LCD Soundsystem w/ Gustaf 9/11/25 College Street Music Hall

 “New York I Love You, but you’re freaking me out. There’s a ton of the twist, but we’re fresh out of shout”.  A fitting lyric from a Brooklyn band on the anniversary of 9/11.  Smartass club unit LCD makes its first appearance in the Elm City for a two night residency at College St.  Brooklyn art punk group Gustaf opens the show. Sinuous, freaky frontwoman shimmied through the set. Joined by a young lady on guitar, kazoo, and bracelet bells, bass, and drums, the quartet delivered good punk energy. The leader was wearing a microscopic picnic blanket, from my vantage point it was unclear how said blanket remained on her body. LCD Soundsystem have been wowing crowds for years with their blend of tongue in cheek dance music. The band is fronted by freak-provacateur James Murphy, joined by Nancy Whang on keys and shouting, bass, drums, guitars and a revolving cast of multi-instrumentalists and synth purveyors coming and going. Murphy starts most tunes from a bandleader perch at the front of the stage, quickly bouncing off to prod the proceedings. I have crossed paths twice with Murphy over the years (sort of). One late night DJ set at the Vibes had Murphy manning the turntables for a clubby affair, albeit in the 3-4am time slot. Another brush was a dining experience at the Brooklyn eatery The Four Horseman. Murphy took a hiatus from music and became a restaurateur, opening the unusual small plate venue. The setlist pulled from their whole catalog: They took the stage to the Velvet Underground’s We’re Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together, Tribulations, Movement, Tonite, I Can Change (Kraftwerk’s The Model intro), Time ToGet Away, You Wanted a Hit, Yr City’s A Sucker, new body rhumba, 45.33 (pt 1 and 2), Someone Great, Home, set two:  North American Scum ( with Gustaf), X-ray Eyes, Dance Yrself Clean,  New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down, and ended with the club anthem All My Friends. The crowd was an intoxicated blend of glammy gender fluidity. Molly-informed dancing was evident from  many in the packed house. The young female bassist and drummer put down infectious backbeats to most tunes. Whang is tiny and sassy, her keyboard work brings the listener straight to the klerb. The stage was equipped with walls of synths and drums,with up eight band  members getting involved. LCD has headlined many festivals, their brand of feel good pop a panacea for our times.

moe. 9/4/25 Hartford Live

 Got to hand it to the Infinity Hall folks for bringing in  jam titans moe. Billed as “30 years of moe.”, you’ll have to forgive the whiff of nostalgia that comes with this post. It was some 27 or 28 years ago that I happened upon a music festival in Memphis, called Memphis in May. My eyes widened, a blues tent, gospel offerings, as a musical omnivore I was hooked. The main stage showcased the birth of the jam scene, the highlight was the infant moe. Stellar musicianship, smartass lyrics, and a wealth of fellow purveyors was the bugle to the charge. The model is simple, periodic releases give fodder to a mammoth tour schedule. While not as popular as Phish or The Dave Matthews Band, moe. stuck to the script. Anchoring festivals, jam cruises, collaborating with anyone, moe. has  had a successful 3 decades. They even host their own hometown upstate New York festival, the moe.down. Hartford Live was cagey about this show. Tempering a deluge of hippies, the formal announcement for this free show came only a week prior to the event. Didn’t matter, word travels fast in this community and a nice crowd materialized. The LedZepalicious setlist pulled from their whole career. Happy Hour Hero, All Roads Lead to Home, Time Again, Bat Country, ATL, Tubing the River Styx, The Pit, Tailspin; Set two: Brent Black, Band In The Sky, Deep This Time, No Quarter ( Zep cover), Skrunk, Blue Jeans Pizza, encored with Tambourine and another Zep nugget Immigrant Song. Clocking in at 3.5 hours, one rarely gets cheated at a jam show. Bassist Rob Derhak, guitarists Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey, and drummer Vinnie Amico have been the core unit and are joined by keys wizard Nate Wilson and percussionist Jim Loughlin. As with any jam show, part of the fun is locating the “teases” that are periodically embedded in their tunes. Pink Floyd, Santana, and more Zeppelin were just a few that I caught. An enjoyable evening, I am happy to grow old with moe. (X2).

