homes. What did the trick? It seemed the upbeat jams of Lucid did the trick. Lines of golf carts were full of folks seeing a world of possibility they never knew existed. The party continued into two nights of Dark Star Orchestra.
Powers and Abilities
Once the heat broke and everyone at CMJ began to interact with more cognizance, something unexpected happened.
Karina Rykman discovering what Umphrey’s McGee and Doom Flamingo member Ryan Stasik called “Levitation and Doom (Flamingo hat)”
As true celebration began, the inner power of each individual began to manifest itself in different ways.
Becoming Jellyman
These patrons responsibly used their powers to summon a deep feeling of gratitude and acceptance among all attendees. The group seemed to tie closer and closer bonds throughout the weekend.
Newfound confidence in community had many take their light bending to an entirely new level.
It takes some kind of magic to allow oneself to submit to romance and all that goes along with it. It is a scary world out there, but only with the support of our community can we find it in ourselves to kiss the girl.
Karina Rykman finding her inner light
Sometimes finding that one inner light in ourselves was all we needed.
Looking Forward
“fuck yes” – Woman on the left.
What does this all mean? It means that the power of a beautiful place, good music and supportive minds can remind us why we loved going to see music when it was all still new. It also allows us to tap into our inner optimist. Regardless of how bad life might feel, we could probably make it to the next set.
“It will buff out.” A rainbow Hemp Hatted Zen Master shared his mantra with the crystal keepers while gazing deep into the looking stone. He explained the phrase meant everything will be ok, but he has to do work.
“At least if the journey has no destination, the jubilant reassurance that we are all in this together” – Loosely quotes from David Byrne but with a CMJ twist
“Let’s cherish the Memories we’ve had so far, and have equanimity with what happens next.” – Wonzie
“F**k yeah!” -Woman on the Left (pictured above)
This Inaugural symposium brought together individuals from every planet, ocean, desert, pool party and pot of gold. It was a true meeting of the minds. Moving forward we will be empowered to take care of more fellow music fans, regardless of their favorite band or who they think is getting “The Torch.” In times where addiction runs rampant, we must remember that we are all in this together and everyone without a water bottle needs one.
The Catskill Mountain Jubilee certainly felt like it had been happening for centuries. and maybe it hasâ¦
For a reminder of how far we have come, check out this awesome video from shutdown with Karina and Marlo from Melt playing China Cat Sunflower
Lespecial, the heavy future groove trio from Kent, CT, is hitting the road for repeaTOUR an extensive run of shows this Fall. Including a show in Niagara Falls, NY and one in East Durham, NY for the Flyday Music Festival.
Dubbed “2021 Fall RepeaTOUR,” the jaunt is named after “Repeater,” a track on the band’s 2020 release, Ancient Homies. Starting on 10/1, the band will travel to upstate NY for a pair of shows, before heading to Portland, ME to support Pigeons Playing Ping Pong at the State Theatre on 10/8. Mid-October will see lespecial host “Le Getaway Part Deux,” a curated overnight music and camping experience at the beautiful Club Getaway in Kent, CT, with support from West End Blend and Cosmic Dust Bunnies. After a 10/28 play at Suwannee Hulaween in Live Oak, FL, lespecial will spend its’ favorite holiday in Asheville, NC for a Halloween throw-down at Asheville Music Hall.
