Ozric Tentacles 9/27/15 Spaceland Ballroom

So, I'm driving to Spaceland to see British psychedelic troupe Ozric Tentacles, the B-52s Planet Claire comes on the box and the light of the eclipsing Super Moon is guiding me in. If only Sun Ra was chauffeuring me and my astronomical evening would have been complete. OT has been around since the jam Renaissance of the late 90s. Seemed like one or two original members. Noel Redding lookalike band leader on guitar and keyboards, mini Noel Redding on second keyboards, propulsive drummer (who I think was in Jamiroquai), and a stoned but talented Linda Hamilton on muscular bass. The Linda Hamilton character was a sight to behold, body builder arms that anchored the Brit-stoners through psychedelic Terminator territory. Thankfully wordless, (between their accent and dank haze, they could barely articulate the song titles), they were on autopilot on stage. Effortlessly careening from Prog to metal to dub to dance stylings.

Amir ElSaffar and the Two Rivers Ensemble 9/25/15 Firehouse 12

Amir ElSaffar's group was showcasing their new release Crisis. The ensemble is a mashup of middle eastern instrumentation and straight ahead jazz blowing. ElSaffar on trumpet, santur (an Iraqi hammered dulcimer), Ole Mathisen on saxes, Carlo Derosa on standup bass, new to the group drummer Dan, and Palestinian-American string players Tareq Abboushi on buzuq and Zafer Tawil on oud. I have seen this group before, but they seemed to have upped the ante on the eastern inflection, with ElSaffar even singing in the arabic microtonal maqam style. The seven part Crisis Suite with sections like "Flyover Iraq", "Tipping Point", and "From the Ashes" were all excellent. The ensemble also seemed tighter, with great sax-trumpet interplay even a few tease-nods to recently departed Ornette Coleman. In bringing the buzuq and oud to the fore, ElSaffar had an exotic backdrop for his modern jazz delivery. In an age when Iraq and the U.S. are unwanted bedfellows, this ensemble bridges the gap with music....the great equalizer.

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages 9/10/15 Cafe 9

Regional R&B legend BW made a stop at C9 to sharpen some songs from his excellent new release "Under the Savage Sky". The Savages, drums, guitar, bass, and saxes are the perfect backdrop for BW. Barrence is a sight to behold, built like a papasan chair or a whoopie pie with a booming voice and a trademark yelp, he takes on songs like a lumberjack. These guys were a staple at Toads in the 80s and 90s, and have the chops of a seasoned bar band. Thankfully, BW didn't try to walk down the bar as is his usual at C9. The set was short but sweet, including a nice Smokestack Lightning tease at the encore.

Pencilgrass 8/28/15 Spaceland

Touted as a "save the Space" show, local glam funk legends PG funked  and rolled on a mini reunion tour. While I'm not sure what the Space needs saving from ( either bankruptcy, or its inability to properly price designer beers),  PG was there for the party. Frontman Pren sporting his best American Hustle Christian Bale attire reminded us that PG had three types of songs: disco, funk, and reggae. Playing some familiar oldies and a few new tunes, PG was obviously sticking their collective toe back in the local water. They still had some swagger, albeit with a receding hairline. The lineup was foggy but came back upon viewing. Pren on vocals and guitarro, wiry keyboardist, trumpet/rapper, Eric the Willoughby's former barista and BlueMoon member on sax, guitar, bass and drums. All local denizens that I see at shows or in Pren's case stickered on every flat surface in town. These guys are fun, and have fun playing their music, it would make sense that they have a loose association that allows them to throw an occasional funk party at a local watering hole.

