Twiddle performed for two nights at the legendary Capitol Theatre for their annual Friendsgiving, this time welcoming Dogs In a Pile on Friday and Neighbor on Saturday.
Dogs In a Pile have been quickly gaining fame and have been on tour with Twiddle. Twiddle welcomed a two-piece horn section and members of Dogs in a Pile for multiple sit-ins, notably a “How Sweet It Is” encore featuring both bands, as an homage to Jerry must be paid when playing The Cap.
“Apples” proved to be a lengthy, psychedelic jam. Favorites such as “Orlando’s,” “Syncopated Healing,” and “Lost in the Cold” were great within a jam heavy set list, especially with the added horns section.
Twiddle “Frendsgiving” – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – November 25, 2022
Set 1: Every Last Leaf I [1], Beautiful, Stroganoff, Life Back Now, Complacent Race [2], Moments [2], Latin Tang [2], Polluted Beauty [2] > The Box#
Set 2: Syncopated Healing [2], Distance Makes the Heart [3], Enter [2] > Orlandos^ [2], Apples > White Light > Mushrooms of the Sea > Apples, Lost in the Cold [2]
Encore: How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [4]
[1] First time played. With Adrian Tramontano on guitar [2] With Michael Bafundo and Mike Oehmen (Horns) [3] With Brian Murray and Sam Lucid (Dogs In A Pile) [4] Marvin Gaye (Debut). With Jeremy Kaplan and Jimmy Law (Dogs In A Pile), plus Michael Bafundo and Mike Oehmen (Horns)
# with Mihali Cowbell Jam ^ with Crosseyed and Painless teases
Twiddle “Frendsgiving” – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – November 26, 2022
Set 1: Frends Theme, The Devil, Dr Remidis Melodrium [1], Fighting For, Every Soul > Mamunes The Faun [2] > Every Soul
Set 2: Grandpa Fox > The Mission, Beethoven & Greene, Frankenfoote > Grandpa Fox, Slippin in the Kitchen [3]
Encore: Why Canât We Be Frends [4] > When it Rains it Poors > Every Last Leaf II [2]
[1] Apples Vocal Reprise [2] With Scott Hannay [3] With Rick James (Neighbor) & Scott Hannay [4] WAR (Debut)
In December, Long Island-based alternative acoustic rock band, Phil Firetog Trio & Co. will close out the holiday season with a festive and heartwarming set at Beach Brewing Co. in Westhampton Beach, NY. Their first show at the brewery is on December 30, the perfect way to end the year. The show follows their newest holiday single, released today, that speaks directly to their home community, “Long Island Christmas Eve.”
Thanks to the musical talents of Phil Firetog Trio & Co — Firetog on lead vocals and guitar, Johnny “Pots” Potocnik on drums and Liam Gordon on bass — anyone can fulfill a secret desire to be from Long Island for the duration of the song. The tune is catchy, as most Christmas songs are engineered to be, so I’ve been singing it while home in Washington, D.C. for the holidays. This has been confusing, I’m sure, for family and friends.
Phil Firetog Trio & Co. have an indie-pop take on rock and roll, that feels nostalgic for decades past and, overall, spreads positive messages through chords. Their upcoming gigs come as they arrange and prepare material for 2023, so there is much to look forward to in the next year from the band, including two more shows at Westhampton beach Brewing Co. on January 21 and February 4.
Tickets to their show at Westhampton Beach Brewing Co. are on sale now on their site.
On Saturday November 19, WonderFront Music and Arts Festival 2022 continued on for an unforgettable Day 2. Since the last festival in 2019, WonderFront has made a comeback with headliners Kings of Leon, G-Eazy, Lauren Daigle and Swae Lee, all making headway to restore the annual festival within Seaport Village along the pier in downtown San Diego.
Starting the day with Fitz and The Tantrums at the Events.com main stages, the show-goers belted the lyrics to fan favorite “Out of my League” which was a huge milestone in the band’s early career. Saturday’s afternoon sun became the perfect natural spotlight for the indie pop rock band founded in 2008 by lead vocalist Michael Fitzpatrick when they released their first hit single “Breakin’ The Chains of Love” in 2009.