November will see a handful of shows in the mid-Atlantic region, followed by a return to colorful Colorado on 12/2, where the band will headline Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver for the first time. After a visit to Fort Collins (12/3), the band will hole up at Old Town Pub in Steamboat Springs for two nights. Subsequent shows include a string of appearances in the Midwest with special guest Mike Dillon Band, including much-anticipated returns to Chicago, Indianapolis and Columbus. The tour concludes in Ferndale, MI on 12/18 at Otus Supply
Lespecial repeaTOUR Fall 2021
10/1 – Niagara Falls, NY – Rapids Theatre
10/2 – East Durham, NY – Flyday Music Festival
10/8 – Portland, ME – State Theatre (supporting PPPP)
10/16 – Kent, CT – Le Getaway – Club Getaway
10/28 – Live Oak, FL – Hulaween
10/31 – Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall
11/3 – Charlotte, NC – Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts
11/4 – Roanoke, VA – 5 Points Music Sanctuary
11/5 – Baltimore, MD – The 8×10 (w/ Kick The Cat)
11/6 – Asbury Park, NJ – Wonder Bar
11/12 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall (w/ Space Bacon)
12/2 – Denver, CO – Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
12/3 – Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theatre
12/4-12/5 – Steamboat Springs, CO – Old Town Pub
12/8 – Kansas City, MO – recordBar (w/s/g Mike Dillon Band)
12/10 – Chicago, IL – The Point (w/s/g Mike Dillon Band)
12/11 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon (w/s/g Mike Dillon Band)
12/12 – Milwaukee, WI – Colectivo (w/s/g Mike Dillon Band)
12/15 – Indianapolis, IN – The HiFi
12/16 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Stache
12/17 – Columbus, OH – The Summit
12/18 – Ferndale, MI – Otus Supply
For more information, and to purchase tickets for the Lespecial ReapeaTOUR visit: lespecial.net.
Over the last two years, the musical timbre in New York’s Catskill Mountain region has been one of tree frogs, crickets, and owls. Last Saturday, that changed. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats rode into Belleayre Mountain, a location declared by the NYS Forest Preserve as “Forever Wild”, on a triple bill that reconfirmed the mountain’s sobriquet.
Rateliff and band blazed through a twenty-one song set, including a three-song encore. Nathaniel opened with “Shoe Boot” from his 2018 release Tearing at the Seams, kicking up his heels, pulling in all who were ready for a night of rock and roll. As he maneuvered between guitars and keyboards, the stage took on its own persona: golden glows, somber blues, spotlights, and silhouettes reflecting the nuance each song had to offer. The Night Sweats shared their prowess constructing the musical foundation to allow Rateliff’s gritty voice the opportunity to exhibit its versatility going from the up-tempo “Look It Here” to the depth of “Redemption”.
Nathaniel Rateliff
The day already had a vibe from those tailgating that afternoon which blossomed into people dancing from early on and never stopping. From the stage, set at the base of the mountain, one could see how people filled the vertical rise of the ski slope. During the encore, “S.O.B” took on a life of its own by turning the mountainside into the church of Rateliff, with the preacher calling out to his flock who, without hesitation, responded back tenfold.
Earlier in the day, with dusk spreading its golden light across the ridgeline, The Marcus King Band put their musical adroitness on full display. King, along with his long-time band mates, took the crowd through a fiery hour of rock and blues. They jammed their way into the night and threw in occasional covers, including “Poppa was a Rollin’ Stone,” that had everyone singing along.
Marcus King
Allison Russell opened the night. Russell, who curated the prior week’s 2021 Newport Folk Festival’s “Once and Future Sounds” set, brought her soulful, introspective tunes to the pastoral landscape of the Hudson Valley. Allison shared songs from her solo album Outside Child, one that pulls from her personal tragedies of childhood abuse. It went deep mid-set but offered a light of hope as she closed out her set with “Nightflyer.”
Allison Russell
Local Hudson Valley radio station WDST 100.1 Radio Woodstock produced the show, conceived as a bridge to cover the void left from two years of not having Mountain Jam. For those in attendance, it could not have come at a better time. Let’s hope the music and the mountain stay forever wild.
Jazz saxophone great David Murray will perform a unique solo performance, complimented with live painting by artist Nancy Ostrovsky, August 7 at Rustic Ridge View Farm in Ulster County.
A titan of the tenor sax and bass clarinet who came to prominence in the mid-70s, David Murray has recorded dozens of albums that merge free jazz with the mature style of classicists like Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster. He was a founding member of the World Saxophone Quartet and has performed or recorded with luminaries like Henry Threadgill, Elvin Jones, James Blood Ulmer, Olu Dara and the Grateful Dead, for whom he recorded a tribute album with his Octet in 1996. In 1989, Murray won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance for his album, Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane, along with a Guggenheim Fellowship. The Village Voice named him “Musician of the Decade” in 1980.
