Watch Members of String Cheese, Dead & Co And More Jam Out The Open Seas
The ultimate craft beer vacation, the Lebrewski Cruise, just wrapped up several days out at sea. Featuring a number of exceptional refreshments from breweries like Boulder Beer Company, Cigar City, Lagunitas Brewing, Left Hand and Stone Brewing, and musical performances from O.A.R., Kyle Hollingsworth of the String Cheese Incident as well as SCI bandmates Michael Kang and Jason Hann and more, the Lebrewski Cruise is certainly a one of a kind experience.Having put three members of SCI on the cruise, it didn’t take a brewmaster to figure out there would be significant collaborations along the way. Cue Jason Hann’s Rhythmatronix. Featuring Hann, Michael Kang, Fareed Haque (Sting, Joe Zawinul, Garaj Mahal), Raul Pineda (Chucho Valdez, Sintesis), Oteil Burbridge (Dead & Company, Allman Brothers Band), and Todd Stoops (RAQ), the Rhythmatronix delighted onlookers to a grooving, jazz inspired, improvisational-laced set.You can watch Jason Hann’s Rythmatronix’s entire set from the Lebrewski Cruise below:Setlist: Jason Hann’s Rythmatronix at the Spinnaker Lounge, Lebrewski Cruise – 3/2/16Set: Opus Pocus, Havona, Palladium, Manga, Raul Drum Solo, Gibraltar
Load remaining images The Motet brought some serious heat to The Mishawaka Amphitheater in Fort Collins, CO for the second of a sold out two-night run this past Saturday night. Vibe Street provided some early energy with an opening set chock full beats, sampling everything from The Jungle Book’s “Bear Necessities” to Bob Marley’s “Positive Vibration”, even throwing in a nod to Greensky Bluegrass with “The Four”.The Motet played a solid first set as they played “Damn!” from their latest album Totem. A cover of The Meters‘ “Funkify Your Life” kept funk levels extra high at The Mish, which is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary as a venue. “Nemesis” showcased some deep, dark grooves with a brief David Bowie “Fame” jam that led back into the Dig Deep (2009) number. Dave Watts and Garrett Sayers kept such a tight pocket the entire evening, with Sayers really proving his case for being one of the best bassists in the scene. Lyle Divinsky is coming into his own as the lead singer in The Motet, and truly finding his comfort zone since joining the band earlier this year.Second set was a non-stop dance party front to back, with “Extraordinary High” and “The Truth” giving Gabriel Mervine and Drew Sayers some opportunities to shine on trumpet and sax, respectively. And what cannot be said about Joey Porter? My man is a beast on the keys. With Davinsky telling the crowd about his love for 90’s R&B and hip-hop, the group went old-school with a mash-up of Michael McDonald‘s “I Keep Forgettin’” and Warren G and Nate Dogg‘s “Regulate”, which sampled the McDonald original; definitely a major highlight of the night. After a fitting cover of William DeVaughn‘s “Be Thankful For What You Got” which seemed apropos given the memorable performance at what is one truly majestic venue, the group finished with “Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fed”.A cover of Earth, Wind and Fire‘s “Serpentine Fire” ended the evening on a high note, giving everybody in attendance to get down one last time as we all hopped on the buses back to Fort Collins in high spirits.Don’t miss The Motet on tour this fall! You can see their full tour schedule here, and look out for exclusive updates on the road from this funky ensemble.Check out the full setlist below, as well as a full gallery of photos, courtesy of Ali Baker.Setlist: The Motet at The Mishawaka Amphitheatre – 8/27/16Set 1: Brother Man > Still Feel Good (Cameo), Ain’t No Way, Fountain, Damn!, Funkify Your Life (The Meters), Fool No More, Nemesis, Back It Up, Keep On Don’t Stoppin’Set 2: Cloak & Dagger > Extraordinary High, Real Muther For Ya (Johnny Guitar Watson), The Truth, Rynodub, I Keep Forgettin’ (Michael McDonald / Warren G Mash-Up), Tell Everybody, Cheap, Be Thankful For What You Got (William DeVaughn) > Closed Mouth Don’t Get FedEncore: Serpentine Fire (Earth Wind & Fire)
