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.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard 7/30/25 Westville Bowl

 For those of you who have ever uttered the phrase “it was a little jammy”, should probably back off from this post. KG&TLW are the torchbearers of the jam genre. The group looked to be 6 or 7 strong, but it was difficult to tell from my vantage point. From Melbourne, the band is known for its omnivorous musical appetite and prolific recorded output. Krautrock, psychedelia, metal, disco were all safe targets for these guys. Their legendary live shows are a tapers dream, and they have been known to release 5 records in a year. The recent release,  Phantom Island was showcased. The group was backed by the Orchestra of St Luke’s a chamber outfit from Philly conducted by Sarah Hicks. Looked to be about 30 pieces, strings brass and percussion tried to keep up with the Aussie dervishes. There was even a monstrous harp, cuz why not?  I’m not too familiar with their catalog, but the setlist went as follows: Phantom Island, Deadstick,  Lonely Cosmos, Eternal Return, Panpsych, Spacesick, Aerodynamic, Sea of Doubt, Silent Spirit, Grow Wings and Fly, Hot Water. While there was no discernible setbreak, the internet listed a set two with: The River, Crumbling Castle,  This Thing, Mars for the Rich,  Dragon,  and closed with the anthemic Iron Lung. Truly an egalitarian affair, four band members sang, each with a different vibe, one was punky, one sounded like Elton John, the mix and match was dizzying. The guy who sang most played a flying V guitar, and did an amazing flute bit. The crowd was predominantly 20 year olds, and they truly packed the Bowl on this steamy evening. Towards the end of the show, a contingent of revellers in front of the stage started running in a counterclockwise circle that looked like a whirlpool of humanity. Musicians have been jamming for centuries, the intoxicating notion of playing at a frenetic pace in a band situation is best experienced live. For me, the 1971 Fillmore East recording by the Allman Brothers blessed us with the ultimate jam In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.  A headstone in Macon was the impetus for that song.  My recent orchestral experience at the Bowl had Beck tastefully shaded, while these Aussies dared the orchestra to follow. From Macon to Melbourne, when life deals you a cornucopia of styles, some might make lemonade, the Gizz makes jam.