Dungeon Synth Festival 8/31/25 Neverending Books

 Back in my day, the Dungeons and Dragons band of high school misfits occupied a territorial outpost in the cafeteria. Ramones tshirts, eyeliner on males, trolls safety pinned to their backpacks, the cabal exhibited an admirable idontgiveashit attitude toward the world. Largely offspring of wealthy AWOL and/or hippie parents, the kids found solace in fantasy or sci-fi realms. Fast forward to 8/31/25 at Neverending Books ( a logical extension of the cafeteria outpost) and the kids are all growed up. Armed with some keys, synths and noise boxes the group still exists. By day, they might be art teachers or work at Walgreens, but on this night, they got to gather with their fellow nerds and bask in their true selves. Dungeon synth is a genre that I’m hoping you’ll look up. A mash of “ medieval New Age music” with “Friar Tuck cosplay” ensued. Grab your flagon, pull up a bear skin rug and take a journey through the Epping forest soundtracked by this crew. How did I get here? Local renaissance (baroque?) man Adam Matlock has been hyped on this blog many times. He is the accordion vocalist focal point of avant weirdo outfit Dr. Caterwaul’s Cadre of Clairvoyant Claptraps, he sang on several challenging Anthony Braxton free jazz big band scores, and recently viewed with his skewed show tune bombast of An Historic. Fitting then, that he inhabits a dungeon synth persona named Herbalist. An unabashed wrangler, Adam forged a triple bill of the genre. I arrived late so I missed the Herbalist set, and it seems that Ozregoth from RI had transportation problems, so I was left to view middle offering Unsheathed Glory. From the bucolic pastures of the Berkshires, UG took to the stage. A solitary figure with two keyboards and some effects boxes, UG rambled through his set. Dressed in a Robin Hood shirt, headband, and calf high boots, UG did his thing. The instrumental music was mournful or suspenseful dotted with canned percussion and some wordless vocals. The music had some unsettling distortion, it was unclear if it was intentional. I’m assuming if unwanted, Adam would spring to assist. Towards the end of the set, UG pulled a sword from its scabbard, a touchstone of Glory Unsheathed. Absent was the parental admonition, “careful with that thing”. For those that think the D&D kids just gave up and conformed to the world around them, I am happy to report they are alive, well, and as weird as ever.

Porchfest 8/23/25 Fairfield

 The Black Rock section of Fairfield is an artists hub. Coffee houses, bistros, music venues, proximity to the train and NYC,  prove to be a fertile incubator for music. It’s natural then to pick a nice summer day and assemble a mass gathering called Porchfest. No less than  60 musical acts occupy porches in this highly walkable area to showcase their talents. The idea is to develop a walking plan, hydrate, and see what develops. We park at St Ann’s church, the unofficial center of the proceedings, and start to wander. First up was Dad Bods, exactly as billed, these guys took their shirts off then launched into some James Gang or Humble Pie covers. Upon closer inspection, I see a shirtless 10 year old playing a mini Fender. Down the street, we happen upon Sean O’Reilly. Sean plays keys and harp, that’s right, a blue harp. Indie folk pop reminiscent of Perfume Genius. His ability to plunk and pluck simultaneously was admirable. Tweed Sugar were some grungey 30 somethings playing some lost hits from the 90s. We mosey over to Chucks in London a hard rocking outfit with a great logo that is a cross between Chuck Taylor and the London Underground. The Drowsy Chaperones had some nice female vocal harmonies and did a couple Carol King tunes. On the way back, we catch Drew Angus, a solo troubadour who looped through the crowd singing You Can’t Always Get What You Want. Circling back we catch an instrumental trio with guitar drums and bass. The drummer had a closet pole on the porch draped with bangable kitchen gadgets, a colander, a tea kettle, a box grater, all meant to be percussed. I’m assuming the revellers end their day at the Park City Music Hall, a jamcentric venue and music locus for the area. Glad to have finally made it to this storied event.

Max Creek 8/21/25 Hartford Live

 CT Hippies assemble! Could be the title of a long lost Creek bootleg. Maiden voyage of the 2025 Hartford Live series. The Infinity Hall crew brings in some jam bands and facilitates a free show behind the Old State House. Max Creek started as a Dead cover band in the 70s and played every Keg House and Whitney Winery that has opened and then closed. Like a keepsake from another time, the Creek just keeps on truckin. At one point, they may have been living on reds, vitamin C, and cocaine but now it’s largely statins, prevagen and Metamucil. Decent crowd for a nice weather Thursday night. The setlist was happily predictable: Walking in  Jerusalem, The Shape I’m In,  In Harmony,  Sadie ( Spinners cover), DarkWater,She Belongs To Me (Dylan),  Wild Side, Hand In My Pocket ( Morissette),  Keep Your EyesOn the Prize, Blood Red Roses, Drums,  Outside of Home, Tangled Up In Blue,  Peaceful Warrior, Down In the Jungle,  Something  is Forming. Encored with an epic Cassidy ( Grateful Dead) and Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes. When the world is burning from climate change and democracy seems to be going to hell in a bucket baby, it’s nice to know the Creek is still available to help you enjoy the ride.

