Category: Jam/Progressive

Dark Star Orchestra Celebrates New Year’s in April, Honor Local Albany Promoter

The spirit of the Grateful Dead was alive and well this past weekend as veteran improv rockers Dark Star Orchestra finally played their annual New Year’s Eve celebration in Albany. Held on April 1^st and 2^nd at the storied Palace Theatre and re-dubbed “Fool Year’s Eve,” the joke was on you if you missed this gratuitous good-time jubilee. Couldn’t make it to the show? No need to worry, our man on the scene, NYS Music photojournalist Zak Radick was there and has a full recap of all the sights and sounds from the memorable occasion.

It all started around 7pm when suddenly out of nowhere, they came out from everywhere. Funneling into the base of Clinton Ave and North Pearl, an apparent make-shift flash mob of “Dead Head’s” made the sidewalk near McGeary’s Irish Pub the weekend’s designated ‘Shakedown Street’ for this trip to Albany. A traveling do-it-yourself marketplace for fans to commerce and socialize with our like-minded folks, these pop-up flea markets AKA Shakedown Street’s, have been a longstanding fixture for fans of the original Grateful Dead community going on decades now and are just one of the many traditions fans still regularly practice. It was a nice thing to see in a town that’s been through so much, yet never lost heart. Vibrant and friendly, chatty and colorful, the pre-game hustle was in full swing outside the historic venue just prior to showtime. Having already been there and done that, the older ‘heads’ soon began filing inside, not wanting to miss a moment of the opening acoustic set from DSO guitar player Jeff Mattson. And they were sure glad they did, as they were serenaded by a delightful opening combo of “Dire Wolfe” and “Deep Elem Blues” while finding their seats. Soon word had reached the street that the show “was on” and before long the lower level of the gorgeous room was packed with people and yes, an overwhelming smell of patchouli, body odor and pot.

The Palace looking as lovely as ever, a simple glance around the theatre revealed a fan base the spanned all ages and backgrounds, but most skewing older. Many wearing tie dye, some with dreadlocks to their knees and flowers in their hair, others covering up in cowboy hats and trucker caps, while other came dressed in their New Year’s best, sporting their finest sparkling dancing pants and glamorous glittering jackets. Still, there were the other ones. The fans who looked like regular Joes you’d pass in a grocery store aisle and never expect they’d know every single word to every single song written by Jerry Garcia and company. The brief but beautiful acoustic set from Mattson also featured Lisa Mackey on harmonica and concluded with a sentimental rendition of “Ripple,” sending fans buzzing to intermission debating if that was a recreation from a Dead set, or a standalone, original set of select Dead covers.

With balloons hanging high over the Palace, the Dark Star Orchestra causally took the stage around 8:30 to a rowdy ovation from eager and attentive fans. Comprised of members Rob Eaton and Jeff Mattson on guitars and vocals, Rob Barraco on keys, Rob Koritz and Dino English on drums and percussion, Skip Vangelas on bass and Lisa Mackey on backing vocals and harmonica, DSO has been a fixture in the jam scene for more than 20 years and have over 3,000 shows under their belts. Bringing the essence of a live Grateful Dead show back to reality for a whole new generation, the band is often seen as one of the top acts of their kind, and now popular enough to fill a place like the Palace. An impressive testament to their consistency and quality of performances.

Perhaps with acknowledgement to GD history, or perhaps in acknowledgement of the heady pre-show Shakedown scene earlier, it seemed fitting when Dark Star Orchestra opened the second set of the night with a rambunctious rendition of the beloved classic “Shakedown Street”. The appreciative audience already spilling out into the aisleways and concession overflow area in full ‘dance-party boogie’ mode. By this point, you just had that old familiar feeling that it was fixing to be a fun night! From there, the band went into a “Me and My Uncle >Mexicali Blues” segment, followed by a lively “Cold Rain and Snow” that saw the crowd showcasing their collective ‘singalong’ voices one of the loudest times of the night. A “blues” heavy set, we also caught “CC Rider,” “It Must Have Been the Roses,” “Beat It On Down The Line,” and a lengthy “Big Boss Man>New Minglewood Blues>Don’t Ease Me In” to send fans to their second set break of the evening.

