Phish’s Trey Anastasio has announced the release of The Beacon Jams which will commemorate the artist’s legendary eight-show virtual residency at New York City’s legendary Beacon Theatre in the Covid-riddled fall of 2020. These iconic shows will now be encapsulated in the form of an 18-track, 145-minute new anthology that will be available digitally on Friday, November 25. Proceeds will benefit The Divided Sky Foundation, an initiative launched by Anastasio to finance a residential recovery program in Ludlow, VT, which is set to open next year.
Photo Credit: Danny Clinch
Performed at an empty Beacon Theatre and livestreamed around the world over the course of eight Fridays, The Beacon Jams saw Trey teaming with a range of collaborators to boldly reimagine music spanning his three-decade career. It includes performances from Trey Anastasio Band cohorts like Cyro Baptista (percussion), James Casey (saxophone, vocals), Natalie Cressman (trombone, vocals), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet, vocals), Russ Lawton (drums), Ray Paczkowski (keyboards), and, in his final performances with the group, the late Tony Markellis (bass).
Also featured are frequent collaborators Jeff Tanski (keyboards), Celisse Henderson (vocals), and Jo Lampert (vocals), as well as the debut of The Rescue Squad (Katie Kresek – violin, Maxim Moston – violin, Rachel Golub – viola, Anja Wood – cello).
In addition to great music and different interpretations of Phish and TAB songs, the Beacon residency also saw Anastasio interacting with fans via Twitch between songs for a completely unique live music experience in a time where pandemic restrictions made such things close to impossible. “What made it feel successful to me was that we weren’t trying to recreate a live concert,” Anastasio says. “What I was hoping was that it would be a fresh form of entertainment – turning lemons into lemonade. I feel like that turned out to be the case.”
photo by Jake Silco
Tracklist: Corona, A Wave of Hope, What’s The Use, And Flew Away, The Moma Dance, The Silver Light, Pebbles and Marbles, Bouncing Around the Room, Carini, I Never Left Home, Money Love and Change, Last Tube, Quantegy, You Enjoy Myself, Goodbye Head, Tube, Slave to the Traffic Light, First Tube
On Saturday, November 19, Duke Amayo, former lead singer of Antibalas, returned to New York City after taking time at home in Nigeria. It was there that he performed at Felebration Festival over October 10-16, launching his career as “Amayo,” a name which means “If you don’t go, you never know.”
The free show at BAMcafé in Brooklyn featured Amayo’s new band, featuring some of the original Antibalas members, of which he was frontman for 23 years. In the course of bringing Afrobeat to a global audience, channeling Fela Kuti as he celebrates the genre of Afrobeat.
It was true when I first came to America at age 17, when I first joined Antibalas, when I departed the band, and now for my pilgrimage back home with some of the original Antibalas members and friends performing in Nigeria for the first time.
Amayo
Amayo is dedicated to his rich Nigerian heritage and martial arts teachings, merging Chinese and African rhythms. Amayo sings traditional Yoruba and Edo lyrics and is joined by a band featuring chekere, flute, violin, percussion, horn, and more, while also playing piano, electric keyboard, organ, and the gbedu spirit drum.
Kameron Marlowe’s first headlining tour, “We Were Cowboys” rolled into Horseheads, NY on Sunday, November 13th. The North Carolina native performed his second of three stops in NY on the tour. Opening the show was the Southern Tier’s very own Brian Hughes and Nashville singer/songwriter Wyatt McCubbin.
Kameron Marlowe, photo by Allison Marie.
Marlowes’ career kicked off in 2018 – a contestant on season 15 of The Voice. After being eliminated, he moved to Nashville where he independently released his first, now certified Gold single in 2019, Giving You Up, which surpassed 15 million streams in less than a year. He is signed with Columbia Nashville. Kameron’s debut single from Columbia was Burn Em All which is still climbing the country charts. His debut album, We Were Cowboys is available now.
Horsehead’s local rocker Brian Hughes opened the show and set the tone by performing some classic covers and originals. The singer/songwriter and talented musician also performs with the band Rust. Hughes recently released a solo album, I Surrender which can be found on all streaming platforms. His website can be found here.
Wyatt McCubbin, photo by Allison Marie
Southern Ohio/Nashville singer/songwriter Wyatt McCubbin was the second opening act which makes perfect sense as McCubbin co-wrote a handful of songs on Marlowe’s debut album, We Were Cowboys, such as “This Old Town,” “We Were Cowboys,” and “Does It Have To Be Over.” Writing hits for artists like Riley Green, Dustin Lynch, Cody Johnson, Tracey Lawrence and others, McCubbin is the next artist to follow!
