Category: Features

Dances With Films NYC Announces 2023 Lineup with 64 World Premieres

Dances With Films have announced this year’s indie focused film festival lineup, highlighting 135 films in four days including 64 world premieres beginning on Thursday, November 30.

Advanced Chemistry by Etana Jacobson

On their 26th year, Dances With Films celebrates the unflinching spirit at the very core of the independent film scene. They rely on innovation, talent, creativity, and sweat equity that revolutionizes the entertainment industry, that reliance continues to prove successful with alumni moving on to write, direct (etc). Among DWF NYC’s lineup of 136 films, including 20 narrative features, 9 documentary features, 19 television and streaming pilots, and 88 short films, are an impressive number of world premieres, all screenings will take place at Regal Union Square.

After becoming the leading beacon for true indie films and filmmakers in Los Angeles over the past 26 years, this will mark Dances With Films’ return to New York City for the second year.

“This year’s theme is “the color of imagination”, and that imagination, by its various definitions, exemplifies what Dances With Films will be highlighting this December. We could not be more excited to return to NYC and debut so many wonderful films and help provide a platform for all our indie filmmakers and their projects under the spotlight of this great city.”
– DWF Founder and Director Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent

On Thursday, November 30 will feature the opening night presentation of DWF alumni Dylan K. Narang’s Tapawingo. Tapawingo is a light-hearted coming of age comedy starring Jon Heder as an eccentric young man who lives with his mother and works in a mailroom. The film also stars Gina Gershon, Billy Zane, John Ratzenberger, and Amanda Bearse.

Tapawingo by Dylan K. Narang

Additional feature films making their world premieres are Etana Jacobson’s Advanced Chemistry about a scientist who attempts to help his lesbian best friend stop cheating on her wife suddenly backfires. Kevin Interdonato’s The Bastard Sons a story of revenge by a group of men, Michael Groom’s British romantic drama Between The Lights, Isaac Hirotsu Woofter’s Bound. The North American Premiere is Vardan Tozija’s M, a multi-national production centering a young boy who lives in the forest under the watchful eye of his overprotective and mysterious father, their sheltered existence is all he knows.

The Zombie Wedding by Micah Khan

Also making their world premieres are Sara Katarina Burke and Aaron Andrew Keene’s Can’t Seem to Make You Mine about a recent parolee who tries to make amends with his ex. Ryan Moore’s Influence focuses on a struggling female filmmaker, Michelle Bossy’s Nobody’s Home follows the mind-bending journey of a young man after he is released from the psychiatric hospital. Brendan Boogie’s buddy comedy Tallywacker, Micah Khan’s outlandish comedy The Zombie Wedding and finally, Justin Best’s Sheryl about a woman who goes on a bloody quest to create the perfect face after dumped by her serial killer boyfriend.
As part of DWF NYC’s dedicated programming of horror, thrillers, and genre films, the Closing Night selection also comes from the film festival’s Midnight section. On Sunday, December 3 the closing night will feature Nicholas Gyeney’s The Activated Man making its first world premiere to officially close off the film festival. In the film, a man, struggling with the grief from losing his best friend and beloved dog to cancer, begins to have strange visions only he can see, questioning whether his mind has been fractured.

The Activated Man by Nicholas Gyeney

For more information about the Dances With Films NYC film lineup, events, passes, and tickets, please visit here.

The 2023 Dances With Films NYC official selections:

OPENING NIGHT SELECTION
Tapawingo
Director: Dylan K. Narang
Country: USA; Running Time: 109 min
An oddball becomes the bodyguard for a misfit teenager and finds himself in the crosshairs of the town’s family of bullies.

CLOSING NIGHT SELECTION
The Activated Man                                                                World Premiere
Director: Nicholas Gyeney
Country: USA; Running Time: 115 min
As Ors Gabriel struggles with the grief from losing his best friend and beloved dog to cancer, the trauma brings on strange visions only Ors can see. While he questions whether his mind has fractured or if it’s real, a mysterious rise in murder-suicides takes hold of the city, and Ors becomes haunted by images of a shadowy figure known as ‘The Fedora Man’. Through torments and terror, Ors must face his fears and confront ‘The Fedora Man’ as he uncovers dark secrets from his past, while finally embracing who he really is, and what he is meant to do.

ADDITIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURES
Advanced Chemistry                                                            World Premiere
Director: Etana Jacobson
Country: USA; Running Time: 96 min
A scientist injects his lesbian best friend with a compound he’s created to make her stop cheating on her wife (who is bi), but when the wife finds her new monogamous fixation suffocating, he injects the wife too, which backfires when she falls for him.

The Bastard Sons                                                                 World Premiere
Director: Kevin Interdonato
Country: USA; Running Time: 90 min
Life for a crew of organized criminals is disrupted when Vincent Damiano’s father, the family’s boss, is murdered. Vincent’s ‘bastard’ brothers (UFC legend Frank Edgar, Chicago Med star Malik Whitfield), a group of orphaned souls he raised together, have an idea of who killed their father…his partner Rome (TV/Film veteran Al Sapienza). In a valiant and calculated attempt to regain the business and enact vengeance on Rome over the course of one day, the Bastards wage an all-out war to get their pound of flesh.

Between The Lights                                                             World Premiere
Director: Michael Groom
Country: UK; Running Time: 104 min
When skeptical scientist Alice falls for reluctant medium Jay, she’s taken on an odyssey of love, loss and discovery that will turn her world upside down. Between the Lights is a romantic drama with a liberal dose of the supernatural, in which we visit our characters over three consecutive Christmases. It is set within the ancient walls of York and the stunning natural beauty of the Lake District.

Bound                                                                                    World Premiere
Director: Isaac Hirotsu Woofter
Country: USA; Running Time: 101 min
To escape her drug-dealing controlling stepfather, a young introvert flees to NYC with only her pet pocket squirrel. After successfully reinventing herself, she realizes she must confront her dark past, to truly be free.

Can’t Seem to Make You Mine                                            World Premiere
Directors: Sara Katarina Burke, Aaron Andrew Keene
Country: USA; Running Time: 102 min
A man who was just released from prison tries to make amends with his ex and become a father to his 6-year-old son while staying with a stripper he met on a pen-pal website.

Daruma
Director: Alexander Yellen
Country: USA; Running Time: 104 min
Patrick (bitter wheelchair user) must enlist the help of his cantankerous neighbor (double amputee veteran) to transport the daughter he never knew he had to live with her maternal grandparents on the other side of the country.

Grounded
Director: Justin Chan
Country: USA; Running Time: 84 min
William Lee, a 30-something Chinese-Filipino American, introduces his Caucasian girlfriend to his overbearing, immigrant parents when a mysterious cosmic force takes hold of their day.

Home Free
Director: Aaron Brown
Country: USA; Running Time: 98 min
In 1997, a group of college misfits invite an unhoused professor to crash on their porch.
Home Free is a Trojan horse, a bold coming-of-age comedy aimed at reaching a mass audience, but also intended to be a catalyst for serious social change sharply focused on one of the most pervasive problems across America—the homelessness epidemic. Humor is our spoonful of sugar.

Influence                                                                                World Premiere
Director: Ryan Moore
Country: USA; Running Time: 83 min
A female filmmaker struggling with her career and her mental health reaches a breaking point and decides to kidnap a famous social media influencer in an attempt to coerce them into playing the lead role in her latest project.

Katie’s Mom
Director: Tyrrell Shaffner
Country: USA; Running Time: 111 min
A heartfelt comedy influenced by The Graduate but told from the perspective of a protagonist inspired by Mrs. Robinson. Set in modern-day Pasadena, California. Nancy Rosenfeld (Dina Meyer), a nurturing mom and recent divorcée, whose beloved Jewish/Christmas mashup holiday celebration with her adult children is derailed when she falls for Alex Rojas (Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), her daughter’s charming new boyfriend. Their electrifying affair upends her status quo and sets her on a path to becoming who she was meant to be.