There was a special moment just prior to the start of the third set when the DSO crew invited legendary Albany promoter Greg Bell of Guthrie Bell Productions out to the stage. Marking thirty years to the day since holding his first show, Bell made a brief but candid toast, thanking the dedicated music fans of the Capital Region for all the support over the years. A mutual moment respect and acknowledgement for a man who’s meant so much to the local music community for the last three decades.

When everyone returned, the rocking second set kicked off with “Iko Iko” and then in one of the musical peaks of the night, a fantastic high energy take on a “Playing in the Band”> “Terrapin Station” > “Playing in the Band” sandwich before things got a little weird with the obligatory “Drums/space”. Things started cooking again with the slow and building crescendo of “The Other One” that seamlessness faded into “Not Fade Away” and “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad.” “Morning Dew” would round out the set with just enough time for another quick break before the midnight shenanigans would ensue.

Honoring the spirit of the original Grateful Dead, the band played well into the evening giving fans exactly what they were hoping for. As the clock now approached midnight, the balloons that had been hanging over head all night finally released and DTO began the famililar chords of the song they took their name from, “Dark Star.” Loving every second of it, fans were quick to bat the balloons around like beach balls, and seemingly keep them afloat for the remainder of the show. A pair of fan favorite “Bertha” and “Good Lovin’” brought the show to an end and the audience to their feet, howling in approval and for just one more. Happy to oblige, DTO returned with Lisa Mackey taking center stage during an encore of “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” before cluing the audience this performance was an originally inspired by the Grateful Dead’s December 311st, 1981 show in Oakland, California.

A great performance made even better by the great crowd, Dark Star Orchestra surpassed expectations. They sounded fantastic, musically tight and with singing voices strong and full of vigor. It was an evening drenched in familiarity and comfort and the result was a near perfect atmosphere for the audience to let themselves get lost in. That indescribable feeling only the live music experience can deliver and on this first night in April, the Palace Theatre in Albany was truly a fool’s paradise.

Dark Star Orchestra | 4.1.2022 | Albany, NY | Palace Theatre

Set 1: (Jeff Mattson Acoustic) Dire Wolf, Deep Elem Blues, Ripple

Set 2: Shakedown Street ; Me And My Uncle > Mexicali Blues ; Cold Rain And Snow ; C.C. Rider* ; It Must Have Been The Roses** ; Beat It On Down The Line ; Big Boss Man* > New Minglewood Blues* > Don’t Ease Me In

Set 3: Iko Iko ; Playing In The Band > Terrapin Station > Playing In The Band > drums > space > The Other One > Not Fade Away > Going Down The Road Feeling Bad > Morning Dew

Set 4: Dark Star > Bertha > Good Lovin’

Encore: It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue**

Filler: My Sisters And Brothers

* with Lisa on harmonica – original had Matt Kelly
** with Lisa on vocals – original had Joan Baez

Dark Star Orchestra | 4.2.2022 | Albany, NY | Palace Theatre

Set 1: Hell In A Bucket > Let It Rock ; When I Paint My Masterpiece ; Loser ; Cumberland Blues ; I’ll Take A Melody > Deal ; Masters of War ; Box Of Rain > One More Saturday Night

Set 2: Here Comes Sunshine > Greatest Story Ever Told ; Revolution > Feel Like A Stranger > drums > space > Corrina > Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Throwing Stones > Days Between > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower

Encore: Brokedown Palace

April 6, 2022
Disco Biscuits Unleash An Array Of Inverted Jams In Return To Capitol Theatre

This past weekend, the Disco Biscuits joined the Double Digit Club at the legendary Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, performing three nights at the hallowed venue, bringing their total to eleven shows in all here. The whirlwind three nights of music featured some of the band’s most beloved songs meshed with some bustouts and first timers that all led to an incredible weekend of music at The Cap.

photo by Em Walis

The Biscuits came shooting out of the gate on Thursday night, thanks to a dusted off “Chemical Warfare Brigade,” the first one in more than six years. Another opening set highlight was a “House Dog Party Favor” that went delightfully dark and deep at times, surpassing the 20-minute mark. The set came to an end in vintage Disco Biscuits fashion with a “Story Of The World” > “Munchkin Invasion” > “Story Of The World” sequence, although “Munchkin” went unfinished and would surprisingly remain that way the entire run.

The band kept the old school hits coming with a “Hot Air Balloon” second set opener that also went unfinished, and instead morphed right into a thunderous “Shem-Rah Boo.” Emerging from “Shem,” drummer Allen Aucoin put on a drumming masterclass with the rare inverted approach to “Portal To An Empty Head.” It would be the first of many memorable song inversions this run, where a song’s ending is played immediately before its beginning.