Deeply textured and enthralling in their execution, Nancy Ostrovsky’s paintings are, just like the music itself, free improvisations inspired by and at one with the resonant vibrations and spirit created by a musician in a live performance. Her spontaneous method of smearing, dripping, squeezing and manipulating paint onto canvas, in real-time as compelled by the music, is electrifying to witness.
Over the years, the Accord, NY-based artist has collaborated at concerts with some of the jazz world’s leading names, including Roswell Rudd, Butch Morris, Michael Gregory Jackson, Michael Bisio and Murray. She has performed her live painting to music at many prestigious venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and the Eastman School of Music.
The event will take place Saturday, August 7 at Rustic Ridge View Farm, 15 Old Kings Highway, Kerhonkson, New York. Suggested donation is $20. It is recommended that patrons bring their own chairs or pillows for seating at this outdoor event. Refreshments will be available.
More of Ostrovsky’s work and videos of her unique live painting performances can be seen here.
Marco Benevento tended to his muster of peacocks near a seemingly innocuous building in Saugerties that serves as a porthole into the inspirational playground of Fred Short Recording. Later that week, he’d play at Westville Bowl for the third time this summer with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead before prepping for his upcoming 2021 solo shows, including one at Roots Rock Revival, and opening for moe. at Apple Valley. Amidst a wall of keys, eight-track players and plastic microphones, Marco discussed his creative process, upcoming tour, new music, tools of the trade, and life after shutdown.
Marco Benevento
A show and tell concluded the hour long chat. Marco shared some of his favorite devices that helped him access the mind that created his genre bending and catchy latest album Let It Slide. The whole experience felt like a movie filmed in the past, that took place in the future.
Upcoming Tour
Em Walis: How’s it going here with your tour about to start?
Marco Benevento: I was looking at my calendar and I just swipe to the right and I saw August and I was like, “Oh no, I’ve got lots of gigs.” Yeah. Which is great because, you know, gigs are back baby.
EW: I was thinking it might be a cool thing to talk about would be the idea of wearing different hats, shifting from home hat to tour hat. What does shifting from the creative process hat to, “Okay, business time. Let’s get it out there,” hat look like?
MB: I wear a bunch of hats in that regard. Because you’re like, weird musician guy. And then you’re like, also booking hotels and flights. So then we’re here, you record and how, how, you know, when that you comes out, and yeah.
Octagon Discs
Fred Short Recording
EW: Do you find for your flows, because I see you have almost different zones here, that if you’re working you have one place that’s your business zone and separately have an “I’m making stuff now” zone?
MB: I basically do it all in this one zone. I mean, here’s the headquarters right here sit behind the piano move and the piano tape machine all the gear here recording, but then here’s the laptop for music and stuff. Also dealing with manager emails. This is the office in studio basically. Yeah, this is the always curious, just how to change literally. Luckily, I have a booking agent and a manager. So there’s a lot of behind the scenes, those guys are making my days easier. That’s really so I can just focus on the music and that’s cool. And everything and even just being around the kids. Yeah, hanging out.
EW: So how many you have kids? Two kiddos?
MB: 14 and 11. One just went to a friend’s house. My other is inside just playing Legos. She’s like, “Okay, when you’re done with your interview…,” Daddy comes and goes. So it’s nice that people like helped me out. You know, making my life easier. So I enjoy being a dad.
MB: Yeah. It’s cool place. I did it last year. I just did a day workshop there. It’s just like, music camp. They have a lot of artists come in. People talk about music and improvisation. And, you know, everybody needs camp. I mean, I went to like, some heavy jazz camps growing up and learned a lot from cool clinics, you know, sleepover camps, or music all day. It’s immersion. And then you’re picking each other’s brains about stuff. On a loose level. You don’t get a lesson from a guy and you have an hour and that’s it. You’re at a camp that lasted for a week and, maybe later at night when you’re hanging out. You know? Yeah, just sort of shoot the shit about some questions you might have. Yeah, totally.
