Trancefusion pioneers the Disco Biscuits will embark on a lengthy winter/spring tour to start 2024, with shows at Empire Live in Albany and Town Ballroom in Buffalo, named the “Why We Dance Tour.”
photo by Brian Ferguson
With an impressive touring schedule in 2023 – more than 70 shows, with three more lined up for late December – and the return of a Disco Biscuits festival, BISCOLAND, the band is not slowing down in the coming new year.
The “Why We Dance Tour” includes 13 previously announced dates, and adds 20 more shows, with a few more still to be announced.
photo by Conor McMahon
Bassist Marc Brownstein shares the excitement for the band looking ahead to 2024:
We are so excited for these late winter and spring dates! 2024 starts off with a bang and is filled with amazing venues, some of which are new to us like Stage AE, College Street, and the Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, while some are old faves like the Kirby, the HOBs in Boston and New Orleans, and ultimately the Tabernacle. We are looking forward to heating up the country from west to east this winter and spring!
Marc Brownstein
The Disco Biscuits last performed in Buffalo and Albany in January and February 2023, respectively.
VIP Packages will be available for all Why We Dance Tour dates as part of this week’s pre-sale and on-sale, and will include early entry to each venue and early access to merch, pre-show soundcheck, group photo with the band, limited edition show poster, and a commemorative laminate & lanyard.
Disco Biscuits “Why We Dance” 2023-2024 Tour Dates
12/28 – New York, NY – Palladium Times Square (Late Show) 12/30 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall ! 12/31 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall 1/25 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Casino Ballroom 1/26 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Casino Ballroom 1/27 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore 1/28 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst 2/1 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre 2/2 – San Diego, CA – Observatory North Park 2/3 – Tucson, AZ – Gem & Jam Festival 2/5 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up 2/6 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up 2/7 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up 2/9 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater * 2/10 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater * 2/11 – TBA 3/7 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore 3/8 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore 3/9 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE 3/10 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater 3/13 – Albany, NY – Empire Live 3/14 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall 3/15 – Portland, ME – State Theatre 3/16 – Boston, MA – House of Blues 3/28 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – F.M. Kirby Center 3/29 – TBA 3/30 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom 3/31 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom 4/2 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom 4/4 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues 4/5 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater 4/6 – Dallas, TX – Longhorn Ballroom 4/7 – Burnet, TX – Texas Eclipse Festival 4/11 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel 4/12 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl 4/13 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle 4/14 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre 6/20-23 – Rothbury, MI – Electric Forest Festival
To cap off a wildly successful 2023 touring schedule that spanned every corner of the country, The Disco Biscuits celebrated with two powerhouse shows in the friendly confines of the legendary Capitol Theatre in Port Chester.
The band is still riding high atop a new wave of creativity and cohesion that’s fostered some of their best performances to date. Friday and Saturday night in Port Chester were no exceptions with the Biscuits doling out some pre-Halloween goodies.
Friday night initiated with “Hope” in the opener spot, aka a good old fashioned “Hopener” that saw the band fly through this older number with ease. The first of tonight’s two cover song selections came next as the Biscuits took the Men Without Hats hit “Safety Dance” out for a spin. A brief outro jam soon morphed into the beginning of “Caterpillar” that took its time with a nicely extended opening section and the band was off and running. A silky smooth segue into the instrumental “M1” came next before an inverted “Naeba” and the end of “Caterpillar” wrapped up the opening stanza.
A Biscuits classic in “House Dog Party Favor” kicked off the second set in fine fashion as the band’s iconic light show replete with laser beams coated the walls of the Capitol Theater in a rich tapestry of colors and images. The second set maintained an old school vibe to it early on with the near-20 minute “Helicopters” that came next and featured a well crafted jam with guitarist Jon Gutwillig leading the way. As it reached yet another climax, a slight change in the rhythm then ushered in the second cover of the night, the band’s instrumental take on Donna Summer’s Disco Era hit “I Feel Love.”
