The second annual Rail Rider Jamboree is coming to Ellicottville on March 18, 2023, at Holiday Valley Resort, with a stellar lineup comprised of new and old faces.
The Rail Rider Jamboree is a weekend filled with music, skiing, snowboarding competitions, brews and so much more. The promoters of Borderland Music + Arts Festival teamed up with the Holiday Valley Resort to bring this weekend to fans. The Jamboree is outdoors with music starting around 1 p.m. on March 18, with doors opening at 12 p.m. at the resort in the field on Rt. 219 across from the SnowPine chair.
The Jamboree will kick off on March 17 with rail jam contests and live music, slopeside at the base of the mountain at the Rail Park, with some free music by a funk improv band from Buffalo, at the Holiday Valley Cabana Bar from 8 p.m.-10 p.m. The next day will bring some exciting music to the resort, like headliners Dark Star Orchestra. They have performed for over 25 years and at some 3,100 shows, performing a show based on a set list from the Grateful Dead’s 30 years of extensive touring.
Also headlining the Rail Rider Jamboree is Eggy, improv rockers comprised of guitarist and vocalist Jake Brownstein, keyboardist Dani Battat, bassist Michael Goodman and drummer Alex Bailey. Another headliner includes Mike Gantzer, guitarist of groove rock band Aqueous, who is assembling a band just for Rail Rider. Also performing will be local bands Grub from Buffalo and the New Orleans style marching band Brass Machine.
Lodging with options to add on lift tickets and other resort activities are available to book with the resort today, with package Jamboree tickets to be announced. The event is for all ages, and tickets are on sale now.
On Wednsday, December 28, and for the first time since 2019, Phish took the stage at Madison Square Garden for their annual New Year’s Run.
Performing their 69th ever show at Madison Square Garden, Phish opened the night with a high-energy “Buried Alive” followed by a funk-filled “Wolfman’s Brother.” Set 1 was highlighted by a 14-minute “Stash” that was followed by a 13-minute “Split Open and Melt” to close the set.
Set 2 started off strong with “Free” which gave way to a nearly 20-minute “A Wave of Hope” that segued smoothly into “It’s Ice.” “Leaves” came out swinging after that, with “Simple,” “Plasma,” “Twist” and “Harry Hood” rounding out the set.
For the encore, a surprise “Esther” was performed in the curtain call slot for the first time in its history, with “46 Days” following up to round out the show.
Phish return for Night two tonight. Tune in at Livephish.com to join Couch Tour.
Set 1: Buried Alive, Wolfman’s Brother, Maze, Sigma Oasis > NICU, Steam, Tela, Stash, Split Open and Melt Set 2: Free > A Wave of Hope -> It’s Ice > Leaves > Simple -> Plasma -> Twist* > Harry Hood Encore: Esther > 46 Days *Trey teased A Wave of Hope in Twist
Gov’t Mule announced that the group will postpone their Black ‘n’ Blue New Year’s Eve run of shows due to a medical emergency. The show was set to hit Philadelphia and New York City.
Gov’t Mule was supposed to stop at The Met in Philly on Dec. 29, with two stops then at The Beacon Theatre on Dec. 30-31. Warren Haynes, a former member of The Allman Brothers Band, leads the band and in a statement said “After waiting for so long, we were excited to be together and finally make these shows happen, the last thing we expected was to have to postpone again. Please hold on to those tix.”
This isn’t the first time the jam band has had to postpone shows due to medical injuries (though in this case, the medical emergency hasn’t been released). At the beginning of the year, they announced their spring tour was postponed due to an injury Haynes sustained while in Costa Rica.
In 2021, Gov’t Mule released their record Heavy Load Blues, which is nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional Blues Album category this year. The group is made up of Haynes, as well as New York native Danny Louis, a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, and keyboard, and does backing vocals for the group. Matt Abts is the drummer, drumming with the soul of jam-rock legends that came before him. Finally, Jorgen Carlsson’s bass guitar matches beautifully with the rest of the group.
For more information about the postponement, and to check when new dates are announced, go here.
On Friday, January 6, Annie in the Water released “Frozen Lake,” a song 369 days in the making, having been written on January 2nd, 2022.
The song’s genesis comes from keyboardist Matt Richards, who arrived home from a New Years Eve trip to Lake Placid with a few friends, and having been listening to indie artists like Snail Mail and Pinegrove, he was inspired to sit at his piano the moment he got home.
Richards explains the story behind the song:
This is about how over the summer of 2021 I went to Lake Placid with my then-girlfriend, and from the perspective of now being there again during the winter after we broke up, standing on the frozen lake, looking back at the docks where we were standing in the summer time, questioning the nature of our relationship and breakup.
