Bearsville Theater in Woodstock played host to Mihali, singer and songwriter known best for his work with Vermont’s Twiddle, on December 11, part of NYS Music’s Jam for Tots series. An enthralled and captive crowd filled the space in Bearsville, eager to celebrate the Mihalidaze.
Mihali’s solo project incorporates loops and layers connecting with lyrics in a mysterious, yet energetically powerful way. The use of everything from beatbox to bass juxtapose with the pure vulnerability of simply a voice and a guitar. The result is a soothing connection between crowd members among themselves, with the stage, the environment in which one experiences this music.
Experiencing Mihali at Bearsville Theater felt different than watching the home streams over the past year. The beautiful wooden circular backdrop bearing a logo with a mushroom not dissimilar in shape to the artist’s Santa hat glowed and pulsed with different colors throughout the show. The impression the backdrop gave was something like “all natural organic forest” but with some magic. The good kind. The kind with cute woodland creatures and the occasional talking fern.
The hardwood of the Bearsville theater is said to hide over 100 speakers in the ceiling of the old listening room. The way the music balanced so perfectly from every corner of the venue continued to reinforce the idea of some type of presence of a universal connection and wordless communication going on that night. Encapsulated in both wood, light and sound, there was an unspoken transfer of energy happening reflecting some type of phenomenon.
The transfer of energy between the green glow-worm-eque necklaces worn by many attendees seemed to balance out the warm salmony-pink glow of the somehow perfect number of chandeliers smiling down from above.
The spinning of Emily’s LED Poi looked to have a more dominant pastel tone as opposed to the vivd colors prevalent at many “up all night” type of festivals. The string light necklaces even looked muted when blended with the color bounding off the hard wood musical cocoon of a venue.
The complimentary nature seemed to continue right down to the colors of the clothing. The particular tint and tone of choice among fans had this young reindeer, almost fawn-like look to it. Whether boots or shirts, jackets or skirts… there was no denying the amount of earth tones out to dance that night.
It felt like an honor to be let into anyone’s home or studio during a time of universal struggle the recognize something familiar. Mihali’s intimacy in the way he communicates his music did not change from home to office and provided the perfect celebration during the holiday season.
Andy Frasco & The U.N. played to a full house at the legendary Bearsville Theater on Friday December 10, 2021. Despite over 80 shows under the band’s belt, they played like it was their last time on stage. The show was like any other, in that the surface level antics eased listeners into a more relaxed mind so they might recieve better the true message of resilience and comradery that sometimes lacks in the music community.
Photo by: Em Walis
I Come From This World
Riding over to Woodstock, Andy’s voice came over the radio just before switching over to Bluetooth. His natural radio DJ voice was the perfect balance between upbeat and honest. The host asked Andy how he was doing. The response was something along the lines of “run down and tired, but excited to play music.”
. Photo by: Em Walis
I Just Want to Be Heard
Answers like this have not always been common in the music industry, especially over a formal radio interview, but Andy has created a safe space for musicians to be honest about their struggles.
Photo by: Em Walis
I Got Something to Say
By talking the talk, before the show even began, Andy Frasco & The U.N. set the tone as one for pushing through, keeping it fun and remembering why we gathered here. Andy, through his music and message that night, displayed a truly authentic self. It was OK to dance throug the pain, the fatigue and the stress; this goes beyond the musicians. Chances seemed to favor that most folks in the audience were looking to have a reset and just feel joy even if it were for a few hours.
Photo by: Em Walis
Oh Time is not Real, These Feelings I feel
Andy Frasco & The U.N. made sure to pay homage to The Band and other artists that came up in Woodstock. Their cover of “Ophelia” had the whole mountain jam crew up and dancing. Woodstock is a treasure of the Hudson Valley and it is easy to forgot how many important artists have found inspiration in those hills over the years.
Photo by: Em Walis
Are Hard to Explain
The juxtaposition felt difficult to fathom at times. So much laughter, antics and energy in a place that was once built to be a “listening room.” But people might have forgotten that legend goes a little something like that the owner of the studio and listening room might be buried somewhere in the woods out back.
Photo by: Em Walis
Every day feels the same
So the next time Andy plays “Dancing Around My Grave,” he might remember that time in Woodstock where he had a full house theoretically doing just that.
Photo by: Em Walis
It’s the same ol’ game
Having good people around during the depths of tour seem to be the magic formula that keep these guys going. Never were they too serious and the smiles were reflected fully from the audience for the duration of the show. The photobombs during super touchy-feely moments were relentless (and also welcomed).
Photo by: Em Walis
I Just Wanna Get Away
Towards the end of the show, Andy invited “his son” Rich Derbyshire of Wild Adriatic and the notion of “oneness” became visible to all of us, as two afros and two yellow shirts became one before our very eyes.
So come with me, baby we will see
Photo by: Em Walis
Sunshine in rain
Andy and the guys were able to walk into the Bearsville Theater, respect its history and all of the ancestors of Woodstock musicians that came before and truly harness the spirit of ‘why’. In the Radio Woodstock interview, Andy mentioned that the Theater felt a little like a place where someone might celebrate their Bar Mitzvah. So of course the yellow lights came down upon us all as some sort of coming of age celebration was had during “The Horah” dance towards the end of the evening.
Some bearded guy in the corner that knew Woodstock as it once was might say that it was Bowie smiling down from up there in his intergalactic space station sending a signal that Andy Frasco is truly a good person and making the world a better place one bagel, one show, and once song at a time.
Setlist: Friends (A Song About Friends), C Boogie, (634-5789), Down to Business, Runaway, Dancin’ Around My Grave, Talk About It, Sex & Drugs), Spill The Beans, Cocaine, Slam Piece, Change Pace, Floyd Song, Walk, Smokin Dope> Biz Markie, Ophelia, Pussy, Better Days, Fought Law, Podcast, Struggle, What More, Keep On
Encore: Somedays, Mature AF
A big shout out to YamYam Band and their song “Sunshine In Rain” for inspiring this article.
The Slip, avant-rock trio from Boston, soundly finished their first mini-tour in a decade, playing seven shows over two weeks this November across the northeastern US. This was their first mini-tour since 2011. Brad and Andrew moved to Montreal in 2005, birthing The Barr Brothers. As The Barr Brothers ramped up, The Slip’s performances ebbed, playing only 7 times in 2011, then only twice at High Sierra Music Festival. Everyone wanted to know when they’d tour again.
The long-awaited Slip mini-tour launched at Higher Ground in Burlington, VT, where they’ve played over two dozen times since 1998 (lastly in spring of 2008). BAM started off with the ethereal Landing, prelude to the fiery fan favorite, Get Me With Fuji (a song named by long-time friend and one of the first Slip tapers, Jason Booth). After Fuji fired up the crowd, Brad donned his Danelectro for Nobody Waits That Long Anymore, a brand new song (debuted at Lockn’ Farm). Even Rats, their most-watched video, brought indie rock vibes to keep the first set lively.
The reflective rock classic, Sometimes True to Nothing, warmed the crowd in the first set. “The heart is a wilderness / with beauty and emptiness / that you endure”. The new rock song Motherwolf went into Chasing Rabbits, which debuted in 2003, but hadn’t been played since April 2007. Long-time Slip fans anticipated more good times from the wide mix of new and old songs in their tour opener.