Noelle ScaggsMichael Fitzpatrick
The festival moved towards transpiring viral success Tai Verdes, known for his pop and indie inspired music. Tai grew to fame during the pandemic in 2020 for his hit single “Stuck in The Middle,” which successively sprung him into a well-deserved music career. The crowd grew full as Tai was engaging with fans with an urge to hurl over the pit’s rail guard, as Verdes made it all worth the wait, especially when the performance of hit single “A-O-K” was embraced by a sea of loyal fans.
As the sun started winding down, singer/songwriter Bill Dess took a stand on the stage with his blue electric guitar. Going by the stage name of Two Feet, Bill balances a groove with a heavy tone and edgy electric guitar riffs. Representing the east coast, Bill Dess was born and raised in Manhattan where he began the production of his music career. Dess set the tone for those around as he strung his hit release “I Feel Like I’m Drowning” which reached number 36 on The US Hot Rock Songs Chart.
Leading into one of the top headliners of Saturday’s lineup was the unforgettable Swae Lee performed an impressive and crowd pleasing show. Swae leaped onto stage telling the crowd “I’m gonna make this shit unforgettable for y’all,” leading into featured hit release “Unforgettable” with French Montana. Leaning over the guard rails into the crowd, Swae was standing over the monitors, jumping from stage left to stage right and throwing his shirt into the crowd. Festival goers swung left to right as top hit “Swang” boomed through the bass. He made his appreciation for the fans known, putting on quite a remarkable show.
Swae Lee has been best known for songs from the album SremmLife from a duo Rae Sremmurd with his brother.. Swae Lee has featured artists on many tracks, such as Jhene Aiko, Post Malone, Traviss Scott and Nicki Minaj. Some of his fan favorites include “Unforgettable,” “Sunflower” and “Sativa” For one of WonderFront’s many headliners, Swae Lee put on an unforgettable show.
Headliner G-Eazy made an appearance Saturday night, having risen to attention in 2014 when his first major label album These Things Happen hit number 3 on the US BillBoard charts. G-Eazy cherished this show in honor of his fanbase to carry on their support over the years.
Playing one of Saturday’s concluding shows in San Diego’s all time ocean overlook, Ruocco Park. Echosmith took the stage to honor their last show on the band’s 2022 tour. Lead singer and keyboardist Sydney Sierota held a special place for San Diego, it being her hometown, which made their last show of the year more memorable for the fans and the alternative pop band.
To conclude an eventful Day 2 of WonderFront Music and Arts Festival. headliner Kings of Leon dropped an outstanding closing performance. The crowd was packed with show goers urging to get upfront for a better view along the marina, where fans filled the venue from front to back. With millions of follower on Spotify, their listeners were ecstatic for their show and appearance to the multi-genre festival. The group, composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan, Jared and their cousin Matthew Followill, performed “Sex on Fire,” “Use Somebody” and “Closer” from Kings’ most iconic album release, Only By The Night.
The wait for the American rock band was worth the wait when the crowd belted each song and roared of applause. The closing on Saturday November 19 set the bar for a remarkable show, raising high hopes for the final day of WonderFront Festival.
Tai VerdesSwae LeeSydney SierotaEchosmithFitz and The TantrumsMichael FitzpatrickTwo FeetG-EazyKings of Leon
Born and raised in Rochester, Alyssa has taken the country music scene by storm. Returning home from Nashville, she treated hometown fans to quite the mix of original tunes and covers at Iron Smoke Distillery in nearby Fairport.
Alyssa Trahan @Iron Smoke
Prior to making the move to the country music capital, Alyssa was writing and performing her own work locally, all while learning to play a dozen instruments along way. Quite the Jill of all trades, as she has been often called.
In 2020, during the COVID shutdown, Alyssa never slowed, as she wrote, produced, and played nearly all the instruments on a new album. Released in early 2021, it debuted in the top 10 on iTunes Country Music Album Charts with over 300k downloads. Pretty remarkable for an independently produced album! In addition to writing and producing, Alyssa has managed to be able to share a stage with young and old talents alike, including Lee Greenwood, Maddie & Tae, Sara Evans, and Molly Hatchet. Again, for a budding country artist, this is remarkable.
