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
Fans of moe. got a dose of good news about beloved guitarist Chuck Garvey the other night at the band’s show at The Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO. In his customary pre-encore “Al.nouncements,” guitarist Al Schnier read a note from Chuck, who suffered a stroke last November, proclaiming that he would sit-in as a “special guest” for a portion of the band’s NYE performance at the Fillmore Philadelphia for the first time in over a year. As expected, the news was met with much delight.
The announcement came exactly one year to the day since Chuck Garvey suffered his stroke, and his return appearance with moe. is also significant since the Fillmore Philadelphia was the last venue he performed at on Halloween 2022. The band has yet to announce plans for Chuck to return to the band on a full-time basis.
Thank you for your well-wishes and your donations, without which my recovery would not have happened. This year has been a really long, difficult one for me, but a rewarding one, in that I learned what a person needs to do to achieve goals.
~ Chuck Garvey
The NYE performance will include an opening set by the New Haven, CT based 4-piece Eggy, and also feature The Horn Section, a 3-piece horn group featuring former members of Turkuaz, who will be performing with moe. throughout the night. The concert will follow moe.’s appearance at the North Beach Music Festival in Miami Beach, and a handful of Rob & Vinnie shows with BlueStar Radiation through the remainder of 2022.
Produced by Brandon “Brick” Lohr and Jason “J” Hubert, the inaugural Ramble Festival held at Camp Ramblewood in Darlington, MD from October 7-9, transpired smoothly, as fans enjoyed nearly perfect fall weather near the Susquehanna, mere miles from Pennsylvania. Camp Ramblewood has held other music events, but Ramble Fest hosted a wide variety of bluegrass, brass, indie rock, blues, country, Americana and folk music from Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Indiana, Colorado, California, and many other states, with fans traveling from all over the US and internationally to enjoy fun in the sun with cool nights & campfire jams.
Headlined by Leftover Salmon, Keller Williams, and The Traveling McCoury’s, along with many local and national bands, Ramble Festival had numerous activities, a busking competition, kids’ shows and play areas, yoga, charity auctions & raffles, live art painters, an on-site art gallery, and numerous clothing, food & art vendors. Art Director Lindsay Jamison and her staff of volunteers spent weeks getting the site and the art gallery in the Beer Hall ready for the event. Street Team lead Will Gibbons also ran the instrument raffle, where two fans won a guitar and banjo signed by the headliners, with proceeds donated to Backline and Rage Against Addiction.
Camping was superb. Ramblewood has 200 pristine acres on a rolling hillside, with a lake, fire pits, large cabins, and wide fields, with ample trees & grassy shade. Food & drink vending was plentiful, including local microbrews, and food trucks with typical festival fare such as pizza & burritos, as well as veggie and farm-to-table options. There was onsite parking for the thousand or so attendees (though the lot nearly filled up during the peak on Saturday night). There were a few RV spots (no power & water hook-ups), as well as car camping, but the best camping was near the stages.
Fri. Oct. 7: Abby Bryant & The Echoes, Caleb Stine Band, Kendall Street Company, Rufus Roundtree & Da B’More Brass Factory, Arkansauce, Bella’s Bartok, Big Something, Keller Williams Grateful Grass feat. The Hillbenders, Kendall Street Company & Dirty Grass Players – late-night in the barn.
Friday started off smooth and sunny, with Rufus Roundtreee and his band leading a second line march from the campsites down the hill, where Abby Bryant & The Echoes kicked off the weekend on the Main Stage. Abby is a vocalist & guitarist from Charlotte (since relocated to Asheville), who performed a mix of soul & Americana, with great instrumental work by her band & cohort in songwriting, guitarist Bailey Faulkner.
A quick jaunt up the hill and past the food trucks brought us to the Beer Hall, an indoor stage with standing room for a thousand. Caleb Stine & Band treated us to cool country with a tinge of bluegrass. Kendall Street Company from Charlottesville next played on the Main Stage, with thoughtful and often funny lyrics, great harmonies, and energetic, punk stylings, deft guitarwork, sax, and engaging vocals by lead singer Louis Smith.