M                                                                                             North American Premiere
Director: Vardan Tozija
Countries: Macedonia/Croatia/Kosovo/France/Luxembourg, Running Time: 99 min
In a secluded forest, young Marko lives under the watchful eye of his overprotective and mysterious father. Their sheltered existence is all he knows. Marko seeks solace in his cherished picture book, finding comfort and answers within its pages. One day, an encounter with a kind-hearted, helpless boy named Miko, brings a glimmer of warmth and connection into Marko’s isolated world. As his curiosity grows, Marko yearns to uncover the secrets that lie beyond the confines of the wilderness. But, a cruel turn of events grants him his wish sooner than he expects…

Nobody’s Home                                                                    World Premiere
Director: Michelle Bossy
Country: USA; Running Time: 83 min
When Luca is released from the psychiatric hospital where he and his girlfriend Theodora live, she escapes with him. To remain in control, she takes him to his childhood home, the root of his trauma. Time lapses. Consciousness is distorted. A dead body is discovered. Theodora insists Luca committed the murder in his sleep. Is she telling the truth? A knock on the door suddenly diverts them. Angelica and Jeremy show up, high on acid. Theodora invites them in to test Luca’s loyalty. Her jealousy increases to the point of danger. In the end, nothing is what it seems. Everyone has darkness inside.

Palimpsest                                                                             North American Premiere
Director: Hanna Vastinsalo
Country: Finland; Running Time: 109 min
Two elderly roommates are selected for a medical trial that makes them younger. Given a second chance at life, with the memories of their past life intact, they realize that growing young is not just fun.

Space Baby
Director: Rex Dean
Country: USA; Running Time: 99 min
Three friends fight fascist Nurse Nancy to rebuild the holy grail and get a new soul for the earth. Each friend is different. 8-year-old Sam (“Mental Man”) is a mad scientist and inventor; 6-year-old Sophia (“Nature Girl”) is a caretaker of the earth; 300-year-old Blue (a great ballplayer like Satchel Paige) was the keeper of the holy grail in Africa before he and his siblings were captured as slaves. With help from a squadron of ladybugs, they fight the “greed, intolerance, and just plain cruelty” that Nurse Nancy and her demonic crow inhabit. A story of courage, friendship, and love.

Tallywacker                                                                           World Premiere
Director: Brendan Boogie
Country: USA; Running Time: 90 min
A rock and roll buddy comedy about 2 bandmates whose relationship gets tested when one of them gets a gig touring with a major rock star.

The Zombie Wedding                                                           World Premiere
Director: Micah Khan
Country: USA; Running Time: 99 min
A young Cumberland County, NJ couple decides to go through with their wedding – during the Zombie Apocalypse. Unfortunately, he’s a zombie and she’s not. Both families are fearful, but the humans’ behavior is brutish. When the Zombies begin feeling brain-deprived, the ceremony takes a turn for the weird. Weekly World News reporters are there to cover this wild wedding – while trying to get out alive!

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
44 Lights: Music from Ground Zero
Director: Barbara Blackburn Tuttle
Country: USA; Running Time: 68 min
A musical journey to healing in the aftermath of 9/11. A story of pain, loss, and ultimately rebirth through music.

American Pot Story: Oaksterdam
Directors: Dan Katzir and Ravit Markus
Country: USA; Running Time: 97 min
This award-winning documentary is a decade-long follow-up of the underdogs who put their blood, sweat, and tears to overturn a 100-year-old policy, proving in the process that “a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world,” to quote Margaret Mead).

Brothers Broken
Directors: Geoff Levin, Lily Richards
Country: USA; Running Time: 86 min
This is the story of brothers Geoff and Robbie Levin, who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of the 60’s music scene including Jerry Garcia, the Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin. The brother’s band PEOPLE! had the hit record “I Love You” in 1968 and toured with The Who; then Scientology entered their lives destroyed their band and split up the brothers. After 46 years Geoff despite losing his children and friends to the cult, left the church and reunited with his brother and band. It’s a tale of breaking free from a modern-day prison of belief.

Denim Hunter                                                                        U.S. Premiere
Director: Emilio Di Stefano
Country: Sweden; Running Time: 87 min
In the road movie documentary Denim Hunter, we meet Viktor – a regular guy from Sweden but with a burning passion for really old jeans. The film follows Viktor on his wild journey through the deserts of California, Arizona, and Nevada as well as up the snowclad Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where he hunts for denim treasures in hazardous run-down gold mines from the 1880s. On his journey, Viktor comes across an array of unlikely desert characters, like Indiana Jeans, Dynamite Dan, and Redneck-Mike. In various ways, they all lead Viktor from one failure to the next.

The Depths of My Despair
Director: Elizabeth Lawrence
Country: USA; Running Time: 68 min
The Depths of My Despair is a visceral rabbit hole toward the authentic self. Filmmaker Elizabeth Lawrence takes an emotional, first-person detour inward. Oscillating through saneness and psychosis; debris and lucidity, the film stares at depression dead-on.

District Of Second Chances                                                World Premiere
Director: Wynette Yao
Country: USA; Running Time: 76 min
District of Second Chances follows the journeys of three men from Washington, D.C., all sentenced to life in prison during the 1990s. Now, because of sentencing reform, they have a rare chance at release and new lives.

Meet Me Where I Am
Director: Grant Garry
Country: USA; Running Time: 86 min
Meet Me Where I Am explores the topic of grief through individual stories of loss, love, and hope. The film aims to normalize grief in our culture and explores how we can actively participate in helping others through grief. By accepting grief and its impact, we hope to help individuals find new meaning as they move forward with their grief.

Studio One Forever
Director: Marc Saltarelli
Country: USA; Running Time: 86 min
The untold story of America’s iconic gay disco, a kaleidoscopic excursion into LGBTQ+ history through the lens of this groundbreaking club. From 1974-1994, Studio One and its adjoining live music venue, The Backlot, became symbols of hope and community for gay men during tumultuous times. Amidst the rise of gay rights, disco’s heyday, and the devastating AIDS crisis, the club offered sanctuary from rampant homophobia and police oppression.

Torched – The Story of Austin Torch
Director: Hoag Kepner
Country: USA; Running Time: 66 min
Torched tells the story of the Austin Torch, a wild and fiery group of women/non-binary athletes in Austin who are trying to legitimize and professionalize their fringe sport of Ultimate Frisbee in a historically male-dominated sports industry. As we follow the Torch on the road and at home during their 2022 season, we realize that though the Torch might not always win, they never really lose, because it’s more than a team: it’s a movement.

MIDNIGHT FEATURES
Sheryl                                                                                     World Premiere
Director: Justin Best
Country: USA; Running Time: 72 min
After she’s dumped by her serial killer boyfriend for not being “hot enough”, a beauty-obsessed woman goes on a bloody quest to create the perfect face, all while navigating her new relationship with the cop investigating the murders.

Wild Eyed and Wicked
Director: G.S. Foxwood
Country: USA; Running Time: 99 min
Lily Pierce is sick of being haunted. She decides to reconnect with her estranged father, a disgraced history professor, and learn how to draw upon a time of steel and blade when armor-clad knights rode out and dueled their monsters to the death.

TELEVISION AND WEB SERIES PILOTS

A Killer Service
Director: Gio Randazzo
Country: USA; Running Time: 25 min
The hapless daughter of an incarcerated con-artist finds she has inherited a substantial debt to a dangerous crime boss. Forced into a corner, Elliott discovers how to take control of her life while helping empower other women.

