The punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, created by Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione in 2001, held nothing back deep in the woods of Woodstock for a three night run at The Colony from November 10th to November 12th. The best way to experience this band is up close and personal, which made the Colony the perfect place for their first live performances since 2018 in the UK, as the venue held roughly 150 people from the floor to the balcony.
Palmer, now 46, still performs like she is 25 at the start of The Dresden Dolls’ birth. Her raw energy and flawed flawlessness that she puts into any one of her performances is something that cannot be explained through words, it’s something that needs to be experienced. Her vocals are unmatched with a mix of melodic sounds and scream-singing and her skills on the piano complement that so well. She is one of the most passionate artists out there and is a sight to behold. Her passion is so strong that it spills out from her voice into her piano and every single move she makes. She breathes a new breath into every single performance.
Viglione on the drums, back-up vocals, bass, electric and acoustic guitar complements that beautifully. He matches her energy and that brings every performance from a 10 to a 20. The things he can create, on the drums especially, is an artform all by itself. The two clad in cabaret styled clothes and mime-like face paint created an experience for the audience that is part rage, part beautiful storytelling, with a little bit of everything mixed in. Everything includes a cover of “Fight For Your Right” by The Beastie Boys where Amanda got up from her piano and took over the drums while Brian played guitar and guest bass player Manta joined in.
The performance overall was a mash up of high-energy rage-filled songs like “Girl Anachronism” and some lower-energy ballads. This included their song “Delilah” which was accompanied by a newer artist named Veronica Swift who’s vocals were out of this world. It was truly show-stopping.
The performance and the reaction of the audience breathed new air into The Dresden Dolls and if you’re lucky enough to score a ticket to any one of there other performances, GO. Long live the Punk Cabaret.
Setlist: Good Day, Sex Changes, Gravity, Bad Habit, Backstabber, Modern Moonlight, My Alcoholic Friends, Missed Me, Mrs. O, Astronaut, Delilah (with Veronica Swift), Gardener, Ultima, Fight For Your Right, Amsterdam, Mandy Goes To Med School, Coin Operated Boy, War Pigs, Half Jack, Girl Anachronism
Encore: Truce, Sing
Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione rocking out Colony. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
On Tuesday, November 15, Black Star took the stage at Sony Hall in Times Square for a once in a lifetime performance, presented by Blue Note Entertainment Group and co-presented by podcast platform Luminary.
Black Star is Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey, the internationally recognized icons of rap, activism, and entertainment. This night, they performed songs from their iconic debut Mos Def & Talib KweliAre Black Star, as well as their new album No Fear Of Time, which was released after an extended hiatus of nearly 25 years. In addition to the Black Star originals, they both performed hits from their individual catalogs.
The Sony Hall show followed their SNL debut on Saturday, November 12th, where Black Star performed “So be it.”
The night of Saturday, November 12 was a bitter and cold, and at The Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls, The Thom Conde Project, Buffalo’s newest hard rock band, opening the night’s show. Next up, was Buffalo’s Red Letter, followed by Sirens & Sailors from Rochester taking the stage. And among the crowd was unreal anticipation for STEMM to the start their set. Even Rob Arnold, guitarist from the band Chimaira made the trip to see this show from Ohio.
By showtime, the building had filled up and it didn’t feel like a bitter cold night anymore. STEMM has been working for over a year to bring back their old vocalist TJ Frost to play their album Songs for the Incurable Heart in its entirety. TJ flew in from Boise, Idaho for two weeks of constant rehearsals – and let me tell you, it surely paid off. They started with original STEMM songs before TJ was brought out on stage. At this point, the entire vibe in the building was through the roof – it was hot, It was humid and it felt like a jungle inside the venue.
This is where things got fun. Having personally known the guys in STEMM for 25 years and shared the stage with them with my band countless times (before I traded in my gear and became a photographer.) When you add STEMM and TJ Frost – the roof was blown off the building by the crowd. There were multiple people crowd surfing including a 10 year old kid who was witnessed crowd surfing at least 5 different times, like it was his favorite theme park ride. When you think you’ve seen it all, you see a security guard crowd surf, and you know you’re at an amazing show, with all the incredible vibes at this point.
STEMM is Joe Cafarella- Vocals/Guitar; Danny Nelligan – Drums; Alex Scouten- Guitar; TJ Frost- Vocals; Louis Penque – Vocals; Fred Blackwell- Guitar, and Joe Scouten- Bass Guitar. With seven members on stage during STEMM’s set, including their original vocalist Louis Penque from the beginning of their days, to TJ Frost himself, both vocalists were boucing all over the building. On the speakers and on the security gate they were both reaching out as far as they could in the crowd just to give a fan a high five. This is personally the most amazing performance I have seen STEMM perform in more than 20 years. Yet the band is not done – they plan on one-upping this show in the future.
