Matt Hagen's Shocktober Night 2: The Return of Brainscapes, Oct 10th, 2019

     Hello everyone. Hope the weather is nice where you are because it has been absolutely beautiful up here. The sun is out and so are the leaf peepers. But I am not here to pontificate about the fall foliage, I am here to talk about the abundance of music in Burlington. Today, its all about Night 2 of Matt Hagen’s Shocktober Music Series, The Return of Brainscapes, Oct 10^th, 2019.

     Brainscapes is another one of Matt’s musical projects. According to my research, it usually is Matt and the super talented Bob Wagner, both playing guitar. This time they were augmented by (I didn’t get there last names, sorry) Ari on keyboards and Dan on bass. It pretty much was all improv. They played straight through for about 55 minutes. No way to really keep a setlist. They didn’t even have any type of percussion going on until about 20 minutes in when Ari started dropping some dope beats.

      I hate to call it Pink Floydesque because anything spacey can be described as that. So let’s say it was propulsive, ambient, tripped out rock. Matt made use of his pedal board. Bob added some sublime ohh’s and ahh’s. Matt also played a theremin  for a little bit. Never seen one played live, so I can cross that off the list. They wore squids on their heads because why not.

     Another awesome night of music and one step closer to that sweet, tasty loaf of bread. Next week, Angels Bones and the Filthy Fist.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

Matt Hagen's Shocktober Music Series Night 1: Matt's Murder Ballads Oct. 3, 2019

     Hello beautiful people. Super crisp up here today. It was 33 when I got up this morning. Great time at Dead Set ’77. Saw a bunch of friends and some amazing music. But I am not here to talk about iconic San Fran bands, I am here to talk about iconic Burlington musicians. Specifically, Mr. Matt Hagen. He is doing an October residency at the Light Club Lamp Shop. He’s calling it Shocktober Music Series. Every Thursday is a different musical event. If you attend all five nights, he will make you a loaf of bread to be delivered after the run. So not only does my soul get artist nourishment, I will be getting consumable caloric carbs from the artist. So without further ado, The Shocktober Music Series Night 1: Matt’s Murder Ballads, October 3, 2019.

Setlist:

Watch My Stool, Hightail Honeymoon, Spirit Man, Bone Pickin’, Woman in Black, Best Friends are the Coldest Ones, ?, Wallet of Sin, Larry the Canary, Marie Laveau

     All of the songs were Hagen originals except the last one. The words were by Shel Silverstein. They were all about murder, death, and mayhem. Matt played acoustic guitar and was accompanied by the super talented Brett Lanier on pedal steel. I know very little about the pedal steel other than it is super cool. He had a pedal board which he used to great effect.

      My favorite tunes were Wallet of Sin and Larry the Canary. Wallet was about selling out your artist soul (a different kind of death) to the entertainment /industrial complex. Larry was about a canary that turns the tables on the coal miners who used him to detect high levels of poisonous gas in the mines.

     I look forward to seeing the wide range of musical styles Matt has up his sleeve for the next four weeks. It’s every Thursday at 7pm and if you can make it out I highly recommend it. See you next week.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

Justin Mazer Vermont Tour 2019

     Greetings Everyone. Hope you are enjoying this last day of summer. It has been absolutely gorgeous up here the last few weeks. Definitely makes dealing with the scary cold of winter and the grey blahness that is early spring and mud season up here. Today I am writing about a unique opportunity I had up here. I got to see an artist (Justin Mazer) perform in 4 different bands over the course of 4 days. So without further do, Kempepedia is proud to present. The Vermont Justin Mazer Tour 2019.

     I first heard Justin’s playing when he joined Cabinet for a little bit before they went on hiatus. After I moved up to Vermont in the summer of 2017, I learned that both Pappy and Justin were residing in the Green Mountain state.  I saw Justin play Dead Set Tuesday at Nectar’s and was blown away. He plays a Telecaster through a Fender amp. It really doesn’t get more OG blues based rock and roll than that. He also plays in several different bands (Starbird, Ryan Montbleau Band among others) and tours all across the US. Did I also mention he is from NE PA?

