Watch Turkuaz Play The Music Of The Band With Special Guests At Jazz Fest Late Night Dance Party
Turkuaz Plays The Band @ The Howlin’ Wolf 4/26/16:Chest Fever, Ophelia, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Up On Cripple Creek, Look Out Cleveland, The Weight, Don’t Do It, I Shall Be Released, The Shape I’m In Last night brought together the tribute to Amy Winehouse, Jazz Is Phish, and Turkuaz playing the music of The Band at The Howlin’ Wolf in New Orleans. After midnight, Turkuaz performed an incredibly soulful tribute to The Band, bellowing hits like “Ophelia,” “Up On Cripple Creek,” and “The Weight.” Special guests Roosevelt Collier on pedal steel guitar and The Motet’s newest vocal addition, Lyle Divinsky, joined the party for the second half of the set, with the band returning to its core for an emotional, heart-filling “I Shall Be Released” and groove-satisfying “The Shape I’m In” closer. The funk outfit brought a new level of rockin’ soul to their fans last night, providing a fresh perspective of The Band’s timeless music that kept the dance party going all night long. Check out some of the highlights below:“Up On Cripple Creek”“Don’t Do It” w/ Roosevelt Collier“Ophelia”“The Shape I’m In”Enjoy these photos, courtesy of Sam Shinault.
Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton has a new album, I Still Do, due out soon, but according to Slowhand himself, it might be his last. In a new interview with Billboard, Clapton is asked about the final track from the new release, a cover of the standard “I’ll Be Seeing You.”Clapton said, “It’s one of those things that’s been haunting me… I love the song and I love the sentiment. Just in case I don’t cut another record, this is how I feel. I kind of might be saying goodbye. But I’ve been doing that for a while.”While the farewell isn’t too strong, a number of afflictions have been plaguing Clapton and affecting his ability to play. In the same interview, Clapton explained that he battled a full-body case of eczema in the studio. “It was a nightmare… I started thinking that it was psychosomatic, that maybe I was nervous. And maybe I was. Who knows? I had full-body eczema and it ended up my hands.”He also talked about different illnesses that have complicated his touring in a recent Rolling Stone piece, saying “I’ve had some health issues with my back and a neurological thing that is tricky, that affects my hands. If there’s no serious fallout, I’ll start looking to do some work. If there is, I’ll have to figure out what to do next – maybe take it easy for a while.”Whether or not Clapton decides to make new music, he’ll always go down as a guitar legend. I Still Do comes out this Friday, May 20th, and you can watch the reflective video for the lead single “Spiral” by following this link.
Sirius XM’s Jam On radio station is heading to Hunter Mountain this weekend for the 12th annual Mountain Jam. They’ll be interviewing and broadcasting sets all three days from headlining acts Wilco, Umphrey’s McGee, Gov’t Mule, along with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Jason Isbell, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and Gary Clark, Jr.. Also on the schedule for the June 3-5 weekend are Lettuce, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, Turkuaz, Nahko & Medicine For The People, and more.It all starts tomorrow, Friday, at 2:15PM EST with Nahko & The Medicine For The People. Hear it all on Jam On (Ch. 29), and check out the schedule below for air times:
Brooklyn’s Pimps of Joytime have been making their rounds out West, and made a stop in Fort Collins, CO at The Aggie Theatre on Saturday night for what turned out to be a proper funky dance party. After an opening set from local Colorado act Colony Funk, the Pimps opened their set with “Funky Brooklyn”, letting all in attendance know exactly where they hail from. The Meters-inspired number “Heart Is Wild” is definitely a throwback to another time and deserves multiple listens if you like that dirty soul-funk.The group, consisting of Brian J (vocals/guitar), Mayteana Morales (vocals/percussion), Kim Dawson (vocals/percussion), David Bailis (bass/sampler), and John Staten (drums) certainly know how to bring the funk, but also bring along hints of pop, electronic dance music sensibilities, as well as Latin and afro-beat influences that elevate their music and allow them to cross genres while appealing to a wider audience. “Janxta Funk” featured a solid percussion