The Slip flexed their jazz chops with their Coltrane tribute, Trane-ing, first played back in 1998 at The Living Room. They continued with an even older classic, Through the Iron Gate, which debuted in 1997 and hadn’t been played in 16 years! Heading back to recent times, they unearthed another gem from Eisenhower, Life in Disguise, then on to The Weight of Solomon, ending the single set with the oft-paired The Orginal Blue Air > Paper Birds.
The boisterous crowd cheered them on for a tasteful encore of The Band classic, The Weight, which The Slip has greatly rearranged, ending it typically with a Dogs on Bikes outro, and Autobody teases. Slip tour commenced robustly.
Thursday, November 11, 2021 – Higher Ground – South Burlington, VT
Setlist Landing, Get Me with Fuji, Long Ways Back, Even Rats, Sometimes True to Nothing, Motherwolf, Chasing Rabbits, Trane-ing, Through the Iron Gate, Life in Disguise, The Weight of Solomon, The Original Blue Air, Paper Birds Encore: The Weight* Notes: * new version, with Dogs on Bikes theme
Their tour evolved at Fete Music Hall in Providence, a cool industrial warehouse converted to a two-stage music venue. Ryan Montbleau, a friend of BAM’s who has Marc Friedman in his current band, surprised us with a lovely opening set of originals on acoustic guitar. This hometown crowd was larger than the tour opener in Burlington. BAM started the set with Landing, but ended there, instead of the typical segue into Fuji. They continued into Trane-ing, Blue Air > Paper Birds, and saved Get Me with Fuji until after the commonly-paired song duo.
Brad announced to the audience they were about to play their new single, Superterranean Onlyness, The Slip’s first studio release since Eisenhower – flowing with harmonized vocals, and brilliantly engineered by Steve Albini. Here’s a fan-shot 4K video of the live debut. BAM then played Driving Backwards with You, a song which debuted in 2000 at Higher Ground, then Lockn’ this August after an 11-year hiatus (last played at Narrows 2010). Even Rats preceded another new song, Hit Song.
More songs came back into regular rotation, such as Chasing Rabbits, Motherwolf, and Sometimes True to Nothing, followed by the sublime Aptos* > Something Learned, which debuted at Bethel Fest in 2003, and was last played at Cafe du Nord in 2010. They delved back into Eisenhower territory with Life in Disguise, then treated their hometown fans with another old-time classic, Autobody Experience (debuted in 1996!). This led into their new version of The Weight, with Dogs on Bikes outro to close, ending with a tasty encore of Children of December (performed over 250 times!)
All the parents of the children of december have a clutch because their birthdays are the hardest to remember when you’re born on christmas or the day before new year’s you can sing happy birthday but nobody hears it
Friday, November 12, 2021 – – Fete Music Hall – Providence, RI Setlist: Landing, Trane-ing, The Original Blue Air, Paper Birds, Get Me with Fuji, Superterranean Onlyness, Driving Backwards with You, Even Rats, intro, Hit Song, Chasing Rabbits, Motherwolf, Sometimes True to Nothing, Aptos, Something Learned, Life in Disguise, Autobody Experience, The Weight, Dogs on Bikes Encore: Children of December
The Sinclair in Harvard Square was packed before showtime, being where they went to music school and have played more than anywhere. Ryan Montbleau opened again.
BAM started with Landing, then Brad launched into wild guitar playing & effects, then segued into a sizzling Get Me with Fuji, then the brand new ballad Nobody Waits That Long Anymore. They continued into Even Rats, Sometimes True to Nothing, and capped the first set with a fierce Motherwolf.
Set two started with the jazzy Trane-ing, The Weight of Solomon, followed by Hit Song into Aptos. They returned to Through the Iron Gate, into Life in Disguise, with Lennon’s Jealous Guy teases (foreshadowing?). They teased Autobody Experience inside The Weight, following up with a Wolof jam and Dogs on Bikes outro to finish the smoking second set.
The most popular encore, Children of December, was well-executed. The weekend ended on a high note, and those attending all 7 shows were eager to see what they’d play next week in Philly and New York.
Saturday, November 13, 2021 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA Setlist: Landing, Psych Guitar, Get me with Fuji, Nobody Waits That Long Anymore, Even Rats, Sometimes True to Nothing, Motherwolf, Trane-ing, The Weight of Solomon, Hit Song, Aptos, Through the Iron Gate, Life in Disguise, Autobody Experience, The Weight, Wolof jam, Dogs on Bikes outro Encore: Children of December
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, Nov 16th, their first show at the new Brooklyn Bowl in Philly was canceled. It was great to return there, having attended the venue’s opening night with Soulive. This brand new 900-capacity venue shoulders The Fillmore in Northern Liberties, with two floors, twenty lanes of bowling, dining room, stage, and long bars on both floors. Delicate Steve opened, with a straight-ahead drums/guitar rock duo.
The Slip began with Trane-ing, followed by You Might Say (not played since High Sierra 2008). Ernie Mickey continued, a fan favorite (House of Blues Chicago 2001). BAM continued with The Soft Machine, Hit Song into Motherwolf, into From the Gecko, and Something Learned. They busted into a hot take of Get Me with Fuji, where Steve Marion (from Delicate Steve) joined in on guitar, staying on through Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Proud Mary and ending the set with Sometimes True to Nothing. The Reddish Moon encore was calming, perhaps to prepare us for NYC?
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 – Brooklyn Bowl – Philadelphia, PA Setlist: Trane-ing, You Might Say > Ernie Mickey, The Soft Machine, Hit Song > Motherwolf > From the Gecko, Something Learned, Get Me with Fuji% > Proud Mary%^ > Sometimes True to Nothing% Encore: Reddish Moon Notes: % w/ Steve Marion (Delicate Steve) on guitar and Charlie Hall (War on Drugs) on drums. ^ Creedence Clearwater Revival (cover).
As is usual in pandemic times, inter-city travel is capricious, so the Philly to NYC route was beset with numerous accidents and traffic jams, even after morning rush hour. The usual 2.5 hour ride to Brooklyn took over 5 hours, but I was lucky to have a booked hotel a couple blocks away to unwind before the show. The Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg is the first one that Peter Shapiro opened in July 2009. The Slip last played there in 2011, after another slow year in 2010 when they only played 4 shows.
To keep us on our toes, at the first Brooklyn Bowl show on Thursday, The Slip opened with Landing again, but instead went into Even Rats instead of Fuji. They played Superterranean Onlyness third, which was growing on us after a couple of live appearances. There was a quiet pause after, then we were treated to Invocation, first in 1999, last played in 2004 (17 years ago!). Stuart Bogie (tenor sax from Antibalas & Fela! Broadway musical) joined for a sizzling Yellow Medicine.
Brad went into The Weight of Solomon and then Motherwolf, Chasing Rabbits, Through the Iron Gate, into the Nathan Moore song I Hate Love, with Bogie returning on tenor through the set closer, Jumby. A Sometimes True to Nothing encore left fans energized. Few were ready to turn in, so we met for aftershow drinks at The Gibson, a favorite late-night watering hole a couple blocks away, where we discussed what the future may hold for upcoming Slip tours.