     Back in July, Pappy announced another JJ Cale Appreciation Night. Justin was at the last one so he booked a few shows around it. First up, The Light Club Lamp Shop. It is a cozy little club that has more lights and lamps than you can imagine. It has music 7 days a week and caters to all tastes. An Irish band was playing when I showed up and Sat. nights DJ Taka throws down.

       Tonight was Justin accompanying Giovanina Bucci on electric while she played acoustic. She is a singer songwriter from Burlington and has a great voice to go along with some really good melodies. Justin didn’t know any of her tunes but you could have fooled me. One song really spoke to my divorce and that was really cool. After that set, Justin went next door to Radio Bean and played with The Midweek Mosaic Band, fronted by the super talented Bob Wagner. All bluesy soul music. It was fantastic but I had to work the next day and split after a few songs.

     Night 2 was at the LCLS again but this time it was a four piece and all improv. 30 minutes of spontaneous deliciousness, a break to introduce the band and then another 30 minutes of cosmic awesomeness. This band consisted of Al Smith, who hails originally from York PA of all places, on keys and percussion. Josh Weinstein was holding down the bottom (he also was in the Midweek Mosaic Band) and Caleb Bronz on drums. Justin remarked Caleb and himself have spent more time playing music than talking.  I am always amazed how well musicians can get locked into a groove so quickly. Very little wasted time in this show.  The lamps are on timers and faders, so you get this soothing psychedelic light show

https://www.facebook.com/justin.mazer/videos/10220712474028304/?t=11

     Night 3 was at Orlando’s in downtown Burlington. It was another 4 piece, this time featuring Ryan Clausen on drums, Josh Dobbs on keyboards, and Josh Carter on bass.  This was more focused improv. Almost like they had a destination in mind, just had to find the best way there. A few songs had vocals but most were instrumentals. The first song was Tomorrow Never Knows. They really took their time meandering through it. Other highlights included He’s Gone and a very fast No Quarter. One observation I had at Orlando’s. A wave of students would come in, buy a round of drinks, and then split. They were followed by another group of students, buy a round, and then split. Wonder if this migration applies to all the bars.

     Last but not least was night 4, the event that started this whole Mazer run, Pappy’s tribute to JJ Cale. They did this back in January and that was fantastic. Slightly different lineup and a little more cosmic.

 Instrumental, Cajun Moon, Waymore's Blues, Devil in Disguise, Don't Wait, Wish I Had Me a Dollar, Call Me the Breeze, Lies, Hey Baby, Ever Since You Said Goodbye, Traveling Light, Cherry, Cocaine, After Midnight

Encore:

 Another Song, Magnolia

You can stream it here

https://archive.org/details/pappy2019-09-21/pappybiondo2019-09-21

    

     The lineup was this time was Al Smith on drums, Craig Myers on percussion, Justin Mazer on guitar, Dylan Skursky on electric and upright bass, Pappy on acoustic guitar and banjo, and Brett Lanier on pedal steel.

      I can’t stress enough how good Brett is on the pedal steel. Man, his licks intertwining with Justin’s leads are spine tingling. Al is a great minimalist drummer. Small kit, only what he really needs. Craig was spot on with his shakers, noise makers, and whatever else he has picked up in his worldly travels. Please check out his band Barika. African funk spiked with maple syrup. Dylan played electric most of the show but did play the upright for a few tunes.

     Pappy was having the time of his life. His mom and dad were in attendance, making the trip up from PA. It was a joy watching the interplay between himself, Brett, and Justin. A big thank you to Keith, Phil, and Doug taping the performance. The scene would not exist without tapers.

     So there you have it. Burlington is like an all healthy food all you can eat buffet. Chow down people!

Oxbow Music Festival, Morrisville, VT Aug. 24th, 2019

 Hello everyone. Hope you are enjoying these super glorious beautiful end of Summer days in New England we are experiencing. I enjoyed it to the max yesterday at the Oxbow Festival in Morrisville. And since I am tied to my laptop for my fantasy football draft for the next few hours, might as well make it productive. Kempepedia presents The 2019 Oxbow fest, Morrisville, VT Aug 24, 2019.

