Psychedelic rock n’ roll trailblazers Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats return to North America in March of 2022, with their first stop slated for Brooklyn Steel. The tour features Rochester heavy psych-rock band King Buffalo, and wraps up on April 3 in Boston.
The brainchild of mercurial Cambridgeshire mystic Kevin Starrs, Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats have been making music since 2009. Always too bold and idiosyncratic to be easily pigeonholed, they emerged from an obscure corner of the labyrinthine English underground as shadowy purveyors of a new and overwhelmingly psychedelic take on hard rock and blues, Steeped in both the wayward melodies and mischievous arrangements of psychedelic pop and the dissonant thunder of proto-metal and doom, Starrs’ greatest feat has been to create an entirely fresh sonic world from these most familiar of ingredients.
The UK band was supposed to tour North America in 2022, but were postponed due to the pandemic. Some of the shows in those cities and venues are included in the 2022 tour dates.
The band shared the following message with fans:
WARNING: We’ll be returning to the stages of North America for the first time since 2019. Support from King Buffalo. See you there!
Tickets for all dates on the upcoming tour are now on sale.
Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats w/s/g King Buffalo – North American Tour 2022
March 2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel March 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer March 4 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Roxian March 5 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Sound Stage March 7 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel March 8 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade March 9 – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz March 11 – New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues March 12 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live March 13 – Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues March 15 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom March 16 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory March 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco March 18 – Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theater March 21 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater March 22 – Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore March 23 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox Market March 25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot March 26 – Denver, CO @ The Ogden Theatre March 27 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman March 29 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue March 30 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall April 1 – Toronto, ON @ The Danforth April 2 – Montreal, QC @ Club Soda April 3 – Boston, MA @ Big Nite Live
Papadelic kicked off the opening night of his Holidelic holiday-residency on December 10 like no other, with vibrant lights, outrageous costumes, a full band, as he transformed traditional holiday tunes into upbeat funk classics. The “flashy, bass-heavy retro futuristic take on the holidays” (New Yorker) showcased GRAMMY-nominated Everett Bradley’s unbelievable ability to perform and entertain the audience with groovy vocals, dance numbers, outfit changes, and even reading a story to the crowd at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in the West Village.
Everett sent laughs spinning around the theatre and welcomed the crowd with open arms. Papadelic was quick to disclose that the room was filled with love no matter your background, culture, or religion just before busting a groove of “Dreidel Dreidel, Dreidel.” Each number had the slight reminisce of holiday songs with the new embedded humor and undeniable funk that made for an uncontrollable dance party in Lucille.
“DysFunktional” urged a full throttling bass line complimented with an oozing brass section and ad libs from three phenomenal background vocalists. Holidelic’s white afro, bug eyed sunglasses, red soldier jacket and tight sequin shorts hailed a rambunctious personality from the North Pole putting New York City in the holiday spirit.
Holidelic brought the full fledged experience of creating a light show within itself. Not only did Papadelic’s white afro glow in the dark, but the disco ball and running string lights through the theatre created varying ambiances through the show. For his solo number, he wielded a unique instrument that vibrated eerie synths and surged heavy reverb transporting us into an odd alter dimension. His band members retracted back allowing Papadelic to stand alone in the spotlight so we could take in his rich timbre, and have an intimate moment with the man himself in his own spotlight.
Cracking jokes in between made the performance more lighthearted, and one couldn’t help but hear the roots in his voice that birthed each moment. One can easily forget that underneath the costume, Everett Bradley is a renowned artist, choreographer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who worked alongside the greats like Daryl Hall & Oats, John Bon Jovi, and Carly Simon.
Everett’s illustrious vocals and intimate moment with the audience, walking down the aisle eagerly asking audience members to help sing “Frosty the Snowman,” distracted us from the band regrouping on stage for their next big number. Complete with outfit changes and all Everett, revealed an all new white fringed jacket and new white costumes for the band. Back with a full house groove, Papadelic brought out the real star of the show, Santa Claus. They performed a delightful humorous act “Down The Hatch” bringing a bottle of Jack Daniels on stage as a little “present” and proceeded in taking shots throughout the piece.
Everett’s long standing Holidelic show at the Lucille Lortel Theatre has shown no signs of slowing down from its debut in 2002. The original idea of starting this show to bring some cheer after 9/11 still holds true, as we all need a little spirit after enduring the recent/on-going pandemic. Bradley was sure to include the importance of visiting the family for the holidays, never knowing when it might be our last.
After taking a year off in early 2021 during the (still ongoing) pandemic, the annual Wintercourse will return to Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on Saturday, January 8, 2022.