Another funk laden jam with a slow build in intensity served as the foundation for a segue into the ending of “To Be Continued,” another one of the the new batch of Disco Biscuits originals and the first time it’s ever received the “inversion” treatment, with the ending section played immediately before the beginning of the song. Another newer number in “Freeze” followed before a quick re-visit to “Helicopters” to close out a second set that was one long segue of music after the opening “House Dog.” “Times Square” followed by a triumphant and powerful “Morph Dusseldorf” put one last finishing touch on the evening in the encore slot.
Saturday night’s first set featured another extended bookending as it both began and concluded with another selection from the newer originals, “Twisted In The Road.” Seemingly picking up right where they left off the previous night, a dark, up-tempo jam was the first one out of the shoots. The band continued to show their comfort with the new material with another seamless segue into a monstrous “Buy The Time” that came next and clocked in at close to 30 minutes overall. With infectious melodies provided by Aron Magner on keys and a completely danceable beat, this one is sure to be a live staple for years to come and produced, arguably, the best jam of the entire weekend.
Near its completion, elements of “Digital Buddha” began to seep in and the Biscuits were soon away with an inverted take on an old crowd favorite. The band then shifted from the old right back to the new with the fittingly-titled “Monster” that came next, only the third time ever this instrumental song has been played live. It featured some familiar chording that had some thinking “Lunar Pursuit” or otherwise instead. As the tempo began to increase, another familiar sound began to emerge, this time the peak of “Crickets” as the band steamrolled through another inverted rendition of a live staple before wrapping up the set.
The last frame of music for the weekend did nothing but feature more of the same: only a few songs needed with added bountiful jams placed in between each. Things got started with a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” that started with a slow, patient intro jam before fully kicking into gear. Much like its first set predecessor in “Buy The Time,” a significant chunk of the second was devoted to another new tune in “The Deal,” with this one clocking in at well over 30 minutes in total.
An inverted (for the first time ever) “One Chance To Save The World” took the yet-to-be-released ‘Space Rock Opera’ took the song to new height, peak performance that found itself slipping into “Basis for a Day.” Fans got a taste of “Basis” in April when the second set of the final night featured multiple segues in and out of portions of the song, fitting newer tunes like “The Deal” and “To Be Continued…” within “Basis.” This evening, just one new song, “Photograph” would be sandwiched in between, an intense, energy driven combination, closing the night over the last 38 minutes.
An encore of “Home Again” fit the bill nicely, as fans have found the Capitol Theatre to be home base in the New York metro area, with annual – and now bi-annual runs at the original rock palace. Just before truly calling it a night, Marc Brownstein thanked the crowd and dropped the band back into the final portion of “Basis for a Day,” dubbed “Basis for a Tour” in the Nugs recording.
While the band is done touring for the year, they will be at North Beach Music Festival in Miami in early December, at Palladium Times Square for a late night show on December 28, followed by two nights at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia, before heading out west in 2024. Full tour dates can be found here.
Disco Biscuits – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY – Friday, October 27, 2023
Set 1: Hope, Safety Dance > Caterpillar > M1 > Naeba 1 > Caterpillar Set 2: House Dog Party Favor, Helicopters > I Feel Love > To Be Continued 2 1 > Freeze > Helicopters Encore: Times Square, Morph Dusseldorf 1 inverted 2 first time inverted
Disco Biscuits – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY – Saturday, October 28, 2023
Set 1: Twisted in the Road > Buy The Time > Digital Buddha 1 > Monster 2 > Crickets 3 1 > Twisted in the Road Set 2: Run Like Hell 4 > The Deal > One Chance To Save The World 5 1 > Basis For A Day > Photograph > Basis For A Day Encore: Home Again, Basis For A Day 6 1 inverted 2 LTP 3/12/22 (108 shows) 3 w/ Gamma Goblins tease 4 unfinished 5 1st time inverted 6 reprise
Miami-based concert promoter and event producer GMP Live is thrilled to announce the return of the North Beach Music Festival, happening from Dec. 1-3, featuring headliners The Disco Biscuits, Eggy, Heavy Pets, and many more.
Taking place at the Miami Beach Bandshell and the adjacent Bandshell Park, NBMF 2023 returns for its third year, and pledges to donate $1 per ticket sold to Backline. Live For Live Music stated that “NBMF combined the convenience of a city show, the immersive experience of a ‘farm’ festival, and the breezy inclinations of a beach vacation into one thoroughly enticing live music getaway,” in its inaugural year.