Marlowes’ career is just taking off and with a show like at The L, he is sure to keep fans excited for more!
Kameron Marlowe, by Allison Marie
Setlist: Sober, This Old Town, Over Now, Steady Heart, Folsom, Tequila Talking, We Were Cowboys, Raise One Up, Save a Horse, Leaving To Me, Aint Enough Whiskey, Stay Here and Drink, Saying Goodbye, Money Aint Shit, Country Boys Prayer, Im Over You, Running Out on You, In Color, Fool Me Again, Trouble, Does It Have To Be Over, Girl On Fire, Giving You Up Encore: Burn Em All
For tour dates and more on Kameron Marlowe, visit his website here.
Buddy Guy will return to UPAC in Kingston for the final time on his ‘Damn Right Farewell’ tour, on June 15, 2023, with special guest the Samantha Fish Band.
At age 86, Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Buddy Guy has received 8 GRAMMY Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, 38 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #23 in its “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
In July of 2021, in honor of Buddy Guy’s 85th birthday, PBS American Masters released “Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase The Blues Away”, a new documentary following his rise from a childhood spent picking cotton in Louisiana to becoming one of the most influential guitar players of all time. The documentary features new interviews with Buddy Guy, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr, and more. Watch the full documentary at PBS Online here.
Though Buddy Guy will forever be associated with Chicago, his story actually begins in Louisiana. One of five children, he was born in 1936 to a sharecropper’s family and raised on a plantation near the small town of Lettsworth, located some 140 miles northwest of New Orleans. Buddy was just seven years old when he fashioned his first makeshift “guitar”—a two-string contraption attached to a piece of wood and secured with his mother’s hairpins.
In 1957, he took his guitar to Chicago, where he would permanently alter the direction of the instrument, first on numerous sessions for Chess Records playing alongside Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and the rest of the label’s legendary roster, and then on recordings of his own. His incendiary style left its mark on guitarists from Jimmy Page to John Mayer. “He was for me what Elvis was probably like for other people,” said Eric Clapton at Guy’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2005. “My course was set, and he was my pilot.”
Seven years later, July 2012 proved to be one of Buddy Guy’s most remarkable years ever. He was awarded the 2012 Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime contribution to American culture; earlier in the year, at a performance at the White House, he even persuaded President Obama to join him on a chorus of “Sweet Home Chicago.” Also in 2012, he published his long-awaited memoir, When I Left Home.
These many years later, Buddy Guy remains a genuine American treasure and one of the final surviving connections to an historic era in the country’s musical evolution.
Buddy Guy 2023 Damn Right Farewell Tour
Feb 17 – Rockford, IL – Coronado PAC Feb 18 – Joliet, IL – Rialto Square Theatre Feb 23 – Fort Wayne, IN – Embassy Theatre Feb 24 – New Buffalo, MI – Silver Creek Event Center Feb 25 – Anderson, IN – Paramount Theatre Feb 26 – Evansville, IN – Victory Theatre Mar 01 – Baton Rouge, LA – Baton Rouge River Center Theater Mar 03 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater Mar 04 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater Mar 05 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall Mar 08 – Dallas, TX – Majestic Theatre Mar 11 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater Mar 13 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory Mar 14 – Memphis, TN – The Orpheum Theatre Mar 16 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre Mar 17 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall Mar 20 – Spartanburg, SC – Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium Mar 21 – Chattanooga, TN – Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium Mar 22 – Charlotte, NC – Ovens Auditorium Mar 23 – Greensboro, NC – Steven Tanger Center for the Perf. Arts Mar 30 – Toronto, ONT – Massey Hall Mar 31 – Toronto, ONT – Massey Hall Apr 08 – Tyagarah, Australia – Bluesfest Apr 10 – St Kilda, Australia – Palais Theatre Apr 12 – Sydney, Australia – Enmore Theatre June 15 – Kingston, NY – UPAC
Since the very beginning of Rock and Roll way back in the 1950s, every decade seems to have an iconic album that is representative of the time period in which they were recorded. In the 1950s, the decade that saw the birth of Rock and Roll there was Elvis Presley’s smash Elvis Presley. In the 1960’s the Beatles owned the decade with their apex being 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.In the 1970’s, the decade that was known for its god-like guitar heroes and exceptional live concert albums, there was a young English player named Peter Frampton who produced the wildly popular Rock and Roll classic ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’ in 1978.