Fruit Bats w/Minor Moon 8/14/25 Spaceland

 Sometimes I arrive at a show circuitously. 2024 Green River fest highlight Bonny Light Horseman is an indie folk power trio anchored by songbird Anais Mitchell. Another third of that group is Eric D. Johnson, a long haired axe wielder with great vocal harmony chops. Johnson fronts his own group, Chicago’s Fruit Bats. I arrive early to catch most of opener Minor Moon. Turns out the lead Sam (there are three Sams and a bass playing Meredith) grew up in West Hartford and played the no alcohol Space venue to some enthusiastic aunts and uncles back in the day. A well crafted set of indie pop nuggets ensued. The playing was assured and lead Sam had a good way with the audience. Next up was the Fruit Bats. Johnson was definitely in charge and was joined by expert musicians on lead guitar, drums, bass, and keys. The music was familiar and soothing which explained the sold out 50/50 male to female crowd. Johnson cites The Byrds and The Kinks as influences but I heard a lot of Jayhawks in this mix. Tight four minute song structure backed by thoughtful lyrics spilled from Johnson. His vocals had a slight helium inflection which was not annoying, but charming. I’m not too familiar with the catalog, but the sold out crowd sung along with most tunes. Johnson was engaging, even hopping off stage at one point and belting out a tune with the crowd. Eric’s signature hair gets swung around like he was in Queensryche. Enjoyable show for a sweltering August night.

Newport Jazz Festival 8/2/25 Fort Adams

 Gorgeous weather was a fitting backdrop for my annual trek to the Fort.  Jazz Night in America host Christian McBride is the current talent wrangler of this storied fest. He tries to drive a wide swath of artists sometimes to a disjointed affair. After an arduous security gauntlet, we make it to the field.  First up on the main stage:

Nubya Garcia: British sax wailer Garcia is part of the new young lions. With cohorts like Shabaka Hutchings and Theon Cross, the UK contingent wows crowds with their skills while incorporating a wide variety of styles. Elements of dub and classical are seamlessly added to her jazz chops.

Knower: Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi are LA based multi-instrumentalists  who create electronic dance and funk. A crowded Quad stage made viewing difficult, and the music seemed better suited for sweaty club happenings.

Dianne Reeves: Hailed as the jazz vocal successor to Betty Carter or Carmen McCrae, Reeves is an accomplished scat vocalist who interprets the world songbook with ease. Anchoring the main stage, she kept the old jazzbos engaged.

Fleck, Castaneda, Sanchez Trio: An unusual but excellent smash, the Quad stage had banjo artist Bela Fleck, Edmar Castaneda on harp, and Antonio Sanchez on drums. Banjo and harp exchanged fluid runs that were mesmerizing. Not since Alice Coltrane have I seen such expert use of jazz harp. Watching Edmar on the big screen gave you a feel for just how difficult the instrument is to play, he rocked back and forth as if he was tangoing with the thing. Bela  has wowed me on multiple occasions, while older and grayer, he still moves the banjo from the Appalachian porch to all corners of the world. His excellent documentary of him travelling through Africa playing impromptu jams with villagers is great. Fleck’s cover of Help On The Way from the Day of The Dead tribute with The Wood Brothers and Zakir Hussein remains one of my favorite cover/tribute tunes.

Flying Lotus: I was unclear how Steven Ellison’s Flying Lotus project would translate live. The recordings are expansive afrofuturist blowouts with the likes of Thom Yorke, Kamasi Washington, and Kendrick Lamar doing stints. He did a DJ set with trippy visuals which got the young kids bumping and most older patrons running for the other stages. Ellison is the grand nephew of John and Alice Coltrane which boosts his jazz pedigree.

Janelle Monae: Closing out the Saturday at the fest was actress, model, musician, spokesperson, and all around overachiever Monae. Her costumes and stage presence were intimidating. While on the podium, she had a roadie open a large cape for her to change looks without leaving the stage. A large band with horns, keys, drums, guitar, bass, and two gogo dancers were in stark contrast to Flying Lotus’ solo perch. Her setlist was posted:Float, Champagne Shit, Django Jane, QUEEN, Electric Lady,  Lipstick Lover, Pynk, I Like That, and did a sizable encore Make Me Feel, Cold War, Tightrope, and Come Alive ( the last tune I’m told is the theme to the cheesy reality show Love Island.Monae is a chameleonic presence that had the crowd bobbing back to their cars.