Reflecting on the return of the North Beach Music Festival, Gideon Plotnicki of GMP Live shares, “It’s been amazing to watch this event and the community around it grow over the past few years. We’re so excited to bring North Beach Music Festival back to South Florida this December with our biggest lineup yet!” Regarding this year’s lineup, Plotnicki states, “We’re thrilled to have The Disco Biscuits and Cory Wong as headliners. It’s exciting to have such talented bands from opposite ends of the musical spectrum at the top of our lineup, and we’re looking forward to showcasing just how musically diverse this scene is. We’ll see you at the Bandshell in a few months!”
The lineup welcomes headliners The Disco Biscuits for three sets over the weekend, with two sets scheduled on Friday, Dec. 1, and one set on Saturday, Dec. 2, in addition to Sunday’s headliner, Cory Wong. The festival’s third-year lineup also welcomes the likes of SunSquabi, George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Eggy, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Mark Farina, Say She She, The Heavy Pets, Adam Deitch for both a quartet performance as well as a producer set, Electric Kif, Erica Falls & Vintage Soul, Ajeva, Twyn, and Brad Miller Trio feat. Oz Noy & Thomas Pridgen.
Photo by Slightly Skewed Photography.
Friday night’s festivities will take place exclusively in the Miami Beach Bandshell. While the Park will be open on Friday night, attendees can expect full food and craft vending, additional programming on the Park Stage, and the Park Stage’s immersive light show experience over Saturday and Sunday.
General on sale for the 2023 addition of NBMF starts this Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at 12:00 PM EST here. This year, the festival will once again offer two- and three-day ticketing options, as well as a new ticket type, GA+, and three different levels of VIP.
24 years ago, Disco Biscuits guitarist Jon Gutwillig wrote a steampunk rock opera about a hopeless romantic’s quest to fly, called “Hot Air Balloon.” Gutwillig and his Philadelphia-based bandmates have performed the nine songs from the opera hundreds of times since, but the music has never been adapted for a theater stage.
Earlier in 2023, Jon and bandmate Aron Magner (composer) began writing a musical, inspired by “Hot Air Balloon,” with Nick Schmidle (author, screenwriter, playwright, and longtime New Yorker writer) and Alex Bechtel (arranger, musical director). Staging two sold-out performances of “The Very Moon: A Steampunk Musical” in May, the four are gearing up for another series of shows very soon.
“The Very Moon” is an epic tale about mastering flight, defying tyranny, and the transcendent power of love and creativity. Much of the original music is included in the musical, with more than a dozen new songs written for the musical, including “Falling,” which has become a staple in the Disco Biscuits’ repertoire in the past few months.
With the success of the May workshop presentation of “The Very Moon,” the team has brought along Eva Steinmetz to work alongside Alex Bechtel, as they build out the show with additional music, new instruments, and plenty of surprises.
In the process of hiring talented actors, musicians, and technicians, the team has begun to raise funds via an IndieGoGo campaign, to help fund the venue, actors, director, music director, lighting technician and more, to help bring the musical (eventually) to Broadway.
Earlier this year, Jon and Aron started writing a musical, inspired by “Hot Air Balloon,” with author Nick Schmidle. They staged two sold-out performances of “The Very Moon: A Steampunk Musical” in May, and are gearing up for another series of shows very soon. pic.twitter.com/feWEXwQkTn
Support the campaign here and find more info here, where you can sign up for the mailing list and be notified of upcoming shows and pre-sale opportunities.
The Disco Biscuits will welcome the arrival of 2024 in the City of Brotherly Love, with a stop in Times Square at an old stomping grounds under a new name.
On Thursday, December 28, the Palladium Times Square (formerly known as Playstation Theater, Best Buy Theater and Nokia Theatre Times Square) will host the Disco Biscuits for a lone late-night show in the Big Apple, their first since December 31, 2019, which was the final show at the then-Playstation Theater.