There’s always been a spirit of collaboration among New Orleans musicians, something that has been passed down from the earliest funk musicians to the modern artists keeping the flame alive. Thus, we find ourselves commending two NOLA staples, Naughty Professor and David Shaw of The Revivalists, for their fusion on a brand new studio track release!Naughty Professor are planning the release of Identity, due out in early 2017, and are getting fans ready with the very first single release. Titled “Stray,” the new song features the soulful vocals of David Shaw, backed by the funky musicianship of Naughty P. “When Sam came to the band with the original musical idea for Stray, within the first few run-throughs, and after some reflection, we all agreed that Dave’s voice was the perfect one to really bring this song to life,” says Naughty Professor’s John Culbreth (trumpet) in a statement. “Now that it’s been recorded and produced, I must say, I think we were right.”Listen to “Stray,” streaming below.Naughty Professor will ride out 2016 in style, hitting a number of Southern venues during the month of December. You can see their full tour schedule below, and head to their website for details.Naughty Professor Tour Dates12/1/16: Pi On Broadway – Ocala, FL12/2/16: Beachside Tavern – New Smyrna Beach, FL12/3/16: Café DaVinci – Deland, FL12/9/16: Varsity Theatre – Baton Rouge, LA12/10/16: Maple Leaf – New Orleans, LA12/29/16: Cox Capitol Theater – Macon, GA12/30/16: Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA
Particle and Kung Fu have joined forces of late, touring together for fun filled shows across the nation. With Kung Fu’s funk fueled jamming and Particle’s electronica inspired technique, these two bands never fail to throw it down.The two groups made their way to The Mint in Los Angeles last Friday, December 9th, for a packed hour performance. The show was a homecoming of sorts for Particle founding member Steve Molitz, and his longtime fans came out in full force for the celebration. Allen Aucoin (the Disco Biscuits), Marcus Rezak, and more also joined in the fun, accompanying Particle at various points of their show including an exciting finale of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer”.Check out photos from the night and a Particle setlist below, courtesy of Brandon Weil.Setlist: Particle at The Mint | Los Angeles, CA | 12/9/16Triple Threat, Organ Chords, Accelerator > Funkytown* > Launchpad, Below Radar > The Elevator, Sun Mar 11 (w/Allen Aucoin of The Disco Biscuits)Encore: Insane in the Brain** > Psycho Killer*** (w/Marcus Rezak of Digital Tape Machine, Ryan Liatsis of Schwizz, and members of Kung Fu)*Lipps, Inc.**Cypress Hill***Talking Heads Load remaining images
Fruition, the Portland-based jamgrass group that continues to make waves in the scene, kicked off their hometown New Years celebration last night. Kicking off the night were other Portland locals, Jans Ingber’s Funk Fellowship. Consisting of band leader Jans Ingber, Steve Swatkins and Micahel Elson on keys, Scott Pemberton on guitar, Tyrone Hendrix on drums, Kyle Molitor on trombone, and Farnell Newton on trumpet, Nafisaria Scroggins-Thomas on vocals, the group got the ballroom moving and grooving. Following their performance, Fruition continued with the vibe crafted by their special guests with a two-set show that saw frequent sit-ins from members of the Funk Fellowship.The first set busted out was particularly funky and saw sit-ins from wonder guitarist Scott Pemberton during “I Don’t Mind” and “Spliff.” Trumpeter extraordinaire Farnell Newton was welcomed out for the final four songs of the set as was trombonist Kyle Molitor for the final two. The horns were a welcome addition to Fruition and a hands-down crowd pleaser, especially on Cake’s “Never There”, as the brass added a dimension to the sound that is less frequently explored by bands with bluegrass roots, though seemingly always enjoyed by the musicians and onlookers alike. The second set saw Steve Swatkins come out for “Fire,” “Above the Line,” and “Labor of Love,” and Scott Pemberton back out for a Bonnie Raitt cover and a heavy-metal send off of “Death Comes Knocking.”You can check out the sit-ins and setlist for yourself below, courtesy of Josh Nicotra.Setlist: Fruition at the Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR, 12/29/16Set 1: PDX Bound, Blue Light, Wanter, I Can’t Stop, I Don’t Mind (SP), Spliff (SP), Fallin’, I Should Be (FN), Never There (FN), There She Was (FN/KM), Up Above the Clouds (FN/KM),Set 2: Lay Down, Random, JOOTN, Early Morn (SS), Fire (SS), Above The Line (SS), Labor of Love (SS), Beside You, Mountain Annie, Get In, Get Along, Santa, Bonnie Raitt (SP/All), Death Comes Knocking (SP),Encore: Always Coming BackNotes:SP=Scott PembertonFN=Farnell Newton on trumpetKM=Kyle Molitor on tromboneSS=Steve Swatkins on keys
