Bob Weir Will Reunite With Phil Lesh For Duo Tour In March December 10, 2017 20:17

Dead & Company Announces Rescheduled NOLA + Florida Dates December 8, 2017 10:31

Well, that didn't take long. Just three days ago, Dead & Company  lead guitarist John Mayer was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy, forcing the band to cancel the last three shows of its fall tour. This was tough news for those expecting to see the band that night in New Orleans, as well as this weekend in Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando. If there's one thing that's certain, this band will always do what's right for its fan, and the latest announcement this morning only proves that notion even further. See below for the band's official statement regarding rescheduled dates for New Orleans, Ft. Lauderdale, and Orlando. Forever grateful!

"“The Dead & Company concerts that were postponed due to John Mayer’s emergency appendectomy have been rescheduled for 2/24 in New Orleans, 2/26 in Ft. Lauderdale, and 2/27 in Orlando. Tickets for the original shows will be honored at these newly announced 2018 dates. Should ticketholders choose to seek a refund, they will be available at point of purchase.”

Head over to the band's official website for further details!

Dead & Company Forced To Cancel Tonight's Show In New Orleans December 5, 2017 11:28

Dead & Company's fall tour was scheduled for a highly anticipated show at New Orleans' Smoothie King Center tonight, but the band has been forced to postpone. Earlier this morning, Dead & Company guitarist John Mayer was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. No further information has been released at this time, but make sure to follow Dead & Company's official Facebook and Instagram pages for all official updates. Wishing a quick and speedy recovery for John Mayer!

'Winter Jam In The Ham' Boasts Exciting Lineup For December 22nd December 4, 2017 01:49

Photo by Craig Baird: Home Team Photography

One of Birmingham's most exciting annual traditions, Jam In The Ham, is scheduled to return even earlier than expected this holiday season. The one-day music festival, which began in the summer of 2015, has become a staple in the Birmingham jam/electronic music scene over the past three years. Live & Listen is thrilled to announce that our friends at Big Friendly Productions will introduce the inaugural Winter Jam In The Ham on Friday, December 22nd at Zydeco. 

Jam in the Ham is an annual music and arts festival in Birmingham, AL celebrating local music and art. For the first time the festival is adding a winter concert featuring local and regional favorites CBDB, Winston Ramble, Modern Measure, Space Phunk Express, Moglee, Chark, and Party Matrix.  Zydeco will host two stages with a ski/mountain theme. Production will be provided by Big Friendly Productions. The local production company will be providing sound, lighting, and LED video for the event. The show will be presented by Live & Listen, Zydeco, Jam in the Ham, and Big Friendly Productions.

General Admission tickets are $15 in advance and $20 day of show. Doors at 8pm. 18 and up. Tickets are available now and can be purchased by clicking here. Stay tuned in to all of the latest updates by joining the official Facebook event page. See below for a taste of what you can expect from this year's lineup!

Watch CBDB perform "Ground Score" with Kyle Hollingsworth of The String Cheese Incident here:

Watch Winston Ramble perform "Miss You" at WorkPlay here:

Watch Modern Measure's official music video for "Riddle" here:

Watch the official Winter Jam In The Ham promo video here:

“Everyone Loves Ardmore” Will Bring Double Dose Of Everyone Orchestra December 4, 2017 01:09

• John Kadlecik (Further) "acoustilectric" set to open the show
• Joel Cummins (Umphrey's McGee) solo piano set

Help The Captain Midnight Band Record Their Next Studio Album November 20, 2017 10:48

America's favorite 'waterbed rock & roll' band, The Captain Midnight Band, has recently launched a Kickstarter campaign in an effort to engage with their fan base and raise funds for their next highly anticipated studio release. With just one week remaining in this campaign, the band is hoping to finish strong and take the next step towards the recording studio. As the revenue of album sales and royalties continue to diminish in this digital music era, the various expenses associated with the recording process are still very real. Every donation and every dollar makes a tremendous effect on the band's success. See below for the band's official press release, and click here to learn more about the band's campaign. 

Runaway Gin Adds 12 Dates & Releases Free Weekend Show Recordings November 15, 2017 10:03

Photo by Jason Herman

For tour dates, videos and live recordings visit Runaway Gin's website here complete with videos, posters, photos, and setlists.

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Follow Runaway Gin on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

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Area 54 Preview: An Interview With Pink Talking Fish's Dave Brunyak November 14, 2017 13:41

Let's get started by discussing some general history on the band. Pink Talking Fish got it's official start in 2013, right?

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Dave: I think it was 2014, when the band first got together. Eric (Gould) had a rotating lineup of guys coming in and doing some stuff. I first got involved in 2015, and I was still a part of the rotating cast until Eric decided that he wanted to firm up the lineup and chose me to the be guitarist. It's been about two...almost three years now since I joined the band.

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Very cool. How about you and your individual background as a guitarist? What projects had you been involved with prior to Pink Talking Fish, and how did things end up falling into place? 

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Dave: Well...I started playing guitar when I was fourteen. For most of my life, I was writing music for my original bands. I was running the side stage at a festival in Greenfield, Massachusetts in 2010. I had this awesome spot that I was trying to maintain, but my bands were kind of falling apart. We couldn't really find the cast of characters that I needed to put my original music together. So, in order to maintain this festival spot...you know, if you lose those types of things, you get sucked into the vacuum. You have to start all over from the bottom. I decided I was going to hire some guys to play some Phish music for the set. 

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In 2010, there were only a few Phish tribute bands in the country. There weren't nearly as many as there are now. They were still kind of taboo, I think. People take that particular band so seriously. So, for from the very first note of the very first song of that set...man, we had hippies unzipping their tents, coming out to the stage, and doing the bird dance. Everyone was just totally psyched on the music. 

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I spent most of my original career scraping and dragging people to come out to my shows. The success that I got from playing Phish's music really put me on a new career path. So, I started this Phish tribute band called The Phreaks in 2010. We did about 125 shows over four years. I really learned a lot about running a professional outfit and taking the music really seriously. I decided that I was going to show people that I am a really great guitar player by playing Trey (Anastasio) the best that I could.

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It was through this band that Eric found me. He was coming back up north to raise a family and was scouting members for the northeast lineup of Pink Talking Fish. He came to one of The Phreaks' Worcester shows in late 2014. He scouted us, and our drummer, Zack Burwick...we went to high school together. He was the drummer for The Phreaks. Eric asked both of us to come along to do it. At first, I was pretty skeptical. I realized after a short period of time that this was going to be something really special and more than I was going to be able to reach with just running The Phreaks by myself. I jumped on full time after about 6-9 months of jumping back and forth between these two bands. It quickly catapulted to heights that I didn't think we would ever reach.

