This past Friday, December 29, punk-rock icon, singer-songwriter, poet, artist, and New York Times Bestselling author Patti Smith graced the stage at the Brooklyn Steel for two nights. Patti returned for her birthday show, this time commemorating turning 77. Fans from all generations came to see Patti’s incredible, lively performance at Brooklyn’s intimate, 1800-capacity venue.
Patti Smith, photographed by Sarah Hyun
Patti Smith, though raised in South Jersey, moved to NYC at the ripe age of 21 to study art and poetry. Her bestselling novel, Just Kids, which details her experience living in NYC, brought a new wave of people—especially younger ones—to Patti’s fanbase and show. Although Patti is not currently touring, she frequently returns to NYC to play with her band which consists of Lenny Kaye, Jay Dee Daugherty, Tony Shanahan, and Jackson Frederick Smith (her son!).
Patti Smith, photographed by Sarah Hyun
Patti opened the night with an extraordinary rendition of “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.” Scaling around the stage with incredible ease and her nimble dance moves, Patti made the crowd go wild with her performance. Her silver braids almost seemed to glow under the stage lights, drawing all eyes to her throughout the whole concert. One fan screamed, “I love you Patti! I’m your number one fan!”
After playing “Free Money,” Patti stopped and began conversing with the crowd about how confusing TV remotes are. “It’s unbelievable right? You need one to put the TV on, the other for volume, and the other to get the Netflix or whatever you want on. It’s taken me hours just to get the TV on.” A fan screamed “Happy Birthday!” where Patti responded with, “Not yet! Don’t age me any faster than I am.”
Ending the night on a powerful note, Patti played “Because the Night” and “People Have the Power,” where she brought out her daughter Jesse Paris Smith and her high school friend Laura to sing. Patti Smith is truly legendary, and her show was nothing short of that.
On Thursday, Dec 28, Dogs In a Pile took center stage at Sony Hall, just a stone’s throw away from Madison Square Garden, where Phish kicked off their much anticipated four-night New Year’s Eve Run. Branded as “The Dog Pound” by the band themselves, fervent fans flocked to the venue, securing their spots before Phish even finished their encore. The eclectic crowd, covered in classic Phish donut wear, Aztec patterns, and tie-dye attire, brought an energy that permeated the air.
Having traversed the entire country on a busy fall tour, Dogs In A Pile had recently graced various New York venues, from Lafayette to Trumansburg, and Williamsburg. Smiles were seen all around as Keyboard player Jeremy Kaplan kicked off the night with a solo opening number, a classical-sounding ballad that set the tone for the night—soon joined by Jimmy Law (guitar and vocals), Joe Babick (drums and vocals), Sam Lucid (Bass), and Brian Murray (guitar and vocals).
Taking the stage shortly after midnight, fans were jumping, jiving throughout the venue from the rails to the back. Dogs In A Pile’s unique sound is a harmonious blend of the unfamiliar and the strangely familiar. Elements of funk, jazz, and classic psychedelic rock ring out, and their songs are carefully constructed, invoking a circus of sound and feeling. The show was complemented by vibrant lighting, captivating The Dog Pound until the wee hours of the morning, almost reaching 4 AM.
A special moment came when the band paid homage to the maestros themselves. The iconic notes of “Harry Hood” rang out, showcasing the band’s technical prowess and precision. With an encore of their popular song “Truck Rum”, the evening winded down and fans retreated home just before sunrise. The echoes of this night continued to reverberate. Dogs in A Pile kept the Phish party alive and elevated it to new heights- a testament to the band’s overall aura and momentum.
For fans in Saratoga Springs, Dogs In A Pile will be at Putnam Palace on 12/30 & 12/31 for what’s sure to be an incredible New Year’s Eve celebration!
Setlist: G Song, Tillie, Feel Like A Stranger, Look Johnny II, You Didn’t Hear It From Me, Let U Go, Go Set > Gumball, Spun > Drums > Harry Hood, Craig and Pat, Appleseed, Linus and Lucy
The four men of Phish returned to Madison Square Garden, their live music home base, to begin another four night run to close out another successful year. It was already their eighth visit in 2023 and their nice-round-number eightieth of their career. It all started with a show almost exactly 29 years prior, with their first traditional four-nighter 25 years ago.
Needless to say, the band felt right at home on the Midtown Manhattan stage. There’s really no need to warm up to the room that plays like their living room, and their comfort was evident from note one. The final shows of the year began with “No Men in No Men’s Land,” with the nod and wink appropriate lyric, “You’re happy that we’re here.” which received a huge roar from the anticipatory crowd. The band found room to let loose as a unit right away, with Mike Gordon’s bass driving the early action.
From there the set would take a sharp nostalgic turn, diving deep into the bands early catalog. Classic Phish fare from the irreverent barbershop-esque “Halley’s Comet,” to some of their earliest “hits” like “Sample in a Jar” and “Bouncing Around the Room” provided the crowd a trip down memory lane. Solid takes on other favorites “Runaway Jim,” “Axilla Part II,” and Son Seals’ “Funky Bitch” set the table for a strong finish.
Sticking to the early material, “Bathtub Gin” would provide the first real fireworks of this New Year’s celebration. Gordon once again pushed the agenda in the early going as the rest of the band remained within “Gin’s” lines. Page McConnell flinched first, moving to his clavinet while Trey Anastatio added sustained wails on guitar. McConell dug into some of his weirder tones and the whole thing got a bit dissonant. John Fishman pushed it forward with a marching beat and eventually locked into a dark groove with Gordon. The dark turned bright in a flash as Anastatio discovered a happy rocking theme that brought the whole thing back into the “Bathtub” to wrap it up neatly.
“Ghost” would top off the set with some more interesting improvisation, all four members combining to find an interesting theme. They quickly worked it to a peak which they sustained at for an incredible high energy workout. Gordon mixed in some “No Men’s” lyrics into the chaos but it all settled back into the “Ghost” groove as the first set of the run came to a close.
“The Howling” got things started in set two, as howling sounds bounced around the room, echoing in surround sound.
“A Wave of Hope” followed, and started innocently enough. The band coasted along for a little bit until you could almost hear the safety line being cut. The whole band dropped any semblance of a connection to the source material, diving into the deep end into a slow ooze. From there they entered mind meld territory, flipping from theme to theme without cue and without hesitation, like it was scripted. The pace quickened, slowed and sped up again. Dark, bright, rocking, cosmic, it was a journey and the map was being drawn in real time. The stage was surrounded by points of white light in a spastic swirl as Anastatio carried the final segment into bliss territory. They found their way to a slick transition into “Rift,” one of a few solid segues on the night.
A quasi-classic “Mike’s Song” > “Simple” segment gave the set more solid anchors to hang some cred on. Gordon played around with the rocking groove as the lights rode the deep end waves, undulating high above. As a counterpoint to the one-ness found throughout “A Wave of Hope,” in “Mike’s” the band fractured, fragmenting and deconstructing pieces of the jam. It got heavy and industrial, but never lost the underlying groove. It roared up to an unusual “Mike’s Song” peak that had hints of “Tweezer Reprise” hidden just beneath the surface.
The ensuing “Simple” again provided a contrast, staying spacey and ambient for most of it’s runtime. And as that time ran low, it transitioned excellently into a rocking “Blaze On” set closer, which featured solid in-the-pocket jamming from the whole unit.
Between new songs, old songs, and a full smattering of influences on display, Phish was setting the table nicely as they invited their fans into their home away from home to celebrate another year in the books. But with a long four-song encore that had multiple “ok now it’s over” moments, they were the hosts who couldn’t let their guests leave without a few proper good-byes. They welcome another party in the next three nights at the Garden. Shows 81 through 83 and year 2024 await. But who’s counting?
Phish – Madison Square Garden – Thursday, December 28, 2023
Set 1: No Men In No Man’s Land, Halley’s Comet, Sample in a Jar, Runaway Jim, Bouncing Around the Room, Axilla (Part II) > Funky Bitch, Bathtub Gin > Ghost
Set 2: The Howling > A Wave of Hope -> Rift > Mike’s Song > Simple > Blaze On
Encore: mercy, The Squirming Coil, Weekapaug Groove > Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.
Trey teased San-Ho Zay in No Men In No Men’s Land. Mike quoted No Men In No Men’s Land during Ghost. Mike’s Song contained sound effects used earlier in the show during The Howling.
NYC native and “troubadour piano man” Craig Greenberg has released his new soulful track “Song of December,” encompassing the feelings that come with the creative process and pushing forward.
Over the past 15+ years, Craig Greenberg has been a staple on the New York City music scene, capturing and building on the spirited ivory traditions of greats like Billy Joel, Ben Folds, and Randy Newman with sparkling, soulful new musical twists, a larger than life personality and his insightful, dramatic sense of storytelling. He has independently released five albums (his most recent EP, Between the Sea and the Sky, released in Dec 2022), and has performed upwards of 1000 shows from New York to Israel, since his start playing in bars while living in Chile, and later Spain, in the early 2000s.
He has received praise in American Songwriter, the Huffington Post, and Relix Magazine, and has been played on radio stations all around the country and internationally. In 2021, his song “Oh Caroline” was placed in the semifinals of the International Song Competition and his music video for “Between the Sea and the Sky” received a Europe Music Video Award in March 2023, and placed finalist in the Around International Film Festival (Paris) in June 2023. He has performed with esteemed musicians such as Jackson Browne, Chris Barron (Spin Doctors), Jane Wiedlin (the Go Go’s), Louise Goffin, and Jerry Joseph.
“Song of December” is a layered track that brings the listener on a journey, with his iconic piano and booming percussions. “It’s a song about the struggle of the creative process, and about finding inspiration to push through that struggle. It’s about looking back at the challenges of the year and looking toward a brighter tomorrow, so it is indeed a hopeful song,” he said. He started writing the song back in 2017 and finally finished it just in time for December.
Greenberg lays all his emotion out in this track, bringing in a multitude of instruments that play together in perfect harmony. With intricate lyrics and soulful vocals, he paints the picture of his struggles with being creative but knows, in the end, everything is going to be okay.
Recently, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Louis Cato performed “Winter Wonderland” on a special holiday edition of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Photo: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS.
GRAMMY-nominated and internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Louis Cato has been keeping audiences engaged on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert since its inception in 2015, and was promoted to the bandleader of the group last summer. Since the age of two, Cato started appreciating music with the purchase of his first drumset, citing artistic influence from southern gospel from his native North Carolina. He has an undeniable talent for crafting sonic landscapes into timeless masterpieces. Releasing his first record STARTING NOW in 2017, Louis Cato produced and mixed the entire record by himself.
His newest record Reflections is slow, spirited, and heavenly, showcasing his kind and empathetic essence. Cato is not just a solo artist though, he has worked with an array of other established musicians, like Snarky Puppy, Jon Batiste, Q-Tip, A Tribe Called Quest, and many more, mixing in his artistic capabilities and talents with theirs. With the voice of an angel, melodies that pull you in, and the funk of James Brown, Cato’s sound is unmistakable.
NPR Music just named “Unsightly Room” from the LP one of the Best Songs of 2023, raving “While other artists released big studio productions, Cato’s simple guitar and haunting voice reaffirm the power of back-to-basics songcraft and storytelling. It’s a deceptively sweet song with an earworm melody, but something truly horrifying is lurking in the shadows.”
For more information about Louis Cato, visit here.
Before signing off for the holidays, David Letterman would have on two regular guests for a Christmas show to end the season.
With Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra looking on, comedian Jay Thomas would regale the crowd with, as Letterman put it, “the best story I’ve ever heard,” about an encounter with Clayton Moore, the actor famous for playing The Lone Ranger. It became a holiday tradition for the 17 years until the Letterman retired in 2015.
After Thomas delivered the punchline, he and David Letterman would alternate throwing a football at the meatball on top of the Late Show Christmas tree. To wrap up the show, and the year for the Late Show, Darlene Love would put on a big production with her holiday show stopper, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
Jay Thomas passed away in 2017, but his humor lives on. Watch below to see the joke over the years.
