Buffalo jazz band, Spyro Gyra, have released a new single “50/50” commemorating their 50th anniversary.
The group have also announced an upcoming anthology album out Nov. 8 that covers their first decade of recorded music. They hit three cities in NY on their upcoming tour, Patchogue, Peekskill and Manhattan in 2025.
Since 1974 when Spyro Gyra first came together in Buffalo, they began experimenting with a fusion of jazz with R&B, Latin, and world music that has lead to great success and many achievements such as 13 Grammy nominations along with multiple Gold & Platinum albums. Their newest album, Jubilee, is an anthology compilation album that commemorates the 50th anniversary of Spyro Gyra’s formation. The album will contain classic songs and fan favorites from the years 1977-1987, including the Billboard hits, “Shaker Song” and “Morning Dance.”
This year the band, whose current line up consists of, Jay Beckenstein (saxophone), Julio Fernandez (guitar), Chris Fischer (keyboards), Scott Ambush (bass), and Lionel Cordew (drums) will embark on a world headline tour, which will land them in New York for three dates in Patchogue, Peekskill, and Manhattan.
Their new single, “50/50,” is out now through Amherst Records/Reservoir Recordings. The song is a precursor to the upcoming album Jubilee, which will be released on Friday, Nov. 8 on 2CD and 2LP gold and purple colored vinyl which you can preorder from their websire. These editions will include never-before-seen photos from the band and exclusive liner notes from veteran music journalist Jonathan Widran.
BRIC Arts and Media Institution of Brooklyn announced this past week its 10th anniversary celebratory JazzFest 2024, with 18 performances over the course of three days.
BRIC Arts Media, based in Downtown Brooklyn has been bringing free access to creative and cultural programming as well as opportunities for local artists to realize their works since its inception.
Originating as The Fund for the Borough of Brooklyn in 1979, the organization offers residencies, youth fellowships, grants, prizes, and partnerships to the artists of the Brooklyn community, as well as collaborations with other public resources in the area including Media Education classes at the Brooklyn Public Library, a cyclical program focused on community engagement through the arts titled the Intergenerational Community Arts Council, and partnerships with over 75 organizations to bring media and production skills to nonprofits based in Brooklyn.
One of the biggest programs run by BRIC in recent years is the BRIC Jazzfest, an annual presentation of the newest voices and hidden gems of the Jazz scene. Now, a decade into the program, BRIC will present “A Decade of Discovery” from October 17-19, a dazzling three-day lineup showcasing rising stars, contemporary innovators, and jazz legends.
Day one will consist of performances by NEA Jazz Master Gary Bartz co-headlining with acclaimed harpist Brandee Younger, genre-defying drummer Kassa Overall, rising star Josh Johnson, and emerging talents Milena Casado and Mali Obomsawin.
Performances for day two feature cutting-edge drummer and produce Makaya McCraven, jazz luminary Terri Lyne Carrington, innovative alto saxophonist Caroline Davis, and percussionist Daniel Villarreal.
The concluding evening will cover the full spectrum of contemporary jazz, highlights including powerhouse saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, jazz elder statesman Reggie Workman, jazz and Iraqi maqam fusionist and trumpeter Amir Elsaffar, Australian neo-soul artistAllysha Joy, and Afro-Cuban jazz master Joaquin Pozo.
In addition, the final evening will conclude with a special jam session honoring the legacy of jazz drummer Casey Benjamin curated by a party and live music experience called The Jungle, a collaboration of DJs, musicians, and artists for a unique journey across the African Diaspora- embracing Latin, Jazz, Afrobeat, Amapiano, Percussion, Brazilian, Caribbean, House, and Soul sounds.
Three-day passes are available now. For tickets, the full festival schedule, and more information, please visit here.
The “CNY Jazz at Timber Banks” talent lineup has been announced, the first launch of the CNY Jazz 2024-2025 season. The 34-show event takes place on Tuesday nights at Timber Banks Golf Club in Syracuse.