Matt Richards, keys/vocals, Annie in the Water
Annie in the Water spent 2022 recording “Frozen Lake” mostly separately in their own creative spaces, rather than all together in the studio to try to give the tune a “bedroom” approach. When the recording was finished, the band had it mixed by recording engineer Corey Hayward in his self-made studio space.
The track released on January 6, 2023.
Annie in the Water recently also released Live at Artfarm, Vol. II, a collection of live versions of five songs recorded at Artfarm Recording in the Catskill Mountains. Most tracks on the live album were performed over the course of 2022, meant to highlight newer tracks that have yet to be featured on a studio release. Give a listen below.
It’s that time of the year again – time for phans to congregate in Manhattan for four nights at Madison Square Garden with the Phish from Vermont. With this being the first four-night run at MSG in December since 2019, what better way to keep the party going after Phish than with after parties, all within walking distance of Madison Square Garden!
December 28
Eggy will take the stage on Wednesday, December 28 at the Cutting Room just before midnight. At the same time, Marble Eyes will be taking the stage at Hill Country BBQ, featuring members of Pink Talking Fish and Twiddle. Eggy at Cutting Room tickets are available here and Marble Eyes at Hill Country BBQ is a FREE SHOW!
December 29
Before you head to MSG, stop by Hill Country BBQ on West 30th Street (between 6th and 5th) for a Waterwheel Foundation benefit, featuring The Dude of Life Band. This show is free with donations encouraged. All donations, regardless of amount, will earn a raffle ticket (one per person). Raffle prizes for awesome Phish and Dude of Life merch and memorabilia will be randomly chosen on stage during the show.
After the show, swing by The Cutting Room for Prince/Bowie, featuring Eric Gould, Adrian Tramontano, Scott Chasolen, Cal Kehoe, Matt Wayne and former members of Turkuaz’s horn section. Tickets are available here.
And over at Hill Country, get down with Jerry Dance Party, with sets spun by DJ Jerrbrother. Tickets are available here.
December 30
Before the show, stop by Hill Country for PhanArt from 1-6pm, featuring 20+ artists and vendors, making this the ONLY place in town to get Phish made goods from fans, for fans. Admission is free with music by Sweeping Views.
After Phish, head towards Times Square for Neighbor, over to The Cutting Room for Dogs in a Pile at Cutting Room (tickets for both are available here) or back to Hill Country for Jerry Dance Party (tickets available here)
December 31
And if somehow Phish hasn’t satiated you on New Years Eve with whatever they have in store, you can keep things rolling with Pink Talking Fish at Gramercy Theatre. Tickets available here.
Additionally, Volume.com is offering free live streams of three of CEG Presents’ annual Phish After-Party series shows featuring Eggy, Prince/Bowie, and Dogs in a Pile live from The Cutting Room in New York City. And on New Year’s Eve, Volume will share a re-broadcast of Dopapod’s performance at the recent North Beach Music Festival at 10 PM EST and again at 1:30 AM EST, also free.
CEG Presents’ Howie Schnee, also a consultant to Volume, said
We have been promoting this annual series for a long time, and I haven’t been this excited in many years to present shows with this next wave of bands in the jam scene that are about to break including Eggy, Dogs in a Pile, Neighbor, and more. This is the first time CEG has partnered with a live streaming platform for the Phish After-Party series, and we are excited to work with Volume given all the in-roads they’ve made in the last year with streams by artists such as String Cheese Incident, Galactic, Paul Cauthen, Marcus King, moe., Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Lotus, Lettuce, Twiddle and many more.
Cutting Room is located at 44 East 32nd Street Between Madison & Park Avenues. 5 minute walk from MSG.
Gramercy Theatre is located at 127 East 23rd Street Between Lexington & 3rd Avenues. 15 minutes from MSG by taking the NQRW train lines.
Hill Country is located at 30 W 26th St Between 5th and 6th Avenues. 5 minute walk from MSG.
Sony Hall is located at 235 West 46th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue. A 10 minute walk from MSG or a quick Subway ride on the A-C-E line.
On Sunday, January 15, Lark Hall will host Hanzolo, Canella and Jak Lizard, for a night of rising bands from across Upstate New York.
Hanzolo, who won the 2022 NYS Music March Madness, is a 7-piece band from Cooperstown, toting an explosive and emotional sound that mixes soul, jazz, rock, and funk. Their songs are dance-ably fun with thoughtful lyrics, backed up by a bright horn section. Not only have Hanzolo won NYS Music’s March Madness, but they also won the WEQX Battle of the Bands and opened Albany’s annual Pearlpalooza music festival in 2019. The first release from Hanzolo, Table Butter, was followed up with a self-title release in the fall of 2021.