Thursday, November 18, 2021 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY Setlist: Landing > Even Rats, Superterranean Onlyness*, Invocation > Yellow Medicine%, The Weight of Solomon, Motherwolf, Chasing Rabbits, Through the Iron Gate> I Hate Love%, Jumby% Encore: Sometimes True to Nothing Notes: * new song, released Nov. 2021. % with Stuart Bogie on tenor (from Antibalas and Fela! Broadway Musical
Relix hosted The Slip for a livestream on their Twitch channel, at a top-secret location near my old apartment. Brad asked his good friend Jason Booth for his song requests. Brad smiled, then turned to the stream chat for viewer requests, joking that they “probably wouldn’t play any of those”. The livestream included their new hit single Superterranean Onlyness, followed by the scorcher, Sometimes True to Nothing, then Motherwolf, The Original Blue Air > Paper Birds to close the set. Watch the stream here.
Friday, November 19, 2021 – Relix Studio – Manhattan, NY Setlist: Superterranean Onlyness*, Sometimes True to Nothing, Motherwolf, The Original Blue Air > Paper Birds Notes: afternoon set, livestreamed on Twitch – www.twitch.tv/therelixchannel. * new song
Brooklyn Bowl Friday saw the biggest turnout of this tour. Our night startedoff boisterously, with BAM being introduced by Brett Siddell, a comedian from their high school wrestling team. BAM opened with the classic, Aptos > Airplane/Primitive (only time played in 2021), the poetic Friedman song:
The airplane, the primitive, saw it and thought it was some kind of bird it landed, he made up his mind – I can’t live knowing that there’s some other world where men fly, up in the sky, trapped himself on the wing for a one way ride and in the air above a cloud, there his soul stayed when his body fell down.
Before Wolof, Brad thanked the Brooklyn Bowl staff, and everyone who traveled to the show, saying “that’s not easy to do these days”. He continued, “So, if anyone bowls a strike during this song … you get a t-shirt, and a handshake from Marc.” This definitive Slip classic starts with Marc’s infectious bass groove, debuting at Valentine’s in Albany in 1998.
Bloodstone came next, another new song debut (only played at Brooklyn Bowl and Levon’s), followed by the raucous Hit Song. BAM cooled things down with the mellifluous Driving Backwards with You, last played at Narrows 2010. Panda began with Brad spacing out with his pedals, applying feedback for Soft Machine. Next was The Shouters (cut short), which was only played once in 2021. The room exploded for the highly popular Get Me with Fuji (played 243 times), with a tease of Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child of Mine that drifed into a few measures of Moby Dick before returning to Fuji.
The band took a breather as Brad asked if anyone bowled a strike and got their t-shirt, then leveled with the audience:
I want to say it feels really good to be The Slip again. We’ve had such a journey, from our beginnings in high school when we were the jazz band … our friend Brett was not kidding. So when we moved to Boston and really became a band together … in the 90s and 2000s, you know, and coming up with all of you and starting to do the festival thing and really getting to know this really cool community of bands getting to know other bands like Lettuce and Schleigho, and Soulive, Marco, The Duo, … they all fit conveniently under the jamband umbrella. And then, at some point for us, for The Slip it became sort of a hard pill to swallow, because we related to maybe parts of being a jam band, but we really didn’t relate to whole other parts of being a jam band. And then there was … an identity crisis there in the mid 2000s and we made our record, Eisenhower, and that was so much fun to make and really felt like a success. But we still sort of had – you know – more than a decade playing together, and it was very hard to see…you know…sometimes it’s hard to see what’s great about you, as a group … and you start thinking of ways to change it, and then we did. And so we went into one identity crisis … beautiful and contorted … what I mean, it’s really good to be back here as The Slip … enjoying what was always good about being The Slip … and having so much fun together up here, with you … and that means a lot to me
Brad’s pensive baring of his soul set the tone for Through the Iron Gate:
I get tossed like a bone into the dogs into the sky the closing is a gathering a gathering of eyes an i will look to you and you to me in between the space we chase the tune we dream so lazily
Ruminating on what he had just shared, Brad continued into the soul-searching Life In Disguise:
The world is only a stage and I’m just a man with a sound caught in his throat and a pick in his hand but when the song comes tumbling out, you understand there’s no great demand well it’s there under your breath behind your eyes and you don’t have to say nothing cause I realize that everything somehow in some way eventually dies
…and then Jealous Guy:
I didn’t want to hurt you I’m just a jealous guy
The introspective, sombre tone evaporated with the first beats from Andrew’s kit to kick off the funky Autobody Experience, while we processed what Brad had just laid on us. After a few measures, feet and hands started flailing as Autobody melted into the newly rearranged The Weight, with guitar pyrotechnics and rhythmic undulation. They merged into Dogs on Bikes organically and fiercely, going back into The Weight, mashed up and dangerous, as they are known for. Dogs kept going, with a blazing solo by Andrew, back into The Weight, Dogs, Weight, Dogs…and our minds will never be the same.
The fans were not ready to leave, and the packed house didn’t budge, cheering for an encore. The Slip came back, and Brad warned us, “We all knew how this was going to end”, as they encored with a 9-minute Children of December.
Friday’s Brooklyn Bowl was the best of the tour so far; The Slip had rekindled the sacred fire.
Friday, November 19, 2021 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY Setlist: Aptos > Airplane/Primitive, Wolof, Bloodstone*, Hit Song, Driving Backwards with You, First Panda In Space > The Soft Machine, The Shouters > Get Me with Fuji@ > Moby Dick^ > Get Me with Fuji, Through the Iron Gate@#, Life in Disguise$, Jealous Guy!, Autobody Experience > The Weight+ > Dogs on Bikes (outro) Notes: * new Brad song (working title). @ w/ Sweet Child o’ Mine tease from Brad and Marc. # w/ So What (Miles Davis) teases from Marc & Andrew. $ unfinished. + new version, rearranged w/ Dogs outro.
We arrived early to Levon’s to hang by the fire. It was wonderful to see so many dear friends, some from as far as California! The Slip played High Sierra Festival most often, garnering a huge west coast fan base to rival back east. We wondered what they’d play tonight, and who might show up. Our anticipation was rewarded when Kt confirmed that Marco was arriving, which means he’d sit in. Other fans found out when they saw Marco’s Hammond inside the barn. A handful of fans had never seen The Slip before, but the audience was comprised of dear friends and music aficionados Levon’s sold out in a few minutes, so we all counted our blessings to gather at this special venue for our favorite band.
On the way in, we went to check out the merch. The new Slip tour hoodies have “216” on the front, a special code. 216 is Plato’s Number, which has references in ancient texts, the sum of 3 consecutive cubes (a “magic number”).
BAM opened with Suffocation Keep. This was another tour bust-out, last played at Sullivan Hall in 2010 (one of only 4 shows they played that year). This sombre song is about a relationship and introspection (lyrics, video). Trane-ing came next, which was played in every city this tour, but had not been played since a Slip stealth gig at Matt Murphy’s Pub on Valentine’s Day 2006 (The Slip were billed as “The Lips”). Bloodstone returned, which debuted at Brooklyn Bowl Friday. The powerful Sometimes True to Nothing and Motherwolf ended the first set with ferocity.