Cheri Giraud & Dan Pugh
The CNY Jazz series lasts from September to May, with a total of 34 groundbreaking shows. It features regional and national artists from 6 to 9 p.m. at Persimmons restaurant in the Carlton Holmes-designed clubhouse of the Seneca River golf and marina community. The cabaret dining schedule starts September 17, focusing on the finest voices in jazz, pop, and Americana in the region, and a twist or two has been thrown into the mix.
Singers Ronnie Leigh, Nancy Kelly, Cheri Giraud, Julie Falatico Montalbano, Mike Houston, Kirsten Tegtmeyer, Scott Dennis, Alex Becerra, Vanessa Vacanti, and Mary Nickson all appear. QUATRO provides progressive Americana harmony by Chuck Schiele and Heather Kubacki. Instrumental groups led by Steve Brown and John Rohde step in to play.
A special Mardi Gras event is the centerpiece of the season. On Fat Tuesday, March 4, the legendary Soda Ash Six, brings their 6-piece unit to play a party. This event is accompanied by a special New Orleans menu.
The unusual “Bass On Top” duo makes its first winter season appearance in the CNY Jazz series. The entire series is free, with no admission or cover charges. Holders of CNY Jazz Club cards receive 10% off food and drink at these events.
“This is the only weekly cabaret dining experience to be had north of the Thruway in Central New York. Literally every established jazz vocalist in the region is represented. We have a lot of talent around here, and you can sample virtually all of it without leaving the Persimmons premises. These things regularly sell out, so reserve your tables in advance, folks.”
Larry Luttinger, CNY Jazz founder
For more information on the CNY Jazz series at Timber Banks in Syracuse, click here.
Brooklyn Bowl has announced the return of the annual Rosh Hashanah music bash, set to return October 2 and 3. This year marks the event’s 13th year.
Beginning at 7:30 P.M. on Wednesday, October 2 and 10 A.M. on Thursday, October 3, both musically driven services will feature Rabbi Daniel Brenner with musical director Jeremiah Lockwood. Also included are Antibalas’ Jordan McLean and Timothy Allen, drummer John Bollinger, saxophonist Stuart Bogie and Yula Berri on vocals and bass.
Internationally renowned teacher Jane Tuv will also lead a guided meditation at each event. There will also be Torah reading and procession led by Rabbi Brenner, as well as prayer, and shofar blowing. After the services on October 2nd, Brooklyn Bowl hosts a spiritually driven jam session featuring members of the service’s house band as well as additional guests. After services on October 3rd at 12:30 P.M., there is a lunch provided by Blue Ribbon with purchase of a ticket.
All proceeds will support the non-profit organization Shalom Y’all Jams, which works to organize holiday services at non-traditional locations. Brooklyn Bowl was ranked the number one busiest club in NYC in 2017. This celebration of Rosh Hashanah may very well love up to that title this October. You’ll want to get your tickets before they sell out.
To purchase tickets for the Rosh Hashanah music bash at Brooklyn Bowl and to learn more about the celebration, click here.
Swing 46 in NYC has announced the special screening of award-winning documentary on the venue, titled “Swing 46: The Last Swingin’ Supper Club.” The airing takes place on October 6 at the jazz club itself.
The famous jazz and supper club Swing 46 prepares to host an honorable screening along with a Q&A session with the filmmaker. The night gives a snapshot of this historic music venue, which has been a home of music, performance, dancing, and memories for decades. The documentary tells the tale of a music venue born out of the retro swing renaissance of the late 90’s, hosting live music, diners, and dancers for nearly three decades.
The COVID-19 Pandemic has taken its toll on this great music venue which features live music six nights a week, acclaimed food, and a stunning atmosphere that has drawn many globally. A portion of the funds raised will benefit Swing 46’s daily operations and expenses helping to sustain this iconic music and supper club.
In addition to providing a home to the New York City Swing Dance Community and world renowned artists, Swing 46 became a beloved tourist destination, welcoming jazz fans and dancers from around the world. If funding does not become available to help this beloved club pay ongoing bills like rent, utilities, payroll to staff, and other necessities, it will not be able to continue to operate. Swing 46 may be forced to close its doors permanently and NYC will lose another precious live music venue.