Hanzolo’s music has been compared to table butter; Soft enough to spread, yet hard enough to keep its shape. Watch the video for “Not Easy” below.
Joining Hanzolo on January 15 is Canella, who have established an electric alt rock presence in the Capital Region and recently won WCDB’s ‘Song of the Year’ award for their debut single “Quiet Love”. Joining the Tulip Fest 2022 Lineup, Canella set a fire on stage that ignited female fronted rock nostalgia but with a refreshing DIY take. Their upcoming album is a revenge journal of songs pulled out of the classic ‘Burn Book’ of their personal lives. Their music is dedicated to former bandmate and best friend, Kyle Robinson who tragically passed away in a car accident in 2020.
Rounding out the lineup of artists on the rise is Jak Lizard, a New York crooner and self-declared “poptimist”. His orange, pink, and yellow melodies with a penchant for two stepping with your best friend.
Brooklyn jam/prog group PEAK have released two recent performances from the second half of 2022, giving a taste of their live sound in two unique settings – the Delaware Valley Opera House, and Nectar’s.
The first live release from PEAK is Live at Delaware Valley Opera Center, a full show video from the band’s October 28 show at the Delaware Valley Opera Center in Lake Huntington, located just west of Bethel. The band offers very special thanks to Eric Marczo who filled in on bass this fall.
https://youtu.be/D0WIviQFjFo
The second show released is the full audio from the band’s August 26, 2022 performance at Nectar’s in Burlington, VT. They’ll be heading back up that way in early 2023 for another show at the famed venue, now under new, yet familiar ownership.
The PEAK quartet features songwriter and guitarist Jeremy Hilliard (Turbine), Kito Bovenshulte (Particle) on drums, Josh T. Carter (Haley Jane and The Primates) on bass, and Johnny Young on keys (Mick Taylor Band). The self-described pychedelic indie funk band can be found jamming extensively during live shows, and allow the songs on the album to speak for themselves. Stay up to date with PEAK tour dates and news here.
Fans of improvisational jazz, electronica and progressive rock will have the perfect sonic meal for their eclectic tastes when Spaghetti Eastern Music’s Two Bass Hit Ensemble returns to Harlem’s Silvana, part of their residency, on Tuesday, December 27 at 8 p.m.
The band is an off-shoot of Spaghetti Eastern Music, the solo venture of genre-leaping NYC/Hudson Valley guitarist Sal Cataldi. The guitarist is joined in this quartet by two esteemed bass players, David C. Gross and Tom Semioli, and veteran NYC drummer/percussionist, David Donen. Collectively, the four have worked with diverse artists including Stephen Stills, Humble Pie, Aztec Two-Step, Chuck Berry, Marc Ribot, The Lenny Kaye Connection, The Joffrey Ballet, performance artist Charles Dennis and the guitar orchestra of minimalist composer Rhys Chatham.
The music of Two Bass Hit draws inspiration from a wide variety of musical styles, from the electric fusion of ‘70s-era Miles Davis, progressive rock like King Crimson and the funk/psychedelia of Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys. The humbly band takes its name, “Two Bass Hit,” from the title of a Dizzy Gillespie/John Lewis composition featured on Miles Davis’ Milestones album.
While bassist Semioli holds down the grooves, his counterpart Gross plies a broader palate with his extended range six-string electric bass – providing chords and counter-melodies to guitarist Cataldi’s painterly ambient atmospheres and loops and blues and psychedelia-inflected soloing. Drummer Donen provides beats that draw upon rock and tribal patterns.
The December 27 residency engagement for Spaghetti Eastern Music is the latest in the quartet’s on-going residency at Silvana, a venue featuring some of the best jazz, R&B and modern rock acts in NYC. No cover, two drink minimum; Silvana is located at 300 W 116 Street in Harlem.
Bassist Gross has written 17 books and 3 instructional videos. Together with Semioli, he is the co-host “The Notes From An Artist Radio Show” on cygnusradio.com Monday nights at 8 PM EDT, and the “Notes From An Artist” podcast available on iTunes, Spotify, and all podcast platforms. Semioli is the creator of the popular Know Your Bass Player blog.
