NYS Music 2023

Category: Jam/Progressive

  • NY Harvest Festival Announces Return for 26th Annual Celebration

    The NY Harvest Festival & Freedom Fair are returning to Ithaca for the 26th straight year of celebrating music, arts, and cannabis culture. Taking place October 6-9, 2023 at the Trumansburg Fairgrounds, attendees will get to experience a packed musical lineup along with interactions with local cannabis companies.

    NY Harvest Festival
    2021 NY Harvest Festival Cannabis Cup

    Featuring multiple stages, fine art displays, street vendors, workshops, activist & educational speakers, a farmers market, onsite camping, and many more activities, the NY Harvest Festival expects to embody the connection between cannabis and music.

    On Friday, October 6, the headliner event features two sets of Dogs in a Pile, whose exploratory music blends psychedelia, jazz, fusion, funk, traditional, and rock n roll. Performing their first-ever festival show here years ago, Dogs in a Pile returns to put on yet another unforgettable showing.

    Saturday, October 7th’s lineup will additionally feature more local New York talent, as Sophistafunk, The Garcia Project, Gratefully Yours, and special guest Immortal Technique will all take the stage.

    Other artists anticipating performances at the event include The Tyler Neal Band, Tony Vacca & World Rhythms, EARTH, The Cosmic Charlies, and so many other up-and-coming local talents.

    Lastly, the festival’s main event, the Cannabis Cup, takes place Sunday, October 8 at 4:20 pm, and festival producer and veteran NY cannabis activist Rob Robinson will be the host. Known as America’s longest-running cannabis cup, everyone over 21 that wants to be, gets the opportunity to be a judge.

    “NY Harvest Fest is a celebration of our cannabis culture. A place where the culture could always feel free, despite prohibition. Now that cannabis is legal and its potential is being realized, we are excited to bring this event, this culture, back into the light.”

    – Rob Robinson

    As the longest-running, largest, private cannabis event in New York, the NY Harvest Festival continues paving the way in the marijuana industry while intertwining it with community involvement. Now, for the 26th straight year, the festival has even more freedom and excitement surrounding cannabis legalization.

    A shot of the crowd from the 2022 NY Harvest Festival

  • In Focus: moe. at Saranac Brewery, June 9-10, 2023

    Local Utica musicians moe. played at Saranac Brewery over June 9 and 10, bringing in packed crowds to the Varick Street biergarten.

    The weekend provided as great a pair of hometown shows as you’d expect. A “Crab Eyes” to focus the crowd’s attention to the stage started the show off and was followed by a song for said crowd, “Happy Hour Hero.” Driving the tempo back up with “Not Coming Down” was met with Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home,” a rare treat that then dipped into the typical segue from “NCD,” “Wormwood.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MB-kJcookw

    Set two opened with Allman Brothers’ “Jessica,” and had Lotus guitarist Tim Palmeri join for a firey “Puebla” a few songs later. “Tubing the River Styx” did not go into “The Pit” as it typically does, but instead “Billy Goat” followed by “Tailspin.”

    An encore of “Farmer Ben” showcased percussionist Jim Loughlin’s vocal stylings where the medley portion at the end was used to highlight songs they were not playing “Moth,” “Plane Crash” and “Timmy Tucker” among them. “okayalright” closed the show and wrapped up a “Not Coming Down” > “Wormwood” > “okayalright” extended trio sandwich.

    moe. – Friday, June 9, 2023 – Saranac Brewery | Utica, NY

    Set 1: Crab Eyes, Happy Hour Hero, Not Coming Down > Can’t Find My Way Home > Wormwood > Deep This Time > Downward Facing Dog, Haze
    Set 2: Jessica, (nh) Silver Sun > LL3 > Puebla$ > Tubing the River Styx > Billy Goat > Tailspin
    Encore: Farmer Ben, okayalright
    $ w/Tim Palmeri

    While there were no bears during “Bearsong” on Saturday, the band fooled fans with a “Time Ed” fake out in a “Ricky Marten” jam that shifted into “Water” instead. Shannon Lynch joined on saxophone for “The Road” to close the set.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd2509fKTwg

    A setbreak performance by ‘FingerbanG’ -a crew band that first performed at Summer Camp Music Festival in May – found them wearing ‘ridiculous inflatable costumes’ and played Spinal Tap’s “Big Bottom” and Queen’s “Fat Bottom Girls” in the short time they had.