Wintercourse 2022 boasts a lineup including Brooklyn bands Teddy Midnight, Jam the Radar, Bonus Level (featuring members of Cousin Earth), and headlined by Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, featuring Scales, a world renowned steel pan player who melds fusion, progressive and rock music on steel pans.
Bonus Level will perform a set of video game jams, featuring members of Cousin Earth, the original hosts of Wintercourse. Synth-driven trio Teddy Midnight will bring in tunes perfect to set the tone for a night of dancing, with newcomers Jam the Radar kicking off the night.
Past Wintercourse events have featured acts such as Bella’s Bartok, Funky Dawgz Brass Band, The Reformed Whores, Space Bacon, Chromatropic, Teddy Midnight, The Matty Carl Project, Mercury Landing, Stevie and The Lion and many others. Read a take from the 8th annual Wintercourse in 2019:
After a short break, the night’s hosts “Cousin Earth” quickly set up and opened their Wintercourse set with the Queen staple “Bohemian Rhapsody,” highlighting newest member Melissa Goscinski’s beautiful falsetto, much to the delight of everyone in the room. With their unique ukulele arrangements and stage antics, Cousin Earth provided a set full of surprises.
“When The Dinosaurs Come Back From Outer Space” saw the appearance of a dancing dinosaur in the crowd before they launched everyone back into the stratosphere with the dance track “Super Fun Laser Beams.” The funky “Alive,” from the recently released album Human Music, paved the way for former vocalist Tara Lawton to come out and rejoin the group on Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady.”
Tickets are available on the Knitting Factory website, or you can Venmo cousinearth@gmail.com for NO-FEE digital tickets in advance.
Buffalo’s Aqueous has announced dates for their Spring Tour 2022, including shows at the new Brooklyn Made and Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs.
Aqueous will wrap up 2021 with a show at Town Ballroom in Buffalo, with Eggy joining them to close out the year. They’ll venture to New York City for their debut at Brooklyn Made on January 29. After a pair of shows in Colorado in March, the band returns east for a show in Pittsburgh on April 1, Cleveland on April 2, then Saratoga Springs on April 8. The final announced show will be in Chicago on April 23, with one festival date – Great South Bay Music Festival over July 7-10, 2022
Aqueous Spring Tour 2022 tickets are now on sale at AqueousBand.com
After a four year hiatus, Jack White has announced the first dates of The Supply Chain Issues Tour with shows in North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Finally back to headlining shows, White will begin the tour with two special Fear Of The Dawn album release shows April 8-9, 2022 at Detroit’s Masonic Temple Theatre and arrive in New York on April 21 with a show at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Fear Of the Dawn arrives via Third Man Records on April 8, 2022, and Entering Heaven Alive will follow on July 22, 2022 which will be celebrated on this very tour. But if you can’t wait that long Fear Of The Dawn and Entering Heaven Alive are available for pre-order on vinyl and CD now. But wait, there’s more.
Album art for Fear Of The Dawn
Along with the standard black vinyl version of Fear Of the Dawn, five limited edition vinyl variants have been announced and are also available for pre-order. The variants include a midnight blue vinyl version with a screen printed jacket available to Third Man Records Vault Members in the Vault Novelties store, astronomical blue vinyl at select independent record stores, moon glow white vinyl at Target, and a split moon glow white & astronomical blue LP with an 11”x11” screen printed poster and Third Man Records compilation CD at Rough Trade Records. You can also find an exclusive slip mat available with the album only at Urban Outfitters. Details on digital pre-orders for both albums and vinyl variants for Entering Heaven Alive will be announced at a later date.
Album art for Entering Heaven Alive
If you’re a Third Man Records Vault Members, feel free to take advantage of the first presale tickets beginning Monday, December 13 at 10am local time. Additionally, olny Citi card members, those holding the official card of Jack White and The Supply Chain Issues Tour, will have access to presale tickets for US shows beginning Tuesday, December 14 at 10am local time until Thursday, December 16 at 10pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program. Fans can also register for a Thursday, December 16 presale by saving “Taking Me Back” HERE. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10am local time on Friday, December 17. A limited number of VIP packages will be available for each show. Check ticket listings for more details and information.