If you like Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, and Lee Ann Womack, or any combination of these artists, you need to check out Alyssa Trahan as she is quite the blend of them and then some. Trahan’s new album Baby Blues & Stilettos is out now
The Weight Band and special guests Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams started off the pre-Thanksgiving festivities at the Bardavon Theater in Poughkeepsie on Saturday, November 19th. With many performing having roots in Woodstock, The Band, and Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble the night was more than just another show.
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams proved to be the perfect opening act. The duo employed their roots rock style to originals and covers. A few songs in, Larry and Teresa invited Brian Mitchell of The Weight Band to grab his accordion and join them on stage. Jim Weider (also of The Weight Band) would follow a few songs later. This was an indication of how the night would progress. Close friends joining in at various points celebrating their love of music.
The Weight Band
The Weight Band’s (Jim Weider (guitar, mandolin & vocals), Michael Bram (drums & vocals), Brian Mitchell (keyboards & vocals), Matt Zeiner (keyboard & vocals), Albert Rogers (bass & vocals)) set included numerous Band classics. Crowd favorites “Up on Cripple Creek”, “Life is a Carnival,” bellowed through the house. The band threw in a few covers including The Allman Brothers “Come and Go Blues,” and The Grateful Dead’s “New Speedway Boogie” to round out the setlist.
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams
Between songs memories of Allen Toussaint, Levon Helm and Bob (yeah, that one) were shared. The intimacy of the evening gave you the feeling that you were sitting around with old friends reminiscing. Song selection directed the activity on stage. Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams joining in at various times. Players switching from electric to acoustic guitar, keyboard to accordion, and fiddle to mandolin and back as the night progressed. It was loose, it was fun.
The Weight Band with Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams
With the clock inching toward midnight, the evening came to an end. Everyone joined in on iconic song “The Weight,” sending off it off into the ethos of the Hudson Valley. From the smiles and glow affixed to those on stage, this proved to be more than just a show. This was a musical homecoming.
And take a load off Fanny Take a load for free Take a load off Fanny And (and, and) you put the load right on me (You put the load right on me)
This holiday season, the Greene Space at WNYC & WQXR in Soho will be presenting a window display of “Christmas Mountain,” a family friendly 21-day multimedia story event from NYC live arts collective Piehole.
Beginning with an opening night celebration on Thursday, December 1, presenting daily chapters of its story in an advent calendar fashion until the winter solstice on the 21st. WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer will narrate the tale about of a town of mice scurrying to fix their TV signals in time for the night of the solstice. The display will be available in-person until January 9 and on the “Christmas Mountain” website.
The Greene Space opening night celebration, along with debuting the first episode of “Christmas Mountain,” will feature a brief panel on the history of Christmas celebrations in NYC that inspired the project. The doors will open at 6 p.m. with the event beginning at 6:30.
Incorporating the work of over 20 different artists, the presentation will include animatronics, embedded videos, and original music.
Piehole, having been founded in 2008, has produced live art for theaters, galleries, and digital spaces such as collaborations with the LA-based Tender Claws in AR and VR: Tendar (2018) and The Under Presents (2019).
On Friday November 18, Day 1 of The Wonderfront Music and Arts Festival kicked off for an unbeatable weekend. Located in San Diego’s marina, the forefront of downtown welcomed the return of the multi-genre festival WonderFront, which hit the ground running with Joey Purp as his very first show in Southern California. Purp uplifted the crowd with gratitude for their support and pursuit in his music career. Joey gained attention in 2012 after his first mixtape release “The Purple Tape,” and jumpstarted the feel for the festival and anticipation for the rest of day one.
Darling Greatly a group composed of The Croome Brothers, drummer Brayden Tario and electric Guitarist David Mills. introducing classical rock into modern alternative. The band truly rocks on and their style says it all. David Mills performs with a cig in his mouth and all time classic aviators, as the Croome Brothers rock with a trippy button up and ruby red electric guitar. Paying their respect to the loyalty of the fans, Darling Greatly opened with top hit “Shine” as part of their first album released in 2016.
As the day progressed, Saint Motel, Lainey Wilson, Quinn XCII and Young The Giant enticed the crowd and fan appeal. Saint Motel lead with top hits “My Type” and “Cold Cold Man” as lead singer AJ Jackson ran onto stage wearing a bright red tail coat, knee high boots and a black homburg hat. AJ fascinates the fans with his style and Indie pop music genre.
