Taper’s Choice, the Los Angeles jamband super group have announced fall tour dates, kicking off with a pair of shows at Union Pool in Brooklyn over September 15-16. They’ll also make a stop at Woodsist Fest, held in Accord, NY on September 22.
Taper’s Choice – Alex Bleeker (Real Estate), Dave Harrington (Darkside), Zach Tenorio-Miller (Arc Iris) and Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend) – will make stops in Montague, Mass for a show at Big Brown, then head up to Burlington for a show at the famed Nectar’s. They’ll then head back down toward the Hudson Valley for their appearance at Woodsist Festival, which will also see performances by Kevin Morby, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Avery Tare, Woods, Cass McCombs, Bombino, Natural Information Society, Scientist, MJ Lenderman, Water from Your Eyes and more.
As Aquarium Drunkard notes in their interview with Taper’s Choice, the band took the stage to a sold out crowd at Gold Diggers in East Hollywood, CA, without having played a note together. The crowd was in agreement as the musicianship on display thrust the band into conversations among jamband aficionados, quickly becoming a sought after ticket at clubs around the country.
Six years after the fateful Curveball, Phish will once again host a summer music festival, this time in Dover, Delaware, on the grounds of Firefly Music Festival.
The news was broken on social media today, with a Save the Date for August 15-18, 2024.
The announcement – nearly 11 months before the event kicks off, included the following message:
“Save the Date for the next Phish festival! August 15-18, 2024 at The Woodlands in Dover, Delaware. More info about tickets, camping, Glen Close and travel packages coming later this fall. Make sure you’re signed up for the Phish Update to hear about it first (via email + our shiny new SMS list). Sign up at phish.com/update.”
Phish last held a festival in 2015 with Magnaball in Watkins Glen, their 11th overall music festival. Curveball in 2018 was cancelled just before the musics started, due to water supply issues, leaving many fans wondering if a Phish festival would ever return to Watkins Glen, or anywhere else. Today, Phish fans can rest assured as they plan for a unique music festival experience, featuring only Phish as well as plenty of unexpected surprises, art installations, and much more. Stay tuned for updates on Phish’s first shows in Delaware since 1994.
The 2023 Albany Latin Fest was held on Saturday, August 26 in Washington Park, with the day-long family-friendly community event hosting music and fun activities for children and adults alike. All throughout the park, families and friends celebrated Latin American culture while enjoying games, dominoes, food trucks, and live music performances.
Live music and cultural performances were presented by Legacy Women, Son Latino, Lulada Club and Puncho & The Boricua Legends. Sibie LaVoz paid homage to Hip Hopâs 50th Anniversary, being celebrated in 2023. During the live performances, crowds were growing, dancing and grooving to the variety of Latin music on hand this afternoon. Sponsors, Congressman Paul Tonko and Organizers of Latin Fest spoke on Latin Culture and their yearly involvement with Latin Fest, and efforts within the Latin community of the greater Capital District.
For many years, Albany Latin Fest has established itself as a unique platform in the Capital Region, providing the local Hispanic population with deserved recognition as a vital element of the community. At Latin Fest, the showcasing of local, regional and international performing artists provides commercial and non-profit businesses and organizations access to the local Hispanic population and engaging in coalition building efforts to address recent disaster relief efforts. Â All photos by Mabou Riddick for NYS Music.
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band have postponed all performances currently scheduled for September 2023, beginning with Thursday’s show scheduled for the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse.
Mr. Springsteen is being treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease and the decision of his medical advisors is that he should postpone the remainder of his September shows.
Springsteen made the following comment:
“Over here on E Street, we’re heartbroken to have to postpone these shows. First, apologies to our fabulous Philly fans who we missed a few weeks ago. We’ll be back to pick these shows up and then some. Thank you for your understanding and support. We’ve been having a blast at our US shows and we’re looking forward to more great times. We’ll be back soon. Love and God bless all, Bruce”
Ticketholders will receive information regarding rescheduled dates for the postponed shows, which are listed below.
The new date for his Albany show is for April 15, 2024.
Thurs, September 7 – Syracuse, NY @ JMA Wireless Dome Sat, September 9 – Baltimore, MD @ Oriole Park at Camden Yards Tues, September 12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena Thurs, September 14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena Sat, September 16 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena Tues, September 19 – Albany, NY @ MVP Arena Thurs, September 21 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena Fri, September 29 – Washington, DC @ Nationals Park
GWAR have released a 10th Anniversary Edition of Battle Maximus. fully remixed and remastered, this edition features the final recorded vocal performance of Oderus Urungus on the previously unreleased and never-before heard song “Tammy, The Swine Queen.”
10 years have passed since the release of GWAR’s masterwork known as Battle Maximus, which served as a tribute to fallen Scumdog Warrior Flattus Maximus (AKA Corey Smoot) and was also the last album recorded with vocalist Oderus Urungus (AKA Dave Brockie) before he departed the planet Earth in 2014.
“Musically, ‘Battle Maximus’ is a great debut work by Pustulus Maximus, and lyrically, it is the final word of lead singer and band founder Oderus Urungus, The record is run through with the desperate, dangerous, and fully bananas imagination of Oderus. In fact, this re-release includes a song so nutty we named it twice, and then promptly forgot to put it on the record the first time around. ‘Tammy, Queen of Dirt,’ or, ‘Tammy the Swine Queen’ is the final performance of the maestro of mayhem, Oderus Urungus, and for our fans, it does not disappoint,”
Blothar the Berserker
This Fall, GWAR declares war on humanity (again) on their upcoming “Age of Imbeciles” Tour. The infamous Lords and Masters of Shock Rock will return to the road wreaking havoc, and laying waste to audiences across the US and Canada this Fall. Shows in New York include at the Palladium Times Square and The Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls.
The tour features support from Negative Approach, X-Cops and Cancer Christ on select dates. A complete list of dates can be found below.
Pink Talking Fish has mapped out the rest of 2023 with an extensive December tour, that brings the band from the east coast, with shows in Port Chester and Buffalo, before heading west with a New Years run in Denver. A pair of shows in December will also feature the legendary Giant Country Horns for a pair of shows with Pink Talking Fish.
After a run of shows in September and October, Pink Talking Fish will kick off December by bringing Phish’s horn section “The Giant Country Horns” out for 2 shows in Burlington VT and Keene NH. The Keene show is at The Colonial Theatre which is home to one of the more famous performances during the 1991 Phish Tour with The Giant Country Horns and became a Live Phish release.
A Midwest run starts in Buffalo at Buffalo Iron Works on December 13, and will then move through Ohio and end in Chicago IL, and following a holiday break, Pink Talking Fish will close out the year with a two-show run in Denver, CO on 12/30 and 12/31.
Pink Talking Fish Fall Tour
9/08: Syracuse NY at The Westcott Theater
9/09: Bedminster NJ at Fiddlefest
9/10: Weatogue CT at Talcott Mountain Collective
9/16: Morrisville VT at Oxbow Riverfront Park – Keep On Growing
9/22: Plymouth NH at The Flying Monkey – Dark Side Of The Moon 50th Anniversary Celebration
9/23: Boston MA at The Paradise – 10-Year Anniversary Celebration
10/04: Washington DC at Pearl Street Warehouse
10/05: Waynesboro VA at The Foundry
10/06: Raleigh NC at Bowstring Brewyard
10/07: Charleston SC at The Pour House
10/08: Asheville NC at Salvage Station
10/14: Port Chester NY at The Capitol Theatre – This Must Be The Cirque
10/21: Ardmore PA at Ardmore Music Hall
10/27: East Greenwich RI at The Greenwich Odeum
10/28: Port Washington NY at Landmark On Main
Pink Talking Fish December Tour
12/01: Burlington VT at Higher Ground – w/ The Giant Country Horns
12/02: Keene NH at The Colonial Theatre – w/ The Giant Country Horns
12/09: Portland ME at The State Theatre
12/13: Buffalo NY at Buffalo Iron Works
12/14: Columbus OH at Woodlands Tavern
12/15: Covington KY at The Madison Theater
12/16: Chicago IL at Park West
12/30: Denver CO at So Many Roads Museum & Brewery
12/31: Denver CO at So Many Roads Museum & Brewery
Vermont-based jam quartet Twiddle have announced The A-List: A Live Compilation of Music from April 2022-March 2023, releasing September 8th, their first live record since 2019’s Unplugged in Burlington.
Produced by Adrian Tramontano, mastered by Dave DeCristo, and recorded and mixed by Sam Johnson, the 24 live cuts were hand-picked by the band from some of their favorite shows over the past year, adding up to more than 4.5 hours of music from 14 different shows.
The first single from the record is now available on all streaming services – a beautifully extended “Jamflowman” from their 10/26/22 show at The Underground in Charlotte, NC.
The “Jamflowman” from Charlotte in October of last year was one of those moments of musical synchronicity that we aim for in our improv. We hope you dig this as the first cut from the A-List, and can’t wait for you all to hear the full thing in a few weeks!
Mihali Savoulidis
The 14-minute odyssey captures the band clicking on all cylinders during a period of significant growth, traversing peaks and valleys, showcasing the band’s technical skills, and capturing the magic of their live shows.
photo by Dave Decrescente
A limited edition Gatefold Double LP featuring 11 of the best live tracks from the record is also now available for pre-order on the band’s merch store. Pressed on clear wax with green and purple splatter, the LP’s artwork features the photography of longtime band-photographer, Dave Decrescente.
Twiddle The A-ListTracklist
1. Syncopated Healing (11/12/22 – Delmar Hall, St. Louis, MO)
2. Jamflowman (10/26/22 – The Underground, Charlotte, NC)
3. Gatsby the Great (2/26/23 – Crystal Bay Crown Room, Crystal Bay, NV)
With profound sadness, we report that James Casey, who played saxophone in Trey Anastasio Band, Lettuce and Billy and the Kids, has lost his two-year battle with colon cancer. The news was shared on James’ social media on Monday morning, August 28.
A statement from James’ family shared on social media and GoFundMe reads:
It is with profound grief and a broken heart that we confirm the passing of James Casey. He died peacefully in the early morning of August 28, 2023, surrounded by his wife and family.
James persevered through his colon cancer battle for two years, and it was the honor of his career to release solo music and perform during that time. James brought joy to everyone around him and his legacy will live on, both through his music and the advocacy work that’s become so integral to him.
It was so important to James to help others avoid his fate – to learn the importance of early colon cancer screenings, know your family history, and be an advocate for your own health. When detected early, colon cancer is almost always curable. He shared his diagnosis publicly and illuminated his ongoing battle to raise awareness and help others.
James was a remarkable human being, beloved for his wit, humility, kindness and generosity. He will be dearly missed.
James Casey was born in Washington, D.C., raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and emerged from a musical family with an insatiable passion for the arts. He enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and later relocated to New York City, where he quickly established his presence in the music scene, joining fellow Berklee alumni in Soulive, and Lettuce and later, Trey Anastasio Band, all as saxophonist. Across North America and stages around the world, Casey was a sought-after musician whose talent knew no bounds.
Among the artists James performed or collaborated with include The Roots, Phish, Meghan Trainor, Anderson .Paak, The Jonas Brothers, Maceo Parker, Carly Rae Jepsen, J.Cole, Leslie Odom Jr., Dave Matthews Band, Sabrina Claudio, Chaka Khan, Wu-Tang, John Legend, Roy Hargrove, Soulive, Lettuce, Shawn Mendes, 5th Harmony, and many more.
James also appeared on albums for artists including Brooke Parrott (Another City), J. Cole (2014 Forest Hills Drive), Jesse McCartney (In Technicolor), Chromeo (White Women), Talib Kweli (P.O.C LIVE!), Brady Watt (Good Medicine), Phish (Big Boat), Michael Kiwanuka (Kiwanuka, Final Days), among many others.
Bandleader Trey Anastasio said on social media:
I’m heartbroken about the loss of our friend and bandmate James. My heart is with James’ mother and father, his beautiful wife Ayla, and with the rest of his amazing family.
James was a magnificent soul. His spirit and personality glowed. His playing was elegant, stormy, soulful and lyrical. He was a powerful and melodic improviser, and spot on when reading intricate charts. His tone was full and warm, his singing voice was beautiful. I loved harmonizing with James. His smile filled the room.
I’ll never forget the feeling of jousting with James on baritone sax and guitar. We would make eye contact and just go for it, diving into waves of sound together. Dark, scary, blues-filled jams. He was a force of nature. It felt like being in a tiny boat together in a huge storm in the middle of the ocean.
It’s impossible to describe the deep connection that James, Natalie, and Jen had as a horn section in TAB. It was a magical, once in a lifetime section. Deep bonds of musicianship and friendship.
James’s connection with Ayla was indescribable. She poured her complete soul into caring for James throughout every second of his battle with cancer. James talked about how much it meant to him. All of James’ friends and family will be forever grateful to Ayla. All of us in the band loved seeing the two of them together. You could feel the deep love they had for each other. My heart is with Ayla today. We love you Ayla.
We all especially loved the nights on tour when James’ incredible family would come to shows. I loved seeing them laughing together in catering, or at soundcheck. James was a kind, loving, talented, and caring person, and a beautiful friend. His family completed that picture. James will be missed by all of us who loved him. James, you live in our hearts forever
Trey Anastasio
James was also known to perform with Phil Lesh and Friends, as well as Billy & The Kids, the latter of which was a quarantine connection in Hawai’i, with a detailed first-hand account from Benjy Eisen showcasing his innate ability to connect with musicians of any ilk. Said Eisen, “He showed up to rehearsal at a remote little jungle shack in Kauai and before he officially met everyone, he just started playing. Improvising. And he was instantly a full-time Kid.”
Relix notes that it was when Casey crossed paths with Trey Anastasio Band trumpeter Jennifer Hartswick during the 2012 Bowlive run at Brooklyn Bowl, leading to Anastasio recognizing his immense talent, inviting him to join Trey Anastasio Band, forming an iconic horn section of Casey, Hartswick and trombonist Natalie Cressman.
TAB horns – photo by Filip Zalewski
Two years ago, James announced he had been diagnosed with colon cancer, one that disproportionately affects African-American men and women. James continued to perform when he could in between treatments, releasing a Christmas album, A Little Something for Everyone. The first solo work from Casey, the album was created in partnership with the Nancy Langhorne Foundation, with proceeds benefitting the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Eastern Virginia Medical School’s HOPES Clinic, providing free colon cancer screenings for the uninsured.
Casey began sharing tracks from his still unreleased solo EP, The Kaua’i Project, and released an inspiring short film, Music as Medicine: a James Casey Story, both earlier this year. The film advocates for early colon cancer screening–particularly within the Black community–by utilizing Casey’s music to raise awareness about the disease.
James waged a battle against cancer with humility and grace, fighting valiantly until the end. James made it a point to use his platform and voice as a way to advocate for early colon cancer screenings, taking his battle public and advocating for the lives of others. His absence from the New York City music scene and the stages he would have played upon, will not be forgotten.
Phish began their seven-night run at Madison Square Garden (MSG) on Friday, July 28, a well-anticipated run in the middle of their Summer Tour, which was recently extended to include two benefit shows at SPAC in late August.
photo by Cory Schwartz
Kicking off Night 1 with the re-emergence of “Evening Song,” which hadn’t been played live in more than a year, Phish shifted into an extended and spaced out “Wave Of Hope,” two common themes through each set of music so far. Friday’s first set also featured a funked out “Cities,” an all-too-fitting “Old Home Place” for the band’s 73rd performance at Madison Square Garden, and an explosive “My Soul” to cap things off.
photo by Cory Schwartz
Friday’s second set began with “More” and the band took this to heart and applied it to the massive “Ruby Waves” that followed, one of the new truer jam vehicles of this era. Seamless segues into a riveting “Plasma” and “Simple” also highlighted the set before a super dark, scary and all around amazing “Split Open and Melt” served as a momentous set closer.
photo by Cory Schwartz
Phish – Friday, July 28th, 2023 – Madison Square Garden (MSG), New York, NY
Set 1: Evening Song > A Wave of Hope, Cities, The Old Home Place > Free, Brian and Robert, Stash, My Soul
Set 2: More > Ruby Waves-> Plasma > Simple > Mountains in the Mist, Split Open and Melt
Encore: Good Times, Bad Times
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E3fslzpJiU
Saturday evening’s show picked up right where Friday’s left off in terms of energy and musical cohesiveness beginning with the show-starting “Get Back On The Train.” Phish again delivered a massive blow in the two-spot with an early but effective “Down With Disease.” More familiar first set tunes like ”Sugar Shack” and “Horn” also made appearances. And the band continues to mix in newer material in their sets with songs like Anastasio’s quarantine tune “Evolve,” a song quickly growing in popularity. A classic take on “Foam” followed by a rousing cover of David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” ended the first set in fine fashion.
photo by Cory Schwartz
Phish continued to kick out the jams in the second set, courtesy of a super extended and exploratory “Fuego” that clocked in at close to thirty minutes in all. This was followed by another one of the new songs that is quickly making a name for itself, “Oblivion.” The set was punctuated by an absolutely raucous “2001” that had all of Madison Square Garden in a collective uproar. Things lightened up a bit afterwards with the first “Cracklin’ Rosie” cover in eleven years. There was still room for one more rocker though and “First Tube” in its typical encore slot more than served that purpose, with the Garden loudly showing its collective appreciation once more.
Phish – Saturday, July 29th, 2023 – Madison Square Garden (MSG), New York, NY
Set 1: Back On The Train > Down With Disease, The Dogs, Bug, Sugar Shack, Evolve, Horn > Foam, Moonage Daydream
Set 2: The Wedge, Fuego > Oblivion > Wingsuit > Also Sprach Zarathustra,->Hold Your Head Up > Cracklin’ Rosie > Hold Your Head Up, Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S
Encore: Farmhouse, First Tube
The “can’t miss” Sunday show featured a first set of all old school songs played in the new school fashion, beginning with a show-opening “AC/DC Bag” that took a stroll for a bit before melding into “My Friend, My Friend.” The opening stanza also featured a truly interesting and slightly funked out “Theme From The Bottom,” the “newest” song played in the set. Things amped up even further with the rollicking “Llama” that followed which featured some mesmerizing lighting effects.
Phish then reintroduced some newer material in the second set with a “Sigma Oasis” opener that set the table for the first ever performance of “Life Saving Gun.” The “No Men In No Man’s Land” that followed featured one of the heavier and more experimental jams of the evening and the band even dusted off “Frankie Says” for a rare second set appearance. The second set concluded with “Light” and its typical powerhouse accompanying jam. An encore of “Suzy Greenberg” and a fiery take on Jimi Hendrix’s “Izabella” served as a fitting conclusion for the first weekend of Phish’s summer residency at MSG.
Phish – Sunday, July 30th, 2023 – Madison Square Garden (MSG), New York, NY
Set 1: AC/DC Bag->My Friend, My Friend->Bathtub Gin, Theme From The Bottom>Llama, Tube>Golgi Apparatus
Set 2: Sigma Oasis, Life Saving Gun>No Men In No Man’s Land>Lonely Trip>Frankie Says>Gotta Jibboo>Light
New York’s own Tony Bennett, one of the most awarded singers of his generation, has passed away at age 96. His death marks the end of a recent battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and a life filled with chart-topping hits and almost every musical accolade possible, including 20 Grammys, a Lifetime Achievement Award and two Primetime Emmys. His signature jazzy singing style and notable duets with contemporary superstars allowed Bennett to forge a career that lasted nearly 70 years in total.
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
Anthony Dominick Benedetto was born in Long Island City in Queens on August 3, 1926, the son of Italian immigrants. He and his older siblings grew up in poverty in New York, in the face of The Great Depression. Although his father passed away when Tony was only 10 years old, he helped him develop a love for arts and music like Al Jolson and Louis Armstrong. With the help of an uncle who worked in vaudeville. Tony Bennett was already performing live at 13 years old, singing at various Italian restaurants in Queens. He attended New York’s School of Industrial Art but dropped out at age 16 to help support his family. He never gave up on his dream of being a singer though, continuing to amass gigs as a singing waiter at restaurants as well as a a successful run at a Paramus, NJ night club.
In 1944, Bennett was drafted into the US Army during the latter stages of World War II and even spent time on the front lines at one point in Germany. Upon discharge, he studied at the American Theatre Wing on the GI Bill. Here, he was taught the bel canto singing discipline which would allow to sing him for as long as he did. It was at this time that he also first started to develop his atypical approach of imitating, as he sang, the style and phrasing of other musicians.
Pearl Bailey gave Tony his big break in 1949, asking him to open for her at a show in Greenwich Village. This led to a deal with Columbia Records where Bennett’s career first started out as a commercial pop singer. His first big hit was “Because Of You,” a ballad with a lush Percy Faith-led Orchestra. It reached #1 on the charts in 1951 and stayed there for ten weeks.
Bennett continued to score more number ones in the early part of the 50s with songs like his rendition of “Blue Velvet” and “Rags To Riches.” He even had a short-lived television variety show in 1956, The Tony Bennett Show, which served as a replacement to The Perry Como Show. As the age of rock and roll ushered in, Bennett adapted accordingly with more jazz-oriented long form recordings like Cloud 7 and the critically acclaimed The Beat Of My Heart which featured icons like Art Blakey and Candido Camero. He even became the first male pop vocalist to sing with the Count Basie Orchestra.
Bennett was also a notable advocate for civil rights. He participated at the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches and performed at a rally the night before Martin Luther King’s “How Long, Not Long” speech. His career and popularity took a noticeable dip in the ’60s and ’70s where he tried, unsuccessfully, to record contemporary rock songs. He bounced around between different labels and even started his own record company called Improv which was out of business by 1977.
After a near fatal overdose and an ongoing battle with the IRS, Bennett hired his son as manager in an effort to turn his career around. He was able to get his expenses under control, moved him back to New York, and began booking him in colleges and small theaters to distance him from a “Vegas” image. By 1986, Tony Bennett was re-signed to Columbia Records, this time with creative control, and released his first album to reach the charts since 1972, The Art Of Excellence.
He continued to stay relevant throughout the ’80s and ’90s thanks to the guidance of his new management which regularly booked him on TV shows like Letterman and Late Night With Conan O’Brien. In 1993, Bennett played a string of benefit concerts organized by alternative radio stations around the country, introducing a whole new generation to composers like Cole Porter and Gershwin. He even made an appearance at the MTV Movie Video Awards alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers, cementing the gap between his and the current generation. His 1994 appearance on MTV’s influential Unplugged is heralded as one of the better episodes and may have marked the peak of Bennett’s popularity.
Bennett continued to tour extensively throughout the 90s, including a memorable appearance at Glastonbury in 1998, with his financial worries long a thing of the past. He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997. Tony Bennett is also a member of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
The latter part of his career may have produced one of his more successful recordings of all time in Duets: An American Classic, which was released in 2006 as part of a celebration of Bennett’s 80th birthday, receiving two Grammy awards and resulting in a slew of corresponding concerts and TV specials. A sequel, Duets II, was released five years later featuring collaborations with artists like Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson and Lady Gaga. His recording of “Body and Soul” for the album with Amy Winehouse is reportedly the last one she made before her death.
In 2021, Tony Bennett announced his retirement from concerts and released his final album Love For Sale, another collaboration with Lady Gaga. With this, he broke the record for longest span of top-10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart for any living artist. He also broke the Guiness World Record for the oldest person to release an album of new material, at the age of 95 years and 60 days. Fittingly, his last live performances were also with Lady Gaga in 2021 that was later aired as a television special. Bennett is survived by by his wife, Susan Benedetto; his two sons, Danny and Dae Bennett; his daughters, Joanna Bennett and Antonia Bennett; and nine grandchildren.