Marco sat in on Hammond for most of the second set, adding depth and chops to the musical stew. They opened with the sing-a-long If One of Us Should Fall, one of their most popular tunes, last played at Lockn’ Farm this summer. A funky Chasing Rabbits came next, followed by Jumby and a sweet Yellow Medicine with a Zion intro. Marco took a break for Through the Iron Gate and Life in Disguise, returning for Lennon’s Jealous Guy, which BAM only ever played on this tour.
Teasing this song throughout the tour on preprinted setlists, The Slip finally satisfied fans with their most-requested song, Honey Melon. This song is an earworm – once the “Words go in, they don’t come out.” This ended the set with great energy, and everyone was on their feet by then.
BAM returned to play an blazing encore of The Weight (fan-shot video), which was even fiercer with Marco on keys. This version had both the Autobody intro and the Dogs on Bikes outro. Fans danced wildly to celebrate this last show of the tour, and we all hope that The Slip will return to the road again soon.
Hugs and tears flowed as we processed the musical majesty of these last two weeks.
Saturday, November 20, 2021 – Levon Helm Studios – Woodstock, NY Set 1: Suffocation Keep, Trane-ing, Bloodstone*, Aptos, Sometimes True to Nothing > Motherwolf Set 2: If One of Us Should Fall, ? > Chasing Rabbits, Jumby, Yellow Medicine%, Through the Iron Gate^, Life in Disguise^, Jealous Guy$, Honey Melon Encore: The Weight#> Dogs on Bikes Notes: * new Brad song, previously untitled. % w/ Zion intro. ^ the only two songs in second set w/o Marco Benevento on Hammond. $ John Lennon cover. # new version, with Dogs on Bikes outro and Autobody intro.
The Bearsville Theater put the spotlight on one of Woodstock’s most famous couples, legendary musician John Sebastian and his photographer wife Catherine, at a joint all-star concert/art opening on Friday, December 3.
The concert and the photo exhibit provided a look back at the many famous musicians, like Fred Neil, Tim Hardin and Sebastian himself, who cut their teeth in the folk and jug band scene of Greenwich Village in the ‘60s before migrating to Woodstock.
Fritz Richmond, Paul Rishell, James Wormworth, Annie Raines, John Sebastian & Jimmy Vivino. Group shot during rehearsal for an appearance at the “Late Nite with Conan O’Brian” show
The evening kicked-off with an introduction to the two dozen photos in the exhibit “Catherine Sebastian at Bearsville: The Jug Band Years.” A star in her own right, Catherine’s work has graced album, book and magazine covers featuring Pete Seeger, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Mick Jagger, Kathy Valentine (of The Go-Go’s), Lady Gaga, Debbie Harry, Dr. John, Paul Butterfield, Edina Menzel, Levon Helm and the RCO All-Stars and many more.
The photos date from the ‘60s through today, with many featuring John and his musical cohorts from the J-Band, a jug band formed in the ‘90s which has included Fritz Richmond, Yank Rachell, Jimmy Vivino, Paul Rishell, Annie Raines and other notables. The collection boast many classic shots of Sebastian with Tim Hardin, Happy Traum, Fred Neil, Paul Butterfield and even his father John, who was an internationally renowned harmonica virtuoso in the classical idiom. Also featured are shots of Sebastian’s J-Band in performance, at the Bearsville Theater in 1994, on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and more. Not to be missed is a shot of John inside his famous tie-dyed tent in Laurel Canyon. This is where he learned to craft the colorful fashions for the jeans and jeans jacket he wore at Woodstock ‘69. Framed and unframed prints are available for purchase at the Bearsville Theater and their website,
Annie Raines
98-8 frame 25 John Sebastian and Annie raines
Immediately before the concert commenced, John, Catherine and the musicians headed outside where Bearsville impresario Lizzie Van dedicated the recently rebuilt back porch, “The John Sebastian & Fred Neil Deck.”
“When Lizzie said she wanted to name a part of the space after Fred and me, I was kind of puzzled as to where it would be,” laughed Sebastian. “When she said it was going to be the porch, I said ‘ that’s perfect.’ Because if me and Fred were going be anywhere it would be out on the porch… smoking something we probably shouldn’t be smoking!”
The concert that followed had the intimate and casual feeling of a living room session, with Sebastian greeting the hometown audience with a boisterous “Good evening, my town.” He began solo with a few selections from Fred Neil, with whom he recorded and toured for two years before forming the Lovin’ Spoonful. The highlight here was his ambling version of “Other Side of This Life” from Neil’s classic 1965 debut album, “Bleecker and McDougal.”
Sebastian then turned his tales and musical talents to another friend, Tim Hardin. Sebastian lovingly joked: “Timmy was really not the cuddly guy who wrote Misty Roses. But the coolest guy of all of us, someone best known by listening to his early nasty tunes!” Sebastian followed with a solo performance of one of these, the knotty blues You Got A Reputation. He then brought on longtime J-Band member, Paul Rishell, for a solo on one of Hardin’s most covered compositions, “Reason to Believe.”
Sebastian’s cohorts in the J-Band and another aggregation, The Black Italians, then came to the stage. Guitarist Jimmy Vivino and the always smiling drummer/washboard whiz James Wormworth, joined by Lovin’ Spoonful bass man Steve Boone, partook a spirited run through the Lovin’ Spoonful’s Lovin You. Next up came another Woodstock legend, Cindy Cashdollar, who added her slithering, bluesy dobro runs to another nugget from early in John’s career, The Even Dozen Jug Band’s All Worn Out.
The energy was upped when another harmonica virtuoso, Annie Raines, joined for Sebastian’s Jug Band Music and You’ve Been A Good Old Wagon But You’ve Done Broke Down. The latter is a blues composed in 1895 and popularized in the 1920s by Bessie Smith, to which Raines added wailing harp and throaty vocals.
After a trip through the traditional Fair Thee Well and Jimmie Rodgers’ Miss the Mississippi and You, blues great Joe Louis Walker came onstage for a high-energy romp through Viola Lee Blues, with Sebastian on harp. John’s playing proved his mastery of the blues’ most portable instrument, and why he has been called upon to play it on classic tunes by the likes of Crosby Stills and Nash, The Doors and many others. His still stellar chops were further evidenced on the following, a two-harp duet with the equally fierce Raines.
Sebastian saluted important friends and mentors, the blues greats Sleepy John Estes and Yank Rachell, with soulful covers of their Milk Cow Blues (Leaving Trunk) and Tap That Thing respectively, with the latter featuring contributions on the jug and stage banter from John’s son Ben. Sebastian also performed the wonderful jazzy ballad to a love lost, My Passing Fantasy, from his 2014 duet disc with David Grisman. He then donned a harmonica holder and banjo to round out the set taking the all-star band through a rollicking rendition of K.C. Moan, a 1929 classic from the Memphis Jug Band.