Friday night brought with it a calendar page turn into April and all the potential for mayhem that comes along with April Fool’s Day. To that degree, a “Nughuffer” opener came as somewhat of a surprise, even admitted so by bassist Marc Brownstein in his traditional mid-song banter. But after a quick trip to Zex Sea, the Biscuits were off and running with another monster trance-fueled jam to start the show. An unfinished “Spaga” then later bled right into one of the band’s newer efforts, “Running Into The Night.”

The second set began with a mesmerizing drawn out jam that served as the runway for the intro to “Run Like Hell,” one of the band’s singature cover selections. This gave way to a parade of song inversions, starting with a very common one in “Confrontation.” A couple of inverted animals then followed suit in standout takes of “Crickets” and “Aquatic Ape” before “Basis For A Day” closed out the set in grand fashion. As an encore, the Disco Biscuits trotted out “Friend Like Steve” one more, a recently-penned birthday song for a friend of the band. Doubling down on the “FLS” songs, the band then unleashed a surprising first time ever cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Feel Like A Stranger.”

photo by Em Walis

After two nights of barn-burners, Saturday took the Biscuits legacy at the Cap to a new level. With a fan written setlist once again guiding the band, tonight’s show was a true hallmark of the weekend and raised an already elevated bar even higher.

The band came out swinging in Set 1 with “Denmark Massive,” a song not played since 2008, and originally written by The Join (Marc Brownstein, Aron Magner, and The New Deal’s Jamie Shields and Darren Shearer), as noted by Zachary Franck. The Biscuits first studio single in a decade, “Lake Shore Drive” segued cleanly from “Denmark Massive” and into an inverted “Morph Dusseldorf.” The moment the audience heard the shift into the “Morph” ending, the room lit up with energy and peaked as the band and crowd sang in unison “Morph, morph from Dusseldorf, changing all the time, and if you stay the same one day, that night will be sublime.” The moment built on that peak by segueing into the beginning of “Morph,” a none-too often occurance.

A combination of “And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night” with a potent “Cyclone” sandwiched inside would follow, a dream setlist and nothing short of creative and challenging for the Disco Biscuits.

photo by Em Walis

“Vassillios” kicked off the second set, with neither the band nor crowd losing steam during setbreak. The eventual shift into the foreboding and evil vibe of “Orch Theme” took no prisoners and laid the groundwork for a Club Bisco vibe that reigned through the rest of the night. With the doors swung open, an inverted “Sweating Bullets,” the first ever such version, burst through for 25 minutes of peaks upon peaks that built with each successive ascent. Barber and Brownstein were found hopping around and getting down on stage, pairing well with the audience, creating a pure rock and roll moment, in the Original Rock Palace, naturally.

An equally dominant “Tempest” arrived out of “Sweating Bullets” and back into the second half of “Vassillios,” bringing the set nearly full circle. Shifting into the ending of “I Remember When,” the audience was elated in unison, singing along, a reflection on the 3 years (with two cancellations) that it has taken the Disco Biscuits to return to the Capitol Theatre stage.

Prior to the encore, Peter Shapiro, owner of the Cap, came out to reflect on hearing the Disco Biscuits for the first time in 1997 at The Wetlands, and led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to Jon “The Barber” Gutwillig. Marc Brownstein then gave recognition to faithful longtime Tour Manager, Ryan Noel, who was spending his last run with the band this weekend, bidding him a farewell with the crowd pouring out love.

Perhaps reflecting on those sentiments, the band returned to the beginning of “I Remember When” to start the encore before shifting into Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven,” a final dose of disco for the night, one etched into Disco Biscuits and Capitol Theatre lore.