Lainey Wilson, performing since a young age, brought her country groove to the festival. Singing her top hit “Things A Man Oughta Know”, Wilson engaged with fans and danced among band members. An enticing an interactive show, Lainey continues her funk and groove as a female country artist.
Rising Artist Quinn XCII gave a stunning show at the Coors Light Stage. Fans filming, singing, dancing and pulled up their flashes to light up the main stage. Beginning his career back in 2011, Quinn XCII is best known for top hits “Stacy,” “Flare Guns” and “Straightjacket.” Quinn stands for ‘Quit Unless Your Iinstincts are Never Neglected’ and XCII represents the Roman numeral of Mikael Temrowski birth year 1992.
Another top show from day one had to be Young The Giant and they gave a set to remember. The euphoric lighting, mic stands strung with flowers and erratic dancing were part of lead singer Sameer Gadhia and his unpredictability as he moved across the stage and screamed with fans who floored for intro song “Wake Up.” The strobe lights, euphoric blues and purples made for an outstanding set that concluded with a well remembered hit performance of “Mind Over Matter” released in 2014.
To represent the East Coast, New Jersey-based singer and songwriter Bea Miller led an impressive set at the Tustreams Community Stage located at Ruocco Park. Grasping her career at only the age of 13. Miller is best known for hit album Aurora released in 2018 and her fans were ecstatic to hear “Song Like You,” “Burning Bridges” and “Crash&Burn” live. Bea’s facial expressions and assurance to the loyalty of her fans says it all.
To conclude Day 1 of WonderFront Music and Arts Festival, headliners The Zac Brown Band and EARTHGANG closed the day out with a well-remembered performance at the main stage. The Zac Brown band is most known as an American Country Band based in Atlanta with a classic “Chicken Fried” that captivated the crowd as they sang along ‘Cold Beer on a Friday Night,’ on a Friday night.
Headliner EARTHGANG featured hip-hop duo Johnny Venus and Doctur Dot raised the bar as the duo synced up, fist pumping the air, jumping towards the crowd and engaging their fans. The fans showed their loyalty for EARTHGANG as the duo’s songs have a fascinating range of musical influence. Attempting the notion of the conscious and subconscious of their lyrics and musical output, their closing of Day 1 of The WonderFront Music and Arts Festival of 2022 set the tone for what’s to come on both Saturday and Sunday.
On October 29, two bands who got their start in Buffalo, moe. and Aqueous combined forces for only the second time. Watch the rare below moe.queous performance below.
The Town Ballroom show found the two bands donning a musical costume with a theme of ‘animals’ leading to covers of Phish, The Beatles and Pink Floyd, as well as songs from the moe. and Aqueous catalogs that centered around various creatures and critters.
The lineups for the two band combo included Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico from moe., and Mike Gantzer, Evan McPhaden and Rob Houk from Aqueous. David Loss of Aqueous would also make a surprise appearance on vocals of “I Am The Walrus.”
Gantzer said of the collaboration, “It’s a cool full circle thing to intertwine the AQ and moe. worlds so directly-Both bands have history at Town Ballroom and share strong roots being from Buffalo, too. There’s something really connective about that, and I’ve always felt a unique kinship and chemistry when making music or even just hanging with those guys. Much of AQ’s early inspiration came from seeing moe. too, so that should tell you just how truly special this will be!”
Schnier agreed, saying “We love our boys in AQ almost as much as we love Buffalo! Last time we all got together for a moe.queous throw down, it was such an awesome amalgamation of our two bands, and we knew it was something we should definitely do more often.”
photo by Curtis Kruetter
Check out the moe.queous setlist and watch videos from across the evening below.
Set 1: Bearsong > Strange Times > Bearsong, Birds of a Feather > Kitty Chaser > Downward Facing Dog, Marty, I Am The Walrus*
Set 2: Moth > Pigs > Moth, Warren in the Window, Terrapin Station > Four#, Buster#
Frat houses, bars, stadiums, and theatres. Daryl Hall has played them all, including the Oncenter Civic Theatre in Syracuse on November 19. With special guest Todd Rundgren, the mostly over 50 crowd was treated to a night of mellow jams.