Following a night off on the 29th, Disco Biscuits will head down I-95 to their homebase of Philadelphia for two nights at Franklin Music Hall, with Neighbor opening up the night on December 30th.
An artist pre-sale period begins on Wednesday, August 23rd at 10am ET with password: WHYWEDANCE.
VIP Packages for the two Philadelphia shows will be available as part of the pre-sale and on-sale.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 25th at 10am ET at discobiscuits.com.
Disco Biscuits Fall 2023 Tour Dates
September 15 – Austin, TX – Far Out Lounge and Stage * September 16 – Austin, TX – Far Out Lounge and Stage ^ September 20 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue September 21 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre ^ September 22 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater “ September 23 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue Theatre September 24 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall October 6-7 – Lafayette, NY – BISCOLAND October 24 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground + October 25 – Hartford, CT – Infinity Hall October 26 – Portland, ME – State Theatre October 27 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre October 28 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre December 28 – New York, NY – Palladium Times Square December 30 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall ! December 31 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
Pioneering trance-fusion band, the Disco Biscuits, have announced plans for a brand new two-day festival, BISCOLAND. Taking place on Oct. 6 and 7, the fall weekend of music will be held at the otherworldly Wonderland Forest in Lafayette, NY, just south of Syracuse. The new event space, campground, and concert venue nestled in the rolling hills of Central New York’s Apple Valley sets the stage for a weekend of unforgettable music and community.
BISCOLAND marks a fresh chapter for The Disco Biscuits as they bring their signature sound and energetic performances to this carefully curated festival experience, which follows the lifelong memories of events they’ve curated in the past, including many Camp Biscos and, more recently City Bisco. The location at Wonderland Forest is a space where concert-goers can “create new connections through a love of music and nature in a pristine landscape of lush forests, spectacular waterfalls, and glorious vistas.”
Bassist for the Disco Biscuits’, Marc Brownstein, expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming event, saying,
2 nights in central New York with our Biscuits family, a carefully curated lineup, a blank canvas, a new beginning – that is a dream for the band and our community.
Marc Brownstein
The inaugural lineup for BISCOLAND features an array of long-time friends and collaborators from the jam, jamtronica, and electronic music scenes. Performances include four sets by The Disco Biscuits, two sets by Lotus, along with an impressive roster of artists, including Emancipator, Papadosio, Opiuo, Sunsquabi, The Floozies, two sets of Eggy, Maddy O’Neal, Space Bacon, and a special Spaga Plays Dead set featuring Aron Magner of The Disco Biscuits.
Music enthusiasts will have the opportunity to secure their spots at BISCOLAND with the Early Bird GA and VIP Weekend Packages. In addition to access to the festival, camping passes and various transportation options such as RV parking and shuttle services will also be available. Tickets and passes will go on sale starting Friday, July 14, at 10 a.m. ET, and can be purchased at Bisco.land. Learn more and find tickets to BISCOLAND here.
Later that month, the Disco Biscuits will celebrate Halloween weekend at The Capitol Theatre in West Chester. More info can be found here.
Disco Biscuits 2023 Tour Dates July 11 – Boise, ID – Revolution Concert House July 12 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory July 13 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox July 14 – Bend, OR – Midtown Ballroom July 15 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater July 18 – Blue Lake, CA – Blue Lake Casino July 19 – Stateline, NV – Harrah’s South Lake Tahoe July 20 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore July 21 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy Theatre [SOLD OUT] July 22 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern [SOLD OUT] August 10 – East Hampton, NY – The Clubhouse August 10-12 – East Durham, NY – Catskill Mountain Jubilee August 13 – Dewey Beach, DE – Bottle and Cork September 15 – Austin, TX – Far Out Lounge and Stage * September 16 – Austin, TX – Far Out Lounge and Stage ^ September 20 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue September 21 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre ^ September 22 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater September 23 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue Theatre September 24 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall October 6-7 – Lafayette, NY – BISCOLAND October 24 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground + October 25 – Hartford, CT – Infinity Hall October 26 – Portland, ME – State Theatre October 27 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre October 28 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
* w/ TAUK Moore (TAUK ft. Kanika Moore) ^ w/ Sunsquabi + w/ Lazy Bird
Straight out of a pair of shows at Mulcahey’s on Long Island, the Disco Biscuits have their sights set on Fall Tour, with shows in Texas and the Midwest culminating with a five-show run in the Northeast. Over October 27+28, they’ll be celebrating Halloween weekend at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester.
