Lotus brought along Blendmode to open up their Capitol Theatre show on Saturday, April 6, along with Eli Winderman from Dopapod & Jonathon Grusauskas of lespecial.
Blendmode really go the night going with their unique, bass heavy, danceable groove.
Lotus played a special show featuring guitar dueling between Tim Palmieiri & Johnny from lespecial. Winderman fit in well adding his unique synth sound to the Lotus soundscape. The set was filled with groovy jams and some face melting solos. The second set included a memorable Radiohead cover, “Airbag.”
Lotus – Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – April 6, 2024
Set 1: Middle Road, Expired Slang, Tar Pits, Marquee Moon, Debris, Shimmer and Out
Set 2: Opus, Reed, It’s All Clear to Me Now, Flower Sermon, Airbag, Wax
Pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo brought the house down April 9 at Madison Square Garden, marking the last of four sold-out shows at the famed arena for her ongoing world tour. Fans decked out in purple, sequins, and feather-trimmed cowboy hats filled the venue, eager to sing along to Rodrigo’s 2023 angsty pop-rock album GUTS.
Olivia Rodrigo — Photo by Molly Higgins
After an opening set from 90s alternative rock favorites The Breeders, Rodrigo’s crowd of young, spirited supporters screamed with excitement as four 3D candles—spelling out GUTS, of course—were projected on stage. When the wax melted, Rodrigo would make her much-anticipated appearance.
Electric guitars crashed as a platform lifted Rodrigo to center stage, kicking off the show with her upbeat single “bad idea right?” Decked out in a sparkling silver outfit for the start of the show, Rodrigo worked the full stage from the moment she appeared, sprinting from one catwalk to another, dancing with her musicians, and interacting with fans in the crowd.
Rodrigo’s setlist featured nearly every song from GUTS and her debut album, SOUR, plus a few surprises, including an unexpected duet with special guest Jewel. Backed by eight skilled backup dancers and eye-catching effects—a significant upgrade in production value from her 2022 Sour Tour—Rodrigo put on a dazzling show, radiating confidence throughout.
Whether seated at a grand piano, shredding on the electric guitar, or floating on a giant crescent moon above the crowd, Rodrigo brought an electrifying energy to the MSG stage. Her seamless transitions between heart-wrenching ballads and early 2000s-style pop rock anthems kept the audience on the edge of their seats. As star-shaped confetti rained from the arena ceiling throughout the final notes of “get him back!,” Rodrigo danced her way backstage, triumphantly closing a show that certainly solidified her superstar status.
Olivia Rodrigo – Madison Square Garden – April 9, 2024
Setlist: bad idea right?; ballad of a homeschooled girl; vampire; traitor; drivers license; teenage dream; pretty isn’t pretty; love is embarrassing; making the bed; logical; enough for you; lacy; jealousy, jealousy; Can’t Catch Me Now; You Were Meant For Me (with Jewel); happier; favorite crime; deja vu; the grudge; brutal; obsessed; all-American bitch; good 4 u; get him back!
On Thursday, April 4, with a spectacular fusion of raw energy, lyrical prowess, and dynamic emotion, Kevin Gates took the stage of Irving Plaza for his “The Ceremony Tour,” leaving the New York City audience amazed. The tour stop was filled with heartfelt yet raw emotion, furthermore solidifying Gates and his status as a rap heavyweight, as he commanded the stage with the same unapologetic attitude that has defined his career.
After a series of DJ playlists to warm up the crowd, the opener of the night was DJ Chose, who has collaborated with Kevin Gates on some of his greatest hits and has a few of his own. DJ Chose lauded his accolades and made sure the crowd had the right energy before Kevin’s arrival. After DJ Chose, Kevin Gates’s DJ executed a final round of musical wind up with some industry favorites ensuring the crowd was ready for Kevin Gates to take the stage.
After an astounding ovation upon taking the stage, Kevin Gates opened with “Speed Dial” to which the crowd recited word for word. Kevin went on to perform songs “In God I Trust,” “Free At Last,” “Arm and Hammer” and more. A southern classic that got everyone up off their feet was when Kevin Gates performed “TWMD” which went viral during New Orleans Mardi Gras last year. As the song came on, the entire arena erupted into a frenzy as his fans belted the lyrics, completely losing themselves in the song.
Notably, Gates’ crowd control and poise was evident, as he purposefully took moments to talk with his supporters over the mic. Moving at a brisk but necessary pace, he took a minute to evangelize his fans. Speaking about his time incarcerated and having to miss his daughter’s birthday, Gates focused on having the work ethic and drive to make his situation right, as he encouraged his fans to keep their head held high even in the darkest of times. Bringing the show to a close with popular tracks such as “Me Too,” “2 Phones,” and “Breakfast”, Kevin went out with a bang amongst a flurry of smoke from CO2 cannons, as he mysteriously disappeared behind the set. Tickets for the rest of the “The Ceremony” tour are available here.