Disco Biscuits Capitol Theatre 2022 Setlists

Thursday, March 31

Set 1: Chemical Warfare Brigade* > Once the Fiddler Paid, House Dog Party Favor, Story of the World > Munchkin Invasion* > Story of the World
Set 2: Hot Air Balloon* > Shem-Rah Boo > Portal to an Empty Head^ > The Great Abyss > Shem-Rah Boo
Encore: Home Again
* unfinished
^ inverted

Friday, April 1

Set 1: Nughuffer > Spaga* > Running Into the Night > Aceetobee* > Rock Candy
Set 2: Run Like Hell* > Confrontation^ > Crickets^ > Aquatic Ape^ > Basis for a Day
Encore: Friend Like Steve, Feel Like a Stranger&
* unfinished
^ inverted
& debut

Saturday, April 2

Set 1: Denmark Massive* > Lake Shore Drive > Morph Dusseldorf^ > And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night > Cyclone > And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night

Set 2: Vassillios > Orch Theme > Sweating Bullets% > Tempest > Vassillios > I Remember When&

Encore: I Remember When&, A Fifth of Beethoven$

* last played 6/9/08 (548 shows)
^ inverted
% last played 1/31/19 (103 shows); first ever inverted version
& dyslexic
$ last played 11/3/18 (119 shows)

Photos by Em Walis

April 6, 2022
Dead and Company Summer Tour 2022 to Make Stops at Citi Field, SPAC, Bethel Woods

This summer, Dead and Company will embark on a 20 show cross-country tour, including shows at SPAC and Bethel Woods, plus a two-night tour-closing run at Citi Field.

Summer 2022 marks the seventh tour for Dead and Company – Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, John Mayer, and Bob Weir, with Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti – since forming in 2015.

During the Dead and Company 2022 Summer Tour, the band will make stops at Bay Area at Shoreline Amphitheater, two nights at University of Colorado Boulder’s Folsom Field, two nights at Wrigley Field in Chicago, a night at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, and a night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, before wrapping up with epic shows at Citi Field in New York.

Dead and Company are no strangers to New York, having kicked off their first ever tour in Albany at the Times Union Center in October 2015, along with annual stops in Saratoga Springs, New York City, and all points in between.

Dead and Company – November 11, 2015 – Buffalo, NY. Photo by Tom Sgroi

In summer 2021, Dead and Company made stops at SPAC, Bethel Woods (where they recreated the Grateful Dead’s less than memorable Woodstock set) Darien Lake and Citi Field.

Dead and Company – August 20, 2021, Citi Field, Queens – Photo by Steve Malinski

Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, April 8 @ 10 AM at deadandcompany.com

To ensure fans get tickets directly in their hands, Fan Registration is now available HERE until Sunday, April 3 at 12 Noon PDT, through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program.

Dead & Company 2022 Summer Tour

Sat Jun 11 Los Angeles, CA Dodger Stadium

Mon Jun 13 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre

Tue Jun 14 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre

Fri Jun 17 Boulder, CO Folsom Field

Sat Jun 18 Boulder, CO Folsom Field

Tue Jun 21 Maryland Heights, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

Wed Jun 22 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center

Fri Jun 24 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field

Sat Jun 25 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field

Tue Jun 28 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center

Wed Jun 29 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre

Fri Jul 01 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

Sat Jul 02 Foxborough, MA Gillette Stadium

Tue Jul 05 Hartford, CT The XFINITY Theatre

Wed Jul 06 Saratoga Springs, NY SPAC

Fri Jul 08 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live

Sun Jul 10 Philadelphia, PA Citizens Bank Park

Tue Jul 12 Burgettstown, PA The Pavilion at Star Lake

Fri Jul 15 New York, NY Citi Field

Sat Jul 16 New York, NY Citi Field

Check deadandcompany.com for complete tour information.

April 1, 2022
Grateful Dead Continue To Build Knickerbocker Arena Legacy: March 28, 1993

Knickerbocker Arena will always be one of those venues with a special place in Grateful Dead lore. The band played the downtown Albany arena thirteen times in their career which included three three-night runs at “The Knick.” Today, we look back at the middle show of the last three-night run there in 1993. It may not reach the heights of the band’s initial heralded run here in 1990 which helped provide material for their Dozin’ At The Knick album, but it sees the Dead at a time when they’re clearly comfortable in their own skin with this last incarnation of the band. The show provides a solid blend of Grateful Dead fan favorites, a pair of Dylan covers, and some newer original songs that were only played a smattering of times in this late era for the band.

The show begins with a tune that was starting to entrench its spot as a show opener in this last phase of live Dead, “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo.” Jerry Garcia sounds engaged right from the get-go and drops an immaculate guitar fill early on in the proceedings. The band takes their time dragging out the composed portion of the opener before Garcia lays down another heavenly solo. After a courtesy nod of gratitude from the Knick crowd, the opening licks to “Walkin’ Blues” ring out loud and true and fellow guitarist Bob Weir takes control for the next number. He leads the way through a cover of the American blues classic before they resort back to one of their sentimental originals in “So Many Roads,” replete with another feathery Garcia solo that serves as the bridge before a somewhat “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”-esque ending.