    Set two opened with Not Normal track “Prestige Worldwide” and featured the ever-enjoyable combo of “Jazz Wank” > “Spaz Medicine,” followed by a solid “Opium” and “She” and “Brent Black” closing the set, with Chuck Garvey playing a top notch solo, even giving a Chuck.announcement and wishing his wife a happy birthday.

    The encore of Eric Clapton’s “Let it Rain” has found a comfortable spot in the rotation with Nate Wilson having joined the band and providing vocals for a proper Derek and the Dominoes cover.

    moe. – Saturday, June 10, 2023 – Saranac Brewery | Utica, NY

    Set 1: Skitchin Buffalo, Bearsong, White Lightening Turpentine, Big World -> Ricky Martin, Water, The Road*
    Set 2: Prestige Worldwide, Jazz Wank -> Spaz RX, Opium, She -> I don’t Wanna Be -> Brent Black
    Encore: Let It Rain
    *w/ Shannon Lynch on saxophone
    Ricky Martin had a Time Ed Jam fakeout.
    Opium had a “She’s So Heavy” by The Beatles intro.

    Our thanks to Pete Connors for show highlights.

  • Hearing Aide: Organ Fairchild’s New Single “Chamelonious Monk”

    Organ Fairchild, a funky jam band out from Buffalo, have released their new single, “Chamelonious Monk.” The band are previous winners of NYS Music’s 2021 March Madness and their new single holds to their name, with an organ undercurrent and a signature guitar riff to carry on through the song.

    Organ Fairchild was formed in 2020 by Joe Bellanti (organ, keys), Corey Kertzie (drums) and Dave Ruch (guitar), members of a Grateful Dead cover band “White Nights.” Though they debuted right before the COVID-19 pandemic, the three-piece instrumental band has had a successful rise through sold out shows and performances across the Northeast.

    “In Organ Fairchild’s world, chamelon (not chameleon) rhymes with HAM-a-LAHN and refers to a person of exceptional ability and taste. And if you’re a chamelon, well, things you do are chamelonious. So now we’re getting dangerously close to jazz musician Thelonious Monk’s first name, so we added the word Monk to the title and included some signature Monk-like dissonant chords in the climbing part of the song (chords containing half-step intervals for the musicians out there…).”

    Dave Ruch, the band’s guitarist

    Their new single was recorded and mixed by Justin Guip of Milan Hill Studio and mastered by Alan Evans of Soulive.

    For nearly the whole of “Chamelonious Monk,” Bellanti’s organ acts as the cushion for the many highs of the song to fall back on. That is not to say that the organ does not get its chance to shine, but it often keeps the song flowing. Kertzie’s drums are the bridge between the organ and the guitar, cushioning when the organ cannot and leading when the guitar is not.

    Ruch’s guitar has a signature riff through the piece, which often leads the song through its various phases. One of the best uses of the guitar comes in at around the three minute mark, where it briefly stands alone after a small crescendo. The organ rises behind it, slowly taking focus before the drums snatches it away.

    To check out “Chamelonious Monk” by Organ Fairchild on various streaming services, check out this page. For more on the band and their upcoming shows, take a look at their website.

  • In Focus: Memorial Meltdown 2023

    Twiddle and Frends returned to the Charles R. Woods Park in Lake George for the 2023 edition of Memorial Meltdown for the unofficial start to summer and kickoff of a huge music festival and summer concert series season across New York State.

    photo by Derek Java

    Also on this year’s lineup were Twiddle, Dogs in a Pile, TAUK, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Mihali and Frends, One Time Weekend, and Annie in The Water. The two-day event as always included a wide variety of craft and food vendors, a short walk from the shores of Lake George.