Outdoor Live Performance Experience
EW: How do you feel about like being in the “cool outdoor environment” places? I imagine with the electricity and things like that, it might be hard to like play the kind of music you want to play, or run into difficulties with like sound and light conflicts, or is it worth it when you’re in out in the middle of the woods playing at a place like Full Moon?
MB: I love that. I’m all about it. The outdoor stuff is cool. I always prefer playing outside because you’re not fighting the venue and the walls are the collection of all that stuff. Sometimes you get into a room and you’re like, “Oh, just sounds weird in here at soundcheck,” and they’re like, “Oh, when people come in, it sounds better.”
EW: The bodies right?
MB: Yeah, that does help. But for the most part, the trees in the open air, no walls by us, it’s so nice. That’s better. I’ve always wondered whether it’s preferred or not. For me, I like outside better. I’m curious to see what other musicians would say, but yeah, there’s nothing like playing an outdoor stage.
EW: What would the word be for it? If it’s not a room for us? It’d be really great woods out there. You know, the trees really just sounded great.
MB: We played this festival called Pickathon in Oregon. And they had this tree branch stage. It was just made out of branches, it was so cool, a little stage in the middle of nowhere. Yeah, it was just all these tree-like branches are all over you and around they make a dome that has branches and it’s really cool.
Marco Benevento’s Fred Short Recording
Creative Process: Starting
EW: Let’s talk creative process.
MB: I mean, creatively, I’m just in here writing and recording all the time. Yeah. It’s kind of funny, because most people, when they do their job during the day, and they come home, they want nothing to do with their job. When I do my job, and I come home, I want everything to do with my job again. Yeah, put the kids to bed and then hang out with my wife, and then she goes to bed. And then I’m in here writing and recording.
EW: The best hours?
MB: Yeah. The creative process for me is writing with playing along to a drum machine. Recording keyboards to a drum machine and then adding drums and then adding fade and then figuring out the lyrics after, if there are lyrics. Yeah, figure those out sort of, after the fact. But basically writing. Writing groups.
The creative process for me is writing with playing along to a drum machine. Recording keyboards to a drum machine and then adding drums and then adding fade and then figuring out the lyrics afterwards, if there are lyrics.
marco benevento
Marco Benevento finding inspiration in the Octagon
EW: Writing groups, that comes first. The late night is just the best creative time it seems like. Is it something about inhibitions that are just lessened at that time?
MB: Yeah. And talk about immersion. You’re just like, in here, and you almost spend too much time on one little particular thing. But then you get to the next morning, and you listen back and you’re like, “Oh, I’m glad I spent time dialing in. Yeah, that weird drum machine sound or there’s a mission.”
EW: Yeah, exactly an hour for the paper focus. Lasering in on something instead of having to have that bigger picture that seems like we feel so much pressure.
MB: Yeah, the bigger picture sort of comes after. I’ll get the groups baseline, I’ll figure out the arrangement, and then the bigger picture starts coming in.
Creative Process: Finishing
EW: How do you know when it’s time to like, start wrapping something up?
MB: It’s a good question. I find that like a lot of musicians. I guess it maybe it’s like, almost 50/50 I feel like there’s musicians that are just like, putting shit out, no problem., and not getting too hung up on certain things. Then I feel like there’s another side of musicians that says, “How long do you work on this record?” Two, three years in some cases, that’s a long time. You put that out, or even like longer, like 10 years, right?
EW: At what point does it start to deconstruct?
MB: I’m the kind of person that’s almost to the point where I should maybe be spending more time with it. But I’m like, “You know what? This is done.” And the good thing about being “This is done” is that you’re like, OK, you get excited for the for the next thing. So yeah, keep things fresh. that’s why. Recognizing when the freshness is starting to fade. I made this COVID record basically, over the last year. Now it’s starting to, fade, I’m like, I gotta put this out, because it’s just time for this to be out. I’m excited to be done with it. It’ll be done very soon.