After a well-deserved standing ovation, Sebastian and crew returned to perform two of his best loved Lovin’ Spoonful hits, Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind and You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice. With Cashdollar’s swirling dobro, Vivino’s smooth guitar licks and Wormworth’s percolating washboard and ever-present smile, these tunes sent John’s audience off into the wintery Woodstock night winter with very warm feelings indeed.
Across New York State, 13 venues will play host to Jam for Tots shows, bringing music venues and patrons together in an effort to support those most in need across the Empire State during the 2021 Holiday Season.
Patrons are encouraged to see live music at any of the shows below, and bring with them a new, unwrapped toy for a child. Each venue will have a box for toys to be dropped off in, All toys will be donated to local charities to each venue, keeping the community effort benefitting those in the immediate area.
Thursday 12/2 – The Deadbeats, Nanola, Malta Thursday 12/2 – Open Mic hosted by Jon Pinder, Stewart House, Athens Thursday 12/9- Tato and Friends, Funk n Waffles, Syracuse Saturday 12/11 – Mihali, Bearsville Theater, Woodstock Saturday 12/11 – Mikaela Davis with Girl Blue, The Hollow, Albany Friday 12/17 – The Samples with Rich Ortiz, Putnam Place, Saratoga Springs Saturday 12/18 – Hollis Brown, The Falcon, Marlboro Saturday 12/18 – Sydney Worthley, El Modernist and Josh Morris, Lark Hall, Albany Saturday 12/18 – El Nac: A Christmas Special, The Waterhole, Saranac Lake Sunday 12/19 – The Nutcracker, The State Theatre, Ithaca Sunday 12/19 – 11th Anniversary Party, The Strand Theater, Hudson Falls Saturday 12/25 – Televisionaries & Awful Kanawful, The Bug Jar, Rochester Friday 12/31 – Pasadena w/Joint Operation, Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo
We thank the venues, artists and fans who support Jam for Tots each year, and make the holidays a little brighter for those most in need.
Prog rockers are not a group known for their sense of humor. But there is one towering prog godhead who is top of the heap as an instrumental virtuoso and teller of ridiculously entertaining tales, ones featured in his surprisingly stupendous memoir, Grumpy Old Rock Star. It’s Rick Wakeman, the keyboard wizard whose riffs can be heard on some of the most memorable works of Yes, The Strawbs, David Bowie, Cat Stevens, T. Rex, Al Stewart and a boatload of his symphonic solo albums.
Wakeman brought his massive chops and incredibly funny tales to Woodstock’s beautifully outfitted Bearsville Theater on November 1. It was the last stop on the first swing of his “Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour.” The evening was equal parts baroque instrumental brilliance and Borsch Belt humor. And it was all the more enjoyable for it.
Dressed in a knee-length black morning jacket, Wakeman manned a duo of Korg Nautilus synths and a Yamaha grand piano to take the audience on a 14-song retrospective of his career as session man, bandmate and solo artist. There was a similar cache of stories, as well as a Q&A session, where the keyboardist reeled off hilarious anecdotes with punchlines as well-oiled as his arpeggios.
After the gorgeous symphonic double synth-driven opener “Seahorses,” Wakeman moved over to the piano. Here he told the story of one of his most memorable dates as a session man on Cat Stevens’ classic “Morning Has Broken.” According to the piano man, it wasn’t really all that much of a song, just 40 seconds or so, when they first ran through it. Stevens’ producer Paul Samuel-Smith asked his to lengthen it with a piano intro, a gorgeous one that is as memorable as Matthew Fisher’s Bachesque organ on “Whiter Shade of Pale.” The producer and Cat liked it so much that they asked him to return to it several times, in the middle of the tune and for a coda, to bring the tune to single length. Wakeman also recalls Stevens sitting in a corner chain smoking, all to muster the proper grit to commit his vocal to tape. He also remembers not getting paid, until 37 years later, the 12 British Pound session fee (about $120 is today’s dollars)!
Wakeman then set up a medley of two tunes from his classic The Six Wives of Henry the VIII album by observing that “the King’s life was prophetic of my own.” Like Henry, Rick had multiple marriages, one reason being “that I really liked cake.” But where Henry “chopped off his wives’ heads,” Wakeman observes he “gave my wives houses.” After the laughs died down, Wakeman gave sharp, articulated performances of “Catherine of Aragon” and “Catherine Howard.”
Rick Wakeman – photo by Neil Segal
Before heading into a medley of Yes, a mashup of “The Meeting,” “And You and I” and “Wonderous Stories,” Rick told an anecdote about a clever putdown he launched at a know-nothing TV interviewer in Los Angeles. When asked where his bandmate Trevor Rabin was when he wrote Yes’ biggest hit “Owner of A Lonely Heart,” Wakeman said he was “did it on the toilet.” And that it “was the first time someone wrote a #1 while doing a #2!” Naturally, the interview ended right there.
In the Q&A that followed, Rick answered 25 fan queries. He shared a host of trivia about his career, his love for his fellow prog keyboard titan, the late Keith Emerson, and that, yes, his long blonde hair was all his. He then returned to the synths for “The Dance of a Thousand Lights” from his 1999 disc, Return to the Centre of the Earth.
The creative and emotional high point of the evening came with Wakeman’s memories and medley of David Bowie, a giant whose last residence was a stone’s throw from Bearsville.
Rick Wakeman – photo by Neil Segal
Rick was the pianist featured on two of Bowie’s greatest works, his career-making “Space Oddity” and “Life on Mars.” Before launching into the tunes, Rick recalled their days of neighbors in the U.K and various chance meetings while on tour. He also credited Bowie and his producer Tony Visconti as sources of knowledge in the area of record production that proved so vital in his career.
Rick Wakeman then told another humorous tale about Emerson and Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, before dedicating the next medley to them, wildly original covers of The Beatles “Help!” and “Eleanor Rigby.” Repeating an exercise he learned during his days at the Royal College of Music, he covered these in the styles of classical composers. The standout was his reinvention of “Eleanor Rigby” in the hyper style of Sergei Prokofiev. It was blur of rapid arpeggios and pianistic filagree which could’ve been complemented by a horde of dancing Cossacks… if Rick could still afford the overkill of his infamous stage productions of the 1970s.
After a standing ovation and thunderous applause from the near sell-out crowd, Wakeman returned for a crowd-pleasing encore of story and sound. First came another scatological tale about a “dodgy vindaloo” and being asked to autograph an album while on the toilet! This was followed by yet another instrumental dazzler, the super syncopated “Merlin the Magician” from 1975 album, The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Wakeman’s concert is a model for what classic-era artists can bring to their audiences. It had musicianship that showed he hadn’t lost a step to time and his formerly wild rocker lifestyle. It also had all the tall tales and trivia that die-hard fans have an inexhaustible hunger for.
Bearsville Theater enlisted a new talent buyer after it’s recent renovations which will help make Bearsville a key hotspot for music in the Catskills and north of NYC.
Edward Maier has been appointed the new talent buyer for Bearsville Center including the historic Bearsville Theater and the Utopia Sound Studios by the owner of the Bearsville Center, Lizzie Vann. Maier is known for his work with ElmThree Productions. The hope is he will be able to bring his extensive contacts and experience to help create Bearsville Theater into the hotspot it can be.