Kevin Gates Setlist: Speed Dial, Facts, Push It, Yonce Freestyle, Arm and Hammer, TWMD, Wassup With It, In God I Trust, Scars, Imagine That, Free At Last, It Won’t Happen, Healing, Birds Calling, Power, Great Man, Fatal Attraction, Breakfast, Luv Bug, Posed To Be In Love, Heal You, Lil Yea, Me Too, One Thing, All Thee Above, Bad For Me, Time for That, 2 Phones, and Broken Men.
Uncle Ebenezer played an incredible set of Phish jams including an unforgettable “Tweezer” featuring a saxophone player. Walrus opened up the night with their psychedelic interpretation of The Beatles, most notably a fully mind melting “Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds”.
The Williams Center is a phenomenal venue in Rutherford, NJ. It is an old theatre renovated into a truly happening venue featuring hidden gems like a record store with some incredible selections.
Uncle Ebenezer opened up the night with my personal favorite Phish song “Golgi Apparatus”. This got the crowd going and ready to dance to “Gotta Jibboo” which followed. The set was filled with Phan favorites like “No Me in No Men’s Land”, “Fluffhead”, “The Lizards”, and even included vocal heavy songs like “My Mind’s Got a Mind of It’s Own” and “Tela”. The epic “Tweezer” with a sax player was truly legendary.
They ended their set with a funky, spacey “2001”. The encore include “Cavern”, “Lonesome Cowboy Bill”, and the return of the sax for an explosive “Tweezer Reprise.”
Setlist: Golgi Apparatus, Gotta Jibboo, Stash, My Mind’s Got a Mind of Its Own, Tweezer, The Lizards, Tela, No Men in No Man’s Land, Split Open and Melt, Fluffhead, 2001
Texas singer songwriter Ruthie Foster brought her incredible cross-genre versatility to a standing-room-only house at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, April 4.
Combining a long set of her own songs of contemporary blues, Americana, gospel and country blues, including “Singing The Blues,” “Brand New Day,” and “4am” with her truly unique arrangements of covers like Pete Seeger’s “If I Had A Hammer,” June Carter Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” and Patty Griffin’s “When It Don’t Come Easy,” interspersed with crowd-pleasing stage banter that ranged from where the ideas for some of her songs came from, to family stories, she delivered a truly energetic show to a highly appreciative crowd in an intimate setting.
With her brilliant flatpicking and fingerpicking on a hollow body electric guitar, which she introduced as “Pearl”, she delivered her well-crafted original songs in a solo performance that matched the legendary intimacy of the room at Caffe Lena, giving the audience a clear understanding of what lies behind her multiple Grammy nominations, Blues Foundation’s Koko Taylor Award, and induction into the Texas Blues Hall of Fame.
The show marked the start of a six-month tour for Ruthie Foster, covering the US and parts of Canada, immediately followed with an April 5 show at The Folkus Project in Syracuse, with other shows in the region in Massachusetts and New Jersey. The tour is followed by a multi-day blues cruise out of Florida.
Ruthie referred to herself at one point as a country girl who grew up on a farm in Texas where she learned how to drive a car at eight years of age in the fields by sitting on phonebooks on the seat of her dad’s pickup truck, moving it slowly at his direction as farmhands loaded hay bales onto the back of the truck. She then segued into her beautifully fingerpicked rendition of Mississippi John Hurt’s “Richland Woman’s Blues” that brought her audience in for chorus sing-alongs.
Throughout the show, Ruthie’s energy fed the crowd and, in turn, was fueled by her audience’s response, both by her playing and singing as well as her eye contact and facial expressions. At the end of her single long set when she said she had only time for one more, she acceded to the the audience request of “Phenomenal Woman” saying “Okay, but that’ll be the encore,” and gave a stellar and moving performance that brought the crowd to its feet where they stayed and cheered until she returned for an a cappella gospel type tune with her appreciative audience joining in on.
There is something very special about a talented solo performance of well-crafted songs delivered to an audience in an intimate venue setting and this was just such an experience.
The Disco Biscuits came to the Town Ballroom in Buffalo over March 30-31 for two nights on theirWhy We Dance Tour. Just the night before they debuted their new album, Revolution in Motion at Webster Hall in New York City.