Awesome
Director: Paul Munger
Country: USA; Running Time: 16 min
Every night, 20-year-old Joy gets a glimpse of the future. But with a dad on parole, a pill-popping boyfriend, and a recent lay-off, that doesn’t mean she can stop it from being shitty. That is until she foresees an event that will ruin the lives of her loved ones forever. She’ll have to figure out how to change her future–or live with the consequences.

The Blind Zone     World Premiere
Directors: Federica Marchese, Vinushu Sundaresan
Country: China; Running Time: 32 min
Battle of wits and violence ensues when the separate worlds of two teenage sociopaths collide after they set their eyes on the same target.

East
Director: Dana Marisa Schoenfeld
Country: USA; Running Time: 32 min
When Ella Goldman, a New York City Corporate attorney, gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Josh, she is ecstatic to embark on the next stage of her life. With a wedding to plan and a blossoming career, Ella thinks she has it all. But when she suddenly loses her job and catches her boyfriend cheating, her world comes crashing down. This devastating turn of events forces her to confront the truth about her life – and what it is she really wants. Convinced that this is a “wake-up call,” Ella pursues her childhood dream of being an actress.

Events At Hemlock Manor
Director: Katie North
Country: USA; Running Time: 15 min
At its core, this is a series about underdogs: a ragtag group of spooky weirdos with nowhere else to go. Hemlock Manor is not only a year-round haunted house with a terrible business model; it’s also a home. But what do you do when the thing you love is in trouble? You fight for it. Even when that means throwing a baby shower for a group of rich ladies who thought “the historic Hemlock Manor” was a charming country villa, not a haunted house open in July.

For Years to Come
Director: Micah Stuart
Country: USA; Running Time: 27 min
An irreverent and heartfelt romantic dramedy about a gay man who falls in love with his dead mother’s hospice nurse, while struggling to reconnect with his elderly father…who’s secretly a porn director.

Hit Man: Secrets Of Lies
Director: Elias Plagianos
Country: UK; Running Time: 19 min
A reflective hitman from New York City travels to small towns around the country trying to find meaning in his seemingly inconsequential life as he fulfills his contracts and eliminates his targets.

Hot Angry Mom
Director: Clarissa De Los Reyes
Country: USA; Running Time: 34 min
A people-pleasing mom must face her rage, as a video of her epic meltdown goes viral.

I Could Eat
Director: Rick Bedrosian
Country: USA; Running Time: 28 min
A new TV/Web Series showcasing the cuisine & music that unites diverse cultures. Host, Rick Bedrosian (“George” in a Beatlemania stage show for 7 years, leader of Celtic music powerhouse, Hair Of The Dog, since 1993 and an international tour guide) spans the globe seeking out the finest food and the most interesting music makers.

L.I.F.E.: It’s Wonderful
Director: Dathan Smith
Country: USA; Running Time: 22 min
L.I.F.E. is an anthology series set in the near future where citizens receive a hand-delivered card notifying them the day they will die. Rose feels trapped in her new “home”. Emilia feels trapped by her daughter’s recent news. Bob is forced to deliver a card he has been dreading since joining L.I.F.E. Corp. as Diane adjusts to her new job.

Moments   North American Premiere
Director: Aaron Lewis
Country: USA; Running Time: 23 min
Moments is a gripping 9-episode digital series, each under 13 minutes, offering intimate glimpses into characters on the brink. Driven by black trauma and mysticism, it unravels mind-reading and hidden truths through therapist Dr. Winston. An enigmatic narrator, Rutina Wesley, introduces time travel, adding layers of self-discovery. Momentshints at an expanded episodic journey, diving deeper into characters’ histories and relationships, while authentically addressing themes of healing and transformation within the mystical. Boasting a stellar ensemble cast and profound storytelling.

Morse Code
Director: Travis Nicholson
Country: USA; Running Time: 37 min
In the eccentric community of modern-day East Nashville, Simon, a talented but flawed thirty-something indie folk singer finds himself at a crossroads as he struggles to strike a balance between family and career.

Off The Menu
Director: Daniele Sestito
Country: USA; Running Time: 37 min
“Chef” is a perfectionist, Italian cook who works for an unordinary institution. Typically stern and grandiose, a new side of Chef is revealed when he is forced to make a meal that’s beyond his grasp.

Q Train
Directors: Dionne Van Den Berg, Samantha Tran
Country: USA; Running Time: 10 min
A Brooklyn based DJ explores the queer dating scene.

Roboto
Directors: Mari Madrid, Keone Madrid
Country: USA; Running Time: 18 min
Ky loses his entire career as a highly successful choreographer when AI takes over the dance industry and the world by storm. This throws Ky into suicidal ideations until Mikah, a bright and optimistic 12-year-old boy, decides to disregard the latest craze of dancing with Roboto and instead asks Ky to choreograph for his school performance. While at first Ky reluctantly decides to help the kid, he begins to find a bit of light in his life again. And when it’s revealed that Mikah had a battle with cancer Ky’s perspective is completely shifted.

The Selectman       World Premiere
Director: David Antonio Martin
Country: USA; Running Time: 26 min
In the wake of Selectman Joseph Allenby’s untimely death, this absurd comedy begins amid a memorial service in the small town of Picasquiddy, Maine. Subverting the idyllic nature of small-town New England, our protagonists are trapped in a picturesque world where the forces of learned behavior, arrested adolescence, and the quest for power forever collide. As two unlikely successors emerge as candidates for the Board of Selectmen, the town’s fate hangs in the balance. Does anybody have what it takes?

Travel Fox     World Premiere
Director: Henk Pretorius
Country: UK; Running Time: 5 min
Get ready for a wild adventure in Travel Fox, the pilot episode of an animated series tailor-made for curious kids. Follow the inquisitive Travel Fox and Bogie the Tortoise as they race across the world, chasing rainbows in search of a legendary pot of gold. But here’s the twist – instead of gold, our friends discover something even more precious: a treasure trove of unique characters and unforgettable experiences.

Ülom: The Primary Experiment      World Premiere
Director: Jon Da
Country: USA; Running Time: 25 min
In Ülom, one can find anything, even meaning. A desperate scientist undertakes a labyrinthian experiment he believes will locate his missing daughter. Journeying ever deeper into the labyrinth, he must confront an invasive, fictional reality. Remember: what feels real, is real. Ülom is here.

Xander World Premiere
Director: Jonathan Chao
Country: USA; Running Time: 11 min
When lonely high school student Luke befriends Xander the Genie, he’s forced to consider if making his one wish is worth losing his new genie best friend.

NARRATIVE SHORTS
(In)Convenience
Director: Alexandra Greenspan
Country: USA; Running Time: 12 min

#Pizzagate                                                                             World Premiere
Director: Danny Piñeros
Country: USA; Running Time: 8 min

The 1971 Kitchen Grand Brie
Director: Ian Beckman
Country: USA; Running Time: 11 min

Bisected                                                                                 World Premiere
Director: Danny Piñeros
Country: USA; Running Time: 8 min

Black Silk                                                                               World Premiere
Director: Patrick Michael
Country: USA; Running Time: 16 min

Blight                                                                                      World Premiere
Director: Markus Hoeckner
Country: USA; Running Time: 15 min

Bloodworm                                                                            World Premiere
Director: Kai Wen
Country: USA; Running Time: 13 min

Bounce House
Directors: Callie Bloem, Christopher Ewing
Country: USA; Running Time: 16 min

Burraco                                                                                  World Premiere
Director: Isabella Tagliati
Country: Italy; Running Time: 14 min

Candice
Director: Tyler Martin
Country: USA; Running Time: 15 min

Career Day
Directors: Jason Robinson, Chris Hooper
Country: USA; Running Time: 10 min

Chauncey                                                                               World Premiere
Director: Reilly Anspaugh & Daniel Rashid
Country: USA; Running Time: 11 min