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Watch Pink Talking Fish perform at AURA Music & Arts Festival in 2016 here:

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I can imagine. I was pretty blown away the first time I saw you guys at AURA Music Festival in 2016. Watching the attention to detail and transitions in and out of each band's catalog was pretty amazing. You obviously have the deep history with Phish. How much work was required to master these three catalogs the way that you have?

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Dave: The Pink Floyd stuff, for me, was very similar to performing Phish's music, because Trey is my hero. He's my favorite guitar player, and David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) is the consummate guitar hero. Picking up his line and trying to figure out precisely how he was doing it all...it was a comparable translation in attention to detail. I've been listening to Dark Side of the Moon since I was in middle school. To get an opportunity to just learn that music, it's like I've been preparing for it since I was a kid. That was really exciting to do. It came pretty easily, for the most part. 

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The most difficult part, for me, was the Talking Heads material. Aside from the dozen or so songs that are on classic rock radio these days, I was not very familiar with it. It's funny, because when you talk to people who don't listen to Phish about Phish, they think the music can be really strange, weird, or even difficult to listen to and process. For me, that's what the Talking Heads was. It's so square in some places, and the rhythms are sometimes so simple that I would find myself overdoing it. It takes an entirely different approach to guitar playing than I was ever familiar with. It was definitely an odd-fitting pair of shoes. I'm happy that I've been in it for a few years now, and I feel like I can interpret the language a little easier. 

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Is there any type of blueprint or consistency for how you guys construct each show? Does it tend to flow within a certain pattern?

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Dave: That's definitely part of it. I guess you could say that the blueprint is that we want to keep it on a steady, three-band rotation. It's a perfect number, too. You're constantly shifting with these three different flavors. They're all cult followings, so people get what they need out of each one of these bands. That helps keep the rotation fresh, as well. Whether we start with Phish, Talking Heads, or Pink Floyd, that doesn't really matter. We do try to keep it to a steady rotation within each set. 

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To give a little bit of a break, we do a lot of the songs that Phish covers. So, we're doing the covers of the covers, which helps. We've also done the concept shows, where we work in Michael Jackson, David Bowie, The Dead, and even Prince. We step outside of the box there too and throw those in every once in a while, just to keep it fresh and interesting. There really aren't any rules for what we're doing here, so we can make it up as we go along. Everyone in the band has something that they want to get out of each show, you know? Me being the Trey guy...I always feel like it's my responsibility to push a certain number of complex, composed Phish tunes into the set. Songs like "David Bowie" or "Stash" ... something like that to really show that we not only have the improvisational section down, but the compositions as well. That's a big part of that section of the catalog. 

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As far as the actual setlists, Eric will usually draft something together. On the way in, we all take a look at it. By the time we get out of the van and start loading in, everyone usually has their 2 cents in, and things have changed a little bit. We feel like if we're happy with what we're playing, than the audience is going to be happy. 

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How has it been with expanding on each of these three catalogs? How much of each catalog has the band tapped into, and how much time is having to be spent on working in new material from each band?

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Dave: The Phish stuff is definitely the deepest catalog for us. When The Phreaks were poppin', we had about 150 songs under our belt. We had a lot to draw from there. With Pink Floyd and the Talking Heads, we started from the top down. There are certain songs that absolutely need to be in the rotation. You could even say it's the top 20 songs for each of those bands. Once you hit that mark, you could start to look into the deeper cuts. I've explored more with Pink Floyd, and especially the Talking Heads, music that I had never, ever, ever heard before. That's really exciting to get out there and perform. With those two bands, it's obviously not happening anymore. The people out there who are more familiar with the music than I am, they are the ones who are really excited when we bring out tunes that aren't being played on the radio. 

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It's kind of cool, because there are these danceable moments in the Talking Heads songs that really fit well with the open jams in the Phish songs. You can blend that stuff together really well. I've been really digging into the later Pink Floyd stuff lately. It's an evolving process. We've got some big stuff coming up next year where we are going to need to learn a lot of the deeper Pink Floyd stuff. That's going to be really exciting. We've just got to keep working through it. The most important part of this group is keeping it fresh and expanding the catalog as we go. So, that's how we do it, I guess.

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It's a pretty genius concept, in my mind. So, let's shift a little towards the upcoming show in Birmingham, AL on Friday night. I've been told that 'Area 54' is an alien disco party, where Area 51 meets Studio 54. This is going to feature some next level production and art installations. It seems like a perfect fit for the PTF vibe. What can people expect from you guys on Friday?

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Dave: (laughs) Well, it sounds like we've gotta drop the super space funk and get that out there. Phish has some of those super strange songs, so we've gotta bring out some of the weird stuff. With Talking Heads, that's all just gonna fit right in the middle. I'm stoked, man. You just got my ears turning just thinking about this. We're gonna bring a super fun party. 

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I can only imagine. We'll have to wait and see what happens. Thanks so much for taking a few minutes to elaborate on the band with me.

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Dave: Of course...my pleasure man. It's gonna be a great night.

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Watch Pink Talking Fish perform "Time" > "Ghost" > "Psycho Killer" at Wanee Music Festival here:

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moe. Announces First Shows Since Rob Derhak's Cancer Diagnosis November 14, 2017 10:12

Photo by Taylor Pack

moe. has announced a two-night run on February 2 & 3, 2018 at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. This will be the band's first two shows back since bassist/vocalist Rob Derhak was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer in July. According to a recent press release, Derhak has made tremendous strides in his recovery following treatment. 

Moe. was forced to cancel the majority of their Summer Tour in 2017, as well as their pending Fall dates while Rob underwent treatment. The outpouring of love & support from the fans has been equaled only by the anticipation for the band’s return.

Derhak commented, “It’s been a tough few months, and I couldn’t have done it without the overwhelming support of my family, and my famoe.ly. And although it’s still not clear what the future brings, the positivity and love that I’m feeling for moe.’s and my next chapter is beyond exciting. I feel like a kid counting down the days until Christmas, and our energy as a band, is like nothing I’ve experienced before. Thank you all for the well wishes, prayers, and healing vibes.”

A limited number of pre-sale tickets will be available Wednesday, November 15th, at 10:00am EST. General on sale begins Friday November 17th, at 10:00am. Kung Fu will provide direct support on Friday February 2nd. February 3rd is an "evening with" moe. Both nights will feature 2 full sets from the band.

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Scotty Zwang Discusses Life After Dopapod, RAQ, Tom Hamilton, & More November 13, 2017 11:58



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Tell me about your early drumming days. When did you realize this was something you could do for a living?