Not only has STEMM became a staple of the music scene in Niagara Falls for the past 25 years, their songs have been used by the UFC, including “Face the Pain” being the UFC’s main theme song from 2002-2018. The UFC has used 25 different STEMM songs as background music over their history. This is saying A LOT from a little band from a the second largest city in NYS, Niagara Falls, NY. And Recently heard at Buffalo Sabre’s and Buffalo Bills games; more STEMM songs.
STEMM – The Rapids Theater, Niagara Falls, NY – Saturday, November 12
Setlist: Wish, Dead Inside, House of Cards, Don’t Act Surprised, Inside, Casualty for Prayer, The Memory Remains, A Song for the Incurable Heart, Till I Die, MONSTER, Pandemic, Numb, On the Surface, 13 Years, Incomplete, Holding On, Between now and Forever, The day the Earth Stood Still, Face the Pain
On Saturday, November 12 at the Broome County Forum Theatre, Maestro Daniel Hege led the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra in “Green Places,” a program named for a featured concerto by American composer Gary Schocker. The concert began with an unscripted reading of the National Anthem, sung heartily by the audience, followed with the brief fourth Novelette by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a work for strings and percussion.
“Green Places,” a three movement concerto for flute, featured principal flutist Karen Bogardus, whose stunning green gown helped set the tone for the fanciful piece. Bogardus’ virtuoso playing was fluid and flexible as she led the orchestra in playful calls and responses. Concertmaster Uli Speth concluded the first half of the program with Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending.” Speth, dressed in an open vest and bowtie suitable for the English moors, held the audience in rapt attention as his soloistic lines soared over the muted strings.
The Philharmonic rose to the many challenges of Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony, one of the least known but most technically difficult of the nine. Highlights were the tight string sections, spot-on winds, and remarkably fine timpani playing.
The next event for the Binghamton Philharmonic is Winter Wonderland on December 10, featuring performances of music from Home Alone 2 (John Williams), The Polar Express (Alan Silvestri), Nightmare Before Christmas (Danny Elfman), The Snowman (Howard Blake) and many more.
Akshatha Ganesh and Ashwyn MuthukumaraswamiAmanda Green and Mark GreenAmi Titus and Barbara ReardonKimburlee Stewart and Kevin OriolPokey Crocker and Ann Scala 2Reenie Wilson, Ann Machlin, and Kathie Winckler
On Thursday night, November 11th, Guthrie Bell Productions threw another fantastic party at The Hollow in downtown Albany and things got more than just a little bit strange. The lineup of Bella’s Bartok and The Dust Bowl Faeries was yet another great move as the entire night was a delicious ride from “creepy carnival music” to “foot-stomping freak folk.” And despite the fact that it was a Thursday night show, no one left early and no one really even sat down.
The Dust Bowl Faeries
The evening opened up with a local band called The Dust Bowl Faeries. It was my first time seeing this band, but it certainly won’t be my last — and everyone I spoke with had the exact same reaction. Self-described as “dark carnival music” this band was unlike anything I have ever seen or heard before. I knew it was going to be good when the lead singer hopped on stage with a taxidermy ram’s head on her back, and they exceeded my expectations.
If you are curious about The Dust Bowl Faeries, and you should be, you should check out their website immediately. They have a new album titled Carnival Dust coming out in January and on December 6th you can check out their brand new video by Thin Edge Films.
Bella’s Bartok
I have to admit that Bella’s Bartok has been a favorite of mine for many years now — they are one of the most energetic, unique, and entertaining bands in the scene. Their set on Thursday night was well over two hours long and despite that, it seemed like they could have kept right on going. I can’t get enough of this band’s on-stage chemistry and their lead singer’s antics, including hopping off the stage and walking around while singing in the crowd.
Other bands have to work really hard to get the crowd to participate. Bella’s fans — AKA “The Strange Ones” are the exact opposite because the energy is palpable and the band is electric. If you missed them last night, they have several dates coming up in the northeast so get your tickets fast.
Shenanigans
All in all, it was a perfect night with a perfect lineup of strange shenanigans and creepy delights. Check out our full gallery below.
Reaching the halfway point of their collaborative tour, TABoose took over the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls on Sunday, November 13, formerly the Civic Center and site of the legendary 1994 Phish Halloween show.