Bearsville Theater and The Bearsville Center are located in Woodstock NY. The center was created during the musical revolution during the ‘60s. Albert Grossman who was the founder of the center and was known as one of the most important managers of artists at that time, envisioned a 15-acre complex to provide an imaginative rustic oasis, where artists could create, rehearse, perform, record and promote their music. He built housing, a recording and video studios, a formidable record label and 3 restaurants. His final project was the acoustically planned 8,000 sq. ft 400-seater Bearsville Theater. The Mission of Bearsville under the current ownership is to nurture and Inspire future generations. Today, the theater acts as a stimulus for creativity and enjoyment. The theater embarked on extensive renovation over the last two years and have finally come to the time where they can focus their energy on up-and-coming new bands.
Maier started his career in the music business back in the late ‘90’s with booking local acts in Burlington Vermont. Over the years he moved onto working for touring bands and site co-coordinating national tours with Jay- Z/Beyoncé and Eminem/Rihanna. In 2007 he moved into talent buying, and since then has purchased and produced over 1000 shows. Elm Three Productions is Talent Buyer for: Madison Marquette, Paramount Theatre, the Convention Hall, The Wonder Bar and Stone Pony along with the popular series – Jams On The Sand and AC Jams and the Daydream Farm Concert Series.
Between Maier’s years of experience and the legacy of Bearsville Theater and it’s new renovations it will definitely be a venue to keep an eye on.
On Friday, November 5, John Hall of 1970s pop band Orleans (“Stay With Me,” “Still the One”) will kick off NYS Music in Motion Season 3, as he sits down with our host, rocker Frank Palangi.
Sponsored by Helping Friendly Hemp Company, the series brings together seasoned musicians who hail from the Empire State or have made New York their home, alongside Palangi, a Warren County native.
Guests for Season 3 of NYS Music in Motion include Hudson Valley guitarist Kristen Capolino, Lake George multi-instrumentalist Rich Ortiz, PEAK guitarist and front man Jeremy Hilliard, Glass Pony drummer Chanda Dewey, and Ithaca-based promoter Dan Smalls.
Tune in starting on Friday, November 5 for each installment of Music in Motion on the NYS Music YouTube and Facebook page.
Palangi will have a sit down conversation with each artist, with a lineup of musicians from across New York State. A homegrown indie rock recording artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Palangi fuels his positive ambition naturally by serving up a feeding frenzy of edge heavy guitars, with a side of deep, gritty vocals. With a no-quit mentality, Palangi draws on influences from 80s & 90s rock, including post-grunge and heavy metal.
NYS Music in Motion Season 3 Schedule
November 5 – John Hall November 12 – Kristen Capolino November 19 – Rich Ortiz December 1 – Jeremy Hilliard December 8 – Chanda Dewey December 15 – Dan Smalls
Live from the legendary Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, critically acclaimed Brooklyn band The Antlers recently emerged from hibernation for their first show in over two years. Playing their latest studio album, Green to Gold, in its entirety followed by a second set of career spanning material, the enthralling, emotional, and dream-like performance on October 22, 2021 was nothing short of awe-inspiring. The road to get there, however, was a long time coming.
Rising to prominence in 2009 with their breakthrough masterpiece Hospice, a semi-autobiographical concept album that tells the story of a hospice worker falling in love with a terminal cancer patient, The Antlers had not released any new music since 2014’s Familiars. It was later revealed in 2017 that primary songwriter and bandleader Peter Silberman had quietly stepped away from the band after being diagnosed with permanent, career threatening tinnitus and vocal lesions. The Antlers would remain silent until October 2020 when seemingly out of the blue, they released a single for “Wheels Roll Home” and officially announced their first album in seven years, Green to Gold would be released in March of 2021 via Anti Records/Transgressive.
While no touring plans were made in support of the album, the band confirmed a special one-time only performance of Green to Gold would soon take place at the most storied barn in the Catskill Mountains. For diehard fans, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more perfect setting than Levon Helm Studios.
For those who didn’t already know, some free advice: arriving late to a show at Levon’s is like being late to church on communion Sunday; there’s simply no way to enter without being disruptive. The ‘last minute Larry’s’ on this particular night found that out the hard way when classically trained jazz minimalist David Moore of Bing & Ruth kicked off the evening with a beautifully subdued piano recital. The acoustics in the room so clear, every footstep and whisper of the late arrivals was heard. Unphased by any of it, Moore’s focused, cinematic set was but a precursor to the splendor yet to come.
After a brief intermission, it was finally time for a performance that was years in the making: The return of The Antlers. A must-see bucket list band for some, one person I spoke with at set break confessed they traveled all the way from Minnesota to Woodstock for this one-time-only, once in a lifetime show. Spoiler: the band did not disappoint.
Bathed in lavender light and taking the stage to a chorus of cheers and smiling faces, the mood gradually turned dead serious as a chorus of cicadas and crickets soon engulfed the room. Just like on the studio album, The Antlers opened with the first track off Green to Gold, a dreamy, ethereal, post-rock styled instrumental called “Strawflower.” Each of the four members adding a new layer of sound and texture while joining in one by one, it wasn’t until “Wheels Roll Home” that we would hear the instrument most vital to The Antlers signature sound, Peter Silberman’s remarkable voice.
Showcasing his impressive vocal range through half-sung/half-whispered melodies that often guide the listener to an astonishing falsetto peak, when you hear Silberman sing in person, you know you are witnessing a special talent. A vulnerable, rare kind of performer who can effortlessly send shivers up your spine or tears down your face on any given song; an artist willing risk it all for the sake of his craft, defying doctors’ orders after being told he may never perform again. Sounding magnificent on this cool autumn night at the barn, hearing Silberman pour his heart out to a live audience felt like nothing short of a blessing.
Describing “Wheels Roll Home” as “a simple song about the hopeful promise of reunion after a long time gone, the experience of waiting out tumultuous times and longing for stability,” Silberman touches on a theme most can relate to, particularly in the wake of the global pandemic. Never a band to shy away from difficult, dark and emotional subject matter, their bread and butter since the beginning, just two songs into the set and you could feel a sense of renewed optimism from The Antlers, something rarely heard on their previous albums.
Up next came a beautiful song called “Solstice”, co-written with long time Antlers drummer Michael Lerner (who opted to play on Levon’s vintage red kit instead of his own), the band describes the tune as a “flashback to the infinite days of peak childhood summer, innocent barefoot hikes, staying outside all afternoon and late into the evening, well past it being too dark to see. But it’s remembered from the vantage of a present day that feels unbearably long rather than joyously endless. It’s an invocation of those simpler times, an attempt to conjure the lightness of youth, before life got so damn complicated.”
Building on the soul-searching mood, the introspective journey continued with “Stubborn Man” before fading out into a sea of ethereal ambience that left the mesmerized crowd in stunned silence. As the emotional weight and integrity of the band’s performance grew with each successive song, up next came one of the biggest standouts of the evening “Just One Sec,” a song that noticeably left several people in tears.