     Morrisville is about an hour from my crib. Moog’s Place is located there and they are known for having kick ass live music. I haven’t seen anyone there yet because it is an hour drive away. 300 people tops with lots of vendors, plenty of space, enormous shade tent, and super mellow Vermont vibe. And only 28 bucks for 5 kick ass bands.

     First up the Seth Yacavone Band. Seth is a guitar god up here and probably my fav. He plays the blues like no one else and sounds like he has a hellhound on his tail. SYB focuses mainly on originals. A 3 piece power trio in the mold of Cream. Wasn’t familiar with any of the tunes but they were all really good. The last song was called Little Richard Will Rise Again. No idea what the song was about but it hilarious on so many levels. SYB left immediately after their set to play a set at another festival over an hour away in southern Vermont. Then drove back to Morrisville to play with Dead Sessions Lite at Moog's after Oxbow ended. The hardest working man in Vermont show business!

    Next up was Beg, Steal, or Borrow, a bluegrass band from Vermont. They are a traditional bluegrass band without a drummer. They played a lot of originals and a few covers. They first formed to play Old and In the Way in its entirety for a one off gig but felt magic had occurred and kept the band going. One song they did was about a train accident in Vermont in 1949. 3 railroad workers died. The band met some of their decedents and played them the tune at another show. What a mind blowing achievement to memorialize a tragedy in song form for the people that suffered that grief. Now that is some genuine Vermont folk music right there folks.

     Next up was Haley Jane and the Primates. They only have 2 more shows before they go on hiatus and never had chance to see them live before. I have seen HJ 3 times acoustically but this was something else. The first song was Blue Earth and HJ corralled the energy on the stage and threw it right back into the crowd. Several times. It was an amazing. Didn’t know any of her stuff but the highlight for myself was a song about trying to categorize music. It was funny and a rocking out tune. It was rather pleasant to hear some straight up rock and roll by a really tight band fronted by a power jam queen. HJ was also participating in a Rocking Your Life: Wild Women’s Retreat at The Wonderful Place retreat Center in Morrisville that weekend. She and Taraleigh Weathers led the retreat and the aforementioned Wildwomen were onstage at one point and were involved with a song that ended with biodegradable balloons with hemp string being released. Why? Because it’s VERMONT!

     Last but not least was Into the Mystic: A Van Morrison tribute. I love Van Morrison. His early to mid 60’s R&B stuff with Them is some of my favorite pure rock and roll shit. Also a huge fan of his early 1970’s work. While they didn’t play too much of Them, they played everything else I wanted to hear. Dancing in a field, under the stars, to the music from the crankiest Irishman that ever lived was a peak moment. Only thing missing was the purple jumpsuit from The Last Waltz.  I still can’t believe how much fun it is to live here if your life revolves around music.

    I didn’t stay for the after show with Dead Sessions Lite at Moogs. I am sure it rocked but it was late. I hope you enjoyed this recap. Again, 4 of the bands and 3/5 of HJP are from Vermont. Next up on the dreamscape, Dead Set ’80 this Friday at Nectar’s.  

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

Cosmosis Jones, Live at Nectar's, Burlington, VT July 13th, 2019

       Hello everyone. Hope things are well. Summer has arrived in Burlington. Phish tour is over but there is so much music going on in Vermont. JRAD at the Waterfront in July, Greensky at Jay’s Peak in Aug, and a friend’s Dick’s party with like 3 bands or something. But today my focus is on the music I saw last Saturday night at Nectar’s…the Reunion of Cosmosis Jones. They played a lot in the past but went on hiatus right before I moved here in 2017. I know they did something of a reunion at Finnegan’s last holiday season but it was not like this. They showed up with the full force of an electronica hurricane and destroyed Nectar’s. Kempepedia is proud to present Cosmosis Jones, Live at Nectar’s, July 13^th, 2019.

     Cosmosis Jones is Paddy Donnelly Bass, Sam Blakely Keys, Dan Usnkow Drums, and Evan Guerra Guitar. Their music is best described as jamtronica. I went in knowing nothing of their tunes. Hadn’t listened to any of their music at all. Here we go!