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Scotty: Well, I've been playing drums for a really long time. I got a drum kit for my eighth birthday, or around that time. It picked up pretty fast. I think like a lot of people, that first year was pretty frustrating. Maybe more so for my parents. I continued to play through those challenging years, and by the time that I was a teenager, it seemed pretty apparent that I had a real love for it. As far as a profession, I always dreamed that I could play music.At that age, I thought more about being a rock star. As I got older, it was more about whether I could make a decent living; nothing too extravagant. As my grandfather always said, "Food, clothing, and shelter." If I could pull that off, then I would be happy. 

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Around the time I was 19, I started to realize that was a possibility. I was in college and hating it. The band that I was playing with...I was initially more of a sub drummer for them. I was subbing for them and playing more shows than their current drummer, who was away at college. I didn't want to be in college anymore myself, so I let them know that I really wanted to take a stab at it full-time, given that I was playing more than their current guy.That was the beginning of it really. 

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I know that the coordination of learning to play drums and building your skill is a unique concept. It's a little different than being able to plug headphones into your amp or practice on an acoustic guitar. 

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Scotty: Yeah...that's why I say it was probably more frustrating for my parents than it was for me. It was so long ago that I can't really remember too much. I just know that it definitely had its moments of wanting to learn how to play a song, and it takes a really, really long time to hone in those skills where you could listen to a song and get it down. Assuming its not some crazy Rush or King Crimson song...but to sit down, hear a song, sit down and learn it...by the end of the day you have this song under your belt. It definitely took at least a year to get to that point. 

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But yeah, it's hard work, but so rewarding. Sometimes I feel like I take for granted just how many years I've spent learning the instrument. It's really about continuing to listen and memorizing the arrangement, whereas in the early years, the frustration was about physically being able to play a song, rather than memorizing the arrangement of the piece. 

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I've always had tremendous respect for drummers and the extreme coordination it takes to acquire that skill. It can't be downplayed. 

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Scotty: I couldn't agree more.

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A lot has happened in the past year. I'm a firm believer that when one door closes, another (or many more) open. Now that you've had some time to reflect, how do you look back on your experience with Dopapod?

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Scotty: Playing in Dopapod was an important part of my career. It was an amazing 3 years, which made the bands decision to replace me difficult to understand. I was totally blindsided. As a full time member of the band, it was very confusing and I was obviously hurt. The band and crew were like family to me.

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Now, that it's been over a year later, I would agree about one door closing and another opening. I feel like I've had the opportunity to play with so many great bands andmusicians, whether it's permanent or on a continual basis..with bands like RAQ, or more recently Tom Hamilton and Chris McClenney, or if it's just my own thing...it's definitely helped me grow as a musician and find new ways to make the process fun and really enjoyable. 

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I feel a freedom in doing music now that I hadn't felt for a little while in Dopapod. When you're the "new guy," especially with bands that have been playing music together for so long, it takes some time to really adjust to it all. Just to have that connection that comes from years and years of playing with each other. With Dopapod, I felt like I was trying to mimic an existing style, so that there wasn't much of a change in the overall sound. So, it's nice to feel a little freer in taking a different approach to playing with these new bands.

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The whole situation really taught me the importance of individual creativity rather than trying to "fit in". I now embrace that I'm getting hired for my unique approach..and that it's most important to just be myself and let it come out. If it's meant to be, and they enjoy the approach that I'm taking to their music, then that's awesome. If it isn't exactly meeting the requirements or sounding the way that they want, then that's cool too. Maybe I'm just not meant for that gig. 

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Photo by NoCoast

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That's a great approach. For me, I was introduced to Dopapod with you behind the kit. I'd heard the band name for several years, but I didn't make it to my first show until your early days with the band. It was definitely a strange feeling seeing them for the first time without you, but I'm really happy to hear that things are going so well for both parties. 

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Scotty: Well I definitely want to add that things are good with me and the guys. I have nothing but respect for all of them. I cherish all of the memories and experiences that we got to share with each other. It was definitely an important chapter, where we were all helping each other to grow as a band and individually as musicians. I'm a firm believer that all of your experiences help you grow as a person and prepare for the future. 

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Playing with Dopapod was definitely great, but the transition out of the band was a difficult adjustment. I think that's the biggest thing. You're in a mode where you're on the road with people for more than half of the year. You're with these people night and day, and all of the sudden that changes. It takes some getting used to. It's nice though...now I get to go on the road for maybe one week, and then I get to come right back home. I'm no longer on the road for seven, eight, or even nine weeks at a time. There were moments where we would be out for nine weeks straight. As fun as it is to play, nine weeks on the road, in a van, with the same people...it can get a little tense at times. (laughs).

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I can imagine. A van or even a small bus...that's a confined space to live in, especially with the amount of late nights and early mornings that you guys are dealing with.

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Scotty: Oh yeah. In my time with Dopapod, I got a serious crash course in running on fumes. Playing a show and having our own audio gear, lighting equipment, and having to set all of that up. When I first joined, there really wasn't much of a crew to help with setting up and breaking down. We'd load into a venue at 3:00 PM or 4:00 PM, and then not leave that venue until 4:00 AM. Then we'd have to be in the van at 8:00 AM that morning, in order to get to the next city. It's not always like that, but there were definitely moments...especially that first New Year's run that I did with the band. 

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I got a cold right before it started, and when you're sleeping three-four hours a night, playing two sets, and everything involved with that, you definitely don't get healthier. There were a lot of learning experiences..and as terrible as some seemed at the time, I definitely cherish them. It's really the rough times that you have, like sleeping on random people's floors..as crazy as it may have seemed, I look back on it now and realize how great it was (laughs). 

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Watch Scotty Zwang reunite with Dopapod in Philadelphia on 10.26.17 here:

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I'm sure. So, like you were saying, you linked up with longtime jam vets RAQ shortly after. How has this experience been thus far, and how do you guys go about planning the calendar with this band? What do you think that the future holds for RAQ?

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Scotty: Right now, it's a very exciting and interesting time for RAQ. It was great joining in, and I really felt 100% like an equal band member from the moment we talked about me playing drums. It was great to feel that again, being the first band I joined post-Dopapod. The comradery of having bandmates... It was maybe three months between playing a show with Dopapod and playing a show with RAQ. Up until then, I was doing some side gigs, which are great..and I do love getting to play with a lot of different musicians. But you learn this entire body of material...maybe 12 songs...you play one show and you're done. You do all of this work, get to hang out with these people..then typically, you don't really see them in that outfit again. 

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So, RAQ has been great. They were very warm and welcoming. I've known (Chris) Michetti (Todd) Stoops for a long time. I think it was in 2011 at The Big Up Music Festival that we first met. A year later, I started a band with Stoops..and shortly after that, I got to sit in and play a full show with Conspirator for the first time. So, I kind of already knew those two, and they are some of the most fun, loving people you could ever meet. I'd never met Jay (Burwick) really...maybe once in passing. My first show with them was pretty nuts. Michetti'sflight got cancelled due to a snow storm, so we had to play as a trio and improvise. Wepicked songs that we felt we could pull off without Michetti and had the opening band's guitarist play two or three songs with us. 