Creative Process: Prioritizing
EW: How do you prioritize?
MB: I like deadlines. Especially when you’re planning your whole touring schedule and everything like that. If you want to know the music, you want to know the music’s ready and you want to time it. So when you do that tour, you have a new record. So by saying, “August 15, it needs to be done,” the signal will come out. Maybe the whole record comes out in the winter, but then you want to do a tour in the spring. So you time it all out. If you hold it up and the records are done, then you mess up everything down the line. So that makes so much sense, like planning a baby. Yeah, exactly. Keeping the ball rolling, that’s really it. I’m working like with all sorts of other folks, which is fun, on side projects. Specifically one with my friend Leon Michels, who lives across the river, and Ryan Cliff. He has his own thing called El Michael’s Affair. Check it out. He moved up from the city, we made my last record together and he’s just doing so many things with different folks, so he’s always having me over to like record on something that’ll eventually be used. He’s producing, having songwriting sessions at his house, it’s super fun and brings us to the Hudson Valley, it is nice to be up here. There are so many people with studios around here.
The Hudson Valley
EW: It’s the place where the real stuff is happening. This is where the people that have done well enough for themselves to make a home and be outside. And a lot of really, really amazing artwork.
MB: And there’s a lot of home studios, there’s a lot of people that are recording themselves in their side house studio, or their room or their garage or their basement and they’re really tasteful. They make great music. There’s so many folks around here and then even just professional studios. Applehead is nearby, and on the other side of the river where Leon lives, actually not far from him, it’s called The Clubhouse, which is another great studio.
Marco talks home studios and shutdown
EW: Especially after this year. It’s the home setup, for sure, and be glad if you have already had a place in the Hudson Valley.
MB: Absolutely. I know. I couldn’t have quarantined at a better place. It was ridiculous. Some of my musician friends were going through a really hard time. I couldn’t even imagine… I was like, “Okay, I’ll be stuck here for how long?Actually don’t even tell me, I’ll just do this.” I was so productive. Anytime anybody would like call me or FaceTime me. I’d be like, “Yo, what’s up?”
Live Streaming
EW: My family did a fake music festival with live streams. So when we were done texting we would be like, “Alright, I’m going back to camp and my sister would be like, get me a flannel and beer!”
MB: Online streaming things from festival stages, that was a kind of cool platform, and there’s a really successful tipping system where it’s really easy for people. You can scroll by all these comments, sitting here playing in my house, feeling like I’m playing and people just rolling through, so I liked it. Not a live show, it’s just something else, right? People are watching you on their computer, and we all know what that is. So it does feel somewhat rewarding, but it has its limitations, obviously.
EW: Well, if the home is interesting now, do you see an evolution happening with home fans that still will follow musicians around but not actually physically? Like, seen/listened to every show?
MB: I think that those platforms are hoping that artists don’t stop doing their online streams. It was funny, because I did a bunch of shows with StageIt and then things started opening up and my schedule got pretty busy again. I was playing shows and they were like, “Do you still want to do a StageIt show?” I thought, “I don’t know. Should I? Everyone’s going to shows, do people still watch stuff on their computers?” And they were basically like, “You know, that’s how we make our living.” So yes, of course, it’s still happening. I did one the other month, it was kind of fun. It’s still fun to do, because this room just looks cool with keyboards.
EW: They see where you hang out every day, and it can be funny when your cat knocks something over.
MB: It’s definitely more connected. Yeah, people want to go out to live but yeah, it’s more personal. It seems cool. It seems like at least I know for myself, like the gates opened a little bit more. It’s kind of cool to still feel like part of something. It’s definitely interesting.
Making memories
Return to Touring
EW: Have you found you’ve played a lot since reopening?