Gravity, Colors, I Can Change, Liminal, Fume, Boogie On Reggae Woman$, Outer Flowers, Rock Candy, First Snow, Jaws Of Omnipotence>Skew&

$ With Paddy on Synth Bass

& Without 2^nd verse, chorus, and Jam segment due to time restrictions

Here is a vid from 2016

     The First song started off with a sample of a man speaking…and about 20 min later the same sample was played signaling the end of the song. They covered a lot of ground in between. It had a few composed sections and sections where they took off. The speed with which they played was amazing. Paddy’s hand looked like a 4 legged tarantula dancing up and down his fretboard. I have seen him play funk and a lot of Dead tunes but this was something else entirely.

This one is from 2017

     Dan the drummer was an absolute machine. Crazy time patterns and a whole lot of untz. His kit looked so small but the sound and power he pummeled out of it was great. He also had an electric pad that he used to great effect in Rock Candy. Sam looked like he was having the time of his life. He had three different keyboards. It was awesome to watch his body move with the swells of the music. Evan added to the wall of sound they produced and really shone on the Boogie On cover.

     It was all high energy and Paddy really put his soul into singing I Can Change. I haven’t seen a lot of electronica live although I do cast a webcast of the Biscuits now and then. But these guys have IT. Really impressed with their vision of that danced fueled madness that the Biscuits created and then perfected. I also have to give a shout out to Nick Koski. He ran the lights and it was super psychedelic. Definitely forced me to dance a good chunk of it with my eyes open. He had these cool light panels on stage in addition to Nectar’s own lights.

     This whole reunion was just the opening act for Dr. Fameous, aka Allen Aucoin. While I have seen the Biscuits 3 times, I never really followed the music down the electronica rabbit hole. His act was him and his laptop while he pounded out beats on a kit. He didn’t even bring his own, just used Dan’s; who was geeked to say the least. But it was not my thing and I was exhausted from dancing my ass off. The crowd for the Doctor was noticeably smaller.

     Really glad I have the schedule I have now to finally soak up some of the original music that is being made in Burlington.   Furthur!

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

Jagg Off: A Mick Jagger Birthday Spectacular feat. Josh Panda, July 12th, 2019

     Hello people. Been quite a while since I have written anything. No particular reason. I have seen a bunch of shows since I moved downtown and have a more normal Monday through Friday schedule.  July will make 2 years of being up here and a few annual events I have attended twice now. This post is about the annual Jagg Off :A Birthday Celebration for Mick Jagger. Last year had Seth Yacavone and Dave Grippo tearing it up. But because Burlington has such an amazing music scene, Joshua Panda and his buddies got the honor this year. Kempepedia is proud to present Jagg Off. Live at Nectar’s July 12^th, 2019.

    I fucking love the Rolling Stones. I have seen them twice, 1994 and 2005. I feel that their run of Beggar’s Banquet through Exile on Main Street is the best 4 album run any band has ever had. I once upon a time had over 10 live show from their 1972 tour. To be honest, the sound quality on some of the audience recordings was horrible, which is why they are gone now. I also dropped 30 bucks back in the late 90’s to get a black and white VHS copy of the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus……which they then released officially on DVD in color the next year. So I really like the Stones.

Joshua Panda and his band present Some Girls  7/12/19 Nectar’s, Burlington, VT

Set 1

Bitch, Under My Thumb, Dead Flowers, All Over Now, Tumblin’ Dice, Wild Horses, Carol, Sweet Virginia, Get Off of My Cloud, Sway, Sympathy for the Devil, Jumping Jack Flash

Set 2

Honky Tonk Women, Monkeyman, Street Fighting Man, Rocks Off, Live With Me, 19^th Nervous Breakdown, Let’s Spend the Night Together,  Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’, Loving Cup, Midnight Rambler, You Can’t Always Get What You Want

 No encore

     Joshua Panda has a vocal range that is out of this world. 2 guitarists for most of show. Sax player who did a lot of the seasoning, shakers, maracas, the cowbell etc. Didn’t know any of the other musicians but they were all amazing. Loved they did Carol, a Chuck Berry tune the Stones covered early in their career but was a staple of their live show for years after. They knew the most important thing when covering Sympathy is ….don’t overdo the Woo’s. They had just the right amount. They also had another guitarist join them for Sympathy and Sway.