Jack White “The Supply Chain Issues” 2022 World Tour
April 08 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple Theatre
April 09 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple Theatre
April 10 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
April 12 – Chicago, IL – Credit Union 1 Arena
April 13 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center
April 14 – Pittsburgh, PA – Petersen Events Center
April 16 – Laval, QC – Place Bell
April 17 – Boston, MA – Agganis Arena
April 19 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
April 21 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
April 23 – Portsmouth, VA – Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion
April 24 – North Charleston, SC – High Water Festival *
April 26 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
April 27 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
April 28 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
April 30 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
May 01 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
May 23 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
May 24 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
May 25 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
May 27 – El Paso, TX – El Paso County Coliseum
May 28 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre
May 29 – Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan
May 31 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
June 01 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
June 03 – Reno, NV – Reno Events Center
June 04 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 06 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
June 07 – Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum
June 08 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
June 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
June 11 – Broomfield, CO – 1STBANK Center
June 27 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
June 28 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
June 30 – Cologne, Germany – Palladium
July 01 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
July 02 – Leipzig, Germany – Haus Auensee
July 04 – Berlin, Germany – Verti Music Hall
July 07 – Lyon, France – Le Radiant
July 10 – Madrid, Spain – Mad Cool Festival *
July 14 – Zurich, Switzerland – Samsung Hall
July 15 – Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle
July 16 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National
July 18 – Paris, France – L’Olympia
July 19 – Paris, France – L’Olympia
July 20 – Paris, France – L’Olympia
August 13 – Minneapolis, MN – Armory
August 16 – Milwaukee, WI – UWM Panther Arena
August 17 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
August 19 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
August 21 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark
August 23 – Portland, ME – Cross Insurance Arena
August 24 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavilion
August 25 – Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
August 27 – Huntsville, AL – Orion Amphitheater
August 28 – St. Louis, MO – Saint Louis Music Park
A stellar post punk triple bill hit the Lower East Side’s Bowery Ballroom on Friday, December 10th featuring Preoccupations, METZ and FACS. The tour is actually a co-headline with Metz and Preoccupations switching each night with FACS providing the support. The tour hit Bushwick’s Elsewhere on Thursday night with METZ as the headliner, and Preoccupations took the late slot on Friday at Bowery.
FACS at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
Support for the shows on the tour came from the Chicago based band FACS. The band boasts a robust rhythm section with the driving drums and bass being front and center and psychedelic and dark guitar tones filling the void. FACS have three LPs under their belts since making their debut in 2018. Void Moments was released during the pandemic in 2020 and their third record, Present Tense was released earlier this year; both of which are seeing their live debut on this tour.
FACS at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
Canadian punk vets METZ took the stage next, in full support of their excellent 2020 LP Atlas Vending. Vocalist Alex Edkins spoke to the crowd between songs, explaining how weird it felt to finally be able to play the record live more than a year after it’s original release. The band played the first 5 tracks of the new album to start their set, with a couple more towards the end. Atlas Vending is METZ at their peak, and fans at Bower Ballroom on Friday were thrilled to finally experience it live.
METZ at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
Closing out the show on Friday was fellow Canadian band Preoccupations who are still touring strong behind their 2018 LP New Material. Preoccupations have been playing this record live for a while now, but this time around tracks such as “Antidote” were given a whole new live arrangement. A couple of new, unfamiliar songs were played during the set, indicating a new record may be on the way soon although nothing has been announced just yet.
Preoccupations at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
The tour continues this week with shows in Columbus and Chicago, before two hometown shows at Lee’s Palace in Toronto. Preoccupations, METZ, and FACS complimented each other so well at Bowery Ballroom and all have exciting new material either just out or on the horizon. It is certainly a show not to be missed.
moe. welcomed an array of special guests to their Capitol Theatre shows last weekend in honor of their guitarist Chuck Garvey who was recently hospitalized due to a stroke. Special guests on Friday included Scott Metzger, Aron Magner, Warren Haynes, Shannon Lynch, & Emma Derhak (daughter of moe.’s very own bassist Rob).
Metzger sat in for the first three songs which included an “Annihilation Blues” opener and “Stranger Than Fiction.” Aron Magner then tagged in for the remainder of the show. The first set ended with an emotional “Bring You Down.”
Spirits were high and lots of love was expressed for both Chuck and the band all weekend. The special guests provided an incredibly lively dynamic to some classic moe. material like Warren Haynes sitting in on a second set “Opium” and a super charged set-ending “Recreational Chemistry” as well as some beloved classic covers like Pink Floyd’s “Time” & Led Zepelin’s “Immigrant Song” which both served as the first night’s encore.
Saturday night saw Strangefolk’s Reid Genauer sit in for the first two songs, including “Akimbo” which featured Chuck’s nephew also on guitar. Nate Wilson manned keys for almost the entire night, lending his prowess to first set songs like “Captain America” and “Moth.” The second set was highlighted by Schleigho’s Suke Cerulo who amazed on guitar.