Rundgren opened the night with set of approximately 75 minutes including “Hello it’s Me,” “Black Maria,” and “I Saw the Light.” Although he has been playing shows since the late 60s, his look hasn’t changed much as he still flaunts his famous locks and flashy attire while performing.
Touring in support of recently released 2 disc retrospective album, Hall played a great selection on songs from his solo career as well as from Hall & Oates. The stage for this tour is a replica of his house from his 2017 webcast series, Daryl’s House. Lights, props, stairs, everything is there and lighting was amazing.
Highlight for me, personally, was his rendition of 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Eurythmics Here Comes the Rain. With his own little spin on it, Hall made the song his own. By far, my favorite song from Annie Lennox, but Daryl Hall knows how to change it up and make it sound brand new, 30+ years later.
Made famous by Paul Young, Hall also put his piano bar style on Paul Young’s “Every Time You Go Away,” which was a Daryl Hall original in the mid 80s. Truly amazing to hear these songs again, for the first time and live as well.
While the crowd was mostly over 50, there was a surprising amount of under 30 and I heard many of them complaining that Daryl Hall didn’t play any of his heavier songs, as they were falling asleep. I couldn’t help to think maybe they thought they were going to see Dimebag Darrell, which might have been pretty epic in an alternate universe.
Regardless, go see these guys. For me, it was nice change of pace from the chaos I call life, and with the chaos ramping up over the next month or so, I welcomed the opportunity to kick back and chill to a couple of legends.
That being said, get your tickets, get your beverage of choice and kick back for a couple hours.
Todd Rundgren Setlist: Real Man/Love of a Common Man; It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference; We Gotta Get You a Woman; Buffalo Grass; I Saw the Light; Black Maria; Unloved Children; Hello It’s Me; Sometimes I Don’t Know How to Feel; I’m So Proud/Ooh Baby Baby/I Want You; The Want of a Nail
Daryl Hall Setlist: Dreamtime; Romeo is Bleeding; Problem With You; Philly Mood; Cab Driver; Everytime You Go Away; Sacred Songs; Babs and Babs; Here Comes the Rain; Sara Smile; No Can Do; Wait For Me; Can We Still Be Friends; Expressway; Dreams
Phish’s Trey Anastasio has announced the release of The Beacon Jams which will commemorate the artist’s legendary eight-show virtual residency at New York City’s legendary Beacon Theatre in the Covid-riddled fall of 2020. These iconic shows will now be encapsulated in the form of an 18-track, 145-minute new anthology that will be available digitally on Friday, November 25. Proceeds will benefit The Divided Sky Foundation, an initiative launched by Anastasio to finance a residential recovery program in Ludlow, VT, which is set to open next year.
Photo Credit: Danny Clinch
Performed at an empty Beacon Theatre and livestreamed around the world over the course of eight Fridays, The Beacon Jams saw Trey teaming with a range of collaborators to boldly reimagine music spanning his three-decade career. It includes performances from Trey Anastasio Band cohorts like Cyro Baptista (percussion), James Casey (saxophone, vocals), Natalie Cressman (trombone, vocals), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet, vocals), Russ Lawton (drums), Ray Paczkowski (keyboards), and, in his final performances with the group, the late Tony Markellis (bass).
Also featured are frequent collaborators Jeff Tanski (keyboards), Celisse Henderson (vocals), and Jo Lampert (vocals), as well as the debut of The Rescue Squad (Katie Kresek – violin, Maxim Moston – violin, Rachel Golub – viola, Anja Wood – cello).
In addition to great music and different interpretations of Phish and TAB songs, the Beacon residency also saw Anastasio interacting with fans via Twitch between songs for a completely unique live music experience in a time where pandemic restrictions made such things close to impossible. “What made it feel successful to me was that we weren’t trying to recreate a live concert,” Anastasio says. “What I was hoping was that it would be a fresh form of entertainment – turning lemons into lemonade. I feel like that turned out to be the case.”
photo by Jake Silco
Tracklist: Corona, A Wave of Hope, What’s The Use, And Flew Away, The Moma Dance, The Silver Light, Pebbles and Marbles, Bouncing Around the Room, Carini, I Never Left Home, Money Love and Change, Last Tube, Quantegy, You Enjoy Myself, Goodbye Head, Tube, Slave to the Traffic Light, First Tube