jam in the middle of the song that saw the entire band in sync with one another (check out video below).A Funky Conversation With The Pimps Of Joytime On Music, Brooklyn & More“Keep That Music Playin’” has a downtempo beat, samples and super sleek, sexy vocals from Brian J, Morales, and Dawson that could easily find itself being grooved to in any dance club around the country. And just as easily as the Pimps bring that dance club vibe, they can deliver that 70’s funk a la Earth, Wind, and Fire on a number like “Body Party” from 2015’s Jukestone Paradise, featuring some sweet falsetto and harmonies. When you have three more-than-capable singers on stage, it helps the music transcend to another level, and this group proves that sentiment.Pimps of Joytime have a chemistry that is made up of individual talent, funk, infectious dance grooves, excellent vocals, and plenty of sex and swagger that not many groups in the jam and funk scenes display. It is rather refreshing, to be honest, and I’m not going to lie and say I don’t like it. Because I do….I like it a lot.If you are in the Denver area this week, PoJ are scheduled to open for Galactic, along with BoomBox this Thursday, July 14th at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.Setlist: Pimps of Joytime at The Aggie Theatre , Fort Collins, CO – 7/9/16Set: Funky Brooklyn, Heart is Wild, Long Ride, Blues Wit U, Everywhere I Go, Janxta Funk, Keep That Music Playin’, Cut Off, Street Sound, Jack Stackin’, Body Party, ZydecoEncore: Dank Janky
“Tweezer”. Boom. There’s scarcely anything that bodes better for a great show to come than kicking things off with this song, one of the heaviest hitters in Phish’s arsenal. And there’s scarcely anything that bodes better for a memorable run than a Reprise-less Tweezer on night one—but we’ll get back to that…This “Tweezer” boldly swung for the fences early, flowing quickly out of the composed section and into type-II territory against the backdrop of a breathtaking Gorge sunset. After 10+ minutes, the band segued into “Sample In A Jar”, moving through the first set staple without incident before opting for the Mike-sung “The Old Home Place”, the old ditty by country and bluegrass icons The Dillards not seen since 6/28/12 (155 shows).The “Wolfman’s Brother” that followed served as a sort of consolation for the version of the song that was aborted due to sound issues last weekend in Mansfield, featuring a funky, guitar-driven blues jam that built to a huge peak. The band continued with standard first frame fare like “Bouncing Around The Room”, a particularly strong “Undermind”, and “Kill Devil Falls”, highlighted by stellar percussion work from Fishman (a common thread throughout the show). “Lawn Boy” was next, giving the Chairman of the Boards a chance to welcome everyone to the beautiful locale (“We couldn’t be happier to be here, we love this place so much”).After a brief introduction, where Trey cheekily described the newest Fishman-penned song as potentially “the greatest song ever written” (or at least the truest, according to the drummer), Fish went into “Ass Handed”, the evening’s lone debut. Calling this a “song” at all may even be a little generous—it’s essentially just a chant with a couple chords tacked on the end, barely a minute long. Some people are gonna hate on this one for sure, but I maintain that it shows the band is having fun. I like it–it’s weird, in the best possible way. Next up was another Fishman song, “Party Time”, followed up by textbook versions of “The Line”, new original “Tide Turns” and “Rift”, before a raging tension-and-release “Walls of the Cave” brought the set to a close.The second set got moving quickly with a high-energy take on fan favorite cover “Crosseyed and Painless” that started in a hard-driving groove and quickly pivoted to major key bliss before dropping into beloved instrumental “What’s The Use?”. A rarity for most of its existence, “What’s The Use?” has experienced a sort of renaissance in the last year, acting as a frequent landing point coming out of improvisation. With its soaring peaks and tear-jerking dynamics, we can only hope that this tune stays in heavy rotation.The rest of the set showcased a band that’s fully locked-in, with tight playing and creative, entertaining teases and quotes throughout. The funky “No Men In No Man’s Land” that came next (seemingly a nod to the remote location of the show) was led by a Page-led speed-funk jam that touched on “Crosseyed” and toyed with the “Stash” theme before segueing into the song proper. The “Stash” jam reached a Santana-esque guitar peak and flirted with “What’s The Use?” before giving way to the second Friday “Ghost” in as many weeks. The “Ghost” jam was undoubtedly a highlight of the show, moving quickly into ambient improv territory with “Crosseyed” and “Whats The Use?” teases thrown in the mix. About 7 minutes in, Fishman kicked the drumbeat into high gear, Mike and Page joined him on drums, and Trey picked up the Marimba Lumina mallets (as he loves to do) for a full-band percussion jam that flowed into a “NMINML” breakdown, led by Fish’s unhinged vocals.The show’s “fourth quarter” continued to showcase the band’s focused improv and setlist flow, as a slow “Chalkdust Torture” (“NMINML”, “Crosseyed”, and “WTU?” teases) segued into “Meatstick”, which gave way to the always-satisfying space-funk dance party that is “2001” (“Crosseyed”, “NMINML” teases), which led, finally, into a rocking “Cavern” (“Crosseyed” tease) to close out one of the best shows of the summer (and one of the strongest the band has ever played at this storied venue).The Story Of The Gorge: How A Broken Dam & Attempted Winery Created The Gorgeous AmphitheatreAt this point, after a show that saw the band sounding loose, creative, and energized, the encore was just going to be gravy. We’d get something quick to start, and round it out with a big ol’ Tweeprise—the greatest 5 minutes in rock and roll—to send us into night 2. The band, however, had other plans. The tour debut of their classic 420-friendly tune “Makisupa Policeman” came first (Keywords: “I like this song a lot…pot), likely as a nod to Washington’s legal marijuana situation. Instead of the expected Tweeprise, the band opted for “Wilson”, into a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times, Bad Times” to close out Night 1. The band doesn’t often play a “Tweezer” without a “Reprise”, but when they do it’s because they’ve been planning, and have a few tricks up their sleeve. It was abundantly clear throughout the second set (with its endless teases and segues) that Phish was in the zone, putting concerted effort into making this a cohesive, inventive set. Holding off on the “Reprise” shows that the band is understandably viewing this weekend’s two-night run at one of the world’s most beautiful places as a special event. “Tweezer” opened the amazing first half of the weekend to great effect, and whatever tonight’s show holds, my bet is that they break out the Tweeprise for tonight’s Gorge finale, book-ending what is sure to be a run we remember for years to come. Tonight can’t get here soon enough.Setlist: Phish at The Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA – 7/15/16Set 1: Tweezer > Sample in a Jar, The Old Home Place, Wolfman’s Brother, Bouncing Around the Room, Undermind, Kill Devil Falls, Lawn Boy, Ass Handed[1], Party Time, The Line, Tide Turns, Rift, Walls of the CaveSet 2: Crosseyed and Painless > What’s the Use? > No Men In No Man’s Land -> Stash > Ghost[2] -> No Men In No Man’s Land -> Chalk Dust Torture > Meatstick > Also Sprach Zarathustra > CavernEncore: Makisupa Policeman[3] > Wilson > Good Times Bad Times[1] Debut.[2] Trey on Marimba Lumina; Mike and Page on percussion.[3] Keyword = “pot.”Notes: This show featured the debut of Ass Handed. The Old Home Place was played for the first time since 6/28/12 (155 shows). NMINML contained C&P quotes. Stash contained a What’s the Use? tease. Ghost contained C&P and What’s the Use? teases, and NMINML quotes. Ghost also featured Trey on Marimba Lumina, and Mike and Page on percussion. CDT contained yet more NMINML, C&P, and WTU? teases. 2001 contained C&P quotes and NMINML teases. Cavern contained C&P quotes and a WTU? tease. The Makisupa keyword was “pot.”Photography by Jordan IngleeInstagram: @visualsuplex Load remaining images
Last night at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA, Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir joined Ivan Neville and his Dumpstaphunk brethren for very special sit-in during the NOLA funk acts set. The current Dead & Co. guitarist joined the group for a cover of “Big Chief,” a song written by Eric King but popularized by Professor Longhair. Weir stuck around for a super funky version of “Shakedown Street” that had the place rocking and rolling through the night.The band shared videos for both of those collaborations on their Facebook page, which you can watch below!