Back at the Beer Hall, Rufus Roundtree, who is from Parliament Funkadelic, led his band Da B’More Brass Factory on vocals & trombone, with fiery NOLA-style, Go-go tinged funk, supported by trumpet, sax, tuba, guitar & drums. Arkansauce next tore up the Main Stage with speedy banjo riffing by Adam Collins, Ethan Bush on mando, Zac Archuleta on guitar, and Tom Andersen on upright bass.
The wildness of Bella’s Bartok engaged our feet as we returned to the Beer Hall, with fast, energetic fiendish horns, driven by lead singer Asher Putnam, with Alex Kogut on accordion, synth, and keyboards, Riley Goodemote on trombone, and Julia playing feisty washboard. Mixing sonic styles of Googol Bordello with punk, folk, and klezmer music, an amalgam of genres and theatrical sensibilities. They were a new discovery to me, and fan favorites by the end of their set.
Big Something, a hip hop pop rock fusion jam band from Burlington, NC, heated up the Main Stage at sunset, with Casey Cranford’s signature EWI and sax work driving the melodies along with dueling guitar monstrosities Jesse Hensley and Nick MacDaniels, with Josh Kagel on keys and trumpet, Doug Marshall on bass and Ben Vinograd on drums holding it down. Stylistically chameleons, they drift from tight riffs to expansive jams, sometimes evoking Lettuce, other times Lotus, and at times channeling Umphrey’s McGee, basically all over the place, with aplomb.
The incredible sound and lights apparently challenged the main stage power generator, which failed shortly thereafter, and was not resurrected until the next day. This only major glitch of the weekend was trouble, but thankfully, the production team planned generous stage switchover times, so crews had time to migrate Keller Williams over to the Beer Hall. Stage Manager George Barrick reactivated that stage, which had prepared to close for the night.
Keller and The Hillbenders treated us to his widely-popular Grateful Grass set. The Beer Hall was a bit crowded, so staff asked fans to help move tables and chairs out of the way, which quickly added enough space to get everyone inside – just in time, since the only few raindrops of the weekend fell outside and chilled the night air as temperatures fell into the low 40s. Keller & friends treated us to a fun-filled set of Dead classics, including a killer Scarlet > Stranger, and a trippy They Love Each Other back and forth into and out of Cumberland Blues, followed by a lovely Bird Song > Cassidy [24-bit SBD/Stage Matrix recording by George Barrick].
No proper first day would be complete without a late night set, held in the Ramble Stage, aka “The Barn” (a nice, cozy place to warm up as temps dropped further at night). Kendall Street Company joined The Dirty Grass Players, which was the most musicians jammed onto that tiny stage. The Barn was well-appointed, with brass chandeliers, hanging flower arrangements and festive lighting. There were two late-night picking circles, one at the Hill Camp w/ Bella’s Bartok, and another down at the Lake Camp, with Deer Creek Sharpshooters & Fishing for Hippies to end the night.
Sat. Oct. 8 – Dogs in a Pile, Arkansauce, Armchair Boogie, Dirty Grass Players, Toothless (kids set), Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Underground Springhouse, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Leftover Salmon, Neighbor.
After much-needed rest, I arose Saturday morning to the distant sounds of another second line by Naptown Brass Band from Annapolis, MD. I ran up the hill to meet them as they marched down into the main field and kicked off the day for Charm City Junction, towing along recently-rousted dancing campers, led by the Vibe Tribe‘s Holly Reasner.
Arkansauce fired up the Beer Hall next. Saturday Bands played with some overlap, as there were 17 or more performance on Saturday. Dogs in a Pile was another great band that all my friends recommended. They had a great turnout, especially since they started around 1pm, and many campers partied quite late the night before.
Baltimore’s finest, the Dirty Grass Players kicked it up in the Beer Hall, with some overlap with Armchair Boogie on the main stage, another new band I really enjoyed. Toothless played a kids’ set on the small barn stage. Underground Springhouse continued in the Beer Hall, while Caleb Stine returned in the barn.