Exploring the essence of the Grateful Dead‘s musical legacy on her new album, Better Left Unsung, classical pianist Holly Bowling finds fresh ways to share the spirit of the beloved band. Merging the timeless sound of piano with the music of modern masters is much trodden ground, but Bowling infuses enough of herself in each re-imagining to make the results able to stand on their own. Bowling’s choice of subject matter, music from jam band icons like the Dead, presents some unique challenges that she seems to embrace.The task she has set for herself is a high wire one, to be certain. Rabid fan bases cast a wary eye on any attempts to recreate the music of their idols, and there are few more dedicated than “Deadheads.” Luckily for Bowling, though her task was difficult, the structure of the songs themselves seem tailor made to her endeavor. Opening with the perfectly paired “Help On The Way > Slipknot!,” the first thing listeners notice is the drama added thanks to the reduction of sound. Stark key strokes ring out heavily, relying on the Dead’s propensity to link lyrical thrust to melody. The result is a take that strikes new chords emotionally without losing what made the originals so well received.While there are seemingly countless cover acts remaking the music of the Dead on stages across America nightly, few are saying anything new. The Dead relied greatly on improvisation, though over the years certain patterns started to occur in live renditions, and most bands focus on that aspect of their sound. Bowling honors all eras with the same mix of imagination, love of the material and bravado that sets her apart. In her skilled hands, “Franklin’s Tower” gains a saloon worthy, barrel roll feel. “Unbroken Chain” arcs to the heavens with a swirling ascension that is practically biblical. Even the island tinged “Crazy Fingers” finds new respect as a sparse and captivating single line transformation.Bowling isn’t one to shy away from the more elaborate pieces as well. Album exclusive versions of “Terrapin Station (Suite)” and “Dark Star” see her at her finest, both in actual playing and in the area of scoring. The heavy structures and distinct sections of those epic tracks give Bowling a prime opportunity to wed her classical sensibilities to the various moving pieces. Her strident stokes ring with authority while her deft pedal control give her an almost vibrato feel to her arsenal. That range is most useful when needing to contrast the harshness of her instrument with some of the more lilting passages of the original works.It’s no mean feat to not just a single revered musician but an entire band whose catalog is burned into the hearts and souls of two generations of music fans. Both this album and her previous work, Distillation Of A Dream, where she tackled the works of Phish, shows that Holly Bowling is an artist without fear. That confidence seems to have set her free to chase nigh impossible dreams and make them truly worthwhile musical realities.As the inspired tracks on Better Left Unsung show, Bowling is an artist who manages to hear the actual soul of a song while at the same time evolving it into something fresh for the next generation. With his predilection for covering the work of others himself, it is safe to say that Jerry would be proud to hear his works receiving the same reverential treatment.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead recently played six nights at the Brooklyn Bowl in NYC. For their second weekend of residency, Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge played in place of Dave Dreiwitz while he was on tour with Ween. As part of this week’s Taper Tuesdays, soundboard audio from the 3/16/17 show is available for listen.While the seamless energy between Joe Russo, Marco Benevento, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger, and Dreiwitz is impossible to deny perfection, Burbridge filled the shoes beautifully – finding his own pockets of creativity and delivering stand-out moments throughout the night. The two-set show also featured Antibalas’ Stuart Bogie on horns and percussion, impressively driving the band to another level of funk-tinged Grateful Dead music.After a room opening “The Other One,” audience members were pleasantly surprised to see Burbridge step up to the microphone for “Dark Star.” The dark melody presented the opportunity for fans to joke amongst themselves that JRAD “Let Oteil Sing,” before the band went right into a rip-roaring “St. Stephen” to bring the room’s energy to its first high peak. The band debuted “Cinnamon & Lesbians” by Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks before heading into a Hamilton/Russo-led “The Eleven.” Amidst the jam came a huge bass bomb from Burbridge and the stage erupted in what would become one of the funkiest “Shakedown Streets” to date.The second set opened with “King Solomon’s Marbles.” When the introductory notes of “Black Throated Wind” began, Benevento found the opportunity to introduce pop favorite “Royals” by Lorde for the first time ever – and the crowd immediately joined in to sing, while the rest of the band let the keys master take charge of the song to our delight. “Black Throated Wind” returned and eventually led to “Jack Straw.” It was obvious the amount of fun that Oteil Burbridge was having while playing this music with these musicians. As if it were a pop quiz, the bassist was a prepared student to receive any hint of what Joe Russo’s Almost Dead might throw.The second set ended on a complete high note, with a jammed-out “Touch of Grey” that went right into “Playing In The Band.” From “Wharf Rat” into a rip-roaring “Truckin,” the set ended with a “Born Cross Eyed” jam. Fans were not expecting the band to return to the stage with a Bruce Springsteen encore, but they did just that. It was the first time they’d played “Born to Run” since 12/31/15 at The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA.Read this full interview with Burbridge about what it was like to play Grateful Dead music with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead.Thanks to taper Eric McRoberts, you can listen to the soundboard audio below:Setlist: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead | Brooklyn Bowl NYC | 3/16/17Set One (8:45PM – 9:57PM)Jam @ ->The Other One @& (SM) ->Dark Star #& (OB) ->St Stephen $ & (ALL) ->Cinnamon & Lesbians %* (JR) ->The Eleven @ (TH/JR) ->Shakedown Street #+ (TH)Set Two (10:31PM – 11:53PM)King Solomon’s Marbles @Black Throated Wind Jam % ->Royals Jam % @@ ->Black Throated Wind % (SM) ->Jack Straw Jam ->Touch Of Grey @ (TH) >Playing In The Band @ (SM) ->Wharf Rat ^ & ## (TH) >Truckin # & (SM) ->Born Cross Eyed JamE: Born To Run @ (TH)Dave Dreiwitz is on tour with Ween.Entire show with Oteil Burbridge on Bass & Vocals.Entire show with Stuart Bogie on horns & percussion.See below for specifics.OB is Oteil Burbridge Lead 
If we had to select 2017’s most epic-fail in the music world, it would have to go to none other than Fyre Festival—the “A-List” Bahamian destination event, where everything that had the potential to go terribly wrong did exactly that. The event was like watching a small child build a sandcastle on the beach, only to have a massive wave come and wipe out the entire creation. Except for Fyre Festival, there was no wave, just rapper Ja Rule and his fraud of an entrepreneurial partner, Billy McFarland.The music-festival-turned-mega-shit-show promised a luxurious, upper-crust gathering on a private island but promptly imploded, devolving into a borderline refugee situation just hours after the event began. McFarland and his company, Fyre Media, were quickly hit with a barrage of legal actions, including a 100-million dollar class action suit filed by Fyre Festival attendees, with various criminal charges brought on behalf of investors.Already facing 40 years in jail following a guilty plea to two counts of wire fraud in connection to Fyre Festival, Billy McFarland has pleaded guilty today to new fraud charges, carrying a maximum sentence of up to 75 years behind bars. McFarland, a man with zero integrity and even less common sense given he was already under close watch, launched a new scheme in which he sold fake tickets to major events including Coachella, Super Bowl LII, and the MET Gala. According to prosecutors, McFarland scammed 30 people out of at least $150,000 and also attempted to pay an employee with a $25,000 fraudulent check.On Thursday, McFarland pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, and one count of making false statements. On top of his five-million dollar civil lawsuit, McFarland was ordered to forfeit over 26-million dollars to those he defrauded and deceived. With these new charges, McFarland faces up to 115 years in prison, although he’s expected to serve closer to 11 to 14 years under a plea deal he is negotiating.Just when you thought Billy McFarland couldn’t be more of a clueless jackass, he went out and proved everybody wrong one more time. Here’s to Billy, hoping this is the last time we see your name and “amasses more criminal charges” in the same sentence! Cheers![H/T Consequence of Sound]