Cheol                                                                                      World Premiere
Director: Yeajoon Cho
Country: USA; Running Time: 19 min

Church Camp
Director: Andrew Bourne
Country: USA; Running Time: 14 min

The Chat                                                                                World Premiere
Writer/Dir/Prod: Artie Brennan
Country: USA; Running Time: 6 min

Clownfish
Director: Clayton Henderson
Country: USA; Running Time: 11 min

Dear Owner
Director: Jing Ai Ng
Country: USA; Running Time: 17 min

Delta                                                                                       World Premiere
Director: Jonathan Coleman
Country: USA; Running Time: 9 min

Detox
Director: Alex Hanno
Country: USA; Running Time: 19 min

Dropping
Director: Rj Collins
Country: USA; Running Time: 10 min

Echoes Of My Father                                                            World Premiere
Directors: Junko Kajino, Ed M Koziarski
Country: USA, Japan; Running Time: 18 min

The Electro-Rocker
Director: Chris Edgar
Country: USA; Running Time: 17 min

Entrainment
Director: Bill Prokopow
Country: USA; Running Time: 12 min

Esperance To Fremantle                                                     World Premiere
Director: William Sebastian Turner
Country: Australia; Running Time: 18 min

Everything Goes Dark                                                          International Premiere
Director: Alex Casimir
Country: USA; Running Time: 15 min

Fate Vs. Elena                                                                       World Premiere
Director: Laura Sedlak
Country: USA; Running Time: 23 min

From The Dark                                                                      North American Premiere
Director: Erika Sanz
Country: USA; Running Time: 7 min

Hot Soda
Director: Nello Digiandomenico
Country: USA; Running Time: 15 min

How To Disappear                                                                World Premiere
Director: Milton Woods
Country: USA; Running Time: 20 min

I Keep Bumping into Candy Maldonado                            World Premiere
Director: Luke Black
Country: USA; Running Time: 11 min

In The Quiet                                                                           World Premiere
Director: Merle Dandridge
Country: USA; Running Time: 5 min

Interracial Couple In A Cheerios Ad
Director: Christine Lakin
Country: USA; Running Time: 4 min

The Invaders
Director: Erin Doyle Cooper
Country: USA; Running Time: 4 min

Itch                                                                                         World Premiere
Director: Mohammad Anwerzada
Countries: Pakistan/Canada; Running Time: 9 min

Letters To the Wind                                                              World Premiere
Director: Terrence Shu
Country: USA; Running Time: 13 min

Lux Freer
Director: Cynthia Gibb
Country: USA; Running Time: 21 min

Man Baby                                                                               World Premiere
Director: Aaron Murtagh
Country: USA; Running Time: 10 min

Music For A While                                                                World Premiere
Director: Kelvin Z. Phillips
Country: USA; Running Time: 6 min

Nearly Never                                                                          North American Premiere
Director: Peter Franklyn Banks
Country: UK; Running Time: 15 min

Newbie
Director: James Skinner
Country: UK; Running Time: 8 min

Portrait Of a Cowboy
Director: Devon Wycoff
Country: USA; Running Time: 17 min

Pretty As a Picture                                                               World Premiere
Director: Ryan Nielsen
Country: USA; Running Time: 8 min

The Pros And Cons Of Killing Yourself                             World Premiere
Director: Ravi Steve Khajuria
Country: Canada; Running Time: 21 min

Piano Man
Director: Jay Zaretsky
Country: USA; Running Time: 20 min

Purgy’s
Director: Robbie Bryan
Country: USA; Running Time: 16 min

Rattled                                                                                    World Premiere
Director: Adam Linkenhelt
Country: USA; Running Time: 14 min

Red, White And Blue
Director: Nazrin Choudhury
Country: USA; Running Time: 23 min

Revelation                                                                             World Premiere
Director: Libe Barer
Country: USA; Running Time: 16 min

Room 107                                                                              World Premiere
Directors: Steve Anderson, Leandro Imaz
Country: USA; Running Time: 17 min

Sane Men
Director: Jess Fritz
Country: USA; Running Time: 15 min

Skateboard                                                                            World Premiere
Director: Peyton Michelle Edwards
Country: USA; Running Time: 7 min

Sonshine                                                                                International Premiere
Director: Corey Podell
Country: USA; Running Time: 15 min

Speak Up Brotha!
Director: Wes Andre Goodrich
Country: USA; Running Time: 15 min

Sugar                                                                                      World Premiere
Director: Alyssa Brayboy
Country: USA; Running Time: 6 min

Three Ways Out                                                                    World Premiere
Director: Lizzie Morgan
Country: USA; Running Time: 13 min

Tips Up!                                                                                 World Premiere
Director: Leah Claire Borrie
Country: USA; Running Time: 7 min

Tossou                                                                                   World Premiere
Directors: Melisande Mclaughlin, Sika Stanton
Country: USA; Running Time: 3 min

Used Chairs For Sale                                                           World Premiere
Director: Dylan Paffe
Countries: USA/Canada; Running Time: 14 min

We Love You Ray                                                                 World Premiere
Director: John Hays
Country: USA; Running Time: 14 min

You Need To Process This
Director: Eleanor Morrison
Country: USA; Running Time: 14 min

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
13 Driver’s Licenses
Director: Ryoya Terao
Countries: USA/Germany; Running Time: 27 min

Brothers For Life                                                                  World Premiere
Director: Alon Juwal
Country: Israel; Running Time: 17 min

The Dancer: The Beautiful and Tragic Life Of Gerard Alexander
Directors: Ryon Horne, Tyson Horne
Country: USA; Running Time: 35 min

Family Trip                                                                            World Premiere
Director: Sean Dunne
Country: USA; Running Time: 26 min

Finding Fate
Director: Beth Toni Kruvant
Country: USA; Running Time: 28 min

How I Roll                                                                              World Premiere
Directors: Brianne Berkson, Miguel Gluckstern, BriGuel
Country: USA; Running Time: 13 min

I Can’t Give You Anything But Love                                  World Premiere
Director: Susan Morgan Cooper
Country: USA; Running Time: 34 min

Kristin Dan Kuching Kuchingnya
Director: Michael Kam
Country: Singapore; Running Time: 6 min

Living Loud                                                                           World Premiere
Directors: Carin van der Donk, Isabella Vega, Sarah Teale
Country: USA; Running Time: 40 min

Paper Boats
Director: Jessica Pons
Country: USA; Running Time: 5 min

Rebirth                                                                                   World Premiere
Director: Olivia Burgess
Country: USA; Running Time: 11 min

Revealing The Impossible                                                   World Premiere
Directors: Tony Chong and Marlene Millar
Country: Canada; Running Time: 29 min

This Is Why We Train: The Sea Girt Beach Patrol            World Premiere
Director: Kevin Nulty
Country: USA; Running Time: 20 min

Tracing Imperfection                                                            World Premiere
Director: Chehade Boulos
Country: USA; Running Time: 8 min

Where Is America the Beautiful?
Director: Fr3der1ck
Country: USA; Running Time: 30 min

MIDNIGHT SHORTS
Bastard                                                                                  World Premiere
Directors: Haley Elise Pehrson, Gretta Wilson
Country: USA; Running Time: 14 min

The Custodian
Director: Colin J. Mason
Country: USA; Running Time: 9 min

D.O.D.
Director: Paul Davis
Country: USA; Running Time: 18 min

Dedly Wagons                                                                       World Premiere
Director: Martin Balaguer
Country: USA; Running Time: 4 min

Good Girls Get Fed
Director: Kelly Lou Dennis
Country: USA; Running Time: 21 min

Hevel                                                                                      World Premiere
Director: David Grace
Country: USA; Running Time: 14 min

Inner Demons                                                                        World Premiere
Director: Jasmine J, Johnson
Country: USA; Running Time: 11 min

The Mantis
Director: Wylie Rush
Country: USA; Running Time: 10 min

Mattress Express
Director: Noah Morse
Country: USA; Running Time: 18 min

Night Shift
Director: Karlee Boon
Country: USA; Running Time: 28 min

Pee Pee Platter
Director: Jon Conklin
Country: USA; Running Time: 11 min

The Spirit Became Flesh                                                     World Premiere
Writer/Director: Jesse Aultman
Country: USA; Running Time: 18 min

The Worm                                                                              World Premiere
Director: Cameron A. Tubbs
Country: USA; Running Time: 14 min

December 4, 2023
In Focus: Karina Rykman Makes Saratoga Springs Debut at Putnam Place

Karina Rykman made her debut appearance in Saratoga Springs with a show at Putnam Place on Thursday, November 30. With a strong crowd in attendance – and some fans making the trek up to Burlington on December 1 and 2 – Rykman’s first show in the Spa City will certainly not be her last.