The Disco Biscuits have a rich history at the Town Ballroom, New York’s most underrated club venue. The room is perfect for the Biscuits as the many levels and circular setup makes a Disco Biscuits show there feel like an mini Bisco coliseum. They’ve played many great shows there and they added another on Saturday, while Sunday’s show was a more laid back affair.
On Saturday, the first night of two, you could tell the band was feeling great after a successful and probably pressure filled album release party the night before; as they looked to be in high spirits all night. Even though the previous show was all new songs, they still had enough new material to still have a good mix of old and new. The whole first set was a highlight, and was certainly up there with one of the better sets they’ve played in Buffalo. The room absolutely lost it when Orch Them appeared out of a stellar Buy The Time Jam. As far as second set highlights, Mindless Dribble > Fire Exchange > Confrontation was the meat of the set. It’s pretty hard to top ending a set with Confrontation, the crowd chanted along the words and all was right in Biscoland.
The Disco Biscuits have been trying their whole careers to blend live instruments and club music together, and it seems like they have finally perfected it in 2024. Besides setbreak, the music on Saturday did not stop once. The whole show was moving and pulsing forward, they didn’t get lost or falter once. Sometimes when bands focus too much on improv it can feel like the band is jamming just to jam, but that was night the case at all. The band played with purpose and direction, something that is hard to do when the majority of the night’s music was improv.
Sunday night’s show was a little bit of a step back from the previous night’s energy. Maybe the wave of energy crashed the night before, maybe they were in party mode celebrating Jon Gutwillig’s birthday, but they weren’t able to top Saturday. That being said, that’s what you get with improv. They are playing with such consistency nowadays that a show that let off the gas a little bit is still a great night of music. The improv on Sunday oscillated between dark and dirty Biscuits, some throwback trance and some happy Biscuits mixed in. I’m a sucker for happy Biscuits, and after a lot of dark, plodding improv throughout the night, the M1 > Cyclone section really scratched that itch for me.
The Disco Biscuits are playing lights out right now, so get your ass to a show if you can. They are due back in New York State for 4th of July weekend at their own festival Biscoland, just outside Syracuse.
Soundcheck: Wet, Mr. Don Set 1: Buy The Time 1 > Orch Theme 2 > Helicopters > Dino Baby > Rock Candy 3 Set 2: Bombs > Mindless Dribble > Fire Will Exchange > Confrontation 4 > The Deal 5 > Confrontation Encore: Rockafella > Helicopters
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March 31, 2024 – Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY
Set 1: We Like To Party > Spacebirdmatingcall > No Recollection 1 > Pilin’ It High 2 3 > We Like To Party Set 2: Jam > Voices Insane 4 > Ring the Doorbell Twice > And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night 5 > M1 6 > Cyclone > Spacebirdmatingcall Encore: Mulberry’s Dream 7
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On March 30, the Bozeman, Montana-based Kitchen Dwellers capped off a pair of impressive shows at Brooklyn Bowl, proving that jamgrass is thriving nationwide on their cross-country L.F.G Tour.
Going into Saturday night, the crowd was eager with anticipation; Friday’s show saw a sit-in from opener Cris Jacobs and encored with a thrilling cover of “The ‘59 Sound” by New Jersey rock bandthe Gaslight Anthem.
Saturday’s opener, Yam Yam, gave a jazz-funk-infused performance, setting the tone with a high-energy psychedelic kick-off to the night. Jason Mescia’s saxophone playing was a welcome standout surprise, a sound not typical for a night of bluegrass. The Kitchen Dwellers opened with unmistakable bluegrass energy on “Wind Bitten” from their latest album, Seven Devils, before dipping into their back catalog with “Broken Cage.” Shawn Swain showcased impressive talent on the mandolin during the instrumental “Whitewater.” Bassist Joe Funk, banjo player Torrin Daniels, and guitarist Max Davies then shared vocals to harmonize over Willie Nelson’s “Bloody Mary Morning.“
The band’s rock and roll inspiration showed in Torrin Daniels’ impassioned vocals on “Shadows.” Performed today, the 2019 song’s lyrics and delivery could be seen as an early sign to come of the rising folk-rock resurgence seen in artists like Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan. The band would turn back to a more bluegrass sound with a “Muir Made” sandwich, slotted around “Unwind” which offered a tease of the heavier jamming in the second set.
The first set then closed out, aided by a sit-in from Fruition’s guitarist Kellen Asebroek on piano. With the addition, the group performed Elton John’s Love letter to New York “Mona Lisa’s and Mad Hatters,” showing off the band’s ability to take a song and transcendence genre. Asebroek stayed on keys to perform Fruition’s 2016 song “The Meaning,” closing out the set.