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It was definitely an interesting welcome to the band. At that point, I'd gotten to run a handful of songs with Stoops and Jay the day before, which was really comforting..but still new. It's always nice to get to play with at least the majority of the band before taking the stage. But yeah, when Michetti's flight was cancelled, we had to just go with the flow and rock it as a trio. Then, my first true show with the whole band was at The Capitol Theatre, being live streamed, with 2000+ people in the crowd. No pressure, right? It was a pretty insane way to kick things off.

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We just got back from a 5 night Halloween run around the Northeast. The crowds were really great and we were really synced up. I think it helped that we got to spend so much time together, and really bond. I feel like we really have it locked down. We're recording a new album  and working to do a 3-5 night run every few months.

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That's awesome. As a long time fan of RAQ, I would love to see one of those runs make it to the southeast. I was able to catch a show in Charlotte on the 'RAQ is BAQ' tour back in 2013, I think? I'd love to help promote if you guys can make it down this way.

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Scotty:  We would love to make that happen. It's been a while since RAQ has been down south. We're all scattered in different parts of the country, so it can be hard to get together, but when we do, we try to make it count. Plus, we have so much fun playing together. RAQ is absolutely one of the most fun bands to play in.

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Photo by Scott Harris

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It's definitely fun as a spectator as well. You've also linked up with quite a few other projects including Tom Hamilton's American Babies, Conspirator, and a few of your own person ventures. Tell me a little bit about each of those. 

 

Scotty: Right now, I have five projects that tour periodically. RAQ, Tom Hamilton's American Babies, Conspirator, R&B artist Chris McClenney and McZwang. McZwang is a project I'm doing with my old bandmate, Ian McGuire from Sonic Spank. We play livetronica, acid jazzy kind of music as a duo. A lot of covers, although we're going to be writing some material shortly and putting out an album next year.  

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I've also been playing with up-and-coming R&B artist Chris McClenney. He's originally from the Baltimore area. I met him in New York while he was finishing up his Master's at NYU's Music Business program. It's been a blast to play with him. We did a residency at thelegendary Blue Note jazz club in Manhattan, where we played once a month for three months. We also recently went to Seattle for the Bumbershoot Festival. That was a really awesome gig in the Key Arena there, which I think technically holds 17,000 people? It's kind of Pearl Jam's home court, if you will. We played with a lot of electronic artists that day, but we were the last live performing group that day. There were giant LED screens covering just about every part of the stage. It was a really cool experience. 

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I've also been playing with Tom Hamilton since I moved to Philly back in July. It's been a blast and a really freeing experience. Much like RAQ, Tommy likes to take as many chances as possible. If everyone's listening to each other, and you're in the right tempo/key, you can't really do wrong. That's the mentality going into it. He's a great guy and a tremendous musician. He's really been unstoppable in recent years with JRAD and playing with essentially every living member of The Grateful Dead. It's been really cool and interesting to get to tour with him. I've also known him for a really long time. My band, Sonic Spank, was from Philly, and we used to do stuff with Brothers Past in the early early 2010 time period.It's been really inspiring to see Tommy's career grow to where it has. I'm excited that he asked me to be a part of it.

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I can only imagine how much of a treat it is playing with a guitarist of that caliber. I've become somewhat infatuated with JRAD over the last couple of years. That's a serious group of players. Watching him emulate the guitar playing of Jerry Garcia, while totally making it his own. There are few bands I enjoy watching more. I know it must be exciting to be creating new music with him.

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Scotty: Yeah, definitely. He has such a large body of work, whether it's American Babies, Brothers Past, and all of the covers we play. It's great. While digging into his catalog, I was really impressed. As long as I've known him, I never really dove that deep into all of his music until then. He's such a great songwriter. I'm really enjoying playing his music and also adding to the mix creatively. Like we talked about earlier, I'm not going into a project anticipating that they want me to sound like something that has already existed for them. Trusting my gut that I got hired to do the gig for my own talents. There is a marriage between having your own voice in something and respecting what came before. Through the last year or so, I've definitely had a chance to work on that more, and it's been great. 

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Photo by RobotMojo

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How would you describe the life of a touring musician in 2017? While you work to balance out playing with five different projects, would you say that the digital era plays more to your favor or presents more of a challenge?

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Scotty: It definitely 100% plays into my favor, at least in that aspect of music. In the jam band, or live touring scene, as I like to refer to it, it definitely helps to have the technology that we have right now. Whether its having things sent to you via Dropbox or other various cloud based softwares, or video chats and different things like that. I feel like it would be next to impossible to do some of the things I do without it. Even with RAQ right now, we're recording this album..and it's a little frightening, to be honest. I'm tracking drums by myself here in Philly, based off of demos that Michetti created for us to sit down with. The other guys will be tracking their parts together. 

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We're definitely able to take a freer approach with the music technology available now.There is a difference in tracking live versus getting all together. It obviously has a different feel, but that's not to say that you can't record an awesome album with everyone 3000 miles away from each other. Especially if you record and store enough data where you can get creative in the editing process. It's no secret that people have been making albums like that, to a degree, for the last 30 years. If it wasn't for that, I don't know that RAQ would be able to easily make this album. 

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With Conspirator, I got a bunch of charts sent to me in email pdf form. That really helped and allowed me to sit down and practice it all. It helps to have charts from previous drummers. Mike Greenfield (Lotus/Conspirator) has always been really helpful over the course of my career. When he was with Conspirator, he charted out a handful of those songs and he was nice enough to share those with me. Being a giant Disco Biscuits fan for 15 years now, some of the older stuff is kind of embedded in me, but some of the newer stuff from the last handful of years, I don't necessarily know as well. I'd been busy with other projects, so I've had to sit down and primarily listen to the new music. I want to make sure that when we do get together to play a show, I'm physically and mentally prepared for it. 

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Well before we wrap things up, it seems as if this 'live touring' scene is constantly growing. There are so many options of so many creative, innovative, improv-driven artists. Who are some of your current favorites? Who is Scotty Zwang listening to in 2017? 

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Scotty: A lot of the music that I've been listening to recently is projects of various drummers that I've been really focused on in recent years. Some of those drummers are educators, so they have a lot of material and DVDs where they kind of teach lessons. One has been Mark Guiliana, who plays with various groups. He has his own jazz quartet. He also plays withBrad Mehldau. They've had John Scofield play with them. He was the drummer on Black Star, the final David Bowie album. He's done some really cool electronic, mostly improv stuff as well with a band called Beat Music. That's him with Tim Lefebvre, who also plays with Wayne Krantz and Tedeschi Trucks Band, so he's on my radar in a lot of those bands that I really love. 

