Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) have wrapped up a weekend that saw the Grateful Dead tribute act celebrate 10 years as a band with a 4 night run, including one at the Brooklyn Bowl & three nights at The Capitol Theatre. Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir even made a surprise guest appearance at the Brooklyn Bowl show.
The first night at The Capitol Theatre run on Friday, January 27, started off with a jam > “Scarlet Begonias”. The first set featured “Six Days on The Road”, “Hell in a Bucket”, “The Eleven”, & concluded with a thorough jammed out “I Know You Rider”.
The second set featured a funky “Cats Under The Stars”, “Feel Like a Stranger”, and dead head favorite “Franklin’s Tower”. The second set was concluded with “Days Between” which was rather slow and somber but well executed. The band encored with “Not Fade Away” & “In the Meantime” a Spacehog cover that left some of the audience a bit confused, but thoroughly delighted nonetheless.
Check out the setlists and videos from JRAD’s 10 years anniversary run below.
Thursday, January 26 – Brooklyn Bowl
Set 1: Tennessee Jed > Till the Morning Comes > Jack Straw* > The Music Never Stopped* > Let It Grow Set 2: Shakedown Street > Truckin’ > Viola Lee Blues > Althea > Ten Years Gone > The Other One > How Many More Times > Breathe > Terrapin Station Encore: Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues * with Bob Weir
Friday, January 27 – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester
Set 1: Jam > Scarlet Begonias > Six Days On The Road > Hell in a Bucket > Black Peter > The Eleven > I Know You Rider Set 2: Man Smart, Woman Smarter > Cats Under the Stars > Feel Like a Stranger > Franklin’s Tower > Throwing Stones > Days Between Encore: Not Fade Away > In the Meantime
Saturday, January 28 – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester
Set 1: Foolish Heart > Slipknot! > Casey Jones > Cumberland Blues > My Brother Esau > Box of Rain > Playing in the Band Set 2: Rubin and Cherise > Hard to Handle > Eyes of the World > Brown-Eyed Women > Estimated Prophet > Ramble On Rose > Good Lovin’ > Touch of Grey Encore: Deal
Sunday, January 29 – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester
Set 1: Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance > St. Stephen > Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line > Dire Wolf > Uncle John’s Band > King Solomon’s Marbles > Uncle John’s Band > It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry > Wharf Rat > Jack-A-Roe Set 2: Fire on the Mountain > Samson and Delilah > Mission in the Rain > Dancing in the Street > New Speedway Boogie > Dancing in the Street > West L.A. Fadeaway > Dear Mr. Fantasy > Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad Encore: Bertha
On Friday, January 27th, Penelope Scott played a one-off show at the iconic venue Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn. With support from openers Hank and Yot Club, there was a dynamic and vivacious energy as the performances spoke for themselves and the audience participated in their own way.
Photographed by Chinaza Ajuonuma
Penelope Scott is an American singer-songwriter who has produced all of her own music. Scott’s debut album, Public Void, was released on Bandcamp on August 29, 2020, then on streaming services on September 25, 2020. In November 2020, her music found a larger audience on Tik Tok. Her song “Rät” went viral with tens of thousands of videos made with the song. The song expresses disappointment with Silicon Valley and technology billionaires, particularly Elon Musk “Rät” peaked at 29 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart.
A week after playing at the first annual This is Home benefit show at Racket on Jan 11th, Penelope announced the Jan 27th one-off show on Instagram. Her companions were Yot Club, aka Ryan Kaiser (who also played at the benefit show), and Hank, both of whom played their first ever Baby’s All Right show on the 27th.
Photographed by Chinaza Ajuonuma
Hank performed first, letting the audience know that despite being an NYC local, they had never played at Baby’s All Right. Hank’s music is self-described as “music for truck drivers who wear short jorts and rip juuls” which was evident in their setlist. With a sound that can be described as pop indie tunes with a southern twang, their set kicked the show off with an animated and captivating vibe.