Performing against the carnival-inspired backdrop at Brooklyn Bowl, the Western quintet easily evoked the feeling of a picture-perfect state fair. The Kitchen Dwellers describe their version of jamgrass as “galactic” and the description is fitting for a show that rides from highway tunes to dark looping jams. The second set opened with “Drowning (… Again)” as the band began to take a more exploratory route and opened up to deeper jamming. The group would nod again to the local crowd performing Justin Townes Earle’s “One More Night In Brooklyn.“
The Kitchen Dwellers continued pulling the audience through the edges of bluegrass jamming with “Phaedrus” and “Their Names Are the Trees.” Through the band’s skillful picking, it was easy to see how the worlds of metal and bluegrass share common bonds through a love of shredding guitar. The playing would bring the crowd to an energetic crescendo, with the whole room dancing during “Sundown.”
Before starting into their recent single, “The Crow and The Raven,” the band would call the crowd’s attention to their guest, New York City-based director Kayla Arend, a college friend of the group who recently directed the song’s music video.
The band dipped into a dark rhythmic jam rhythm for the title track on “Seven Devils.” Proving to be anything but it’s namesake, “The Living Dread” injected energy into attendees before the band took a brief respite before an encore. A cover of Emmitt-Nershi Band’s “New Country Blues” gave Torrin Daniels a chance to stretch his rock star bravado for a wild-eyed, chest-pounding performance to close-out the night.
The Kitchen Dwellers are cooking up a show well worth seeing two nights in a row. With a deep repertoire to pull from and a stadium-worthy light show from Matt Allmond, expect to find the Kitchen Dwellers serving up galactic jamgrass across the country. Kitchen Dwellers are on tour now, you can find out more and purchase tickets through their website. Their latest album Seven Devils is available for streaming.
Set 1: Comet > Southern Flavor > Paradise Valley Cabin Pressure > Drop Tine Night Rider’s Lament, Meagher’s Reel > Waterford Son, Woods Lake, Daughter, Daughter [1] > Pretty Daughter [1]
Set 2: Pendulum, Here We Go > Can’t Stop Now, Years of My Life > Sit At My Table, Covered Bridges > Ebenezer’s Winter, What the Night Brings > Covered Bridges
Encore: The ‘59 Sound
[1] With Cris Jacobs and Bryan McDowell
Kitchen Dwellers – Brooklyn Bowl – March 30, 2024
Set 1: Wind Bitten > Broken Cage Whitewater > Bloody Mary Morning, Shadows, Muir Maid > Unwind > Muir Maid, Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters [1] The Meaning [1]
Set 2: Drowning (… Again) > One More Night In Brooklyn > Drowning (… Again), Phaedrus, Their Names Are the Trees > E.M.D. > Sundown, The Crow and the Raven, Prelude > Seven Devils > The Living Dread
Dynamic jazz-pop band Couch brought their Sunshine, Part 2 Tour to the Westcott Theater in Syracuse on Friday, March 29. It was a fittingly beautiful, sunshine-filled spring day in Central New York. The show was the second stop on a lengthy, cross country tour for the band, which features Sophia James as the opener.
Hailing from Boston, Couch have been turning heads since their formation in 2021. Described as a blend of jazz, rock, pop and R&B, the band has performed at major festivals like Boston Calling, and toured in support of Lake Street Dive. The seven-piece band is currently touring in support of the recently released Sunshower EP (October 2023).
Opener Sophia James rewarded those who arrived to the theater early this evening. James performed on stage solo, but brilliantly mixed in drum and vocal loops to build dramatic layers to her songs. She excitedly touted her upcoming release, Clockwork, due April 19, an EP that is sure to garner lots of listens from those who were in attendance tonight.
An excited energy filled the theater as Couch made their way to the stage. Opening with the energetic “Saturday,” all of the hallmark staples of a Couch show were immediately on display: the dramatic horn section of Jeffrey Pinsker-Smith (Trumpet) and Eric Tarlin (saxophone) which blended with singer Tema Siegel’s dynamic vocals. Throughout the set, each of the band members were given ample time at the center of the stage. Guitarist Zach Blankstein delivered a fierce guitar solo during the interactive “Poems,” while Jared Gozinsky (drums) and Will Griffin each took turns showcasing their talents. Keyboardist Danny Silverston added layers of synths and also took his turn at the mic, leading the audience in a three-piece layer of sing along harmony during “Poems.”
While much of the evening showcased the band’s high energy tracks, the band brilliantly weaved several slower ballads in to the mix. Siegel told the tale of finding love before performing “Autumn,” while later in the set the band performed the beautiful “Let Me Hold You.” In between their own songs, they worked in several cover songs, including Billy Joel’s “Vienna” and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” the latter of which saw opener Sophia James returning to the stage to share vocals.