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Another band that is absolutely incredible is called Moving Parts. Their drummer BennyGreb is probably my favorite drummer right now. The band is just incredible. It's an instrumental trio: drums, guitar, and keys. The keyboardist plays the role of the bass playeras well as the traditional keyboard stuff. It's very impressive music. Very "drum nerd" like. I enjoy it. They're a band that I definitely try to show everyone that I run into. "You've gotta listen to this band!" Some people might not know of them if they aren't wrapped into the drum world and don't 'nerd out' reading Modern Drummer magazine like I typically do. That's something you should definitely check out.

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As far our scene goes, it's really great to see friends doing such great things. It's really awesome. Papadosio, who I've been playing with since 2009, continues to amaze me. Love those guys. Big Gigantic..I was on tour with them in 2011 or 2012. It was right when they were getting big and selling out most of the music hall venues, whereas now they play giant festivals in front of 30,000-40,000 people. It's really cool to see, and I'm super proud of people like that. The Turkuaz guys are always a favorite, and I love seeing their popularity growing. They've been a band for a long time now. They went to college with the Dopapod guys, and that's how I got closer with them. It's cool when all of that hard work pays off and you see other musicians living the dream. We are really lucky to get to do what we love..and I guess that brings us full circle.

Wanee Festival Releases Stacked 2018 Lineup November 13, 2017 10:43

BIG Something Returns To Atlanta With Sold Out Throwdown November 12, 2017 22:27

Voodoo Visionary To Join Aqueous During Upcoming December Run November 9, 2017 15:13

Photo by Moret

Voodoo Visionary will take their psychofunk sound back on the road this December with a 10-date tour. The run will see the band join forces with Buffalo, NY-based groove rock quartet Aqueous for two shows in Omaha, NE and Ft. Collins, CO; and with Athens, GA’s metamorphic rock band Universal Sigh for two shows in Denver and Winter Park, CO. Voodoo Visionary will play their first show in Santa Fe, NM as well as make a return to Dallas and San Marcos, TX, while finishing off the run once again at The Den at The Howlin’ Wolf in New Orleans. See below for a complete list of dates, as well as a stream of the band's recent performance at Suwannee Hulaween.

“Voodoo Visionary escape the generic and create their own space, capitalizing on what works within funk as a genre.”  
– Jon Litten, The Artifact Magazine 

Check out the full list of dates below: 

December 5 – Iowa City Yacht Club, Iowa City, IA 

December 6 – Reverb Lounge, Omaha, NE w/ Aqueous 

December 7 – Gillie’s Bar, Kearney, NE 

December 8 – Hodi’s Half Note, Ft. Collins, CO w/ Aqueous 

December 9 – Your Mom’s House, Denver, CO w/ Universal Sigh 

December 10 – Ullrs Tavern, Winter Park, CO w/ Universal Sigh 

December 13 – Duel Brewing, Santa Fe, NM 

December 14 – Deep Ellum Art Co., Dallas, TX w/ Star Party 

December 15 – Kiva Lounge, San Marcos, TX 

December 16 – The Den at The Howlin’ Wolf, New Orleans, LA 

Hulaween 2017: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same November 7, 2017 20:26

Photo by Keith Griner: Phierce Photo

Words by Brett Hutchins: Brett on Bands

If Frank Zappa was right when he said that writing about music was like dancing about architecture, then what in the world can be said of the otherworldly assault on the senses that was 2017’s Suwannee Hulaween? While the festival, now in its fifth year, continues to evolve, one thing has remained true - The String Cheese Incident knows how to put on a party for some of the most colorful people on the planet.

The major differentiator between this year’s festival and years past wasn’t even included in the three-day ticket. Thursday’s pre-party saw a night full of bands that headline festivals by themselves and have followings all their own. With that sort of staggering firepower, there were bound to be some hiccups at the gates. Entrance to the fest was smooth early at the 8AM opening, but bottlenecks did occur when the Internet went out late it in the morning. Waits as long as three hours were reported. 

All was well once the music started though.

Nth Power’s recent transition into a power trio has put renewed focus on guitarist Nick Cassarino, whose relentless playing is a perfect complementary to Nikki Gillespie’s charisma behind the kit. The band put on a wailing set that proved gospel and soul could have a ferocious edge.

The tunes of one man band Zach Deputy were the first draw to the re-designed Patch Stage. Last year’s Hulaween was the debut for the stage and was a bit of a failed experiment, with overcrowded dance space and ill-conceived paths to the stage. One of the great things about this festival, though, is that founders and organizers Paul Levine and Michael Berg listen to feedback. This year’s edition saw the stage flipped to better utilize the slope of the land, and walkways to the stage were shortened and made more clear..

Photo by Live Edits Lab

Up next was the much-hyped Spafford, who draws the obvious comparison to jam macdaddys Phish, but can stand on their own. This dusk set was the perfect intro to what the band is capable of. They’d follow it up later in the festival by succeeding in the heavy task of following The Disco Biscuits. More on that later.

As night fell, we got what we really came for - back to back Umphrey’s McGee and JRAD sets sandwiched between Lettuce and Greensky Bluegrass outings. Standout segments of this madness came from a 12-minute ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ from Umphrey’s, a mind-bending and improvisational-filled second JRAD set that closed with ‘Playin’ in the Band’ -> The Other One -> Shakedown Street, and a genre-smashing Greensky Bluegrass set that saw JRAD guitarist Tom Hamilton sitting in. Paul Hoffman remarked on the absurdity of the night by proclaiming, “Well, we just saw all our favorite bands in one night.” He was only kidding though. He could be seen bouncing around the amphitheater crowd the following afternoon.

Never has the phrase “it’s a marathon not, a sprint” rang more true than after this string of music. We crashed well aware of what was ahead of us for the weekend.

One of the best things about any music festival should be the discovery of new music. This happened immediately Friday morning with Lemon City Trio delivering the tightest set of funk of the weekend not named the New Mastersounds. Even though there were as many people doing yoga in the crowd as were bopping to the Charlie Hunter-inspired tunes, the band delivered a smooth set that was a huge takeaway from the festival. They’re worth keeping an ear on.

Photo by Dave Vann

Michal Menert assembled his Pretty Fantastics band to combine his production skills with live instrumentation. The set also featured a rapper dressed as a pizza slice. If that’s not your thing, lighten up. It’s fun.

The first sounds from the main Meadow Stage came from Dumpstaphunk. The rock edge was more obvious than the usual funk fare from the double bassist band. 

Marco Benevento worked the poppier angle of his repertoire with his solo band as Greensky Bluegrass somehow emerged with just as much energy as they had in their set just twelve hours previous.