We kicked our socks off to Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band (a funny name, because it’s only 3 people). Hailing from Indiana, the “Big” is for Jayme Peyton, who is a ginormous human as well as guitarist. They’re a wild country blues band, with heavy guitar shredding and “reckless” washboard by Breezy Peyton. Breezy actually lit her washboard on fire in the middle of a song!!! The band and audience had a good laugh; neither eyebrows nor hair were burnt in the process.
AJ Lee & Blue Summit, a bluegrass/Americana band from Northern California, continued at the Beer Hall, playing towards dinnertime. Heading back to the Main Stage, I wolfed down some tasty mac & cheese from Cosmic Charlie’s Grateful Grill, one of my favorite food trucks conveniently located between the two biggest stages.
Maryland native Kyle Hollingsworth (from String Cheese Incident) and his Band lit up the main stage, with a mix of organ and keyboard-infused jammy rock, tight & funky drums, bass & guitar. They played a variety of originals and classics, rearranged with speed & intensity, sprinkled with riffs & quotes from various well-known songs. Kyle is a killer clavinet and synth player, playing with percussive rhythm, electric piano and effects, his talented band adding fuel to his fire.
Ramble’s resident emcee, Libby Eddy (plays fiddle in The Jakobs Ferry Stragglers), got up to announce Leftover Salmon dressed as a giant avocado. She wrote page-long summaries of each band. As she rattled off superlatives, Vince Herman (in a blue unicorn costume) laughed and told the audience, “first time our band has ever been introduced by an avocado“! Ramble Festival founders Brick and J dressed as a tiger and bumblebee, to fit the costume theme, “furry creatures”.
Another favorite band, Neighbor (founded by Pink Talking Fish’s keyboardist Richard James), capped off Saturday night in the barn, followed by late-night campfire jams by Fishing for Hippies, Caleb Stine, Annie Sellick, and Pat Bergeson.
Sun. Oct. 9 – Travers Brothership, Country Current, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Woody! kids set, Neighbor, Bella’s Bartok, Busking Competition, Empire Strikes Brass, Armchair Boogie, Pink Talking Fish, The Travelin’ McCourys, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Arkansauce, & Armchair Boogie – late-night in barn.
Travers Brothership, based near Asheville, started the last day off with searing blues guitar intensity by frontman Kyle Travers, who formed the band with his twin brother and drummer, Eric. They’ve played all over the US & Europe, and are widely praised. Their new album is slated to be released next year, so they played a song or two off their new album.
The bluegrass band, Country Current, is the US Navy’s official band, formed in 1973. They’ve played for Presidents Bush, Clinton, Obama, and have toured nationally as well as overseas. They are all Musician Petty Officers, wearing their uniforms proudly on stage in the Beer Hall, playing guitar, banjo, bass, drums, fiddle, mando, and pedal steel guitar.
AJ Lee and Blue Summit returned to play the main stage, followed by Muskrat Flats in the beer hall, and another special kids’ set by Woody!, who is Jon Wood of Dancing Bears, ELM, Psycho Killers, and other Baltimore-based bands. His 7-yr-old daughter Ella helped her dad set up his mic and danced with her friends and other kids in the barn.
Neighbor treated us again to another tasty set on the main stage in the mid afternoon, followed by another wild dance party by Bella’s Bartok in the Beer Hall. The horn-heavy Empire Strikes Brass hit the main stage in the afternoon, and Armchair Boogie returned to the Beer Hall to close out the afternoon.
Pink Talking Fish brought resounding thunder and intermingling of songs by Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish to the main stage, as a massive flurry of bubbles filled the air and caught the brilliant light trackers scanning over the field, filling it with geometric patterns and a spectrum of color.