Frampton, who the former guitarist and vocalist for Humble Pie, the super group which he co-founded with Steve Marriot, left the band and went solo in 1971 after achieving moderate success in both the UK and America with albums like Town and Country and Humble Pie.
Frampton went on to release his debut solo album Camel in 1973 and spent the remaining years of the decade producing another 5 solo albums. The unsurpassed crown jewel of which was his fifth offering, the multi-platinum double-album Frampton Comes Alive! was the record that cemented the English guitar slinger’s legacy in Rock and Roll history. After it’s debut in January 1976, the live concert double album sales rocketed and eventually rose to the top of Billboard albums chart for the week ending April 10th of that year.
The tracks that were featured on ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’ were chosen from selected performances that were recorded in the summer and fall of 1975, at historic venues such as, Bill Graham’s historic Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco and the Long Island Arena in Commack. The 70’s rock and roll classic also includes recordings from a concert that took place on the evening of the 22nd of November in 1975 at the little known Memorial Hall located in the heart of the SUNY Plattsburgh campus.
Frampton’s Plattsburgh performance was organized by the SUNY Plattsburgh concert committee, headed by then-student Neil Jacobsen. Neil took a chance on booking Frampton who was up to that point was still relatively unknown. According to an article published in 2016 by VPR, Jacobsen felt that it was worth taking the gamble, “I knew about Humble Pie. I had their records,” Jacobsen says. “I knew Frampton was a great guitarist and then he was solo. And I said, ‘You know what, we can get him cheap. I think he means something, and let’s go for it.’ Back then, we had a certain amount of money to lose. So we were given the opportunity to really program and be adventurous.”
The cost of the Peter Frampton concert was a whopping $2.00 for students and $4.00 for the general public, which is equivalent to about $11.00 and $22.00 in today’s dollars, which still seems an excellent bargain for a chance to see a gifted guitarist and singer/songwriter of his caliber. The performance was recorded by Frampton’s road crew and which provided three tracks to the Frampton Comes Alive! LPs, including ‘All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side),’ ‘Wind of Change’ and the iconic, ‘Baby, I Love Your Way.’ Peter Frampton would go on to sell more than 17 million copies of Frampton Comes Alive! worldwide and in the process became an international super star that helped define a decade. “He was a really nice guy,” Jacobsen continues. “I didn’t speak to him much. Maybe for a minute or two just to say, ‘Hi, hello.’ But it was a good day for them. You know, he was on a small tour, playing small theaters and clubs, and he had an enthusiastic crowd and it was great.”
The SUNY Plattsburgh setlist included a rendition of Frampton’s now legendary of “Do You Feel Like We Do?” which features his now iconic Talk Box. The revolutionary device was first introduced to Frampton by legendary Nashville-based peddle steel player Pete Drake in 1970, while at a Abbey Road Studios recording session for George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass LP. The effects unit allows the musician to adjust the sound of the guitar which then mimic’s the sound of speech. The device directs sound from the instrument into the musician’s mouth usually by means of a plastic tube that is then picked up by a vocal microphone. The musician controls the alteration of the instrument’s sound by changing the shape of the mouth, “vocalizing” the guitar’s output into a microphone. This resulting effect was something that listeners in the mid-70s were mostly not exposed to and has since then become forever linked to Peter Frampton’s unique guitar playing style.
The success that Peter Frampton achieved from Frampton Comes Alive! was the stuff of legends, but with all the perks and the glitzy trappings of fame it also came with the heavy burden of being overworked and an exhaustive schedule in order to satisfy an ever increasing public demand. Frampton spoke to Gold Mine in June 20, 2013 and tried to describe the effect that the sudden success of Frampton Comes Alive! had on him. Well it was all a bit surreal, to be honest … It’s something that very few people have experienced, and you can’t really put that into words. You kind of have to be there to know what that was like. Surreal is the right word. It’s almost like it’s not happening to you, and it’s happening to somebody else, because you haven’t changed, but the world has changed the way they think about you. Lots of people who didn’t know about you now know who you are, so notoriety on that level is a very strange thing (laughs)……I was 25 years old when that record came out, and I was at my prime of growing up, basically. Your brain doesn’t stop growing until you’re 30 (laughs), so I was still developing a personality and who I was at that point, so it definitely had a major effect on me.