One of the most looked forward to sets was upon us, with Phish bassist Mike Gordon and his band ringing in the amphitheater as the sun came down. While Gordon’s tunes aren’t the psychedelic balls to the wall frenzy of a Phish show, it’s still musicianship in high form and features something you rarely see in those Phish shows - Gordon smiling. The addition of guitarist Emily Elbert and keyboardist Madi Diaz gave the set a special St. Vincent and Talking Heads vibe.

Photo by Mandi Nulph Media

Many times on a festival lineup, fans will speculate for longshot collaborations to happen, but leave disappointed when they don’t. In looking at the Hulaween schedule, it became obvious that organizers Levine and Berg were willing a Benevento/Russo/Gordon collaboration to happen, as their scheduled slots were strategically placed back to back on the amphitheater stage Friday evening. That collaboration did in fact happen, in a definitive nod to a simpler time in jamband lure.

Then Cheese time came.

The highlights of these two sets came in the opening segment of the second set. When ‘Howard’ opens a set, you know it’s bound to get dirty and heavy in a way Cheese typically doesn’t reach. The sets also featured Billy in a hooded sweatshirt, flatbill, and sunglasses the entire night. While cynics could point to this being a play on the Bassnectar crowd, my money is on Nershi being proactive with the symptoms of vertigo he’s experienced and that kept him from a recent show for the first time in the band’s history. Here’s to hoping these issues stay away. His playing was unaffected the entire weekend. The band brought out world music and bellydancing group Beats Antique for a first-time live collaboration to close the set.

Bassnectar presented the most controversial set of the of the festival. The music will forever remain different strokes for different folks, but it’s impossible to deny the brunt force of this audio and visual assault. Concerns about the crowd the act would bring to the fest were largely unfounded, despite a bottleneck in the walkway between Meadow Stage and the Spirit Lake Stage. Fear of trampling was a legitimate concern, but once the funk of New Mastersounds was reached, smiles ensued. The set featured a guest slot for keys player Chris Spies. He and New Mastersounds guitarist Eddie Roberts, Soulive keyboardist, and longtime Col. Bruce Hampton Bassist Kevin Scott  have a new band called Matador! Soul Sounds that’s worth a follow.

Saturday at Hulaween is always a special time. Where else can you see a bearded man in an Alice in Wonderland tutu rubbing elbows with an old school military type at an all you can eat country breakfast? And them enjoying one another’s company. 

Mobile-based Yellowhammer brought an early set of jam cover staples to the Campground Stage. Band founder Ben Jernigan is making large strides in making Mobile a music city on the rise. He’s at the forefront of the Outsider's Ball featuring Phil Lesh, George Porter Jr., Ivan Neville, Eric Krasno, Marcus King, and more happening later this month.

Perpetual Groove brought the Athens love and the most school pride of the festival. It was Saturday in the South after all. UGA was everywhere.

All sorts of unlikely relationships are forged at Hulaween, both between fans and bands. There’s not a better example of this than the partnership that’s happened between modern jazz powerhouse Kamasi Washington and String Cheese Incident. Washington’s huge band and stage presence made its place know, both during his set and with a later guest spot with ‘Freedom Jazz Dance’.

At the same time, upstarts Aqueous were filling the jam void. Check out our recent review of Aqueous' Halloween show in Birmingham, AL here: Aqueous Makes Powerful Alabama Debut On Halloween Night.

The three-set extravaganza that is a String Cheese Incident Hulaween Saturday began in th sunshine at 5:15. Heavy on the newer and less exploratory songs, the opening set was lackluster by the band’s lofty standards.

Photo by Keith Griner: Phierce Photo

The crowd was split between downtempo electronic/disco producers Poolside in the gap in Cheese sets. While the buzz was all about Poolside, Beats Antique proved to be the bigger party. It’s a sight to behold every time this crew gets on stage.

Back at the Meadow Stage, String Cheese was back in fine form, with a set that included a rousing Tom Petty singalong tribute in the form of ‘You Wreck Me’. Roosevelt Collier was welcomed for ‘Outside and Inside’ and ended up pushing the band to further and further heights.

The Night of the Loving Dead theme set had a whole lot going on, as always. Conventional wisdom said the Grateful Dead would be all over the set, and although the band sound checked a full ‘Deal’ during Thursday’s prep, the jam forefathers were nowhere to be seen. Instead, we got a slew of songs with ‘love’ in the title, from the 60’s soul of Bobby Bland to Al Green to Sublime to Beyonce. Yes, you read that right.

Photo by Patrick Hughes: Faces of Festivals

No rest for the weary, as The Disco Biscuits went full throttle on the post-Cheese crowd. The set delivered the most energy of the weekend and included a great tease of The Exorcist theme song.

The crowd full of costumes bumbled over to Spirit Lake for what may have been the breakout set of the festival. Spafford followed their daytime set earlier in the week with a segment that  left jaws on the floor and fists in the air. Aaron Magner made his way from the Patch Stage to help close the set of a fast-paced rework of ‘Mad World’. Extra props to the guy handing out mandarin oranges to strangers throughout the crowd. Only in Suwannee.

What’s a cap to a Saturday night without a random stumble around with a bag of wine on the hunt for the ever-elusive renegade sets in the campgrounds? The best one we found was by Tampa-based funktronica outfit Displace. Sax blowing at 3AM is always welcome in my book.

Sunday saw some much needed rest and an embarassing sleep-in time. The day started with what’s become a tradition for String Cheese - the Sunday pick session. This year’s edition featured dobro legend, whose band delivered a wild mix of bluegrass, jam, jazz, and funk earlier in the day. This set was the highlight bluegrass fans of the weekend. It was also obvious it re-energized Nershi for the home stretch.

Levine and Berg have done a great job in finding the middle ground between indie rock and jam genres in their booking in past years. My Morning Jacket last year remains a huge memory for many in the festival’s history. This year, Portugal. The Man delivered the most anthemic 90 minutes of the festival. Fans belted out the lyrics the entire set, as mind-bending visuals filled the amphitheater.

The final Cheese set of the festival was a classic, with standbys Restless Wind and ‘Round the Wheel sandwiching the gypsy rave fiddle of ‘Hi Ho No Show’. It’s a vibe that only sunset Cheese on their home turf can pull off. Smiles were everywhere.

Photo by Mandi Nulph Media

The biggest conflict for old school jam fans came from the same time slot set of Lotus and Ween. Both sets delivered in entirely different ways. 

The crowd converged onto the final headlining set of the evening with GRiZ. The saxophonist/producer spent halkf of his time on stage alone and half with his guitarist. Their bond is obvious, but it’s GRIZ who steals this show. The mix of ultra-heavy electronic mixed with smooth and funky guitar and sax work put an interesting juxtoposition throughout the crowd.