MB: Yeah, I play with this band called JRAD which is, which is Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and it’s like all the music of the Grateful Dead. I’ve done it a couple of shows with them in that place in New Haven at a new spot. It’s pretty awesome – Westville Music Bowl. I do love tennis and played so much tennis because of the quarantine. I’ve been playing with them, smaller shows, some smaller solo outdoor gigs which has been cool. I played with my band with Karina and Divi at Brooklyn Steel and cool stream from there. That was really, really fun. It’s fun to be able to capture the venue and do what I do, go into the venue and have a sound person that you know and everything, helping you out and doing it safely felt really good.
Connecting Post-COVID-19
EW: With the upcoming tour, do you anticipate there being a different energy or headspace in the crowd?
MB: Well, it’s not full capacity. For example, Westville in New Haven holds I think 12,000 people or something. If there were actually 12,000 people in that venue it would feel a lot different than it does now because I think they’re literally only letting in like 3000. That’s gonna be a little… it’s kind of like you’re aware but kind of wandering around a little because you have a little bit of wiggle room.
EW: Gratitude. In my experience, like it seems for some people it’s almost more of a religious experience than it’s ever been. Because artists that have been there for them through stuff, your streams kept people happy.
MB: I did feel that way, which was a nice feeling. Like, oh, I can I provide something that people like, they really love, and they really needed love, even if it’s not live, they need it through somewhere, somehow, and even as a musician, I also need that outlet as well. Even though I’m playing here all the time anyway, but just to have a concert where you’re like, actually emotionally connecting.
Cheap Keyboards
EW: And we’re like, “Yeah, music. It’s fun. It’s creative. This is who I am.” But then after it becomes like any relationship, where you were there for me, when I was going through this thing, and your music was there, almost saying “I got your back.”
MB: Yeah, I did feel that way. I also taught some lessons. I was like, I’ll just put my name out there. And if it’s just one person that wants to take a lesson every week, that’d be awesome. And they’re so stoked, they’re so stoked, right? This one guy, still takes a lesson with me. He just wants to shoot the shit about music and talk about how things roll and writing everything. It’s really loose, it’s been really cool. Now we have this connection and never met before. Now I know how smart he is. How great of a musician he is, and that’s so cool. I know that he was at this show, and for certain songs of that show, really freaking out that night.
This one guy, still takes a lesson with me. He just wants to shoot the shit about music and talk about how things roll and writing. It’s really loose. It’s been really cool. Now we have this connection, and never met before. Now I know how smart he is. How great of a musician he is, and that’s so cool. I know that he was at this show, and for certain songs of that show, really freaking out that night.
Marco Benevento on Teaching music
The Future
EW: What are you excited about right now?
MB: I’m excited. I’m very excited. I’m playing this weekend with JRAD. I played at the Newport Jazz Festival on Sunday with Christian McBride, John Scofield and Joe Russo, and some other people will probably sit. It’s like the the grand jam at the end. So I’m doing that and then I’m playing with my band at Levon Helm Studio.
EW: When you are into something, do you go so deep until the point where you’re like, “Alright, I’ve done enough in order to do more. Do I have to give up something else and therefore move on?” Or do you have different psych levels, where you have many things that you’re sort of slow cooking?
MB: That was that was a good way of saying it. Just lots of things that are still simmering in this. Song ideas. I rarely look back and think, “I spent too much time on something.” Getting a sound, maybe I look back thinking I spent too much time on maybe the arrangement of the song that seems to take me a long time to figure out which parts of where it feels like if it’s too scary or too much. For example, I had a song that was like, basically three parts in it, the whole thing repeated as a song form and it was an instrumental song, you know, whatever A, B and C, then I edited it, I listened to it and was like, this doesn’t sound right. So I flipped it around and see it was C, B then A – I was like, that’s on the song with the ending that I thought was the ending but it should be the beginning of the song. The middle of that regard, this is where it’s pretty awesome.
Four Track
Fred Short Show and Tell
EW: Then mixing and mastering – is that your people that do that for you?
MB: I love using tape machines and I have a four track recorder. I basically get all my tracks down to four tracks and I’ll have drums on one track, one bass. one vocals and then put it back in the computer. This is an essential tool for me.