“I’ll free you from the person I was sure I knew I’ll free you from a reputation you outgrew I’ll free you from behavior I’d expect to see And my interpretation of history ‘Cause I boxed you in unconsciously And I saw you and I thought you ought to be But by loving you imperfectly For just one sec, I’ll free you from me”
“Just One Sec”
Segueing perfectly into another song about hindsight came “It Is What It Is.” Also written by Silberman and Lerner, the richly textured song tackles the topic of learning from your mistakes, asking the listener to ponder “what might have changed had you handled things differently back then, and the reluctant acceptance that it’s too late for all that now.” The Antlers then seamlessly worked their way into “Volunteer” before transitioning to the hypnotic title track of their latest album, “Green to Gold,” a song that contemplates the inevitability of life and it’s ever-changing seasons. The gentle soul-searching sway of “Porchlight” lead us to the album closer, bookending the set with another languid, post-rock influenced instrumental called “Equinox.” The relaxing, layered groove would simply dither out and conclude the Green to Gold portion of the show the same way it began, in chorus of crickets and cicadas.
After a short brake, the emotionally elated audience welcomed The Antlers back for round two. There was no mystery during the opening set, but now it was anyone’s guess. Opting to go with the opening track from 2014’s Familiars was the beautifully brilliant song “Palace.” From there we were treated to back-to-back songs from the bands critically acclaimed album Hospice, first was “Atrophy,” then perhaps the most well-known song of the evening, just down the road from Bearville, came “Bear.”
“We’ll play charades up in the Chelsea Drink champagne although you shouldn’t be We’ll be blind and dumb until we fall asleep None of our friends will come They dodge our calls And they have for quite a while now It’s not a shock You don’t seem to mind and I just can’t see how”
“Bear”
After the stellar rendition of “Bear” was the bittersweet anthem “Parade.” Taking a moment between songs to clear his throat with a large drink of water, you just knew whatever was next, Silberman was going to give it everything he had left. As the richly textured, dream-like melody of “Corsicana” began, a tangible “hairs-on-the-back of your neck, get your cell phone out and record this” feeling swept over the audience. The only song to be played from 2011’s Burst Apart, it was then that Silberman uncorked one of the most unbelievable, heartfelt falsetto croons these ears have ever heard; one that still gives me shivers just thinking about it. Following an extended well-deserved applause, we were treated to one final thought-provoking number, a little-known song written by Silberman, but never released by The Antlers called “Ahimsa.”
“Time is all we have, I hope I have enough
Enough to show you love before my time is up
Before you wake the dead, take a pause
Instead of deafening nonsense, share silence
No violence today
No violence, no violence, no violence today”
“Ahimsa”
With an extraordinary end to an extraordinary evening, the band members then took center stage and hugged it out with each other first before bowing to the standing ovation. Not just a special night for fans who thought they’d never live to see an Antlers performance, but a special night for the band themselves. Coming full circle and finding perspective by letting nature run its course, time has been good to The Antlers. From writing somber songs in a Brooklyn bedroom, to playing Green to Gold in a legendary barn surrounded by friends, family, and some of their biggest fans, those who were lucky enough to be at Levon Helm Studios on this night will never forget it.
As the season for “best of the year” lists rapidly approaches, be skeptical of any that does not include The Antlers and 2021’s Green to Gold. Seven years in the making, this is an album that will stand the test of time.
The Antlers – Levon Helm Studios – Woodstock, NY – 10/22/2021
Set 1: Strawflower, Wheels Roll Home, Solstice, Stubborn Man, Just One Sec, It Is What It Is, Volunteer, Green to Gold, Porchlight, Equinox
Set 2: Palace, Atrophy, Bear, Parade, Corsicana, Ahimsa
Make no mistake. Don LaSala is not Conrad Hilton and he’s not in it for the money. Since 1998, LaSala and his wife Sue have been the owners and loving caretakers of one of the holy sites of rock history, the humble salmon-colored house in West Saugerties, N.Y. known as Big Pink. From early 1967 – 1968, Big Pink and its makeshift basement recording facility served as the woodshed where Bob Dylan and The Band created a cache of classic songs that would forever redirect the course of popular music.
photo by William A. Loeb
Since 2014, the LaSalas have been enabling fans to enjoy weekend and longer retreats at this fabled house and its many peaceful, woodsy acres. It’s one that remains virtually unchanged since the days when The Band lived and worked there. This includes the rosy sided exterior immortalized on the cover of The Band’s 1968 debut, Music from Big Pink, along with its Atomic-era kitchen and appliances, its living, dining, bedrooms and, of course, its famous subterranean music space. The LaSalas have added to the authentic retro vibe by curating many period artifacts throughout. These include a 1966 local phone book, a Bakelite rotary telephone in basic black and a vintage typewriter, just like the one Dylan used to fire off lyrics. The mood is also set with classic photos of Dylan and The Band taken here and around Woodstock by its most famous local lensman Elliot Landy.
The story of Big Pink commences in February 1967, when The Band’s bassist Rick Danko rented the house where he would cohabitate with bandmates Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel. Danko. The trio were working with their guitarist Robbie Robertson, who secured a home close by with his soon-to-be wife Dominique, on Dylan’s film of their 1966 tour together, “Eat The Document.” Dylan had been sidelined from touring by a July 1966 motorcycle accident leaving his manager Albert Goldman’s house in adjacent Bearsville. Now, he was playing the seemingly retired family man/country squire/filmmaker, while quietly forging ahead with what would be his most productive year ever as a songwriter.
According to a conversation LaSala had with Danko, Dylan would arrive at Big Pink around 9 am each morning, right after dropping his daughter Maria off at school. He would then make a pot of coffee, roll a joint, smoke a few cigarettes and write lyrics, on yellow legal pads and/or his trusty typewriter, all while sitting at the living room table gazing out a picture window at the mountains in the distance. When Danko, Hudson and Manuel arose at around 11 am, he would make another pot of coffee for the boys and the arriving Robertson. They would then head down to the basement and try out the new songs just written by Dylan or fool with covers of old traditional chestnuts like “Kickin’ My Dog Around.” Keyboardist Hudson engineered the recordings using two stereo mixers and a tape recorder borrowed from Dylan’s manager and microphones on loan from folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. The magic was committed to reel upon reel of 1/4” Scotch or Shamrock tape.
In the late afternoon, the two coupled guys, Dylan and Robertson, would head home. The remaining trio would then either head into the town of Woodstock to party or bring the party home. The routine with Dylan reportedly went on from May – October 1967. Eventually drummer Levon Helm would return from the South and move in and the band would continue to work at Big Pink through January 1968, crafting and polishing the songs that would appear on the debut album named in honor of their home/studio.
Some of the 30 new Dylan originals recorded would first see light of day on a 14-song demo tape. It was circulated in October 1967 by his publishing company, Dwarf Music, to hopefully generate income from covers by other artists. They included some of the most celebrated songs of his career including “I Shall Be Released,” “This Wheel’s on Fire” co-written by Danko, “Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn),” “Tears of Rage” co-written with Manuel and “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.” Seven of these unreleased versions were included on the double-disc The Great White Wonder, the first rock bootleg album illegally issued in July 1969. Some of these would ultimately end up on the first official release, 1975’s oft maligned The Basement Tapes on Columbia Records. Note that the cramped basement in the album’s cover photo is not Big Pink at all; it’s from a YMCA in Los Angeles. And some of the tracks featured are not from Big Pink or are The Band recordings sans Dylan.
photo by William A. Loeb
The story of how the LaSalas came to own Big Pink is rather traditional, one reflected in the great migration to the Hudson Valley we see taking place today in Covid-19 times.