Emcee Libby Eddy introduced The Traveling McCourys as “the best band on the planet!!!” – the final headliner set of the weekend. This long, wonderful weekend of music ended with a joint collaboration between AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Arkansauce, and Armchair Boogie, packed into the barn with as many fans as could still stand or dance, with a couple more campfire jams that lasted until 3 or 4 am.
Few festivals are successful upon inception, but through great planning, Ramble Festival attracted over a thousand people to its first annual event. They sold a hundred tickets at the “steepest discount” to fans on site.
“It takes a village”. I met dozens of staff, volunteers, artists, campers, production crew from Harford Sound, lighting engineers, photographers & videographers, vendors, artists, medical personnel (Bear Care), and vendors. There were zero injuries or problems, nobody got stuck in the mud, the weather was absolutely perfect, and the camping is the best of any music event I’ve attended. Everyone was friendly, helpful, fun, and smiling all weekend.
Brick and J are music lovers first and foremost. They hired a skilled team, adept at multiple roles. They asked their friend Phil Chorney (Charm City Bluegrass) to recruit a wide cast of musicians from all over. Skilled directors & coordinators were carefully chosen for Volunteers, Artists, Hospitality (Sandee Taylor), Marketing (Kelsey Riegger) and Media Coordination (Zach Ubaldini), as well as staff photographers Chris Gamber among many other pros.
Some of these bands I’d heard about, and saw them for the first time at Ramble Festival, a sentiment shared by many fans. I’ve seen all the headliners multiple times, which got me interested when J told me about Ramble at B Chord. I did some research on only a few of the bands I hadn’t seen, which left the rest as pleasant surprises.
Ramble Festival was quite smooth, even though it’s only in its first year. Everyone felt like family, with an atmosphere reminiscent of Catskill Chill, Bear Creek, and High Sierra Music Festival. Brick, J, Phil, and their wonderful cast & crew deserve accolades for making Ramble the best music and art experience of the year.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9 p.m. you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up-and-coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Ian Nichols, mrhs, and Northern Faces.
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Ian Nichols – “Killer Corpse”
Ian Nichols is a singer-songwriter from Albany who is an indie rock/ Lo-fi composer. His fourth full-length album is scheduled to be released in November. He has worked on various other projects and produced the score and music for the 2014 horror film Lake Nowhere. His single “Killer Corpse” will be played on EQXposure.
mrhs – “Old Fashioned Hurgusburgus”
mrhs are a synth-punk group from Albany. They recently released a new album, Poo Brain. The song “Old Fashioned Hurgusburgus” from that record will be played on EQXposure.
Northern Faces – “Feelings”
Northern Faces are a rock band formed in 2012. The band features Bryan Shortell and Marco Testa on vocals and guitars, and Matt Ippolito on bass.
The Adjacent Music Festival, a brand new festival, is going to Atlantic City Beach in Atlantic City, NJ to kick off the summer of 2023 over Memorial Day weekend on May 27 and 28.
Photo credit: Andrew Hutchins.
The event is for all ages and brings over 40 bands on three stages with craft food and beverage experiences and vendors. It will take place ocean-side on the Atlantic City Beach adjacent to the world-famous Atlantic City Boardwalk featuring many artists who started their careers in the Northeast.
The headliners for the festival are the newly reunited blink-182 and Paramore. blink-182 started rocking almost thirty years ago in a San Diego garage. They have sold over fifty-million albums worldwide, and according to the New York Times, “No punk band of the 1990s has been more influential than ‘blink-182’.” They are working on releasing their tenth studio album after reuniting the original members.
Paramore is a rock band that formed in 2004 out of Franklin, Tennessee. They have dominated the rock charts with their singles like “Misery Business” and “Ain’t It Fun.” Their heavily awaited return has caused them to be the most sought acts to see in the rock scene today.
The Adjacent Music Festival also has many other notable acts performing. Artists like Japanese Breakfast, who just performed on SNL last season, and Bleachers, led by six-time Grammy award winner Jack Antonoff, will be playing. Other acts include The Front Bottoms, Waterparks, Jimmy Eat World, and Turnstile.