Spaghetti Eastern Music has received consistent raves since Cataldi’s 2016 debut disc under the moniker, “Sketches of Spam” (Bad Egg Records). The New York Times writes “Cataldi’s original instrumentals and acoustic vocal tunes have a beat unmistakably his own” while Time Out New York says, “the largely instrumental, Eastern-influenced jams are infused with some delicate guitar work and hauntingly moody atmosphere.” Cataldi and his Spaghetti Eastern has been called “a wild ride” by Radio Woodstock, “beautiful and unique” by WFUV’s Mixed Bag, “charmingly melodic and off-center” by WFMU, while NYS Music adds: “If Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain had a secret chill detour, Spaghetti Eastern Music would be the soundtrack.” Hudson Valley One labels the sound:“Part Sergio Leone fever dream, part Ravi Shankar raga, a whirling dervish of musical creation.”
Blue Note New York will bring together a series of new programming in 2023, highlighting the relationship between the funk, jazz and jam music communities.
Among the artists lined up for performances starting in January 2023 at Blue Note are DJ Logic, Soulive, Lettuce, Galactic, Antibalas, Karl Denson, Ghost Note, Butcher Brown and many more. During the series, Blue Note will be a stomping ground for innovation and improvisation, showcasing the fluidity of the artists who perform within these funky genres.
The power of jazz has impacted and influenced many musical genres, and has its fingerprint deep within jam band culture and funk. Blue Note greatly celebrates this legacy and presents a broad range of artistry. We feel it’s important for us to embrace jam band culture, funk, progressive and soulful music all of which have been influenced by jazz.
We’re proud to have genre-bending artists upcoming at Blue Note ranging from Lettuce, Soulive, Galactic & Friends, to Ghost Note, and Butcher Brown. Jazz and improvisation lives and breathes within progressive funk and jam band artistry. As a legendary jazz institution, it’s Blue Note’s responsibility to continue presenting innovative and soulful artists with musical integrity influenced by its exposure to jazz and improvised music.
Blue Note Director of Programming Alex Kurland
Blue Note continues to maintain their historical excellence in providing the audiences with a wide range of dynamic and culturally rich experiences from top artistry. Take a look at the lineup of artists from the funk, jazz and jam worlds coming to Blue Note New York in 2023! Get tickets here.
DJ Logic & Friends (Jan 19 – 22)
Special guests will include:
Jan 19 – 20: James Carter, James Genus, Robert “Sput” Searight, Neal Evans
Jan 21: James Genus, Robert “Sput” Searight, Neal Evans, Casey Benjamin
Jan 22: John Popper, Paul Shaffer, James Genus, Robert “Sput” Searight, Casey Benjamin
As one of the world’s most accomplished turntablists, DJ Logic is widely credited for introducing jazz into the hip–hop realms and is considered by most as a highly-respected session musician and an innovative bandleader.
Galactic (Jan 25 – 29)
Special guests will include:
Jan 25: James Carter
Jan 26 – 27: Robert Randolph
Jan 28: Matisyahu
Jan 29: Nicholas Payton
Galactic draws on 25 years together in order to progress with each performance and subsequent record. After 10 albums, over 2,000 gigs, and tens of millions of streams, the proud New Orleans, LA quintet—Ben Ellman [saxophone, harmonica], Robert Mercurio [bass], Stanton Moore [drums, percussion], Jeffrey Raines [guitar], and Richard Vogal [keyboards]—have kept the torch burning.
Karl Denson Project (Feb 23 – 26)
Band line up will include:
Feb 23 – 26: Keyon Harrold, James Francies, Burniss Travis & Blaque Dynamite
Saxophonist Karl Denson met Lenny Kravitz during a recording session in 1988. The following year, Kravitz called Denson and asked him to do the solo on the single “Let Love Rule” from Kravitz’s album of the same name.
Krasno Moore Project ft. Eric Finland (March 16 – 19)
Soulive and Lettuce co-founder, Eric “Kraz” Krasno is a New York-based Grammy-winning guitarist, songwriter, recording artist, and producer. His own musical roots lie in funk, jazz, rock, and hip-hop, and he has written songs and produced records for a variety of artists in a range of genres including Norah Jones, Aaron Neville, Talib Kweli, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Ledisi, 50 Cent, and Matisyahu.
Butcher Brown with Special Guests (May 8 – 10)
Pulsing from the nerve center of Jellowstone Studios in Richmond VA, Butcher Brown takes careful note of the history and legacy of jazz and throws caution to the wind. Their musical vibe blends jazz with hip hop, funk, rap, rock and soul. The group honors each musical genre and, at the same time, challenges traditional musical boundaries.