After his last appearance alongside Penelope and friends at the This is Home Benefit show on Jan 11th, Yot Club (Ryan Kaiser) took the stage again right after Hank. Although it was also his first time ever playing a show at Baby’s, he has toured with Penelope before, revealing he loves opening for her fans due to their open and energetic demeanor.
During his set, Kaiser played his signature lo-fi bedroom pop beats with songs like “YKWIM?”, “Japan”, and a Mountain Goats cover of “No Children” for what turned out to be an electric performance with the crowd screaming back lyrics.
Photographed by Chinaza Ajuonuma
By the time Penelope Scott came on stage, the crowd was thoroughly warmed up and buzzing with excitement. She showcased her musical prowess by jumping from her borrowed guitar (courtesy of Kaiser) to the keyboard, to her prerecorded electronic tracks. Throughout the show, her moxie and vivacious spirit infected the crowd as she busted out some dance moves, accepted a fan-made bracelet, and did a bottle flip challenge during an instrumental break. By the time the show came to a close, Scott debuted a couple of half-baked bangers that she affectionately referred to as “campfire time”. After closing her eyes and throwing her setlist into the crowd, she left the crowd with a liveliness that defines a Penelope Scott show.
Photographed by Chinaza Ajuonuma
Be sure to keep up with all these artists on socials, especially since there are some shows that just can’t be missed!
Yot Club can be found opening for Skegss during their US tour dates, and you can catch Hank next month on February 12th. They’ll be performing at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn with friends as part of Cumulonimbus, a collaborative music playlist that Hank is featured on.
Photographed by Chinaza Ajuonuma
Hank Setlist: Call Me Hank, All for You (Baby), Adore You [Miley Cyrus cover], Bugs, Good Guy Hard Life, One True Dear, Your Ex Man
Yot Club Setlist: u dont kno me, Comfort Zone, Dog Song, down bad, No Children [The Mountain Goats cover], YKWIM?, The Bay, Fly Out West, Mardi gras, anything, japan
Penelope Scott Setlist: Pseudophed, Sweet Hibiscus Tea, Feel Better, Bad Advice, Baxter 3rd Is Under Fucking Siege, 7’Oclock, Lavender, American Healthcare, Montreal, Runaway, Cool Girl Shuffle, Cigarette Ahegao, Gross, TOML, Rät, Lotta True Crime, Sineater, Cemetary Pigeons [unreleased], Something Blue [unreleased]
Photograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza AjuonumaPhotograph by Chinaza Ajuonuma
Brooklyn‘s Oropendola has announced the release of her newest LP Waiting For The Sky To Speak out on March 17th. Along with this exciting news, she has just released the single track on the album “Knocking Down Flowers,” accompanied with a beautifully hazy and shimmering video to go with it.
When listening to “Knocking Down Flowers,” Schubert finds life in the least likely of places: a construction site. Here, she recognizes and illuminates the power of living at the intersection of contrasts.
Waiting For The Sky To Speak is Joanna Schubert’s debut album as Oropendola, a word that means “golden pendulum.” The album’s emotional core comes through on roiling ballad “Trust the Sun” and clear-eyed album closer “When You Carried Me,” which both look to the sun, another kind of golden pendulum, as a guiding force.
Set to release March 17th, these tracks shimmer with bursts of energy and emotion, swinging from playfulness to earnestness with deft, technicolor brushstrokes. The album is a celebration of choosing life even in the face of its ephemerality, and of finding motion even in the midst of stillness.
While much of the rest of Waiting for the Sky to Speak careens across black-ice patches of inner conflict, both these songs offer a tentative hand outward, towards love, friendship, and family. The fixed sun in a changeable sky as she coaxes herself back out into the world.
Joanna says of the track and its inspiration, “In January 2020, I started recording myself improvising every morning – “morning pages” inspired by The Artist’s Way, a creative self-help book. I recorded morning pages #1 soon after a pivotal, complicated, on-and-off relationship “reached its end. Round and round we went, addicted to one another, unable to break free of a sticky cycle that prevented us from fully blooming together. That song seed turned into Knocking Down Flowers within a few days.”