Opening the night was Coyote Island, a reggae/pop group from Maine, on tour with Rykman this fall.

Throughout her single set, Karina would play a variety of songs from her debut album, Joyride, released this past August. Beginning the show with some of the most familiar tracks on the album, from “Beacon” through “Plants,” each was played with slow building energy and focus from the band, loosening up as the set progressed.

“City Kids” would mark a frenzied shift of the set’s vivacity, with Rykman running around in circles, pumping the already engaged crowd up even more. Guitarist Adam November dropped rapid fire guitar, the kind you’d hear in “The Great Curve,” with just the proper amount of distortion incorporated – never too heavy and present in the right spots. Rykman dropped a few bars of “The National Anthem” by Radiohead, per usual turning ears to the stage when this ear worm of a bass line makes its appearance.

“Run of the Mill” brought with it venue-shaking bass bombs, and slowly seeped into Butthole Surfers’ “Pepper,” which had more energy than the 1996 song. Rykman and drummer Chris Corsico put a grungy feel to the debut of “Canary in a Colemine,” a tinge of Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair” slipping in amid the final songs of the set.

For an encore, Rykman chose to debut “Song 2” from Blur, a great addition to their setlist arsenal, and a performance that assures her return to the Capital Region in the future.

Karina Rykman – Putnam Place, Saratoga Springs – Thursday, November 30, 2023

Setlist: Beacon, Skylark/Slowlark, Joyride > All That You Wanted > Plants > Arbitrary > Dirty South, City Kids, Run of the Mill > Pepper, Reboot, No Occasion > Canary in a Colemine > The Hardest Button to Button, Atom Dance, Elevator
Encore: Song 2

Up next for Rykman is a performance at Warren Haynes’ XMas Jam in Asheville, NC on Saturday, December 9, then at Mohegan Sun on December 30. Check out her full tour dates here.

December 3, 2023
Britney Spears Book “The Woman In Me” Tells Raw Tale Of Finding Peace After Living Through Hell

If you grew up in the past three decades paying attention to pop culture, then you know Britney Spears. She took America by storm since she was just a little girl with her raw vocal talent and knack for dancing. With her quick rise to fame came unexpected and unwanted attention: being scrutinized by the media for her clothes, her body, her virginity, and later on, her mental health.

It didn’t matter that she was successful; she shaved her head and went “rogue,” so she was “bad.” She was put under a conservatorship, a legal status where someone else is appointed to take care of personal and financial matters instead of the original person, typically reserved for the elderly or disabled: of which, she is neither. Britney Spears’ book The Woman In Me uncovers the Circus that was her life, the abuse she endured, and how she is recovering to this day.

“The Woman In Me” on Amazon

Britney Spears revolutionized teen pop during the 1990s and early 2000s. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 at the young age of 15, and faced immediate success. …Baby One More Time and Oops!…I Did It Again are among the best-selling albums of all time.

She’s a famous artist, but she’s also a mother of two boys (Sean Preston Federline and Jayden James Federline), as well as an author, as of October 2023.

Spears, with the help of ghostwriter Sam Lansky, tells her story. She starts with her early life, hiding no tarnishes, such as her family’s struggles with mental health and her father’s alcoholism, and how both have affected her throughout her career.

Spears began taking dance lessons in her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana, and from then, she was hooked. She later tried out for the 1990s revival of The Mickey Mouse Club, and after being rejected the first time and returning later with more experience, she was hired in December of 1992 as well as Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, and Keri Russell. After the termination of The Mickey Mouse Club, she realized she needed to pursue her true passion: music.

After a few rejections, Jive Records signed Spears and ordered a full album, which we know today as the infamous …Baby One More Time.

With so much success so fast, Spears realized that her life would never be the same. She was no longer a 15 year old girl in Louisiana: she was a national super star. And with all that attention came a lot of unwanted attention, too.

Male hosts, some who could be classified as Womanizers, constantly asked about her breasts, her virginity, and her “risqué” clothing. She noted that many of her male peers simply weren’t asked these questions. In fact, the sexism in the industry is very easily distinguished from her recollection of her time dating Justin Timberlake.

Their relationship was very serious very fast, which unfortunately led to many issues. Timberlake allegedly cheated on Spears with numerous women, but that’s not how he told the story. Through his music videos, he alluded to Britney Spears cheating on him, and how it hurt him so much– and everyone believed it, because why wouldn’t they?

What didn’t make it into the press was the abortion she underwent at Timberlake’s request, and the pain and heartache it caused her. Britney Spears recounts her loneliness at this time and how, no matter what, she felt her story would be overshadowed by Timberlake’s.

She fell into a deep depression, feeling as if the world was against her, and no matter what she did, it was wrong. She later married Kevin Federline, with whom she had their children, and ultimately divorced in 2007. During a long and difficult custody battle, Spears was often photographed at her worst: she lost her children, lost her voice, and lost any support system she had (if there even was one to begin with). The most infamous photos from this time are when she shaved her head, and proceeded to smash a car window with an umbrella. This image tarnished her reputation, changing her from being a pop star to a Crazy woman. She was put under a conservatorship for her well-being, but what she really needed was support and real, genuine help.

People

After 13 years of having her life controlled at the hands of her Toxic father, being told what to eat, when to eat, when to go to the bathroom, when to perform, and even being denied the removal of her IUD, she had enough when her father allegedly hurt one of her sons. She started searching for a good lawyer, and a court date was eventually set.

In November of 2021, the conservatorship was removed, and Britney was free. After years of other people telling her story– the press, her Criminal father, and numerous documentaries– she decided it was time to tell hers.

“Sometimes I talk trash on Instagram. People don’t know why I have such anger toward my parents. But I think if they were in my shoes, they would understand.”
Britney Spears’ “The Woman In Me,” pg. 171

Britney does not deny that the trauma she endured made her Stronger, and she makes it clear that she would not be the woman she is today if it weren’t for that trauma. But she also makes it clear that she, or any woman for that matter, shouldn’t have to be that strong in the first place, because no one should go through what she did.

Being a religious woman herself, one would think that she’d be preaching “forgiveness sets you free,” but it’s the opposite.

In our patriarchal society, women are indirectly, and sometimes directly, told to not express anger. It’s not feminine, it’s not pretty, so don’t do it. But Britney Spears has a lot of rage because of her past, and she doesn’t hide it, because women shouldn’t have to.

“In that moment, I made peace with my family– by which I mean that I realized I never wanted to see them again, and I was at peace with that.”
Britney Spears’ “The Woman In Me,” pg. 251

While there were some flaws, such as a vague description of some vital points in her career (such as the sexualization of her from such a young age and how that affected her later on, and her Instagram posts), one thing that this book really gets right is peace.