Joining Disco Biscuits this fall will be TAUK Moore (featuring Kanika Moore of Doom Flamingo) and SunSquabi on select dates.
Tickets are available via an Artist Pre-Sale on Wednesday, June 21 at 10am Local time, Venue Pre-Sale(s) on Thursday, June 22 at 10am Local time, and a general On-Sale on Friday, June 23 at 10am Local time.
VIP Packages are available, and will include early entry to each venue + early access to merch, pre-show soundcheck, a group photo with the band, limited edition show poster, and a commemorative laminate & lanyard.
Disco Biscuits Summer and Fall Tour Dates July 6 – Rexford, MT – Abayance Bay July 7 – Livingston, MT – Pine Creek Lodge July 8 – Livingston, MT – Pine Creek Lodge July 9 – Livingston, MT – Pine Creek Lodge July 11 – Boise, ID – Revolution Concert House July 12 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory July 13 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox July 14 – Bend, OR – Midtown Ballroom July 15 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater July 18 – Blue Lake, CA – Blue Lake Casino July 19 – Stateline, NV – Harrah’s South Lake Tahoe July 20 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore July 21 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy Theatre July 22 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern [SOLD OUT] August 10 – East Hampton, NY – The Clubhouse August 10-12 – East Durham, NY – Catskill Mountain Jubilee August 13 – Dewey Beach, DE – Bottle and Cork September 15 – Austin, TX – Far Out Lounge and Stage * w/ TAUK Moore (TAUK ft. Kanika Moore) September 16 – Austin, TX – Far Out Lounge and Stage ^w/ Sunsquabi September 20 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue September 21 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre ^w/ Sunsquabi September 22 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater September 23 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue Theatre September 24 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall October 24 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground October 25 – Hartford, CT – Infinity Hall October 26 – Portland, ME – State Theatre October 27 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre October 28 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
Fresh off live scoring The Fifth Element at The Caverns in Tennessee, The Disco Biscuits marched north to Port Chester for three nights at The Capitol Theatre over March 23-25, quite possibly their strongest run at the ‘Original Rock Palace,’ dating back to 2016.
Few bands display the consistency the Disco Biscuits have displayed as of late, going back nearly a year to their last Capitol Theatre run, which has been followed by more than a dozen original song debuts that have quickly become part of the rotation.
From the crowd, the band looks like they’re having a blast on stage, rocking out to the music they’re creating, feeding off their own creation just as the fans are, creating a live camaraderie that is rarely seen. From the stage, one can see the band is getting down while watching the fans do the same, all while creating live electronic music to an unmatched degree of quality, making it look like just another day at the office.
Typically, Thursday of a three-night Cap run has been more of a ‘‘warm up night,’ as the band gets comfortable in the room. The shows have been great, but have been overshadowed by stellar Friday and Saturday shows. This was not the case this weekend, given the way the band has been playing, as there was no warm up needed and Thursday was on par if not stronger than the next two nights.
Starting the run with a jam that evolved into an almost 20-minute “Gangster,” a “Spacebirdmatingcall” sandwiched “Cyclone” that found Jon “Barber” Gutwillig hitting next level peaks as the industrial techno beat took over. As the set reached the second half, two rarely played songs, “Trooper McCue” and “Floes” appeared, a double dose of early Biscuits, with the more recent “Lake Shore Drive” fitting in nicely in between.
A rarely played “Park Ave” made its third appearance since 2011, and second this year, opening up the second set, then dipping into an inverted “Shelby Rose” which was last performed inverted style at the Capitol Theatre in 2019. The flowing set continued with an inverted “Reactor” which found Barber taking a section for “a couple of laps” as bassist Marc Brownstein put it. The set would close with ”Evolve,” a 2021 composition that gives off a late 90s Eurodance vibe, segueing into a 20-minute set closing “Caterpillar.” With a short encore slot leftover, “Portal To An Empty Head” put a exclamation point on a night that to some was the highlight of the run, but if anything, simply foreshadowed the greatness of the next two nights that followed.