The Dead make the following cover selection more than clear with a joyous romp through Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” that has both guitarists wailing on vocals by song’s end. Things then slow down again somewhat with the “High Times” that comes next. This Grateful Dead classic serves up a classic blend of bluesy Garcia solos that merely matches vocals of the same tenor. This sets the stage for yet another late-era Dead regular that never seemed to take off, “Eternity,” co-crafted by Weir and his fellow Ratdog bandmate Rob Wasserman.

A slow transition into “Deal” then follows, with bassist Phil Lesh pushing the tempo early and often before a jam that reaches near hysterical proportions closes out the first set earnestly. The second one begins with the familiar tones of “Scarlet Begonias” as the Knick crowd gets brought back to life with this vintage Dead number. This triggers a brief but blissful jam, with Garcia’s tricked out guitar creating the effects of a veritable flute solo, that serves as the springboard into a raging “Fire On The Mountain.”

After a somewhat abrupt ending to “Fire,” the drum-fueled intro to “Samson and Delilah” emerges. Some vintage bass bombs from Lesh are peppered throughout on a frenzied take on this live show staple. Another old standby in “Ship Of Fools” then follows, graced with a typical breathtaking solo from Garcia, before the Dead break out “Wave To The Wind,” a song co-written by Lesh and longtime band lyricist Robert Hunter that was played only a handful of times in 1992 and ’93.

A post-song segue into “Truckin’” gets a little murky but the band soon finds their footing and treats the Knickerbocker Arena crowd to another classic Dead sing-along number. It sees some strong piano fills thrown in from Vince Welnick that help fuel a brief but explosive jam that sets the table for the traditional “Drums” > “Space” portion of the evening.

From the psychedelic mist emerges another song synonymous with ’90s-era Dead, “Long Way To Go Home” with an energized Welnick taking charge and leading the way on vocals. The tone then shifts from new school to old school in a hurry as the band dusts off “Attics Of My Life.” It ends a 41-show gap from its last performance, which just happened to be here at The Knick last June. The set then comes to a rousing finish with a “Turn On Your Lovelight” that sees Bob Weir doling out the signature bluesy vocals and Garcia once more digging into his bag of tricks and emitting joyous trumpet-sounding guitar fills on the closer. The second and final Dylan cover of the night then serves as the encore as the show ends with a beautifully somber take of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” The Grateful Dead would return to Knickerbocker Arena the next day to close out this run and, two years later, they would play their final shows at this heralded venue.

Check out video of the entire show here and below thanks to YouTube.

View This And More Grateful Dead Shows From Across The Years In New York State With Our Interactive Map Below

Grateful Dead Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, NY 3/28/93

Set 1: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Walkin’ Blues, So Many Roads, When I Paint My Masterpiece, High Time, Eternity, Deal

Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain, Samson And Delilah, Ship Of Fools, Wave To The Wind > Truckin’ > Drums > Space > Way To Go Home, Attics Of My Life > Turn On Your Lovelight

E: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

March 28, 2022
Disco Biscuits Set To Continue Spring Tour With Three Nights At The Capitol Theatre

This weekend, The Disco Biscuits return to Port Chester and The Capitol Theatre with a trifecta of performances that will also feature pre-shows each evening at the adjacent Garcia’s. With signs of spring finally starting to emerge in the Northeast, one of the more iconic jam bands of the region will help turn the calendar from March to April with three nights of electronica-infused music.

This weekend will see The Disco Biscuits reach the “Double Digit” Club for shows at The Capitol Theatre with the last one on Saturday, April 2 being their eleventh show overall at this fabled venue. The band first played here in March of 2016 on a two-night run, with a rendition of “Helicopters” started on the first night and finished the next evening. The first show also featured the lone (to date) cover of Carl Carlton’s “She’s A Bad Mama Jama.”

The Disco Biscuits followed this up the next year with a three-night run at the Capitol Theatre from April 27 to 29. This time, it was “Shem-Rah-Boo” that was spread across the first two nights, with the first night also featuring a monstrous “House Dog Party Favor” to close out the second set. The following night sees one of the earlier versions of “The Champions” played and the last night’s first set gets capped off in grand fashion with a particularly spirited “Confrontation” > “Rock Candy (unfinished)” > “Confrontation” sequence of events.