An intense “The Pit” and the classic Chuck song “Four” were just some of the gems from this set. But perhaps the best thing seen all weekend were video images of a rehabilitating Chuck himself playing guitar that were streamed on the walls of the Cap, indeed giving hope for the new year.
moe. ~ The Capitol Theatre ~ Port Chester, NY ~ 12/10/21
I: Annihilation Blues*, Stranger Than Fiction*, Dangerous Game*^%, Deep This Time^%, Blue Christmas^%&, Where Does The Time Go?^%, Bring You Down^
{Entire show without Chuck. #Chuckside * w/ Scott Metzger ^ w/ Aron Magner % w/ Shannon Lynch & w/ Emma Derhak $ w/ Warren Haynes
moe. ~ The Capitol Theatre ~ Port Chester, NY ~ 12/11/21
I: All Roads Lead To Home*^, Akimbo*^&, Big World^ > Ricky Marten^ > Captain America^, Zed Naught Z^&, LL3^ > Moth^%
II: Blue Jeans Pizza^$, New Hope For The New Year$, Tubing The River Styx^$ > The Pit^$ > Silver Sun^$, White Lightning Turpentine^$, Four^$ > Spine Of A Dog^$#
E: Okayalright^$#
* w/ Reid Genauer ^ w/ Nate Wilson & w/ John Carlo Pecheone % w/ Kirin Rogers $ w/ Suke Cerulo # w/ Emma Derhak
Billie Eilish returned to Saturday Night Live, this time as both host and musical guest. She previously played the stage in September 2019, where she performed her breakout hit, “Bad Guy.” Last night’s hosting debut makes her the first SNL host to be born in the 21st century.
The episode’s cold open featured a briefing about the Omicron variant from Anthony Fauci, played by Kate McKinnon. Cecily Strong and Chloe Fineman also appeared as Marjorie Taylor-Greene and Lauren Boebert, both armed with assault rifles. When Fauci tried to find common ground between the divided members of Congress, Taylor-Greene cocked her gun and said “We can all agree that the Fox News Christmas tree arsonist must be executed.”
During her opening monologue, Billie Eilish revealed that her mother dissuaded her from pursuing acting while encouraging her brother FINNEAS. The singer-producer sibling duo’s mother then appeared onstage, wearing a shirt that said “Finneas’ Mom.” Eilish also poked fun at her past wardrobe of baggy clothes, saying it was to hide secretly being two children on each other’s shoulders in order to get into R-rated movies.
Eilish appeared in the next sketch, where Miley Cyrus had a surprise cameo. She played herself posing for Punkie Johnson’s Christmas card, who insulted her music but threatened to call her racist if she declined a photo. As for Eilish, she played a grown-up high school bully who continued to taunt her victims through annual Christmas cards. Other sketches showed Eilish as a Christmas lounge singer, a TikToking nurse and a concierge at a lackluster hotel.
Eilish’s first song of the night was “Happier Than Ever,” the hit single off her album of the same name. Beginning as a 50s traditional pop song not unlike Julie London’s “Cry Me a River,” it builds into a cathartic rock release. The song peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and saw nominations for both Song and Record of the Year at the 2022 Grammys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdeJ8v0z64w
While “Happier Than Ever” gleefully burns all bridges with its subject, the night’s second song, “Male Fantasy,” expresses some regrets. In the chorus, Eilish admits she still has feelings for him and can’t fully hate him. Both songs are back to back at the end of the album, ending it on a surprisingly hopeful note.
Silverstein brought their 20 Year Anniversary Tour to Webster Hall this week on Wednesday December 8th. A long time in the making, the tour was first announced back in October 2019 before being forced into postponement due to the pandemic. The revamped tour featured some larger venues, more dates, and the band’s longest sets to date. Support for the night came from New Jersey locals Can’t Swim and Ohio’s The Plot In You.
Silverstein at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
The Plot in You are a classic screamo/hardcore band and were a perfect fit to open this tour with Silverstein. Vocalist Landon Tewers thrived in Webster Hall’s Grand Ballroom and plenty of their merch was seen on fans raging on the dance floor. Photos from their solid 10-song set below.
The Plot In You at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photos by Buscar Photo
Some shows on this 20 Year Anniversary Tour featured full performances of Silverstein’s iconic 2005 LP Discovering The Waterfront. While Webster Hall did not get this full album performance, fans were treated to a nearly two hour, 3-set performance. The first was a career spanning set of greatest hits featuring “Smashed Into Pieces,” the opening track from the band’s debut When Broken Is Easily Fixed. Vocalist Shane Told joked about fans complaining online about the band not playing their favorite songs live right before a lengthy medley featuring “I Am The Arsonist,” “The Artist,” and “Broken Stars.”
Silverstein at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
The second set was a solo acoustic performance by Shane, featuring renditions of “Replace You” and “Aquamarine.” The rest of the band came out on stage afterwards and performed three straight Discovering The Waterfront tracks to close out the main show, including the band’s big hit “Smile In Your Sleep.” There have been a lot of anniversary tours in recent years but Silverstein took the concept to a much grander scale for these shows. The band has a long catalog full of great albums, but these shows showcased the band at their most creative and engaging.
Silverstein at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
The tour is nearing it’s end, with a show in Albany tonight, December 11th, at Empire Live and one final show in Toronto on Sunday. Silverstein played both of their brand new singles “Bankrupt” and “It’s Over” at Webster Hall so be on the lookout for the rest of the upcoming album in the near future and check out the video for the latter below.
The Slip, avant-rock trio from Boston, soundly finished their first mini-tour in a decade, playing seven shows over two weeks this November across the northeastern US. This was their first mini-tour since 2011. Brad and Andrew moved to Montreal in 2005, birthing The Barr Brothers. As The Barr Brothers ramped up, The Slip’s performances ebbed, playing only 7 times in 2011, then only twice at High Sierra Music Festival. Everyone wanted to know when they’d tour again.
The long-awaited Slip mini-tour launched at Higher Ground in Burlington, VT, where they’ve played over two dozen times since 1998 (lastly in spring of 2008). BAM started off with the ethereal Landing, prelude to the fiery fan favorite, Get Me With Fuji (a song named by long-time friend and one of the first Slip tapers, Jason Booth). After Fuji fired up the crowd, Brad donned his Danelectro for Nobody Waits That Long Anymore, a brand new song (debuted at Lockn’ Farm). Even Rats, their most-watched video, brought indie rock vibes to keep the first set lively.
The reflective rock classic, Sometimes True to Nothing, warmed the crowd in the first set. “The heart is a wilderness / with beauty and emptiness / that you endure”. The new rock song Motherwolf went into Chasing Rabbits, which debuted in 2003, but hadn’t been played since April 2007. Long-time Slip fans anticipated more good times from the wide mix of new and old songs in their tour opener.
The Slip flexed their jazz chops with their Coltrane tribute, Trane-ing, first played back in 1998 at The Living Room. They continued with an even older classic, Through the Iron Gate, which debuted in 1997 and hadn’t been played in 16 years! Heading back to recent times, they unearthed another gem from Eisenhower, Life in Disguise, then on to The Weight of Solomon, ending the single set with the oft-paired The Orginal Blue Air > Paper Birds.
The boisterous crowd cheered them on for a tasteful encore of The Band classic, The Weight, which The Slip has greatly rearranged, ending it typically with a Dogs on Bikes outro, and Autobody teases. Slip tour commenced robustly.
Thursday, November 11, 2021 – Higher Ground – South Burlington, VT
Setlist Landing, Get Me with Fuji, Long Ways Back, Even Rats, Sometimes True to Nothing, Motherwolf, Chasing Rabbits, Trane-ing, Through the Iron Gate, Life in Disguise, The Weight of Solomon, The Original Blue Air, Paper Birds Encore: The Weight* Notes: * new version, with Dogs on Bikes theme
Their tour evolved at Fete Music Hall in Providence, a cool industrial warehouse converted to a two-stage music venue. Ryan Montbleau, a friend of BAM’s who has Marc Friedman in his current band, surprised us with a lovely opening set of originals on acoustic guitar. This hometown crowd was larger than the tour opener in Burlington. BAM started the set with Landing, but ended there, instead of the typical segue into Fuji. They continued into Trane-ing, Blue Air > Paper Birds, and saved Get Me with Fuji until after the commonly-paired song duo.
Brad announced to the audience they were about to play their new single, Superterranean Onlyness, The Slip’s first studio release since Eisenhower – flowing with harmonized vocals, and brilliantly engineered by Steve Albini. Here’s a fan-shot 4K video of the live debut. BAM then played Driving Backwards with You, a song which debuted in 2000 at Higher Ground, then Lockn’ this August after an 11-year hiatus (last played at Narrows 2010). Even Rats preceded another new song, Hit Song.
More songs came back into regular rotation, such as Chasing Rabbits, Motherwolf, and Sometimes True to Nothing, followed by the sublime Aptos* > Something Learned, which debuted at Bethel Fest in 2003, and was last played at Cafe du Nord in 2010. They delved back into Eisenhower territory with Life in Disguise, then treated their hometown fans with another old-time classic, Autobody Experience (debuted in 1996!). This led into their new version of The Weight, with Dogs on Bikes outro to close, ending with a tasty encore of Children of December (performed over 250 times!)
All the parents of the children of december have a clutch because their birthdays are the hardest to remember when you’re born on christmas or the day before new year’s you can sing happy birthday but nobody hears it
Friday, November 12, 2021 – – Fete Music Hall – Providence, RI Setlist: Landing, Trane-ing, The Original Blue Air, Paper Birds, Get Me with Fuji, Superterranean Onlyness, Driving Backwards with You, Even Rats, intro, Hit Song, Chasing Rabbits, Motherwolf, Sometimes True to Nothing, Aptos, Something Learned, Life in Disguise, Autobody Experience, The Weight, Dogs on Bikes Encore: Children of December
The Sinclair in Harvard Square was packed before showtime, being where they went to music school and have played more than anywhere. Ryan Montbleau opened again.
BAM started with Landing, then Brad launched into wild guitar playing & effects, then segued into a sizzling Get Me with Fuji, then the brand new ballad Nobody Waits That Long Anymore. They continued into Even Rats, Sometimes True to Nothing, and capped the first set with a fierce Motherwolf.
Set two started with the jazzy Trane-ing, The Weight of Solomon, followed by Hit Song into Aptos. They returned to Through the Iron Gate, into Life in Disguise, with Lennon’s Jealous Guy teases (foreshadowing?). They teased Autobody Experience inside The Weight, following up with a Wolof jam and Dogs on Bikes outro to finish the smoking second set.
The most popular encore, Children of December, was well-executed. The weekend ended on a high note, and those attending all 7 shows were eager to see what they’d play next week in Philly and New York.
Saturday, November 13, 2021 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA Setlist: Landing, Psych Guitar, Get me with Fuji, Nobody Waits That Long Anymore, Even Rats, Sometimes True to Nothing, Motherwolf, Trane-ing, The Weight of Solomon, Hit Song, Aptos, Through the Iron Gate, Life in Disguise, Autobody Experience, The Weight, Wolof jam, Dogs on Bikes outro Encore: Children of December
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, Nov 16th, their first show at the new Brooklyn Bowl in Philly was canceled. It was great to return there, having attended the venue’s opening night with Soulive. This brand new 900-capacity venue shoulders The Fillmore in Northern Liberties, with two floors, twenty lanes of bowling, dining room, stage, and long bars on both floors. Delicate Steve opened, with a straight-ahead drums/guitar rock duo.
The Slip began with Trane-ing, followed by You Might Say (not played since High Sierra 2008). Ernie Mickey continued, a fan favorite (House of Blues Chicago 2001). BAM continued with The Soft Machine, Hit Song into Motherwolf, into From the Gecko, and Something Learned. They busted into a hot take of Get Me with Fuji, where Steve Marion (from Delicate Steve) joined in on guitar, staying on through Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Proud Mary and ending the set with Sometimes True to Nothing. The Reddish Moon encore was calming, perhaps to prepare us for NYC?
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 – Brooklyn Bowl – Philadelphia, PA Setlist: Trane-ing, You Might Say > Ernie Mickey, The Soft Machine, Hit Song > Motherwolf > From the Gecko, Something Learned, Get Me with Fuji% > Proud Mary%^ > Sometimes True to Nothing% Encore: Reddish Moon Notes: % w/ Steve Marion (Delicate Steve) on guitar and Charlie Hall (War on Drugs) on drums. ^ Creedence Clearwater Revival (cover).
As is usual in pandemic times, inter-city travel is capricious, so the Philly to NYC route was beset with numerous accidents and traffic jams, even after morning rush hour. The usual 2.5 hour ride to Brooklyn took over 5 hours, but I was lucky to have a booked hotel a couple blocks away to unwind before the show. The Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg is the first one that Peter Shapiro opened in July 2009. The Slip last played there in 2011, after another slow year in 2010 when they only played 4 shows.
To keep us on our toes, at the first Brooklyn Bowl show on Thursday, The Slip opened with Landing again, but instead went into Even Rats instead of Fuji. They played Superterranean Onlyness third, which was growing on us after a couple of live appearances. There was a quiet pause after, then we were treated to Invocation, first in 1999, last played in 2004 (17 years ago!). Stuart Bogie (tenor sax from Antibalas & Fela! Broadway musical) joined for a sizzling Yellow Medicine.
Brad went into The Weight of Solomon and then Motherwolf, Chasing Rabbits, Through the Iron Gate, into the Nathan Moore song I Hate Love, with Bogie returning on tenor through the set closer, Jumby. A Sometimes True to Nothing encore left fans energized. Few were ready to turn in, so we met for aftershow drinks at The Gibson, a favorite late-night watering hole a couple blocks away, where we discussed what the future may hold for upcoming Slip tours.