Leaning away from the Beatles cover that was highly speculated, both bands threw down hot 90-minute sets as their confidence both with each other and as individual musicians seems to grow with every concert.
photo by Derek Java
Goose opened up the night with “So Ready”, the Shenanigans Nite Club cut letting loose with standout guitar solos from Rick and Peter as Spuds pushed the tempo to breakneck speed. “California Magic” came next, breaking its longest gap since debuting in March.
“Thatch” a new song that Rick remarked was “only two days old”, continued the quintet’s set. Featuring a hard-charging groove and crunchy clav, lots of potential was immediately shown and I eagerly await future performances of the song as it grows into Goose’s ever-expanding catalogue.
A rare mid-set cover of The Band’s “Don’t Do It” whipped the crowd into a frenzy as Peter and then Rick took great solos.
Note the vintage jacket Peter is wearing – Glens Falls Red Birds, a minor league baseball team from mid-1990s. photo by Derek Java
The improvisational centerpiece of the show came in the ensuing “Madhuvan”, giving us the dose of darkness and extended jamming we had been hungering for since Portland. Featuring an aggressive synth tone from Peter on Nord Lead rather than the Prophet, dissonance reigned as the first song to cross the 20-minute mark since Portland displayed Goose’s improvisational capabilities.
After the always-fiery end to “Madhuvan”, the quintet brought Trey up on stage to contribute to “Red Bird”. Perfectly singing one verse of Peter’s emotional song written about his mother, Trey proceeded to lead the jam away from the fiery guitar duels we have seen in the past few shows and into more of a rhythm-based motif for a while before exploding back into a great peak. “Hot Tea”, also featuring Trey, closed out the set with incredible guitar interplay once again.
TAB’s set opened up with a laid-back “Drifting” ahead of “Set Your Soul Free”, “Ocelot”, and “Magilla” – all showcasing TAB’s growing confidence on stage as this tour progresses. Pure energy kicked off “A Wave of Hope”, one of the most prominent tracks from 2020’s Lonely Trip that has become a live staple of the Phish catalogue and has led to some of the best jams this year. While last night’s version didn’t hit 20 minutes or go outside the main song structure, Trey instigated the “second jam” and drove to many blistering peaks before concluding.
Trey then took a moment to talk about his connection to the city of Glens Falls and his time spent in nearby Saratoga Springs during his time in drug court after his arrest in late 2006 before a beautiful rendition of “Shade”.
Last night’s MVP took centre stage on the next song, an absolutely BLISTERING “Burlap Sack and Pumps” – saxophonist James Casey ripped up the baritone sax for an amazing solo that saw him going back and forth with Trey as the tension built.
“Spin” offered a similar placement and vibe to “About to Run” at Mohegan – a late-set opportunity for Trey to rip over a foundational groove. The song’s outro jam was its usual slinky self, bassist Dezron Douglas seeming to get lost in the vibe as they dug deeper and deeper into the amazing song.
photo by Derek Java
The pounding “Last Tube” gave way to “hey stranger”, the latter getting its second play of the tour – lots of potential in this song that I hope makes its way to Phish in the future!
“Valentine” brought the TAB portion of the set to a close, and Rick and Peter were welcomed on stage for an absolutely BLISTERING “Mr. Completely”. Taking some time at first to have a musical conversation, Rick and Trey harmonized as they have been doing so well on this tour before ceding a solo to the keyboardists. Egged on by Ray’s organ blasts, Peter ripped up an awesome piano solo before the jam transitioned into TAB’s usual solo-modulation sections. Once the horns had taken a spin with the tune for a little while, Trey cued everyone to drop out as he and Rick faced each other with huge smiles on their faces and continued to shred – it is impossible to tell at this point in the tour which guitarist is having more fun playing with the other!
A set-closing “Rise/Come Together” and an encore of “Possum” brought the incredible night in Glens Falls to a close on an extremely high note.
Four shows in, four shows left. TABoose tour has already exceeded expectations thus far and I cannot wait to see the collaborations that are on the horizon!!
TABoose tour continues on Tuesday in Carnot-Moon, PA. Webcasts are available via Nugs.net and LivePhish.
Tune in to Day After Show live with Always Almost There, HFPod, and The Great Beyond the day after every show at 3pm ET as we recap the tour in real time!
On Saturday, November 12, TABoose (Trey Anastasio Band and Goose) took over Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut for an incredibly fiery sold-out show as the third night of Goose and Trey Anastasio Band‘s co-headlining tour.
Goose’s performance on Saturday marked their second appearance at Mohegan this year – the home-state arena hosted the eighth annual Goosemas celebration this past February. Unlike that show, where there was extra space on the floor and no seats open behind the stage, the room was absolutely packed with people, a full 10,000-person sell out.