After a brief encore break, the band triumphantly returned to the stage to perform the upbeat “Easy To Love.” Clearly a fan favorite, the song offered fans one last opportunity to sing and dance before the spilling out in to the streets. The sunshine of earlier in the day was gone, but it was not lost in the mood of those who attended this evening.
Over the Easter Weekend, Sleepy Hallow’s Boy Meets World Tour arrived in New York City. Prior to Sleepy coming on stage and bringing down the Palladium, fellow New York artists such as Rah Swish, Rowdy Rebel and others graced the stage for the warmup.
After a roaring ovation upon taking the stage, Sleepy performed some of his more introspective tracks including “Anxiety,” featuring Doechii, where he’s opened up about his mental health, the hardship he has faced in the past year crafting and releasing his latest album, Boy Meets World. The crowd joined in singing word for word while Sleepy Hallow performed other hits such as “Die Young,” featuring 347AIDAN, “Pain Talk” featuring Lil TJAY, and more.
During the show, Sleepy Hallow invited label mate Eli Fross to perform alongside him.
Sleepy Hallow decided to surprise the New York crowd by inviting some of their own on stage. He brought out Bronx artists: Cash Cobain and Bay Swag who bought the Slizzy Experience to the Palldium in performing viral hit “Fisherrr.”
Sleepy Hallow ended the night with some of his classic hits, “2055,” “Deep End Freestyle,” “Basketball Dreams,” and “1999.” Tickets for the rest of the Boy Meets World Tour are available here.
To commemorate their first studio release in nearly 13 years, The Disco Biscuits staged a release party at New York City’s famed Webster Hall on March 29. With help from a couple of friends, the band played their new album Revolution In Motion from start to finish over two sets that spanned nearly four hours, much of it without a break between tracks.
Along with their typically incredible light show via Herm Light Designs, and corresponding animation from Blunt Action and Todd Kushnir projected on a screen behind the band, the album came to life and cemented its lore in Disco Biscuits history.
The sold out show had a buzz about it for weeks leading up, with the night having a slight bit of warmth to it in the East Village, ushering fans inside shortly after doors to secure a spot for a night that was years in the making. With the tracks from Revolution in Motion debuting since 2022, fans are well acclimated to the new material, as well as the depths of jamming that can unfold from any of the songs. Therein lies the beauty of what the Disco Biscuits have created in their ninth studio album, and not just the music – the story that intertwines the songs was revealed in full earlier this day, completing Part 1 of Revolution in Motion, with the band saving the day on the alien world Polyfuzia.
The band was joined by three special guests this evening – Erin Boyd added soul with her vocals on “Twisted in the Road” and “Why We Dance,” Matteo Scammell singing alongside guitarist Jon Guttwillig on “Tourists (Rocket Ship)” and “To Be Continued…,” and guitarist Cloud Chord joining for “Tourists (Rocket Ship)” and “Spagaâs Last Stand,” which had keyboardist Aron Magner step out with a keytar for back-to-back playing alongside Cloud Chord. Guests for the Disco Biscuits are infrequent at best, and the three etched their names into Biscuits’ history as well as the fans memories.
In lieu of a song-by-song breakdown of the show, we encourage you to listen to the full show here on Nugs.net. The show is best enjoyed in full from start to finish, taking the story along with the music and explorative trance-fusion jams.
A full summation of the night, however, is best found from Brian Stollery, who offers the following thoughts on the evening that unfolded at Webster Hall.
In the kaleidoscopic carnival that was the Disco Biscuits’ album release show for Revolution in Motion, their first sonic odyssey in 14 years since Otherwise Law Abiding Citizens, the band once again proved themselves as the cosmic jesters at the crossroads of the Grateful Dead’s experimental psychedelia and the pulsating heart of modern analog techno’s transcendental oneness revolution.
Among the cacophony, “The Deal” emerged as a transcendent hymn, a bizarre yet profound meditation on business acumen that captures the essence of the Biscuits’ ability to spin mundane realities into psychedelic gold, propelling the audience into a state of intellectual spiritual mayhem, where fun collides with the sublime in a spectacular explosion of sound and fury.
Disco Biscuits – Webster Hall, NYC – March 29, 2024
Set 1: Shocked > The Wormhole > Twisted In The Road > Another Plan Of Attack > Times Square >Freeze Set 2: Tourists (Rocket Ship) > Spaga’s Last Stand, Who’s In Charge > Space Train > The Deal > One Chance To Save The World > Why We Dance Encore: To Be Continued