Tickets for the Adjacent Music Festival go onsale Oct. 27 at 10 a.m.
Ripton, VT, artist Sarah King has recently just delivered a soulful new A/B sided release with “Always an Almost” and “You Were Wrong About Me.” There’s no arguing that King’s talents are being celebrated by some of the biggest names in music. Her music has a similar resemblance to artists like The Lumineers, Lana Del Rey, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Jackson, Shawn Mendes and more.
Sarah King A/B
Just off the heels of her most recent EP The Hour, Sarah King shows her newest releases exuding a clear contrast to her previous works. Most which were originally inspired by loss of loved ones, grief and the heavier feelings that she had carried with her for years. In her newest releases, each song can be both musically and lyrically versatility. King does this through dynamic vocal delivery and refreshing heart-on-sleeve storytelling.
Sarah King A/B
The track “Always an Almost” describes the sudden chances we thought we just missed, much like the relationships that didn’t last, and all of the dreams we struggle to let go of in order to make space for what is really meant for us. King sings heartfelt lyrics with tears streaming down her face, solidifying the fact that she had an undeniable hit in her hands.
“Almost thought I couldn’t let go, But the pain’s how you grow / It gets better I know, Always an almost” ~ Always An Almost
Followed by a fierce rock companion “You Were Wrong About Me,” this release offers a bit of modern rock n roll. This release looks back on the situations that didn’t work out from a place of strength, growth and confidence. Originally the song was written in about 10 minutes; the two-minute-long rocker was inspired by a music venue that rejected King to perform before even listening to her music. Thus, King has written one of her most simple, yet impactful tracks that musicians will be able to relate to.
“Don’t need your permission now, Didn’t want it anyhow / Live my life the way I please, You’ll never be the boss of me” ~ You Were Wrong About Me
Veteran club owner, concert promoter and sometimes filmmaker Peter Shapiro is drawing back the curtain on a career that encompasses nearly three decades and 10,000 shows in his new memoir, The Music Never Stops(Hachette Books).
Peter Shapiro is the man behind venues like Wetlands Preserve, Brooklyn Bowl (located in Williamsburg, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Nashville) The Capitol Theatre and a bevy of tours and festivals including The Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary Fare Thee Well and LOCKN’ and films like U2 3D to name but a few. Beginning with his work at Wetlands, Shapiro can lay claim to being a central figure in keeping alive and expanding the cult around the Grateful Dead and the many “jam bands” that emerged in their wake. For all his Dead credentials, people sometimes forget that Shapiro also played a vital role in exposing this huge base of open-minded fans to diverse artists like hip hoppers The Roots, rapper Talib Kweli, Americana great Jason Isbell, bluegrass innovators Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, jazz guitarists John Scofield and Stanley Jordan and countless more.
Shapiro’s journey began after seeing a Grateful Dead show in Illinois in March 1993. It was something that inspired him and a friend to take to the road to film Deadheads in their natural habitat during the band’s summer tour. Things didn’t go too well at first due to his crew being mistaken for D.E.A. agents because of their rental vehicle of choice – a white-panel van sans windows. His love of the Dead community would soon lead him to a job at Wetlands Preserve, the downtown NYC club dedicated to improvisational music and environmental activism founded by Larry Bloch. By age 23, he became a minority owner; a year later he assumes full ownership and is one the first giant step in a long and still percolating career.
Peter Shapiro
The 50 chapters of Shapiro’s book are titled and dedicated to some of his most memorable shows, beginning with The Dead’s 50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in July 2015. As the last song of the first set ended, a giant rainbow broke out over the crowd. The promoter joked that he paid $50,000 to create the effect, a quip that got reported as fact in a review in Variety. The Dead’s drummer Mickey Hart said: “Not even Bill Graham could do that!”