All in all, Suwannee Hulaween has done the unthinkable. It continues to evolve and change, but in a way that keeps an ear to the ground of what its fans crave. This isn’t an operation that seeks growth for growth’s sake. It’s an event obviously created by fans for fans, and as the theme explained in a word, its foundation will remain love - love of music, love of art, and love of community.

Photo by Live Edits Lab

Photo by Keith Griner: Phierce Photo

Photo by Keith Griner: Phierce Photo

Photo by Keith Griner: Phierce Photo

Photo by Keith Griner: Phierce Photo

Photo by Dave Vann

Win Tickets To See BIG Something In Atlanta On Friday November 7, 2017 15:08

'Eat A Peach' Will Bring Allman Brothers Tribute To Montgomery November 6, 2017 21:44

Desmond Jones Releases Debut Studio Album November 5, 2017 02:07

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After 5 years and more than 450 shows as a band, Desmond Jones has finally released their debut studio album. The self-titled album was released on Saturday night to a capacity crowd at Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids. Desmond Jones features eight original songs, a wide variety of instrumentation, and unique musical compositions. NPR calls it a showcase of “eclectic musical diversity”.

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Desmond Jones spotlights four different songwriters from within the band resulting in a wide array of musical styles and influences. “We ended up going with a mix of songs that gives the listener a little bit of everything we have to offer,” says drummer John Nowak. “A short and sweet song, some extended jams, a little bit of R&B, a little bit of funk and jazz. We wanted it to span across genres and show the many facets of our original sound and songwriting process.”

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Recorded in Webberville, MI at Inmuso Studios with Kevin McKay, the album was mixed by Alex Gauthier and mastered by Glenn Brown who has recently worked with Greensky Bluegrass, Eminem, and Billy Strings. The album is available on iTunes, Spotify, bandcamp, and SoundCloud.

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The five-piece group has been ambitiously traveling the country with a rigorous touring schedule that, until recently, took priority over time in the recording studio. With over 65 original songs in live rotation, the band now plans to continue recording and releasing new material on a much more consistent basis.

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Desmond Jones will be playing shows in the Midwest and beyond in support of the new record. The group has just signed with Ever Upward Entertainment out of Denver, CO and plans to hit the road hard in 2018. 

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Watch Desmond Jones new music video for "Good Song" here:

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Listen to the album in its entirety here:

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Desmond Jones: Remaining 2017 Tour Dates

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11.9 // The Knickerbocker // Grand Rapids, MI

11.10 // Unruly Brewing Co // Muskegon, MI

11.22 // Woodlands Tavern // Columbus, OH

11.25 // The Garage Bar // Grand Rapids, MI

12.2 // The Blind Pig // Ann Arbor, MI

12.16 // Bell’s Eccentric Cafe // Kalamazoo, MI

12.31 // The Tip Top Deluxe // Grand Rapids, MI

 

For more information and all future dates visit www.desmondjonesband.com.

Desmond Jones:-Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Music. Spotify. iTunes.

The Fritz Looks To Close Out 2017 In Strong Fashion November 3, 2017 10:13

Aqueous Makes Powerful Alabama Debut On Halloween Night November 1, 2017 16:44

Photos by Craig Baird: Home Team Photography

Words by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

While there was plenty of hype surrounding Tuesday night's Halloween show with Aqueous and Soul Mechanic at Zydeco, I'm not sure that anyone was quite prepared for what was in store. Being Aqueous' first-ever show in Alabama, many people (myself included) were finally getting a chance to see these guys in person. I can't think of a much better way to be formally introduced to a band of this caliber than an intimate, raging Halloween show. This was a special occasion, to say the least, and both bands certainly planned accordingly with quite a few surprises in store.

Soul Mechanic kicked off the festivities in powerful fashion, to no one's surprise. Ever since catching these guys at CukoRakko Music & Arts Festival earlier this year, I just can't get enough. The Chattanooga-based five-piece takes the concept of experimental funk to another level, and the energy and stage presence they bring is beyond palpable. There aren't too many young bands touring with a world-class viola player, and that's certainly one element that makes Soul Mechanic so unique. The chemistry between Jessica Nunn (viola), William English (guitar), Parrish Gabriel (bass) and Marcus White (keyboards) couldn't be much tighter, and the sky is the limit for these guys. The highlight of the set came in the set closer, when Tommy Bowen (trumpet) and Desmond Sykes (saxophone) of Tragic City joined the band for a killer take on Lettuce's "Breakout." See below for video footage of "America."

Having watched the rapid progression of Aqueous amongst the 'jam ranks' in recent years, I had pretty high expectations for the upcoming set. While this would be my first live AQ experience, I've certainly spent hours watching and listening to the band's well documented online content. As expected with a Halloween set, these guys came out swinging with Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls," the first of six debut covers for the night. This led perfectly into "Origami," which officially turned Zydeco into an all out dance party. A nice transition into "Somebody's Watching Me (Jam)" ultimately led back into "Origami." 

Next up was the band's most recent single, "Weight Of The Word," which you can't miss if you're a regular SiriusXM JamOn listener. "Willy Is 40," the title track from the band's 2012 release, was executed with precision before busting out No Doubt's "Spiderwebs," another debut cover. "Kitty Chaser" was at the top of my wish list for the night, and it was an absolute monster. Guitarist Mike Gantzer then invited Travis Gray of Wild Adriatic on stage to take lead vocals on AC/DC's "Highway To Hell." This smokin' set would ultimately wrap up with "Don't Do It," a tune known for it's extensive jamming, which was absolutely held true on this night.

While the band didn't technically exit the stage, the "encore" was far from average. The entire stretch of four songs fell within "Complex Pt. 1," with debut covers of Cranberries' "Zombie" and Van Halen's "Running With The Devil" sandwiched in between. The seamless transitions here, and throughout the entire evening, were truly next level. It's always a treat when you find a band that is so balanced with talent and precision. Drummer Rob Houk held such a powerful, tight beat throughout the show. Evan McPhaden (bass) didn't miss a beat all night, all while bouncing around on stage in a fantastic 'Tigger' costume.

I was definitely most familiar with Gantzer's well-documented guitar work coming into the show, but Dave Loss (guitar/keys) blew my mind as well. Watching those two trade off scorching solos from across the stage was such a treat. All in all, Aqueous couldn't have had a dialed up a hotter Halloween show, and it's safe to say this will be the first of many Alabama appearances to come. See below for video footage of both Soul Mechanic and Aqueous, complete setlists, and a photo gallery courtesy of Home Team Photography.