To listen to more of Oropendola, click the link here.
For more information about Oropendola and upcoming tour dates, click the link here.
For the second episode ofSaturday Night Live in 2023, Michael B. Jordan, star of the Creed franchise, hosted for the first time with musical guest Lil Baby.
The cold open featured Mikey Day as Attorney General Merrick Garland, who made light of classified documents found in former presidents homes, but made Garland out to seem more serious and tough than his demeanor implies. Day (as Garland) said, “I may look like I was born in a library, but there is something you should know: Merrick Garland don’t play.” The opening ended with a reference to Tyre Nichols and the recent release of videos confirming police brutality, this time in Memphis.
For his monologue, Michael B. Jordan wore a plum colored suit, offering that “Tonight, Michael B. Hosting. Michael B. Nervous. Michael B. Vulnerable. Michael will be aight.” Reaffirming that he was indeed single, Jordan had a playful monologue, with female cast members coming to the stage hitting on him, including Ego Nwodim in a full wedding dress.
The first sketch of the night was one of the strongest, with a ‘Good Morning Today’ TV show with a premise of a cooking segment being conducted by a reporter (Sarah Sherman) and weatherman (Jordan) both of whom were stuck on a roller coaster for 19 hours at full speed. Sherman ran with this out-there concept that has been present this season more than in recent memory, using her eccentric talent and joining the ranks of past female physical comedy cast members, among them Kristin Wiig, Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon and Gilda Radner.
The first song from GRAMMY winning trap rapper Lil Baby performed “California Breeze” from his October 2022 album It’s Only Me. With a live four-piece band, Lil Baby wore a green basket weave coat while performing on a red-lit stage that look like you were staring into wreckage, with a giant crack through middle of the set.
Lil Baby appeared on Saturday Night Live back in 2019 during DJ Khaled’s set, joining Lil Wayne, John Legend, Meek Mill, SZA and others as a tribute to Nipsey Hussle, who was fatally shot in Los Angeles months before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GLGokc-RwY
Weekend Update felt a little short this week, but did welcome back Angel (Heidi Gardner) as ‘every boxer’s girlfriend from every movie about boxing ever.’ This led to Jordan appearing as Adonis Creed from the Creed films, of which the third installment is out in March.
The second performance from Lil Baby on this week’s Saturday Night Live was the song “Forever” on the same blue hued same stage but with only a pianist and rapper Fridayy projected onto the wall behind Lil Baby and singing the chorus. Fridayy appears on the studio version, and also produced the track alongside Bizness Boi & Fortune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1k8lNjiRoY
Of note, earlier this week, a unionized group of post production workers at Saturday Night Liveauthorized a strike so as to expedite negotiations on their first contract, which they report as having stalled. The group is unionized with the IATSE-affiliated Motion Picture Editors Guild last year and handles post-production on pretaped sketches, including music videos and commercial parodies. There were still three pre-taped sketches this week, and two last week, so it may be possible that SNL will be even more live in coming weeks if the strike does take place.
SNL is back on February 4 with host Pedro Pascal and musical guest Coldplay.
“I feel your pain” was a catch-phrase made popular by former President Bill Clinton, in an attempt to convey empathy. Brothers Leigh and Eric Gibson have a new album, Darkest Hour , set for release on January 27th, might be the best example on how music can draw empathy out of us. This is especially true in the track, “I Feel The Same Way As You”.
The Gibson Brothers have had wonderful success in the world of bluegrass, and there’s no stopping them now. Superb songwriting on “Darkest Hour” they deliver 12 tracks produced by Jerry Douglas. The album holds dear to the standard bluegrass and a few of the tracks have lap steel, percussion, and electric guitar masterfully blended together by Jerry Douglas.
Connecting through Conversation
You know Gibson makes some really fine guitars. There’s nothing like the Gibson brothers! I had an extended converation on The Long Island Sound podcast, as we took a deep dive into their back story and the pending release of their new album, Darkest Hour.
I’m so interested in families, wives and husbands and brothers who play music together. The musical journey of the brothers on a dairy farm in northern New York, about two miles from the Canadian border. Their dad would alway keep instruments around the house, he’d order a banjo or pick up a fiddle at an auction or order a guitar, but nobody played. Little did their father know that his was laying the foundations for his son’s future musical career.
The Gibson Brothers Eric and Leigh
Instrumental Influences
Eric O’Hara, who still plays in the band these days, was instrumental (pun intended), in helping the brothers Gibson woodshed and hone their craft. They began getting serious about playing music when they were eleven and tweleve years old. The influence of Country and Bluegrass music stayed steady as they listened to Merle Haggard and Earl Scruggs. Living so close to the Canadian border, the fiddle played a big part in Canadian Country music.
Early in their career, the Gibson Brothers did not have the opportunity to travel South, so they looked North. The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company), was a was an influence. The Tommy Hunter show had country music every Friday night, and they’d have American country people come up, but also really good Canadian country, artists were on the show. they would see people like Gordon Lightfoot, on CBC, and so many great songwriters from Canada, like Stan Rogers.
And that song started coming and I came through the kitchen door and my wife started talking to me said I gotta go, I gotta go upstairs ,I gotta write I gotta get this down.
Eric Gibson
Success by a Thousand Trys
Wondering if they could recall their one big break into the music industry, Leigh Gibson said “it was such a slow climb, we were prepared for when things don’t always go your way in your career, which will happen. It’s Ups and Downs, you know, but sometimes we’re glad that we weren’t that act that just jumped on the scene.”
Things sometimes go by so fast that it is hard to appreciate what just happened. The boys recounted an experience meeting a future celebrity early in their career in Nashville.
Erik: “Well, I mean, it was early on, we’re playing, playing the station and stuff. And one of the guys is hanging around was the guy named Dirk Bentley just happened to be working on a deal, you know, and nice guy. Just don’t know who you’re gonna run into.”
In Nashville, the Gibsons were meeting and rubbing elbows with their heroes. They met Dave Ferguson, before he hit the big time, and recorded their first album. Ferguson is a ‘s a legend now, but when they met he was second engineer, now he’s one of the hottest producers in Nashville and, and eighteen years later, he remembered the Gibsons and wanted to do a record. And then when they did the record in 2018, it was supposed to be with Dave Ferguson, and then they get a call from their manager who said, Dan Arbok of the Black Keys wants to be involved. Circumstances came together and as they say, “The rest is history”.
I Go Driving
“I go driving”, the sixth track on Darkest Hour, is one of the only songs Eric had written at night. He was feeling stir crazy, wanting to get out of the house, he went for a ride and drove on Backroads of his hometown, listening to Old Country music and just trying to pretend that things were going to be good again. Eric: “And that song started coming and I came through the kitchen door and my wife started talking to me said I gotta go, I gotta go upstairs ,I gotta write I gotta get this down.”
Energy exudes itself in Bluegrass music and the Gibsons Brothers sure know how to deliver.
Tour Dates
Eric and Leigh have begun their tour to promote the album.
Catch The Gibson Brothers On Tour
Jan. 27 – Fairfield, CT – StageOne
Jan. 28 – Shirley, MA – Bull Run
Jan. 29 – Newburyport, MA – Firehouse Center
Feb. 2 – Glens Falls, NY – The Park Theater
Feb. 3 – Clinton, NY – Kirkland Art Center
Feb. 4 – Norwood, NY – Norwood Central School
Feb. 9 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head
Feb. 10 – Richmond, VA – The Tin Pan
Feb. 11 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center
Feb. 12 – Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
Feb. 16 – Newport, KY – The Southgate House Revival
“Welcome to Hell” shouted Ryan Stasik from the stage as fans marched into Garcia’s directly following the Umphrey’s McGee show on Saturday, January 21st in Port Chester. It was a big night for the bass player. Not only was he celebrating UM’s 25th birthday, he was also throwing the official Death Kings after-party under the moniker ‘Bassik Stasik Presents.’