The early part of the book deals with the ups and downs and incredible evenings at Wetlands. These include the 10th anniversary show where Bob Weir jammed with Hanson, the unmatched 21 show run by Disco Biscuits, the Black Lily Jams with Questlove and the new talent, like Jill Scott and India.Arie, who emerged with the opening of club’s Downstairs Lounge. The heartbreak of the closing of Wetlands would come around 9/11, but not before a stellar lineup of farewell shows and jams featuring club favorites like The Spin Doctors, Rat Dog, DJ Logic and Stanley Jordan.
Some of the best parts of the book deal with Shapiro’s matter of fact communication of his struggles and occasional failures. One was his participation, as an investor only, in 2012’s Great Googa Mooga Food and Music Fest in Prospect Park. This was one that failed because it was too successful, drawing an overflow crowd that well exceeded the 40,000 expected. It was also hampered by a forward-thinking digital payment system that was a little too ahead of its time. Shapiro also talks about the incredible run and occasional SNAFUs that took place at The Jammy Awards, including the vastly understaffed 2001 edition.
Peter Shapiro at The Capitol Theatre
The tale of his efforts to get Brooklyn Bowl going are also pretty entertaining. When Shapiro sought the advice of veteran NYC promoter Ron Delsner on the concept, he said he thought it was insane to have a bowling alley next to a stage where the band played. On this, the old man was wrong as Shapiro would go on to create hugely successful off-shoots of The Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, Las Vegas and Philadelphia.
One poignant chapter is the one dedicated to Easy Rider Live at Radio City, a film screening with live music to mark the 50th anniversary of the legendary film starring Peter Fonda. Artists like Steppenwolf’s John Kay and The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn were on hand to play their songs featured in the soundtrack live during the screening, with an all-star band corralled by T. Bone Burnette. Unfortunately, Fonda would pass the month before the September 2019 event. His final Instagram post was a picture of himself before the marquee announcing the show.
Naturally, Shapiro’s book is bursting at the seams with a lot of hard-earned wisdom about the music business.
In the early days of Wetlands, he noted the importance of the late great Village Voice in getting the word out about shows. The sell-out of the unsigned and unmanaged Vulfpeck at MSG in 2019 is credited to smart way the band built a huge following via social media, viral videos, a killer email database (a Shapiro go-to) and their efforts to keep ticket prices (and profits) reasonable. Shapiro is also the kind of guy who would fly for 20 hours to get facetime to pitch an idea to an artist like Bono, Robert Plant or Taylor Swift, but only if the vibe was right. He also tells us that sometimes cash is really king – that a wad of it can be (take over in) the inspiration needed to get a band like Umphrey’s McGee to do a second encore (that one cost $500.)
Peter Shapiro at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas
Readers will get plenty of anecdotes about their favorite musicians and celebs. Shapiro recounts the night when Jimmy Fallon joined Joe Russo’s Almost Dead at the Capitol Theater for a rousing rendition of Neil Young’s “Fuckin’ Up” and how it was B.B. King who gave hippie icon Wavy Gravy his unforgettable handle. We hear about the night SNL’s Chevy Chase played piano at The Jammy Awards and another when he made Shapiro valet his car at the 2010 Climate Rally in D.C. There are anecdotes from Questlove’s memorable “Bowl Train” nights at Brooklyn Bowl, the site where SNL’s Maya Rudolph pioneered her popular Prince Tribute. Naturally, there’s lots of insight into the Dead and the many shows he promoted for Bob Weir’s Dead & Company and Phil Lesh & Friends. You also get an insight into their differences with Phil liking things “loud and fast” and Bob preferring his music “slow and quiet.”
The later chapters of Shapiro’s book deal with the onslaught of COVID and what it wrought on his and the concert business as a whole. While he was able receive PPP support for The Capitol Theater, LOCKN’ Fest and his media off-shoot Relix, there was none in the offing for The Brooklyn Bowls, due to a partnership venture with Live Nation.