The quintet took the stage to thunderous applause and jumped into “Animal.” The perfect opener choice for the energetic crowd, guitarist Rick Mitarotonda took his time on the middle jam section and brought it to a rolling boil before closing out the catchy tune.
“Flodown” was tapped next and saw Mitarotonda once again lead the jamming, this time not with punchy guitar playing but with a bevy of delay effects. As the extended intros to this song are wont to do, the propulsive beat of drummer Ben Atkind and percussionist Jeff Arevalo was peppered with squiggly guitar freak-outs until exploding into the song proper.
Keeping the energy up in this no-breathers set was the first track from Dripfield to appear on this tour, the jamming staple “Arrow.” Taking the dance-y groove out for a shorter-than-normal spin, Mitarotonda pushed through a broken string to lead the rest of the band through a smooth segue into a cover of Bob Seger’s “Hollywood Nights,” not played by Goose since May 4, 2018 or 311 shows. Arevalo sported an ear-to-ear grin throughout the cover as the band kept the energy at a screaming level as they finished off “Arrow.”
Wasting no time, multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach used his wireless guitar set-up to join Rick center-stage on the ensuing “Dripfield.” Debuted alongside “Hungersite” during the third set of the Goosemas show in the same room back in February, last night’s “Drip” had a similar effect in an arena setting — pounding drums and churning guitar echoing around every corner of the space as massive smiles were sported by all band members.
Anspach then called up the TAB horn section to help on a cover of “Fish in the Sea” by Fat Freddy’s Drop – a staple of the live Goose catalogue. Bassist Trevor Weekz driving groove laid the perfect foundation for the horns to solo over as saxophonist James Casey and Mitarotonda traded licks phenomenally.
Trey was brought out for the set closer, and the crowd went absolutely nuts for the opening notes of “Factory Fiction.” For those of you who may not know the history of the song, “Factory” was penned by Mitarotonda and songwriting partner Matt Campbell over a decade ago as part of Goose precursor band Vasudo’s catalogue. Rarely played in the earlier days of Goose, it was busted out at crew member “Coach” Jon Lombardi’s wedding in October 2019 and was a standout part of their 2020 livestreamed Bingo Tour. Since then, the song has been played numerous times at “special occasion” shows, or times when the vibe just calls for a little extra.
Excitement swept the crowd as the song progressed, and we were treated to another dose of Allman Brothers-like guitar playing from Anastasio and Mitarotonda as the jam built to multiple screaming peaks to close out Goose’s incredible set.
TAB’s set began with the first repeat of tour, catalogue classic “Sand.” Moving from there into “Shine” and “Twist,” Anastasio’s normally bouncy energy seemed multiplied last night as he ripped his fretboard to shreds during the opening songs.
A quick bounce through “Mozambique” gave way to the tour’s first “Night Speaks to a Woman,” a song filled with impressive vocal contributions from Natalie Cressman, Jennifer Hartswick and James Casey while Trey continued to shred.
“Mercy,” a beautiful song crafted from the composed piano intro to the Ghosts of the Forest live shows, offered a breather ahead of a bubbly take on “Undermind.” Trey led the band through relative rarity “…And Flew Away” from his Lonely Trip quarantine album before the brightness of “Pigtail” kept smiles on faces.
Taking a late-set spot that is perfect for the song, “About to Run” featured what may have been Anastasio’s strongest guitar playing of the night. Bassist Dezron Douglas dug into the groove as the roof was blown off the arena. “Push On ‘Til The Day” closed out the main portion of TAB’s set with another blistering peak that had the crowd even more dialed in and crazy than they had been before.
Bringing Mitarotonda and Anspach on stage, the band jumped into a peppy “No Men in No Man’s Land” that once again showcased Douglas and drummer Russ Lawton‘s rhythm section connection, with the former turning to face the latter throughout the deep groove. Focusing once again on guitar showcases rather than deep improv, Anastasio and Mitarotonda brought forth peak after peak in “NMINML” and the set-closing “46 Days” that left ear-to-ear grins on those in attendance.
For the encore, the rest of Goose was brought up on stage as Trey remarked that “sometimes you just need two bassists” before ripping directly into “Carini.” More smiles on the faces of every band member, more fretboard fireworks and one final venue-destroying peak closed out the third show of TABoose tour.
With five shows remaining, both bands continue to be growing in energy and confidence as the tour goes on and we all eagerly await the collaborations to come.
Thursday, November 10th saw the Disco Biscuits play the first of two nights in Hartford at Infinity Music Hall. The first set was bookended with long time favorite Digital Buddha with the meat of the set consisting of newer songs from the bands catalog. The second set was full of high energy jams just like the first, but was cut short by a fire alarm going off and the show ending early.