  If its a birthday party for Mick Jagger, you know there will be cake. This is a replica of the cover of Let It Bleed. They did give out pieces later. 

They had a Mick Jagger Dance Off at set break. I am old school when it comes to my Jagger moves. During the 1969 tour, he took his belt off and whipped the stage during Midnight Rambler. His early moves were great too.

      Monkeyman, one of my favorite Stone songs, killed it. I have seen Monkeyman performed by The Stones, Phish, and Devolver. At Superball I recognized right away and flipped the fuck out. I was screaming, jumping around, acting like a fool. My friend overheard 2 people talking:

Guy 1: What song is this?
Guy 2: I don’t know but it must be a big deal. That guy is going crazy

The jam at the end of Knockin’ was super dialed in. All high energy blasts, one after another. They didn’t do an encore which means I got to leave a little bit earlier and get some shuteye because I had the highly anticipated Cosmosis Jones reunion show at Nectar’s along with Dr. Fameous at Nectar’s the following night.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

It Was 20 Years Ago Today, Widespread Panic, Live at the Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA April 10th, 1999

     Hello everyone. I hope you have survived winter (that needs to be said when you live this far North) and are enjoying the emergence of spring. I haven’t written anything in my It Was 20 Years Ago Today series because while it has been 20 years for a lot of shows, not too many of them were super memorable. But boy is this one. This one has got it all, strip clubs, bachelor parties, fashion, and Widespread Panic. So without further ado, It Was 20 Years Ago Today, Widespread Panic, Live at the Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA 4/10/99.

     My buddy, DJ, was getting married at the end of April and wanted to do something for a bachelor party but DID NOT want a party with strippers, drugs, and general debauchery. I believe I came up with the idea of going to see Panic. DJ is a full blown deadhead and had liked WSP more than Phish so this was perfect. Maybe 5 of us were planning on attending.

    A few of Dj’s friends who lived in Philly were going too but they were not really into the music scene.  One of them, Mr X, also had a very green thumb. Remember, this was back in 1999 and really dank bud was hard to come by. Not like today, where one can get it delivered to one’s front door. Oh you can’t do that in PA? That’s why I live in Vermont.

     We had to meet up with Mr. X before the show. We got to a friend’s place in Philly and waited…and waited…and waited. Seriously, he was very late and anyone who knows me knows I HATE getting to a show late. Evidently, Mr. X couldn’t decide what outfit to wear. Like I said, not really into the music.

     He finally arrived and it was definitely worth the wait. But now we were late. I mean really late. We got on I -76 and the traffic was terrible. Mr. X was driving and decided the quickest way was to go the wrong way on an on ramp to get off the Surekill ( I mean the Schuykill) expressway. While I wouldn’t recommend it, it worked and we finally arrived at the Electric Factory.

04/10/99 Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

1: Let's Get Down To Business, Pigeons, B of D > Rebirtha > Red Hot Mama > Diner > Greta > Goin' Out West

2: Arleen > Hatfield, Flat Foot Flewzy > Jam > Driving Song > Big Wooly Mammoth > Drums > Jam > Driving Song, Ain't Life Grand

E: Pilgrims > Fishwater

You can stream it here

http://www.panicstream.com/vault/widespread-panic-04101999-philadelphia-pa/

Remember what I said about being late? We got there as Greta was ending. I was so pissed. LGDTB is a song I really wanted to hear. I was late for another WSP show in 1998, so I had missed the equivalent of an entire set. The second set was really rocking so that eased the pain.

     After the show, Mr. X insisted that we go to a strip club. The first one we went to they denied everyone entry except Jake. He had a shirt with a collar on it so that made him worthy. So then we went to a really crappy place, right along I-76, We weren’t in the door 5 minutes and Mr. X comes up and asks me to kick in some money for a lap dance for DJ. I did but replied that DJ did not want anything to do with strippers. I turn around and DJ is right in front of me asking “What did Mr. X ask you?” DJ did behave and turn down the offered lap dance. Pretty sure Mr. X took it.

     I hope whatever you did for your bachelor/bachelorette party was almost as much fun as we had seeing the jamband titans of the South.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll