In a move sending shockwaves through the Empire State, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has annexed the entire state of Vermont. The move makes Vermont’s maple syrup industry, ski towns, and the entirety of Lake Champlain, all a part of New York.
A map showing the borders of New York with the addition of Vermont. Source: Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Despite the recent accusations and calls to step down, the Governor seems emboldened, ordering National Guard Troops to stand back and stand by, hinting that more than the Green Mountain State may become part of New York.
Cuomo said in a brief statement on the takeover of Vermont, “I just felt that we needed to get Allthe great music scenes together, and since New York has so many, we should add in Burlington. So Allthe great music scenes are here now. Then I thought we have great skiing, so let’s get All the great skiing in the Northeast here in New York. So now we have All the best ski areas here.
Vermonters can deal with it. Go enjoy your Twiddling or whatever it is you do there. Welcome to New York.”
Governor Cuomo, arriving to see Twiddle in their new homestate of New York
With this statement, the Governor continues to give no indication he will resign, despite numerous allegations of bullying, sexual harassment and unwanted touching. See the whole list of accusers here.
After a pair of hometown shows this past weekend, Twiddle has announced a pair of socially distant outdoor pod shows in New England in May. On Friday, May 14th, the band will visit Northlands in Swanzey, NH and on Saturday, May 15th they’ll perform at Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, CT. Attendees at both shows will be seated in pre-selected, socially distant pods.
Twiddle visited Northlands (formerly Drive-In Live) in Swanzey last fall while the venue was set up as a Drive-In theatre. The owners have transformed the scenic, mountainside location into a thriving, pod-style concert field. Northlands also expanded the operation, promising food trucks, beer and wine, improved sound and lights, and much more.
Twiddle will also be one of the first few bands to perform at Westville Music Bowl, formerly home of the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament. Both shows will adhere to all state and local guidelines regarding masks and social distancing.
This past weekend, Vermont jam quartet Twiddle returned to the stage for the first time in 2021 for a pair of special hometown live stream shows from The Double E in Essex, VT.
Hosted in partnership with Fiddlehead Brewing, the virtual events featured carefully curated setlists, highlighting individual chapters of the band’s sixteen-year history. Performing a few short miles from Castleton, the rustic college town where the band started, the shows were a masterful depiction of the evolution of the signature sound Twiddle continues to refine.
photo by Dave Decresente
The band kicked off night one (3/11/21) with a first set comprised of fan-favorite tracks from their 2017 release Plump Chapter One. After weaving together the first four songs of set one with a series of seamless segues, viewers were treated to an acoustic rendition of catalog rarity, “Dusk ’til Dawn,” led by drummer Brook Jordan on acoustic guitar and lead vocals. The opening set was highlighted by the debut of “Lost in the Rain,” a reggae mashup of originals “Lost in the Cold” and “When it Rains it Poors.”
Set two featured fresh takes on deep cuts from Twiddle’s early days, with all of the music coming from the band’s 2007 release, Natural Evolution of Consciousness. The nonstop six-song marathon provided a glimpse at Twiddle’s precise, genre-bending composition, contrasted by their unbridled, exploratory improvisation. The 75+ minute set was performed without a break.
Night two incorporated similar thematic elements to the previous show, with set one focusing on songs from Plump Chapter Two. For the second consecutive set, Twiddle performed without a pause, sandwiching multiple songs between distinct parts of “Orlando’s,” most notably an extended “Nicodemus Portulay,” complete with a “Find Frankenfoote” transmission.
Night two, set two contained some of Twiddle’s most recognizable tunes, focusing on music written for the 2011 release, Somewhere on the Mountain. The improv-heavy set included subtle odes to influential musical counterparts, including Papadosio and Phish teases in “Daydream Farmer” and “Frend’s Theme.” Twiddle closed the hometown run of shows with an extended take on Tears For Fears’ 1982 hit, “Mad World.”
photo by Dave Decresente
Setlist – March 11, 2021
Set One: Syncopated Healing> Every Soul> River Drift> Every Soul, Dusk Til Dawn$, Distance Makes The Heart^, Lost In The Rain&, Zazu’s Flight
Set Two: Frankenfoote > Grandpa Fox > Tiberius> Brown Chicken Brown Cow> Tiberius> Subconscious Prelude
Encore: Caterpillar % > Frankenfoote
$ Brook on Acoustic Guitar ^ Mihali on Acoustic Guitar & Mashup of Lost in The Cold and a reggae version of When It Rains It Poors % With A Go Go by John Scofield teases
Setlist – March 12, 2021
Set One: Enter > Orlando’s > Dinner Fork > Nicodemus Portulay $ > The Fantastic Tale of Ricky Snickle > Slippin’ In the Kitchen > Orlando’s
Set Two: Daydream Farmer ^> Frends Theme & > Apples # > Doinkinbonk> Apples, Earth Mama
Encore: Mad World+
$ With a “find Frankenfoote” Transmission ^ With Find Your Cloud by Papadosio Teases & With Divided Sky Teases # With Ghostbusters Theme tease + Tears for Fears
‘Live for Lon,’ a three-hour event celebrating the live of Jam scene figure Lon Conscious, will stream on Saturday, January 16, from 6:30-9:30PM. Since his sudden passing in November 2020, public figures in the community such as Trey Anastasio, The Capitol Theatre and Twiddle have given him public shoutouts.
Streaming from Long Island’s Baked Shrimp Facebook page, ‘Live for Lon’ will feature videos dedicated to Lon Conscious by artists such as Mihali, Brandon Taz Niederauer, Andy Frasco, KRIS, Grubby Bean, and more. Baked Shrimp will close out the stream with a real-time live performance. All donations will benefit the White Light Foundation.
Lon with Twiddle
Lon Conscious was a major supporter of the jamband scene, and massive figure in the Twiddle community, where he ran the group #twiddlenation with fellow fan Eddie Schectman. He traveled around the country for Twiddle. In addition he traveled and promoted for Baked Shrimp, and was uncle to their drummer, Jager. Conscious worked the merch booth at Madison Square Garden, one way so many people got to know him.
Lon with Brandon Taz Niederauer
‘Live for Lon’ will be a special night to remember. The occasion is designed for fans, friends family, who need a release of energy during these difficult times.
Lon with Dopapod’s Rob Compa
During one of the intermissions on Saturday, the stream will display a segment dedicated to pictures and videos fans have taken of Lon and/or with Lon. Fans are encouraged to submit content by emailing bakedshrimpmusic@gmail.com. Images can be sent via direct message to Baked Shrimp‘s Facebook page. These submissions may also appear in various parts of the stream. Please aim to submit content by end of the day Wednesday, January 13.
NYS Music’s Best of 2020 series concludes with a look at the best Tours and Drive-In shows of a year we’d all like to forget. When the music industry shut down in mid-March, it was sudden and continues to last into 2021. Few bands got to go on a ‘real’ tour, given there were roughly 11 weeks in which to tour, and the coldest months of the year, at that. Still, a few bands went out on a Winter 2020 tour, making stops in New York State and surrounding areas. Be sure to check out the best Streams, Covers and Jams.
photo by JD Cohen
Goose announced shows in Williamsburg for late January, 2020, and immediately added a second, and smaller third show, due to demand. Their shows at The Music Hall of Williamsburg were two of the best of their tour.
One band, Twiddle, celebrated their 15th year as a band with a Roots Tour of their own, streaming the multi-week event that looked at the venues they got their start in across Vermont, wonderfully recalled by Ryan Dempsey. In addition to these shows, Twiddle performed at multiple Drive-In shows across the Northeast, including New Jersey and Essex Junction, VT.
All that after a cross-country tour running from January through early March. The band had an impressive 2020, performing shows in Colorado to start 2020 with “Somewhere on the Mountain” in Frisco, CO and connecting with platform LiveXLive for their July Roots Tour.
photo by Dave Decrescente
When it came to Drive-Ins, there were quite a few across the Northeast – Drive-in-Live in Swanzey, NH, Jericho Drive-In in Glenmont, NY, South Farms in Morris Farms, CT, Fingerlakes Drive-In in Auburn, NY, Silver Lake Drive-In in Perry, NY and Radial Park in Astoria, Queens.
Live at the Drive, featuring Buffalo’s Aqueous, was one of the first and the most successful series, with three weekends between Lockport’s Transit Drive-in and Perry Silver Lake Drive-In. Buffalo Iron Works produced the shows, with Josh Holtzman and Grace Vesneske’s new company Twenty6 Productions garnering credit for putting on shows that set a standard for socially distanced shows that were safe, well-run and comfortable for fans and staff alike.
photo by Paul Citone
Goose also hosted numerous Drive-Ins across the Northeast and even ventured safely to Ohio, North Carolina and Maryland, as well as Swanzey and South Farms. Located in Morris, CT, South Farms was centrally located to the Hudson Valley from Albany to NYC, Western Massachusetts and Connecticut itself. As such, Goose, moe., Warren Haynes, Grace Potter, Allman Betts Band, Dark Star Orchestra, Citizen Cope and even comedian Bill Burr. Due to a recent Zoning Board ruling, South Farms won’t have live music for the time being, but they made some memorable moment in the time they were able to, in a key location in the Northeast.
photo by Chad Anderson
moe. and Disco Biscuits each hit the new Drive-In circuit, streaming online and giving fans thirsty for live music the remedy they sought. Shows in Yarmouth, MA became regular stops, with both bands heading to Cape Cod in October. Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds, just south of Syracuse, brought in Dirty Heads and Disco Biscuits, the latter of which performed three nights, culminating their Drive-In shows with a Halloween show and an audience well-prepared for the cold and mud but still got down to dance.
What will come in 2021? Drive-In concerts will surely be a regular feature starting in the Spring, until the pandemic is under control, the population is inoculated with the vaccine, and venues are able to manage crowds of slowly increasing size. Will Drive-In concerts be here to stay? The collective effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 this year and into 2022 will determine the speed at which we can return to having live music back to where it was in early March of 2020.