EW: Do you find having a lot of gear can get overwhelming? Or do you love having tools and things around?
MB: I know how they all work. So yeah. If anything, I always love more.
Random Note
MB: This is called Random Note, it just does whatever you can adjust. You can adjust the speed, and then you can adjust the world. There’s the gear shelves too. This is a favorite too, this is a Wurlitzer kind of a classic sound. I mean, you’ve heard this. Oh, this is this is another new thing. You’ll like this one. This is cool. I just got this. I do like the cheap keyboards. I love these cheap keyboards.
“I do love cheap keyboards” Marco Benevento
You can adjust the speed, and then you can adjust the world.
Marco Benevento
EW: Why is that?
MB: It sounds so cheesy, but when you hear right, I use a lot of drum machines. This keyboard plays these discs, and it’s called the octagon, it uses a light. That’s why it’s called the optimal use of the optical sensor. It has these cool grooves and then you can play along with your right hand. So they all have these funky little album covers too that you get with it. These are cool, just found on eBay. So for example, your special effects, tambourine covers, track sandbox, and that’s what this one sounds like.
I spent a lot of time over here with this keyboard because it helps me get inspired right away. This sound is awesome, then it just helps me, like that. Even though maybe at the end of the songwriting process, this might be eliminated, at least it got me there. I might not use the original drum track that inspired the song, at least in the moment this is drum sound inspired me to write something, which is what everyone’s looking for when they’re being creative.
The Octagon
EW: It’s an intervention, sort of.
MB: Yeah, this is just a quick way, an intervention. Getting started really quickly. I’ll just randomly do shit like this.
EW: What is the story with the artwork in the corner over there?
MB: That’s Billy Martin from Medeski Martin Wood. The donkey is from my friend Battista Ebar, who actually made the artwork for my first record, Invisible Baby. I’m a fan of just making weird art. My record cover, obviously. I just like doing drawings like a staple in your book, and it’s the cover of our record called The Story of Fred Short.
The small Catskills village of Athens is sharing a late summer concert series. The series, put on through the Athens Performing Arts Corporation (APAC) begins July 30 and runs every Friday until September 3.
The concerts will take place in Athens Riverfront Park from 7-9 PM. Admission is free and performances are rain or shine. The lineup boasts diverse acts and genres, from Led Zeppelin cover acts to blues, soul and Americana.
Photo by SleepyHollowLake.org
Located in Greene County, the village of Athens, located within the larger town of Athens, is home to just under 2,000 residents. The village has multiple sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places and sits scenically on the west bank of the Hudson River. Athens has an eclectic and artistic feel with residents passionate about sharing music and art.
Be sure to check out the concert series starting this Friday. The full lineup is below and APAC has been posting updates and information on their Facebook page.
Village of Athens Summer Concert Series Lineup
July 30 – Zozo
August 6 – GA-20
August 13 – Paper Sun
August 20 – Tommy Castro and the Painkillers
August 27 – Classic Stones Live
September 3 – Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen
Enjoy this throwback performance by SouthSide Johnny!
For those looking for some great live music to round out the summer, the Catskill Mountain Jubilee music festival is coming to East Durham, NY from August 12-14, 2021.
The Jubilee will take place at Blackthorne Resort, less than an hour south of Albany and less than three hours north of the NYC metro area. A few days in the Catskills is sure to be a fun escape, complete with the festival’s strong lineup of many fan favorite artists.
Just announced additions to Catskill Mountain Jubilee include CIA (Clay Parnell, Ian McGuire and Allen Aucoin), Reed Mathis and Todd Stoops, TalkPeck SoundSystem – A tribute to Talking Heads, LCD SoundSystem and Vulfpeck (Jon Barber, Matt McNulty, Allen Aucoin, Mike Greenfield, Avery Acevedo, Miles Livolsi, Todd Stoops, Jeff Borg, Lowell Wurster).