    Memorial Meltdown bookends the summer at Charles R. Wood festival commons, with the Labor Day weekend Adirondack Independence Music Festival. The two fests have grown to nearly the same size, following Meltdown, meaning this September’s ADK Fest will have even more in store that is not to be missed!

    photo by Derek Java

    Visit Mirth Films for a full recap, videos, interviews and much more from the Memorial Day weekend in Lake George.

    Check out photo galleries from Conor McMahon and Derek Java below.

  • Sons of Venus Release Psychedelic Rock LP “Crisis to Crisis”  

    NYC’s Sons of Venus have just released their latest LP Crisis to Crisis on June 8th, a fuse of classic psychedelic and jam band. Musically, the release is hypnotic and immersive, almost like meditation, but has roaring guitars and electronic-type sound design.

    Sons of Venus Release Psychedelic Rock LP "Crisis to Crisis"  

    While previous albums have mostly been fully improvised in one way or another, this new release was written and recorded remotely with drums and bass recorded last, an approach which is different from what bands usually do. The album is a spiritual reflection on us as humans and forces us to ask the question why we constantly end up in one world crisis after another.  

    Sons of Venus is made up of guitarist John Sully, drummer Ruslan Baimurzin and bassist Igor Reznik. The three musicians share a chemistry that allow them to improvise instantaneously on almost all complete compositions. Drawing on many influences such as cinema, theater, psychology, and sociology, they found themselves spontaneously experimenting with musical styles like prog, punk, elektro, blues and funk. 

    “It’s the good sound, the mix of psych and funk”

    -Audio Antihero Records 

    Crisis to Crisis is the third Sons of Venus album. As with their first and second albums, the recording followed specific parameters. For example, their first self-titled record was composed by editing improvised recordings, then learning the parts to be performed and recorded live in a state-of-the-art studio.  

    Sons of Venus Release Psychedelic Rock LP "Crisis to Crisis"  

    Their second record, Adventures in Caution, was fully improvised and recorded on a single portable stereo recorder. The album was recorded first by Sully, who tracked all the vocals, guitars and keyboards in his home, after which he sent the tracks to Baimurzin and Reznik for overdubbing. 

    Sons of Venus Release Psychedelic Rock LP "Crisis to Crisis"  

    Songs like “Living in Blood,” “World on Fire,” and “Dead Languages” are a precarious ride through a doom and gloom landscape. This album is not just simply music for the casual listener. It’s an all or nothing hero’s journey that draws you in like a hypnotist while leading you to the slaughter. Like Hunter S. Thompson said, “Buy the ticket, take the ride.” 

    To listen to Crisis to Crisis, click the link here. 

    For more music by Sons of Venus, click the link here. 

  • Schleigho Celebrates 30th Anniversary in Albany, Finger Lakes, Buffalo and Erie this Summer

    Celebrating 30 years as a band, the original quartet of Schleigho will hit the road for select shows in New York and Pennsylvania in June and August.

    Schleigho (pronounced shlay-ho) is a NYC four-piece that came together while attending Boston’s Berklee School of Music in the early 1990s. Drummer Erik Egol, flutist/guitarist Suke Cerulo, jazz pianist Jesse Gibbon, and bassist Drew McCabe became entranced with jazz early on and molded a sound similar to the likes of Bela Fleck and Medeski, Martin, & Wood.

    Traveling the Northeast college circuit in the 90s led to them being regulars at the Knitting Factory in NYC and played with jazz aficionados Fleck, Maceo Parker, and Galactic. Schleigho will take you on a musical journey through edgy improv, hypnotic vibey grooves, and intricately composed and heady, progressive originals spanning three decades. 

    It’s a great feeling to enter a fresh creative cycle as we enter a fourth decade of playing together.  We have so much new material and so many new ideas as a result of individual growth as musicians and humans that we can’t work on it all at once.  It’s a blessing and we’re really excited about sharing our new Schleigho songs and sounds. 

    It’s also great to play songs we wrote in a basement in 1993 which makes the whole current Schleigho experience feel like past, present and future all at once.  It’s surreal at times and pretty damn cool.   We are grateful for our fans and families for the love and support for all these years and we are grateful and excited to share some special nights with you

    – Drew McCabe

    Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see one of the best of the early 90’s jam band scene as they debut new material and reflect on three decades of making music together.

    Schleigho 30th Anniversary Tour Dates

    Friday, June 9 – Parish Public House, Albany, NY
    Saturday, June 10 – Upstate Boogie Fest, Hemlock, NY
    Friday, August 4 – TBA, Buffalo, NY
    Saturday, August 5 – Erie’s Blues and Jazz Fest, Erie, PA

  • Upstate Boogie features Schleigho, Herbal Tonic, GRUB and more at Hemlock Fairground June 9-11

    Historic Hemlock Fairground located in the town of Hemlock, just 40 minutes south of Rochester, will host the annual Upstate Boogie Festival over June 9-11, 2023. The three day and night live music and art festival includes camping, regional and local live bands on two stages, plus vendors from the Finger Lakes and beyond.

    upstate boogie

    Livingston Country’s Hemlock Fairground is a national historic district and fairground, a notable landmark thanks to the racetrack and covered grandstand constructed in 1870. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Hemlock Fair has been held for over 150 years.

    Tent and car camping available to Upstate Boogie ticket-holders, and for family camping, LITTLEVILLE will provide plenty of room for kids to play, right in the center of it all. Re-entry is available for those who are local and purchase a non-camping weekend pass. RV Camping is available at limited electric sites, for an extra charge. Indoor bathrooms are open 24 hours throughout the event with showers open dawn to dusk

    Local Artisans & Craftsmen will be selling their wares in the Vending Village, with a Food Court featuring fair and festival favorites.

    Upstate Boogie Live Music schedule

    FRIDAY JUNE 9
    DIGGIN’ ROOTS BAND (7pm)
    HIGH PINES (9pm)
    HERBAL TONIC (11pm)
    NICK LEDUC (12:30am)

    SATURDAY JUNE 10
    THE MIDNIGHT SCONCE (1pm)
    ADAM BROOKS BAND (3pm)
    ST. VITH (5pm)
    DRUM CIRCLE (7pm)
    GRUB (8pm)
    SCHLEIGHO (10pm)
    NIGEL FELONY (12:30am)

    SUNDAY JUNE 11
    ​JUDAH (11am)
    THE KIND BROTHERS BAND (1pm)

    Tickets are on sale now. A 3-day weekend pass is $60 in advance, and $80 at the gate, with children 18 & under are FREE with parents also attending. Single day tickets are $50 for Friday, $60 for Saturday, and $10 for Sunday. Cash only is accepted at the gate. Parking costs $20 for the weekend and $10 for a day pass.

    Get to know the artists of Upstate Boogies

    Schleigho has been a nationally touring jazz-fusion band since the early 1990’s and have released 5 CD’s, playing regularly at clubs and theaters up and down the east-coast, mid- west and west coast over the mid ’90’s and early 2000’s. Instrumental, energetic, raw and at times down-right sinister. Down from roughly 200 shows a year at the turn of the millennium, don’t miss Schleigho if they are in your neck of the woods. This is one of their few scheduled dates so far for their 30th anniversary in 2023.

    Herbal Tonic is a WNY feel good jam band, infused with island reggae, blues, and funk, and will surely have you out on the dancefloor craving for more!

    St. Vith is a Finger Lakes eclectic indie rock band whose sound is a mural of psychedelic jam, art rock and time honored American styles.

    Grub is a Psych Rock group based out of Niagara Falls. This multi-genre trio is capable of delivering funk-driven madness, improvisational bliss, and shoe-gazing glitch-o-matic electronic soundscapes. ​A live Grub performance showcases their original tunes as well as their improvisational chops, while captivating the crowd by teasing dancable and nostalgic covers from past decades.

    High Pines is a union of smooth grooves, contemporary funk, and neo-psychedelic explorations that evolve with each performance. A fusion of jazz appreciation and rock spirit, complimented by enchanting harmonies, creates music for your mind, body and soul.

    Diggin Roots Band plays an eclectic mix of music inspired by the various forms of American Roots Music including Blues, Funk, Rock n Roll, Soul, R&B, Bluegrass, and Gospel. Some songs may blend multiple genres together into a coherent sound while others might hang on firmly to a specific style.

    Nick LeDuc is an original artist hailing from Ogdensburg NY, playing a unique style of Refined Rock-groove to tantalize your ears and tickle your fancy. Combining classic guitar styles and intoxicating rhthyms, accented by his unique vocal style, Nick is one of the freshest sounds heard on the music scene in a very long time. From funk to blues, and rock to folk there’s a little something in between all of it that comes to make up the sound Nick LeDuc projects live or in studio.

    Judah is a four piece rock band from Rochester that has turned heads since their outset as high schoolers a few years back. Blending a soulful mix of rock and blues, Judah has expanded their touring around WNY and the Finger Lakes.

    The Midnight Sconce are Rochester’s next jamband that you will soon hear more about. These guys catch the groove and delivery, expect high energy jams and plenty of fun!

    For more info email, contact hemlockevents@gmail.com

  • Organ Fairchild’s ‘Dead of Summer’ Tour Coming to Albany and Greenlawn

    Organ Fairchild has announced a special themed ten-date summer tour titled “Dead of Summer,” coming to Albany and Greenlawn at the end of July and early August.

    Organ Fairchild created their first original music together in 2020. Jam scene mainstays Joe Bellanti, Corey Kertzie, and Dave Ruch met in 1983 as members of Buffalo Grateful Dead cover band Wild Knights, a group that still plays reunion shows. Their debut gig was just a month before the COVID shutdown, and since then the group has won NYS Musics’ March Madness, supported Anders Osborne and Jackie Greene, Andy Frasco & the U.N., Sophistafunk, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and more, and have each played with Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman, Robbie Krieger (The Doors), Nels Cline, Tony Rice, moe., and more.

    Fresh on the heels of a four-set appearance at last weekend’s Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, IL, the trio announced their “Dead of Summer” tour, featuring one set of the band’s award-winning original instrumental music followed by a full set of Grateful Dead songs performed funky organ-trio style. Band guitarist Dave Ruch said, “It’s been so much fun to take the parameters of our new organ trio format (no singing and no bass player!) and revisit some of our favorite Dead tunes. Fresh and funky is how it’s feeling, and the setlists will be unique each night!” The tour will hit Beau’s Bar in Greenlawn on July 29 and Lark Hall in Albany on Aug. 1.

    Tickets go on sale here on June 5 at 10 a.m.

    Dead of Summer Tour

    July 28 The 8×10 Club, Baltimore MD
    July 29 Beau’s Bar, Greenlawn NY
    July 30 Weekend at Bertha’s Festival, Townsend DE
    July 31 The Nest House Concerts, Ironia NJ
    August 1 Lark Hall, Albany NY (Jerry Garcia’s birthday!)
    August 2 ZenBarn, Waterbury Center VT
    August 3 Orlando’s, Burlington VT
    August 4 TBA
    August 5 Bear’s Picnic Festival, Blain PA
    August 6 Electric Haze, Worcester MA

  • Dead and Company to Auction Custom Signed Guitars for Charity on Final Tour

    The final Dead & Company tour, stopping in Saratoga Springs on June 17-18 and Citi Field June 21-22. will include a traveling charity auction featuring ten one-of-a-kind D’Angelico guitars designed by contemporary rock music artist AJ Masthay.

    Each guitar features designs using images from Masthay’s Dead & Company poster art, creating an anthology of his work with the band, dating back to 2016. 

    dead and company final tour guitars for charity

    The auction is part of the “Participation Row” activism village organized by HeadCount, a non-profit organization that promotes voter registration and civic participation, along with REVERB, which promotes environmental responsibility. Since 2015, Participation Row has raised more than $2.8 million dollars for nearly two dozen “Dead Family” charities through auctions and activity at over 180 concerts. Participation Row’s impact also includes over 25,000 fans registering to vote or signing up for election alerts, and over 100,000 single use water bottles being eliminated.

    Masthay has this to say about his collaboration with HeadCount:

    I’m a firm believer that if our democracy is going to function as intended, we all as citizens have an obligation to be informed and participate in said democracy, that’s why I am and will continue to be a supporter of HeadCount and their mission. My relationship with HeadCount started over a decade ago and out of our partnership has come some of the most cherished pieces in my portfolio.

    Masthay is most well known for his unique style of reduction block printing in the concert art arena. His blend of traditional techniques and love of live music has made him one of the most prominent figures in the rock art industry. Masthay established his own letterpress studio in 2001 and is currently based out of Hartford, CT. He has also done work for Black Sabbath, Foo Fighters, South Park, Queens of the Stone Age, Umphrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic, and many more. 

    Dead & Company Summer ‘23 Tour Dates

    05-19 Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum

    05-20 Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum

    05-23 Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion

    05-26 Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion

    05-28 Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre

    05-30 Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion

    06-01 Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

    06-03 Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live

    06-05 Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake

    06-07 St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater

    06-09 Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field

    06-10 Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field

    06-13 Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center

    06-15 Philadelphia, PA – Citizen’s Bank Park

    06-17 Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center

    06-18 Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center

    06-21 Queens, NY – Citi Field

    06-22 Queens, NY – Citi Field

    06-25 Boston, MA – Fenway Park

    06-27 Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center

    07-01 Boulder, CO – Folsom Field

    07-02 Boulder, CO – Folsom Field

    07-03 Boulder, CO – Folsom Field

    07-07 George, WA – The Gorge

    07-08 George, WA – The Gorge

    07-14 San Francisco, CA – Oracle Park

    07-15 San Francisco, CA – Oracle Park

  • Spafford Sizzles in Saratoga Springs Debut

    Making their Saratoga Springs debut, the force was strong with Spafford on Thursday, May 4th. Delivering an awe-inspiring, booty shaking performance full of type-II improvisation, buttery smooth segues, spacey textures and more dynamic soloing than even Han could handle, the highly talented quartet proved once again that when it comes to pure jams, Spafford is light years ahead of the pack.

    Putnam Place served as our cantina for the evening, and while you will surely find a more wretched hive elsewhere, on this evening there were no villains here, only friends with plenty of character. You see, despite it being Spafford’s first time in ‘Toga, the electro-funk jam band has been around for more than a decade now. Developing a strong following via old-fashioned word of mouth and fan interaction, frequently sharing high quality live streams and relentless touring, those that already know, know, and these so-called “Spaff-Nerds” will happily travel far and wide to see these jam band Jedis play. For many in attendance, it was a no-brainer making the trip to Putnum Place, a venue with an almost mythical status as being a “rite of passage” for improv acts.

    Originally formed in a place far, far away in Arizona, Spafford is comprised of Brian Moss (Guitar), Jordan Fairless (Bass), Corey Schechtman (Keys), and Nick Tkachyk (Drums), and have actually orbited around the Capital Region numerous times, previously playing venues like the defunct Lucky Strikes in 2017, the Palace Theatre (supporting Umphrey’s McGee) and headlining “Jam Night” at Albany’s Alive at 5 concert series last summer, thus making their long awaited Putnum debut all the more surprising and overdue. Making up for lost time and determined to leave a lasting impression, the evening with Spafford kicked off with a spunky version of “Left on the Runway” from their latest album, 2022’s Simple Mysteries.

    Acknowledging the familial vibe early and flowing straight into “All My Friends,” the collective buzz in the room immediately went up a notch. That’s because longtime Spafford fans know “All My Friends” is almost always paired up with “Bee Jam,” one of their most coveted improv vehicles. Sure enough, the Bee would take flight on this night, soaring through Saratoga with an absolutely stellar, 18 minute rendition that contained everything from head banging grooves, crunchy funk-drenched breakdowns, the first huge guitar solo from Brian Moss and sonic exploration that effortlessly dipped into a murky type-II atmosphere, only to emerge on the other end with “Mind’s Unchained.” Corey’s Schechtman’s tasteful piano textures really came through here, adding a layer of beauty that made you want to close your eyes and live in the moment for as long you could. Slowly building to the song’s blissful crescendo, the song would cap off an impressive 40 minutes of uninterrupted music to start the show. Little did anyone know the biggest jam of the first set was still yet to come.

    As bassist Jordan Fairless slapped away at the intro of “Dog House,” his voice was in top form and so was his playing. Picking up the pace as the song shifted into “Part II,” we’d get another tasty organ solo from Corey, before the song would showcase some of the bands more jamtronic and improg influences with “the human metronome” Nick Tkachyk navigating the ship. Taking you along for a colorful, sonic journey into the musical unknown, the song would ultimately clock in at the 19 minute mark and bring the scorching first set to a close.

    After a smoke-filled intermission, Spafford would stay on target and turn the heat up even higher for set two. Once again choosing a song from their latest studio album to kick things off, the band came out of the gates swinging for the fences with a 21 minute “Diesel Driver” that was, simply put, a home run. Despite being a relatively recent song, Spafford played the ever-loving snot out of it, showing a maturity and patience well beyond their peers. Then working their way through the Braveheart-esq sounding “Pursuit of Madness,” for me, it was all about the “Broken Wing” that would follow. An absolute showcase of what this band is capable of, if you were able to stand still during this song, sorry not sorry, but you might want to check your pulse.

    Going with dank grooves for days and yielding an all-out dance party that reminded you of what the Putnum Place was like before the pandemic, the energy here was through the roof. Yet another 20 plus minute jam, it was around this time I realized, “holy smokes, they haven’t stopped playing this entire set!” Maybe that was their plan all along? Almost on que, as if they could hear my thoughts, “Broken Wing” then melted into “Plans” in the most buttery-smooth way. Giving guitarist Brian Moss and his custom Raven one last chance to shred, every time I get a chance to watch this man play is awe-inspiring. The entire second set alligatored together as one frame of music, I’ve been saying it for years, but if that didn’t make you a believer in this band, then I give up trying to convince you.

    Thanking the audience for packing out the place despite it being their first time there, Moss would speak from the heart and address the crowd by saying, “What a blast we had this evening. What a beautiful town, great food, great people. Should we come back?” After a resounding cheer, minus the one guy who jokingly gave a thumbs down, Spafford would cure us all and send everyone home happy with a 13-minute encore of “The Remedy.” While it may have taken them several years to find their way to Saratoga Springs, east coast jam fans won’t need to wait nearly as long to see the guys again. With the promise of planning something spectacular and unique, up next the band is preparing for an intimate three-night run of shows at NYC’s famous Blue Note Jazz Club beginning May 29th. Later in June, you can catch Spafford performing at the picturesque Lincoln Hill Farms in Canandaigua, NY.

    Spafford | May 4, 2023 | Putnum Place | Saratoga Springs
    Set 1: Left on the Runway, All My Friends > Bee Jam > Mind’s Unchained, Doghouse > Part II
    Set 2: Diesel Driver > Pursuit of Madness > Broken Wing > Plans
    Encore: The Remedy