Frampton would come back to Upstate NY and have a repeat performance at SUNY Plattsburgh four years later in 1979, but this time performed at the campus’ Fieldhouse. The University had stopped presenting concerts there due to old wiring and limited seating capacity. Rob Buran Plattsburgh State concert committee member in 1975 spoke with VPR about Frampton’s return performance. “Now, Peter Frampton came back in ’79 and played at the Fieldhouse and strapped on an acoustic guitar and came out and said, ‘This is one of the songs that appears on my album from Plattsburgh,’ and he went into ‘Baby, I Love Your Way.’
When Buran was asked by VPR if current Plattsburgh students were aware that the University played such an important role in Peter Frampton’srock and roll legacy, he replied, “Once in a while I’ll come to the college and I’ll ask them, ‘Do you know the song, ‘Baby, I Love Your Way?”’ Buran says. “I might sing a part of it. ‘Yeah, I know that.’ ‘Did you know it was recorded across the street at Memorial Hall?’ ‘No, I had no idea.’”
Peter Frampton’s career would never see the dizzying heights that he achieved in the 1970s, but he would go on to have continued success in the music business. From his 1986 hit ‘Lying’ off of his ninth solo album Premonition to his 2006 Grammy Award winning Fingerprints, Peter Frampton continued to be a productive musical artist producing a vast quantity of material until his retirement in 2009 after disclosing his diagnosis of inclusion body myositis (IBM), a progressive muscle disorder. When asked in 2016 by Azcentral about the legacy of Frampton Comes Alive! he reflected back on his career. “Hey, I’ve done a lot of other things but I’m also very aware that when I kick the bucket, the first paragraph will be “The man responsible for ‘Frampton Comes Alive’ just dropped dead. ‘Frampton Drops Dead’ after coming alive all these years.” It’s just one of those things. Who knows why?”
Peter Frampton – Memorial Hall, SUNY Plattsburgh – November 22, 1975
Setlist: Baby (Somethin’s Happening), Baby, I Love Your Way, Do You Feel Like We Do, Penny for Your Thoughts, (I’ll Give You) Money Encore: Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Shine On
The holidays are upon us, and that means time once again for Jam for Tots! Since 2014, Jam for Tots has been held across New York State and the Northeast, bringing live music fans together to support those most in need in their local communities.
At 10 venues around New York State, fans are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy for a child (under 13) and drop the toy off in the box. These toys will be brought to local charities within the venue’s community, to ensure that these toys brighten the day of children within the local area.
Things kick off this week at Lark Hall with The Last Waltz, on Wednesday, November 23rd. The second annual Last Waltz on Lark Street will feature local musicians, including Brian Bean (bass and vocals), Mike Coleman (bass), Tom O’Connor (guitar and vocals), Rick Rothermel (keyboards and vocals), Sarah Sheppeck (vocals), Joe Sorbero (drums and vocals) and Jeremy Walz (guitar and vocals). And, in the true spirit of The Band, Levon Helm and The Last Waltz, the band will joined by special guests throughout the evening.
Then on Saturday, November 26, eberwine and Quantum Cosmic will be at Putnam Place, with a night full of special guests in store.
See below for the full lineup of Jam for Tots shows across New York State (alphabetical order)
On Saturday, November 19, Goose and Trey Anastasio Band concluded their eight-show fall tour of the Northeast. The arena tour began in Portland, ME on November 9th, followed by performances in Lowell, MA, Uncasville, CT (at the Mohegan Sun Casino where Goose played their first arena show in February 2021), Glens Falls, Moon, PA, Fairfax, VA, and Syracuse. Endearingly referred to as “TABoose” over the past few months, the bands co-headlined the tour and sold out each of the nights, with each night of the run consisting of two 90+ minute sets of music opening with Goose and concluding the night with TAB, with various sit-ins throughout each of the bands’ performances.
Throughout the tour, both Peter Anspatch from Goose and Anastasio have expressed to the audience how grateful they were for the fall run and how much fun they have been having working, rehearsing, and chatting while on tour. Palpably so, fans have stated how much they’ve seen the tour has rubbed off on both the young indie-groove band and the veterans of the jam band scene.
Just after 7:30pm sharp, Goose took the stage, greeted with booming applause. The Connecticut-based five-piece began their set with “Flodown.” Referred to by fans as the “Flopener,” the jam’s introductory train-beat from drummer, Ben Atkind kicked the crowd into a barn dance style frenzy while guitarist, Rick Mitarotonda and keyboardist Anspach being to play around with space and chaos to pump the room’s energy to 11. As Goose’s skill and performance have evolved over the years, their older songs continue to grow and expand in composition. An example of this can be seen in the beginning of the “Flowdown” from the 2021 album, Shenanigans Nite Club. However the twisty angelic tones of the band’s 2022 Dripfield album could be heard in this performance tonight.