Thursday, November 18, 2021 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY Setlist: Landing > Even Rats, Superterranean Onlyness*, Invocation > Yellow Medicine%, The Weight of Solomon, Motherwolf, Chasing Rabbits, Through the Iron Gate> I Hate Love%, Jumby% Encore: Sometimes True to Nothing Notes: * new song, released Nov. 2021. % with Stuart Bogie on tenor (from Antibalas and Fela! Broadway Musical
Relix hosted The Slip for a livestream on their Twitch channel, at a top-secret location near my old apartment. Brad asked his good friend Jason Booth for his song requests. Brad smiled, then turned to the stream chat for viewer requests, joking that they “probably wouldn’t play any of those”. The livestream included their new hit single Superterranean Onlyness, followed by the scorcher, Sometimes True to Nothing, then Motherwolf, The Original Blue Air > Paper Birds to close the set. Watch the stream here.
Friday, November 19, 2021 – Relix Studio – Manhattan, NY Setlist: Superterranean Onlyness*, Sometimes True to Nothing, Motherwolf, The Original Blue Air > Paper Birds Notes: afternoon set, livestreamed on Twitch – www.twitch.tv/therelixchannel. * new song
Brooklyn Bowl Friday saw the biggest turnout of this tour. Our night startedoff boisterously, with BAM being introduced by Brett Siddell, a comedian from their high school wrestling team. BAM opened with the classic, Aptos > Airplane/Primitive (only time played in 2021), the poetic Friedman song:
The airplane, the primitive, saw it and thought it was some kind of bird it landed, he made up his mind – I can’t live knowing that there’s some other world where men fly, up in the sky, trapped himself on the wing for a one way ride and in the air above a cloud, there his soul stayed when his body fell down.
Before Wolof, Brad thanked the Brooklyn Bowl staff, and everyone who traveled to the show, saying “that’s not easy to do these days”. He continued, “So, if anyone bowls a strike during this song … you get a t-shirt, and a handshake from Marc.” This definitive Slip classic starts with Marc’s infectious bass groove, debuting at Valentine’s in Albany in 1998.
Bloodstone came next, another new song debut (only played at Brooklyn Bowl and Levon’s), followed by the raucous Hit Song. BAM cooled things down with the mellifluous Driving Backwards with You, last played at Narrows 2010. Panda began with Brad spacing out with his pedals, applying feedback for Soft Machine. Next was The Shouters (cut short), which was only played once in 2021. The room exploded for the highly popular Get Me with Fuji (played 243 times), with a tease of Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child of Mine that drifed into a few measures of Moby Dick before returning to Fuji.
The band took a breather as Brad asked if anyone bowled a strike and got their t-shirt, then leveled with the audience:
I want to say it feels really good to be The Slip again. We’ve had such a journey, from our beginnings in high school when we were the jazz band … our friend Brett was not kidding. So when we moved to Boston and really became a band together … in the 90s and 2000s, you know, and coming up with all of you and starting to do the festival thing and really getting to know this really cool community of bands getting to know other bands like Lettuce and Schleigho, and Soulive, Marco, The Duo, … they all fit conveniently under the jamband umbrella. And then, at some point for us, for The Slip it became sort of a hard pill to swallow, because we related to maybe parts of being a jam band, but we really didn’t relate to whole other parts of being a jam band. And then there was … an identity crisis there in the mid 2000s and we made our record, Eisenhower, and that was so much fun to make and really felt like a success. But we still sort of had – you know – more than a decade playing together, and it was very hard to see…you know…sometimes it’s hard to see what’s great about you, as a group … and you start thinking of ways to change it, and then we did. And so we went into one identity crisis … beautiful and contorted … what I mean, it’s really good to be back here as The Slip … enjoying what was always good about being The Slip … and having so much fun together up here, with you … and that means a lot to me
Brad’s pensive baring of his soul set the tone for Through the Iron Gate:
I get tossed like a bone into the dogs into the sky the closing is a gathering a gathering of eyes an i will look to you and you to me in between the space we chase the tune we dream so lazily
Ruminating on what he had just shared, Brad continued into the soul-searching Life In Disguise:
The world is only a stage and I’m just a man with a sound caught in his throat and a pick in his hand but when the song comes tumbling out, you understand there’s no great demand well it’s there under your breath behind your eyes and you don’t have to say nothing cause I realize that everything somehow in some way eventually dies
…and then Jealous Guy:
I didn’t want to hurt you I’m just a jealous guy
The introspective, sombre tone evaporated with the first beats from Andrew’s kit to kick off the funky Autobody Experience, while we processed what Brad had just laid on us. After a few measures, feet and hands started flailing as Autobody melted into the newly rearranged The Weight, with guitar pyrotechnics and rhythmic undulation. They merged into Dogs on Bikes organically and fiercely, going back into The Weight, mashed up and dangerous, as they are known for. Dogs kept going, with a blazing solo by Andrew, back into The Weight, Dogs, Weight, Dogs…and our minds will never be the same.
The fans were not ready to leave, and the packed house didn’t budge, cheering for an encore. The Slip came back, and Brad warned us, “We all knew how this was going to end”, as they encored with a 9-minute Children of December.
Friday’s Brooklyn Bowl was the best of the tour so far; The Slip had rekindled the sacred fire.
Friday, November 19, 2021 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY Setlist: Aptos > Airplane/Primitive, Wolof, Bloodstone*, Hit Song, Driving Backwards with You, First Panda In Space > The Soft Machine, The Shouters > Get Me with Fuji@ > Moby Dick^ > Get Me with Fuji, Through the Iron Gate@#, Life in Disguise$, Jealous Guy!, Autobody Experience > The Weight+ > Dogs on Bikes (outro) Notes: * new Brad song (working title). @ w/ Sweet Child o’ Mine tease from Brad and Marc. # w/ So What (Miles Davis) teases from Marc & Andrew. $ unfinished. + new version, rearranged w/ Dogs outro.
We arrived early to Levon’s to hang by the fire. It was wonderful to see so many dear friends, some from as far as California! The Slip played High Sierra Festival most often, garnering a huge west coast fan base to rival back east. We wondered what they’d play tonight, and who might show up. Our anticipation was rewarded when Kt confirmed that Marco was arriving, which means he’d sit in. Other fans found out when they saw Marco’s Hammond inside the barn. A handful of fans had never seen The Slip before, but the audience was comprised of dear friends and music aficionados Levon’s sold out in a few minutes, so we all counted our blessings to gather at this special venue for our favorite band.
On the way in, we went to check out the merch. The new Slip tour hoodies have “216” on the front, a special code. 216 is Plato’s Number, which has references in ancient texts, the sum of 3 consecutive cubes (a “magic number”).
BAM opened with Suffocation Keep. This was another tour bust-out, last played at Sullivan Hall in 2010 (one of only 4 shows they played that year). This sombre song is about a relationship and introspection (lyrics, video). Trane-ing came next, which was played in every city this tour, but had not been played since a Slip stealth gig at Matt Murphy’s Pub on Valentine’s Day 2006 (The Slip were billed as “The Lips”). Bloodstone returned, which debuted at Brooklyn Bowl Friday. The powerful Sometimes True to Nothing and Motherwolf ended the first set with ferocity.
Marco sat in on Hammond for most of the second set, adding depth and chops to the musical stew. They opened with the sing-a-long If One of Us Should Fall, one of their most popular tunes, last played at Lockn’ Farm this summer. A funky Chasing Rabbits came next, followed by Jumby and a sweet Yellow Medicine with a Zion intro. Marco took a break for Through the Iron Gate and Life in Disguise, returning for Lennon’s Jealous Guy, which BAM only ever played on this tour.
Teasing this song throughout the tour on preprinted setlists, The Slip finally satisfied fans with their most-requested song, Honey Melon. This song is an earworm – once the “Words go in, they don’t come out.” This ended the set with great energy, and everyone was on their feet by then.
BAM returned to play an blazing encore of The Weight (fan-shot video), which was even fiercer with Marco on keys. This version had both the Autobody intro and the Dogs on Bikes outro. Fans danced wildly to celebrate this last show of the tour, and we all hope that The Slip will return to the road again soon.
Hugs and tears flowed as we processed the musical majesty of these last two weeks.
Saturday, November 20, 2021 – Levon Helm Studios – Woodstock, NY Set 1: Suffocation Keep, Trane-ing, Bloodstone*, Aptos, Sometimes True to Nothing > Motherwolf Set 2: If One of Us Should Fall, ? > Chasing Rabbits, Jumby, Yellow Medicine%, Through the Iron Gate^, Life in Disguise^, Jealous Guy$, Honey Melon Encore: The Weight#> Dogs on Bikes Notes: * new Brad song, previously untitled. % w/ Zion intro. ^ the only two songs in second set w/o Marco Benevento on Hammond. $ John Lennon cover. # new version, with Dogs on Bikes outro and Autobody intro.