Gathering Of The Vibes 7/30-8/2/15 Seaside Park Bridgeport

Where to start, so much music packed in a weekend.
Thursday:
Banooba roots rockers on the second stage
Ryan Montbleu, Vibes staple who sounds like Jose Felician
Bombino : desert blues man brought some Touareg sights and sounds
Dark Star Orchestra featuring Melvin Seals. Classic set with the big man on organ.
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe: Dapper,funky saxman and his cast of characters on the late night stage
Friday:
The Word: too early a time slot for this supergroup. Medeski on organ, Robert Randolph on pedal steel, Luther Dickinson on guitar with the North Mississippi Allstar rhythm section of Chris chew and Cody Dickinson. I braved the heat for these guys.
Tedeschi and Trucks with guest Doyle Bramhall II. Power couple of the jam world show the perfect mix of blues singing and guitar wailing.
Tea Leaf Green: Reed Mathis helmed jam outfit.
GreggAllman: chilling version of Midnight Rider
The String Cheese Incident with David Grisman and Peter Rowan: great but quiet bluegrassy set with Panama Red, and Midnight Moonlight (to the light of a blue moon)
Saturday:
Kung Fu: area rockers with Tim Palmieri on searing guitar fry early on the main stage
The Primate Fiasco: gypsy collective moving up from impromptu gathering to an actual time slot.
Deep Banana Blackout: standard set from local vibes pimps. Fuzz sounding good on guitar.
Billy and the Kids: Kreutzman 's band of merry pranksters was the only member of the original GD.
Turkuaz: NYC funk noise collective with impressive girl vocalists
Warren Haynes featuring RR Earth: decent set from their collaboration. Nice take on Fleetwood Mac's Gold Dust Woman.
Wilco: great set but under- appreciated by the hippies. If you can't get into Impossible Germany from Sky Blue Sky, there's something wrong with ya. Warren Haynes comes out for closer.
Warren Haynes and The Seaside Allstars: festival highlight from this super supergroup. Branford Marsalis, Jackie Greene, Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, and George Porter........wow. Walk on Gulded Splinters, Dreams, Low Spark, that Radiohead song that everyone thinks is great, some Floyd, just an unbelievable weave job by Haynes the master. Warren holds the jam crown and will take any and all songs to play with. Closed with Sly Stone's Thank You Falletin Me Be Myself....classic.
Lettuce: Krasno's funk outfit graced the late night stage.
Sunday:
Preservation Hall Jazz Band: Legendary Nawlins group.
Zappa Plays Zappa: Dweezil has some technical difficulties with his set, his father would not be proud.
Cabinet: Area bluegrass outfit.
Weezer : I had no idea how many power pop ballads came from Weezer over the years, I knew almost
every song.
John Brown's Body: Reggae offering from this aging local outfit.
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals: Great festival closer. Ground on Down, Don't Take that Attitude to Your Grave mixed with Concrete Jungle, Glory and Consequence, Always have to Steal My Kisses. Perfect festival closer, Burn One Down.

Jason Isbell w/ Blake Mills 7/2215 College Street Music Hall

Arrived for most of opener Blake Mills. Known as a producer for Fiona Apple and the recent Alabama Shakes release, Mills is an eccentric guitarist. His use of vintage amps and reverb to the point of distortion made for a trying listen. With bass/keys and "excitable boy" drummer, Mills' songs seem to meander and noodle through some fuzzy tones that made you wonder if the tuning dial was just slightly off kilter.
Jason Isbell came with full twanginess. The former Drive-By Trucker, Isbell gave up the nightly Jack Daniels of his former band and probably saved his life. With a new record, wife and son, Isbell rocked the College Street Music Hall with his swampy southern rock. Playing some songs from his excellent Southeastern release, and the DBT song Decoration Day as well as cuts from the new record, Isbell was in good form. The band of guitar, bass, drums, keys and accordion was a solid backdrop for the Isbell songs. The cancer song Elephant made me cry.

Green River Festival 7/11/15 Greenfield MA

The Green River Fest is a new music destination that has been extolled in this blog before. The Saturday lineup was great.
Polaris: Pop punkers on the second stage.
Straybirds: Old timey Americana from PA
Milk Carton Kids: Dead pan humor duo sang quirky pop songs with close vocal harmony. Both kids wore suits and played acoustic guitars. Hysterical story about a sons birth, (medical emergency that took all my data!) that segueed into a song about death.
Langhorne  Slim and The Law: Smartass frenzied folk from this festival staple. LS routinely engages the audience even hopping off stage to frolic among the fans
Lydia Loveless: Sassy rocker was melting in the afternoon heat on the second stage.
J.Mascis: Local wizard and  Thurston  Moore pal guitarist from Dinosaur Jr. was a curious pick for the main stage. Skronked and feedbacked his set
Booker T. and the MGs: R&B hall of farmer had an organ instrumental hit in the 60s with Green Onions, played a good rendition of Purple Rain.
Red Baraat: Indian tinged Brooklyn collective had trombone,trumpet,keyboards, sousaphone,guitar,bass,drums,sax, and funky two sided drummer who sang and rapped his way through a high energy set.
Tune-yards: Odd time signature lo-fi quirkiness from Smith College grad Merrill Garbus's band. Two female backup singers, bass, and keys with Garbus on looped vocals and ukulele.
Wood Brothers: Chris on standup bass is the Wood in Medeski,Martin, and Wood. Oliver on guitar and vocals comprise this fascinating duo. Swampy, southern lyrics and excellent musicianship are the backdrop of the Wood Brothers sound.
Bella's Bartok: Frenzied gypsy swing from these face painted hipsters.
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra: Closer for the day was this high energy keepers of the Afrobeat flame. Off a stint as the musicians for the Broadway musical Fela!, AAO scorched their set. Highlight of the day was a fantastic version of the Talking Heads classic Cross-eyed and Painless. I highly recommend this festival to anyone looking for new music to follow.