On December 15th, the indie-pop luminary mxmtoon/Maia wrapped up her “plum blossom (revisited) tour” in style at the cozy Roulette venue in Brooklyn, her adopted home. Despite her Bay Area origins, the artist warmly acknowledged the show as a second hometown gig, solidifying the special bond she shares with the Brooklyn crowd. The night was a whirlwind of distinctive moments, from a fan capturing the event with a 3DS to the collective knuckle-cracking orchestrated by Maia, showcasing both the uniqueness of her fanbase and her penchant for the offbeat.
In a touching moment, the emotional crescendo transpired during the performance of “Stuck.” Overwhelmed by a fan project featuring signs proclaiming “you are more than enough for us,” Maia paused and restarted the song, getting overwhelmed with emotion and tearing up a bit over the profound connection her music forms with her dedicated followers.
The concert became an interactive experience when Maia encouraged the audience to join her in a spirited rendition of “Prom Dress,” a poignant moment of shared emotion. Adding layers of sentimentality, Mxmtoon revealed that “Hong Kong” held a special place in her heart, as it was her mom’s favorite among all her compositions. The setlist, a carefully curated blend of fan favorites and surprises, included an unreleased jewel titled “Sarah,” a clever and quippy exploration of the concept of hate-watching YouTube videos.
The night unfolded as more than just a concert; it was a narrative journey with Maia providing glimpses into the stories behind her songs. The anecdote about “I Feel Like Chet,” a song where her youthful enunciation led to amusing misinterpretations (like “I feel like shit”), showcased her ability to infuse humor into her reflections. The concert concluded with an encore, featuring a cover of Vance Joy’s “Riptide,” cementing the evening as a nuanced exchange between artist and audience, leaving an indelible mark on all those present.
Legendary guitarist Bobby Weir of the Grateful Dead has wrapped up holdng a 5-night run at The Capitol Theatre with the Wolf Bros, featuring The Wolfpack.
The Wolfpack is made up of the Wolf Bros Don Was and Jay Lane, and Jeff Chimenti, who joined Wolf Bros in 2020 around the time of the forming of The Wolfpack, who are a string and brass quintet consisting of Adam Theis, Alex Kelly, Sheldon Brown, Brian Switzer, and Mads Tolling as well as Barry Sless on pedal steel.
The second night of the run, Wednesday, December 13, saw the night start off with just Bobby on stage playing an acoustic “Easy to Slip,” and was then joined by Jay & Don, still on acoustic, for a cowboy favorite, “El Paso.” Bobby switched to electric to play “Queen Jane Approximately” before Chimenti came out for a full electric “Hell in a Bucket,” a crowd favorite. The room was getting hot and The Wolfpack came out to play “The Music Never Stopped”, but for Bob Weir, the music has truly never stopped. The rest of set was joined by Ron Carter on stand up bass and featured a dark and psychedelic “Dark Star” and a roaring “Scarlet Begonias.”
Not bad at all for a Wednesday night! Spirits were high and the second set certainly delivered, starting off strong with “Throwing Stones.” Bobby’s vocals really shined on “Viola Lee Blues” and “Corrina.” This was followed by “Come Together,” an unexpected Beatles cover. Following were delightful symphonic renditions of “China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider,” featuring top notch horn solos accompanied with Bob’s iconic rhythm guitar playing.
Following was a dark and somber “Wharf Rat” with the absolutely iconic Bobby song, “Sugar Magnolia” following. Weir absolutely wails at one point in that song, delivered beautifully but being careful not to blow his voice out before the next three nights at the legendary Capitol Theatre.
The encore was a rather rare “Liberty,” masterfully delivered. The band took a bow and received a small banner stating “Warning: Genius at Work.” A true spectacle of a night, seeing the legendary Grateful Dead guitarist produce a unique soundscape with familiar material, brining the music to new places and keeping it fresh.
Bob Weir and Wolf Bros., – Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – December 13, 2023
Set 1: Easy to Slip, El Paso, Queen Jane Approximately, Hell in a Bucket, The Music Never Stopped, Easy Answers, Dark Star, Scarlet Begonias
Set 2: Throwing Stones, Viola Lee Blues, Corrina, Come Together, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Wharf Rat > Sugar Magnolia
After having a successful year in the movie Barbie as the “weird Barbie,” former SNL cast member Kate McKinnon hosts this year’s holiday episode, with pop icon Billie Eilish as the musical guest.
In true SNLfashion, the cold open focused on an award show called the Christmas Awards, just in time for the holiday season. No stranger to the cold open, Bowen Yang and Heidi Gardner take the role of the award hosts for the evening. The sketch brought the cast together poking fun at Christmas stereotypes, with the bad gift giver that is grandma, and the one relative who brings COVID to the party.
https://youtu.be/mjHV7uAq5fU
Kate McKinnon’s monologue saw her joking about being back at her “old job” at SNL, taking the seat as host tonight, and how uncomfortable she is being herself instead of the weird girl standing next to the hot person. She brought out the piano for a cheery tune, creating a parody of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” stating she was forced to sing. Iconic actors Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig made an appearance, singing the monologue away.
https://youtu.be/xZmFyCTNrPs?si=WFHCksdjqCieZKUS
The next sketch took place at the North Pole, with elves as news anchors, set on the scene of a killer whale attack. Featuring Kate McKinnon as a scared Scot, it showcases how people always take to social media to write thoughts and prayers during a crisis in a silly yet real manner. Making fun of the fact that kids always want dogs for Christmas, SNL created a satirical infomercial with Pongo!, the perfect pet that doesn’t do anything or dies.
No one will ever forget about the iconic group ABBA, and returning to the screen are Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig, with Kate McKinnon and Bowen Yang performing as the group, not missing a chance to do their best Swedish accent impression. Taking their greatest hits, the ABBA parody group remixed their hits, adding Christmas themes. The sketch was full of the cast breaking character, making it even more funny.
Kate McKinnon brings back her singing with Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig again, creating a country tune about Tampon Farm, a fictional place where women grow and harvest tampons. No one could have seen that twist coming, with the audience erupting into a fit of laughter.
Billie Eilish needs no introduction, the pop icon had a successful year with just one song officially announced, “What Was I Made For?” on the Barbie soundtrack. With severalGRAMMY nominations at this year’s award ceremony, and even a Golden Globe nomination for her small role in SWARM, Eilish is just getting started. Just the other night on The Tonight Show, she teased she is working on her next album, with more TBA soon.
Introducing her were McKinnon and in a surprising twist, Greta Gerwig, the director of Barbie. Billie Eilish sang her hit “What Was I Made For,” with her signature breathy vocals, singing on a stool with her brother Finneas playing piano. With a beautifully added string section and accompanying videos of “girlhood” in the background, the song could bring a tear to anybody’s eye and certainly did mine.
https://youtu.be/mkqTsLVHwuQ
The Weekend Update tradition of Michael Che and Colin Jost reading each other’s jokes did not disappoint this year. Each joke was raunchier than the last, leaving most with their jaws hanging wide open.
Billie Eilish ended her SNL appearance with a haunting cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” showcasing her soulful and powerful vocals. During the last sketch, she joined McKinnon cosplaying as crazy cat ladies, showing off several cats.
Just announced on Jan. 20 is Euphoria and Priscilla actor Jacob Elordi hosting, with musical guest Reneé Rapp.
During a famous MTV Unplugged performance, Kurt Cobain once sarcastically asked, “What are they tuning, a harp?” His tone somewhat mocking of the instrument, as if it had no place in his rock n’ roll world. For a long while, I may have thought the same thing too, but then a funny thing happened to me on Thursday, December 7.
That was the night I saw Mikaela Davis and Southern Star perform at Lark Hall in Albany for the first time. Armed with a six-foot-tall harp, a bold voice, and a certain element of mystique, the classically trained harp player-turned-folk rocker completely redefined everything I thought I knew about the instrument, simultaneously shattering whatever limitations my mind may have placed on it.
Mikaela Davis and Souther Star made their Lark Hall debut on December 7th, 2023.
Captivating the audience with a dreamy blend of psychedelic pop, driving folk rock, and a healthy dose of sonic improvisation, Mikaela Davis and Southern Star simply dazzled in Albany. A long-time believer in the group, Greg Bell of Guthrie Bell Productions has often said this is one of his favorite acts and has been bringing them to the Capital Region for years now. Regularly making stops at venues like The Hollow and Putnum Place, this night would mark their graduation to the historic room of Lark Hall. Delivering a dynamic, genre-bending performance full of emotion, beauty, and star-making energy, it was easy to see what all the hype over the talented harp-playing singer and her incredible band was all about.
Originally formed in Rochester, Mikaela Davis and Southern Star have been playing together for over a decade. Notably sharing the stage with the likes of Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, Bon Iver, and Circles Around the Sun, the group released their first full-length album as a band, And Southern Star, in August of this year and it’s already showing up on many of the “year’s best” lists. Focusing much of the show on its material, the multi-layered improvisation that also came from it was nothing short of a breath of fresh air and a major reason why they’ve been so warmly embraced by the extended jam band community.
Home in the Country: Mikaela Davis and Souther Star made themselves at home in Albany on 12/7/23.
Casually kicking things off with the melodic one-two punch of “Cinderella” and “In My Groove,” Mikaela Davis and Southern Star had Lark Hall’s undivided attention from the very start. Along with Davis, Southern Star also consists of the McCarthy brothers, Cian on guitar and sax and Shane on bass, Alex Cote on drums, and the talented Kurt Johnson on pedal and lap steel.
Keeping things going, the infectious single called “Home in the Country” was an early set highlight, as was watching Johnson’s incredible dexterity as he employed a litany of effects and knob turning to his pedal steel rig to create all kinds of subtle textures to accent Davis’s delectate harp in the most sophisticated way.
Kurt Johnson of Southern Star had his hands full on pedal and lap steel on 12/7/23.
After a bit of funky plucking on 2018’s “Get Gone”, “Far From You” would cross over into a more euphoric fairytale-type feel before landing on what would ultimately be the centerpiece of the show, an enchanting and transformative take on the Grateful Dead’s “Here Comes Sunshine.” Showcasing their propensity to improvise just as Garcia and company famously did, the stunning arrangement felt right at home at Lark Hall, a venue that recently expanded to include a Dead-inspired wine and coffee bar downstairs dubbed The Eleven. The lengthy rendition commanded your attention and was enough to win over any of the Heads in the audience who still weren’t sure of the greatness happening before our ears and eyes.
Here Comes Sunshine: Mikaela Davis and Southern Star wowed the Lark Hall crowd with their Grateful Dead cover on 12/7/23.
What started as a chilled-out version of “Leave it Alone” soon boiled over into blues-rock territory before seamlessly finding the opening chords of “Promise,” the second single from And Southern Star. With the crowd fully engaged and swaying to the up-tempo vibe and colorful riffs, the band’s synergy and skill were on full display. As the momentum continued to build, perhaps the most “rockin’” song of the night came next with a jammed-out version of “Don’t Stop Now,” featuring one of multi-instrumentalist Cian McCarthy’s best solos of the night.
Pausing to thank the audience for coming out and commenting on how nice it was to be playing Lark Hall for the first time, Mikaela then broke the news that she’s already looking forward to coming back in a few months with her pals (and fellow 2023 Lark Hall alumni), Circles Around the Sun.
Talking from the heart about how special it is to play music live, she also mentioned the best way to directly support touring artists is by picking up some of their merch at the gigs. Davis and Southern Star would then bring the main portion of the show to a close with a beautiful rendition of “Pure Divine Love,” before returning for a luscious encore of “Other Lover” from Mikaela’s debut 2018 album, Delivery.
After wrapping up their final show of the year with a hometown throwdown in Rochester, Mikaela Davis and Southern Star already have their sights firmly set on 2024. The band has just announced a full slate of new tour dates alongside psychedelic, Dead-inspired prog jammers Circles Around Sun. The collaborative tour is set to feature several New York dates with stops at Brooklyn Bowl, Ithaca’s Deep Dive, and Buffalo Iron Works.
Mikaela Davis | December 7, 2023 | Lark Hall | Albany, NY
Setlist: Cinderella > In My Groove, Home in the Country, Get Gone, Far From You, Here Comes Sunshine, Leave it Alone > Promise, Don’t Stop Now, Pure Divine Love