The last time the Disco Biscuits graced the stage of The Capitol Theatre was in 2019 with yet another three-night run spanning January 31 – February 2. This run is probably best known for the last night as the Biscuits paid homage to their jam fore fathers The Grateful Dead who played plenty a memorable show here and started the show with a completely unexpected bust out of “Help On The Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower.” The last night also featured an inverted “Shelby Rose” and a sublime jam emerging from a first set “Shem” that seamlessly flowed into the beginning of “Cyclone.”

The band is surely guaranteed to only add to their own legacy at The Cap and it all starts each night with thee free pre-shows that start as soon as doors open. PEAK kicks off the weekend on Thursday, March 31, Microcave jams on Friday, April 1, and Sweeping Views spins some far out dance tracks on Saturday, April 2.

Attendees need a ticket to The Disco Biscuits shows to attend the pre-shows! Tickets are still available for purchase here.

March 28, 2022
In Focus: Eastbound Jesus, Glass Pony, and Wreckloose Celebrate Guthrie Bell Productions

On Friday, March 24th, fans gathered at the Cohoes Music Hall to celebrate one of our all-time favorite promoters, Greg Bell from Guthrie Bell Productions with music from Eastbound Jesus, Glass Pony, and Wreckloose. Greg has been bringing live music to the lucky residents of the 518 for the past 30 years and counting. Friday night’s event was the first in a series of four shows put together to celebrate Greg’s legacy.

Eastbound Jesus, Glass Pony, Wreckloose

Not one to break tradition, for Friday night’s show, we all got some extra-special treats thanks to Greg Bell including seeing one band that doesn’t really play together anymore. Wreckloose dusted off their equipment and it was impossible to tell they haven’t been playing together constantly over the years.

High Energy & Hyped Up

Glass Pony and EastBound Jesus wrapped up the evening. Glass Pony is hands down one of the most energetic jam bands I have ever seen perform live. What an absolute blast. And I had heard about Eastbound Jesus for years before I finally got to see them on Friday night — it was well worth the wait. This inexhaustible band played for an impressive two hours.

More to Come from Guthrie Bell Productions

If you missed this incredible show, don’t despair — there are more to come. Guthrie Bell productions has shows scheduled for the next three weekends starting with The Sharks w/ Johnny Rabb & The Jailhouse Rockers on April 9th.

March 28, 2022
Marco Benevento Announces New Studio Album, Shares “Marco & Mimo”

Marco Benevento has announced a brand new full-length studio album, Benevento, which drops June 10th via Royal Potato Family. Accompanying this exciting news, Benevento’s newest single, “Marco & Mimo,” is available for streaming now.

Additionally, Benevento has announced that they will be touring this April and June with a stop at Abilene Bar and Lounge in Rochester.

“Marco & Mimo,” the first single from the album, contains three songs. On it, Benevento blends groovy funk bounce with psychedelia, creating a beautiful blend of these two formative 80s genres. The vocals on the tracks further transport you into this window of time Benevento creates, transporting the listener back forty years. The single reeks of personality only Benevento can create and his talent shines through. My personal favorite, Winter Rose, has snappy instrumentation, mind-bending keys, and entrancing vocals that make for a magnificent listen.

The entire album was recorded in Woodstock at Fred Short Studios during the pandemic, and the sounds emitted from Marco & Mimo pay homage to Woodstock’s iconic psychedelic culture and history.

In addition to his new album, Marco Benevento has also announced a list of upcoming shows:

4/7 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair

4/8 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground

4/9 – Fairfield, CT – Stage One

6/22 – Rochester, NY – Abilene

6/23 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird

6/24 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom

6/26 – Rothbury, MI – Electric Forest Festival

7/1 – Scranton, PA – Peach Music Festival

7/3 – Quincy, CA – High Sierra Music Festival

9/3 – Portland, ME – Ghostland Festival

Tickets and limited edition bubblegum pink and classic black 180-gram vinyl are available at marcobenevento.com.

March 26, 2022
Watch the Stop moe.tion Animation “All the Way Down”

Long Island art teacher Brian Baker has released his second stop moe.tion brick film, “All The Way Down,” featuring LEGO versions of moe. and their fans.