The Disco Biscuits – Thursday, March 23 – The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester
Set 1: Jam > Gangster > Spacebirdmatingcall > Cyclone > Spacebirdmatingcall, Trooper McCue, Lake Shore Drive > Floes Set 2: Park Ave > Shelby Rose 1 > Reactor 1 > Evolve > Caterpillar Encore: Portal To An Empty Head 1 inverted
Friday night featured opener Dogs in a Pile, a New Jersey band that was making waves prior to the pandemic and who have not looked back in that time, touring across the country and building a ‘Dog Pound’ fanbase in the meantime. The full set is worth a listen, especially the final tune, “Time Stands Still,” with Ben Pinnola on saxophone.
When it comes to the Disco Biscuits, anything can be a jam vehicle, nearly everything is in play – new songs, old songs, fan favorites, rare covers – and that is what makes the band so enjoyable to see show after show, no matter if you last saw them a week ago or five years ago.
Cracking open the first set was “Shocked,” which stands to be the first song from the band’s forthcoming “Space Rock Opera,” and had fans shouting “Shocked” as if the tune was a longtime part of the repertoire. A stand alone “Digital Buddha” followed, with the pace accelerated by Barber and drummer Allen Aucoin to a furious froth, giving unparalleled energy as the song reached its peak.
Among all new debuted songs, a clear fan favorite is “Twisted in the Road,” which would proceed to sandwich three songs in between a “Twisted” 22 minute jawn, with lyrics “Let it run and let it roll” becoming a mantra for Biscuits fans in the process. “Bombs” made a return appearance at The Capitol Theatre (played in 2017 and 2019) after being brought off the shelf by fan request at a Drive-In show in May 2021. “Orch Theme,” the ever-welcome dark electronic Conspirator song arrived out of “Bombs,” bringing the rare “Rainbow Song” from the ashes of “Orch Theme,” before winding back into “Twisted in the Road” to close the set and reach the halfway point of the run.
Set 2 began with the fresh “Freeze” that ran for nearly 25 minutes and exemplified one of the best elements of the Disco Biscuits – you can easily forget what song you’re dancing to, and happily so. In the moment, it doesn’t matter what song it is when they’re jamming at this level of consistency, making song chasing secondary to enjoying these jams more than ever before. Anything is in play with improvisation opportunities found at all turns.
The middle section of “Crickets” gave way to “Another Plan of Attack” and “Space Train,” and then an inverted “Above The Waves” that clocked in at a raging 20 minutes. “One Chance To Save The World” closed the set with “King of the World” celebrating this powerful set in the encore slot.
The Disco Biscuits – Friday, March 24 – The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester
Set 1: Shocked, Digital Buddha, Twisted in the Road > Bombs > Orch Theme > Rainbow Song > Twisted in the Road Set 2: Freeze > Crickets 1 > Another Plan of Attack > Space Train > Above The Waves 2 > One Chance To Save The World Encore: King of the World 1 middle only 2 Inverted
Opening Saturday night was Eggy, who has been on the rise as of late and had recently opened for Twiddle at The Capitol Theatre in November 2022. This remarkable Connecticut band has excellent stage presence and precision jamming, with Jerry Garcia Band’s “Gomorrah” a fitting cover for the room.
The Biscuits’ first set opened up with stand alone versions of “Story of the World” and “Astronaut,” a departure from the sandwiching of other tunes inside segments of these compositions. A classic “Little Shimmy In A Conga Line” had a percussion segment that was unique and fit the jam well, and may have been exploring a shift into “O Fortuna” (a cantata by Carl Orff), from the Biscuits’ catalog of classical covers. Shortly after, “Shimmy” started to give off “Digital Buddha,” but having already played “Buddha” the night before, this meant the audio doppleganger for “Buddha” – “Tricycle” – was on the horizon.