Goose continued the set with “Pancakes,” whose mysterious drum-beat and feedback are combined with fun audience participation clapping along with Peter Anspach. The punchy jam originating from Peter’s previous band, Great Blue, was filled with wailing overdrive from Rick while Anspach exercised his piano and organ playing skills. Rumblings from bassist Trevor Weekz provided subtle foreshadowing to the evil peaks and valleys at the end of the jam until the band’s speedy timing and turnaround at the end of the song.
To cool down the hot and bothered audience from the “Pancakes” jam, Goose provided a breezy rendition of their song “Turned Clouds,” a first time play on the tour. While the song’s back-end jam always provides fun vibes, the crowd was met with an extra flair from Trevor’s slap bass which built up intense tension and release to send the “Turned Clouds” sky high.
Next, the crowd at Santander Arena saw “Dripfield,” summoned by the usual entrancing synth from Peter, digital drumbeat kicked in by percussionist Jeff Arevalo, and mystifying beams of purple and green light from Andrew Goedde. The song’s eight-note trade-off between Rick and Peter on guitar pumped the energy through the crowd until the toms from Ben’s kit kicked in and sent the drip into an extremely primal sounding jam. Rick channeled the energy through his hollow body PRS sending commanding growls over the controlled chaos composed by the Connecticut quintet.
After this stunning performance, Peter took a moment to thank the fans, the 77-person crew working to get everything in place for the shows, and of course Trey for all the fun they have been having on the tour. With that, Peter welcomed Trey on to the stage and the group began the Vasudo original, “Rockdale.” Rick and Trey harmonized the opening notes of “Rockdale” in a style reminiscent of the Allman Brothers style. As the main jam began to take form both Rick and Trey dove into low frequency distortions creating a comfortable valley for the two to later shoot off. Rick began to wail as Trey filled the space with expression before the two wove through each other’s soloing in complimentary form. The rest of the band held down intense space and rhythm with Trevor Weeks holding it down on bass, Jeff and Ben shredding high hats and snares, and Anspach on organ.
With the energy up, the honking and hollering fans were then treated to a bustout of “Elmeg the Wise,” which this author would describe as peak Goose. The enchanting hymn, written by Mitarotonda, describes a being on a path searching for wisdom and inspiration. As the song punched into the jam, the band’s enchantment of the crowd quickly lit up.
To cap off the set, the band welcomed the TAB horns players, James Casey, Natalie Cressman, and Jennifer Hartswick to the stage shortly before Rick tore into the opening notes to the fan favorite, “Hot Tea.” In its studio debut on Dripfield, the classic jam was paired with horns for the first time. With seasoned trumpet, trombone, and saxophone players on stage, the crowd was in for a raging tea party and received nothing short of it.
Goose Setlist:: Flodown[1], Pancakes, Turned Clouds, Dripfield, Rockdale[2], Elmeg The Wise[2], Hot Tea[3][1] Flopener. [2] With Trey Anastasio on guitar. [3] With Trey Anastasio on guitar, James Casey on saxophone, Jennifer Hartswick on trumpet, and Natalie Cressman on trombone.
The Trey Anastasio Band graced the stage for the final time of the tour and was greeted by the sold out crowd with eruptions of warm applause and cheers. The love and reception of Trey in the arena felt like an entire crowd welcoming their rock star father to melt faces.
The set began with “Push on Til the Day,” whose bouncy rhythm kept Trey hopping and bopping around the quick and concise composition. Things cooled things down with “Love is What We Are,” a fun reggae half-time beat was adorably paired with percussionist Cyro Baptista playing a small bow and arrow to appear as a bearded, can-jingling Cupid.
To fire things up again the band erupted into “Mozambique” with a jazzy salsa style that kept the crowd moving as Trey ran back and forth across the stage. “Cayman Review” came next followed by an incredibly funky “Camel Walk.” Bassist Dezron Douglas kept everything locked in place as keyboardist Ray Paczkowski revved up his organ. Trey took this as a queue to glide through a solo which was met at the end with a palpably strong call and response jam between saxophonist James Casey and the rest of the band.
“Twist” had a fun jam paired with some high kicks and “woo’s” from Trey, who showed off a fair amount of his looping skills that he has grown partial to over the last couple of years. “No Man in No Man’s Land” kept the night moving with tight and concise horns and on-the-dime turnarounds. The jam concluded with a drum and space style solo from Cyro and drummer Russ Lawton.