For more information on the impact and magnitude of the jazz club and to purchase tickets to the October 6 event, click here.
The annual New York State Blues Festival has been confirmed and will once again return to the Chevy Court in Syracuse from June 12-14, 2025.
The annual free festival will take place on the New York State Fairgrounds (581 State Fair Blvd Syracuse, NY 13209) in mid-June of 2025. This will be the 32nd edition of the festival. Founded in 1992, every year the festival brings thousands of music fans from around New York and beyond to celebrate blues music and culture.
A diverse line-up of local, regional, and national artists will take to the stage. In the past, acts such as Little Feat, Buddy Guy, Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul, and many more have headlined the festival. A variety of food vendors will be onsite and wine & beer will be sold. Retail & craft vendors will also be set up inside of the festival grounds.
The team behind the New York State Blues Festival has said, “The mission of the NYS Blues Festival is to preserve, protect and promote blues music and culture. The Syracuse, NY festival entertains while educating on the role of the blues in the development of popular music in the US and around the world.”
The lineup for this year has yet to be announced. Learn more about the festival here.
Jazz guitar virtuosos Frank Vignola and Pasquale Grasso put on a spectacular performance of their arrangements and improvisations of jazz standards and their own individual compositions, delivered with incredible musicianship and warm performance skills to a full house at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs on Friday, August 30th. Though it was a repeat appearance for Vignola, it was Pasquale’s first appearance at Caffe Lena and, most likely, not his last.
Vignola and Pasquale are not a standing duo but teamed up for this performance, as they have on several occasions in the past and will later this year and into next year at various US venues.Vignola is one of the most highly respected and internationally sought after guitarists in multiple genres, having played with countless jazz artists and artists in other types of music as diverse as Madonna, Ringo Starr and Donald Fagan. He has appeared at prestigious venues including New York’s Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, and Birdland where he performs regularly
Grasso, who Pat Metheny called “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life”, has a style which is truly his own, stemming from influences as divergent as John Scofield, Charlie Parker, Bill Frissel and classical music and shaped in part by the nuances of jazz piano on guitar. Grasso, now in his thirties, moved to New York from Italy fifteen years ago and has been thrilling the jazz world ever since. He plays primarily at jazz clubs in New York City, either solo or with his trio or quartet.
Vignola delivered his virtuosity with his longtime companion, a 1950s Gibson L7 hollow body archtop with McCarty P90 pickups, played through a Fender Princeton Reverb tube amp. Grasso took the opportunity to introduce the audience to his brand new custom made Trenier hollow body jazz guitar with its single TK Smith “Charlie Christian”- bar type pickup, which he played through a stellar 1940s Gibson EH185 tube amp.
Rather than performing from a set list for either of their two sets, the two took turns deciding what the pair would play as the night progressed, with occasional exchanges of “What do you what to play? I don’t know, what would you like to do?” followed by one laying down a few notes to intro a piece with the other joining in with chord comping harmonizing the melody played by the other, with the pair often “switching” roles. Their selections included “Segment” and “Billy’s Bounce” by Charlie Parker in a posthumous homage to Parker’s August 29 birthdate; the jazz standard “Body and Soul”; “Monks Dream”, “Blue Monk” and “Evidence” by jazz pianist Thelonius Monk; “Stardust” played as a tribute to “straight ahead” jazz guitarist Russel/ Malone who passed away unexpectedly in Japan a few weeks ago; and a number of Pasquale Grasso’s original compositions.
Frank Vignola
There are few things in music as enjoyable as players improvising together at a level where each brings out a musical invitation and challenge to the other to weave their contribution into the other’s and this was a prime example, song after song, of just that level of virtuosity. And it was apparent from both their facial expressions and their musical interweaving that the two performers were enjoying each other’s contribution at least as much as the audience was. It was truly a “dance of two guitars”. Gazing around the room at the people in the audience made it clear that they were transfixed on every passage delivered in the intimate setting that is part of the historic charm and the ambiance of Caffe Lena.