Antibalas (May 18 – 21)
It’s hard to believe that more than twenty years have passed since Antibalas’s humble beginning as a neighborhood dance / protest band in the block parties and underground parties in pre-gentrified Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Over the past two decades they have evolved into what The Guardian called “one of the world’s finest Afrobeat bands” while enjoying equal renown for their cross-genre collaborations with legends of popular music.
Ghost Note (June 1 – 4)
Headed by Snarky Puppy’s multi-Grammy–winning percussion duo of Robert “Sput” Searight and Nate Werth, Ghost-Note is an explosion of sound. With an expansive roster of next-level musicians—representing members of Prince, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar, Marcus Miller, Toto, Justin Timberlake, and more.
Lettuce (June 8 – 11, Festival)
Lettuce, a sextet composed of Adam Deitch (drums), Ryan Zoidis (saxophone), Adam Smirnoff (guitar), Erick Coomes (bass), Nigel Hall (keyboards/vocals), and Eric ‘Benny’ Bloom (trumpet), is approaching thirty years since its humble Boston Beginnings.
Soulive (June 15 – 18 & 29 – July 2)
Soulive has never made any bones about what they do best; it’s right there in their name. Since forming in 1999, the trio of guitarist Eric Krasno, drummer Alan Evans and keyboardist Neal Evans has carried the torch for the soul-jazz organ trio.
On Saturday, December 17th, Kendall Street Company closed their two-night run at Mercury Lounge in New York City. Based out of Charlottesville, VA, the band headlined Friday and Saturday night in the East Village with opening performances from Litz and One Time Weekend, respectively. Kendall Street Company brings a unique flare comprised of deep, genre-fluid compositions and unfiltered silly banter.
The company opened their second night with their reggae groove, “Marty Song.” After warming up the crowd with the sweet slow beats of the song, the band took the jam in a very dark direction, foretelling of the serious improvisation to come the rest of the night.
Next, the band punched into “Board Shorts.” Lead guitarist, Ben Laderberg shredded through ska and funk scales as Kendall Street continued to glide through different genres in their original composition. Following was a cover of Wet Leg’s “Chaise Longue” whose silly spoken-word lyrics fit perfectly in the song repertoire of Virginia’s most whimsical jam-band.
“Lunar Dude” had interstellar jams leading into an extended jam, and a buttery smooth transition into the chorus of “Walking on the Moon” by the Police and back into the resolution of the spacey jam. The next cover of the set was “I Got Stoned and I Missed It” by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. Rolling solos from saxophonist, Jake Vannaman carried the fun energy into a rendition of their blissful tune, “Cherry Tree.”
Kendall Street Company then performed one of their newest songs, “California #24” which can be found on their EP, Untitled California Project. This song was written and sung by guitarist Laderberg features spoken-word lyrics and funky guitar solos reminiscent of Frank Zappa.
After this heater, the crowd got to cool down while enjoying the slow acoustic melody of “Lady in Green” from the album The Stories We Write for Ourselves. The waves of energy at Mercury Lounge were brought up with the song “Telephone,” whose extended jam provided a seamless transition into “Say Hey” sung by bassist, Brian Roy before resolving the “Telephone” jam.
Apropos to the holiday spirit, Kendall Street Company played a quick rendition of “Trucking Trees for Christmas” by Red Simpson followed by a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Bertha” in the band’s signature jazz-grass style. The crowd was then treated to “Katz in ze Haus,” whose techno rave vibes are hilarious paired with a silly and ambiguous European accent from Louis Smith, followed by their most streamed hit, “Cars” which came with a KSC-style medley at the end of “Just a Friend” by Biz Markie and Soulja Boi.
Encoring the show with “Wasted,” the room was filled with rattling klezmer scales from Vanaman, as drummer Ryan Wood solos on his toms and caps off the set, the band went into a quick chorus of their song, “Aged White Cheddar” at the request of a fan up front.
Kendall Street Company’s unique art has gained serious traction in the Jam band scene with future performances opening for bands such as, The Infamous Stringdusters, Twiddle, and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.
Kendall Street Company – Mercury Lounge, Manhattan – Saturday, December 17, 2022
Setlist: Marty Song, Board Shorts, Chaise Longue [1], Lunar Dude, I Got Stoned and I Missed It [2], Cherry Tree., California #24, Lady in Green, Telephone > Say Hey!, Truckin Trees for Christmas [3], Bertha [4], Catz in Zeh Haus, Cars > Just a Friend > Crank Dat [5] [6]
Encore: Wasted [7]
[1] – Wet Leg [2] – Little Feat [3] – Red Simpson [4] – Grateful Dead [5] – Biz Markie [6] – Soulja Boy [7] – Tease of Aged White Cheddar at end