“Life Beyond a Dream” captivated the crowd next with harmonic crescendos from the horn/vocal section. “Dark and Down” was a highlight of the TAB set with its intense vibe and composition. Trey’s soulful solo raised the hearts of the crowd and left the room speechless before its eruption of applause.
While waiting for Mitarotonda and Anspach to join the stage on guitar and keys, Cyro treated the crowd to a spacey jam consisting of Vargan playing and voice modulated poetry. Rick and Peter sat in for “Ghost” where the jam sent the crowd once again into overdrive. While waiting for Trey’s fried amp to be fixed, Peter shared some words that he heard from Trey at one of his first Phish shows. Anspach recounted that Trey asked the crowd, “Hey, any youngsters out there? This is a pretty good job!” With that Peter encouraged the young people of the crowd to pursue music if their passions lie there.
“Hey Stranger” and “Everything’s Right” brought joy and whimsy to the crowd as the night neared the end. For the last song of the set, the rest of Goose rejoined the stage for “First Tube,” where Dezron and Trevor wove through heavy basslines together and brought even more energy. A disco ball at the top of the stage canopy shone throughout the arena while the rhythm section turned around and played to the crowd behind the stage.
Both bands came to the stage for the encore and ripped into a beloved slow version of the Phish jam, “Llama,” whose final lyric, ‘Taboot’ was appropriately changed to ‘Taboose’ for the night. The slow and melodic “Show of Life” came next and as Trey ended the song and thanked all the band members and crew, Trey said, “We don’t want the party to end. So I say keep the fuckin’ party going!” With this, the group punched into “Party Time” which ended with a New Orleans-Style parade walk off guided by Cyro’s whistle and the TAB horns.
Trey will be back with Phish for their NYE run at Madison Square Garden over December 28-31. Goose is scheduled to play two nights at 1stBank Arena in Broomfield, CO for two nights of their Annual Goosemas show on December 16-17, with other scheduled Goose events at the Fox Theater in Boulder on December 18, two nights of New Years Eve at the Brady Music Center in Cincinnati, and five nights at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester from March 8-12.
Trey Anastasio Band Setlist: Push On ‘Til the Day, Love Is What We Are, Mozambique, Cayman Review, Camel Walk, Twist, No Men In No Man’s Land, A Life Beyond The Dream, …And Flew Away, Dark and Down, Ghost [1], Hey Stranger [1], Everything’s Right[1], First Tube [2]
Encore: Llama [3], Show of Life [4], Party Time [5]
[1] Rick Mitarotonda on guitar and Peter Anspach on keys. [2] Rick Mitarotonda on guitar, Peter Anspach on keys, Trevor Weekz on bass, and Jeff Arevalo and Ben Atkind on percussion. [3] Rick Mitarotonda on guitar, Peter Anspach on keys, and Jeff Arevalo, Ben Atkind, and Trevor Weekz on percussion; performed in an alternate arrangement. Final lyric changed to “Taboose.” [4] Rick Mitarotonda on guitar, Peter Anspach on keys, and Jeff Arevalo, Ben Atkind, and Trevor Weekz on percussion. [5] Rick Mitarotonda on guitar, Peter Anspach on keys and vocals, and Jeff Arevalo, Ben Atkind, and Trevor Weekz on percussion. Ended with the horns and everyone else on percussion playing as everyone walked off stage.
On an ominous day in music history, The Seapods, featuring members of the Ominous Seapods, will come together for a night of music at Lark Hall in Albany on February 11, 2023.
Appearing at The Seapods 2-11 show include Max Verna (guitar, vocals), Tom Pirozzi (bass), Brian Mangini (keyboards) and Ted Marotta (drums). The fifth member of the group, guitarist/singer Dana Monteith will not be in attendance. Thus, the show is billed as The Seapods featuring these four members from the group’s classic ‘90s lineup.
The evening of music lands on an unofficial holiday for the band, who consider the February 11 date a marker for great gigs, including a memorable performance in 1995 at a Dartmouth frat party. One explanation that has been offered for the meaning behind 2-11:
There are numerous accounts of people making a purchase at their local Kwik-E Mart and having the total come to $2.11, or getting home from a Seapods show at exactly 2:11a.m. These occurences have spawned a movement know as “Twoelevenlutionology” (a.k.a. “Twoelevenism” or “Twoelevenology”) where 2-11 is the chosen leader. His disciples follow him along the 211-fold path of Enlightenment to the Dumpster of Destiny, and bask in the ominous beauty of the mystical number 211. And all good Twoelevenologists know what they should be doing at 2:11 on Wednesday afternoon!
As they add to the Ominous Seapods history with jamming and improv done only as the Seapods can, the evening is sure to be a hugely successful night in Albany. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
Back in October, for seven straight nights, in seven different venues around Rochester, over 90 different artists from near and very far, became a part of the first ever Rochester Experimental Week. The quasi-festival was put on by promoter Eclectic Overdrive, a relative newcomer to the area’s scene.
Bonnie Kane and Tracy Lisk, photo by Raimund Selke-Fisher
Each night was jam-packed with quick hit sets from an eclectic group of musicians. Experimental music is an expansive and open descriptor for music. As such, styles ranged widely, from heavy and in-your-face, to quiet and reserved. But everything left of left-of-center. It was incredible free-form and incredibly, all free of charge. And nearly every venue was able to maintain all ages shows, a free for all that was quite literally free for all.
Nick Gianni & Reggie Sylvester, photo by Raimund Selke-Fisher
The week filled some of the more unique music spaces around town, like the Bug Jar, UUU Art Collective, the Spirit Room, Rosen Krown and 75 Stutson. Some nights stretched all the way into the mornings, Saturday’s schedule finished at 4am! NYS Music was in attendance for night five, at the budding creative space and music venue Dutch, a small old church off of Main Street bordering the Neighborhood of the Arts.
The centerpiece for the evening was Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani’s Gong Orchestra. Employing fifteen volunteer gong-ists from the area to follow his instructions and direction, Nakatani presented an exhilarating near-hour of non-stop gonging. Through bowing on the gongs’ edges and hitting them with various mallets, the Gong Orchestra pushed the gong’s sound to it’s limit. With every sound multiplied by fifteen it was about as loud and absorbing as un-amplified music can get. Any film makers out there looking for a soundtrack for their mysterious and eery project (thinking Midsommar, Dark etc), give Nakatani a ring, this sound is perfect.
Nakatani Gong Orchestra, photo by Raimund Selke-Fisher
Nakatani followed that up with a solo set, employing his unique kit, of course including a couple of gongs, and his unique playing. Unlike anything most have heard coming from a percussionist previously, and that was the core of the theme for the night, and week. The evening at Dutch also included a short set from Bonnie Kane (saxophone, flute, electronics) and Tracy Lisk (drums) improvising on what could best be described as avant-garde jazz. Another duo, Nick Gianni (saxophone, keys) and Reggie Sylvester (drums) similarly improvised around the outer edges of jazz with Sylvester interspersing some spoken word, with a vague running theme about the pandemic.
Tatsuya Nakatani, photo by Raimund Selke-Fisher
The week’s experiments were as much on stage as they were off. Rochester music lovers came out in strong support, ready to lend an open mind and open ears to widen their net of musical experiences. The question being asked wasn’t “What is experimental music?” it was simply “What is music?” It isn’t clear if Rochester was left with more questions or answers. Either way, Eclectic Overdrive will continue to give the artists a time and a place to run their various experiments. Next year’s Rochester Experimental Week II is already set and in the planning stages, see you in 2023, October 9-16!
For the penultimate stop on Trey Anastasio Band and Goose’s fall tour, the two bands took over War Memorial Arena in Syracuse. Over two sets, both groups showed their comfort level in the arena setting and playing with each other that they have gained over the tour so far.
Goose began their set with “Slow Ready”, easing in with the sultry synth-drenched songs. Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed a change in guitarist Rick Mitarotonda’s amp setup – instead of the Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 we are used to seeing behind him, last night in Syracuse he used a setup not unlike Trey’s classic Mesa Boogie III and a 2×12 wooden cabinet.
Ripping into “Jive I” next, the first of the Jive triptych to make an appearance this tour saw Mitarotonda and multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach trading licks over a hot intro jam ahead of a strong take on the song. “Jive Lee” offered just under ten minutes of solid improv, bassist Trevor Weekz laying down a foundation for Anspach and Mitarotonda to work over.
“Bob Don” came next – an apt performance possibly in honour of the release of EP Undecided yesterday, a surprise drop of four songs recorded during the Dripfield sessions in 2021. “Bob Don” is included on this release, though under the song’s original name “Undecided”. Last night’s version featured the extended outro jam beloved by fans – Anspach’s gentle piano and percussionist Jeff Arevalo’s contributions accentuate the laid-back groove.
A surprise performance of fan-favourite “Factory Fiction” continued the set – the song’s shortest gap ever at just three shows. After a dissonant jam that led to a blazing peak, Goose invited Trey on stage to help close out the set. Starting the sit-in with the highly anticipated “Madhuvan” (or Madhuvanastasio, as it has been called), Anastasio added perfectly to the song, throwing in little riffs and accents as Mitarotonda sang his way through.
Beginning the jam in a spacey motif, Anspach laid some vibraphone-infused piano down as the two guitarists explored the terrain. Starting up a descending progression on piano that the rest of the band quickly locked in to, Anastasio led the way through a major-key section as Mitarotonda joined in for some spot-on harmonization work. Insistent playing from drummer Ben Atkind gradually increased the pace and intensity as the peak drew closer. Locking in on some twin sustain action, the dual-guitar attack shredded the classic Goose jam vehicle to pieces before quieting down into some tension/release runs. Undeniably the improvisational highlight of the night
Bringing out TAB drummer Russ Lawton to help close the set, Goose brought out the catchy “Animal”. With one show remaining, the quintet has proved beyond a doubt that they are up to the arena-size sound.
Goose Setlist: Push On ‘Til the Day, Love Is What We Are, Mozambique, Cayman Review, Camel Walk, Twist, No Men in No Man’s Land, A Life Beyond The Dream, …And Flew Away, Dark And Down, Ghost[1], Hey Stranger[1], Everything’s Right[1], First Tube[2]
Encore: Llama[3], Show of Life[4], Party Time[4]
Coach’s Notes: [1] With Rick on guitar and Peter on keys. [2] With Rick on guitar, Peter on keys, Trevor on bass, and Spuds and Jeff on percussion. [3] Performed in a slow funk style. With Rick on guitar, Peter on keys, and Trevor, Spuds, and Jeff on percussion. [4] With Rick on guitar, Peter on keys, and Trevor, Spuds, and Jeff on percussion.
Before TAB began their set, Trey took a moment to note that percussionst Cyro Baptista would be absent from last night’s concert – an emergency health issue had popped up before showtime. Dedicating the opening “I Never Needed You Like This Before” to the absent percussionist, Trey immediately began stretching his legs improvisationally more than he has all tour with TAB.
The patience and more extended takes on songs continued through “Blaze On” and “Wolfman’s Brother”, seeing Trey leading jams yet also weaving melodies with keyboardist Ray Paczkowski.
“Blazing Down the Twisted Wire” from 2022’s Mercy offered an uptempo breather ahead of “Sand” – bassist Dezron Douglas digging into the song’s signature riff as Trey once again stretched the song slightly beyond its normal length. The peppy “Shine” came next before a deep and groovy “46 Days”. The Phish song saw the horn section departing the stage as Trey shredded over the moody groove. Paczkowski provided the perfect backdrop to the fretboard fireworks on organ and clav.
Numerous peaks later, Trey brought Mitarotonda and Anspach back on stage for an extended sit-in that began with the tour’s second “Mr. Completely”. Taking the first part of the jam to face off with Mitarotonda, Trey traded licks with the Goose guitarist before handing it off to Jen Hartswick on trumpet. Modulating into the typical solo section, trombonist Natalie “Chainsaw” Cressman stepped up next as we were treated to an extended solo where she and Trey faced off at centre stage. Anspach took a solo next, Paczkowski egging him on just like in Glens Falls earlier in the tour.
As the song drew to a close, Lawton and Douglas eased their way into the “Plasma” groove. Trey led the way on this jam, first on some eerie whammy pedal work and then switching on his various synth pedals for a more dissonant section. Paczkowski’s distorted organ perfectly suited the spacey and out-there jam, evolving in one of the most experimental TAB performances of the tour. The 10-piece band then delivered a hot “A Wave of Hope” to close the extended sit-in and set.
For the encore, Anspach and Mitarotonda returned to the stage for the tour’s first “Quantegy” and another blazing reading of “Money, Love and Change”, once more highlighting how locked in the two lead guitarists are to each other at this point in the tour.
With one more show left in TABoose tour, both bands are primed to deliver incredible performances in Reading, PA.
Set 1: I Never Needed You Like This Before, Blaze On, Wolfman’s Brother, Blazing Down the Twisted Wire, Sand, Shine, 46 Days, Mr. Completely [1] > Plasma[1] > A Wave of Hope[1]
Encore: Quantegy[1] > Money, Love and Change[1]
[1] Rick Mitarotonda on guitar and Peter Anspach on keys; setlist via Phish.net