Pasquale Grasso
At times the pair would trade four or eight bar melody or chord melody solos back and forth, with each one’s contribution complementing the other’s, and with facial expressions making it apparent how much they enjoyed what they were doing. Whether they were delivering what seemed to be melody runs of 32nd notes with absolute clarity and well placed clear spaces in the mix interchanged with chord solos or chord harmonies that visited the entire span of the guitar’s fingerboard; or more ballad-like slower tempo masterpieces, Vignola and Grasso truly delivered a master class in jazz guitar.
Long time Caffe Lena house live sound engineer Joe Deuel did his usual excellent job presenting their sound to the room, micing intentionally set low volumes of the two amps into the house’s live sound, balancing and EQing them with perfection.
Frank VignolaFrank VignolaFrank VIgnolaFrank VignolaPasquale GrassoPasquale GrassoPasquale GrassoPasquale Grasso
The twelfth Summer Hoot was held at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, NY over the course of three days, August 23 – 26, offering an eclectic mix of people spanning generations came together to celebrate their love for music.
Tucked away in the Catskill Mountains, the Ashokan Center offers 385 acres of pristine forestry accentuated by the Esopus Creek, which rolls through it. Augmenting this paradise, a wide array of musical talents performed at the Hoot. This harmony of nature and music created the ideal environment for co-founder Mike Merenda to declare Summer Hoot 12 as Zen.
Summer Hoot 2024 at The Ashokan Center
In the span of three days, more than twenty musical acts showcased their creative talents. The diverse lineup included folk, indie rock, jazz, and singer-songwriters, as well as Mexican, Argentinean, Creole, and Jamaican stylings.
Friday night began with Hoot founders Mike & Ruthy welcoming the early arrivals. Entertainment followed with performances by Tuba Skinny, Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys and others setting the tone for the weekend.
Ashokan Center Board of Director Kale Kaposhilin described the Hoot and the center as “a chosen family of loving intention.” This spirit was evident as people of all ages laughed, sang, and danced throughout the Hoot.
An Instrument Petting Zoo with guitars, bongos, violins, tambourines, and banjos was set up to offer the young (and young at heart) the opportunity to try out instruments and embark on their creative journey.
Summer Hoot Instrument Petting Zoo
Saturday and Sunday featured three stages from which to choose. The music began mid-morning and continued late into the night, including a “singers in the round” session at midnight. For those interested in making their own music, the Jubilee Jam tent in the Magical Musical Campground was open 24/7.
Dotted throughout the Ashokan Center grounds are a series of small buildings, one of which is The Pewter House. Stepping into this room feels like entering the 19th century, with its wood beams and wood burning stove. The intimacy of this space allowed for a deep connection with the performers.
The Pewter House
A select few performed in this unique setting. Naiika Sings, a Brooklyn-based chanteuse, gave a standout performance. Naiika, who began her career performing on NYC subway platforms and trains, elevated The Pewter House to a space of spiritual revelation with her performance.
Performers on the Pete Seeger and Toshi Seeger stages came from around the globe. Highlights included Bridget Kearney, founding member of Lake Street Dive; Steve Poltz, a Canadian folk singer; Carolina Mama, an Argentinean singer-songwriter; and Laurel Massé & Vinnie Martucci, a jazz and swing ensemble.
The Mammals
Local talent from the Hudson Valley was also well-represented. The Big Takeover, David & Jacob Bernz, and Jay Ungar & Molly Mason performed. No Hoot would be complete without Mike Merenda & Ruthy Unger Merenda and their band, The Mammals. Mike & Ruthy and band closed out the Toshi Seeger stage on Saturday night.
The heart of the Hoot is music and nature. The heart of the Ashokan Center is the appreciation of the natural world. Hoot + Ashokan = Zen.
Summer Hoot Performers
The City StompersThe MammalsJordan Hamilton & Seth BernardThe Gaslight TinkersDavid & Jacob Berns joined by Josiah Longo & Tink LoydSteve PoltzBridget KearneyNaiika SingsBrendan Daniel
Some early evening power outages on night two of Tedeschi Trucks Band (TTB) at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) were no match for the electrifying blues of Susan Tedeschi’s voice and her husband Derek Trucks’ nuclear-in-scale slide guitar talents.