Ripping into original songs as well as classic 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s punk rock staples, the band obliterated the late-night crowd with an old school no-holds barred throwdown. Featuring guest sit-ins from members of the Trey Anastasio Band and Lespecial, the packed-out pub at Garcia’s was given the royal treatment.
Making a rare appearance, the punk/metal anti-hero trio Death Kings formed during the pandemic to pay homage to all things heavy. Comprised of Ryan “Little King” Stasik, Mike “Muerto” Gantzer of Aqueous on guitar/vocals and ex-Turkuaz drummer Mikey “OX” Carubba, the band debuted early last year and have only played a handful of live shows since, making each time out a special “can’t miss” occasion. Notable by his absence, for this show Carubba was replaced on drums by Jonathan Peace. While it remains unclear if the band will have a revolving cast of characters, what we do know is that every Death Kings performance is unique.
Opening the gig with special guest Jennifer Hartswick on vocals, the band launched into one of their signature tracks and the theme of the evening, “Welcome to Hell.” Hartswick, who had also lent her musical talents to Umphrey’s McGee earlier in the evening, was a pure badass in the role, shouting out lyrics like:
I can’t wait for my turn To ride the rails and send it down below Welcome to Hell Oh my God, it’s been a long time running Ain’t no use when the blood starts coming Feels so good to burn
Lyrics from “Welcome to Hell” by Death Kings
After reveling in the moment and exchanging hugs, Death Kings would continue with another original song “Fight!” before turning back the clock for our first punk cover of the evening, “Cyco Vision” by the legendary Suicidal Tendencies. Perhaps in a nod to an earlier Stasik/Gantzer collaboration dubbed Dookie, a pair of Green Day songs were chosen next. First was “Longview” which had everyone singing along, then despite the shows “Hell” theme, Death Kings flowed directly into “Welcome to Paradise.”
With the whole room feeling the vibe, it was time for another original banger in “March of the Kings.” From punk to metal, everyone was getting down to the cover of System of a Down’s smash hit “Aerials,” which more people seemed familiar with than the next cover choice, Harvey Danger’s “Flagpole Sitta” which fit into the “hell” theme nicely.
I’m not sick but I’m not well And I’m so hot ’cause I’m in Hell I’m not sick but I’m not well And it’s a sin to live this well
Flagpole Sitta Lyrics
Death Kings would channel some Cobain angst next with a sped up rendition of Nirvana’s “Breed,” before throwing it back to one of the original punk rock anthems “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by Iggy Pop and The Stooges.
With the party now hitting a new level of rowdiness, the Kings called upon another special guest, Luke Bemand, bass player of Lespecial, to help out on vocals for the Camp Kill Yourself skate anthem “96 Quite Bitter Beings.” Popping off his shirt to throw on the now infamous “Hot Joel” tee, Bemand and the boys had quite the chuckle over the false start of the CKY song. On the second attempt, the Kings got it right and were clearly having a ball sharing the stage together.
While the after party at Garcia’s was scheduled to start at 11:45pm, when the Umphrey’s McGee show in the next room over ran well past midnight, things on the setlist had to be condensed. The band would joke, “25 years of Umphrey’s, 25 minutes of Death Kings.” With the curfew rapidly approaching, the band couldn’t call it a night without paying homage to one of punk’s original misfits, Glen Danzing, opting to cover the 1988 song “Twist of Cain.” With time for just once more, Death Kings let it all hang out on the final song of the night, the DK penned original “Disembodied,”which featured a huge guitar solo from Ganzter and Pony playing the bass behind his head. Check out fan shot footage of that song below.
A loud, sweaty, high-octane performance that was so much fun that even the devil himself would have got in the pit. With no upcoming Death Kings shows to speak of, those who were lucky enough to score a ticket to this sold-out night in Hell walked away from it feeling most grateful. It was still Garcia’s after all.
Setlist: Death Kings | Garcia’s | Port Chester, NY | 1/21/23
Setlist: Welcome to Hell [1], Fight, Cyco Vision (Suicidal Tendencies), Longview (Green Day), Welcome to Paradise (Green Day), March of the Kings, Aerials (System of a Down), Flagpole Sitta (Harvey Danger), Breed (Nirvana), I Wanna Be Your Dog (The Stooges), 96 Quite Bitter Beings (CKY) [2], Twist of Cain (Danzig), Disembodied
[1] w/ Jennifer Hartswick [2] w/ Luke Bemand of Lespecial
Where does the time go? A lot can happen over the course of 25 years, but for a rock band, sticking together that long isn’t typically one of them. From the beginning, however, Umphrey’s McGee has never been a typical band.
Often considered “too heavy for the hippies,” or “too jammy for the metal heads,” UM has emphatically made a career out of bridging those two musical scenes together; a theme that would unveil itself throughout the final night of their silver anniversary run through New York. Playing their 2,644th show on January 21, 2023 at the Capitol Theatre, exactly 25 years after their first known performance, appreciative fans from all over the country made their way to “the original rock palace” to commemorate this milestone birthday bash.
Consisting of Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinniger on guitars, Ryan Stasik on bass, percussionist Andy Farag and drummer Kris Myers, improv-heavy prog rockers Umphrey’s McGee have come a long way since forming as students at the University of Notre Dame and the road to this historic night at the Cap hasn’t always been an easy one. Sticking together through untold sacrifice, overcoming tragedy and navigating through an ever-changing musical landscape, Umphrey’s McGee has remained one of the most colorful, innovative, and hardest working live acts in the business for a quarter century now.
After kicking off their birthday weekend with an intimate sold-out show in Williamsburg and then wow’ing The Cap crowd on night one in Port Chester with a plethora of heavy fan favorites like “Front Porch”, “JaJunk” “Higgins,” and an acoustic debut cover of “Helplessly Hoping” in memory of the late David Crosby, when the band members took the stage on Saturday night, you could just feel that something special was about to go down.
Starting the party with a bang, “Bridgeless” had the hyped crowd with their ‘horns up’ and dancing shoes on from the get-go. The band would leave the song unfinished and throw fans their first surprise of the night, shifting gears into “13 Days,” a song which had not been played since before the Covid-19 pandemic. From something old to something new, up next was a song dedicated to UM crew member Rachel who is moving on after sixteen years with band. “Escape Goat,” from the band’s most recent album Asking for a Friend would stretch out for nearly 19 minutes. Revisiting their roots some more, “White Man’s Moccasins” followed suit before Umphrey’s McGee jammed even longer on another new song, the tongue-in-cheek titled “Unevolved.” Played for only the second time since debuting last November, this version clocked in at well over 20 minutes and sent fans to intermission with plenty to smile about and discuss.
Prior to the start of Set Two, Capitol Theatre owner Peter Shapiro would lead the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” while presenting the band with a cake. In return Umphrey’s McGee then launched into an equally ‘sweet’ rendition of “Wappy Sprayberry” to get things going strong. ”Pure Saturation” came next and provided lighting director Ben Factor a prime opportunity to dazzle the audience with his impressive skills and tasteful color palettes. Following it up with another surprise was “Dear Lord.” An emotional nod to the bands earliest days, the rarely played song was first performed back in January of 1998. Another deep cut was next in the form of “The Other Side of Things,” which has only been play five times this century!
Jake Cinniger would join in on percussion with Andy Farag in a duel with drummer Kris Myers before bassist (and best T-Shirt of the night winner) Ryan Stasik would take over with his distinct riffage of the heavy hitting “Puppet String.” Another tip of the cap to the band’s early history was up next with the UM classic “Divisions” which was also played at their very first show.
Umphrey’s would then unplug for some candid banter as Brendan Bayliss took an opportunity to give proper shout-outs to his bandmates, the crew and the fans for making the last 25 years possible. Claiming he didn’t prepare a speech, so if he was speaking from the heart, it would have probably come out sounding offensive. “And if I did offend you,” Bayliss hypothetically joked, “go fuck yourself.” He then invited out special guest and frequent collaborator Jenifer Hartswick for an acoustic anything-but ‘Hartliss’ rendition of the rarely played “Bullhead City.”
Hartswick would stick around and play trumpet on yet another bust-out, “1,000 Places to See Before You Die,” an instrumental which has only been played 11 times ever. As if that wasn’t special enough, the roof would nearly come off the place next when Hartswick lead the entire theatre in a cathartic sing-along of the Queen and David Bowie’s classic “Under Pressure,” fading out of the set with everyone snapping their fingers in unison. A very neat moment to be a part of.
Now past the witching hour, Umphrey’s McGee returned to the stage one last time, soaking in the cheers with huge smiles before keyboardist Joel Cummins would lead fans into the “Den.” Finally the show would come to it’s high-octane conclusion the same way it began, returning to “Bridgeless” to complete one hell of a celebratory jam-sandwich. Genuinely thanking everyone for “letting them do what they do” for the last 25 years, Bayliss would confirm they’ll “keep doing it as long as you keep coming out.” The band then convened in the middle of stage for a group hug and bow, which received a well-deserved standing and sustained ovation.
Tying the bow on an epic birthday run through New York, Umphrey’s McGee honored their past with a carefully mapped out, career spanning setlist while simultaneously showcasing a glimpse of the greatness yet to come. Combined with an unmatched dedication to their fans and their craft, an astonishing improvisational and technical ability, and a mesmerizing light show, the future for this timeless band is looking bigger and brighter than ever. With the UMXXV Tour officially off and rolling and a number of major festival dates already announced for later this summer, the Umphrey’s McGee train shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee | 1/20/2023 | The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY
SetOne: Small Strides, Conduit > Day Nurse[1], FF-> Mail Package[2], It’s Not Your Fault > JaJunk[3] SetTwo: Front Porch > Resolution > Front Porch, The Linear > 2nd Self, Higgins Encore: Helplessly Hoping[4], The Weight Around[5] > The Floor: [1] with Workin’ Day and Night (Michael Jackson) teases [2] with Miss Tinkle’s Overture tease [3] with Top Gun Anthem (Harold Faltermeyer) tease [4] debut, Crosby, Stills, & Nash; just Brendan and Jake on acoustics and vocals, along with Joel on vocals [5] with Brendan on acoustic
Helplessly Hoping played in remembrance of David Crosby, with “Closing Time” (Semisonic) quote from Brendan just before
Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee | 1/21/2023 | The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY
Set 1: Bridgeless > 13 Days, Escape Goat-> White Man’s Moccasins > Unevolved
Set 2: Wappy Sprayberry > Pure Saturation > Dear Lord > The Other Side of Things > Drums[1], Puppet String, Jam[2] > Divisions, Bullhead City[3], 1000 Places to See Before You Die[4], Under Pressure[5]
Encore: Den > Bridgeless
Footnotes: [1] with Jake on percussion [2] just Jake [3] with Jennifer Hartswick on vocals, and Brendan and Jake on acoustics [4] with Jennifer Hartswick on trumpet [5] with Jennifer Hartswick on vocals Show Notes: Before set two, venue owner Pete Shapiro and radio personality Gary Dell’Abate presented the band with a cake and led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” for the band
New York City-based Instrumentalist and Singer/Songwriter JSHELL has announced his newest studio album, In My Head. This audio/visual rock album will be accompanied by JSHELL releasing a video for each track on the album beginning today and leading up to the complete album release which will be available on February 14.
In My Head features special guest appearances from some of the best musicians in the business, including the incomparable Steve Hackett (Genesis) , Katie Jacoby (The Who) , Jake Cinninger (Umphreys McGee) and Scott Metzger (WOLF!).
JSHELL produced, wrote and arranged all 15 tracks on In My Head while playing all the drums, bass guitar and keyboards and providing lead and background vocals, rhythm and lead guitar and percussion. In My Head also features mastering by Grammy Award-winning Randy Merrill of Sterling Sound.
“I am excited to share my music with fans of rock music and am humbled by the genius that Steve, Katie, Jake, Scott and the other contributing musicians, vocalists and engineers brought to the project” says JSHELL.
Beginning today, JSHELL will be releasing 15 videos, all of which were written, produced and directed himself, every other day over the next 30 days for each of the 15 tracks. The release schedule for each of the 15 videos, which will be available for viewing on JSHELL’s Instagram, TikTok and YouTube pages and is available on his website. The video for the lead track “Crawl” is available now.
For all information relating to JSHELL and the release of his album In My Head, please visit JSHELL’S website, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube pages.
Opening up the show was Nashville-based recording artist Rich Ruth. A seasoned session musician and an ambient music making machine, it was this critically acclaimed up-and-comers first time passing through Albany. Captivating the audience early with dreamy, lush and psychedelic post-rock styled soundscapes, the band created a huge swirling sound layered with rich textures, soaring saxophone solos, syncopated drumming, droning synthesizers, reverb-drenched feedback and huge blues rock guitar peaks. Playing mostly songs from 2022 I Survived, It’s Over, an album written in the days after a devastating twister ravaged Ruth’s neighborhood, the set found a healthy balance between beauty and chaos. Backed on this tour by a talented group of friends and equally skilled musicians, each member of the group brought something unique to the table and the result was something palpable and potent and left the Lark Hall wanting more.
Circles began their set around 930pm, taking to the disco ball laden stage, resembling mid-1960s era Deadheads and Grateful Dead members. The five giant disco balls made the stage seem more full, as the notes the band produced were far greater than the sum of the members. Yet not a moment is wasted among these four – John Lee Shannon (guitar), Dan Horne (bass) Adam MacDougall (keys) and Mark Levy (drums) – as each sonic branch ventured off into another, connecting for a sound that filled in all available space.
The highlight of the night could be found anywhere, but “Language,” a track released in March 2022 featuring the harp of Mikaela Davis, stood out. This funky new disco number is a pure dance potion, consistently hit its mark, retreating before resurging towards an extended ending and then “Money’s No Option.” The 90+ minute set was better than two separate sets, so as not to interrupt the flow. Circles could have easily played another hour and lost few, if any of the dialed in crowd.
An encore of “One for Chuck” had a smooth-flowing Dead-heavy jam that give a hint of “NFA” but ended up falling into a soft rock smooth jazz vibe.
Circles Around the Sun – Lark Hall, Albany – Friday, January 20, 2023
Setlist: Scatlotta, Landline, Outerburrows, Babyman, Rouge > Language, Money, Away Team Encore: One for Chuck
moe. performed a scorching show at The Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ on their Winter Tour. Fans and band mates were happy to see Chuck Garvey back in action, sounding good as ever. Chuck mentioned how grateful he was to be back up on the stage playing with the band.
The band opened with a classic, catchy, full of camel lights “Happy Hour Hero.” (Luckily this was the song stuck in my head all day.) With Nate Wilson on keyboards the entire show, later in the first set there was a well-jammed out “Nebraska” and a band debut of “Long Time Gone” by Crosby, Stills, Nash in honor of the recent passing of David Crosby.
The second set opened up with a psychedelic heavy “Fearless,” a Pink Floyd cover, which gave way to another cover, this time of progressive rock band, Yes, with “Starship Trooper.” The second set proved to be energy filled and jam heavy, ending with “Yodelittle” > “Rebubula” > “Buster” before swinging back into “Rebubla.” moe. wrapped up the show with an epic “Seat of My Pants”
moe. – The Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ – January 21, 2023
Set 1: Happy Hour Hero, Mar De Ma > George, Jazz Cigarette, Nebraska, Mexico > Long Time Gone* Set 2: Fearless > Starship Trooper (Yes) > Meat, Yodelittle > Rebubula > Buster > Rebubula Encore: Seat of My Pants