After the two night Hartford run the band heads to Boston and Stroudsburg, PA to finish out the weekend run. The following week, November 18 & 19, finds the Disco Biscuits in Atlanta and the band will close out the year in Chicago for a three night New Years run.
Disco Biscuits – Infinity Music Hall, Hartford, CT – Thursday, November 10, 2022
Set 1: Digital Buddha-> 4th of July-> Another Plan of Attack-> Evolve-> Digital Buddha
Set 2: Mindless Dribble-> Who’s in Charge-> Orch Theme-> Freeze
Bursting onto the scene in 2017, Billy Strings has been selling out arenas big and small, bringing his bluegrass vibes to Rochester on November 9. Playing to a full house of denim, flannel, and tye-dye wearing fans, Strings and his ensemble gave the Blue Cross Arena a solid set of progressive roots-rock that went on for nearly three hours.
Billy Strings
Son of Terry Barber, a bluegrass musician himself, Strings was introduced to the genre at a young age and has been influenced along the way by some of the world’s greatest artists including Jimi Hendrix, Phish, and Black Sabbath.
Since bursting onto the music scene in 2019, Strings has collected some accolades and awards along the way including a Grammy in 2021 for Best Bluegrass Album (Home), 2022 Artist of Year from Americans Music Awards (also nominated previous two years), and 2019 International Bluegrass Music Awards for Best New Artist and Guitar Player of the Year. Assuming things keep going the way they are going, Billy will need a hall to house all his awards!
With the classic bluegrass sounds of the Dave and Deke Combo, Allison Krauss, Doc Watson, and Old Crow Medicine Show all still influential in their own rights, Billy Strings seems to have upped the ante for bluegrass/roots music. Although the classic dualling banjos will never get old, time have changed, and Billy Strings has set the tone.
Billy Strings – Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY – Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Set 1: Old Train; Turmoil & Tinfoil; Running the Route; Stone Walls and Steel Bars; Fire Line; Running; Ashland Breakdown; The Train That Carried My Girl From Town; Black Mountain Rag; Love and Regret; Bronzeback; Must be Seven; In The Morning Light; Everything’s the Same
Set 2: Heartbeat of America; Red Rocking Chair; Hollow Heart; While I’m Waiting Here; Pyramid Country; And Your Bird Can Sing; Been All Around This World; The Fire on My Tounge; Air Mail Special; Hellbender; John Deere Tractor; Tipper; Dust in a Baggie; Cold, Cold World
The Last Waltz 2022 concert tour with Warren Haynes kicked-off with two excellent shows on November 3rd & 4th at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. I was determined to see at least one show on the tour. Looking at the schedule, that show had to be at Proctors Theatre on Saturday, November 5 in Schenectady.
Proctors is one of the nicest theatres I have been to in New York State and may even be one of the nicest theatres in the US. The architecture, the history, the restoration, the sound quality, the staff, everything about Proctors Theatre makes it a special venue to see a performance such as The Last Waltz.
Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson were The Band. Their Thanksgiving concert 1976 was filmed live at the Winterland Arena in San Francisco and the concert became a celebration. The film became The Last Waltz. If you’re a fan of The Band, if you want to see & hear great timeless music, you just know, the music & songs from The Last Waltz, it’s going to be special.
The Last Waltz 2022 at Proctors Theatre included Warren Haynes, Jamey Johnson, Kathleen Edwards, Anders Osborne, Dave Malone, John Medeski, Cyril Neville, Terence Higgins, Bob Margolin and Mark Mullins & the Levee Horns. The band will be joined by Taj Mahal & Don Was and other musicians at future dates. The song selections and arrangements were both familiar and unique.
My friend mentioned that he thought the 2022 horn arrangements closely followed the original 1976 Last Waltz horn charts arranged by Allen Toussaint. The Levee Horns played true to the New Orleans sound. The set lists will vary slightly from show to show. The concert highlights are far too many to count. Terence Higgins on drums is extraordinary. For me, Jamey Johnson’s vocals, especially on ‘Georgia’, Kathleen Edwards multi-instrumental musicianship & and her vocals on Bob Dylan’s ‘Forever Young’ were heart felt and everyone together on Dylan’s ‘I Shall Be Released’, that was excellent.
The tour continues November 9 the at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT and wraps-up on December 4 the at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Along the way, there will be performances in Boston, DC, Richmond, Atlanta, Florida and Oakland, CA. This is one of those must-see 2022 concert performances. If you’re local or within travelling distance, this concert should not be missed. Find more on the Last Waltz 2022 concert series here.