The lights went out in the middle of rootsy singer songwriter Margo Price’s set and briefly delayed the start of boogie-rock legends Little Feat, but the Tedeschi Trucks Band’s two hour-plus set, which ran the gamut of American musical traditions, went off without the slightest technical difficulty on Saturday, August 31.
This, the second of two SPAC shows on the Deuces Wild Tour, leaned heavily on the blues with a good measure of going-to-church gospel as well. TTB’s 14-song set, which showcased each of its 12 members’ musical personalities, kicked off with a trio of originals: “High & Mighty” set the tone for the evening featuring Tedeschi’s whiskey-smooth vocals and the first helping of a Derek Trucks slide solo. “Ain’t That Something”, a standout cut off of 2022’s epic “I Am The Moon” put keyboardist/vocalist Gabe Dixon and his blue-eyed soul vocals into the spotlight, but it was Tedeschi who stole the moment with an incredible overdriven solo.
“Hear My Dear” reached a rocking crescendo when Tedeschi and a trio of background vocalists continued to sing the chorus as Trucks lit into a fiery solo that imitated the human voice, lifting the sound of the three singing voices exponentially until it sounded every bit as strong as a massive choir.
In their cover of Bob Dylan’s “Meet Me In The Morning”, Trucks channeled the slide guitar sound of Elmore James and then he ditched the slide for more traditional fingerstyle playing, and B.B. King’s tone in “Part of Me”, reminding the audience that he’s far more than just a “slide guitarist”. Kebbi Williams’ ska-inspired sax solo also indicated that in TTB, you might well start a song in one genre and end in another depending on who has the next solo.
Vocalist extraordinaire Mike Mattison has long been a foil for the fretwork of Derek Trucks, dating back to the Derek Trucks Band days. His star turn on a gospelized Prince’s “1999” (almost unrecognizable to these ears until I caught the iconic lyrics) was a perfect tune for the last day in August – summer concert season is winding down, but TTB is still partying like it’s 1999.
On “Idle Wind”, Trucks transformed yet again. On his most inventive slide solo of the night he was in turn John Coltrane and Ali Akhbar Khan, alternating lines that sounded like the cry of a horn with runs that are far more often heard in Indian ragas than amphitheater blues rock.
A friend and I were recently discussing the incredible ability Trucks has of “interrupting the narrative” in TTB’s relatively conventional original songs. In what could almost pass as an adult contemporary number, the band builds dynamic energy behind Trucks and he launches into a litany of dirty blues, free jazz, a child crying, a saxophone wailing, a bird in flight – sometimes all within a few measures.
While it can sometimes feel like the songwriting is merely a vehicle for one of the finest touring live bands on the planet to launch into a succession of solos, TTB’s greatest gift may be in choosing its cover songs. They have it down to a science. Coming out of a lengthy drum solo, the band played five covers dovetailed incredibly well together. Powerhouse vocalist Alecia Chakour channeled her inner Aretha for “Ain’t Fair”. Then, The Allman Brothers Band’s “Dreams” featured excellent vocals by Dixon and Tedeschi and was a chance for a card-carrying former Allman Brothers Band member in Trucks to channel his childhood idol Duane Allman in yet another attack of the guitar tone clone.
Trucks exited the stage and his wife led a stripped down TTB in a bluesy mashup of John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery” into the Garcia/Hunter classic “Sugaree”. A friend in the crowd made a valid point – is there any Upstate New York music fan who doesn’t like the songs “Dreams”, “Angel From Montgomery”, and “Sugaree”? We certainly like our Allmans, Prine, and Dead in these parts, so credit to TTBs setlist researchers for the construction of that portion of the set.
With Joe Tex’s 1967 soul hit “Show Me” the horn section was finally turned loose, as was vocalist Mark Rivers, who, had he been a musician in the 1960s, may well have been a Stax legend. At this point, TTB was in full soul revue mode, a-la the great Ray Charles bands of the 50s and 60s.