Headliner Dark Star Orchestra covers both popular hits and deep cuts from the Grateful Dead’s extensive catalog. Boasting over 3000 shows under their belt, DSO puts on an enjoyable musical experience for all ages. The Chicago band has featured guest performances from six original Grateful Dead members and even toured with longtime Dead soundman, Dan Healy.
Other headliner Lotus is an instrumental jam band based in Philly/Denver. Lotus blends many different genres in their groovy improvisation, including flares of funk, electronic dance music with an underlying rock sound. Their new studio album, Free Swim, comes out August 21.
There are dozens of other exciting acts to catch at this inaugural Jubilee. The team frequently shares news on their Facebook and there is a newsletter signup on their website to keep up with any updates.
The festival will be home to over 25 musical acts whose style range from Grateful Dead rock-n-roll and hip-hop to livetronica, reggae and house music. This lineup is truly a collection of quality musicians who historically offer only the highest quality of performances, and we’re grateful to have each and every one of them joining us for the first ever The Catskill Mountain Jubilee.
Catskill Mountain Jubilee Team
Tickets are available for purchase now with options for two and three day general admission passes. Lodging packages are currently fully booked.
Based in Bovina, NY, Esquela released their fifth studio album A Sign From God on June 25th. The album features 10 tracks, produced by Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, and was recorded entirely remotely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic which prevented members from getting together to record during the Spring and Summer of 2020.
Esquela, via bandsintown.com
Over the course of several months, Finn wrote all the songs on the record, except the final track, “Wait For Me” which utilized a poem by Konstantin Simonov and was arranged musically by Becca Frame and Brian Shafer. He then sent bits of songs to Roscoe, involving Keith Christopher on bass, Brian Shafer on guitar, Becca Frame on vocals and Matt Woodin on guitars and mandolin, and Mike Ricciardi on drums with the audio engineering accompaniment of Jeff Stachyra. Their individual parts were woven together by their brilliant engineer, spinning a 70’s style overdub in a completely remote 2020 world.
Once the reality of COVID 19 hit us, nobody knew what was going to happen and for how long our normal routines would be disrupted. Since I was homebound for the duration – I decided that I should get my home recording studio up and running again. After weeks of technical frustration– I was finally able to get my home setup cobbled together with a Universal Audio Apollo interface and my MacBook, using Protools recording software.
Bandleader John “Chico” Finn
Amidst a race war and global pandemic, the album captures the cultural conversation surrounding the time, including addressing sensitive topics that unfolded during the year like racism, sexual assault and climate change. The first track on the album, which premiered ahead of the others, addresses climate change and humanity’s impact on Earth. “Not In My Backyard” was inspired by a conversation that transpired between Finn and a friend about fracking in West Virginia. Between the rhythmic guitar riffs and pulsing drum beat, a larger message lies at the core of the song.
The bottom line is that energy is cheap right now…in order for the climate to improve will mean people will have to pay more for their energy source, and I am afraid it won’t happen anytime soon, sad to say.
John “Chico” Finn
Premiering as Esquela’s first album since 2017, the band chose to tackle pressing issues about the world, spreading a message while telling a narrative throughout each song. The last song, “Wait For Me,” has a more stripped sonic atmosphere with soft acoustic guitar and less processed vocals. The song tells the story of Konstantin Simonov and a poem he wrote as a homesick Russian soldier during World War II. Esquela uses the poem as a vessel to acknowledge racism in the deep South, much like the French village of Oradour Sur Glane destroyed by Nazis within the poem.
With Esquela, challenge brings creativity. The album is a true testament that challenge breeds creativity amidst the pandemic. Even prevented from taking a band photo all together for the cover art, they crafted a creative solution to replicate images of them in a fun illustration pictured below. While COVID-19 forced the members to send over the tracks individually, the cohesiveness of these tracks expands beyond Roscoe’s phenomenal work as a producer. These songs tell a narrative about what we need to change as a society in 2020 (and now, its roots have spread into 2021).
The album is now available on Bandcamp or Spotify, with a music video for “Not In My Backyard” on Youtube.