The last two minutes of “Shimmy” made it seem as though the band would be dipping into one of their most high energy songs for a segue. Then out of left field came a short, sweet and nasty “Tempest” that provided a bridge to the full on “Tricycle,” which had the crowd singing along in unison like no other in recent memory, the four fully dialed in for this fusion of sound and bringing the audience along with them for the ride. The newer “Vibes” hit the spot out of “Tricycle” and found its way into the ending of “Svenghali” to close the set on a high mark.
The first set had so much energy and hit all the right spots, contending quickly for ‘Set of the Weekend.’ The general consensus at setbreak gave no notes, no criticisms and no hot takes other than ‘these guys are on fire.”
Sorry if that sounds like hyperbole, but the dedicated fan base is in agreement that the band is as dialed in and consistent as they’ve ever been. So when it came time for Set 2, the crowd was abuzz as the setlist was confirmed to be written by longtime Biscuits audio engineer Rich Steele, celebrating his 300th show this evening. The set unfolded as a dissection of one of the Biscuits’ earliest songs, “Basis For a Day” spread out over the 90 minute set with four of the newer ‘Space Opera’ songs woven in between, leading fans to coin the fluid set “Spaces for a Day.“
If you hadn’t heard “Basis For a Day” in a minute, you were in for a treat. The band opened up with “Basis,” segueing into “The Wormhole” before finding their way back to “Basis.” Despite only debuting nine months ago, “Who’s In Charge” has found its home in regular rotation and followed the second “Basis,” with a driving beat behind Barber’s repeated query “Who’s in charge….. of this place right here?” From there, it was back into “Basis” for round 3, followed by “The Deal,” a song so new it had only been played three times prior to this evening. Back into “Basis” and then “To Be Continued,” with a new wave/techno riff from Aron Magner, seeming to be a song towards the end of the Space Opera. By the time they went back into “Basis” for a final time, nearly 90 minutes had passed but fans didn’t notice as they were far too busy getting down.
You couldn’t find a stronger way to cap the run with a set of this nature, where knowledge of the band’s collective level of consistency in performance and songwriting was put high on a pedestal for all to see. Weaving the band’s unnamed/unreleased “Space Opera” in and out of one of their most performed songs was a master stroke and paid dividends for everyone in attendance. A fitting encore of “We Like To Party” framed the three night run, with the band and fans in unison proclaiming enthusiastically, loudly and proudly, “We like to dance, sorry if you don’t.”
Don’t sleep on the Disco Biscuits – they’re in Colorado this coming weekend for four shows, head down south for four more in May before heading to Iceland for their first international jaunt in well over a decade. Tour dates for the summer have just been announced, which find the band touring up the east coast in June for eight shows, starting in South Carolina on June 7 and closing out with two nights at Mulcahey’s in Wantagh. Here’s hoping for more details on the upcoming “Space Opera” as the year progresses.
The Disco Biscuits – Saturday, March 25 – The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester
Set 1: Story of the World, Astronaut, Little Shimmy In A Conga Line > Tempest > Tricycle > Vibes > Svenghali 1 Set 2: Basis For A Day > The Wormhole > Basis For A Day > Who’s in Charge > Basis For A Day > The Deal > Basis For A Day > To Be Continued > Basis For A Day Encore: We Like To Party 1 end only
The Disco Biscuits stopped at the Palace Theatre in Albany on Friday Feb. 3rd. This was the third stop of their winter tour, and the coldest night of the year in the Northeast. Those fans who were willing to brave the sub-zero temperatures were treated to a heater of a show. The Disco Biscuits also treated fans with the release of a new studio album Shocked! on the same day.
Snake and Stars opened the show. The electronic duo is comprised of Michael Travis (The String Cheese Incident) and Aaron Johnston (Brazilian Girls, David Byrne’s American Utopia). The band was formed last year between the two long time friends as an improvisational exploration of electronic dance music. Their current tour continues into April.
The Disco Biscuits opened up with the relatively new “Why We Dance,” followed by “Spy” which was an encore for the band at their November 1, 2007 show at The Palace. A nonstop segue of “Times Square > Bombs > Humuhumunukunukuapua’a > Another Plan of Attack” rounded out the rest/majority of the first set. Set two opened with fan favorites “Crickets” and “42”, followed by the Shocked! track “Tourists (Rocket Ship)”, which continued the segue frenzy, leading into “Tempest > Svenghali > 42” with the new “To Be Continued” closing out the second set.
If you missed this show, catch the Disco Biscuits at one of their upcoming tour stops, including three more shows in New York at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester over March 23rd, 24th, and 25th.
Check out the Biscuits’ setlist and full photo gallery below.
The Disco Biscuits – Palace Theatre, Albany – Friday, February 3, 2023
Set 1: Why We Dance, Spy, Times Square > Bombs > Humuhumunukunukuapua’a > Another Plan of Attack Set 2 Crickets > 42 > Tourists (Rocket Ship) > Tempest> Svenghali > 42, To Be Continued Encore Frog Legs
I have been eagerly awaiting my first opportunity to see both acts and was incredibly excited when Karina was added to the bill at the Buffalo Biscuits show.
photo by Brian Ferguson
Taking the stage at 7:30 and performing an unrelenting 45-minute set, Rykman filled the room with her deep and punchy bass tone as drummer Chris Corsico and guitarist Adam November backed her up with tight beats and screaming leads. November in particular has a pedalboard capable of making crazy sounds as he tweaked knobs like a mad scientist throughout their set.
Rykman also demonstrated her contagious and joyous energy as she bounced around the stage while shredding. Standout tracks included the unreleased “Joyride” and the upbeat and driving “City Kids.” Do NOT miss her shows if she plays in your area!
When the lights dropped in Buffalo for the first set of the Disco Biscuits and the band jumped into “Bazaar Escape,” I was immediately struck by how cleanly they executed the wild and proggy twists and turns of the song. Very much a newcomer to the band’s material, I had naturally assumed that there were many simpler song structures to act as launchpads for long and dance-y jams, so “Bazaar” was a pleasant surprise as its arpeggios bounced around the packed venue.
photo by Brian Ferguson
Moving into “The Bridge” next, the music became incredibly euphoric as guitarist Jon “Barber” Gutwillig’s leads reached for the sky. The fabled “untz” began to set in as the Biscuits smashed through an inverted “Home Again” into “The Wormhole.”
As a keyboardist, I am naturally very curious and dialed in to Aron Magner on his side of the stage as he bounced from one board to another, looping on the fly and generally having a ball.
“Spacebirdmatingcall” continued the strong untz jamming and seemed to be closing the set, but bassist Marc Brownstein called for another tune as Gutwillig was in the process of removing his guitar. The funky “Morph Dusseldorf” closed out the set with lots of wah guitar and an anchoring beat from drummer Allen Aucoin.
The energy in the Town Ballroom did not abate in the slightest during setbreak, and the band was met with raucous cheers as they took the stage for the second set. “Jigsaw Earth” was a huge Magner moment as he continued to loop sounds and show off his dexterity on the keys. Aucoin began laying into a propulsive four-on-the-floor dance beat that would dominate the unrelenting and nonstop second set as the Biscuits drove into “Anthem.”
While Brownstein had been sticking out to me all night, this was the moment where he truly blew my mind. While I had previously had a difficult time zeroing in on his playing in the videos I had watched of the Biscuits online, his tone carried through loud and clear last night, locking in with Aucoin to form an incredible rhythm section and groove throughout the second set.
photo by Brian Ferguson
“Times Square” was tapped next and continued to amp up the crowd even more as smiles on band and audience alike grew wider. Moving into “I-Man,” a clear crowd favourite that elicited loud and energetic singing from those in attendance, Gutwillig shredded the song to pieces as the catchy chorus came around again.
Dipping into an inverted “Naeba” before finishing the set with “I-Man,” the Biscuits left a thoroughly torched Buffalo venue with a concise “Helicopters” encore, once again bringing energy to new heights.
My first Disco Biscuits experience was an absolutely incredible night – two sets of nonstop dance party and energy from a very talented band. I look forward to seeing them again soon!
Biscuits tour continues tonight with a two-night stand at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, PA. Webcasts are available via Couchtour.TV. Karina Rykman joins them again next week for a two nights at Higher Ground in Burlington. Don’t miss it!