Perhaps in a nod to the whole “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” Joe Cocker tour similarities, TTB encored with Leon Russell’s “Stranger In A Strange Land”. Joined on stage by Margo Price & The Price Tags, Tedeschi and Price alternated verses triumphantly as the night came to a close and I found myself wandering through the relatively empty, but beautiful park, hoping TTB and company had indeed put me back “on the human track”.
Living legends Little Feat wasted no time firing off a succession of stone cold classics in their set, even if they were delayed by short power outage. Keyboardist Bill Payne lit into the familiar riff of “Fat Man In The Bathtub” as though he was firing a starter’s pistol, and the hits kept on coming. The atmospherically spooky “Spanish Moon” established Lowell George stand-in Scott Sharrard as a remarkable talent. Sharrard nails both George’s unusual vocal cadence and his thin slide guitar tone. A member since 2020, Sharrard’s youth seems to buoy the veterans of the band in the same way Mayer and Oteil inject life into Bobby and Mickey.
“Willin’” was a wave your lighter singalong of the first order, and while that was the moment a lot of the crowd was waiting for it was a new tune, “Mellow Down Easy” that brought down the house in what was the biggest audience reaction to anything all night.
The song is off of Little Feat’s new record Sam’s Place which is named both for percussionist Sam Clayton (who sings all the songs on the record) and Sam Phillips, the famous owner of Sun Studios in Memphis, where the Feat recorded the LP. Clayton’s Howlin’ Wolf-inspired vocals encouraged the crowd, but it was the incendiary harmonica playing of special guest Michael LoBue that worked the crowd into a frenzy and out of their seats.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get much better, Tedeschi and Trucks walked out on stage and the band kicked off “Dixie Chicken”. Hearing Trucks play such an iconic riff was all a music nerd such as myself could ask for – I could have left right after it and gone home a happy man. I deserved nothing more. But hearing Susan Tedeschi sing a verse of “Dixie Chicken” was icing on the…chicken, I guess. Fred Tackett’s chunky sounding Fender was a nice pairing with Sharrard’s smooth-as-butter Gibson sound. The guitar feast was bountiful and I was thankful the group served up “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” in supergroup formation as well. There’s always something special about watching legends and torchbearers working together to make a crowd of thousands boogie.
Margo Price kicked off the music marathon with an 11-song set that ran the gamut in styles from Americana to bluesy psychedelia, outlaw country to Nashville honky tonk.
Price broke news early in the set that she and her band The Price Tags are set to return to Saratoga Springs as they will be joining the Farm Aid lineup on September 21. Until Saturday, Price had not officially been announced as part of the lineup, even though she has a history as a Farm Aid board member and has worked as a collaborator with Willie Nelson.
Price is an excellent frontwoman with a powerful voice that reminds me at times of both Loretta Lynn and Emmylou Harris. She’s joined by a crack band of Nashville talent, particularly her husband Jeremy Ivey who plays rhythm guitar and harmonica, keyboardist Micah Hulscher who had some of the finest B3 playing of the night, and Telecaster-master Jamie Davis.
“Been to the Mountain” from her album Strays and “Four Years of Chances” from Midwest Farmer’s Daughter were early set highlights for both the musicianship of the tight band and for the clever wordplay in Price’s lyrics.
An excellent take on the Grateful Dead-influenced “Tennessee Song” gave way to the very bluesy “Don’t Wake Up”, but the highlight of the set was a rousing “Change of Heart” into the traditional “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”. Just as Davis ripped into his solo, the power went out, making this writer wonder just what kind of God would choose guitaris-interruptus as a way to go all Old Testament on us? It got a little spooky Unsolved Mysteries at SPAC for a few minutes there. The lights came back on, but Price’s mic kept going in and out. Instead of getting frustrated, she hopped into the first row and led the crowd in a tambourine clap-along until the scurrying sound dudes fixed the problem and Price and company finished their fine opening set.