While she says that reaching peace is important, she actually defines her version of peace. “Peace,” to Britney, is not forgiving her family for what they did to her, or even keeping them in her life. Peace is being alone, and being at peace knowing that you are okay alone. So no, she does not forgive them– but she’s still free.

The idea that you have to forgive someone who traumatized you is absolutely ludicrous: and that’s really the takeaway from Britney’s book. Sometimes it’s okay to be angry, and it’s okay to feel that. Don’t let it destroy you, but remember that you don’t owe anyone anything.

All you can do is be and accept yourself.

December 3, 2023
In Focus: Mike Powell and the Echosound Bring Sonic Experience to Middle Ages in Syracuse

On a day where shoppers flocked to stores and malls in search of holiday deals, music fans made their way to the Middle Ages Beer Hall to see Mike Powell and the Echosound. The Echosound, a jam-rock band from Syracuse is the latest musical incarnation of singer-songwriter Mike Powell.

Opener Neil Minet got things rolling on Friday evening, with a blistering sixty minute set. Minet and his band have been turning heads over the last year in Syracuse, has included a notable performance at the 2023 NYS Blues Fest. The Neil Minet Band blends blues, funk and R&B sounds, resulting in a set that had the entire room swaying and dancing.

As Mike Powell and his bandmates took to the stage, Powell stepped towards the mic and offered a smile and the following words; “Let’s have some fun.” With that, the house lights dimmed and the band was underway. Opening with a cryptic musical jam, guitarist John Hanus was given the opportunity to step in to the spotlight early, and he did not disappoint. Hanus would deliver a guitar solo that was both beautiful and powerful, while backed by the strong musicianship of the remaining members of the Echosound. As the solo ended, Mike Powell quickly launched in to the raucous and upbeat “Submarine Gin.” The set was fully underway and the packed beer hall crowd pushed their way closer to the stage.

It was evident early and often that Mike Powell and the Echosound carried with them a loyal and devoted following, as fans danced, swayed, and sang back Powell’s catchy choruses, with the concert hall filled elbow to elbow with fans. While the band performed many of the dynamic tracks off their recent release Plastic Spoon Honeymoon, they dipped their toes into Mike Powell’s diverse solo catalog as well.

Songs like “Josephine” took on dramatic new life when paired with the talents of the Echosound. The song, which would stretch over nine minutes long, would build to yet another epic solo by Hanus, while bandmates Zak Masoud (bass guitar), Adam Manion (percussion) and Jeff Alderman (keyboards) kept pace, each taking their turn to shine. The song would eventually break down into a brief cover of “Come Together”, fusing both songs into one seamless piece. It was perhaps the standout moment on an evening filled with highlights, and one that will be sure to keep music fans coming back to see the band.

December 2, 2023
Jess Novak: Musician, Author, Entrepreneur, And Now A Mother

Jess Novak has released her EP Sonrise, a love letter to the two most important men in Jess’ life: her husband and her son. She also comes with news of future concert dates and other projects to come.

Jess Novak (electric violin, guitar, vocals, piano, percussion, looping) makes The Jess Novak Band what it is with the help of Byron Cage on drums, Anthony Saturno on electric guitar, Jay Fabbri on bass, and Gavin George and Marcus Oliver on drums.

Having traveled across the country and playing 200 shows every year, Jess Novak and her band are well-versed in music, determined to make their next concert even better than their last.

Novak boasts many talents: with her electric violin and other instruments, she also is credited with aiding in the creation of F.I.R.E Festival (Females. Inspire. Rock. Empower.). This event is meant to create a safe space for women in a male-dominated industry, inviting old and young from all kinds of backgrounds.

F.I.R.E is also accepting applications for participants, be it volunteering, performing, or sponsoring.

On top of this festival, she also boasts a future in being an author, with one already published book Dare to Begin published in September 2022, discussing her own musical journey and dreams. Another book is also on the way– a fiction novel “The House Musician” likely to hit the shelves in 2024.

Just when you think she can’t do anything else, Jess brings a life into the world. She and her husband, Ben, collaborated on an EP called Sonrise, an in-depth and vulnerable love letter to her son, the life she brought into the world, and the immediate connection they shared since his birth.

It’s an eclectic album with heartfelt vocals and rock instrumentals, from the loving “Falling” to the hard rock “My Baby,” this EP shows all the emotions that can be experienced when one becomes a parent, and how this forever alters one’s life.

“This album doesn’t feel like an album to me. It feels like a love letter to the two most important men in my life. It feels like a proud way to say how much I love them and how I can’t believe I’m this lucky to be sharing my heart in these songs.”
Jess Novak

For more information on Jess Novak follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

For more information on the Jess Novak Band, follow them on Instagram.

December 2, 2023
Gogol Bordello and Bernard Summer Release Cover of “Solidarity”

Gogol Bordello and Bernard Summer have released their cover of “Solidarity” by Angelic Upstarts.

Ukrainian frontman Eugene Hütz of international punk rock band Gogol Bordello, have announced the re-launch of his label Casa Gogol Records and set to showcase the sound of the New York scene and collaborate with legends of the punk rock community. Casa Gogol first started as a touring series curated by Hütz, focusing on bringing like-minded artists on the road with Gogol Bordello.

Casa Gogol released a cover collaboration on November 27, with Gogol Bordello and Bernard Summer of Angelic Upstarts’, “Solidarity”, to honor tribute to the anti-soviet movement to benefit Ukraine and stand in solidarity with oppressed groups worldwide. Aiming to provide proceeds to Ukrainian soldiers recovery, aid children affected, support needed medical supplies and provide other resources.

“This is a particularly meaningful collaboration for us. To do this tribute with one of the most masterful and brilliant pioneers, Bernard Sumner, is truly epic and timely.”
– Eugene Hütz

“Solidarity” uses powerful lyrics that is upbeat, influential and highlights the importance of Ukraine while they sing, “As the people of Ukraine take their stance, and behind them, every honest living man.” They chant, “Give them hope, give them strength and give them light,” to tribute and bring peace to the people of Ukraine. A strong backbeat sews the song together with violin, guitar, and synthesized sounds on the keyboard that pulls punk and rock into a moving tune.

December 1, 2023
Twiddle Celebrate Frendsgiving, Say Farewell to Fans, For Now

A music and emotion-filled weekend at The Capitol Theatre wrapped up on Sunday, November 26, as Twiddle, a band whose near two-decade tenure as a dominant Northeast jam band, came to a close. Using the annual ‘Frendsgiving‘ celebration to begin their indefinite hiatus, the group’s dedicated final performances (for now) matched the love and affection Twiddle fans poured out over three days and nights in Port Chester.

Frendsgiving has been a Twiddle tradition since at least 2017, a celebration around Thanksgiving that brings the Twiddle faithful together for a two or three night run at The Capitol Theatre. The fans who have made Twiddle a brand that goes well beyond the band are the core of this community, taking the music and lyrics, embracing them and incorporating them into their lives, as well as their artwork and inspired creations.

Celebrated Frend Art events have brought fans together in great numbers, showing the inspiration the band imparts on their fans. On Saturday, November 25 and Sunday, November 26, Coda Davidson once again brought Frend Art together for two shows, full of live music, workshops, live painting, and a chance to meet the artists and creators of these galvanized creators, for the first, or potentially, last time. Events like these are the reason Twiddle was head and shoulders above many of their brethren in the jam scene, creating a scene that was truly organic, mirroring the jams the band bring to the stage each night.

That was something that always stuck out about Twiddle – the band offered a fresh perspective of an organic fanbase and movement, one that was seen over the decades, bringing along comparisons to Phish, given their Vermont roots and tendency to jam off of oddly named songs. But Twiddle was not Phish, nor the ‘next Phish’; if anything, Twiddle was indicative of a generational swing for (primarily) millennials who sought to carve their own niche in the jam scene, being far more than a photostat of the ‘other’ four guys from Vermont. The comparisons between the two bands began and ended with ‘’well, they’re from Vermont and there are four guys in the band” simply because there was no reason for a ‘next Phish,’ which holds true even today with other bands from the Northeast.