“After almost a decade working in the music business in San Francisco, we moved back East and rented a placed in Westchester to help with my family’s real estate management business,” says Don LaSala. “Suburbia was a real culture shock. My wife grew up in the Northern Adirondacks and I had been coming up here a lot in the 1980s, when I was working as a live production manager for NRBQ, most of whom lived right in Saugerties. We always loved their area and hoped to one day, maybe, get a place here, but that was still a distant dream.”
One day, a friend in Woodstock, Mike Densmore, called me up and said there’s a tiny ad in the local classifieds saying — ‘Famous Rock-n-Roll House for Sale by Owner’. We thought, ‘What the hell? Why don’t we just take a look at it to see what it’s like inside?’ We were just curious like fans are today. But we weren’t really looking at the time and, in our wildest fantasies, we didn’t think we’d ever come to own it.
Don LaSala
LaSala, who is also a guitarist/songwriter, hit it off with the bass playing owner, Mike Amitan, who urged him to consider buying it, even though he didn’t think he could muster the $149,000 asking price. Two weeks later, the New York Times ran a huge story saying that the house had been sold to a consortium of investors. But this deal and several others would fall through before LaSala raised the funds and closed on the house in April 1998.
photo by William A. Loeb
From 1998 – 2014, Big Pink was the LaSala’s primary residence thought they spent part of each week at their downstate rental working for the family business. Its fabled basement became the clubhouse where band Don plays in, The Hooligan Band, would write, rehearse and record, just like Dylan and The Band. Playing together since 1978, The Hooligan Band have released two albums recorded in the famous basement, including Basement Hooligan – Live Recordings ’08 & ’10 and Hooligan in the Pink. LaSala has also released a handful of solo offerings recorded at Big Pink including 2011’s Home Brew. It has also continued to be the site of Big Pink Socials, where LaSala and other local musicians like Robin the Hammer, Julia Nichols, Avalon Peacock, Justin Love, Denise Parent and The Hooligans would party, play and record.
“At the time we bought Big Pink, Dylan was pretty much out of the public eye,” continues LaSala. “He was coming off his religious period, Dylan and the Dead, his acoustic albums and he hadn’t quite hit his renaissance with Time Out of Mind.”
With the critical mass of Internet connectivity in the early 2000s, more and more people started finding their way up the ¼ mile dirt road from Stoll Road in West Saugerties to Big Pink. Fans themselves, the LaSalas were always gracious when encountering visitors, sharing trivia and letting them take a few exterior photos.
photo by William A. Loeb
But the real explosion of interest came with the 2014 release of The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete, a lush box set containing 138 tracks, 117 previously unissued, from Dylan and The Band’s 1967 home recordings, the vast majority from Big Pink. This was followed by The New Basement Tapes, a British-American supergroup including My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes and Rhiannon Giddens put together by producer T Bone Burnett. Also in 2014, the group recorded Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, an album of tunes based on newly uncovered lyrics handwritten by Bob Dylan in 1967 during his period at Big Pink. The collaboration was chronicled in the documentary Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued. This included reenactments with young actors of Dylan and The Band’s at work filmed right in Big Pink’s basement.
These events drew more fans and many reporters to the site. This included a Rolling Stone Magazine video crew who documented The Band’s keyboard wizard Garth Hudson’s emotional return to the house after 47 years.
This renewed spotlight coincided with the emergence of vacation rental sites like AirBnB and VRBO. By that time, the LaSala’s lived at another home in Woodstock, but Don continued to use Big Pink as his musical space and hang.
“Over the years, I learned I couldn’t stop the fans, so I decided I might as well just let them have it,” laughs LaSala. “Owning this place, I always wanted to do justice to the history – to the fans who love this place and have a deep emotional connection to the creativity that unfolded here.”
Practicality was also an issue. “It cost a good deal to maintain this old house,” continues LaSala. “Even though we endeavored to keep it unchanged, there were still many costs like putting in a new heating and cooling system, roof and, of course, yearly property taxes. But we wanted to stay true to the legacy and not do something tacky for the almighty dollar.”
The LaSalas started slowly opening up Big Pink to guests in 2015. “It’s sort of an unofficial artists’ residency in my mind,” adds LaSala. “People come here from all over the world. The majority seem to be creatives – musicians, painters, photographers and writers who want to have the kind of creative meditation, the productive retreat it provided for The Band and Dylan. Many are older folks who grew up on the music. But increasingly it’s drawing younger people, ones for whom the music created here is a requisite listening experience.”
“With three bedrooms and two baths, the place can comfortably accommodate 5 – 6 people,” observes LaSala. “So, groups are using it for reunions, to bring together friends, family and creative collaborators from faraway places. It’s not only about the house itself, but the nature surrounding it – the peace and creativity that springs forth from the solitude and raw natural beauty. Many come here to write, paint, and like Dylan and The Band, make music.”
photo by William A. Loeb
The LaSalas recommend a minimum three-night stay though some visitors stay longer. The wicked Woodstock winters mean that Big Pink is only available from mid-April to early November, on dates when LaSala and company are not making music. Full details, including videos and photos, can be found at their rental site on VRBO.
Visitors have free rein of Big Pink’s upper levels and outer patio but not, strictly speaking, the famous basement.
“It’s my private rehearsal space with own gear, so guests just can’t come and go as they please and everyone seems to understand this,” adds LaSala. “What I will do is schedule a time to give an informal tour, where I tell them the full story of Big Pink and all the creative magic that happened here. To keep people focused on the present, I discourage them taking too many photos. It’s something I even do with my friends at my Big Pink Socials. I want them to stay in the present moment, and to have this Big Pink experience live in their memories and imaginations.”
photo by William A. Loeb
The fans who have found their way to Big Pink have shared some amazing new info with LaSala; some verified, some not.
“It’s known that George Harrison visited here when he came to Woodstock and stayed with Dylan at his place in Byrdcliffe, Woodstock’s famous art colony,” recalls LaSala. “It’s also believed that he brought Eric Clapton here too. According to one British expert who visited, it’s believed George played The Band and Bob some songs he wanted to run by the Beatles like ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and ‘All Things Must Pass.’ And that, that another time, he and Eric rehearsed in the basement and played an early version of ‘Badge.’ In both cases, they were running them by Dylan and The Band to see if they were any good! Like Big Pink itself, these are misty legends that really spark your imagination.”
With the emergence of Covid-19 in March 2020, the LaSalas suspended their rentals until Spring 2021. Since then, they have taken all the necessary precautions, even installing a pricey air filtration system.
With winter coming in, Big Pink will just have to live in your imagination at least until next Spring, when the LaSalas plan on opening its doors once again to discerning and respectful visitors.
“Until that time,” concludes LaSala with a Dylanesque quip and smile, “I’ll be in the basement mixing up the medicine, medicine of the musical kind, of course!