The 5 pm rain, and probably the whole end of summer Labor Day weekend thing, certainly seemed to limit the attendance on Saturday, but those that showed up saw the very best value menu you’re going to get at SPAC. And when I left my seat to go out to the lawn, it was crowded, but not oversold. It was comfortable and people were having fun. Nearly five hours of bluesy music was the perfect way to end August.
And since a new school year is just around the corner, it has me hopeful that new generations will keep hearing the music of The Allman Brothers, or Little Feat, or Susan Tedeschi and Margo Price. The crowd skewed a bit older for sure, with one man a few rows ahead of me raising his cane in the air and swaying it during the TTB encore like a baton.
But, what gives me hope is that TTB hasn’t taken a contract as The Late Show band (they certainly would be a great one). They’re a touring unit of the first order and they hit the road hard, proselytizing the blues and the American rock n’ soul standard songbook at every show. They’re using their powers for good and I sincerely hope they keep coming back to SPAC every summer to spread the gospel.
Saturday August 31 Tedeschi Trucks Band Setlist: High & Mighty, Ain’t That Something, Hear My Dear, Meet Me In the Morning (Bob Dylan cover), Part of Me, 1999 (Prince Cover), Idle Wind, Ain’t Fair (Aretha Franklin Cover), Dreams (Allman Brothers Cover), Angel From Montgomery (John Prine Cover) > Sugaree,(Grateful Dead Cover), Show Me (Joe Tex Cover), Just Won’t Burn, Made Up Mind Encore: Stranger In A Strange Land (Leon Russell cover w/ Margo Price & The Price Tags)
Little Feat Setlist: Fat Man In The Bathtub, All That You Dream, Spanish Moon, Willin’, Mellow Down Easy (w/ Michael “The Bull” LoBue on harmonica), Dixie Chicken (w/ Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks), Feats Don’t Fail Me Now (w/Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks)
Saturday August 31Margo Price & The Price Tags Setlist: All The Tired Horses (Bob Dylan Cover), Been To The Mountain, About To Find Out, Four Years of Chances, Never Say Die, Tennessee Song, Don’t Wake Me Up, Change of Heart > God’s Gonna Cut You Down (cut short by power outage), County Road, Do Right By Me, A Little Pain
Friday August 30 Tedeschi Trucks Band Setlist: Anyhow, I’ve Got a Feeling (The Beatles cover), Circles ‘Round the Sun, Let Me Get By, Tangled Up in Blue (Bob Dylan cover, TTB live debut), Do I Look Worried, I Feel So Bad (Chuck Willis cover), Smoke Ring Halo (The Wood Brothers cover), I Want More > Beck’s Bolero (Jeff Beck cover), I Walked on Guilded Splinters (Dr. John cover), Keep On Growing (Derek and the Dominos cover, with Anders Beck) > That Did It (Bobby “Blue” Bland cover), Bound for Glory Encore: Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (Bob Dylan cover, with Margo Price), Let’s Go Get Stoned (The Coasters cover, with Margo Price)
New York based-guitarist Shubh Saran announced his “Being Anybody Else” Tour, with a stop in Syracuse.
Saran’s unique blend of varied influences has earned him popular acclaim. Saran will play Funk N Waffles September 14, with local Syracuse band Paega opening.
Lev Sloujitel
Growing up in six different countries exposed Shubh Saran to a wide range of work he would come to draw inspiration from, from classical and contemporary Indian music to progressive rock. Saran has performed globally with his band, in addition to being a composer and producer.
Guitar World likened Saran to a “shred chameleon”. The international influences and versatility are evident is his work. Pitchfork described his music as, “a heartfelt exploration of the ups and downs of being part of the world’s fastest-growing floating tribe—part global citizen, part cultural refugee”.
Saran was also included in Pitchfork’s list of Best Jazz and Experimental Music of 2021. The Shubh Saran tour includes shows at Syracuse’s Funk N Waffles, and Manhattan’s Nublu. Tickets for the Syracuse show are available at the following link, and more information about Shubh Saran is available here.
Saran’s fifth release, an EP entitled Being Anybody Else, will be out September 27th. The official music video for his newest single, “To Be”, is available below.