Last night, during a performance at The Forum in Los Angeles, Weezer welcomed out a zany special guest to add some accordion to a live cover of Toto‘s ubiquitous 1982 hit, “Africa”. To close out their set, Rivers Cuomo told the crowd that Weezer would take them on a distant voyage to the continent of their choice, jokingly throwing out “Europe” and “Australia” as options before launching into “Africa”. As the song reached its climax, Cuomo welcomed out Weird Al Yankovic to add an (actually) ripping accordion solo to the performance. You can watch crowd-shot video of the band covering “Africa” with Weird Al below:Weezer w/ Weird Al Yankovic – “Africa”[Video: Brian James]This Weird Al-assisted rendition of “Africa” is the latest in a long line of Internet-fueled, inside joke-informed Toto/Weezer stories in recent months. It all started with a fan twitter account, @WeezerAfrica, which spent the better part of a year drumming up an online movement to convince the band to cover “Africa”. The band finally responded to the campaign by covering Toto’s other 1982 hit, “Rosanna”, during a show this past May. After the trolling “Rosana”, the band finally relented to their fans’ requests, covering “Africa” at a show and releasing a studio version as a single, which has gone on to become Weezer’s highest-charting release in years. Then, late last month, Toto added to the Weezer “Africa” saga by announcing that they’ve recorded their own cover of a Weezer song, “Hash Pipe”, in response to the bizarre online human-interest saga.Weezer closes out their summer tour with The Pixies and Sleigh Bells this weekend with a performance at Chula Vista, CA’s Mattress Firm Amphitheatre on Saturday, August 11th and at AK Chin Pavilion in Phoenix, AZ on Sunday, August 12th. For a full list of the band’s upcoming tour dates, head to the band’s website.[H/T Rolling Stone]
The contest for this year’s Tiny Desk Contest is now closed, as NPR has picked the winning songwriter/performer from over 6,000 entries to star in their own episode of the popular online performance series. While bands and artists from across the country (including Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Midnight North) all submitted their entries to win the popular video contest, NPR announced on Thursday that Quinn Christopherson has been chosen and crowned this year’s winner.Related: Weezer Performs Career-Spanning Set For NPR Tiny Desk ConcertChristopherson and his bandmate Nick Carpenter chose to go with their original tune, “Erase Me”, for their impressive entry. The young songwriter hails from Anchorage, Alaska, but the surrounding northern wilderness didn’t stop him from putting together a warm and captivating indie-folk ballad to take home this year’s highly-coveted industry contest.The winning video sees (and hears) Christopherson and Carpenter taking their place in a spacious room which is uniquely decorated with a flannel chair, a few amplifiers, and a large painting which acts as the official backdrop for the performance. Throughout the nearly six-minute video, Christopherson–who describes himself as a transgender and associated with Athabaskan and Inupiaq indigenous cultures–can be heard belting out inspiring lyrics such as, “I’ve got a voice now/I got power/But I can’t stand it” and “Nobody interrupts me/And nobody second-guesses my opinions.”Watch the winning entry for this year’s Tiny Desk Contest below.Quinn Christopherson – “Erase Me” [Video: Quinn Christopherson]Christopherson now finds himself in impressive company, as the annual Tiny Desk Contest has spent the last two years introducing music fans to Tank and The Bangas in 2017 and Naia Izumi in 2018. Christopherson’s next stop will be the NPR offices in Washington, D.C., where he’ll get to star in his own Tiny Desk performance.[H/T NPR]