Load remaining images On Friday, Lettuce kicked off their two-night stand at Playstation Theater in the heart of New York City’s iconic Times Square. Fresh off the release of their new EP Mt. Crushmore this week, the band was at the top of their game, featuring their full arsenal of talented musicians: Adam Smirnoff, Jesus Coomes, Ryan Zoidis, Eric “Benny” Bloom, Neal Evans, Adam Deitch, Eric Krasno, and now-permanent member Nigel Hall.At the band’s Playstation Theater run last November, Nigel Hall was just a featured guest, coming in to sing a pair of soulful covers ahead of the release of his debut solo album, Ladies and Gentleman…Nigel Hall. This time around, now a regular member of the lineup, Hall and the rest of the band shined, delivering fan favorites new and old–cuts from the new release, jazzy, focused improv, and some sing-along covers, including “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by British 80’s pop act Tears For Fears.For the encore, the band had a trick up their sleeve: Fresh off a performance of School Of Rock down the block, guitar prodigy Brandon “Taz” Niederauer joined the band to help them “crush” their Crush anthem “Sounds Like A Party”. Watch fan-shot video of the encore sit-in below, thanks to YouTube user Nick Fitanides:Lettuce is connecting right now–firing on all cylinders–and they’ve never sounded better. And with one more night in Times Square tonight, the party is just getting started.Check out photos from Lettuce’s night one dance party below courtesy of Capacity Images.
White Denim, the psychedelic rock band hailing from Austin, Texas, finished off a smokin’ two-night stand at the Brooklyn Bowl in New York City this Thursday and Friday. With the release of their sixth album, Stiff, earlier this year in January, the band was riding out the momentum of this new record and energy behind its subsequent tour. By putting on shows that appeal to a basic human desire for good times and good ol’ fashioned shred-heavy rock ‘n’ roll, White Denim had the Brooklyn Bowl going off. Their setlists across the two nights were diverse, perfectly balancing giving fans a taste of Stiff while also providing a smattering of crowd-pleasing tunes from later works, including previous popular releases like D from 2011 and Corsica Lemonade from 2013. With tight riffs and a contagious joyous energy, White Denim put on one hell of a show. You can check out videos from Thursday night below, courtesy of Youtube user TheTudd, and peep a full gallery of photos from Friday night, courtesy of photographer Andrew Blackstein.“Limited by Stature”“At The Farm” Load remaining images
Load remaining images GRiZ has just announced two nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado! The future-funk, electronic sax-man and producer will be joined by his first-ever full-show “GRiZ live band” on September 1, followed by your traditional GRiZ set on September 2 for the 2017 installment of Griz Rocks.With 2016’s Good Will Prevail featuring guest-slots from fellow funk musicians Eric Krasno of Lettuce/Soulive, Tash Neal of the London Souls, Brasstracks, and so many more collaborators, including Cherub, Big Gigantic, SunSquabi, Artifakts, Leo Napier, and so on, the list of possible band-members are endless.On September 1 & 2, GRiZ fam will descend on the Amphitheatre. Pre-sale starts tomorrow at 10AM. More information can be found on GRiZ’s website. Watch the announcement video below:[Cover Photo by Adam Straughn]
On April 28th, STS9 was continuing their Southern tour supported by hybrid-electronica duo Modern Measure. Both bands were stationed in Houston, Texas for the night, putting on a raucous show at the House of Blues for the crowd eager to see Sound Tribe’s return to Magnolia City. For Friday’s performance, Modern Measure, composed of Kyle Holly and Charlie Thornton, had a special surprise in store for folks who made it out to the show—a special sit-in by Tribe’s percussionist Jeffree Lerner. Lerner and the duo teamed up for the song, “Daze,” an original featuring Lerner off the pair’s latest album For The Moment, which Live For Live Music premiered in February.Modern Measure has just officially released footage of the collaboration that went down in Houston, giving those of us who missed out a chance to catch up on the action. You can check out the video below, courtesy of the band, and head over to Modern Measure’s website for more information, tour dates, and a full-stream of For The Moment.