One aspect of Twiddle’s legacy that may be overlooked is how effectively the band made sure to uplift bands in the jam scene that were just starting out, giving these artists with small followings a big stage by opening up for Twiddle at various points in the first half of the 2010s. Former Twiddle manager Kevin Rondeau was instrumental in this, seeing the promise of bands like Mister F, Wild Adriatic, and Strange Machines, offering them opening slots or late night at festivals across the Northeast. There were countless bands you could see at Frendly Gathering or Tumbledown who you might be able to see at some point at a club, but this elevation to festival billing or direct support at a show was a game changer for those bands lucky enough to have the opportunity, particularly for those who knew how to use this boost to their long term advantage.

So as Twiddle entered this final stretch of shows, I found myself nostalgic, wondering how many Twiddle shows I had seen since The Big Up 2010 – I ballparked the number to be around 30 but it could be higher still – and what the legacy of the band will be following this final run at The Cap. I recalled attending the band’s first Capitol Theatre show, seeing the joy from Rondeau and keyboardist Ryan Dempsey when they learned the show was officially sold out, a mere three hours before doors. The fans were alive with energy the entire night, knowing they were witness to the start of the band’s next step.

That energy was still seen outside the Capitol Theatre for Frendsgiving, with Twiddle fans lined up for early entry, aiming to ride the rail one final time, or displaying pin boards and their wares for advance arrivals who sought out the abundance of Hispanic food found throughout Port Chester (don’t sleep on El Rinconcito Salvadoreno, right behind the Capitol Theatre). Fans likewise lined up all through the venue to pick up the final run of merchandise, including three incredible prints from Vinny Naro, and even had a wide selection of prints and merch from the Twiddle archives for sale in Garcia’s.

And then there was the music.

The Kitchen Dwellers provided a great opening set, and sit-ins, on Friday, November 24 and Saturday, November 25, a connection going back over a decade that has seen Kitchen Dwellers making it to the east coast usually twice a year and finding a healthy audience wherever they play.

Friday night of Twiddle began with instrumental “Stroganoff” and “Syncopated Healing,” the latter echoing the phrase/advice “Heal your life,” something not lost on the faithful in attendance and streaming at home on Fans.Live, following with a big jam out of “Daydream Farmer” and inviting up Torrin from Kitchen Dwellers for “Cabbage Face.”

Set two’s “Brick of Barley” welcomed a familiar face in Scott Hannay, AKA ‘stage daddy’. Hannay’s musical journey has included stints with Capital Zen and later with Mister F, as well as his own 8-bit musical creations, and currently serves as keyboardist for Mihali’s band, which has a rosy future paved out for it. “Brick of Barley” also gave drummer Adrian Tramontano a worthy drums segment that made this one of the jams of the weekend. “River Drift” had Mihali coming out to the front of the stage, pouring emotion out of his DGN guitar as he fell to his knees during the peak, fans raising their hands up with requited love. A tease of “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter was found in “Amydst the Myst,” and sunflowers found space on the walls of The Cap during “Hattis Jam” > “When it Rains it Poors,” the latter an anthem for Twiddle if there ever was one.

The encore on Friday would have Twiddle bring up Kitchen Dwellers quickly, none leaving the stage, as they tuned up all nine musicians for “Glycerine Medley,” which had bits of “No Woman No Cry,” “Wagon Wheel” and “Farmhouse,” framing the first night perfectly with post-show music “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”

Saturday night’s sets would feature songs that encapsulated Twiddle’s storytelling chops, including fan favorites in the first set, “Nicodemus Portulay,” “Fantastic Tale of Ricky Snickle,” “Mamunes the Faun,” “Beethoven & Greene.” Set two saw a cover of ALO’s “BBQ” inside of “White Light” (which gave its name to the band’s official charity) and the Beatles “Rocky Raccoon” with Torrin and Swain from Kitchen Dwellers joining in. Torrin would stick around for “Subconscious Prelude” and the entire band joining Twiddle for a raucous cover of “Burning Down the House” in the encore slot. Ryan Dempsey took the opportunity to crowd surf, with success, during the encore as Hannay took over on key, the stage lit up with smiles and excitement from the bands in this, their final live collaboration.

photo by Phil Hernandez

Sunday night featured three sets, each one piling on the classic Twiddle songs fans clamored to hear, as well as some rarities in the mix. The first set featured two of those bust-outs, “Bronze Fingers” and “Five,” with a set ending “Earth Mama.” Over the next two sets, the biggest jam vehicles took the crowd for a spin one last time – “Latin Tang” had a jam on Vulfpeck’s “Dean Town,” with Mihali ascending to the Stage Left box seats for an incredible solo; “Apples” made way for “Doinkenbonk,” one of the silliest song titles in the Twiddle catalog, but with a groove and jam that make up for it, and Primus’ “Too Many Puppies” sung perfectly by Zdenek Gubb, slapping the bass with precision to close the middle set.

Set 3 began with “Orlando’s,” a song that has given birth to a music venue of the same name in Burlington. “Jamflowman,” a song that became one of the most identifiable Twiddle songs, thanks to the line “Jamflowman don’t give a damn” found “Frankenfoote” to follow, Frankies projected all across the walls of the Capitol Theatre. “Gatsby the Great” was yet another song that lent itself to becoming Twiddle parlance and art (“Luva Duck“) and closed with an always mesmerizing “The Box.”

Before returning for an encore, Capitol Theatre owner and promoter Peter Shapiro came out to thank the fans, give Twiddle due credit for their longevity, and surprised the band with medals for each of them. After hugs and smiles, the band returned to a song played on Friday night, “When It Rains It Poors,” Mihali calling an audible and returning to their most streamed song, and with appropriate lyrics as they hit pause after 20 years:

Now listen to the words I’m
Saying in this line that your life will be just fine and
Troubles do not stay they
Get replaced with good times
Now you got a great life
Smile as you walk by
Thinking about the Day

Fare thee well Twiddle, we’ll meet again someday.

Twiddle “Frendsgiving”- Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – Friday, November 24, 2023

Set 1: Stroganoff, Syncopated Healing, Daydream Farmer, Cabbage Face (1), The Mission, Brown Chicken Brown Cow#
Set 2: Collective Pulse, Brick of Barley (2), The Devil, River Drift, Amydst The Myst$, Mushrooms of the Sea> Dr Remidis Melodium, Hattis Jam > When It Rains It Poors
Encore: Glycerine Medley (3)
(1) – w/ Torrin Daniels (Kitchen Dwellers)
(2) – w/ Scott Hannay
(3) – w/ Kitchen Dwellers (no stage break before encore)
$ – contained Hedwigs Theme

Twiddle “Frendsgiving”- Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – Saturday, November 25, 2023

Set 1: Nicodemus Portulay> Indigo Trigger, Fantastic Tale of Ricky Snickle, Every Soul> Mamunes the Faun> Every Soul, Beethoven & Greene
Set 2: White Light> BBQ [1] > White Light, Rocky Raccoon [2], Subconscious Prelude [3], Polluted Beauty [4], Lost in the Cold [4], Slippin in the Kitchen
Encore: Burning Down The House [5]
[1] – ALO
[2] – The Beatles w/Torrin & Swain
[3] – w/Torrin Daniels
[4] – Mike on Saxophone
[5] – Talking Heads superjam w/Torrin, Swain, Joe Funk, Scott Hannay & Mike on Sax

Twiddle “Frendsgiving”- Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – Sunday, November 26, 2023

Set 1: Be There, Moments, Bronze Fingers, Fighting For, Hattibagen McRat, Five, Earth Mama
Set 2: Frends Theme, Latin Tang#, Apples > Doinkenbonk > Too Many Puppies*
Set 3: Orlando’s, Jamflowman> Frankenfoote > Gatsby the Great, The Box
Encore: When It Rains It Pours > Over the Rainbow > When It Rains It Pours > Every Last Leaf II

# with Scott Hannay
* “I Will Always Love You” tease

photo via Arlene Dickinson

Photo gallery by Filip Zalewski

December 1, 2023
Flashback: Trey Anastasio Joins Medeski Martin and Wood at Albany’s Palace Theatre, December 1, 2000

There was already magic in the air when Medeski, Martin and Wood took the stage on December 1, 2000 at The Palace Theatre in Albany. The night was cold but the rumors were hot that some very special guests would be joining MMW that night.

Those rumors turned out to be true. Elysian Fields founder/guitarist Oren Bloedow as well as Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista joined Medeski Martin and Wood for the entire show. Rumors had been swirling like an upstate snow squall that Phish frontman Trey Anastasio would be there and when He joined Medeski, Martin and Wood (plus Bloedow and Baptista) late in the second set, the energy of the crowd and the band reached some amazing heights.

The night began with some ambient improvisation from Medeski, Martin and Wood with special guests Bloedow and Baptista joining from the start. Instrumental grooves set the mood and seemingly took the audience from jungle to the tropics and through various soundscapes before leading in to “The Dropper.” The first pure melodies of the night then followed with “Nostalgia in Times Square.” From “The Dropper” to “Times Square” – the psychedelic journey had begun and the band took the crowd on what sounded like an audio description of a psychedelic experience through New York City.

One can almost see the different store fronts, streets, alleys, cabs, people and hallucinations as MMW and friends wind their way from Times Square through “Angel Race (I’ll Wait For You)” and “Shacklyn Knights”, the latter featuring some vintage psychedelic 60’s style guitar leads from Bloedow. A heavy trance like percussion jam brought a return to “Shacklyn Knights” before closing the first set with a dark and jazzy “Seven Deadlies,” again invoking the chaos of mixing psychedelics and The Big City.

Ticket stub for Medeski Martin and Wood, which featured sit-ins from Trey Anastasio, Oren Bloedow and Cyro Baptista.

Set two began with John Medeski laying down an eerie organ intro before Billy Martin kicked in a big beat on drums for “Big Time”. Chris Wood’s bass fueled the opening jam while MMW was once again joined by Oren Bloedow and Cyro Baptista. The Five-some took the music to deep, dark space before returning to planet Earth via the Jimi Hendrix classic “Third Stone From The Sun” which featured funky grooves and blistering lead guitar from Oren Bloedow and a percussion breakdown. The crowd erupted as Trey Anastasio appeared and it was announced that “another special guest” was going to join the stage. The new ensemble, armed with one of the world’s most talented guitarists kicked off with MMW’s “Partido Alto” with Trey adding his signature guitar style.

When asked about this show, Capital region resident Maria Levin, who was in attendance said, “Trey playing “Partido Alto” with MMW is still one of the highlights of my live music life.” “We Are Rolling,” “Start Stop” and a haunting, Roky Erickson-esque “Dracula” had Trey and company exploring the far reaches of the universe with a sound that seemed to encapsulate some of the best elements of Phish and MMW. Jax Why commented in the Facebook group PHISH TOUR 2014, “A superb evening. The “rumor” was not much of a surprise by the time Big Red (Trey Anastasio) emerged for the second set. However, the style and energy in which He played was. It was quite a different sit-in from when Trey joined MMW in Austin, TX about 4 years prior. Mature jamming and placement with intent and patience.” Following “Dracula,” Chris Wood captivated the Palace Theatre crowd with a bass solo that set the tone for a jazzy, funky and at times scary “Chubb Sub” that closed out the set.

After a standing ovation, Medeski, Martin, Wood, Bloedow, Baptista and Anastasio returned to the stage and sent the fans home into the Albany night with a “Swamp Road” for the ages.

The collaborations at The Palace Theatre in Albany on December 1, 2000 would not only lead to an unforgettable night for those in attendance but also change the course of jamband history. This magical night in Albany was the first time Trey Anastasio and Cyro Baptista joined forces together on stage. Trey would invite Cyro to join The Trey Anastasio Band in 2002. Cyro continues to be a part of TAB to this day.

December 1, 2023
Poolside Announce 2024 “Blame It All On Love Tour,” New Single “Lonely Night”

Poolside has announced their 2024 headlining North American Tour with a pit stop at Brooklyn Steel on February 17, and new single “Lonely Night (French version)” released on November 14.

Poolside is the recording project of producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Paradise. In 2011, Poolside has set out to produce chill music for summer soirees, a light and danceable kind of music with liquid rhythm that was named “Daytime Disco”.

“When Poolside sent me the demo for Lonely Night, I was immediately inspired by the song. I first wrote the lyrics in French and sent it to Jeff and he proposed the idea of having a version in English as well”
– MUNYA

Jeffrey Paradise revealed the French version of “Lonely Nights” with MUNYA on November 14, from his latest album Blame It All On Love and is pleased to announce upcoming tour dates for 2024 starting in Santa Barbara at the Soho Music Club on January 19.

While this is Poolside’s fourth studio album, Paradise leaves the shallows and enters the depths of his own creative voice. The eleven tracks are funky, playful, laidback and full of hooks that elevate Poolside’s sound to poignant pop heights. The lo-fi ballad “Lonely Night” co-written with MUNYA incorporates all the sweet things that make an easy to love song and blends it with romantic melancholy that adds a softness of verses in French.

All general ticket sales begin Friday, November 27, for more information please visit here.

Upcoming Poolside Tour Dates:

2024 ‘Blame It All On Love Tour’

Jan 19 – Santa Barbara, CA – SoHo Music Club

Jan 20 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Fremont Theater

Jan 25 – Del Mar, CA – The Sound

Jan 26 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern

Jan 27 – Oakland, CA – The Fox

Jan 28 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades

Jan 30 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall

Feb 01 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom

Feb 02 – Seattle, WA – Showbox

Feb 03 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre

Feb 06 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre

Feb 08 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fine Line

Feb 09 – Chicago, IL – The Vic

Feb 10 – Detroit, MI – The Majestic Theatre

Feb 13 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House

Feb 14 – Montreal, QC – El Studio

Feb 15 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair

Feb 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Brookyln Steel

Feb 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl

Feb 20 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry

Feb 21 – Washington, DC – The Atlantis

November 30, 2023
Saratoga Group The Zorbas Trio Releases Debut Single, “Still I Breathe”

Sibling group The Zorbas Trio released their debut single, “Still I Breathe,” ahead of their Hudson Falls show at the Strand Theater on December 4. Composed of siblings Callista, Demetra, and John Zorbas, the group plays original folk rock tunes, as well as covers ranging across genres.

The group’s first single, “Still I Breathe,” is a dark folk-rock track with strong vocals, as well as evident piano and guitar skills. The sibling trio shows strong collaborative skill, which will prove to be important in their upcoming album.

The Zorbas Trio is currently based out of Saratoga, as Upstate NY natives. Pianist and composer John Zorbas is the youngest of the three, specializing in classical and jazz. Demetra, the second oldest of the Trio, brings lead vocals and bass, and is also an actor, fine artist, and trap shooter. Finally, Callista, the eldest sibling, also lends lead vocals as well as her guitar skills. She is also an actor, writer, and fine artist, in addition to her musical skills.

The Zorbas Trio will play a show at The Strand Theater in Hudson Falls on December 4 at 7PM. The event is free. More information is available here.

Listen to “Still I Breathe” from Zorbas Trio below.

November 29, 2023