Still image from “All The Way Down” by Brian Baker

Baker’s first stop moe.tion animation, “moe.rons on parade,” captured the spirit of a moe. show in LEGO form. This animation follows moe. on an adventure to visit guitarist Chuck Garvey as they prepare to practice for their upcoming tour. Chuck, as any proper moe.ron knows, spends his free time lording over the underworld in his role as Satan. The project was begun in June of 2021, before recent medical issues have sidelined Chuck, who continues to recover.

I send this project out into the universe with nothing but love and the best of intentions for his recovery.
Brian Baker

Continuing this project gave Baker a chance to build upon “moe.rons on Parade” and also improve on the original. As Baker looked back on his first ever ‘brick film,’ he saw many little things that he could do better, from the timing of the photos to the pacing of the story and the general plot itself. While Baker shared his work is a long throw from being a professional production, ‘All The Way Down” has polish to it that the first one lacked. And still, he continues to find joy in his work, noting “I still get a laugh watching segments for the 100^th time.”

Still image from “All The Way Down” by Brian Baker

Baker began work on “All The Way Down” in June of 2021, and by August he began filming. Using a camera that would focus throughout the whole more than 10,000 picture production, Baker planned more for his second go around.

I did a lot of research on other brick films and learned how to pull off some different tricks. I learned how to incorporate green screen. I spent a lot of time practicing walk cycles. I thought of different materials that could be used for effects such as tissue paper and stained glass. A lot of little challenges and problems arose along the way that I needed to find solutions to, but that’s half the fun.
Brian Baker

As the project progressed, ideas evolved and grew as the story took on a life of its own. Going into the last few minutes of screen time, Baker had no idea how to wrap everything up and pull it all back together. While he never considered himself a “storyteller,” he found it tough to keep everything moving forward in an understandable and entertaining way.

Still image from “All The Way Down” by Brian Baker

Besides a personal challenge and creation for Baker, “All The Way Down” also serves as a great teaching resource for his 9^th grade animation class.

I am planning to chop this up into smaller “gag” segments that I can use in class to help my students get ideas for their own brickfilms. Students have already started working on learning basic movements like walking and picking up objects. I am hoping some of them can get into some advanced animation techniques. Some students have definitely been bit by the animation bug. It is very rewarding when a student comes in and shows their teacher what they were working on at home over the weekend “just for fun.”

Baker thanks and gives credit to moe.rons who shared info and lyrics as well as thoughts about their experiences with the band in the past year, as well as friends who helped proofread the story. He looks forward, along with many other moe. fans, seeing the band back on stage this summer at City Bisco in Philadelphia and at the Great South Bay Music Festival in July.

March 24, 2022
Disco Biscuits Announce The Return Of City Bisco

Philadelphia’s own The Disco Biscuits have announced the return of their two-day City Bisco festival. The mini-fest is scheduled for the weekend of Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19 and will once again be held at TD Pavillion at the Mann. This will be the fifth installment of City Bisco and it marks the 10-year anniversary of the festival since its inception in 2012.

This year’s bill also features performances from electronic duo Bob Moses, renowned DJ Shiba San and moe. It’s a promising sign for the jamband mainstay as it marks another scheduled gig for the band as guitarist Chuck Garvey continues to rehabilitate from a recent stroke. moe. is also slated to perform at their own Summer Camp music festival in Chillicothe, IL from May 27-29.

Other acts scheduled this year include fellow electronica icons The New Deal, TAUK, LP Giobbi and Township Rebellion with the Disco Biscuits capping off each night with two sets of music.

Presale tickets for the event will be available with the code CITYBISCO starting March 23 at 10 a.m. EST with the general on-sale beginning March 25 at 12 p.m. EST. Tickets can be purchased here.

March 24, 2022
Drummer Jay Lane, a Man of Many Talents, Adds to His Resume

San Francisco Bay Area drummer/musician Jay Lane gets antsy when he’s not on the road with one of the many bands of which he is a part. So it was not difficult to deduce that Lane, 57, had a tough time adapting to pandemic life, when the world shut down, venues closed their doors and bands put touring aside as we tried to get COVID-19 under control.

Jay Lane performing with Wolf Bros., Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ 3/16/19

And just like so many other musicians trying to adapt to a temporary but new way of life, Lane had to figure out how to keep himself from going insane while essentially being in lockdown. Enter the Blue Bear School of Music, the Bay Area’s “preeminent school rock, blues, jazz, folk and pop music,” as described on its website. Lane, who is a member of Primus, Bob Weir and Wolf Brothers and countless other Grateful Dead associated acts, decided to put his expertise to use by providing online drumming lessons.

“I haven’t been involved in too much outreach or giving lessons in a long time,” Lane said in a recent telephone interview with NYS Music. “I’ve been doing this now for a few months and I love it. I actually used to take lessons as a child at Blue Bear. I felt I wanted to give back to kids and people of all ages.”

Currently, Lane said he is only giving online live video lessons, but said he has no idea what the future holds once COVID is in the rearview. Blue Bear, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1971 by rock band Wolfgang & Strauss, two brothers who set up shop in San Francisco seeking to build lives. Currently, Blue Bear has about 850 enrollees each quarter, as it aims to help musicians of all skill levels find their calling.

Prior to his time at Blue Bear, Lane said he had never played in an ensemble before, and that experience gave him the desire to learn as many styles of drumming as he could. How else would he so easily transition to the hard psychedelic rock that Primus plays, to the experimental and free flowing sound that the Grateful Dead made famous?

“There’s nothing like the experience (of playing in an ensemble,” Lane said. “That’s what I did as a kid, oon Port Mason, the smell of the rehearsal room was palpable, especially with the other kids.”

Lane was ecstatic when discussing how the country has opened up recently, allowing for live music and other gatherings. Lane, who lives in a condo in the Bay Area, said he loved spending extended time with his family, but added that he was raised on the road, and at times he became very restless without the daily grind of getting ready to play a different show each night.

On March 30, Bob Weir and Wolf Bros bring their cowboy folk/americana act to the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse for an evening of new songs, and their unique take on the Grateful Dead’s repertoire. They follow up the Central New York show with a pair at Radio City Music Hall over April 2-3. These shows will feature several unannounced special guests, including The Wolfpack, which consists of a dedicated strings section.

Weir, who played rhythm guitar with the Dead for 50 years, formed Wolf Bros a few years back and added Lane rather quickly. Lane and Weir have extensive history together including stints together in RatDog and Furthur, just to name a few, and Lane said he looks up to Weir on many levels.

“Bob, he really likes to paint with a long brush,” Lane said with a chuckle. “He does so many things that are not considered the norm, like turning all the stage monitors down at his shows so that he can hear what the audience hears and adapt to it. He’s such a dear, sweet friend to me and he is incredibly generous. His big thing is to gain experience by playing with anyone he can. He’s toying with the idea of performing a concerto, or playing with a symphony, to understand that dynamic. The guy has done everything you can do in rock music, yet he’s still pushing forward toward new and exciting ideas and collaborations.”

Bob Weir and Jay Lane performing with Wolf Bros., Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ 3/16/19

Lane couldn’t speak more highly about Weir’s impact on him.

“He constantly challenged me to get better and change up my concepts,” Lane added.

As for returning to the road, Lane said he cannot wait to be doing what he does best, providing the backbeat for several bands.

“COVID felt like a real prison cell,” he said. “After a while I think I began learning to be OK with it, like everyone else, but it’s been hard to make music through all this. Now I just need to find my relevance, my purpose again.”

Lane said he has gotten much better providing lessons online, which was a struggle at first because he still prefers older technology in many ways.

If you’re interested in seeing Lane perform with Wolf Bros in Syracuse, tickets are still available.

Bob Weir & Wolf Bros Spring Tour
Mar. 9 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, Tenn.
Mar. 10 – Orpheum Theatre – Memphis, Tenn.
Mar. 14 – Orpheum Theatre – Wichita, Kan.
Mar. 15 – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland – Kansas City, Mo.
Mar. 17 – Riverside Theater – Milwaukee, Wis.
Mar. 18 – Chicago Theatre – Chicago, Ill.
Mar.19 – Brown County Music Center – Nashville, Ind.
Mar. 21– Palace Theatre – Columbus, Ohio
Mar. 24 – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium– Asheville, N.C.
Mar. 25 – Tivoli Theatre – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Mar. 26 – Durham Performing Arts Center – Durham, N.C.
Mar. 29 – Roxian Theatre – Pittsburgh, Pa.
Mar. 30 – Landmark Theatre – Syracuse, N.Y.
April 2-3 – Radio City Music Hall – NYC

March 24, 2022