Peter Shapiro at Lockn’ Festival
A lifeline during COVID came from longtime running buddy Trey Anastasio of Phish. The guitarist created a weekly series of concerts – The Beacon Jams – streamed from The Beacon Theater via Relix’s partnership with Twitch. The eight events attracted nearly 2 million viewers and some sorely needed capital. Shapiro’s Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville became the site of the novel “Be In the Stream” concerts carried on FANS.live featuring Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. Viewers joined a Zoom session and could be selected to be projected on the walls at the venue at the end of songs, giving the virtual events a live audience feel and the performers some sorely needed applause. At The Capitol Theater, Shapiro greeted COVID and passersbys with a sign that said: “This is only a set break!”
It was one that would last for 18 months.
Post-COVID, Shapiro is back with the launch of Relix Studios in the home of the old Jazz Standard on NYC’s East Side, with the opening of Brooklyn Bowl Philly, a proposed concept for yet another club called Jazzlands and much more.
The 13 testimonials at the beginning of the book, from boldfaced names like Phil Lesh, Stevie Van Zandt, Don Was, Questlove and Trey Anastasio, demonstrate Shapiro’s importance to music makers and fans alike. More than one, call him “the Bill Graham of our generation.” The 330-plus pages in this book are evidence that more than supports the claim.
Fun Lovin’ Criminals have released their first EP in more than a decade, The Roosevelt Sessions, with a national tour kicking off in November. The jazz-laden four-track cut is sprinkled with biting political satire, nostalgic samples that romanticize life in New York, and their signature world-weary commentary on rising above a life of crime.
The last album of original music from Fun Lovin’ Criminals was Classic Fantastic, released in 2010, and The Roosevelt Sessions gives fans a taste of the new Criminals sound ahead of more new music slated for release in 2023. The trio features multi-instrumentalist Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser on lead vocal duties following the departure of Huey Morgan in November last year; drummer Frank Benbini and guitarist Naim Cortazzi, formerly with the Manchester band Happy Mondays and soul star Beverley Knight, to restore the trio.
“Shake It Loose”, the second track on the EP, addresses the mental health issues that inspired Fast and Frank to create new music and perform to their fans worldwide after the departure of Morgan.
With silky backing vocals from Benbini, Fast, with his smokey Brooklyn drawl, laments, “back then you didn’t listen, to what was true, now it’s all we wanna hear from you. It’s not about right, it’s not about wrong.”
Fun Lovin’ Criminals are entering a new chapter, with a steely focus on creating new music that our fans will love. Our new EP is a return to our gritty early days in NYC, particularly with the way the music has been composed.
Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser
Fun Lovin’ Criminals began in 1993 after Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser met Huey Morgan at The Limelight nightclub in NYC. Their debut album Come Find Yourself reached no.7 in the UK charts and was certified Platinum in the UK and Gold in the Netherlands. The biggest hit “Scooby Snacks” contains dialogue from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. The track peaked at no.12 in the UK singles chart in 1997 and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in July 2022.
Fun Lovin’ Criminals Fall Tour dates can be found below, with the tour kicking off in Boston on November 3, and stopping in their hometown of Brooklyn on November 4 at Elsewhere.
On the weekend of September 22-25, 2022, Firefly Music Festival returned to the Woodlands of Dover, Delaware to celebrate its 10th anniversary with headline performances from Halsey, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, Dua Lipa, and many more! The diverse genres of artists is what makes Firefly a memorable experience.
Bleachers @ Firefly Main Stage
Firefly Music Festival took place in The Woodlands of Dover, Delaware, right next to Dover International Speedway. What makes Firefly unique isnât just the performances, but the atmosphere and the overall experience. Since its start in July 2012, festivalgoers are offered the chance to camp at the festival, whether that be in an RV, a glamping site, or a pop-up tent. Along with the camping, each stage embraces its own personality: the Backyard hosted most of the rap acts over the weekend, The Pavillion which hosted most of the EDM acts, The Treehouse and The Nest which offered attendees an escape from the massive size of the Woodlands to an area where they could see their favorite small artists in an intimate setting such as SEB.