Watch Soul Merchanic perform "America" here:;

Watch footage of Aqueous performing "Highway To Hell" with Travis Gray here:

Setlist: Soul Mechanic - Zydeco - Birmingham, AL - 10.31.17

Set: 6 Milli, Frontier, Jack N Coke, 'Merica, Breakout*

*Lettuce cover featuring Tragic CIty horns

Setlist: Aqueous - Zydeco - Birmingham, AL - 10.31.17

Set: For Whom The Bell Tolls*> Origami> 'Somebody's Watching Me' Jam*^> Origami, Weight Of the Word> Willy is 40> Spiderwebs**> Kitty Chaser, Highway to Hell+*, Don't Do It

Encore: Complex Pt. I> Zombie*^^> Complex Pt. I> Running with the Devil*> Complex Pt. I

*First Time Played, Metallica (intro only)

*^First Time Played, Rockwell

**First Time Played, No Doubt

+*First Time Played, AC/DC, featuring Travis Gray from Wild Adriatic on vocals

*^^ First Time Played, Cranberries Jam, included choruses

*First Time Played, Van Halen

Post show crowd shot with Aqueous

Mike Gantzer & Evan McPhaden of Aqueous

Aqueous

Dave Loss of Aqueous

Mike Gantzer, Evan McPhaden, & Rob Houk of Aqueous

Aqueous

Aqueous

Aqueous

Mike Gantzer of Aqueous

Dave Loss of Aqueous

Aqueous

Aqueous feat. Travis Gray of Wild Adriatic

Travis Gray of Wild Adriatic

Soul Mechanic w/ Tragic City horns

William English, Parrish Gabriel, & Marcus White of Soul Mechanic

Jessica Nunn of Soul Mechanic

Trey Anastasio Band Honors Las Vegas Victims With Acapella Tribute October 30, 2017 21:25

Photo by Craig Baird: Home Team Photography

This past weekend saw many of America's most accomplished bands performing some of their most anticipated shows of the year. Halloween weekend is consistently one of the biggest for professional musicians and fans alike, and that was certainly felt in Las Vegas, NV. Just weeks after the horrifying tragedy at Route 91 Harvest Festival in Vegas, Trey Anastasio brought his world class band to town for a two-night run at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas.

In honor of those affected by this tragedy, Anastasio took the stage on Friday with his horn section (Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, and James Casey) to open the show with a touching, acapella rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." Just one of the many reasons why we love Trey and this band so much. You can watch the tribute via Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas' Facebook page below.

Watch the performance of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" here:

Spafford's Georgia Debut Features Surprise Sit-In From David Lowery October 29, 2017 14:52

Watch Mike Gordon Reunite With Benevento/Russo Duo At Hulaween October 28, 2017 12:20

Marco Benevento and Joe Russo originally met while in junior high school in New Jersey. The Benevento Russo Duo began in 2001 when Russo secured a weekly gig at New York's Knitting Factory music club, and asked Benevento to join him on the Hammond B3 organ. By 2003 the band had self-released two albums, Debut Album and Darts. In 2005, Best Reason to Buy the Sun was released on Ropeadope Records to critical acclaim. Play Pause Stop was released on July 11, 2006.

The Duo was once said to have a small but dedicated fan base. Their association with Mike Gordon of Phish, who became something of an unofficial third member of the group, certainly helped elevate them to the next level. In 2004, Gordon performed with The Duo for several shows benefiting Headcount, a voter registration organization. The trio played a number of dates in late 2004 and 2005 including the Bonnaroo Music Festival in June 2005 and a New Year's Eve series of shows in Florida and the northeastern United States.

In summer 2006, Gordon, along with Phish bandmate Trey Anastasio, again joined the Benevento-Russo Duo for a co-headlining tour with Phil Lesh and Friends before finishing the final leg of the tour on their own. The group performed various songs from each members' catalog, as well as a handful of brand new originals. The quartet parted ways after the tour ended in July.

Last night at Hulaween, the Duo reunited for just their fourth performance since 2008, and with Mike Gordon also on the lineup, many wondered about a potential collaboration. Sure enough, Gordon joined the guys for an old shool Duo original, "Scratchitti," and video footage can be seen below via Live For Live Music. Stay tuned for further updates from Hulaween throughout the weekend!

Widespread Panic Confirms Webcasts For Vegas Halloween Run October 27, 2017 14:25

Photo by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

Fresh off of a big weekend run in Milwaukee, Widespread Panic is ready for more excitement in Las Vegas this weekend. Slated for a three-night Halloween run, the festivities kick off tonight at Park Theatre and wrap up with what is sure to be a special night on Sunday. Many have been anxiously awaiting confirmation of a weekend webcast option, and luckily, that news was confirmed by the band earlier today.  All three shows in Vegas will be streamed in full SD/HD, and you can tune in by heading over to nugs.tv. Stay tuned for coverage and updates throughout the weekend. For all of the latest Panic happenings, make sure to follow the band on Facebook and Instagram.

Watch Widespread Panic perform Nirvana's "Lithium" on 10.31.16 here:

Aqueous Is Bringing The Halloween Madness To Birmingham's Zydeco October 27, 2017 13:52

Photo by Keith Griner: Phierce Photo

Words by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

Share this post directly from the Live & Listen Facebook page and tag a friend in the comments section of the post for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show. A winner will be announced at 10:00 AM CST on Tuesday, 10/31.

It's no secret that Halloween is one of the biggest nights of the year for most major touring bands. If you keep up with the latest happenings in the live touring circuit, you've surely seen the hype surrounding Aqueous, a four-piece, high-energy groove rock act out of Buffalo, NY. Whether its their impressive billing on just about every major festival lineup, their recent Green Day Dookie collaborations with Umphrey's McGee bassist Ryan Stasik, or even their heavy rotation on Sirius XM JamOn, the excitement surrounding this band continues to escalate. 

While Halloween isn't conveniently falling on a weekend this year, there is a party you simply don't want to miss at Zydeco in Birmingham. Aqueous is making a rather rare appearance in Alabama, and you can rest assured that the band has big plans for this special occasion. If that wasn't enough, Soul Mechanic (Chattanooga, TN) will be providing direct support and warming up the stage in powerful fashion. At the rate things are going, Aqueous is on the fast track to playing even bigger rooms/stages, and this is a Tuesday night you're going to have to plan accordingly for. Do yourself a favor and join the official Facebook event for all of the latest updates. Tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking here.

Bio: Aqueous

Aqueous’s groove rock sound stems from Buffalo NY. They have built a name for themselves nationally, following years of touring and high profile sets at major festivals. The band is as strong in composing as they are at communicating and improvising during their shows. Their onstage persona is infectious and undeniable; their lifelong friendship stands as a testament to the tightness of the music. While the band is relatively young, they are polished - check them out as soon as you can, and discover firsthand what the buzz is all about.

For all things Aqueous, make sure to follow the band on Facebook and check their official website.

Check out Aqueous' latest single "Weight Of The World" here: