Category: Features

Phish Celebrate 40 Years with Career-Spanning New Year’s Gag

With one last night of their first Madison Square Garden run since 2019 remaining, Phish left not a single note on the table as they brought fans on a journey through the gags that have rung in the new year, dating back to 1992.

Sticking with a recurring theme of time and time manipulation, Phish would make this night among their most memorable at Madison Square Garden, and not only as they enter into their 40th year, but as they tie Sir Elton John for the second most shows ever played at The Garden, with 72. A post-show tribute of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was a fitting nod to The Rocket Man, who performed his last ever show at MSG in February, and his final North American show in November.

Fans who had already been through three nights of Phish this run, and many having been at the April shows – which were rescheduled from December 2021 – were eager and anticipating something special, given that 2023 will bring in the 40th year of Phish and more celebrations to come. But how would they kick the night off, and more importantly, ring in the new year? Patience is a virtue and those who waited were rewarded, and then some.

Kicking off the show was a highly-anticipated “Tweezer,” which set the tone for the night as playing their greatest jam vehicle in the opening slot never fails. A shift into “Halley’s Comet” netted a smooth segue into “Set Your Soul Free” which gave way to “Rift,” all energy-filled songs to start the show, following the trend of the past few nights and no let-up from any of the band, or the audience for that matter. “Cavern” gave way to the second “Tweezer” of the night, followed by the ballad “Shade” and a proper “Mike’s Groove” to close.

Heading into Set 2, the band would begin to hint at a theme they revisit reguarly, time. Each song in the second set would have some nod towards time, even if hidden in the lyrics. The opening “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.OS.” (you will always remember where you are) and never dull second set appearance of “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (aka “2001”) gave fans the start they hoped for, with the “Kill Devil Falls” (who knew a day would turn into a week) following. A throwback to 2018’s New Year’s gag in “Mercury” (your day is longer than your year) would follow, as well as “Light” (memories fall behind; future is less and less there; past vanished in the air), “Waste” (wasting my time with you) and “Drift While You’re Sleeping” (I’ve seen the day go by; one brief moment; the days are few) providing even more direct hints as the set progressed, but mid-set, when you’re tuned into the music, the lyrical connections are up for setbreak discussion. And if a final hint was needed, “Backwards Down The Number Line” gave the clearest indication the band was getting nostalgic, as one does on New Year’s Eve.

Phish sprinkled some musical bread crumbs during the second intermission that helped shed a little light on the traditional New Year’s Eve gag. Attentive fans picked up on music from Parliament Funkadelic (“Tear the Roof Off the Sucka”) and The Breeders (“Cannonball”) being played lightly on the PA, along with aptly titled songs like “Umbrella” (Rihanna), “Steam” (Peter Gabriel), “Mockingbird” (Carly Simon) and “Send In The Clowns” (Grace Jones). It all hinted at a retrospective look back at the band’s career and that’s exactly how the manic yet celebratory third set played out.

In true Phish fashion, the final set started out with a barbershop quartet proclaiming that the stroke of midnight would mark the band’s 40th year together. As a birthday “wish” of sorts, Trey makes one for a time machine, so as to do it all again. In response, a cube-like object then descended from the rigging above the stage, showcasing both audio and video from all of the band’s storied New Year’s Eve showsa and gags such as Halloween shows Wingsuit and Sci-Fi Soldiers. Dancers from all different eras then began to emerge, including a Wombat, sadly not costumed by Abe Vigoda this time, who winds up “breaking” the machine and setting off a wave of more ghosts from Phish New Year’s past.

With the fitting set-opening “Ghost” now in full swing, a full fledged choir emerged from backstage and the band steered into “Bohemian Rhapsody” in a nod to their 12/31/96 show in Boston, MA. The song was also visited by an entire marching band as well as it made its way into “Jungle Boogie,” which had not been played since 12/31/03 in Miami, FL. A “Wilson” castaway merged the 2002 “Tom Hanks” appearance with Trey Anastasio being stuck on a platform in 2019, and was unveiled from atop the stage as the music shifted into the namesake song before a final New Year’s countdown and a confetti-filled “Auld Lang Syne.” The constant set of revolving characters also saw ones like Father Time from 12/31/99, the “Meatstick” dancers from 12/31/10 and the “Petrichor” dancers and umbrellas from 12/31/16 make apperances.

2023 was greeted by “Carini” and a host of “naked dude” dancers reveling in the new year’s energy, even forming a chorus line during “New York, New York,” before eventually, as expected, shifting back to “Tweezer” one last time. An explosive “Crosseyed and Painless” > “Piper” section may have been the pure musical highlight of the set, before “A Life Beyond The Dream” and the always raucous “First Tube” closed out the final set of the run.

In their 14th overall New Year’s Eve performance at Madison Square Garden (and 22nd over the last 40 years), Phish celebrated what has made these shows so unique – the music, the antics, the special guests and the unexpected gags that continue to influence and be emulated throughout the jam band world. The only question left from this New Year’s Eve show is, how are they going to top this? We’ll get an answer to that question later this year.

Phish Madison Square Garden – New York, NY 12/31/22 – setlist via Phish.net

Set 1: Tweezer, Halley’s Comet -> Set Your Soul Free > Rift, Cavern > Tweezer > Shade, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove

Set 2: Say It To Me S.A.N.T.OS. > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Kill Devil Falls, Mercury > Light > Waste, Drift While You’re Sleeping, Backwards Down The Number Line

Set 3: Ghost > Bohemian Rhapsody > Ghost -> Jungle Boogie > Wilson > Auld Lang Syne > Carini > Theme From New York, New York > Tweezer > Prince Caspian > Crosseyed and Painless > Piper, A Life Beyond The Dream, First Tube

Encore: Show of Life > Tweezer Reprise

Photo gallery by Brian Ferguson

January 3, 2023
Elliott Murphy’s Amazing European Journey Enlightens Us with Prose and Song

Elliott Murphy is my latest surprise discovery and I am a wealthier man for meeting him and engaging in conversation. His vast career has taken him from Garden City, Long Island to Paris. A Rock-n-Roll, singer/songwriter, poet, performer, author and journalist for Rolling Stone and Spin Magazine, Elliott Murphy has a career worth investigating. I was most fortunate to have him on The Long Island Sound podcast.

Elliott Murphy

Looking at the experiences of this past year, I’m amazed at the various brushes with celebrity, while I lurked in the shadow of creative greatness. Unbeknownst to your humble correspondent, I stood briefly in the shadow of Elliott Murphy. Not shy to request interviews for NYS Music, I had yet to appreciate the unbelievable career of the man, who alongside Bruce Springsteen, was once touted as the next Bob Dylan.

After a brief “How do you like the Grand Opening?” back and forth, I propositioned Elliot for a full interview on The Long Island Sound podcast, which you can find right here.

Elliott Murphy was raised in Garden City and after a sojourn through Europe, returned to New York in 1973, and was promptly signed by Polydor Records and produced his acclaimed debut album, Aquashow. Paul Nelson from Rolling Stone acclaimed:

He’s the Best Dylan since1968
Paul Nelson (Rolling Stone)

Discovering Elliott Murphy

The road to discovery is littered with potholes, twists, turns, gumption and glory. Nevertheless the search for the next great artist or song which we long to cling to and make our own, may very well be around the corner. That’s why we search, because it can appear in the most unlikely places.

My recent job was to experience the Grand Opening of the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, as luck would have it among the many notable celebrities in the music industry, I came across a humble man, open to my small talk to pass the time with me as the circus of celebrity bandied about.

Paris My New Home

Traveling through Europe on a whim and a prayer seemed to be the right of passage for many twenty something’s over the decades. In 1977, Murphy took his guitar, harmonica and talent on a trip to Italy. Elliott put out a hat for tips and sang his heart out on various street corners throughout Europe, and brought home some new honed songs to New York.

Elliott Murphy performs at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame Grand Opening

Upon his return to America, he played around Manhattan and scored a record deal with Polydor Records. The birth of his acclaimed album “Aqua Show” took the critics by storm as he was touted as the next Bob Dylan alongside Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, and Louden Wainwright III, but maybe America was just not ready for this soon to be prolific Parisian ex-patriot. You’ll have to tune into The Long Island Sound podcast to get, as I say, “The rest of the story.”

Prolific Singer/Songwriter & Author

Elliott Murphy’s musical journey seems to have been born out of a dream. He must be a dreamer having authored several books, and produced over thirty-five albums. In fact if you follow Elliott Murphy on Facebook, you’ll experience his awesome ability to detail dreams from the evenings slumber with the Rock Dream posts.

My latest project is called Elliot Murphy’s rock dreams. And this is a very bizarre one. I have dreamt about rock stars ever since I can remember. But I never wrote it down. Okay.about a year or so I decided I would start writing down these dreams and putting them up on my Facebook page. And I’m up to number 86 shit.
Elliott Murphy

In October 2012, he was the recipient of the Medaille de Vermeil de la Ville De Paris. On November 4, 2015 he was decorated with the Chevalier Ordre des Ares et des Lettres (Order of Arts & Letters), and in 2018 he was inducted to the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame by Billy Joel. He keeps going strong, touring throughout Europe, appearing at over one hundred events per year.

During our interview, I found Elliott to be open, honest and transparent about his career and journey.

It was my privilege to spend over an hour with him as we conducted a virtual interview between New York and Paris. There is much more to unpack about Murphy’s career, and I’m hopeful he will grant me additional interviews in the near future. (No pressure, Elliott, just say’n)

Sometimes we have to appreciate the past, and look at the historical journeys great artists have taken to appreciate their art and their careers.

The Joel/Springsteen Connection

Elliot Murphy counts Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen not only as friends and peers, but as collaborators. Here’s an interesting trailer from the documentary “The Second Act of Elliott Murphy” featuring Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.

Billy Joel at MSG

In fact the list of collaborations is quite long, as he has worked with Mick Taylor, Phil Collins, Sonny Landreth, David Johansen, The Violent Femmes, Cindy Bullens and Shawn Colvin.* (Wikipedia reference) In 1995 his “Selling the Gold” a duet on the song “Everything I do- Leads Me Back to You” features Bruce Springsteen.

Bruce Springsteen

When talking about “The Boss” Elliott said this:

I’ve had so many marvelous moments with him (Bruce Springsteen) he invited my son and myself to sing Born to Run with him in a venue called the Stade de Frances. The French stadium, minutes. 80,000 people Oh my god. Wow. Imagine what a thrill that was.
Elliott Murphy

The Last of the Rock Stars

The connections, the collaborations and the journey of Elliott Murphy is quite fantastic. There’s a documentary from 2015 called “The Second Act of Elliott Murphy” which explores his storied career. When Elliott Murphy first went to Europe, so many Rock Stars were passing away, Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Brian Jones. This is what he had to say about his most requested song:

The last of the rock stars was written on my first trip to Europe. And it is probably the song that I played at literally every concert. I think I’ve done about 2600 concerts in my life and I think I’ve played it literally at every show

Sometimes one has to explore the road less traveled to discover new music as well as time-tested classics. I believe this new year, will be a year of hope which enriches us with great new music, as the discovery of the wellspring of talent continues. A chance brief encounter, led me to Elliott Murphy, and I am richer for it. I look forward to hearing and reading more from him, as his creative desire remains strong along with his connection to Long Island, NY. I leave you with his beautiful song, “Touch of Kindness“.

May this New Year help us build the necessary bridges through kindness and cooperation with the gift of music. Peace!

January 2, 2023
Westchester Guitar Shop Sells Vintage Guitars to the Stars

At the heart of every music town is a guitar shop; Division Street Guitars in Peekskill is no exception. Located right on – you guessed it – North Division Street, the guitar store is a prime attraction in a city bustling with music-goers and artists.

Just a block away from the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater, the small shop, nestled in between a row of restaurants, is a much needed pit stop for traveling musicians looking to add some vintage flair to their collection.

Joe Bonamassa shows off his newly bought ’57 Strat alongside Division Street Guitar employees. From left to right, Paulie Beladino, Joe Bonamassa, owner Paul DeCourcey and Matt Labozza

Over the years, owner Paul DeCourcey has sold his high-end wares to the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Boz Scaggs, Melissa Etheridge, and “that guy who made the coexist bumper sticker,” the shop employees chime in with a humble brag.

An average day is a little less star-studded, but the shop maintains a steady stream of customers from the casual browser to inquisitive sellers and local musicians just stopping by for a chat. No matter the customer, Paul said he brings the same dedication to his craft.

“You’ve got to have a certain knack for it and I’ve had that,” DeCourcey said plain and simple.

DeCourcey’s journey to becoming a luthier (a maker of stringed instruments) started when he was 19 and living in the nearby town of Ossining. There he worked at a local music shop and was mentored by the owner before moving on to become head luthier at Southside Guitars in Brooklyn.

After a few years commuting to the city, DeCourcey decided to settle down a bit closer to home, opening Division Street Guitars in 2014. Initially, he operated the place mainly as a repair shop but gradually transformed the space into a full-fledged guitar store.

Unlike chain guitar stores like Sam Ash or Guitar Center, DeCourcey specializes in buying, refurbishing, and selling vintage guitars. And after 20+ years in the biz, he has a pretty good eye for them

“I just like the older stuff… It’s what I know better,” DeCourcey said. “I think it’s more when you pick it up, you feel right away how it’s made and it kind of speaks to you.”

At any given time the shop is home to 75-100 guitars as well as a colorful array of used pedals, amps and assorted gear. DeCourcey also sells guitars at trade shows as well as online at reverb.com, an online marketplace for musicians.

Currently in stock is a 1979 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, a 1963 Fender Duo Sonic and a 1947 Martin 00-21, as well as plenty of other models from a range of brands.

Owner Paul DeCourcey keeps Division Street Guitars stocked with anywhere from 75-100 used guitars at any given time

Interestingly enough, DeCourcey said he isn’t a big musician himself, or maybe he’s just being humble. DeCourcey co-wrote Grouplove’s hit song “Colours” when he toured with the band’s frontman Christian Zucconi who also fronted for DeCourcey’s own band Aloke.

Despite the large quantity of guitars in shop, DeCourcey currently only has two bass guitars (his instrument of choice) at home, a shockingly low-number for a musician of any caliber. Still, the modest guitar store owner said he gets more joy working on guitars than from playing them. Indeed, it’s clear by the way his face lights up when he talks about guitar repairs, that being a luthier is where DeCourcey is most at home.

“It’s nice to just get in the zone and work on guitars,” he said.

DeCourcey has also served as an unofficial mentor to aspiring musicians in the community. His shop is currently staffed by two Peekskill locals, who he trained himself. Paulie Beladino, a local musician has worked the front of house at the shop since he was 19, when he asked Paul to take him under his wing. The gig allows Beladino to rehearse and travel with his band while also maintaining a more steady source of income.

“Every part of my day is music related and everything I do to make money has to do with music and that sounds like success to me,” he said. “Just rocking and rolling over here.”

Division Street Guitar’s own Paulie Beladino poses for the shop’s instagram page

While Beladino admits to being more of musician than a repairman, he said he still gets the child-like excitement when a new vintage guitar finds its way to the shop.

“There’s nothing more exciting when you see the case and you know what it could be but you don’t know what it actually is and you open it and it’s like ‘oh my god,’” he said. “Every single one of these guitars has years and years of stories and experiences.”

Another shop employee, Matt Labozza has a similar story to Beladino. He too has been at Division Street since the beginning and learned under the guiding hand of DeCourcey. While audio engineering is his main passion after hours, Division Street Guitars provides a similar safe haven for learning and enjoying music.

“Before I worked here, I brought all of my shit to Paul, even basic restrings,” Labozza says, as he now casually restrings a guitar during the interview. “Pretty much everything you see me doing here is thanks to that man.”

In the eight years the shop has been open, DeCourcey said he hasn’t changed much about the store. From the beginning to now it’s still familiar faces, beautiful guitars and good vibes all around.

Division Street Guitars is located at 36 North Division St, Peekskill, NY 10566 and is open Tuesday-Saturday from 12-6pm and Sundays from 12-4 for the holiday season.

Call them at 914-737-2630 or check out their inventory on Reverb.com

January 2, 2023