SEB @ Treehouse
Firefly certainly does not shy away when it comes to good eating. Whether its a quick bite from the various food trucks or a tasty dessert at Stuffed Ice Cream, Firelfy has it all including vegan friendly meals. Attendees could not get enough of Stuffed Ice Cream’s delicious cruffs – an ice-cream filled donut toasted to perfection. Even on the chilly nights, festivalgoers were seen lined up for the mouth-watering treat. The good news is everyone can explore the various flavors and options Stuffed Ice Cream has to offer in its New York City based store located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
A Weekend Filled With Entertainment
A little bit of rain and muddy floors didn’t stop the party on Thursday. Firefly kicked off its weekend with headlining sets from Halsey, Jamiexx, Willow, 100 Gecs, San Holo & Gayle. While some walked onto the festival grounds admiring the numerous decorations and activities, others ran to secure a spot at the stage where their favorite artists would perform. Willow brought the energy to the main stage dressed in a custom T-shirt designed by one Firefly’s clothing booths. She played the iconic “Wait a Minute!” along with “Meet Me At Our Spot”.
Willow @ Firefly Main Stage
Although Willow brought great energy to stage, 100 Gecs certainly knew how to turn up in style dressed in unique wizard like outfits. Mosh pits left and right filled the audience which some would say only enhanced the lively performance. Songs performed by the Duo included “money machine”, “stupid horse”, “mememe” and more.
Thursday was one for the books but Friday was just as memorable. Many were looking forward to Big Sean who unfortunately had to cancel his set due to a respiratory infection. LSDREAM filled in for the Detroit based rapper and did not disappoint. Illuminating the night sky with vibrant colorful visuals is what made LSDREAM stand out.
LSDREAM @ The Backyard Stage
During the day fans were scattered across the festival site. It was the first time Norwegian singer/songwriter Anna of The North performed in the U.S since covid. While on stage she brought out guest singer Gus Dapperton to sing “Meteorite” together. NYSM staff photographer Adrian Hernandez had the opportunity to shoot portraits of Anna who was nothing but kind, loving, and energetic throughout their photo session.
Anna of The North with Gus Dapperton @ Firefly Main StagePortrait Session With Artist Anna of The North
My Chemical Romance closed the main stage with a roar on night 2. Fans of all ages, old and young, sang along word for word almost every song the band performed. In between songs, lead vocalist Gerard Way was interactive with the audience and knew how to put a smile on everyones face through his humor.
My Chemical Romance @ Firefly Main Stage
Later that night, once Zedd took the stage, an overwhelming surge of cheers and screams kicked in. Zedd had the crowd on overdrive right from the start of the set. On top of that, the laser light show was perfectly in sync with his electronic tunes.
Zedd @ The Backyard Stage
Once day 3 arrived, it meant the weekend was finally here. Time to unload, sit back and enjoy the beautiful day packed with great music. Sueco brought life to the crowd after jumping into the audience to crowd surf his fans. Shortly after he joined the spectators in the center of a moshpit as he performed “fast”.
Sueco @ Firefly Main Stage
Porter Robinson ended the night performing songs from his latest album Nurture such as “Something Comforting”, “Shelter”, and the emotional dedication “Mother”. Some even shed a tear during his impactful set.
Porter Robinson @ The Backyard StagePorter Robinson @ The Backyard Stage
It felt like the weekend flew as the last day of Firefly Music Festival finally arrived. It was during the middle of The Regrettes when festivalgoers were kicked off site due to a severe weather warning. This caused sets to be pushed back and some shortened like Charli XCX. Unfortunate for those who were looking forward to see the pop queen but the show went on.
Lead Vocalist Lydia Night of The Regrettes @ The Backyard Stage
Once festival grounds reopened, T-Pain sang some of his classic hits and features such as “Good Life” with Kanye West. Shortly after, Conan Grey was on stage followed by The Kid Laroi at the Backyard stage and finally, to end the weekend on a high, Dua Lipa closing on her hit “Don’t Start Now”.
T-Pain @ Firefly Main Stage
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. While it’s sad to say goodbye to this years festival, we look forward to the next one and carry the memories we made along with us. See you soon Firefly!
